Miami’s Most Inspiring Stories

Every neighborhood in South Florida has its own vibe, style, culture and history, but what consistently amazes us is not what differentiates the various neighborhoods but rather what they all have in common.  From South Beach to Boca (and everywhere in between) we’ve been blown away by how many creative and talented people call South Florida home.  Check out some of the inspiring stories we’ve discovered throughout Miami and the surrounding areas.

Isabel Diez

WeAre Development LLC, also known as WeAre Dev, was born from a shared vision between my brother Daniel and I. Build a technology company rooted in a more human-centered model — one where talent is not treated simply as a resource, but as a community driven by purpose, belonging, and shared growth. Read more>>

Steve Santacruz

My name is Steve Santacruz and I own and operate the tattoo brand known as Empire Ink here in Miami with multiple locations and over 200 thousand people serviced with a 5 star brand on google. I started back in 2009 by opening the first Empire Ink after the recession with very little finances, a rebellious spirit, a dream and a passion for drawing. Read more>>

janie desir

My journey began with motherhood. When my son was born, I quickly realized that raising him would require me to advocate in ways I never imagined. As a blind mother navigating systems not designed with disability in mind, I was constantly searching for resources that reflected our reality—especially when it came to early learning and independence. Read more>>

Cari Blackstock

I was born and raised in the pine forests of Louisiana, where I met my husband, Daniel. He moved to Tavernier in 2017, and I followed in 2019. My background is primarily in the medical field, but one day he came home and asked how I would feel about buying the sign shop where he worked. Read more>>

Desi Lu

It’s hard to pinpoint the start of my journey because the impulse to translate the inner world has always been in my DNA. Even as a child, filling pages with earnest squiggles, I was attempting the same core mission I have today: to give form to the ‘foreign concepts’ of the mind. I just didn’t have the words yet. Read more>>

Latoya Kight

My business originated in my living room. I organized girls’ nights at my home, which quickly evolved into a women’s conference. During this time, I also became a Certified Life Coach. I am passionate about helping women realize their full potential. Read more>>

Carla Bissi

My background is in event planning, sales and personal training. This combination has made me be able to run my small business because all of these require organizational, people and time management skills. I’ve always loved dogs and figured out a few years ago that I enjoyed organizing dog events and decided to legally open my LLC. Read more>>

Linda Pamela MO

It all started when I realized I was living on autopilot for half of my life. From the outside, everything looked “perfect”: before turning 30, I had two master’s degrees, a house, a car, and the status society promises will make you happy. Yet something felt deeply off. Read more>>

Carolina Cicala

It started like a simple idea that came up when we have been here in Miami for the first time to spend our summer holidays from Italy (this happened in 2019). My husband has worked as a chef in Italy since many years and his dream was to open his own restaurant business. Read more>>

Stephanie Lichtenstein

Born and raised in Miami. My parents came to Miami from Nicaragua. I grew up speaking Spanish at home, so my life subtitles would definitely be in Spanglish. Entrepreneurship is in my blood. I grew up watching my parents run their promotional products business for over 35 years, which instilled a strong work ethic in me. Read more>>

Josh Wilkie

Everglades Oysters was founded by Josh Wilkie and Fabio Galarce at the intersection of heritage and vision. Fabio was originally exploring the idea of opening an oyster bar on Miami Beach. Josh comes from a family with deep oyster history, including active oyster leases and generational ties to the industry. Read more>>

Jennifer Burbank

I started off as a Basket Baby. I was literally left in a basket at a church in Seoul, Korea, and raised in an orphanage for a year before I was adopted by an Italian-American family in Boston. I graduated high school at 17 and was accepted into some of the best universities in Boston. Read more>>

Robert Derrick

I am a visual artist from the Caribbean. Born in Dominica WI growing up in Antigua. I emigrated to NY in the Mid 1980s attending The City College of NY where I received a Bachelors in Graphic Design and a Masters in Technology Education. Originally I became a teacher to have my summers free to pursue my art. Read more>>

Raisa Raymee

My journey hasn’t been linear, but it’s been very intentional. I originally started out studying medicine, drawn to science, problem-solving, and helping people. Along the way, life redirected me—and instead of seeing that as a setback, I leaned into it. I left medical school and completed a degree in bioengineering, all while my husband and I were running our gas station and convenience store together. Read more>>

Svetlana Gafurova

I’m the founder of Mathilda & Moon, a Miami-based brand inspired by family, intention, and everyday rituals. I was born in Ukraine, raised in Russia, and have lived in the United States for over 20 years. After living in different parts of the country, I’m proud to now call Miami my home. Read more>>

Kristen Bosse

I have been a pediatric occupational therapist for over two decades, and my journey into this work began long before I ever entered a classroom. When I was 17, my cousin Matthew was born, and I often picked him up and took him to therapy. Read more>>

Kyara Herard

My journey is deeply rooted in my South Florida upbringing and an early commitment to service that became engrained in me by my parents and family. As a proud graduate of Miami Senior High School’s Legal Magnet Program, I discovered my passion for justice while learning the importance of giving back to the community that helped shape me. Read more>>

Dhaima Lindo

In my late twenties, I was diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancer, a moment that completely altered the trajectory of my life. What followed were chemotherapy treatments, multiple surgeries, and a level of physical pain and uncertainty that forced me to slow down and reevaluate everything I thought I knew about health, healing, and my own body. Read more>>

Bobby Soto

Being a lifelong artist, I always knew I wanted to use my talents to create. Working as a full-time firefighter didn’t give me that particular creative outlet so I needed to do something in my time off. I just didn’t’ know what that thing would be. Read more>>

Marley Jayy

Well, my journey to becoming a creative butterfly started in 2020 (pandemic). You know everyone was trapped inside with nothing to do. My brother gifted me with a camera, and my creative expression started from there. From taking nature photos in my neighborhood, to capturing my classmates everyday life at school, to snapping candids of my family… and so on. Read more>>

Sainte Billings

I’ll make this a little more personal for whoever plans to read this. Like many people, my story might seem familiar at first glance: high school, college, choosing a challenging yet “safe” major, landing what most would call a dream job, and eventually reaching that moment where you think, I made it. Read more>>

Arian Barboza

My professional background is rooted in medicine, which gave me a strong foundation in physiology, biochemistry, and metabolic health. However, over time I realized that the real challenge wasn’t a lack of information, it was how overwhelming and contradictory that information had become, especially within the U.S. food system. Read more>>

Erik Hansen

I got my start executive protection totally by accident. There was a boutique security company started by a former Secret Service Agent with a small office in Connecticut. In the late 1990s they needed someone to stand-by with a human resources representative while they had large scale company lay-offs. Read more>>

Alfredo J Quintero

I can confidently say that my second chapter began the moment I set foot in this country. It felt as if every door and window swung open, revealing a new side of myself—one that is creative and free. This part of me yearns to express itself without restraint. Read more>>

Julio Itriago

Our story really begins long before BravePro. My twin brother Jorge and I are industrial maintenance engineers — we graduated in Venezuela. At 22 years old, we made the decision to leave our home country and move to Argentina in 2017–2018 in search of better opportunities. Like many immigrants, we had to start from scratch. Read more>>

Stephanie Saint-Come

I grew up regularly auditioning for magnet programs. I was heavily involved in Musical Theatre, Singing Competitions, and shows for my high school. I quickly realized I needed to pick a career. I went to college for Hospitality at FIU. While attending I had work in the field to get hours. So started working at an upscale boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Miami. Read more>>

Paula Martinez

Photography has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. From a very young age, I was drawn not just to images, but to people, to emotions, relationships, and the quiet moments that happen between words. Human connection has always moved me, and photography became my way of honoring it. Over time, that curiosity evolved into a deeper purpose. Read more>>

Jonathan Baker

I completed my master’s degree in psychology in 2014 and spent a considerable amount of time searching for employment within the field. I quickly realized how challenging it could be to secure psychology-related work with only a master’s degree. In 2015, I interviewed for a psychometrician position within a private practice. Read more>>

Carolina Szlufman

I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist originally from Argentina and raised in Miami. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Dietetics with a minor in Food Science at the University of Florida, then went on to complete my clinical training at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where I stayed for a 6-month ICU fellowship. Read more>>

Chef Tanya Ivanova

I was born and raised in Bulgaria, a small country in Eastern Europe where I learned from an early age that food is medicine. I grew up understanding that what we eat has the power to shape our health, influence our mood, and elevate how we feel in our everyday lives. For me, cooking has always been more than technique—it is intention, care, and artistry. Read more>>

James Warren

I’m originally from Sleepy Hollow, New York – yes, that Sleepy Hollow, the one immortalized by Washington Irving’s tale of the Headless Horseman. Growing up in a place with its own phantom that arrived every Halloween made me feel connected to something larger than myself from an early age. Read more>>

Gabriel Martinez

After many years in the corporate treadmill, in Travel and Tourism, I launched a few businesses in 2025, including this professional cleaning company. Read more>>

Jennifer Lambert

I’ve always known I wanted to work in medicine. Even as a child, becoming a healthcare provider was the goal. My path wasn’t linear, though. Early on, I had to pause my education to help support my family during the recession. My parents are entrepreneurs starting their own medical practice back in 2007. Read more>>

shelly nelson

I begin in title by chance when I ran into someone who said I should become a mobile notary, that was almost 15 years ago. I did start a mobile notary business, but that led to me ‘filling in’ at one of my regular title companies that I served as a closer. Read more>>

Nicole Gates

I’m so fortunate to have had a wonderful start in media! I was a radio DJ on some of the best radio markets in the Southeast, which led me to a wonderful time as Promotions Director for 101 5 LITE FM! Big shout out to the epic Rob Sydney who gave me a shot that brought this GA girl to Miami. Read more>>

Yonash Breneman

Before I turned 3, her and my dad faked a ski trip to Switzerland and escaped through Austria, shortly after tying my great grandmother up, so she wouldn’t alert anyone. We were swiftly detained and I began my life as a criminal in jail at the age of 3. After a couple weeks of quarantine followed by 2 months in a halfway home, I began my dream of becoming anything under the American slogan looking to thrive in the “Land of opportunity”. Read more>>

Loris FERET

A major influence in his journey has been his father, an experienced entrepreneur who continues to advise him on the strategic and operational management of his company. This ongoing mentorship provides Loris with a grounded perspective on decision-making, growth, and sustainability—balancing ambition with structure and discipline. Read more>>