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 Miami.
Eric Piedra
When I got into the payment industry in 2014, I was actually working as a Miami-Dade County Bailiff. Every day I was in court surrounded by attorneys, and I kept seeing the same problem … they needed better ways to accept payments and manage their businesses. So I started helping the legal community with payment solutions on the side. Read more>>
Prince Carter
Global Line Media Group was founded from a simple belief: great stories deserve world-class execution. After spending years working in advertising, sales, public relations, journalism, branding, and entertainment, I realized there was an opportunity to build a company that could bridge creativity with strategy under one roof. My career has never been about staying in one lane. Read more>>
Jessica Hooper
From the time I was 12 years old, I knew I wanted to become an attorney. I have always had a heart for justice and a passion for helping others. Reading and writing came naturally to me, and I excelled academically, which made the legal profession feel like the right path. Read more>>
Jael Toledo
m a thousand things inside one person, and that started early. I was born in Miami and raised in Medellín, and at eighteen I left for Israel to serve in the army. Those years shaped me more than almost anything — being that young, that far from home, learning what I was made of under pressure. Read more>>
Carina Belmonte
My journey started in Caracas, Venezuela. I’ve always been fascinated by cinema, television, and content creation. My first step into that world was working as an assistant producer for the CNN (Spanish) and Univision correspondent offices, where I experienced the fast pace of news production firsthand. After graduating from college, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in TV and Film in Miami. Read more>>
Maria Lumb
grew up in Slovakia and moved to the United States at 23 with a dream and a determination to build a life from the ground up. Over the years, I worked with luxury brands including Miu Miu, Isabel Marant, FRAME, and Joseph, where I discovered my passion for styling and creating meaningful client experiences. Read more>>
Kris Danielle
I started blogging about brunch on Instagram as @brunchwithk10 right when COVID happened, I had a bunch of content from food outings with my friends, but I was a consistent bruncher for years. Eventually, I hosted a few and it was something I became passionate about. Read more>>
King Krazytune
Growing up, I faced many challenges and was a troubled youth. Despite those difficulties, I discovered a passion for music at the age of 12 or 13. By the time I was 16, I had fully committed to pursuing it, recording songs and releasing music videos. At 19, I became involved in a self-defense incident that resulted in legal consequences. Read more>>
CJ Farquharson
If I had to sum up my life’s mission in one phrase, it would be that I was put on this earth to be a storyteller. Ever since I was young, I understood that my love of words and the ability to use them to help people was more than a hobby. Read more>>
X 1T
My name is X1T(X-IT), I’m a queer producer but primarily; an artist of many mediums. I believe I’ve always been someone who was determined to never allow society to categorize them in what it deems fit. My biggest dreams are creating non-profits to fix the world while also putting 100% into my passions. Read more>>
Andrea Edde
My story starts on the mat, not behind a microphone. I became a Pilates instructor a few years before the pandemic, and it turned out to be the thing that kept me sane — mentally and physically — through everything that came after: the pandemic, family health issues, a divorce, a move, a job change, and more. Read more>>
Wolfgang y Ramos
I started my career studying architecture in Venezuela, where I first developed a passion for design and the idea of shaping how people live through spaces. Early on, I had a renovation business that gave me practical experience and helped me understand clients, construction, and entrepreneurship. While it was successful in many ways, I realized I wanted something bigger creatively. Read more>>
Elisa Benedetti
Elisa Benedetti is a Venezuelan documentary photographer based in Miami. Since 2018, her work has focused on documenting the lives, memories, and everyday experiences of communities through photography and in-depth personal interviews. She believes that listening is as important as photographing, and that every portrait begins with trust. Read more>>
Victoria
Back in 2018, I started a job in a new state where I decided to start fresh. I didn’t have any money to my name and was in credit card debt. I was eating rice, and eggs every single day and knew that I needed to do something. Read more>>
alessandra colon
I often say that my career didn’t choose me—life chose it for me. At 14 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Going through chemotherapy and radiation at such a young age completely changed the trajectory of my life. It gave me a deep appreciation for the human body, healing, and the importance of helping people reclaim their health. Read more>>
Holli McGee
It all started with one family trip. We had two daughters born just 22 months apart so we used a travel agent for our first family trip. I was hesitant to use a travel agent because I had heard all kinds of myths about them, but quickly realized that everything I thought I knew about travel agents was obsolete. Read more>>
Farrah Pasquet
I have always been pretty creative. When I was young I loved to create dishes and bake which lead me into decorating cakes. While working for the police department I realized my heart wasn’t into it. I decided to enroll in culinary school. Fast forward to having my son, I felt like his birthdays were a national holiday. Read more>>
Veronica Alejandra Fascie
I’ve had a passion for creating art for as long as I can remember. My formal training in Buenos Aires, Argentina—in fine arts, set design, and art education—laid the foundation for my career. After establishing my art practice in Miami in 1994, I began working as a decorative artist, creating custom murals and faux finishes during Miami’s design boom. Read more>>
Megan Klein
I started Little Saints because I drank too much alcohol during the pandemic and wanted a better alternative. I’m a serial entrepreneur in the food & beverage space (before I started Little Saints, I ran an indoor basil farm, then I founded a plant based foods brand), and I’ve always considered myself a healthy person. Read more>>
Genesis Fernandez
My journey into tech started with curiosity. I’ve always loved figuring out how things work and creating solutions, but I didn’t begin my career in technology. I started in hospitality, where I learned the value of hard work, communication, and resilience. While I appreciated those experiences, I knew I wanted to build something more aligned with my passion for technology. Read more>>
L.A. Walker
People often think reinvention belongs to the young. My life has taught me otherwise. I’m a storyteller, songwriter, producer, and creator who has spent a lifetime communicating through different platforms. I’ve served as a radio news director, television broadcaster, pastor, playwright, nonprofit leader, podcast host, and now I’m writing and producing music while building a growing digital media brand. Read more>>
Bo Sebastian
After five years of insomnia I chose to try hypnotherapy. It worked quickly and efficiently. I chose to study in NYC. I practiced for 20 years in Nashville. It moved to South Florida to take care of my dying mother. I opened a new business 5 years later. I’m now one of the top two hypnosis businesses here. Read more>>
Ebony Sturrup LMFT-QS, LMHC
I graduated from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, where I majored in English. Education has always been in my blood. My mother, sister, cousins, and several other family members were educators or administrators, so I naturally thought I would follow in their footsteps. While I enjoyed teaching, I felt called to make a greater impact in people’s lives. Read more>>
Zamanta Archibold
My path to yoga was anything but a straight line. It actually began in the world of interior design. Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn by my Trinidadian mother, I went on to earn a BFA from FIT and built a career as an Interior Designer. That work taught me early on how space, energy, and environment deeply shape how we feel and think. Read more>>
Alexandra Soler
My jewelry journey began many years ago. As a teenager, I was given the opportunity to design and create my own pieces. It started as a hobby and, for a long time, never went beyond that. Years later, I began working at Bvlgari as a PR Specialist. Read more>>
Osa Rosti
I was born on Gotland, a small island in Sweden, and I’ve always had a curious soul — a need to create and to explore. When I turned 20, I left Sweden and set off into the world, starting in London, where I studied Silversmithing, Jewelry Design and Allied Crafts at London Guildhall University (now London Metropolitan University), graduating in 2003. Read more>>
Lilly Grella
I’ve been photographing since I was 10 years old. A lot has changed for me in the progression of my work over the last 16 years, but one thing that has always propelled my artistic inspiration has always been music. As my work changed and grew over time, so did my knowledge and infatuation for music. Read more>>
Gabriela Cabeza
My journey as a painter is a story of rediscovery. Unlike many who start in childhood, I began painting later in life, in my 50s. What started as a newfound curiosity quickly grew into a deep passion for expression, color, and texture, allowing me to explore emotions, identity, and the world around me in ways I had never done before. Read more>>
elizabeth castillo
I’m a Miami native, mom of two, and author of Dear Healing Heart. My daughter’s diagnosis unexpectedly changed the course of my life. Like so many parents, I found myself navigating a path I never imagined—one filled with uncertainty, love, resilience, and growth. For years, my focus was caring for my daughter and making sense of our new reality. Read more>>
argenis bouza
My path in finance started with a simple love for learning. I’ve always been fascinated by how fast markets move, there’s always a new cycle to study, a new strategy to master, and a fresh perspective to gain. That spark truly took off at Florida International University, where I was empowered to go all-in on finance. Read more>>
Net Kohen
My name is Net Kohen, I’m the CEO and co-founder of Linkme. I started the company alongside my two co-founders, Val Share, our COO, and Dre Medici, our CMO. The idea for Linkme started in 2019 when we noticed how frustrating it was for people to share all of their digital information. Read more>>
Flower R
I started tattooing over a decade ago, right after high school, and it’s been anything but a straight path. There have been a lot of ups, downs, detours, and fresh starts, but every challenge has shaped me into the artist I am today. Read more>>
Shiain Leviston
Some people still refer to me as Chy Silvers. Recently I started going by my actual name Shiain (shy-in). I was born and raised in Miami, liberty City. Shortly after I turned 13 I relocated to the Miami Gardens area. After I turned 14 we moved to the Pembroke Pines. Read more>>
Yoandy Robaina
My relationship with images began long before I ever held a camera. As a child growing up in Cuba, I drew constantly and created dozens of pencil still lifes inspired by the objects around me. Those early exercises taught me to observe the weight of objects, the way light breathes through a scene, and the quiet poetry found in everyday things. Read more>>
Osvaldo Samper
I loved art as a kid and just never stopped. I am lucky enough to have had a good support system with my parents and teachers, people who saw a spark in me whenever I created something. I never stopped making art, and now it is something I feel compelled to do every day. Read more>>
Jaryd Niles-Morris
I was very into art as a child, not seriously but avidly, until I did think of it seriously and went to Barbados Community College and studied visual art where I failed many classes miserably, yet there is where I met and was exposed to people and ideas I that would take with me far beyond those walls. Read more>>
Emily Bench-Lahrssen
I’ve always believed that movement is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Looking back, I realize that belief didn’t start with Pilates. it started at home. I grew up in a family where healthy eating, exercise, and taking care of your body weren’t trends or obligations. They were simply a way of life. Movement was normal. It was joyful. Read more>>
Hannah Trier
My name is Hannah, I am 28 years old. I was raised in Durango, CO, it’s a small mountain town in the middle of nowhere. Once I graduated high school I moved to New Mexico for college. I really did not like living there but I sacrificed my dream of living by the ocean to get an education. Read more>>
Ashley Rose
My journey began in New York City, where I worked as a Fashion Editor and Stylist, immersed in the energy of the runways at Lincoln Center and Central Park. That chapter of my life was fast-paced, creative, and deeply inspiring, but it also led me inward. Read more>>
Swaggaquil
I’m a New York native from a Trinidadian family, raised primarily in Hollis, Queens, before making South Florida my home. Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a household with a world-class recording studio, so being surrounded by artists, musicians, recording sessions, and creative energy became my normal. Read more>>
Francesca Rodriguez
My story starts all the way back at 2 years old in a ballet class, to fast forward to I’ve now been dancing and creating for over 24 years of my life. I owe so much of that to God and my grandfather, they saw something in me before I could even understand it myself. Read more>>
Chad Carpenter
Like many of us, Chad grew up in an environment where authentic expression simply wasn’t available. Without an outlet to honestly share his inner experience, he learned to suppress his struggles, leading to years of anger, frustration, and a deep sense of being misunderstood. From a young age, Chad developed patterns of isolation and emotional bottling. Read more>>
Akeem Cohen
My entrepreneurial journey really started in Kingston, Jamaica, back in 2011. Sochill Clothing was founded by a group of close friends while we were still in high school. One day, my brother, Akeem Marriott, reached out and simply said, “Yo, I have an idea for a brand.” That was all it took. I immediately saw the vision and believed in what we could build together. Read more>>
Tatiana Gustamante
My journey into the beauty industry started in 2017 when I began working for Benefit Cosmetics. That’s where I discovered my passion for helping people feel confident through brows and beauty. In 2020, just before the pandemic, I took a leap of faith and opened my own business, Faced By Taty. Read more>>
Megan O’Neill
I was a beauty editor at goop for 7 years and then got laid off. It was disorienting, of course, but something about it felt…not devastating, too. I’d known it was time for me to move on, but I wouldn’t have left of my own accord; I was comfortable in my rhythm. Read more>>
Christina Mendenhall
I started out with a love of photography and film as a child. I was drawn to various images that had been produced by cameras. From the start I tried to capture the everyday moments that meant so much to me. Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a keen interest in documentary films and street photography. Read more>>
Elovee Andrews Brown
My journey has always been centered around following my dreams, even when they led me in different directions. Each path I have pursued has been connected by the same desire to create, perform, inspire, and build a life that feels true to who I am. That determination has shaped me into the woman and creative I am today. Read more>>
Emily Standley Allard
I’ve always been someone who loves research, writing, personal finance and figuring out how people think. Long before starting my own business, I was fascinated by psychology, communication, and the ways technology was changing how we connect with one another. That curiosity eventually became the foundation for my career. In 2018, I took a leap of faith and founded the blog SocialBuzzHive. Read more>>
Cameron Williams
I first began working on music at 13 years old, learning to make beats and rap using Garageband on my iPhone. While I had messed around with instruments and used my uncle’s DJ equipment to make remixes, this was my first time writing, rapping, and producing my own music. As I grew up, my resources evolved alongside my skills. Read more>>
Alexa Collins
I am is a lifestyle creator of over 10 years and interior design enthusiast with a passion for transforming houses into timeless, elevated homes. Known for sharing my personal renovation journey and inspiring millions through my modern, warm design aesthetic, I’ve built a community that looks for approachable luxury, thoughtful interiors, and innovative home ideas. Read more>>
Evelyn Ortiz
When I look back, I realize that my journey as an artist began long before I ever picked up a camera. As a child, I spent hours drawing and painting flowers, trees, and clouds. I was deeply captivated by the beauty of nature, although at the time I didn’t yet understand why it moved me so profoundly. Read more>>
Staci Morey
I moved to Florida when I was 22 and honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do for a while. I had a bachelor’s in communication but never felt called to the field. I’d always been the person friends came to with their problems — being a safe place for others just came naturally to me. Read more>>
Natalia Patino
My name is Natalia Patiño and I’m a first-gen Colombian-American Actress and Digital Content Creator born and raised in Miami, Florida. I’ve been involved in every facet of the performing arts for as long as I can remember-from choir, to band, to theatre-and eventually professional regional musical theatre once I graduated my magnet theatre program at Coral Reef Senior High (Go Cudas!). Read more>>
Dru Pardo
Hi Dru Pardo, I took a month or two off so I can let the world miss me since I do clubs and events for a living and it usually always catches up to you but at the same time it’s amazing how we are all family and therefore I’m going to start something just for people in the biz which actually means hospitality. Read more>>
DJ Babyface Blitz
I’ve always had a deep connection to music. I grew up in a musical family, surrounded by records and radio, and from an early age I became fascinated not just with listening to music, but with learning everything I could about it. I’ve always been a bit of a sponge when it comes to popular culture, especially music history. Read more>>
Msspecial Kay
I’ve always been a creator and someone who genuinely enjoys helping people. From a young age, I was constantly finding ways to express my creativity whether it was writing songs and recording them on cassette tapes with my neighbor, doing hair for family, friends, and friends of friends as a child and teenager, designing, organizing, or bringing ideas to life. Read more>>
Sadie Marshall
If you had told me years ago that I would one day own one of the country’s most specialized biohazard remediation companies, I would have believed you. I’ve always believed I was meant to do something extraordinary—I just had no idea what that journey would look like or where God would lead me. I didn’t grow up with a roadmap for this life. Read more>>
Adam Cole
My path here and to yoga in general started how a lot of self-exploration and healing journeys start — with suffering and hitting a real rock bottom. There was a season of my life where, on paper, I had everything… Harvard degree, high-paying job, beautiful wife, healthy body, great friends and family… and yet I felt completely lost. Read more>>
