The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across California’s Central Coast.
Lawrence Butler III
My dad is a General Contractor and after crashing a jet ski at 14 I needed to make money to pay for the $400 repairs so I began working with my dad and worked the rest of that summer with him. I worked part time each summer for the rest of H.S. with my dad. Read more>>
Nikki Gianni
I was born & raised in Queens, New York. Thanks to Uncle Sam, I’ve lived in 10 states, currently living in Riverpark, in Oxnard as an empty nester with my 2 mini-Aussies, Tony and Carmela (yes, they are named after The Sopranos LOL). My 22-year-old son, Lex, lives in N. Hollywood and goes to nursing school. Read more>>
Carla Ames
My husband and I got married in 1979. I had two children. I was a bookkeeper and my husband worked in construction. I was looking for childcare for my two children. I found it to be very difficult to find a quality person that I trusted to take care of my kids. Read more>>
Mario Valencia
Buena Vista Painting my business was established in 2024 after more than two decades of experience in the painting industry. Before starting the company, I worked as a painter, foreman, estimator, and project manager on a wide variety of residential and commercial projects. The start of the business was a hard but thankfully company is starting to grow. Read more>>
Calissa Kloepfer
Photography came into my life when I was just a little girl! I remember doing the cutest, silliest, photoshoots with my best friends where we would dress up and go explore and take photos of each other when I was probably about 10! When I was 14 I bought myself an analog 35mm camera off eBay and started from scratch! Read more>>
Geoff MALLOWAY
I have always been interested in the outdoors. I graduated from Cal Poly, SLO, with a degree in Natural Resources Management. At that time, I had no intention of going into retail but you know how life sometimes has other plans for you. Fast forward to April of 1996, I opened Central Coast Fly Fishing in Carmel Valley. Read more>>
Lizzy Bhaskar
NEENDI started because I couldn’t find the kind of sleepwear I wanted to wear myself. I’ve always loved matching pajama sets and see getting ready for bed as a small act of self-care, but most of the options I found felt overly neutral, serious, or uninspired. I wanted sleepwear that felt playful, colorful, and expressive. Read more>>
Laura Mullen
My mother & father were the hardest working people you’d ever meet, but also instilled in me their generosity. Tragically, I lost my father far too soon. Such a loss drew my mother and I even closer. Read more>>
David Snyder
In 1989, at the age of 32, I graduated from CET (the Center for Employment Training) in Santa Maria with a Business Office Administration certificate. I immediately went to work for Acquistapace Insurance Service. I was in charge of building an automated program for writing insurance schedules. Read more>>
Trey Kerr
I started at 18 my first company attempt was Tri Valley Gutter Cleaning Service. i took a short break of about 2 years and then revamped under the name Bay Area Outdoor Cleaning Service Read more>>
Victoria Limadibrata
Victoria is an internationally experienced Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis master trainer whose work is rooted in lived transformation, longevity, and human connection. Drawn to the Gyrotonic Method through her own personal healing and improvements in overall health, Victoria embodies the practice she teaches-maintaining daily movement to keep her joints healthy, supple, and resilient. Read more>>
Amorita Sjogren
I was born in Wichita, Kansas, and lived there until I was 10 years old. Growing up, my family moved often—from Kansas to Mexico, and eventually all around the Bay Area in California. I graduated from Gilroy High School and moved to Santa Cruz at 18, where I began managing a McDonald’s restaurant. Read more>>
Donna Melger
If you had told me 20 years ago that I’d be running a web design studio, I would have never believed you. My career started in supply chain and procurement, not design. I spent nearly two decades working for technology companies like Nokia, TiVo, and Sanmina, helping launch products, manage suppliers, and solve complex business challenges. Read more>>
Julianne Scoles
Hi, I’m Julianne, owner of Morgan Hill Pilates. Movement has always been part of my life. I grew up in Southern California, the fourth of five children, and started dancing as soon as I could walk. I continued dancing through college, performing for the NBA Clippers and later on a Holland America cruise ship. Read more>>
Tee & Rebecca Lambert
Tee and Rebecca Photography began as a shared dream long before we ever imagined it would become our career. We started photographing together in 2013, drawn to the idea of preserving meaningful moments and telling stories through images. What began as a creative outlet quickly grew into something much bigger as friends started referring friends, weddings turned into families, and one opportunity led to another. Read more>>
