Inspiring Stories from Palm Beach

Elizabeth Seligman

I have been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. I was a banquet captain and while observing planners I decided to pivot and start Island Life Events. I realized I had an edge as I had so much experience with logistics and behind the scenes of events that they did not. This opened the door to wonderful relationships with venues and catering companies; hence Island Life Events grew by leaps and bounds. Read more>>

Mary Stucchi

I got my start in film photography at John I. Leonard High School around the time of Y2K. The high school had limited resources, most of us were kids from impoverished neighborhoods and didn’t have a ton of opportunities, but funding for the computer academy and certain additions, like a dark room lab in art class, dulled the pangs of teenage drama. Back then, I was just a wannabe academic/computer nerd playing around with chemicals in photography class. Read more>>

Toni Counts

Being an entrepreneur is something that always interested me. Once I obtained the freedom of being my own boss, I continued to put the work in to ensure I would never have go back to working on someone else’s dream and could continue working on mine. I started with my own bookkeeping business, servicing high level real estate investors, giving them the security and confidence to grow their portfolios and businesses. I take pride in my work and am very passionate about numbers and how they tell a story of financial fate. I surrounded myself around people that I aspired to be like. Many of my clients are very wealthy and I am in a constant state of learning and developing just by being in close proximity. Read more>>

Reina Kendall

Born and raised in New York City until the age of twelve, I moved around a fair amount between Manhattan and Westchester County. While New York was my “real” home base throughout my life, it was my frequent visits to my grandparent’s residence that made Palm Beach Island my “home.” The reason why is because my grandparents inhabited the same residence my entire life ~ Palm Beach living stood still! I LOVE it here. Yes, Palm Beach is absolutely paradise found but it’s my childhood memories of time spent with my grandmother “Della Bella” that I adore the most. Read more>>

Fatima Rodriguez

When you were a child, did you ever feel that there was so much to do and so much to discover that you didn’t know how to identify where you could best develop your skills? Among so many artistic manifestations, you look for the one with which you can express yourself, the one that clicks with your feelings. For me, the first was drawing. My mom used to have a notebook where she captured her best drawings made with graphite, which I always admired and wanted to replicate, and with practice I achieved it. On the other hand, I felt that spark of music, that desire to move when you hear the Latin rhythm. It was my favorite practice in school, dancing on stage. Read more>>

Hope Synod

It started back when I was with an organization called YWAM. I was teaching English to Yemen refugees and working with the homeless to provide food and necessities. During that time, I wasn’t making any money because the organization was based off of donations and it was my full-time job. I had a couple trips out of the country to teach English and I really needed to do something for fundraising so I started to preserve flowers!!! Read more>>

Blanche Williams

“The choices we make throughout our lives determine the roads we travel and the experiences we have along the way.” I drove from Memphis to Miami on my 21st birthday, drawn to and mesmerized by its beautiful beaches, blue skies, exotic trees, and animals. Except for 10 years in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area as a National XM Radio Talk Show Host, I’ve lived in sunny South Florida. My time in South Florida has included diverse high-level experiences including Miami Mayoral appointment to the Community Relations Board (CRB), a member of White House Summit of the America’s-Miami special event team, Founder of The African American Lively Arts Association, NGO Speaker at United Nations Conference in Istanbul, Turkey and Master Massage Instructor for Caribbean 5 Star Resorts. Read more>>

Makayla Casey

Absolutely, hey I’m Makayla! I grew up more in front of the camera than behind it actually. I was really into modeling and acting. I did a lot of print work, commercials, and local theater productions at the time. In 2014, my family hosted an exchange student from Spain for the summer and she brought a camera to take pictures of her travels. The 2 of us went on photoshoots literally every day that summer! We had the absolute best time together & little did we know that it would introduce me to a new passion and now full-time career of mine! After that summer, I started photographing for friends, then friends of friends and somehow, I ended up making some money out of it! Read more>>

Raquel Bell

I grew up in a single-family home. I found myself trying to figure out where to fit in sometimes. With being the only girl and the middle child you tend to just go with the flow. My “escape” would be playing a Backstreet Boys soundtrack and rearranging the room my brothers and I would share. Little ol’ me at the age of 10 would take apart these stackable solid wood oak bunk beds and just rearrange dressers, nightstands, and beds every so often. Not until recently did it all make sense- I have always been a visionary. Read more>>

Karlton Walker

My journey began just like anyone else, with an idea. The idea to designed and make my own sneaker. I always been into fashion and sneakers since I was a kid. I didn’t have all the most popular clothes or sneakers growing up, but I always stayed styling with what I had. It wasn’t till I join the military until I was able to afford some decent name-brand clothes and sneakers. All my friends notice that I dress better than them. I’ve became their personal stylist. I was always curious about making my own clothes and sneakers. I was always afraid to take that leap into. Read more>>

Courtney Turner

I returned to making art after twenty years of being an entrepreneur. My husband and I have built a few businesses over the years (and crashed and lost a few, too.) from a landscape company to an equestrian company to a salon and spa; which is what I currently own. I attended art school for a year in college but I chickened out and instead did 4 years of business law. I then worked in that field for two years when I first moved to Florida almost 20 years ago, but I finally admitted it wasn’t for me, so I switched careers and tried owning a salon. Read more>>

Dawn Cirone

I am so thrilled to be living my dream of having my own women’s clothing boutique where I can share with you my styles and the spark of pure joy they bring! My inspiration and passion come from many places and experiences throughout my life.  While living in Florence, I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. I was surrounded by the most beautiful colors, patterns, and textures all day while studying design, fabric styling, and Italian. It was pure bliss. While working at various fashion and interior design houses, the desire to start my own boutique was always in my heart. I knew I wanted to create something beautiful and share it with the world. Read more>>