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.
Ashlee Palmer
My journey h as really been about growth, perseverance, faith and learning to trust God through every season. I started my career after earning my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and working in social services. A field that taught me so much about people, compassion and strength. I later earned my Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and continued to challenge myself professionally. Read more>>
Luis Fourzan
My name is Luis Fourzan, and my journey has taken me through law, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and sales. I started my career after earning a degree in Law and working at law firms, including Hogan Lovells. Read more>>
Cecilia Villanueva
My path to architecture was unconventional. While studying visual arts, I spent a decade working alongside my father at his firm—starting with interiors and libraries before moving into full residential design. That passion became a family legacy: my son, Luis, is now an architect, and my daughter, Fernanda, an architectural engineer. In our home, we eat, dream, and talk design. Read more>>
Dana Saranathan
I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the United States in 2001. After living in New York and Chicago, I made Texas home in 2006 and have built both my life and career in the Houston area. Read more>>
Rebecca Wied
My story really begins with my struggle with anorexia. I was diagnosed when I was 13 and spent a significant part of my adolescence and young adulthood in and out of treatment, including a year-long hospitalization in 2020. For a long time, my world became very small, and so much of my life revolved around food, exercise, and trying to control my body. Read more>>
Tatiana Melman
I’ve always liked art. As a child, I spent hours listening to music and sketching. In my teenage years, I started leaning toward photography and audio recording. As I grew older, I tried to keep up with creative work, but the busier my life became, the less time I spent creating, and at some point I stopped doing art altogether. Read more>>
Diana Figueira
I have always believed that we carry a responsibility to pursue the best version of ourselves. For me, that journey led to starting my own business. Fitness has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, I played sports from a very young age, like soccer and tennis; and have always enjoyed staying active. Read more>>
Phil Gilbert
Growing up, I was always watching HGTV and reality shows about flipping houses and real estate. I didn’t know when or how I would eventually get into the industry, but I always knew I wanted to be a part of it somehow. After graduating college, I started working in corporate America and purchased my first home just a year into my career. Read more>>
Justin and Adrianne Bortnick
Adrianne and I (Justin ) run Cosmic Opals together, and in many ways, the business grew out of our relationship, our family, and our shared love of discovery. My story with opals began when I was sixteen and traveled to Australia with my mom. Read more>>
Phaedra Michelle Scott
As a writer, I am grateful for the many experiences I had that helped to shape and create who I am today. Storytelling has always been a passion of mine. I started my writing journey through my love of history, specifically American History. Read more>>
Martell Lacey
Martell Lacey (Singer, Songwriter, Actor and Recording / Performing Artist) native of Houston, TX shares a familiar performance journey courtesy of gospel origins. Citing musically inclined parents, his styling and spirit can be attributed to their inspiration. His passion for the stage is unrivaled and a spectacle to behold. Affectionately known by his stage / middle name, MARTELL is ignited when the lights are brightest. Read more>>
Vivian Almanza
When I started VPretty, I was honestly just a girl with an idea and a desire to create something for myself. I started from home, and the crazy part is that before getting into esthetics, I had never even gotten a facial myself. I knew nothing about the industry, nothing about running a business, and definitely didn’t have some perfect plan mapped out. Read more>>
J Darren
JDARREN is an independent American country singer-songwriter and producer originally from Nacogdoches, Texas, and currently based in Houston, Texas. He has established an emerging presence across major streaming platforms by blending traditional country music storytelling with a modern, independent aesthetic.Key Music Releases’Take Me to Bed’: A 2025 standout country single that earned traction on independent country music charts. Read more>>
Lucinda Cobley
I first saw a series of paintings by Mark Rothko on an art college trip to the Tate Gallery in London when I was 17 years old. The paintings are known as The Seagram Murals from 1958 and mainly consist of abstract blocks of color conducted in a somber palette of red, maroon and black. Read more>>
Aracely Leal
My journey with Dulce Antojo – Mini Pancakes & More started with a simple idea and a love for creating memorable experiences for others. What began as a small dream quickly grew into something much bigger than I ever imagined. I started Dulce Antojo with the goal of bringing something fun, beautiful, and unique to celebrations in the Houston area. Read more>>
Ashley NeSmith
I didn’t set out to become Ashley the Auto Advocate. The automotive industry has been a part of my life for nearly three decades. I started working in dealerships part-time in 1998 while I was still in high school, and I continued working throughout college. After graduating, I went into the business full-time in 2003. Read more>>
Terri Ho
My path into financial planning was anything but traditional. I was raised by a single mother, and growing up, money was not something we had the luxury of understanding strategically. Like many people, I learned a lot about finances simply by living through them. Read more>>
Sunshine Aspinall
Quite by accident, I became an entrepreneur, creative strategist, and business leader known for bridging digital marketing expertise with community-focused leadership. After many years in sales for large companies, I was recognized as a good salesperson, but didn’t like the ‘small cog in a big wheel’ mentality. Read more>>
Saint Garvey
I’m a 19-year-old content creator and Business Management student based in South Africa. My journey into media began at a young age as a simple hobby, but with the constant encouragement of friends and family who believed in my potential, I soon realized it was a genuine talent. Today, I work as a brand content manager and specialized event content creator. Read more>>
Christie Prince
I was raised in Shelby, MS, a very small town in the Delta. If you’re not familiar with the location, it’s where the movie “Sinners” was based. I was a preacher’s kid, pretty quiet and shy, and also a teen mother. Being from a small town, I didn’t have many career options or resources at the time. Read more>>
Raph Zelezniak
It all started with a conversation between me and my wife about what I could do to start my own business. In fact, it was her idea. She always said I was a perfectionist, especially after I painted our entire house myself, so she suggested that I might be good at painting furniture. So, I gave it a try. Read more>>
Deont’e Antoine
I ain’t gonna lie, life can be amazing, and life can be hard. But for me, I feel like every day is a battle. Every day, I have to find something better to do—something to keep my mind busy—because when you get too comfortable, you’re bound to get into something you don’t need to be in. Read more>>
Tiffany Saunders
Married On Purpose Collective really grew from my belief that healthy, lasting marriages require intentionality. Marriage can be beautiful, but life happens. As a mental health professional with my own practice (LiveOnPurposeTherapy.com), I have spent years helping individuals and couples navigate relationships, communication, emotional wellness, and some of the challenges that can keep us from being fully connected to the people we love. Read more>>
mandy williams
I am a fourth-generation beauty professional and owner of the legendary La Belle Beauty Schools & Salons brand. Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, I discovered my passion for hairstyling at just three years old under the guidance of my great-grandmother, Dr. Isabelle Mandy Clarke Gant. As a young adult in college. Read more>>
Lillian Warren
When I moved to Houston 30 years ago, I was a painter of pleasant conventional landscapes. Houston flummoxed me. And fascinated me. I had no idea where to take my painting in this city of endless highways, anonymous strip malls, office buildings and gas stations. It took a while, but one day I realized it was those anonymous in-between places that I wanted to paint. Read more>>
Camarsha Felix
Camarsha ( Codi) Felix is the founder and owner of Revitalize Infusion & Aesthetics in Katy, Texas. A board-certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, she brings sixteen years of perioperative nursing experience to her practice, with the past five years devoted to pain management, aesthetics, and wellness. RI&A was born from personal experience. Read more>>
Catrice Harris
My birthworker j0urney began with providing families with childbirth education and breastfeeding support. Recognizing that support and education in these areas was lacking, I was able to reach hundreds of families seeking real answers that were not watered down by politics. Read more>>
Maria Wynn- Lofton
My love for baking began as a child, watching my mother bake delicious treats. Over the years, that passion grew even deeper when I became a mother myself. I began making foods and desserts from scratch because I wanted to know exactly what ingredients I was putting into the things I was feeding my family. Read more>>
Akira Satake
I moved to San Francisco in my early 20s from Japan, where I was working for a company as a photographer. After that, I moved to New York City. I had been playing music quite seriously since middle school, but at the time I thought it was a good idea to focus more on my photography career. Read more>>
Brandon Villanueva
My career as an audio engineer and producer started pretty early in my life. I started playing guitar in bands when I was around 12, and when I started high school, I got into making beats. During my junior year, I moved out early, and that’s really where I started my hustle. Read more>>
Diamond Houston
I’m Diamond! The creator of EternalDiamondz. In short, i call myself “your neighborhood healer” because that’s exactly who I am. I am a creator that values community and holistic healing. This ideology runs deep in my veins, considering my great great grandmother was the healer of her little village in Mexico. Read more>>
STEVEN HIGGINBOTHAM
I’m the music director for an indie rock band/music collective called The Wheel Workers. We formed in the late 90s in Houston and then moved to Austin in 2001. That first line-up lived together in Austin and made music constantly; practicing nearly every day and recording everything. We put out a debut and then broke up just as we were recording our best material. Read more>>
Christina Muegge
I started shooting concerts in 2003, then stepped away from photography when I joined the Marine Corps. In 2016, I picked up a camera again to photograph Summerfest for HollywoodChicago.com, and that really brought me back into it. Not long after, I started TKR Imagery. The name comes from my two oldest kids and my nickname, Tina. Read more>>
Jennifer Chambers
In February, I took a leap of faith and started my professional organizing business (Combat Chaos Co.) because I knew I wanted to build a career around something that truly made a difference in people’s lives. Read more>>
April Fort
People often ask how I got started in yoga, and honestly, it wasn’t part of some grand career plan. When I was younger, I actually wanted to be a librarian. I loved learning, books, and creating spaces where people could grow. But I didn’t want to spend all the years in school that came with that path. Read more>>
Kaitlin Kidd
I grew up in Southeast Asia in an American expat community. Being American but not being raised in America gave me a unique cultural perspective from a young age. I was surrounded by people from all different backgrounds, cultures, and worldviews, which shaped the way I see the world and deeply influenced my artistic perspective. Read more>>
Howard Loche II
After returning to Houston from an expat assignment I came up with the idea to make urns locally. My family is in the funeral business so being around this environment was not unfamiliar to me. So I came up with a design and prototype and begin to sell them. I now manufacture custom urns and ship them countrywide. Read more>>
Brigitte Ortiz
My name is Brigitte Ortiz, and this is my story. When I was 13 years old, my mother and father enrolled me in a modeling and acting school. At first, I didn’t know where this journey would take me, but as I got older, I began to fall completely in love with it. Looking back, I realize this dream was never just mine. Read more>>
Monnyca Gammel
Flash Moments Photography began in the summer of 2017 with a simple dream: to preserve the moments that matter most. What started as a passion for photography has grown into a purpose rooted in storytelling, connection, and creating lasting memories. Read more>>
Sydney Planka
My painting journey began while attending Texas State University during the 2020 pandemic, where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising with a minor in Women’s Studies. In one of my Women’s Studies courses, our final project offered a choice: create a documentary, write an essay, or produce an original work of art. Read more>>
Gabrielle Hakes
I fell in love with ceramics in high school, to the point that I built my college degree around it. I completed a BFA in Studio Art with a focus in Ceramics and Photography in 2017, and then worked in Real Estate for a few years before starting an apprenticeship with Master Potter Tony Holman in 2021. Read more>>
Ms Cat
I’ve been a full-time entrepreneur for more than a decade, and my journey has never been about staying in one lane. It has been about taking what I’ve learned in each season and using it to build the next one better. Early in my entrepreneurial journey, I built businesses in logistics and media, including work in television and film. Read more>>
Raymond Giles
My journey to becoming a luxury travel advisor was anything but a straight line. I began my professional life in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Submarine Force as a nuclear-trained machinist’s mate. That experience taught me discipline, attention to detail, and how to remain calm when things do not go according to plan. Read more>>
Latrice Galloway
My journey into childcare was definitely not planned. I grew up on the East Side of San Antonio, became a mom while I was in college, and was the first in my family to graduate from college. I earned two degrees and spent six years working for the State of Texas as a parole officer. Read more>>
Jimmy Baber
I’ve been in the music business since I was a young man,also I love performing my own material and recording my own record. Also, having my own record label to get more additional information please check out my website wkmrecords.com do you have more detail information, bio of my career moves Read more>>
Johndrea Slay
My journey has always been rooted in serving others. Professionally, I built my career in laboratory medicine and education, where I currently work as a Clinical Scientist and Training Specialist, helping develop future healthcare professionals and ensuring excellence in patient care. Outside of my career, I discovered my passion for entrepreneurship through baking. Read more>>
Karen Susman
True North Yoga was born from a shared vision between my business partner, Mandy, and me. We both believed Houston needed a studio that combined exceptional yoga instruction with a warm, welcoming community—one where people of all experience levels could feel comfortable walking through the door. Read more>>
Ashley Smith
I spent nearly 15 years in corporate sales leadership, eventually serving as a National Sales Manager. That experience taught me how to build teams, develop strong client relationships, create effective systems, and grow a business strategically. Read more>>
Samuel Thompson
I’ve always been creative, and it actually started with painting. I’d obviously paint on canvas and paper but then I began painting tees, which gave me my first real taste of fashion design. Then in 2009, right after high school, I launched my first brand, Purple Hollywood, where I produced my first fashion show and participated in over 20 others and started styling for photoshoots. Read more>>
Timothy (Timsofunny) Oliver
I’ve always been intrigued by comedy . Since I was a young kid I would always be a class clown . I learned at a young age that laughter would break down any tension in a room. Growing up I always had a keen sense of when to utilize my jokes and make others laugh to make their day better. Read more>>
Cristina Kooker
Today, I wear a few different hats: Co-Founder and Co-CEO of KSRC Media Plus, host and producer of *The Now with Cris*, and lifelong storyteller. But long before those titles, I was the floor director, teleprompter operator, assistant to the assistant, paper printer, lunch getter, gum holder—you name it. If there was a job to do in the newsroom, I was happy to do it. Read more>>
Parnia Razi
I’m a communications strategist, yoga and pilates teacher, and community advocate committed to building healthier and more equitable communities where everyone can thrive. My parents immigrated to the U.S. from Iran when I was two years old, settling into Wichita, Kansas where I spent my childhood. Read more>>
Cody Papuga
I’m third generation in the garage door industry. I started out working as a sales representative and residential installer/technician for my grandfathers company. After years of that, I moved to a huge commercial company where I worked long hours for very little pay . I did side jobs leveling houses on the weekends to be able to afford my bills and feed my family. Read more>>
Courtney Wilson
If you had asked me years ago what my dream job was, I would have said ‘wedding planner’ without hesitation. But after serving in AmeriCorps NCCC, life took me down a different path. Read more>>
April Bray
My story has never followed one perfectly straight path, but the common thread has always been people, connection, and creating a sense of belonging. I began my career in healthcare and worked as a nurse for nearly a decade. Read more>>
Doug Johnston
I was born and raised in West Houston as the youngest of four brothers in a rough-and-tumble household where excellence in both academics and sports was fully expected. I was not a great athlete, so I focused more on the areas I could excel in, like schoolwork and languages, where I learned Spanish and German. Read more>>
Scott Tarbox
I’ve been drawing my entire life, mostly as a distraction from school and intense OCD. I tried a lot of therapy and medications but nothing really seemed to work until I began self medicating with drugs and alcohol. From 17-25 I was pretty lost in what I wanted to do or who I was, just trying to keep pain at bay. Read more>>
Estee Marie
Creative expression has been part of my survival for as long as I can remember. I began writing poetry in the eighth grade, before I fully understood that the words on the page were helping me process what I could not yet say out loud. Read more>>
Jonathan Campos
Fight Kitchen Fires, Ltd Co was founded after recognizing a need for practical, experience-based information within the commercial kitchen exhaust industry. After more than two decades serving in fire service, fire prevention, inspections, code enforcement, and training, I observed that many contractors, facility owners, and industry professionals were looking for clear, practical guidance on fire codes, industry standards, and accepted practices. Read more>>
Twanique McLean
I was born in St. John’s, Antigua, and moved to the United States when I was three years old. I’ve always believed that everyone has a story worth telling, and that belief inspired me to start Union VibeCam LLC in 2006. Read more>>
Traniecshia Turner
My journey is a story of resilience, purpose, and learning to embrace my beauty through every challenge life has placed in front of me. For years, I have lived with keratoconus, a condition that has impacted my vision and left me partially blind in my right eye. Read more>>
Toynika Lewis
My journey in phlebotomy began with a simple desire to make a difference in healthcare. What started as learning how to draw blood quickly became a passion for patient care, education, and professional excellence. As I gained experience in clinical settings, I realized that I didn’t just enjoy performing the skill—I loved teaching it and helping others build the confidence to succeed. Read more>>
