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.
Adam Sewell
I was raised in South Africa where we had two hours of PE after school five days a week. PE included soccer, rugby, cricket, field hockey, tennis, swimming, track and field and cross country running. That type of upbringing creates a natural athlete. Balance, proprioception, and biomechanics all come naturally to you after a childhood like that. Read more>>
Bob Swinnerton
I played golf for Fresno State University, the #3-ranked golf team in the country, my senior year. Followed my college career with a few years on the Canadian PGA Tour. After my years playing golf professionally, I began the Santa Cruz Golf Academy in 1994. Read more>>
Amber Barnard
Growing up I always had an interest in rocks and gems. Being from Oregon I would walk the Oregon Coast with my mom as a child collecting them and loving the different varieties and colors. I also loved the gift shops where I’m from in Southern Oregon. Read more>>
Chris Shake
In 1956, when Chris Shake was born into Monterey’s tight-knit Italian community, the rhythm of his life was already set by the tides of the bay. His parents, who had arrived in the early 1950s, instilled in him a work ethic as enduring as the Monterey wharf itself. Read more>>
Melissa Serriteno
My name is Melissa, and my journey has been one of perseverance, passion, and family. Together with my husband, Carlos Pacheco, we’ve dedicated ourselves to building Caruso’s Tuscan Cuisine in Capitola. What started as a dream became a family-run restaurant where we’ve spent years creating homemade Italian food and welcoming guests like they’re part of our family. Owning a small restaurant hasn’t always been easy. Read more>>
Sean Corpuel
Before there was Cool Cats, there was Yazoos. Created in the late 80’s, Yazoos paved the way for the first Cool Cat Cafe which would open in San Luis Obispo in 1992. It’s 1998, Game Boy hits the shelves and Nirvana is topping the charts. Read more>>
JUSTIN FRANK POLGAR
Sometimes the journey begins before we are aware it has, and only in hindsight do we see how everything has been meticulously organized for an ‘aha’ moment. Funny enough, often our resistance requires it to be so clear and so simple, that the genius is revealed in the obvious. Read more>>
Brandie Michelle
My passion for digestive health and natural healing began over 15 years ago through my own personal wellness journey. After decades of unhealthy habits, I made the life-changing decision to take control of my health through nutrition, fasting, and holistic healing. Read more>>
Melanie Ruiz
My career has taken a unique path, and every step has taught me something valuable. I originally moved to New York to attend school for beauty and special effects makeup. While I loved the creative side of the industry, I realized that living in New York wasn’t the right fit for me, so I returned to San Diego. Read more>>
Sarah Gault
I grew up with a Mother with back pain and developed my own as a teenager, one thing I saw that helped her and effectively helped me as well was body work. In 2009 I started my journey as a massage therapist and reiki practitioner. Read more>>
Hannah Raquel
Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’d say I’m actually currently taking some of the biggest steps in my journey so far as a singer-songwriter. In many ways, this path has always been who I am. Read more>>
Ariana Chavez
I am an airline pilot for Southwest Airlines. 7% of pilots are women worldwide and I am one of the 4% at my company. Even less that I am also a Hispanic single mother. I have no family in aviation. Read more>>
Tisha Aronsen
I started the way most therapists do: one office, one caseload, and my own cell number on the intake line. I got licensed as an LMFT in 2018 after grad school in Santa Barbara at Antioch University. What pulled me into the work in the first place was becoming sober in 2007 and attended a perinatal drug and alcohol program for 18 months. . Read more>>
Guadalupe De Dios
I have been in the beauty industry for as long as I can remember. I started doing my own makeup in 7th grade right before school and would do all of my friends makeup for fun and for school events. I started taking it seriously by 8th grade and would charge for the makeup service. Read more>>
Dr. Jonathan Hernandez
I founded RISE 2 IT PRODUCTIONS in 2016 with a simple goal: to inspire people to recognize their potential and believe that they can overcome life’s challenges. At the time, I was serving as an adjunct professor of communication, and I was fortunate to experience incredible success in the classroom throughout Central California. Read more>>
Sol Cutler
My design journey started in Mexico, fueled by a love for precision and color. After graduating, I jumped into the fast-paced advertising world of Mexico City, designing for global brands like Heinz, P&G, and Koleston. While that milestone was incredible, it helped me realize my true purpose was not there. I wanted to create something useful that became valuable. Read more>>
William Mark Sommer
From my earliest memories, I have been interested in creating, making, and discovering the world around me. My journey in art started through skateboarding and its unique creativity, movements, and style. Invisioning the world through the perspective of skateboarding rewired my brain to see places differently and to see what we could make use of in an inbankment, stairs or bench. Read more>>
Braeden Ayub
I’ve always been drawn to telling stories, whether through a camera lens, a video timeline, or a blank page. That curiosity started early with photography and filmmaking, and over time it grew into a career in video production and post-production. Read more>>
Jaime Schultz
I first experienced chiropractic care in college. I had hurt my back playing high school sports and never really thought much of it—until I reached a point where I couldn’t sit still in class and was even having difficulty breathing. My boyfriend at the time (who is now my husband) suggested I see a chiropractor. Read more>>
Nate Ross
My story truly begins with my Great Grandfather – he was an artist. He animated for several years for both Disney and then later Hanna-Barbera working on some classics like Peter Pan and the Flintsones. After his animation years he evolved into an oil painter. Read more>>
Laurie Kersey
Laurie Kersey’s life as an artist began as a child in rural Ohio. She grew up in an artistic household and always loved to draw and paint. Her mother enjoyed painting in oils when Laurie was young and then later switched to watercolors. Read more>>
Paul Hauser
Knox began the way the best schools do, with a founder’s love and dedication to embodying the change she wanted to see in the world. In 2012, Dr. Angela Tanner founded The Knox School of Santa Barbara for curious, bright children who learn best when someone truly sees them. Read more>>
Michael & Daniel MacDonald
Daniel and Michael’s story began in 2020, when a Hinge match brought them together while their paths briefly crossed. At the time, Michael was working as a sleep technologist and Daniel was a chef. About a year later, Daniel was gifted a trip to Hawaii through his work and brought Michael with him—a trip that would change both of their lives. Read more>>
Janine Haynes
Hello, my name is Janine and I am a haunted history tour guide here in San Diego. I have always loved history and paranormal investigation. It was only fitting I would become a haunted history tour guide. I work at Haunted San Diego Tours which is a tour company that presents their tours in a theatrical way. Full costumes and all. Read more>>
Melissa Mimms
My creative background began in photography, starting as a photojournalist then moving into fashion photography and working for clients such as Nordstrom and Brooks Brothers as well as ad agencies. I did this for many years and my clients always reflected to me what a natural storyteller I am, my photos always have a narrative. Read more>>
Cody Silva
Growing up in the turbulent environment of 1990s Porterville, California, life was an uphill climb. Raised by a single mother who faced steep obstacles with resilience, the foundation for an extraordinary journey was quietly being laid. Despite the hardships, she nurtured a profound sense of self-expression, sharing her written poetry and encouraging a deep passion for music and video games. Read more>>
Melanie Daniels
If someone had asked me ten years ago what I’d be doing today, I don’t think I could have imagined any of it. Today I split my life between music, food, and creating experiences for people. Some days I’m performing with my band, Melanie Daniels & The Sous Chefs. Read more>>
Dora Cary
I arrived in the United States in 2001 but it was only in 2006 when I became aware of quilts, as quilting is not known in my native country of Romania. That chance encounter with quilting changed my life. In 2008 I made my first quilt and I was immediately hooked. There was no going back afterwards. Read more>>
Molly Mitchell-Hardt Field
I started my journey as many people in a healing profession do, in my own suffering. Much of who I am was forged in the dark cave of my inner sanctum. I have always been a deeply relational and sensitive person and yet was not met with the warmth and emotional nourishment I so craved. Read more>>
Karla Wade
From a young age, Karla exhibited a natural talent for artistic expression. Her early days in preschool, where she discovered the joys of painting, marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for creativity. Over the years, Karla has explored various artistic mediums, creating a diverse array of artworks, including Native American-themed pieces, interior design, decor, jewelry, and floral arrangements. Read more>>
Lisa McGlothlin
Sure! I initially became interested in nutrition toward the end of high school, so I was pretty lucky to have somewhat of an idea of what I wanted to do early on, which I think is pretty rare. I literally decided to become a dietitian during my college tour when a dietitian spoke to our group. Read more>>
Sydney Pfaff
I started my business in 2013 in San Francisco. It was called Legion then, and we had clothing, home goods and hosted friend’s art shows here and there. It’s now called And Friends and is located in Santa Cruz. The business has gone through many iterations along the way—from clothing to perfume to home design—but it has remained a shop-gallery hybrid throughout all the years. Read more>>
Mike and Gina kindscher
In 1988 my husband and I purchased a old abandoned turkey ranch. I was pregnant at the time. I did not really want to be hiking all over the hills of Aptos but there we were envisioning our dream horse Ranch. I grew up on a horse ranch, but I certainly I never thought I would be thinking about building one as an adult. Read more>>
Anabel Dollente
It wasn’t until I fully started to Love myself that I completely changed the direction my life was in and gave myself permission to follow my dreams. I grew up with many obstacles in my life. Read more>>
Soojin (Paxy) Park
I was born and raised in South Korea, and I’ve been studying and creating music since I was 15 years old. Music has always been a huge part of my life — I studied vocals and spent years developing myself as an artist and songwriter. About five years ago, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue more opportunities in music. Read more>>
Emil Luxemburg
Emil Luxembourg is a violinist, violist, conductor, music educator, arranger, and music producer. I was born in Moldova into a musical family: my father, Arkady Luxemburg, is a well-known composer and pianist; my sister is a pianist; only my mother was not a musician—she worked in the field of economics. Read more>>
