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.

Ashley-nicole

In high school, I expanded my interests further by joining the TV production program. I not only hosted a show, but also worked behind the scenes, learning valuable skills like editing, camera operation, and man-on-the-street interviews. As an athlete, I played basketball for the school team, helping lead them to a 13-1 record in my freshman year. By senior year, I was proud to be named team captain. During the off-season, I also excelled in badminton, finishing as one of the top two female singles players. These experiences helped shape me into a well-rounded individual and prepared me for my future career in entertainment. Read More>>

Pietro Razzano

With a passion for food that transcends borders, he takes pride in creating unforgettable, flavorful experiences using only the finest organic, kosher (per request) ingredients that are sourced locally and imported from the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Read More>>

Kaitlin Martin

I came to Miami for the first time in 2013 to work and participate as an exhibitor for Fridge Art Fair, which was held at PAX Miami on Calle Ocho in Little Havana. I curated a booth for gallery onetwentyeight and showed my first site specific mixed media installation; Bather in Miami, 2013, shower curtain, acrylic, safety pins, bamboo fence, chainlink fence, sunset. It was my first time ever in Miami and was inspired by the sun, the heat, and the subtropical landscape. I found myself coming back every year for art week in December and eventually moved here. Read More>>

Priscilla Vela

Being an entrepreneur has always been part of who I am. From an early age, I sold anything I could. I wrote poems for friends and charged them, took photos, built resumes, and created business cards and invitations. Anything that allowed me to express my creativity while earning money was my passion. Read More>>

Janeen Lane

In February of 2024 I went to Cali, Colombia for Advanced Post Op Care and Wood Therapy training. While over there I met someone who had a Cosmetic Recovery House here in Miami and asked if I wanted to be partners!!! For the past two years I’ve been visiting Miami monthly just to get away and get to the beach. Wanting to live here so bad but not knowing that I was manifesting it the whole time. In April I moved here into the Recovery House to help assist. I like doing the recovery house but I love doing my body scultping!!! Read More>>

Beatriz Ruales

The year 2008 came, it brought recession, sadly a lot of people lost their houses, their jobs…. So I saw a lot of properties under $40,000 and I thought that it is the time to buy a property, renovate it, and sell it. I asked one of my friends (Real Estate agent) to be my partner and we started to buy apartments and flip them. We used to buy in an Auctions, very cheap ones, we took the risk that we couldn’t make a prevoius inspection. That was the beginning of my love in the Real Estate Business!!! Read More>>

Chris Baker

We knew early on that many nonprofits operate with limited budgets, but what we hadn’t anticipated were the challenges nonprofits face with video marketing itself. Video marketing is still relatively new for many nonprofits, and we’re committed to helping them navigate it. We aim to address this gap by offering workshops and classes to educate nonprofits on video’s power to reach donors and volunteers. During COVID-19, video consumption soared, and for-profit businesses could invest more in video marketing, but most nonprofits couldn’t. Now, our mission is to help them gain visibility and deliver their message more effectively within their communities. Read More>>

Hector Dominguez

Professional Detailing Service started as a mobile detailing service, where Hector traveled to customers’ homes or workplaces to provide top-notch detailing services. With his focus on delivering exceptional services, Hector quickly gained a reputation as one of the best auto detailing businesses in town. Customers appreciated his attention to detail and commitment to customer satisfaction, leading to repeat business and referrals. Read More>>

Nakishia R. Freeman

Our signature program that we started in 2020, is called Purposely Fitted Teen Bra Program and this program is designed to help underserved & underprivileged Teen girls learn the importance of wearing a correctly fitted bra, the importance of proper posture, breast health, gaining greater confidence, increased self- esteem, confidence and emotional & mental health while wearing their bra. Read More>>

Kerlyne Dorceus

No, it has not been a smooth road. There have been bumps, potholes, and even speed bumps. However, no matter what obstacles we overcome we face them. The struggle that we faced was the cost of inventory. Having to pay out of pocket for supplies and inventory became hard. It cost us a small break. Yet even with troubles, we bounced back harder. Read More>>

Sara/ Gianfranco Salvatierra/ Gianforcaro

Lastly, balancing a full-time job, full-time studies, and being full-time foodies has been an ongoing challenge. Maintaining a social media presence while managing full-time jobs and school can be overwhelming at times, but it’s something we’ve learned to navigate together. What we’ve realized is that with a little creativity and teamwork, we can make time for what we love while handling our responsibilities. These restaurant trips have become our way to disconnect from work and school and focus on ourselves. Read More>>

Lorin Gordon

I was born and raised in South Florida. After attending college in Tampa, I made a bold decision to book a one-way flight to New York to fulfill my dream of living in NYC. Anyone who knows me can attest, that I am very outgoing and energetic. When I was younger, I volunteered in a nursing home and always wanted to start a non-profit for kids, giving to other kids. I always try to stay in a positive mind frame, which has led me to be a risk taker. Thankfully, taking a leap of faith pays off, as I always land on my feet. When I arrived in NYC, I was unemployed. Read More>>

Alexis “arockss” Mcmullen

My journey began 31 years ago. I’ve always felt different, like I didn’t quite fit in with my surroundings. I was gifted, but no one in my family truly understood me. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t just “different,” but I wasn’t from here. From a young age, I sought answers about who I really was and why I felt the way I did. It wasn’t until my 20s that I began to realize my uniqueness held the key to those questions I’d been searching for all along. Read More>>

Fernando Oberlin

Our story began with my parents, who founded Oberlin Catering back in 1988. They ran it together until 2001, and after they went their separate ways, I found myself drawn to the hospitality world, working in various restaurants as both a server and in the kitchen. After finishing high school in Miami, I headed to Mexico, planning to study international relations at university. But somewhere along the way, I was pulled back to what I had known and loved growing up—cooking. I ended up pursuing my culinary passion, graduated in 2010, and returned to Miami. Read More>>

Jordan Artman

After seeing lots of success with D2C through social media and various marketing channels, we expanded to wholesale to partner with tons of yoga and Pilates studios throughout the US and Canada. Inspiring others on their wellness journeys while bringing out their confidence through clothes that make them feel motivated to show up as their best selves has been such an incredible journey so far, and I’m so excited to see what the future holds. Read More>>

David Garcia Gonzalez

In London, I gained experience with companies like Technicolor and VisionText, managing translation and audiovisual projects. These roles were eye-opening—localisation wasn’t just about translating words; it was about making content resonate on a cultural level. The idea that language could bridge cultures and create connection captivated me, leading me to take a leap of faith in 2008 by starting my own company, GoLocalise. My goal was clear: help brands ‘go global’ while staying true to the local voice. Read More>>

Laura Gomez

I began dancing at the age of 8, and it quickly became a central part of my life, even though I eventually stopped formal classes. As I got older, my interests evolved—by middle school, I discovered a love for drawing, often stealing printer paper from my mom to sketch Disney characters. Over time, I shifted to recreating fan art from the online world, and this new talent blossomed as I entered high school. It was there that I realized art could be more than just a hobby; it could be a career. Read More>>

Jennifer Lopez

Definitely not! Before I went into just styling, I was working at a full service salon where I eventually got let go from right before I was headed to travel Europe for a few weeks. I had never been let go from a job before & was freaking out! But hey, that’s what led me to the blow dry bar where I went fully into just styling & it all worked out! Read More>>

Tanu Ojha Singh

As the years went by, I felt consumed by unhappiness, negative thoughts, and intense self-doubt. I had become my own worst critic, and my inner world turned toxic. Suicidal thoughts crept in, as I questioned why I was doing work that no longer brought me joy. The toxic environment in the corporate sector had drained me entirely. That’s when I decided to leave. I moved to Mumbai in 2017 to pursue a new path as a script and dialogue writer. Read More>>

Remson Omotayo

At the time, that was a lie, I hadn’t actually done it yet only talked about wanting to do it for a few months. After that that NYC trip I came back to Miami, with my birthday approaching in a couple of weeks and decided I would use my birthday as a soft launch for this thing I wanted to create. I reached out to my friends Dorien and Akada, and two weeks later in a small gallery/cigar shop in Little Havana we launched the first Soireé, “A Libra’s Soireé.” A few months after, we welcomed our 4th member Lexx! Read More>>

Lena Palmier

As the founder of her wellness company, One Beautiful Life, Lena Palmier combines her expertise as a health and wellness coach and licensed skin therapist to guide others toward a life of balance and vitality. Through One Beautiful Life, she offers personalized wellness coaching designed to empower individuals to embrace their best selves. With her deep understanding of skincare, nutrition, and holistic health, Lena tailors her guidance to support clients in building routines that foster beauty, strength, and resilience. Her approach inspires a mindset that prioritizes wellness in all its forms, helping clients create lives that are radiant, fulfilling, and grounded in lasting well-being. Read More>>

Maria Victoria Sanchez

I am an attorney with over 20 years of experience in corporate, venture capital, financing, and M&A across Latin America. I have extensive corporate expertise, having worked at Allende & Brea (Argentina), Patagon.com, MasterCard, JP Morgan, and earned an LLM from Harvard Law. I am admitted to practice in New York, Florida, and Argentina. Additionally, I lead a consultancy firm that helps clients navigate the process of obtaining Spanish citizenship under the Law of Grandchildren. Read More>>

Supa Twitch

By 1991 I migrated to NYC and was blessed enough to join the biggest sound system in America Afrique SoundStation. This was my big break as I was touring the world with this legendary sound system. In 2001 I moved to Florida and started my solo career as SUPA TWITCH and made a name for myself in Miami and the surrounding areas. In 2005 I started my own sound system called SUPA SOUND. Read More>>

Courtney Rhem

While building my career, I felt an ever-growing need to give back to the community that inspired me. This led to founding Glammatically Correct, Inc, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering under-resourced youth. I wanted to go beyond makeup, teaching young people the skills of the beauty industry alongside the importance of inner confidence and resilience. Today, Glammatically Correct is a space where young individuals can cultivate their artistry, grow their self-worth, and envision a brighter future. Read More>>

Eve Greendale

Over the past 16 years, my photography journey has been a gradual evolution, beginning with children, families and babies. As my skills grew, I briefly expanded into weddings. Then I dabbled with products, branding, while keeping a consistent clientele base. With each new genre, I honed my skills. More recently I’ve gotten into shooting interiors for designers and builders, bringing a fresh perspective to space and design. Through these diverse genres, I’ve developed a portfolio that reflects my adaptability in the world of photography. Read More>>

Ana Cristina Rodriguez

This is my prospecting strategy today. At the end of the day, the people who know and like you are the ones who will work with you. I create content targeted to fellow millennials who want to stop sending money directly into their landlord’s bank account and want to start contributing towards their own equity or investments. I understand the power of working alongside knowledgeable mortgage brokers as millennials will often benefit from money lending to acquire their first home. Read More>>

Standley Tilerin

My journey into the world of taxation and finance is rooted in resilience, grit, and the desire to create meaningful change in people’s lives. I was born the youngest of six children to immigrant parents from Haiti, and my upbringing in Sunrise and Lauderhill, Florida, exposed me early on to the struggles that many families face. Growing up, I saw how the lack of financial education impacted not only individual households but also entire communities. It planted the first seeds of curiosity in me about money, taxes, and economic systems. Read More>>

Yezzenia Watler

Yezzenia Watler’s story is as vibrant as the culture she passionately represents. Born and raised in Nicaragua on November 10 to a Nicaraguan mother and English father, Yezzenia began her career at just 14 years old, stepping into the world of television as a host for the youth program Generación 2000. Over the next decade, she continued to lead popular shows like Acción Juvenil and Universitario, building a significant presence on Nicaraguan TV and radio. Read More>>

Isaac Francois

Then my brother Herve Mompoint who is a director and CEO of DayDream Visuals and another one of my boys/brother Andy invested in my first Dj board, from there I became so in love with Djing. They would throw their own parties and have me Dj their parties too and I would have everyone turnt ! It was a point in time I use to go to parties just to study the Djs like one Dj I use to watch a lot when I was younger was DJ Reese and I use to go everywhere to these parties with my boy/brother DJ Runit , and we both use to study at parties not worried about nothing but studying music and how to engage the crowd better. Read More>>

Jacob Kirstein

I launched Chapie on my 25th birthday in 2021 through presales, which funded the initial production. It was a challenging journey, with everything from manufacturing setbacks to scams, but each hurdle taught me something crucial. Today, Chapie focuses on developing the world’s best heat-resistant containers. We’ve expanded from one size for standard lip balm to five form factors for different needs and are working on a new proprietary insulation technology set to launch in 2025. Read More>>

Tony Torre

I am a child of the 80’s who grew up on the pop culture of the time, heavy metal, Mad Max & Red Dawn. I grew up during the cold war, the Mariel boat lift and the Mc Duffy riots. All of which were very influential on my burgeoning interest in martial arts and survival subjects. Both subjects I started taking much more seriously after the devastation I witnessed after hurricane Andrew. In the mid 90’s I managed a very popular nightclub. Read More>>

Stephany Gil

Imagine a future where yoga is integrated into every school curriculum from an early age. Children would learn these accessible tools for well-being alongside fundamental skills like walking and talking. In this world, we would see a generation grow up with healthy relationships, positive body image, and authentic self-expression. People would carry high self-esteem, confidence, and a deep sense of worthwhile fostering genuine care for themselves, others, and the planet. Read More>>

Megan Gribble

Owning a business is never easy. If someone tells you it is, they’re lying ;). Being a business owner means the clock never stops. As with anything, there are positives and negatives to being your own boss. You make the rules. You write the script. You also work non-stop. There is no 9-5. It is full of many nighttime negotiations, weekend open houses, working on vacation, and no clocking out. Read More>>

Eric Corbin

I really want to give some credit to my friends Kosta & Louie who own the clothing brand FELT as well, they’ve hired me left and right for jobs, put my name into rooms, encouraged me to take risks, and just generally showed me so much love, I wouldn’t be where I am without their help. I’m still very far from where I would like to be, but I’m taking small steps and becoming the artist I would ultimately like to be. I think becoming more of a film director is the next natural step. Once I’m finished up with some effects work I’m currently doing, I’m jumping right back into my short films, I have several that are almost ready to release. Read More>>

Jason Baker

I have two little sisters I adore I watched them as they grew up while I was in high school majority of time was spent at home & my final year of high school graduated first class ever online 2016. I’ve always been a hard worker since I was 17 my first job was at the Toledo landfill then I worked such jobs as ups, discount tire I was a security guard & even a fire marshal of a major car plant at one point so I’d like to say I’ve been through it all including finace family & friends, relationships it’s been a great journey I would to say to tell Read More>>

Jevon White

Latest endeavor is launching, Catapult International Film Festival in the City of Riviera Beach, FL. Jevon can be seen in commercials ranging from Florida Lottery doing comedy, Pollo Tropical cooking ribs, to Argos Cement while speaking with a Caribbean accent. Also on a host network shows such as Nickelodeon, Crackle, AppleTV, Netflix, HBO, Amazon, HULU, and BET+. Some of Jevon’s most notable roles are Capt. Jack Shrake (FBI Most Wanted), Kip (Kissof Death), James (Dying to be Famous), Nicholas Lovejoy (Bezos), Robber (Thunder Force), Gilles (StartUp), and plenty more. For updates @jevonwhite. Read More>>

Karina Catellani

My journey began in Argentina, where I grew up with a love for adventure, independence, travel, and yoga. In Buenos Aires, I pursued a career in PR and marketing, and after gaining experience there, I moved to Miami, where I supported talented Hispanic artists at Latin World Entertainment. In my role as Director of PR, I honed my skills in social media and branding, built valuable connections, and ultimately laid the groundwork for creating Treelance Yoga—a business that reflects my values. Read More>>

Martha Smith

In 2016, I came across and ad for modern art class at the Boca Museum Art School. A friend and I decided to take the class. She reminded me that we couldn’t even get past a stick figure. I told her that it was hard to go wrong with modern art. Well, I was wrong! So many things could and did go wrong — lack of composition, colors that turned to mud, lack of depth–the list goes on. Our first day, we showed up with our designer bags, and our teacher Eydi took one look and said, “Ladies turn around and put those purses away because they will get paint on them”. Eydi, wearing black jeans with paint all over them, a black French beret, was ready for work and the picture of a true artist. Read More>>

Sasha Gomez

The first year was the hardest, our sales weren’t really what we expected, I will say the price on obtaining the card and prescription was a little hard in the pocket. 2020 was our best year, things really started picking up and patients and the community were a little more open to the benefits and how this was helping people they new, so the word to mouth from our patients really helped us grow. Read More>>

Jean And Luz Roa

I started my career as a woodworker at the age of 16 in Venezuela, my birth country, working alongside my father and grandfather in our family company dedicated to handcrafted woodwork and upholstery. My entire childhood was spent in a carpentry shop, and growing up in this environment allowed me to acquire extensive knowledge, talent, and passion for both woodwork and upholstery. Read More>>

Angela Hernandez

As a nurse of 30 years, we were not trained to utilize alternative therapies. As I went on my own healing journey I wanted to expose my community of Black women to effective complimentary and alternative holistic healing therapies. This led me to create Zen RN Holistic Nursing. I provide a safe space for women to heal not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually. Read More>>

David Reyes

I’ve always had a passion for the arts. I started acting at the age of five, joining a small theater group where I performed for five years. But by the time I turned nine, my focus shifted primarily to music. As a child, I’d often play drums on buckets, fashioning drumsticks from tree branches, and spend hours singing along to my favorite tunes. Coming from a family of musicians, I was fortunate to have their full support in pursuing my musical interests. Read More>>

Erin Mcnamee

I think I developed codependent traits from a young age. My parents split up when I was 5 years old and after seeing my siblings get upset, I decided then that “someone needed to be the strong one.” So, I started to caretake – anyone who would let me. And I started to try to anticipate or fix other people’s problems. I think about that little girl often and how young and naive I was, but how very grown up I was trying to be. Read More>>

Nick Lewert

I started my first group and in the meantime left college and started touring with Ethan Bortnick (Columbia Records) at the end of 2017. It was my first touring experience and really some of my first ever shows that I would qualify as “professional”. In 2018, I began performing with another established band from the South Florida scene called The Haunt. I performed and produced music as well as music videos with them from 2018 through 2023. The project had the opportunity to tour with acts such as Palaye Royale, The Struts, and The HU mainly in North America and some spanning to Europe and the UK. Read More>>

Milan Sljivich

In November 2023, Milan launched Escondido with a vision to close the coffee production cycle. By managing each step, from cultivation, importing, roasting, and packaging to direct sales, Escondido achieves total control over quality, ensuring every bean receives the utmost care. Escondido also sources coffees from more than 7 origins around the world, with more to come. Our roasting facility in Little River, Miami, has the capacity to roast more than 120,000 pounds per year, with room to scale as demand grows. Read More>>

Greg Clark

After surviving the 9/11 attacks (2 WTC, 62nd Floor), I relocated to Miami and restarted my photography practice. Initially, I focused on architecture, design, hospitality, and food photography, working with Ocean Drive Magazine, Florida Design Magazine, the original Webster, and Mr. Chow. In 2012, I was honored with the AIA Miami Photographer of the Year award for my work with DEN Architecture. Read More>>

Abel Pirela

The most difficult thing for me was to leave my country, my family, my friends, all those places where I grew up, but today I carry them in my heart and I am the reflection of everything I experienced and if there is one thing I can say, it is that I am grateful for each one. of those moments because they gave me the strength that even though I am alone in this country I can fight to be an example for all those I have in my heart Read More>>