Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
irfan khan
There’s a version of 2020 that most people remember as the year everything fell apart. For us, it was the year everything began. When I lost my job during the height of COVID, the world had gone quiet — but our kitchen table got very busy. Read more>>
Aaliyah Williams
My journey with Behind the Game Podcast started through my experiences as a student-athlete. I’ve been involved in sports like track, volleyball, and basketball, and over time I realized that there’s so much more to being an athlete than just competing. There’s the mindset, the discipline, the pressure, and the sacrifices that people don’t always see. Read more>>
Suzette Torres
I started my hairstylist career as an assistant for 9 months only able to apply color and style girls , after I got the opportunity to start working commission based which I was able to learn how to balayage and different blonding services. A year or so went by and I was able to go off on my own and start renting my own suite Read more>>
Nathaniel Bouie
I began my journey with a passion for education, studying to become a teacher alongside peers who shared the same commitment to youth. As I grew into roles that let me lead, I focused on equity and empowering youth, especially in the South Bronx. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to build leadership programs and cultivate young leaders. Read more>>
Jonique Smith
I’m a proud mother of 2 beautiful children, David (12) and Dakota (9). I was born in New Orleans but raised in Kenner, Louisiana, by my father and grandmother. Growing up in my grandmother’s home shaped so much of who I am; grounded, resilient, and deeply connected to people. My grandmother taught me compassion, strength, resilience, and emotional intelligence, while my father modeled discipline. Read more>>
Kendall Brown
I started writing music when I was like 11 years old. The lead me to writing later in life. Being crafty, wanting to put my own story together. Thinking if could be different and I can make my own stories. At one point I was writing alot and rubbed off on my friend that I told to start working books. Read more>>
Danielle Flannery
New Mom School is a franchise that started in California 13 years ago. For me and my family, it was born here in Houston from a deeply personal place. Like so many women, my own transition into motherhood was both beautiful and overwhelming. Read more>>
Jackie Barron
How or why i started? I needed to find something to help bring income in since I had recently became a stay at home mom. I wanted to feel i was also providing. I tried baking, I just didn’t feel the boom from that. I ran across some handmade soaps and candle pictures and my kind went everywhere! Read more>>
-
Sunflower
- I am an only child born and raised in Baltimore City, MD. I didn’t grow up in the best neighborhood but I made the best of it. Growing up I always had my head in a book, magazine or circular. I didn’t care what the genre was. It could be anything from a bible, medical book, encyclopedia, etc. Read more>>
Cesar Gil
Steven Causey and Cesar Gil are the founders of Veteran Brew Coffee Co., a mission driven coffee company built to bring veterans and the community together through great coffee and strong camaraderie. Read more>>
TArien Mosquera
I started More Than Average Beauty with a simple goal, to help women feel confident, elevated, and truly seen. What began as a passion for beauty, especially lashes, quickly turned into something much bigger once I realized the impact a single appointment could have on how someone carries themselves. Read more>>
Andrew Tran
I had been working in a corporate job for almost 6 years and on paper, it was the American Dream. It paid well, offered great insurance, was steady even through COVID, and the retirement was set up so well that I could have lived a very good life in retirement. But despite how good the job was, I felt miserable there every single day. Read more>>
Porsche Perez
As a kid I was always sick year after year with strep throat. In between strep throat I would get colds that could last a month. Strep throat followed me into adulthood and the last strep throat I had left me bed ridden. Read more>>
Michael Cortez
Ten years ago, I picked up a welding torch for the first time under the patient guidance of my father, a master craftsman with over four decades of experience in the trade. What began as a simple father-son apprenticeship quickly became a personal passion. Read more>>
Naija Thornton
I first became interested in EMS after finishing medical assisting school while doing my externship at an urgent care clinic. One day, a patient’s vital signs became unstable and we had to call an ambulance. That moment really made me curious about what happens on the other side of emergency care. Read more>>
Dr. Alana Kennedy-Nasser, MD
My journey into medicine began when I was 16 years old and knew I wanted to be a pediatrician. In all honesty, the road was very hard. Read more>>
Vikiana Herrera
My journey started with a dream to create a space where women could collaborate, share resources, and help each other rise. What began as an app in 2020 slowly evolved into a website., and the road there was anything but straight. Read more>>
Presley Hicks
SKULPT was built from a lifelong love of movement. I grew up with parents who prioritized fitness and instilled that discipline in me from a young age. I began teaching Lagree during college and quickly fell in love with the method, the intensity, the intention, and the way it transforms both body and mind. Read more>>
isaiah Sfagi
My modeling journey began at 19 after spotting an Instagram ad. Already a content creator, I initially saw it as a fun side project, but I quickly fell in love with the artistry, the networking, and the energy of the industry. With the unwavering support of my girlfriend, I pushed forward, but my true turning point was ModelCon 2025. Read more>>
Charlotte Grey
I have always had a passion for karaoke, entertaining others, and a delight for whimsy. I learned balloon animals in summer camp as a kid, was in choir all of middle and high school, and got into bar trivia during the pandemic via a 3rd party company. Last December I decided that I was unhappy with where my life was currently. Read more>>
Heather Theisen-Gandara
I moved to Houston in 1998, when I was 24, got married here, and raised my two children in Missouri City. I started my career in international exchange at Rice University and then transitioned to the Institute of International Education (IIE) at the Houston office. A global non-profit based in DC, IIE’s work is nearly 70% with the U.S. Read more>>
Zamar Yauw
“I’m Zamar Y.A.U.W., a Bahamian-born singer-songwriter. My sound is really a fusion of island soul with global rhythms like Afrobeats and Amapiano. I moved to Houston, Texas when I was about 10, and that’s where a lot of my identity as an artist really started to take shape. Read more>>
Ray Cacheiro
During the pandemic in 2020, I was in my fourth year studying Food Science at the University of Havana. Classes had moved online, but in Cuba, access to reliable internet is extremely limited, which made it very difficult to keep up. Read more>>
London White
I’ve always been drawn to creativity, but my journey with art really started as a way to express myself and make sense of things I was going through. What began as something personal quickly turned into something I wanted to share with others. I started experimenting with different styles and mediums, learning as I went and pushing myself to improve with every piece. Read more>>
Emperatriz Gonzalez
My journey into baking began during a time when I felt like I had lost a part of myself. As a mother of four, my life was centered around my children, and while that is something I deeply cherish, I realized I needed something that was just for me, something that brought me peace and allowed me to reconnect with myself. Baking became that space! Read more>>
Terran Lehmann
My daughter got married 1 year ago. After buying and renting so many items, I had this wild idea that I could have accumulated so many items on my own and the ones I actually bought, find an additional use for them! I started buying wedding decor on Marketplace which gave me a slight interest in looking into Photobooths. Read more>>
Paul Tapper
Cystic (Paul Tapper) is an independent Hip-Hop artist hailing from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Born with a terminal illness known as Cystic Fibrosis, which sets him up with a very unique set of issues compared to others. Medical experiences and other factors that are shown in the music show the versatility in Cystic’s subject matter. Read more>>
Carmen Soto
I am a happily married woman with an amazingly supportive and loving husband. We have four beautiful children together. I homeschool our 4 children, so I am always busy. We’re also very active in our church, and I’m on the board for our children’s swim team. Last year I started my company Berzerk Party Rentals. Read more>>
Shantel Carter-Pierson
I started SheIgnite Society out of my own lived experience as a first‑generation woman navigating career, financial, and leadership spaces without a roadmap. As I advanced professionally, I realized that being “first‑generation” extends far beyond education or finances. Many women, including myself, are the first in their families to break cycles. Read more>>
Arlette Campos
After 20 years as a housewife, I started over as a single mother—with nothing but determination. In a country that wasn’t mine, with a language I didn’t speak and a culture I had to learn, I faced countless challenges. Every hardship, every obstacle, fueled my strength and ambition. In just 4 years, I became an empowered woman living her dreams. Read more>>
William Franklin
My journey into massage therapy and wellness has been both personal and purpose-driven. Before stepping fully into this space, I was always someone who valued movement, performance, and discipline. As a former professional athlete, I spent 10 years playing basketball overseas throughout Europe, an experience that shaped my understanding of the body at a high level. Read more>>
