Houston’s Most Inspiring Stories

Every neighborhood in Houston has its own vibe, style, culture and history, but what consistently amazes us is not what differentiates the various neighborhoods but rather what they all have in common.  From the Fourth Ward to Sugar Land (and everywhere in between) we’ve been blown away by how many creative and talented people call Houston home.  Check out some of the inspiring stories we’ve discovered throughout the city.

Daisy Gire

This included deep dives into creating arrangements, attending floral workshops, and familiarizing myself with the social media landscape. Slowly, I began to put together the pieces of my small business, making it what it is today. With each step of my journey, I keep learning and growing in my craft, and I eagerly look forward to what Blooms & Boards will continue to create! Read more>>

Ashvin Senthil Kumaran

Vector One Racing is a student-led motorsport organization that focuses on racing, engineering, and business development. We specialize in building partnerships with brands, managing sponsorships, and helping students gain hands-on experience in competitive racing environments. What sets us apart is how we blend real-world racing with professional skill-building, giving students opportunities to learn project management, marketing, and technical teamwork through motorsports. Read more>>

Haley Love

Once I made them and I tasted the smoothies, I was thoroughly impressed and I was excited for the community members to try them. As soon as I saw the look on their faces after they tried my smoothies, I knew that I was onto something greater than just smoothie demonstrations at my job. They couldn’t believe that something so healthy could also taste so good! Read more>>

Melissa Ambers

it was about truly understanding people, strategy, and the underlying systems. This led me to become an Administrative Assistant, the go-to person for getting things done. I then dove into methodologies like Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Project Management (PMP), which became the foundation of how I approached business challenges. Read more>>

Michelle Atanu

But, my oh my, God had other plans. During my college career, after graduation and while experiencing life as a young adult, I truly felt pulled away from the life I thought that I would lead, to a life of a different purpose, compassion and blessings beyond what I could have even imagined. Read more>>

Marlene Watts

My greatest struggle has always been overcoming fear and doubt. Being an artist and entrepreneur requires an unwavering faith because you’re creating your own path from a vision in your head and hope in your heart. It requires you to be bold and courageous every time you share your work with the world. I’ve learned to put my faith in God and trust what He’s gifted and called me to do. Staying on assignment keeps me focused, but it took years to get to that foundational principal that with Him, I can do all things. Read more>>

Mariia Mudra

Thank you so much for having me. My name is Mariia Mudra, and I’m the founder of KRASA Beauty Studio. I currently live in New York City, but Houston holds a very special place in my heart, it’s where my business was born, where my team works, and where I come often to see my clients and community. Read more>>

David Fahl

One of my coworkers had a band with some of his high-school friends. They’d written and recorded some songs, but none of them had any idea of how to write lyrics. Since he knew I was writing poetry, he asked me to put lyrics to one of theirs. They were happy with the lyrics, but weren’t happy with their vocals, so asked me to come sing on the recording for them. I did that, hung around and sang while they jammed on some other songs, realized I could sing. Read more>>

April Hiatt

Business is never a totally smooth road. We all feel imposter syndrome at times, we all question if we are making the right decisions, and we all have struggles. Some of the hardest parts about growing a community is making sure the culture and values are upheld. It’s also about believing in yourself as a business owner and CEO, and pushing through the negative thoughts that show up–usually right before something big happens. Read more>>

Reighn Williams

My Family started our first shop in 2000. Due to some family reasons we had to take a hiatus from coffee in 2012. I grew up in the back room of our coffee shop. Some of my earliest memories are having my Dora the explorer foam couch and sleeping in the back, snacking on chocolate covered espresso beans when nobody was looking.  Read more>>

Dominika Staniewicz

My journey started in Poland. I was about seven when I first came to the US, where my parents fled due to martial law and government restrictions. In those times, disagreeing with the system meant being blacklisted and unable to work. I returned to the US for the second time at the age of twelve, where I had the chance to attend junior high and high school. Read more>>

Ziggy Gruber

A second Houston chapter started in February 2022, when I learned a new owner of the center it was located in had plans to demolish the building and replace it with a large high rise. Fortunately, at the same time, a former Luby’s Cafeteria location just up the street became available. It was serendipity at its finest. The space was totally renovated following my dream deli designs, a full-service cocktail bar was added as were a soda fountain, a larger private room and two patios, all total doubling the seating capacity of the original deli. Read more>>

Phillip Yates

Soon after, I started a Farmers Insurance franchise, where I learned what it truly takes to build a business from the ground up. Around that same time, I launched a nonprofit organization to give back to the community that raised me—Alief, Texas. To this day, I credit my parents and the village that surrounded me for shaping my values and helping me get to where I am today. Read more>>

Lucy Love

I began my career working as a sales administrator for a children’s playground manufacturing company in my small hometown in the UK. I enjoyed my job, but as someone who’s always been very creative, I was craving a creative outlet outside of work which led me to create my fashion blog in the spring of 2014. Read more>>

Zach Manuel

I started off in highschool selling vintage clothing. Slowly started to fall in love with the fit & design of clothing and wanted to make my own stuff. By senior year of highschool i started to make clothes and learn how to screen print in my garage. Read more>>

Allison Victoria-Wolfe

I am a Professional Actress, Producer and Mother of 4 incredible children. I graduated from Texas A&M with a Degree in Agricultural Communications and Journalism and a duel minor in French and Horticulture. I have been a member of SAG-AFTRA for 15 years and have served for over a decade on the Houston/Austin SAG-AFTRA Local Board. Read more>>

Sade Adeniji

My journey into Yoga began 15 years ago and ultimately become the journey of finding myself. My very first yoga class was at the local YMCA back in 2010. My dad had got all of us a family membership there through his company so, of course, I was excited to check it out. Read more>>

Patty & Najar & Ayala

Our choreography journey actually started back in 2018 with my (Patty’s) sister’s quinceañera. My family knew I loved dancing, so they asked me to choreograph her waltz and surprise dance. I immediately reached out to Kevin (my best friend and now co-founder) because we had always danced together at school events. He agreed, and we spent about two months creating and teaching the dances. Read more>>

Lauren Garcia

I began in the hair industry in 2015 after graduating high school. I was 18 years old, a mother, and a student in college. my local Supercuts took a chance on me and taught me so much to get me started in the hair industry. Read more>>

Jennifer Dillard

I am an accomplished entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. After experiencing severe burn-out I ended my career as CEO & Owner to pursue my own Wellness Journey. I then immersed myself in retreats, deep coaching, facilitator trainings and certification programs. Read more>>

Imani Hasiina

I got my start in this industry right here in Houston. I was nine years old, signed to Paige Parks Modeling Agency, convinced I was going to grow up and be a Victoria’s Secret model. Read more>>

Nate Guyton

My story mirrors the purpose and vision for Guyton Counseling Services, a vision where the pragmatic and clinical are not separate from the theoretical and educational. The Guyton name is a legacy of academic excellence in healing professions. My grandfather, Arthur C. Read more>>

Micah Haarhoff

I actually started as an apprentice in the offroad industry. I learned the basics hands on, grew into a tech, and really got to understand machines, customers, and the pace of the industry from the ground up. From there I started flipping units out of my driveway. That phase taught me how to buy smart, recondition efficiently, and build customer trust with limited resources. Read more>>

Lakisha Russell

From “Just Needing a Job” to Building a Legacy in Homeownership: My Journey Twenty years ago, I didn’t choose the mortgage industry with intention—I simply needed a job. It wasn’t a dream I chased or a career I planned. I stumbled into it by chance, but once I got inside, everything changed. Read more>>

Tanya Salinas

I’m originally from Palmview Texas, a small town in South Texas. I started my journey in healthcare by earning my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas–Pan American in Edinburg in 2014. I began my career working with first-time, low-income mothers and their babies, and I later continued my nursing work in the hospital setting. Read more>>

Nicolas Srut

In the beginning–there was a little boy who was just 7 years old who had his hair begin to fall out. While this came as a huge shock to me and my family, we thankfully knew the culprit–alopecia–because my grandfather had the very same condition that causes hair loss. For me, I started to lose my hair in patches. Read more>>

Tierra Barber

My journey started in education and athletics, where long hours and heavy responsibilities didn’t quite match the pay or time I needed for my family. I always dreamed of working for myself, even though it seemed far-fetched since no one in my family was a business owner. Read more>>

Mariah Baillie

Growing up, I was always the kid that loved to put on tiny productions for my family, dragging and bribing my sister and cousins to reluctantly join in. My gateway into the arts was through dance, specifically ballet, and my first dance role was in my middle schools’ (Welch Middle School) production of ‘The Nutcracker’ where I played the maid and one of the soldiers. Read more>>

Briannalyse

My name is Briannalyse. I’m a singer, songwriter, recording, and performance artist. I was born, raised, and I’m currently residing in Houston Texas. I have been singing all of my life, I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t. I began recording music about eleven years ago. I’ve been writing and recording my original music for about six years now. I’ve always loved music. Read more>>

Kelly Ellis

The seeds of our literary nonprofit were sown informally when my friend and fellow poet Tina Cardona and I began throwing poetry events celebrating the summer and winter solstices. Read more>>

Sally Abrego

I started this business from the ground up alongside my husband, driven by a simple but powerful goal I wanted our family together. My husband worked long hours in the chemical plants, and I wanted our children to see their dad more. Over the past three to four years, our love for coffee and especially matcha grew into something deeper. Read more>>

Omar Arvizo

Since I was a child, I’ve always been drawn to inspiring stories — especially the ones where people with very limited resources achieve extraordinary dreams, reaching places many would consider out of reach. I used to think that if those stories were real, they only happened to “chosen” people with special talents. Read more>>

Brad Jennings

I joined Dr. Woody Tottenham’s practice in 2004 and purchased his practice in 2006. He had very nice, expensive art from things like Disney or Snoopy which I honestly couldn’t fake my way into having that theme. Lol I tried to think of what kind of office theme reflected me, and the answer was obvious, music. Read more>>

Viet Lam

I often say my story began long before I was born. My parents escaped Vietnam in the late 1980s with nothing but hope for a safer future. For years we had no home country—moving between Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines—until we finally resettled in Houston when I was a year old. Growing up hearing their stories of courage shaped everything about me. Read more>>

Julie Phommasak

I didn’t start my career in fitness. I began in supply chain as a logistics engineer; long days in a cubicle, micromanaged, and realizing more and more that I was building a life that didn’t fit me. Eventually, I hit a breaking point. I walked away from the salary, the stability, and the predictable path. I quit without a plan. Read more>>

Mirian S. Castillo

No Tail End Coffee Co. officially began in April 2025, but the seed was planted years earlier, back in the middle of the COVID lockdowns. My wife and I were craving human connection in a time when it felt like the world had closed in on itself. Read more>>

Jaylen Mouton

I started my business because I saw how many small businesses were struggling to get reliable, personalized financial support. After working across multiple industries and in different roles, I realized how much of a difference it makes when someone actually takes the time to understand a client’s operations, not just their numbers. Read more>>

Freedom Delcamp

From a very young age, the spirit world has been a natural part of my life. Angels were my first love – the earliest presence that nurtured my connection to the unseen. I grew deeply involved in my Christian church, and those years rooted me in faith and a profound trust in the divine. Read more>>

Meredith Winkler

I’ve always been a creative person. Growing up, I lived in the arts (singing, dancing, painting, and everything in between.) For most of high school, I trained for a career in musical theater, until I changed direction at 15. Around that time, I started writing and releasing music under the name Meredith Paige, which I still do today. Read more>>

Schaef Shockley

My passion for filmmaking began when I was young and first saw The Lord of the Rings movies. The scale of the story told through those three films blew me away. Read more>>

Ruby Dinh

Growing up I always enjoyed drawing and when I immigrated to the United States with my family I began putting that love of drawing to work as a nail artist. After becoming a U.S. citizen and after helping my own family run a nail salon I decided to strike out on my own and start my own business. Thus La Petite Nail Salon was born! Read more>>

Kenya Johnson

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where the seeds of my passion for justice and community care were first planted. When I began college, I chose to study social work—a decision that carried me through a bachelor’s, master’s, and eventually a PhD in the field. While my early ambition was to support children who had experienced trauma, my path quickly expanded. Read more>>

Chris Unbehagen

Driftwood BBQ started in 2021 from a flatbed trailer with a smoker on it and quickly grew to a food truck. In February 2025 Luis Garza and Chris Unbehagen formed a partnership to open a brick and mortar restaurant. Read more>>

Sula Stanfield

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been wired to spot gaps and build the bridge that didn’t exist yet. Entrepreneurship was never a side interest—it was a calling. Even while building a 43-year nursing career, I ran businesses and often joked that I was a full-time entrepreneur and a part-time nurse. Read more>>

Savannah Macal

Running a business takes a lot of faith, it is not for the faint of heart. As a child I grew up understanding the struggles and sacrifices it takes to run a business, thanks to my father. Read more>>

Jill Metcalfe

As the Executive Director of Transportation for a large school district—and after years as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal at the secondary level—I realized something important: even though I had worked with thousands of students, I had never truly seen the day-to-day challenges our youngest learners face when it comes to getting to and from school safely. Read more>>

Sandy Epps

I spent the better part of two decades in the music industry, doing everything from working at Houston’s iconic KLOL radio station to joining the management teams for Texas platinum-selling artists like The Toadies and the Butthole Surfers. I eventually moved into the GM role at Austin-based Matchbox Records—while still keeping one foot in artist management with the Australian band OXBLVD. Read more>>

Rev. Dr. Tammy Isaac

My path started long before grief showed up. I was serving in ministry, attending college, and taking Communication 101 when everything shifted for me. After hearing me speak and watching how I interacted with others, my professor encouraged me to major in communication. She told me I had a natural way of connecting with people and creating a sense of trust in conversation. Read more>>

Nancy Wilden

I am a retired schoolteacher. I began crafting and painting furniture and participated in all of the markets. Then I found August and Ivy as a place where I could sell my products. I loved the people who owned the business that I obtained employment with them. I worked my way up to manager. Unfortunately, we had to close our doors last year. Read more>>

Tracy Richardson

Tracy and Kevin, a dynamic brother-and-sister duo, launched their food truck with a clear and ambitious goal: to transition into a full brick-and-mortar restaurant to serve the community. Their move to Texas from Chicago was a fresh start. Read more>>

Lanora Luna

In 2016, while working for a heart doctor, I started having heart problems of my own. I didn’t know it then, but God was already shifting my path. In 2017, I received my very first camera… and that simple gift planted a seed I never imagined would grow the way it has. In 2018, I took a leap of faith and stepped into photography full-time. Read more>>