It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around Houston.
Matthew Shields
I started the way so many dancers do, as a kid in a local dance studio. Looking back, it’s interesting because the environment where I first discovered dance was very similar to the kind of studio I help operate today. It was a place where young dancers could train, grow up, find mentors and discover what they were capable of. Read more>>
Chris”King Creole “ Roy
I started creating music as a hobby pre covid doing competitions on mobile apps. After a year I started to gain recognition and was invited out to pod cast interviews for Rapchat and even video shoots for songs I had created in these apps. It was at that time I started to take it a little more seriously. Read more>>
Desiree Davis
From Viral Moments to a Life of Purpose: The Story of Desiree Davis My story begins in Austin, Texas. My journey has never been perfect, and for a long time, some of the most difficult moments of my life were the moments people knew me for the most. I went viral on social media several times because of negative situations that happened in my life. Read more>>
Brandon Johnson
I am a singer, actor, mental health advocate and mostly important a servant of God from Houston, TX. I started singing since I was in diapers alongside my brothers, Camron and Carlon, humming hymns around our childhood home. We were and still are The Johnson Brothers. Read more>>
Clancie Harbers
As an Army Brat, I had the unique opportunity to travel the world at a young age. Read more>>
Kiran Valani
My journey is proof that your purpose doesn’t always follow the path you planned. With no formal background in design, I studied Criminal Justice and Psychology, earned a Midwifery degree back home, and pursued ACCA. Yet life led me somewhere completely unexpected the world of event décor. Read more>>
Kimberly Lorah
If you had told me years ago that I would one day build a career around divorce, I probably would have laughed. Divorce was certainly never part of my life plan but, as we know, life doesn’t always follow the plan. I began my career as a Licensed Professional Counselor and have spent more than 25 years in the mental health field. Read more>>
Japheth Storlie
I am a photographer, an artist, and an educator with a passion for historic & alternative photographic processes and equipment. I graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2005 and completed the Master of Fine Arts program at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a concentration in photography in 2009. Read more>>
Julia Byers
Julia Byers’ story is one of a young artist who has never been afraid to chase something bigger than herself. Born in Austin, Texas, and raised in Richmond, Texas, Julia grew up with Texas in her roots and music at the center of her identity. Read more>>
Bobby Jucker
My babysitter was the bakery. I was always in school or the bakery. Read more>>
Ashley Toman
I think singing was always apart of my DNA, songwriting was a beautiful gift I found later on… but singing is where it all started. My life has always kind of felt like one thing leading to another & another and eventually leading me to where I am today. Read more>>
Toria J. Finch
My story really starts in Nashville, Tennessee, where I was raised by my mother, Dr. Janet M. Finch, and my late father, Pastor Harold W. Finch, Sr. Growing up, there was never any question about the values that mattered most in our house: faith, education, hard work, and showing up for your community. Read more>>
Jennifer Ponce
I think a lot of who I am today comes from how I was raised. Growing up, I was always good with numbers and money. Even as a kid, if there was something I wanted, my mind immediately went to, Okay, what do I need to do to get it? I liked making money, saving it, and figuring things out for myself. Read more>>
Farrah Larae Wynn
Entrepreneurship has been a defining part of my life for more than a decade. I began my career in public relations and marketing, building brands, developing campaigns, producing events, creating media opportunities, and helping entrepreneurs and organizations bring their visions to life. Read more>>
DevinAnn White
<b><i>My story is one of faith, family, business, and a whole lot of figuring things out along the way. However, before we begin, let me say this, and you possibly have gathered this from my personal photo! I love life, I love people, I love laughing, I love sanging, I love love! Romans 12:9-11 is a scripture that everyone should read daily! Read more>>
Exzavior Thomas
It Started back in like 2017 with Me and 2 of my close friends/bros King Patt & Juice just on the video game critiquing things that were going on in Texas culture as if we were on a podcast. Read more>>
Yvette Arellano
My name is Yvette Arellano (they/them). I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and have over a decade of petrochemical organizing experience. I am a Mexican-American petrochemical organizer based in Houston, Texas. My dad is from Novillos, Zacatecas, and my mom is from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Except for one aunt and her children, the rest of my family lives and thrives in Mexico. Read more>>
Sherita Buford
My story began in Detroit, Michigan, where I was raised by my grandmother—a philanthropist in every sense of the word. She taught me to treat everyone with compassion, humility, dignity, and respect. She also encouraged me to be uplifting, energetic, positive, and spiritually grounded. Those values became the foundation of both my personal life and my professional journey. Read more>>
Karen Fontenot
A native of Southwest Louisiana, I moved to Houston in the 90s and settled into a career in the Oil and Gas E&P sector of the city’s vital energy industry. My interest in oil painting piqued in earnest in the spring of 2010 when I attended the opening of the Audrey Jones Beck building at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Read more>>
Megan Leigh
I’d like to introduce myself, I’m Megan Leigh the owner of Pearls Alchemy. The vision and creative process started about 4 years ago. Honestly, pearls alchemy is more than business for me, it’s my identity, it’s my brand, and the start to reinventing myself. Read more>>
Evan De Anda
My name is Evan De Anda, and I am an alternative singer-songwriter from Houston, Texas currently based in College Station, Texas. From an early age, music became a constant in my life. Songwriting became a way for me to wrestle and to reflect on the struggles I was dealing with. Read more>>
Meghan Silva
My journey into the automotive industry was anything but traditional. Before COVID, I was working in the medical field, but when the pandemic hit, it caused me to rethink my career path and ultimately shifted my gears toward pursuing something completely new: automotive. I got my foot in the door as a parts delivery driver for AutoZone and quickly became fascinated by the industry. Read more>>
