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.

Camila Ladicani

When the pandemic hit, I lost my job, and it pushed me to find something I could build, grow, and truly call my own. That moment became the real beginning of Ladicani: a women-owned leather bag and accessories brand. I create handcrafted pieces that are both beautiful and genuinely useful. Read more>>

Jayln Bethune

I grew up in a house full of boys—me, my pops, my two older brothers, and my other brothers who would come around from time to time. But even though I grew up around them, I was always a little different. I rarely hung out with them when they did things; I usually found my own way to express myself. Read more>>

AVIIHNDRX

I started A&J Allstar Awnings with a vision of building a successful business through hard work and dedication. Over the past four years, I’ve grown my company by providing residential and commercial awning services throughout South Florida. Alongside entrepreneurship, I’m also passionate about music and pursuing my journey as an independent recording artist. Both have taught me creativity, discipline, and perseverance. Read more>>

Susan Alfaro

I’m Susan Alfaro, owner of Your Dog’s Daycare, a home-style boarding business in the Kendall area. I spent 13 years working for a Catholic school. Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer during COVID, and after many surgeries and a lot of treatment, I realized that, already in my 50s, I needed to do something different with my life. Read more>>

Ken ‘Aka MrGentleman’ Pyle

Hello everyone! My name is Ken Aka MrGentleman. I am the host of the MrGentleman Lifestyle Podcast and one-fourth of the hosting team for The Premiere Boyz Podcast. I am also an entrepreneur, actor, former music artist, and former New York City club promoter. Read more>>

Anthony Ramirez

I started Exquisite Bites Catering because I wanted to create something of my own that combined my passion for food with the personal side of hospitality. From the beginning, my goal was never simply to provide food for an event. I wanted to create menus around each client, pay attention to the details, and give people an experience they could truly enjoy alongside their guests. Read more>>

Mariajose Gamarra

Our story really began as a family dream. My husband, Javier, and I never originally set out with this big plan of owning and operating a farm. Our journey with horses began in 2021, and little by little, what started as something we enjoyed as a family grew into something much bigger. Read more>>

Angelica Lazo

My story didn’t begin with entrepreneurship. It began with survival, responsibility, and a belief that there had to be more to life than simply getting through it. I grew up in Miami, watching my parents work incredibly hard to create opportunities for our family. My father believed in providing through sacrifice, and my mother demonstrated entrepreneurship in her own way. Read more>>

Ashly Alvarez

I’m a Miami native with Cuban roots, and my story starts behind the chair. I went to beauty school in 2007 and spent the next 17 years in hair and entertainment production, working on television sets, award shows, and with music artists. That world taught me how to read people. Read more>>

Nia Doyley

My Miami story predates me, it was a result of my grandmother and grandfather’s aversion to the cold. After moving from Jamaica to England to Connecticut, they finally settled in Miami, finding home in the climate. After growing up in Miami, my father moved to Atlanta to play basketball at Morehouse, met my mom at Spelman, and I grew up in Atlanta. Read more>>

Cristina Bichara

I think I’ve always been drawn to photography, even before I realized it was something I wanted to pursue. I was always the friend with the camera, especially back when we were all bringing little digital cameras to clubs and taking way too many photos. I’m also the unofficial keeper of photos in my family. Read more>>

Stephanie Freeman

My story has really been a journey of growth, family, creativity, and learning to bet on myself. I’ve always been someone who loved creating, whether it was through food, content, or simply bringing people together. As a wife and mom, my priorities have evolved over the years, but I never lost that entrepreneurial spirit. Read more>>

Angela Dean

My favorite childhood memories are our old-fashioned family gatherings. My grandmother gave birth to 17 children, so as you can imagine, our family was huge! Mother’s Day weekend was especially meaningful because it was mandatory for everyone to come together. We would fellowship at church and then gather for a big family dinner afterward. And if you lived locally, Sundays meant visiting Grandma. Read more>>

Felicia Lynne Alnor

I grew up in South Miami and was always involved in Chorus and Drama productions all through my schooling, from elementary to High School. I was blessed enough to receive scholarships which helped me through MDCC, my community college and helped me achieve more experience. Read more>>

Matthew Kurtyka

My name is Matthew Kurtyka, also known as The Sacred Creative. I’m a tattoo and visionary artist based out of St Pete, FL originally from Harrisburg, PA. I’ve been into art my entire life, ever since I was a child, I would draw all of the time. Even in school, I would fill all of my notebooks with drawings. Read more>>

sierra tay

I’ve always been a performer at heart. When I was younger if I wasn’t in the studio taking ballet or tap, I was forcing my mom to watch solos I made up in my room. Dance was my first love, but music was always right beside it. Read more>>

Jena Rakhman- Brusilovsky

I was never the kid who loved school. It just wasn’t my thing, and for a long time I had a hard time figuring out what I loved and how I could turn that into an actual career. Read more>>

Cass

I’ve always been drawn to the ‘why’ behind how people live, eat, and take care of themselves. That curiosity led me to study Psychology and Marketing, and later to complete a Master’s in Digital Management. Professionally, I built my career in consulting as a business analyst working on web experience, content, and workshop creation and facilitation. Read more>>

Gina Salvatore

Fiber art has been in my life from birth. My maternal grandmother and great grandmother were seamstresses and worked out of the home. My paternal grandmother donated her crocheted items. Watching them at their craft impressed on me the importance of acquiring those skills, which I honed attending High School at DASH in the design district. Read more>>

DJ Buddy Fleisher

I think I got started before I even understood what I was doing. As a kid, I had a natural knack for speaking to a group, holding their attention, When my family had guests over, our living room became my first stage. I loved listening to the radio, hearing the DJs, and I’d make announcements and play music for whoever was over. Read more>>

Camilla Vergani

My passion for florals is rooted in a fascination and kinship with the botanical world. I always notice and feel connected to a new place through its plants, and find a sense of comfort and familiarity in them. I always knew I had a calling in the creative world, but I never imagined it would be floral design. Read more>>

Tiffany Woolley

My journey into design started long before I ever had a formal design business. I’ve always had a passion for beautiful spaces and, more importantly, for how a space can make you feel. I was fascinated by the idea that design could completely transform not only a room, but the way people live in it. Read more>>

Renata Castro

Based in Coral Springs, Florida, USA4ALL was created to break away from the traditional detachment of legal practices. The rebranding adopted in 2023 consolidated the brand’s core essence: providing everyone with a clear, transparent, and secure path to building a lawful life in the United States. Read more>>

Ivanna Ortiz

Feel PR began as a simple page where I shared words of encouragement and tips that supported my own healing. After losing my sister to suicide and experiencing depression while in an emotionally abusive relationship, I wanted others to know that it is possible to move forward, even while living with depression. My experience included being hospitalized for depression. Read more>>

Liza Gralnik

I came to the United States from Perm, Russia, with a one-year plan: learn English and go home. I had no money here, no clients and no network, and a heavy accent. I never went home. My first path was science, not flowers. I started pre-med and then left medicine, because I wanted to prevent illness rather than treat it, and moved into biology. Read more>>

Andrew Sokolow

I’m a CPA by training. I did my Master’s in Accounting at University of Florida, started my career at Deloitte in Miami, and then spent the next nine years building e-commerce businesses and doing photography, videography, brand and marketing work in food and beverage in New York City. A big jump, but I pursued my passion. Read more>>

Ghali Lazrak

I moved to Miami right after graduating from George Mason University in Virginia. I didn’t have a job lined up, and as a non-U.S. citizen, breaking into finance proved difficult. I couldn’t comfortably afford the rent on my one-bedroom apartment in Downtown, so I listed it on Airbnb and stayed with friends and family whenever it was booked. Read more>>

Cameron Smith

My story definitely wasn’t a straight line, and I think that’s a big part of how I became the journalist and editor I am today. I grew up in South Dade, and some of my earliest experiences with journalism came while I was still a student at Miami Southridge Senior High School. Read more>>

Nate Walker

Nate Walker (pka Chrohm) Born and raised in South Florida, I was privy to growing up within a multicultural lifestyle, with people from all over the world. My name is Nate Walker, but everyone knows me as Chrohm. I come from an African American and Cuban background myself. My Mother was a single Mom, so we lived a very modest life at the time. Read more>>

D.C. Cannon

My name is Darriel Cannon, also known as Coach DC. I began coaching football at the age of 14 with the Kendall Broncos, where I spent more than 20 years coaching, mentoring, and developing young athletes. After many years with the Broncos, my family encouraged me to make a change. Read more>>

Joy Nash

My story is really about transformation—both my own and the transformations I’ve been fortunate enough to help others experience. Health, fitness and movement have been part of my life for more than 35 years. I began my career in fitness and later expanded into massage therapy, building more than 26 years of professional experience working hands-on with the body. Read more>>

Rosi Baradat

I was born in Caracas and grew up on Margarita Island, Venezuela. My background brought together law, communication, and voice performance, and each became part of the professional path I would continue building in the United States. A turning point came in 2018, when my husband and I made the courageous decision to stay in the United States with our four children. Read more>>

Fashxon

I began writing poetry at eight years old, using my words as a way to express my creativity and connect with others. Growing up in Freeport, New York, I was surrounded by the energy of Hip Hop, fashion, and diverse cultures, which deeply influenced my artistry. Read more>>

Gabriela Tachinamo

My name is Gabriela Tachinamo, and I’m the founder of Gaby T Makeup. My journey in the beauty industry began over 12 years ago in Venezuela, where I discovered that makeup was much more than beauty—it was a powerful tool to help women feel confident, beautiful, and empowered. When I moved to the United States, I had to rebuild my career from scratch. Read more>>

Yasin Hernandez

Born and raised in the heart of New York City, Yah Sin represents the authentic voice of hip- hop’s next generation. With roots deeply embedded in the culture and a direct connection to the legendary Wu-Tang dynasty, he embodies the rare balance of heritage and innovation that defines truly impactful artistry. Read more>>

Erin and Jesus Rosado

His & Her Studio is really an extension of our story together. We met in 2000 as two young graphic design students at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, never imagining that more than 20 years later we’d be married, raising two kids, and running a creative business together. Read more>>

PAULA TORRES

I’m originally from Latvia, and today I’m a mother of three living in Miami, a Christian, and a partner in the family projects my husband and I are building through Tigon Tactical and TigonMiami. I speak Latvian, Russian, English and Spanish, and my life brings together cultures that once seemed worlds apart. Read more>>

Ashley Santiago

I was raised in a Baptist church in Indianapolis, Indiana. That’s where my love for music and theatrics started. My momma was in the choir, she has a beautiful voice. She would also direct the children’s plays, and taught Sunday school as well. So watching her, inspired me. I was in the choir with her and had my own small solo at 6 years old. Read more>>

DJ Byna

My journey as started in the early 2010s. At the time, I noticed that men were heavily represented in the DJing and music production scene, and that inspired me to step into that space and start building something of my own. I downloaded Virtual DJ, started experimenting with mixes, and eventually developed an interest in producing my own music. Read more>>

Alba Restrepo

Mars Custom Designs started in 2020 as a hobby. At the time, I was looking for a way to generate some income while still being able to stay home and take care of my first child. My first creative projects in the U.S. were actually for my sister’s and my sister-in-law’s birthdays. Read more>>

Emmanuel Almanzar

I’ve always loved listening to & singing along to music. From Fulanito cassettes we had when I was a kid to songs I would hear in movies & on Radio Disney, but something clicked with hip hop. It started with just cool popular songs that peers & family members put me on to. Read more>>

Tricia Campbell -Lewis

My journey into event planning began with something very personal—my genuine love for creating beautiful and memorable experiences for the people around me\. For years, I was the person my family and friends turned to whenever there was a celebration\. I was always designing, decorating, organizing, finding unique details, and figuring out how to bring an idea to life\. Read more>>