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.
Necy Thomas 
I’ve always been artistically inclined. I used to draw every day as a kid. I was gifted art sets for Christmas and birthdays, and I even took a few art classes in school. As I became an adult, I drew a lot less; my practice became much more sporadic. I was never a fan of painting in particular, as I found it quite challenging. Read more>>
Alicia Elliott 
I’ve been creating and crafting ever since I could walk and talk. I’ve always gravitated towards trying new artistic outlets, but pottery is one that has really stuck with me. At age ten, I remember taking my first pottery class at the school I was attending in Paris, France. In fact, my mom still uses the very first bowl I ever made for her fruit. Read more>>
Author Shaquina 
My journey as an author has been one of growth and learning to trust myself. I’ve always been passionate about writing and reading and over the years it’s become more than a creative outlet for me. I knew I wanted to write movies, plays, and books since I was a little girl. I believe I was around eleven years old. Read more>>
Emma Aceto-Goldberg 
Travel has always been one of the things Jeff and I enjoy most together. We met in Houston in the fall of 2014 through Match, and about eight months later we took our first trip together to the UK. That trip set the tone for a big part of our relationship. Read more>>
Zakiya Brown 
My journey really began long before I officially became an entrepreneur. For more than 20 years, I’ve built my career around helping people and organizations navigate moments of change, growth, and transition. Read more>>
Irela y Alex 
ALIR Wellness was founded by us, Irela Sierra and Alejandro Hernández, two Hispanic immigrants, registered nurses, and partners in life who know what it means to start over and build something from the ground up. Our story began long before ALIR. Alejandro was a physician in our homeland, and immigrating to the U.S. Read more>>
Darryl Hatcher III 
I was born in New Orleans and raised in Houston, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents would sing to me as a child, and their voices and music choices inspired me daily. Read more>>
Bria Johnson 
My journey into the mental health field began long before I fully understood what it meant to be a therapist. I can actually trace my passion back to the second grade. I remember witnessing a friend crying because of difficulties she was experiencing at home. Read more>>
Madison Sgroi 
What started out as a childhood dream of owning a bakery has since turned into a dream of owning a coffee shop/bookstore. The crazy thing is that my love for coffee didn’t fully begin until 2023— but once it did, I knew there was no going back to my life before discovering the marvelous, caffeinated world. Read more>>
Tyrus Thomas
I’ve always been a creative person. I’ve always had ideas in my head and wanted to find ways to bring them to life. Filmmaking and video production eventually became that outlet for me. What I love most about it is being able to take something that’s just an idea and turn it into something people can actually see, feel, and connect with. Read more>>
John & Dawn Slaughter 
John and I met in June 2014, at a time when we were both coming out of some pretty difficult situations in our lives. We got engaged that December and were married in May 2015. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to build a different kind of future together, one that we could be proud of. Read more>>
Noureddine Jabbari 
My journey has always been driven by curiosity, creativity, and the desire to turn ideas into reality. I’ve explored different worlds, from chess and technology to entrepreneurship, and discovered that what I love most is building things, solving problems, and creating something meaningful. That passion led me to launch Yano IT Solutions, where I help businesses grow through branding, digital solutions, and creative services. Read more>>
Leticia Bajuyo 
I grew up in Metropolis, Illinois, in a family where service, hard work, and education were deeply valued. My father was a physician who immigrated from the Philippines, and my mother was a nurse. Read more>>
Darrell Gardner 
My story begins with my love for horses. From the beginning, I wanted to understand the horse instead of just trying to control it. The more time I spent around horses, the more they taught me about patience, trust, communication, and humility. What started as a passion eventually became my way of life. Read more>>
Dorcas Brumfield 
I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2019 when I launched BossCreations, an event décor business, with a passion for creativity and bringing people’s visions to life. What started as a love for decorating gradually turned into something much bigger than I ever imagined. Like many entrepreneurs, I didn’t start with everything figured out. Read more>>
Virginia Montgomery 
I’m an artist and professional Graphic Facilitator, which means I draw live visual notes during conferences, meetings, and workshops. Through my company, Big Bright Visuals, I work with global nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies to turn conversations and complex ideas into colorful, large-scale drawings that help people remember what they’ve learned. Read more>>
Crystal Leos 
Writing has always been a part of me. Whether it was scribbling in notebooks or mapping out my next journal entry–I kept at it. Eventually, I learned early on in my college career that writing would not make me the necessary economic means that I needed to support children or a family. So, I turned to teaching. Read more>>
Allayah Beamon 
My name is Allayah Beamon, and I’m the CEO and founder of Rooted & Refined Spaces, a home and business organizing company here in Houston. I’ve been organizing people’s homes for over 10 years. It started in Los Angeles. I’d help a friend with a closet, then a pantry, then a whole move. People kept calling. But I never called it a company. Read more>>
Amber Johnson 
It all started with the portal of motherhood. The moment, I realized that I was carrying my son, I knew life would no longer be the same. The understanding that I would have to be totally responsible for this growing human in my body, I immediately changed my eating habits, thoughts and started practicing yoga as I needed a healthy and calm baby. Read more>>
Anthony Ramirez 
First and foremost, thank you all for having me as a part of this wonderful series. My story begins in El Paso, Texas, where I was born and raised by my mom and grandparents. My mom was a teacher and many of my family members including my tia and grandpa were educators. Read more>>
Malika Maknojia 
My journey with henna began more than 27 years ago, with a simple love for art and creativity. What started as something I enjoyed doing for family and friends slowly grew into something much bigger than I ever imagined. Over the years, I continued learning, practicing, and developing my own style. Read more>>
Nate Skinner 
I grew up in Texas City, TX on Galveston Bay, and have been infatuated with the outdoors since I was a little boy. My love and passion for the outdoors started with fishing — Growing on the upper Texas coast, I went fishing often with Dad. In my late teens and early twenties, I really got into hunting, while still maintaining my love/passion for fishing/angling. Read more>>
Connie Ricketts
Throughout my childhood and adulthood I gravitated towards service. My Catholic upbringing imbedded service in my faith journey and my time as a long time Girl Scout promoted giving back to others. I have always been drawn to empathy of others. Read more>>
Dawson White
I came to the music industry like a lot of musicians do. I went to college to earn a degree in music performance and then built a career as a professional violist. I spent more than 10 years performing with the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet orchestras while also teaching at Sam Houston State University, the University of St. Read more>>
Janice Morono 
My story began almost 20 years ago sales. I enjoyed connecting with people, understanding what they needed, and working toward a goal. As my career progressed, I moved into a business development management role, where I had the opportunity to help grow a team and develop my leadership skills. That experience taught me a lot about what I wanted from my career. Read more>>
Shonte cooley 
Good evening. I originally started shopping for antiques on the weekend when my husband and I started dating to make money for us to go out on dates. We starting selling to local antique dealers.The dealers would call on a regular bases and we said hey let’s try this in brick and mortar. Our first store was geared towards college kids. Read more>>
Thomas Abraham 
It all started in my hometown of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, back in the 90s. As a kid, I used to repair my own motocross bike and those of my friends as a hobby. Eventually, more and more bikes started coming my way for repairs, and I realized there was a real opportunity there! Read more>>
Randal Pemberton 
Zero Point Roasters really started as a hobby. I got interested in roasting coffee at home and wanted to see if I could make something fresher and better than what I was used to buying. I started experimenting with small batches, different beans, and roast levels, and before long I was sharing it with friends and family. Read more>>
Leandro Salazar 
My story is being written every day, but the first six chapters were spent running around the island of Cuba, the pearl of the Caribbean. I believed in magic at an early age. Something to do with the wind breaking through windows and giving leaves rhythms to dance to. Read more>>
Siah The Architect
My journey as Siah, The Architect has been about building my own sound and identity through music. As a singer, songwriter, and bassist, I bring together funk, soul, jazz, and R&B to express who I am. Through creating songs, performing, and collaborating with other creatives, I’ve continued developing my artistry. Read more>>
Denise Castro 
I will always liked to get creative with photos and videos even since back then, since MySpace days lol yes back back then. But life happens and I slowly stopped my hobby . I was going through a rough patch in my life with family and relationships and needed to get myself distracted with something i enjoyed doing. Read more>>
Ashley Cadis
My path to where I am today has been a little unconventional because I didn’t come into this through film. My background is in the nonprofit world, and I have a Master’s in International Development. For a long time, I imagined my career would straddle the U.S. Read more>>
Eric Ivan 
It all started with me filming my best friend, JayJay Fields, on an iPhone. We became friends in 2018 and would travel to local community basketball parks to play competitive games together. We reconnected in the summer of 2022 when he was home from college. Read more>>
Kim Petitt 
I made a huge academic decision: I entered a doctoral program, and it has been the most challenging academic experience of my life. The decision to pursue a doctorate didn’t come from a long-held goal or dream. The desire came toward the end of my master’s program. I remember having moments where the thought crossed my mind, but I would immediately dismiss it. Read more>>
LaChounda Johnson
My Journey: A story of faith, strength, and purpose. Life has never been about taking the easy road for me. My journey has been filled with unexpected turns,difficult seasons, moments of heartbreak, and challenges that could have easily caused me to give up.Yet, every obstacle became an opportunity to grow, every setback became a lesson, and every closed door made room for a greater purpose. Read more>>
Akayla Joseph
I didn’t choose teaching; teaching chose me.Growing up, I always entertained the idea of becoming a teacher. I loved playing school and would beg my neighbors to come over so I could use them as my students in my pretend classroom. Read more>>
Raghu Athre 
Hi. My name is Raghu Athre. I am a facial plastic surgeon here in Houston Texas. I started my journey in MUmbai, India. I was born in Mumbai – ‘called Bombay at the time.’ My parents moved frequently through the middle East when I was young, and I finally moved to Houston, Texas. Read more>>
