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 Central Coast.
YE Yuan
I’ve always been drawn to different kinds of creative work. I spent about ten years in advertising, then moved into the music industry, where I worked on music festivals, record projects, and installation art. Around 2020, I started working as a creative director for a light festival company in New York. Read more>>
Chloe Vaught
Before I created content with my social media reviews account, I was just a stay at home mom looking for a new hobby to fill my downtime with! I had always been curious about how people got into doing reviews for companies that gift them the product to try, so I finally took the plunge and did some research. Read more>>
Mary Scott
Mary Scott — Founder of PamperPet–Pet Concierge Mary Scott took an unexpected path to becoming one of Santa Barbara’s trusted names in personalized pet care. After years working as a paralegal, Mary realized that a career behind a desk wasn’t aligned with her true values—or her lifelong love of animals. Read more>>
Siamak Barghi
Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here and to have the opportunity to share a little bit about my journey and my music. Honestly, the reason I traveled almost halfway around the world from Iran to be here is that I came to pursue a PhD in Music Composition. Read more>>
Lynda Chaikin
My practice was born out of the first ThetaHealing session I received 20 years ago when I was 49 years old. I had struggled since I was a child with severe, and at times suicidal, clinical depression, debilitating anxiety, and eventually two diagnosed bipolar disorders. Fourteen years of psychiatry had ultimately not helped, and neither had years of therapy, even though I’d had excellent providers. Read more>>
Selena Castillo
I’m Selena and I’m a micro influencer on TikTok. My handle is @staygoldselena. I started my account during the pandemic and started gaining a following once I began posting anime related content. I was introduced to anime through TikTok and began making videos pertaining to my favorite anime’s. I had a couple viral videos that helped build my following to over 45k. Read more>>
Charlotte Balzer-Gott
I didn’t set out to become a coach, but when I look back, there’s a pretty clear thread through my life. I’ve always worked with people. Long before I became a nurse, I worked in customer service and in roles where, in one way or another, I was helping people navigate problems, difficult situations, or simply figure out what came next. Read more>>
Jillian Cheel
I moved to Provo in 2015 at 18 to go to MATC in Spanish fork. I was really excited about doing hair but also wanted to find a husband because that’s just how it was 10 years ago in Provo. I was able to assist some amazing stylists outside of school and really found a creative flow with doing color and extensions. Read more>>
Jasmine Bisbee
Around the age of 18, the world I had known—and, in many ways, my identity—changed. After four years in a long-term relationship that ultimately wasn’t good for my well-being, I found myself having to figure out who I was outside of something that had been such a significant part of my life. Read more>>
Alfonso Elola
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, and I think that eventually became the most natural way for me to understand and communicate ideas. Over time, that passion turned into a career, although I never really stopped seeing myself simply as someone who enjoys creating images. Read more>>
Zahra Batool
My story began in Pakistan, where art was part of my life long before fashion became my career. As a child, I could spend hours with crayons, paints, and paper, completely absorbed in creating. Read more>>
Diana Sinitsa
I’ve always found photography to be fasicnating and I knew if I had the chance to try it I would love it. After years of having this desire in the back of my mind, my husband encouraged me to take the leap and purchase my first camera. Ever since I picked it up my life has been a whirlwind. Read more>>
Julia Dyer
I have been blessed to have been raised on the land of the Sierra Nevada foothills and the people of the Nisenan Tribe, along the Yuba River, within a community that is warm, caring, and also chaotic and unconventional at times. Read more>>
Karyn Blaney
Karyn Blaney is a California artist, educator, and the founder of ArtSocial 805, a vibrant art studio located in Paso Robles. Her creative journey began with a lifelong love of art and connection, eventually leading her to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Kent State University. Read more>>
KJ The Rooted Yogi
My journey as an entrepreneur started in 2004 when I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter. I thought I would be a stay at home mama, yet my soul knew there was another path for me. For 16 years I consistently built my business in the skin care and cosmetics industry. Read more>>
Britt Talbert
My connection to A Taste of Monterey goes back more than two decades. In 2002, while attending the Naval Postgraduate School, I discovered this special place on Cannery Row and eventually worked behind the tasting bar. It’s also where I met my wife, Belynda. Read more>>
Lisa Uchiyama
My husband Giovanni and I found 445 Green Gate during Covid when we were looking for a place for our beloved horse, Casan. We had a place at Varian Ranch and wanted a place to board him with lots of grass and space. Read more>>
Sherri Harrington
Photography has always been a part of me, long before I ever imagined it becoming my career. I fell in love with film photography first and took film photography classes before pursuing nursing. Read more>>
Christie Herting
My journey into business ownership started with my best friend, Erica. We were always looking for a business opportunity we could build together. Before SCM Clothing, we even tried launching a THC-infused BBQ sauce company. It was a fun venture, but it never really took off. In November 2021, Erica learned that SCM Clothing was for sale. Read more>>
Jenn Greer
My background is actually in engineering, not health. For over 20 years I worked in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, managing change and solving problems for a living, all while trying to raise a family. Like a lot of high achievers, I kept putting my own health at the bottom of the list — I figured I’d deal with it later. Read more>>
Destiny Bowers
I started my business in 2021. Growing up, I always knew entrepreneurship was something I wanted to pursue. As a little girl, I was always into fashion, beauty, and different creative things—I just didn’t know exactly what path I wanted to take. Read more>>
Saumya Rai
My story has never really followed a straight line, and I think that is one of my favorite things about it. I started my professional life as an engineer in India, following a path that felt practical and expected. But somewhere along the way, I realized that I was much more drawn to creativity, travel, people, and storytelling. Read more>>
HUGO QUINTERO
When I was growing up, it was hard to afford new clothes every school year. My mom was a single parent since my dad was in prison for a majority of my childhood. Keeping up with what was in style and stuff was hard and so I would often get made fun of for how I dressed. Read more>>
Kelsey Melissa
I’ve always been drawn to the creative side of beauty, but hair became the place where creativity and connection really came together for me. I’ve been behind the chair for over a decade, and pretty early on I found myself especially drawn to blonding and dimensional color. Read more>>
Meg Brown
I was fortunate enough to find my calling at the age of twelve when my friend and I box dyed my hair ‘606 Auburn’ from Nice n’ Easy. I went from a natural dark brunette to a vibrant redhead. Read more>>
Rachel Corvese
The Vision Sanctuary started as a group art studio in 2022 and has blossomed into a community gallery, classroom, art studio space, and gift shop. I (Rachel) spearheaded the space after returning from studying at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art. I knew that Santa Cruz has incredible artists that could keep a community space running, and here we are 4 years later! Read more>>
Leonard Han
For more than 45 years, my interdisciplinary practice has evolved through painting, Chinese Lion Dance, Taiji, and Qigong. Rooted in Taoist thought, my work explores balance, energy cultivation, presence, and human connection through visual art, movement, sound, and cultural performance. My long term goals are to deepen my painting practice while engaging community through collaborative experience. Read more>>
Paul Wilson
I come from an aquatic background. My father was a swim coach at UCSB. My two older sisters also swam and played competitive water polo in town like me. I got started teaching swim lessons the summer before my freshman year of high school in 2000-2001 when I was 13. Read more>>
Alex Ramirez
I began my professional career as an inexperienced personal trainer in March 2010 at a local gym called Superior Fitness Center. Through countless hours of sweat and dedicated work in the gym and of course with the help of my mentor Dustin, I was able to develop the skills needed to become a knowledgeable and reliable trainer. Read more>>
Casey Rogers
I recently came across an essay I wrote in high school about the importance of active service, and it struck me how enduring that idea has been in my life: a commitment to supporting the well-being and thriving of others, communities, and our planet. Professionally, I began as a teacher in Namibia, where I was a classroom teacher and started a nonprofit scholarship fund. Read more>>
Justin Martinez
I’ve been a musician since before I can remember. There are photos of me strumming a guitar and playing a drum set from the time I was three or four years old. I started studying music at eleven, when my parents finally let me have a guitar, but only if I joined the middle school band. Read more>>
Thomas Fuentez
My career in construction began at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where I studied Construction Management. After graduating, I gained hands-on experience managing a wide range of residential and commercial projects and developed a strong understanding of what it takes to bring a project from the initial plans through completion. Eventually, my wife, Kaitlyn, and I decided to start Fuentez Construction, Inc. Read more>>
Gary Berg
I grew up in a small town community with plenty of rolling hills and wide open spaces. Myself, and my friends, all acquired dirt bikes and began riding them in the local hills as we were too young to ride on the street. I had always loved to draw. Read more>>
Jessica Lynn
I began my esthetics career at age 32 when I enrolled in the esthetics program in Santa Barbara, California. After becoming a licensed Esthetician in 2017, I spent the first three years of my career working in the industry, gaining hands-on experience and building my skills. Read more>>
Kyra Neilly
As a child we had several animals, but the biggest impact came from our three big, sweet rescue dogs. I always wanted to help walk them, but they were bigger than me and I couldn’t hold them. When one of them unfortunately passed away, we got a corgi, Bella, who was a much better fit for a kid. Read more>>
Zoya Scholis
I’m a Monterey and Bay Area painter, with a BA in Studio Arts. After teaching for 15 years, I became a full-time artist. Among my many influences are Richard Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park series, Joan Savo’s figurative work, Matisse’s textiles, and the drawings of Picasso. Read more>>
Lindsey Bolton
I grew up in Northern California and felt a deep connection to the rhythms and wisdom of nature, something about the redwoods will do that to you. When I moved to the Central Coast for college, I found that same essence in a different form, in the natural beauty of this wild coastline. I fell in love with the land and the community here. Read more>>
Anumeha Gupta
For many years, I was doing what so many women do—taking care of my family, building a career, and trying to hold everything together while carrying emotions I had never really learned how to process. Read more>>
Dawn Anderson
I knew from an early age that mathematics was something I understood intuitively. I saw it as both a puzzle and a language—something creative, logical, and deeply satisfying—and I naturally gravitated toward it. But what ultimately shaped my career was not simply a love of mathematics; it was discovering the extraordinary power of teaching. Read more>>
Aaron Lind
I got started with music at a young age. my second grade teacher was a native Hawaiian and taught us luau. I played ukulele and had a blast playing the songs we learned. Later my parents set me up with classical piano lessons which I stuck with somewhat unwillingly for about 9 years. Read more>>
Ryann Horning
I have always been a creative person, constantly exploring new mediums, techniques, and ways to bring ideas to life. My mom, Jenn Hallock, has been a stained glass artist here on the Monterey Peninsula for over 25 years, so creativity and glass art have always been a part of my world. Read more>>
Melissa Sanchez
Growing up with hard working parents and raised by my aunts on my mom side, I never saw my parents most of the day. They both worked two jobs each so my brother and I could have food and a roof over our head. My mom comes from a family of eight. Safe to say she had many babysitters available to her. Read more>>
Armando Ramírez
I started in the early 2000’s taking courses at our local ITT Tech School. HA! I would like to say that, even though that place became controversy, it gave me the stepping stone to what I knew I wanted to do.., graphic design. I came out of the tech school with a job in Camarillo, CA. Read more>>
Myles Shields (owner) Katie Jones (owner)
2 Player Arcade Shop is owned by both my wife Katie and I. We were born and raised on the Monterey Bay and have been avid gamers and geeks our whole lives. Katie has been a veterinary technician since 2010/2011 and I was working in restaurants hoping to open my own place. Read more>>
Sara Shipp
Lemons & Lace was never just about selling dresses for me. For years, I helped build homes, manage projects, raise my girls, and support the dreams of the people around me. But deep down, I knew I wanted to create something that was entirely my own – something creative, personal, and centered around people. Read more>>
