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.
Lisa B Boyd & Mishell W Whitacre
Mishell (Mish) Whitacre was raised with a Military father and an Art-teacher mother, moving frequently throughout her childhood, mostly among beach communities. A free spirit from the start, she heard about — and saw photos of — a neighbor’s home birth at age 15, then found Ina May Gaskin’s *Spiritual Midwifery* at 16 in a health food store, and knew becoming a midwife was her life’s calling. Read more>>
Bryana Ashley 
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been creating. I grew up in a creative household always crafting with my grandma, and painting pottery and making jewelry with my mom. Art and creating were always there, and they always felt like a part of me. Read more>>
Gioia Woo 
I realized my love for ice cream at an early age. My first job while in high school was scooping ice cream in a family-owned business in my small hometown on Long Island in New York. When we relocated to Orcutt in 2021, I started making ice cream in my home kitchen as a hobby for family and friends. Read more>>
Yasmin Nabulsi 
I loved design and art since I was a little kid, but I didn’t ever pursue my passion till I moved to Dubai where I was exposed to the big jewelry industry there. Read more>>
Caterina Sullivan 
I actually discovered interior design almost by accident! I was told that FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) offered summer courses for students interested in pursuing careers in the arts. At the time, I had never even heard of interior design as a career, but as soon as I read the course description, I knew it was exactly what I had always dreamed of doing. Read more>>
Shani Anderson 
My journey as a hairstylist began over 25 years ago when I found out I was pregnant at 19. I knew I needed a way to provide for my son, so I turned to hairstyling—and what started as a way to support my family grew into a lifelong passion and career. Read more>>
Isis Indriya 
How I started is such a big question. I can’t identify exactly when I began tuning into the Unseen, the Invisible realms, as it feels so natural to the way I was raised. The legends of my culture are embedded in the rocks, waterways, trees, and truly all over the island. Read more>>
Janae Marie 
I am an author. I started writing as a teenager by writing poetry at the age of 13. Then I started writing short stories at the age of 16 years old. I attended Wayne State University and would visit the library and that bookstore often. I was enamored with the urban fiction books that were published. I just wanted my books in the shelves. Read more>>
Michelle Muncy-Silva 
For 30 years, I worked in education, and much of that time was spent working with adults. My job was helping people adopt new tools, put new practices in place, and get through the human side of change. I learned that change is never just technical. It’s not assigned. It’s emotional, personal, and it goes better when people feel supported rather than pushed. Read more>>
Jesstyne Johnson 
I’ve been doing art my whole life. I’ve tried several paths- hair, teaching kindergarten art, craft shows. But the more I spent time with the Lord & seeking His vision for my life/art, I kept coming back to the same thing over and over. Read more>>
Anna Karchikyan
Our Story – RegalinoEvents RegalinoEvents was born from a passion for creating unforgettable experiences and bringing people together through joyful, meaningful moments. After relocating from Armenia to Los Angeles, my husband and I decided to turn our entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and professional experience into something of our own. Read more>>
Aaliyah Cleveland 
My journey in the beauty industry began in 2020 when I first started doing lash extensions. What initially started as an interest in beauty quickly turned into a passion for helping women feel confident and beautiful in their own skin. Read more>>
Scott Klittich 
I joined the family business in 1985 after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Horticulture. Although I say I “joined” the business, it had really been part of my life from the beginning. My dad was a landscape contractor, so growing up, my siblings and I were often on the job whenever we weren’t in school. Read more>>
Greg Finch 
My story begins with surfing and the role it has played in my life since I caught my first wave at 14. The ocean is where I find challenge, connection, perspective, and a sense of being fully present. When I was 25, I woke up one morning and couldn’t lift my arm above my chest. Read more>>
Michele Smith 
Knowing, Living, Selling Since 1993 in San Luis Obispo County Real estate has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in South Africa in a real estate family, where I watched firsthand the importance of hard work, honesty, relationships, and truly taking care of your clients. Read more>>
Amy Storlie 
I’ve been a designer my whole life, even before I knew to call it that. As a kid I was always rearranging furniture and painting walls, and that love of creating beautiful, welcoming spaces never went away. But for many years my path looked different. I was a teacher, and together with my husband (my high school sweetheart) I was raising our three children. Read more>>
Eve Egan 
Native Animal Rescue (NAR) began in 1980 by some staff members of the Santa Cruz SPCA who saw the need to help the injured and orphaned wildlife that was being brought to them by the public. Read more>>
Julie Kesler 
Real estate is a newer chapter in my career, but in many ways, it feels like a natural extension of what I’ve always loved doing: connecting with people, building relationships, and helping bring meaningful projects to life. Read more>>
Gordon Liu 
OVVI started with something simple: going out for coffee with my girlfriend. I loved visiting cafés and trying new drinks, but I’m lactose intolerant, and the milk alternatives didn’t always give me the taste or texture I wanted. That got me thinking: What would I actually love to drink if I could build it from the beginning? Read more>>
Cort Newby 
Not sure where to begin I started martial arts at 10 years old in 1990 with Judo. In 1995 I started Taekwondo & Boxing. In 2011 went to AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) in San Jose where I began Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Trained in Korea, Japan and Brazil. Read more>>
Colin Carew 
I am a four year-old Medicine Man, dance teacher, professional chef Retreat facilitator Father, and guardian of a beautiful universe called my life. I currently live in the California in San Diego with my wife and 15 year-old daughter where we run Center for healing on 8.8 acres of land.. Read more>>
Kenneth D. Anders Sr. 
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a creator. Growing up in Southeast San Diego, I was the kind of kid who enjoyed building things, taking them apart, and figuring out how to make them better. I loved building model cars, but I rarely followed the original design. I would reconstruct them, customize them, and give them my own personal touch. Read more>>
DR. SEP POURESA 
My journey into dentistry began in Montreal, Canada, where I earned my Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from McGill University. Following graduation, I moved to California to complete my Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the University of the Pacific. Read more>>
Cait Casey 
At Urban Homesteadings, we’re more than just a bakery — we’re a community-centered sourdough specialty shop built on the belief that real food brings people together. Founded and owned by a female U.S. Air Force veteran, our business is rooted in resilience, service, and the simple joy of feeding others well. Read more>>
SAMANTHA BAKER 
Ever since I could remember, I was always fascinated by films and videos. When I realized that this could actually be a career, I made the jump and went into film school right after graduating high school in 2011. Since then, I have gone through the ups and downs of discovering my niche and what I was truly passionate about. Read more>>
Lauren Thomson 
My journey in Applied Behavioral Analysis ABA has become so much more than a career; it’s a calling. The more I learned about the science of behavior, the more I realized how powerful it is to truly understand people rather than simply try to change them. That realization lit a fire in me. Read more>>
Michelle Kass 
I grew up in Montecito and was obsessed with eyebrows since I was 13 years old. I always would wonder who knew how to do the best brows. In 1997 Oprah had Anastasia Soare on the show and that was it. Ten years later I found myself working with her at the Nordstrom Santa Barbara. Read more>>
Patrisha (Maui) Sangalang 
During COVID, I was in the entertainment agency training with a couple of girls, alongside 2 talented dancers (Yuki and Saki Noda). We were training for months, waiting all throughout COVID for a chance of our big opportunity. The management was falling apart, and I had the idea of creating a creative KPOP dance team after being inspired by watching a competition. Read more>>
Jeriel Sydney
I started FABLERUNE from a love of plants, people, and the ways we care for ourselves and one another. My background is a bit of a winding road. I studied Gender Studies, worked in domestic crisis and resource centers, and spent over 20 years exploring aromatherapy, botanical medicine, massage therapy, and the relationship between our bodies and nervous systems. Read more>>
Katisha Adams
Luxury didn’t become meaningful to me because of a price tag. It became meaningful when I watched my grandmother experience the joy of owning her first luxury handbag later in life. What stayed with me wasn’t the label on the bag. It was the way she carried herself with it. The confidence. The pride. Read more>>
Rebecca Hardcastle Wright 
I originated the concept of Exoconsciousness and founded the Institute for Exoconsciousness. Exoconsciousness is the innate human ability to connect, communicate and co-create with ETs, multidimensionals, and spiritual beings. We support natural human psychic abilities and the healthy integration of creativity and co-creation. As a community we now consider what rights and abilities natural human beings preserve and develop as intelligent, engineered technology expands. Read more>>
Mark Iglesias 
My journey started in tech, leading product and process transformations. In 2020, I set a 5-year plan to achieve financial freedom and retire my wife, but I ended up retiring myself first after finding success in COVID-era stock options trading. Read more>>
Ashanti Miranda 
I want to help the world heal itself. My name is Ashanti Miranda, I’m an LCSW and BBS-Approved Clinical Supervisor, and I help high-achieving women of color stop surviving and start returning — to themselves, their bodies, their joy, and their power. Burnout isn’t a personal failure. It’s a soul screaming to be heard. Read more>>
Katy Smith 
I went to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to study Teaching and as part of my senior project titled Art in the Elementary Classroom I had the opportunity to take an intensive 5 day workshop in graphite drawing. At the end of the course, the instructor reviewed my portfolio of work and said I should be an Art Specialist. Read more>>
Tina Guevara
So, dogs and stuffed animals have always been my constant comforts when I am going through hardships of any kind. When I was 12, I first started trying to make my own stuffed animals. I sewed everything by hand (and still do!) up until I was about 14 or so, then I pursued other hobbies like drawing, writing, and novice dog training. Read more>>
Jamie Nakagawa Boley 
My journey as an artist has been shaped by family, cultural identity, memory, and lived experience. My work explores the stories we carry, our connections to people and place, and the ways art can help us understand ourselves and the world around us. Read more>>
Celina Ochoa 
My journey which lead me to create my travel & food page started off with my grandma. Growing up she owned a local small business dedicated to fine candies, cakes and gifts. It was a family owned business that was my second home. I practically grew up around it all from a baby to my high school years. Read more>>
Laurent Grangien 
I have worked in the kitchens of the St. James, in Bordeaux France, Chateau de la Chevre d’or in Eze France, and Michel Guerard in Eugenie les bains, France. Moving to Paris, I became the Head Chef of Michel Rostang’s restaurant. I also became a partner and Chef at Bistro d’a Cote. Read more>>
Mikaila Murphy 
I grew up in Livonia Michigan and started dancing at 3 years old because of my grandpa! We used to watch Shirley temple together as he baby sat me, and he told my mom that I NEEDED to get into tap class! Read more>>
Helen Stearns 
My fascination with medicine started early. My mom was a nurse, and as a little girl I’d convince her to bandage my perfectly healthy arm, pore over her first aid books, and ‘assist’ when neighborhood kids showed up at our door with scraped knees. Even then I had a strong sense of justice and a soft spot for the underdog. Read more>>
Megan Richert
Sure! I am the founder and owner of BLOOM Maternal Therapy, a boutique group practice on the Central Coast that specializes in perinatal mental health for women and couples. Read more>>
Raven Woodley & Audi Bunchien
Thaiyo is a Filipino + Thai couple ran pop-up (cha)fe that started in San Diego, California. It was inspired by two things – our deep love for the craft of food & drinks, and a passion towards deepening our connection with our cultural roots and shedding light on flavors, experiences, and ideas that aren’t talked about enough in the mainstream media. Read more>>
