The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Todai Malone
Hmm where did it all start?… well to be honest , last year I went through a massive depression around my birthday , i lost my jobs , i lost my home , i lost my friends, honestly it felt like i lost everything . I remember I was struggling so bad I barely could eat , sleep , or even bathe. One day I remembered a old friend of mine had this really cool camera and I was interested in capturing pictures as well . So I took a risk and spent my last $60 on that camera. I dropped my first solo shoot in August I believe. I’ve always wanted to show the world what I see . I haven’t stopped since. Read more>>
Carol Moody
Hospitality, making people feel comfortable and welcome, is an intrinsic quality of mine that I first noticed when I was in high school. Before my mother would arrive home from work each evening, I made it a point to have the house clean, smelling good, with vacuum-lines and all ! It made for a relaxed evening for her and I enjoyed doing it. Read more>>
Hadrat Faatimah
All my life I’ve been tremendously talented and gifted , however as I got older I realized my communication skills and articulate upbringing is what allowed me to see that I had a natural gift for marketing and through the years I realized no matter what talent I chose to pursue it was my natural marketing skills that pushed it… and throughout my discoveries on my journey I’ve landed here now being 5+ years strong in building brands and businesses. Read more>>
Tina Mellesmoen
I struggled to get people from northern part of Tipton county being in Munford. I also live in Covington. In October I had an opportunity to move into my own space with multiple treatment rooms, a lobby, and front desk area. It was a little scary as the rent was more money than I had been paying for rent. The opportunity was too hard to pass up being right in the Covington Square. I moved and was able to open again in Covington November 1st 2024. I have to say when my opening anniversary rolled around January 2, 2025 it was a very exciting day as I had officially made it a year in business. Read more>>
Lauren Bryant
Short answer would be my son. He started Kindergarten this past year and to ensure that he had the attention needed for schoolwork and to accommodate drop-off and pick-up times; I left my office position. I started Express Yourself as a way to keep busy, make a little money, and in hopes of making items that people would love. Read more>>
Lillia Osadzinski
What truly drives me is the emotional side of photography. I lost my mom when I was 11, long before smartphones and social media made it easy to document everyday life. Sadly, I have very few photos or videos of her, and that loss fuels my purpose. I often think, why didn’t we capture more? You always assume there’s more time, but sometimes there isn’t. Read more>>
Amari Kimble
Though it has changed over the past few years, there is a lot of misinformation about the Chiropractic profession. This often makes it difficult when starting a business. Also, I chose to have a practice where I do not participate with insurance companies. This allows me to spend more time with each patient and create a unique and individualized treatment plan for each person. Some find it hard to see a practitioner that does not accept insurance and this impedes business in the beginning. However, when you use insurance, that is the service that you will receive, and sometimes it is not what you want or need to truly resolve your conditions. Read more>>
Milaa’ Crawford
As a graduate student in the Tavis Smiley Journalism Program of Texas Southern University, I worked tirelessly to sharpen my craft and put out freelance stories. I worked as an Interventionist on the side at a local middle school in Houston, Texas. This was supposed to be merely a means of income, but somewhere along the way, things shifted. The vary profession that I was never interested in began to tug at my hearts strings. Late hours writing articles transformed into late nights creating lesson plans and drafting extra curricular ideas for students. Maybe it was the way I lit up when helping students understand something new or perhaps it was the joy in seeing a spark of understanding in a child’s eyes from a concept I taught. What began as a quiet calling, one I ignored and thought I’d dare not answer, became louder with every waking day and every time I tried to ignore it the louder it got. Read more>>
Angel Coleman
I started in this field as early as I can remember, I was always in the salon with my grandmother. She was a stylist and her shop was connected to her house. I was there daily soaking up all the knowledge and skills that I could. As I found my way into adulthood and trying different jobs, I always came back to hair. So one day I decided to go back to school get my license and live the dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. I’ve been doing and loving it ever Vince! Read more>>
Alexandra Hardee
After gaining experience in the industry, I opened my own studio, Bombshell Ink, with a mission to create a welcoming, non-intimidating space — especially for women, the LGBTQ+ community, and families seeking safe and professional ear piercing for their children. Years later, in a twist of fate, I learned that my great aunt was also a tattoo artist and studio owner back in the 1950s. She was a pioneer in advocating for health department involvement in tattoo studios, helping to set higher standards for sanitation in the industry. Discovering her story felt like a powerful affirmation that I was exactly where I was meant to be. Read more>>
Ashton Wiley
My name is Ashton Wiley, also known as Mrs. Wet Detail and I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I met my husband Josh for the first time through a mutual friend in early 2022 and we immediately connected on a deep level and started dating. I had just left an 8 year long abusive marriage, in which I had 2 little girls, ages 1-1/2 & 3. At the time, I was working a sales job in a well known uniform and promotional products company as the assistant to the President, giving me a thorough knowledge of customer service, focusing on details, art graphics and creating systematic processes. Read more>>
Andrea “Fitz” Fitzgerald
After college, I thought I wanted to be a basketball coach. But once I tried it, I realized I was more drawn to the business side of sports. I interned with the NBA and WNBA team in Charlotte and discovered I really loved marketing and event management. That led me back home to an internship with the Memphis Grizzlies, which turned into a full-time role as the Coordinator of Sport Development where I hosted camps, clinics, and community outreach events. From there, I moved on to the Atlanta Hawks as Manager of Basketball Development in a similar role. Read more>>
Angela Russell
Shops in Memphis weren’t exactly welcoming to people back then, women, people of color and Queer folks were often made to feel very ill at ease. I wanted a safe, inclusive space for everyone. We’ve worked throughout the years to make that happen. We’ve had a running cast of artists over the last 30 plus years, all with art backgrounds, all with very different styles. We’ve always and continue to host guest artists from all over the world. This gives Memphis clients access to artists that they might not be able to, otherwise. Read more>>
Alison Unterreiner
During that time, I was dealing with some health issues, and a friend suggested I try acupuncture. It felt like a low-risk option, so I gave it a shot. After just one treatment, I was amazed by how good I felt—so much so that I booked several follow-up appointments. I continued receiving acupuncture for years, and during that period of exploring new career paths, the results I experienced made me start to consider acupuncture as more than just a form of self-care. Read more>>
Richard Pham
My entire family are in the nail industry and have over 20-30 years of experience. However i myself was not interested in the nail industry. I was your typical broke college student years ago and carved the way to corporate jobs as a financial analyst through the years working with different companies in the Memphis area. I’ve worked for corporation for over 15 years and in 2021 right after the outbreak of Covid one of the new owners decided to sell her salon and we bought the salon and took it over. We started with just to nail technician and grew the company to over 15 Nail Tech and growing our clientele over 400% in a three year span Read more>>
Dawn Likens
In the spring of 2024, Purlicue Pinch was born. I built my online presence and began selling at markets and festivals. What began as a creative outlet has since grown into a deeply fulfilling venture—one that allows me to connect with others, tell stories through craftsmanship, and rediscover a sense of purpose and joy through artistic expression. Read more>>
Cori Smith
I started in college taking photos of kids I nannied while in nursing school and my business has grown through word of mouth and social media. I worked full time outside photography until last May I went to working two days a week at the pediatric clinic so I could do more photography! Read more>>
Sue Sai
Today, BN Nails is more than just a nail salon. It’s a community — a place where our clients feel like family. We’re still growing, learning, and striving to give every guest the best possible experience. Whether you come in for gel nails, a full set, or just a moment of peace, we’re here to take care of you. Read more>>
Dr. Jared Wootton
Then, in a moment we could have never predicted, that work became personal. Amy suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm, which caused significant damage to her brain and nervous system but me and so many other people prayed for her during that event and by a miracle from God she survived! She had to relearn how to walk, talk, even swallow. It was devastating—but by God’s grace, we already had the Renew Healing Framework in place. And it became part of her recovery journey. Read more>>
Kimbrya Mccraney
I started selling hair in 2020 after I grashared high school. I funded my entrepreneurial journey from the money from two summer jobs I did. Not long after I started To take the money from my business and put it into music. In 2022 I receive my first hit record which later became a gold record. This year in 2025, I’m looking forward to maximizing my career with everything I learned so far and will continue learning along my journey. Read more>>
Sapphire Jeffries
We had college counselors come into class, and ask/inform us about college, and giving us a roundabout heads up for the next senior year approaching, and I remember raising my hand asking did we have to do this. To make it short a college counselor named Tela Thigpen took me under her wing to see what exactly I would want to do with my life, or what my interest where. I knew I didn’t want to stay in Memphis I knew through questioning that I also wanted to help people. I wanted to see more, do more, and explore more than what I was used to or even told/programmed to do based on my environment. I had plans to possible dance after I graduated, and really had no clue to be honest but God had greater plans for my life. Read more>>
