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.
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>>
Taylor Hatch
I have been a professional musician for what feels like my entire life. Even though I am not directly from a musical family, I grew up with an eclectic family, being them middle of six kids in the Central Coast of California. As a young boy, I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read more>>
Luis Witrago
I grew up in the Central Coast, and my journey to becoming a business owner wasn’t a straight path. Read more>>
Emma Adler
I graduated from Cal Poly in 2020 and started my career in the wine industry before my now husband and I moved to the Maldives to work in luxury hospitality. Living and working there gave me an appreciation for exceptional service and thoughtful details. Read more>>
Judy Armstrong
My journey has been anything but linear. At 36, I was diagnosed with lupus and spent nearly a decade barely able to work. During that season, I learned more about perseverance than I ever expected. A simple act of compassion—a barber who stopped and prayed for me—became a turning point in my life. Read more>>
Steve TAYLOR
Ever since I was a young child, I have loved the outdoors and loved capturing it. Later on in my late 30s I was diagnosed with ALS, it was this shocking news to myself and family that sent me out exploring. Over the years I find the Southwest, especially Utah where I want to explore and capture the incredible landscapes. Read more>>
Efe Onokpachere
I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. My journey started in church, where music first became a meaningful part of my life. In high school, I joined a music club and eventually became the assistant president, which helped deepen my passion and commitment to the craft. Read more>>
April Huckabey
11 years ago, I had taken over my dad’s garage door business after his passing and was getting my personal training certificate as a ‘back-up plan’ incase the garage door thing didn’t work out. Read more>>
Scott Seeley
I came to digital marketing the hard way; through dirt, sun, and southern heat. I spent years as a landscape designer in Huntsville, Alabama. I loved the work, but the southern sun had other plans. Read more>>
Victoria Shevkunova
We came to the USA 12 years ago with a dream of building a nurturing environment where young children can learn, grow and thrive. Our love for children and deep commitment to helping shape the next generation are at the heart of everything we do at our school. This year we will celebrate 10 years of having our school. Read more>>
Jennifer DeMoss
I’ve been in the wellness industry since my very first job in high school at a skin and body care boutique, where my passion for this field first began. After earning my esthetician license in 2005, I went on to work at destination spas throughout California and Hawaii, gaining invaluable experience in both results-driven treatments and elevated client care. Read more>>
Eric Saint Georges
I am a sculptor and painter whose work centers on abstracted human figures, explored through both sculpture and drawing. Born in France, I originally trained in electrical engineering, but in 1978 a workshop with the sculptor Petrus ignited my passion for sculpture. Read more>>
Amy Marlan
My journey to photography was far from conventional. At age 10, my Nana, an artist who viewed the world through both a creative lens and a paintbrush, gave me my first camera. Years later, I built a career as an art director, where I learned to tell visual stories that move people. That experience shapes every portrait session I create today. Read more>>
Holly Mason Heimer
I first started my work in the veterinary world as a Registered Veterinary Technician. This required a move from New York to go to college in Salinas, CA to earn my AS degree in Animal Health Technology. Next, I got certified in Canine Rehabilitation, then Morphogenic Field Testing or BioField testing, and I have another certification in Applied Clinical Nutrition. Read more>>
Karyn Blaney
Art has always been a part of my life. I earned my BFA in Studio Art from Kent State University and spent years working as an instructional designer before deciding to return to my creative roots. In 2014, I launched ArtSocial 805 as a mobile art studio, bringing creative experiences to wineries, businesses, schools, and private events throughout the Central Coast. Read more>>
Robert Amor
I decided that I wanted to be an architect in the tenth grade. I graduated from high school in 1951 but didn’t get my architectural degree from University of Michigan until 1963 because of time in military, getting married and working my way through architecture school. I opened my office in 1968 and have had my office for 56 years and still have projects. Read more>>
Crystal Thomas
My story has really been shaped by a combination of service, personal growth, and a deep desire to help people build lives that feel aligned, sustainable, and successful. I’m someone who has always cared about people, leadership, and impact, which is what led me to study Psychology with a minor in Criminology & Justice at Loyola University New Orleans. Read more>>
Eric Franco
When I retired from the Army, my wife and I decided to put down roots in the Central Coast. I had earned my Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and had been teaching it for a number of years already so with the encouragement and support of many awesome friends, we opened Virtus Jiu-Jitsu in Paso Robles. Read more>>
Victoria Synn
If you had told 18 year old me that one day I’d build a career doing what I love, I never would have believed you. I’ve been in the beauty industry for over a decade, and I truly grew up in this profession. Read more>>
Daniela Garcia Allie
My journey in helping people connect to a higher frequency really started when I got diagnosed with cancer in 2016. It was then that I realized how healing the power of community was. During my time in chemo, I had a lot of people; my husband, Jon Allie, family, friends old and new, teachers, gather around me to support my recovery. Read more>>
farzan Dehmoubed
Lotus Sustainables started around our kitchen table. When California first banned single use plastic bags, we were excited. We thought it would create meaningful change. Instead, we quickly realized it wasn’t solving the problem. Shoppers were now paying for thicker, bulkier plastic bags that were designed to be reused, but many people, including us, still forgot to bring them back to the store. Read more>>
Shyla Nibbe
My journey in entertainment began more than 25 years ago as a singer, songwriter, and talent manager. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible artists and creatives, and those experiences gave me a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling and the impact entertainment can have on people’s lives. Read more>>
Avery Archie
The first video I made was a video of my neighbor riding his motorcycle on my mom’s VHS camera. I loved it so much and I immediately spend hours making an edit and posting it on youtube. From then on I caught the editing bug. My friends and I would make home movies in high school for fun and I would edit them all. Read more>>
Jess Monteggia
As a little girl I always loved playing dress up, pop culture, reading fashion magazines, and embracing my girlhood. In the midst of growing up and focusing so much on school and the ‘right path’ to a career, I lost sight of that. Fast forward to just over three years ago, I decided to study astrology and started giving astrology readings on the side. Read more>>
Krysteena Killfigure
My journey has never been a straight line, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it to be. I’ve always believed that having a multifaceted soul makes for the best storytelling, and my life has been exactly that: a beautiful blend of structure, grit, and untamed creativity. Growing up, I discovered my voice through writing. Read more>>
Claudia Alarcón López
I was born Mexico City, and as a teenager my family moved to Tijuana. Every day, I crossed one of the world’s busiest international borders to attend high school in San Diego. Those daily crossings taught me that borders can separate places, but they don’t have to limit dreams. Throughout high school, I embraced every opportunity to learn, lead, and serve. Read more>>
Kyle Miller
I always was around photography growing up as a kid, my dad always had cameras was always taking photos of our family, sports, weddings, etc. I really started getting into photography back in 2013 then in 2016 after high school I used my dads Fujifilm XT-1 and learned on that doing free shoots for people then eventually started my own company “Valley Visuals”. Read more>>
Tiina Keskitupa
I’m a model, artist and background actress from Finland, living in Orange County, California. I left Finland at 18 and moved to England first. I was doing different jobs there and at 27 I started to pursue modeling. Also started to do little bit of background acting, but not very often then yet. Read more>>
Sarahi M. Caballero
I started this because I wanted to create a life that allowed me to spend meaningful time with my family while building something of my own. I’ve always been a creative person and as a visual artist, I’ve worked in photography and sculpture, exploring ideas through images, objects, and storytelling. That same creative spirit eventually led me to create Horno de la Montaña. Read more>>
Kathlyn Flores
My love for skincare started early. Growing up as a Filipina immigrant, I was drawn to rituals of care and connection, and my parents and I would do face masks together. That became a lasting curiosity about skin and what it really means to care for yourself. I studied psychology in college, and that background shaped how I approach beauty and wellness. Read more>>
Lauren Goldstein
My mother was my original fashion influence. She owned Greta, a celebrated boutique in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills, and was a trailblazer in desert fashion, carrying internationally acclaimed designers including Valentino, Versace, and Missoni. As a little girl, if I straightened my mom’s racks perfectly—every hanger exactly two inches apart—I would get a Barbie doll from Uncle John’s Toy Store on Palm Canyon. Read more>>
Cory Richison
I started as a martial arts enthusiast and gradually evolved into a coach…then finally a full-fledged Bang Muay Thai affiliate and business owner. Each year we add more members and grow the facility. Looking forward to seeing where we’ll be in another few years. Read more>>
Richard Westcott
In 2006 we relocated from NYC to LA and we started visiting wineries in Paso Robles based on having tried a few bottles of Justin’s Cabernet for $18 a bottle. We fell in love with SLO and North County and the Paso Robles Wine region. The people really make it special, the great stories from winemakers, chefs and artisans are so special. Read more>>
Bill Hastie
Raised in Glendale, CA, I attended high school in La Crescenta, CA and thereafter attended Glendale Community College. I had a strong interest in economics, so I attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA and earned a BS degree in Economics, with a concentration in Finance. Read more>>
Mayra Salguero
La Casita azul Daycare was born as I was working for non profit organizations. There I was able to see first hand how much daycare is needed in our community. I wanted to be that safe place for children to go to so their parents were able to go to work and provide for their families. Read more>>
Dr. Sandra Perez-Dalton
My journey began in brokenness. I spent years battling addiction, trauma, incarceration, and unhealthy relationships, believing my past had disqualified me from a meaningful future. But in the midst of my darkest seasons, God began giving me a vision for helping women find hope, healing, and restoration. Read more>>
Lindsey Brandy Lopez
Like many entrepreneurs, my journey wasn’t something I planned; it evolved out of necessity and a belief that sometimes you have to create the opportunity you’re looking for. After spending more than two decades in luxury fashion, I developed a deep appreciation for service, relationships, and attention to detail. Read more>>
Jessica Berumen Moran
I’m a wife, homeschooling mother of five daughters, content creator, and someone who is deeply passionate about faith, family, and intentional living. My story starts long before social media. I was raised by hardworking parents who came from difficult circumstances and sacrificed a lot to give my siblings and me opportunities they never had. Read more>>
KERRON ANDREWS
Kerron Andrews is an award-winning filmmaker, Navy veteran, veteran advocate, and storyteller whose work is driven by one simple belief: stories have the power to save lives. Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Kerron immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, in 2002 in search of greater opportunities. Shortly thereafter, he joined the United States Navy, where he served honorably for 13 years. Read more>>
Nikolas Ramirez
Our restaurant is rooted in Bangkok street food, but the story goes far deeper than that. My wife and I lived in Thailand for a little over four years, and during that time Bangkok became home in every sense of the word. Both of our children were born there. The food, the people, the rhythm of daily life, all of it shaped who we are. Read more>>
Catherine Hatfield
Growing up in Australia made me curious about people and the stories quietly unfolding around them. Photography started as something to do as I set off to travel the world. A creative outlet, mostly, that turned into something obsessive pretty quickly: a way to actually connect with the people I was meeting and hold onto moments and places I knew I’d never see again. Read more>>
Angel Camacho
My journey into HVAC and refrigeration started with a desire to work with my hands, solve problems, and provide a meaningful service to people. Before starting my business, I spent years learning the trade, working on everything from residential heating and cooling systems to commercial refrigeration equipment. Along the way, I developed a passion for helping customers and taking pride in doing the job right. Read more>>
Leah Hodson
I am the owner of The Little Things Bakery. I graduated from the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute in 2012. From there, I moved to Santa Barbara where I worked at Your Cake Baker and trained under Wayne Kjar, son of local legend, Henning Kjar. Henning’s Wedding Cake Boutique was owned by the Kjar family from 1970 through early 2005. Read more>>
Maryam Dr. Far
I’ve spent more than 25 years working in healthcare, higher education, behavioral health, and nonprofit leadership. Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about serving vulnerable populations, including older adults, veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and first-generation college students. I started my career in education and healthcare and gradually moved into executive leadership roles, leading hospitals, behavioral health programs, community organizations, and nonprofits. Read more>>
Manish Chandra
I used to have a chronic sinusitis when I was a teenager and modern medicine fell short in healing my chronic condition for years. Then I explore dAyurveda to heal my condition and I’m now free of sinus for 13 years. This lead me to go deeper in Ayurvedic and eneded up studying Ayurveda and now been practicing for 15 years, Read more>>
Justin Jurgens
British Sports Cars was founded in 1980 by Peter Jurgens. He left Manchester England for California and landed here in San Luis Obispo. He didn’t know at the time but California was a hot spot for British cars. Read more>>
Russell Thai
I grew up with life-threatening food allergies to seven of the top nine allergens. Despite carefully avoiding these foods, I was sent to the emergency room twice before I turned seven due to accidental milk exposure. These traumatic experiences inspired me to create this initiative so that other children with similar disabilities have safer access to food. Read more>>
Linda King
In 1983 after healing my terminal cancer with Eastern Medicine I started my journey into healing the body traveling to Boston, Costa Rica and Japan. I went to acupuncture/eastern medicine school in Portland, Oregon and the Kushi Institute in Boston, MA. Read more>>
Lorin Anderson
Hi, my name is Lorin Anderson. I have been Surfing for 30 years this year and I grew up here on the central coast. We moved to a ranch near Goleta when I was eight years old from Salt Lake City Utah. Read more>>
Tamara Stavrianoudakis
I started this business in 2008 in down Templeton and have been lovin’ every minute of it. Well almost every minute… 🙂 I get to make great friendships and relationships with women from all over the world, many of whom I’m in close thouch with. I get to show my kids what hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit can do for a community. Read more>>
Elias Stanom
My name is Elias Stanom. On March 3, 2014, I came to the United States from Damascus, Syria, on a 45-day visit. As my trip was coming to an end and I was preparing to fly back home on day 42, my family called with shocking news: I couldn’t return to Syria because my name had come up for mandatory military service during the war. Read more>>
Daniel Cronin
What started as a father-and-son plumbing business on California’s Central Coast in 2016 was built on hard work, determination, and a commitment to helping people. Like many small businesses, the road was not always easy. We faced our share of ups and downs over the years, including the challenges that came with the 2020 pandemic. Read more>>
Sylvia Reyes
As a Latina entrepreneur and single mother, much of my journey has been built through perseverance, sacrifice, and learning how to balance family, business, and community responsibilities all at once. Motherhood taught me resilience, compassion, and the importance of creating stability not only for my family, but also for the people and communities I serve. Read more>>
Jack Krull
Hey, Jack here! I’m a wedding and elopement photographer based in Santa Barbara. I’ve been tinkering and shooting on film and digital cameras for 15 years now. You can often find me grabbing coffee at Handlebar, slowly biking up Gibraltar, or zipping by on my red Vespa with my wife Carley. I’m also a big scifi and fantasy enthusiast. Read more>>
Lorain Nicholson
My partner Chuck, worked in music distribution and I worked as a buyer in music retail. Once the internet became a ‘thing’, we decided to pool our knowledge and start retailing online. Read more>>
Mariah Woodson Adams
I’ve always been passionate about sports, storytelling, and creating meaningful connections. Growing up as the daughter of NBA coach and former player Mike Woodson, I had a front-row seat to the world of professional sports. While there were many incredible moments, there were also difficult ones. Read more>>
Keshet Lavoux
Creativity has been part of my story for as long as I can remember. As a child, I spent countless hours crafting alongside my mom and grandmother, flipping through craft books and dreaming up colorful projects. That love of creating never left me—it simply took a different path for a while. Read more>>
Theresa Layne
Live performance has always been my oxygen. When I was a kid, I staged full vaudeville shows for the neighbors – costumes, choreography, ticket sales, the whole thing. Looking back, it was probably obvious to everyone except me that this wasn’t a phase. It was who I was. Read more>>
Tali Grinshpan
I grew up in Tel Aviv, surrounded by art and culture from a very young age. Travel was a big part of my childhood—my family took me around the world, and those early experiences of moving through different places and cultures shaped the way I see and think. Art was always present, but it took many forms before I found glass. Read more>>
Teresa Lees
Our Global Family Farm originated as an idea to create a children’s permaculture space. The design came out of our SLO PDC (San Luis Obispo Permaculture Design Course) back in 2012. The concept was to grow foods from the Four Corners of the Globe as an educational demo farm. It features a Food Forest (agroforestry) approach to regenerative agriculture systems. The space has multiple uses. Read more>>
Aspyn Jones
I was working as a private chef and finishing culinary school when I launched Aspyn’s Table in March of 2020. Read more>>
Benny Drescher
I went to school for environmental science. I thought that I was going to become a restoration ecologist, and I did my darndest to set myself up for a super successful lift off out of college into that career. Around the time I made that commitment, I got a knee injury while surfing that changed my life forever. Read more>>
Karol Arambula
I was born and raised in East Los Angeles and started playing soccer when I was 12 years old. Soccer had always been a part of my life because of my older brother, the founder of bola. Growing up, I watched him build a community through street soccer and create opportunities for people who were often overlooked. Read more>>
Elisa Zoli
My story starts with a belief I’ve carried since I was young: food can change how we feel, heal, and move through the world. That belief became deeply personal for me after a childhood illness, when food as medicine wasn’t just an idea – it became part of how I recovered and how I understood health from that point forward. Read more>>
Justin Holiwell
I’ve always been interested in how I present myself, going back to wearing my first tux as ringbearer. My wife has a running joke that I’ve had more fashion eras than Taylor Swift’s tour. She’s not wrong. 2000s preppy, skater phase, coastal casual, the capsule wardrobe obsession, streetwear, full sneakerhead mode. I’ve been in all of them. Read more>>
Fatimah Bey
My adventure as a fashion designer began when I was seven years old. Long before I knew what a fashion career looked like, I was creating clothing for my Barbie dolls using socks, tissue paper, markers, glue, and safety pins. As I got older, my grandmother gifted me my first sewing machine, which sparked an even deeper passion for design. Read more>>
Doug Rogers
I have been interested in software, graphics and photography for a long time. My career has been software/graphics engineer, but I have always been interested in photography for personal projects. I worked on Photoshop plugins for game developers and became knowledgeable about Photoshop internals. I have used Photoshop frequently over the years. Read more>>
Diane Dieterich
I was rescuing animals out of my suburban home and was getting involved in more frequent farm animal rescues. It seemed that there were some great organizations that helped companion animals, but there was very little help available for farm animals in need. Read more>>
James Lester
My path into photography has been a mix of creativity, curiosity, healing, and following my heart. I’ve always been drawn to art and human connection, but photography became the place where those threads came together. A big part of that story began during a difficult season of my life. Read more>>
Yilena Garcia
My journey with this business began in 2019 when i joined the team as a seamstress. I have always had a passion for sewing, alterations, and helping people feel confident in clothing that fits them perfectly. Read more>>
Rebecca (REBL) Risty
Oh my gosh where to start…it’s crazy to say that I’ve had 20+ years now in my career. I think like a lot of young graduates I graduated with a bachelors in communication and the minor and biology. My mother really wanted me to be a doctor. Read more>>
Carlos Erding
This is how Platinum DJs was created. Since I was a kid and young, I’ve always been attracted to entrepreneurship, being a young boss, starting new businesses, and not having a job. Since I was in my early twenties, I started ecommerce, Amazon FBA, and drop shipping. I was motivating people and giving ecommerce classes. At the same time, I love music, always did. Read more>>
Matt Bramlette
After I left a career as a designer in advertising, I opened a retail shop that focused on small brands, handmade goods and mostly local. That was in Kansas City Missouri. The KC Maker scene at the time [and still is] booming. I wanted to work with small brands and people that had control over their creativity rather than being creative for a big company. Read more>>
Joey Dupkin
I grew up on Long Island, New York, and spent a lot of my childhood around the beach, enjoying the outdoors and spending time with family. Those experiences helped shape my appreciation for simplicity, relationships, and adventure. In my early 20s, I went through a difficult season and struggled with severe anxiety. Read more>>
Jenny Livits
I started my career in retail as a sales stylist at Nicole Miller in La Jolla and later worked at Fred Segal in Los Angeles after college. I was a communications major and originally thought I would pursue a career in journalism or broadcasting. However, I caught the retail bug early on—it was how I made extra money throughout college, and I absolutely loved it. Read more>>
Alisha Lynn
My journey into professional home organizing began with a simple realization: our surroundings have a powerful influence on how we feel, function, and move through daily life. I’ve always been passionate about creating organized, functional spaces and found immense fulfillment in helping friends and family transform their homes into environments that felt calm, efficient, and harmonious. Read more>>
Lisbeth Garces
Juan Carlos Organization Founded in 2012 by Lisbeth Garces in loving memory of her son, Juan Carlos, the Juan Carlos Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to stimulating joy, acceptance, and achievement for individuals of all ages living with physical, sensory, and cognitive challenges, including Parkinson’s disease. Read more>>
Alisa Lozano
My name is Alisa Lozano and I am a second-generation Mexican and Salvadoran artist, born and raised in San Diego,CA. I have been expressing myself creatively through drawing and painting since I was about 6 years old. I was influenced by television media and cartoons like Adventure Time to tell stories through comics and imagery. Read more>>
Michael Julian
Moon Darling formed in Seattle, WA, and performed heavily for the first few years at venues in the PNW. After the move to Los Angeles, the band continued with Michael Julian, and Eliza Karpel on bass. It was a really natural beginning for us, with our similar tastes, and marching band backgrounds. Read more>>
Bobbie Frandeen
My mom, Deborah, purchased Interior Vision Flooring & Design in May 2003. Two years later, as a 21-year-old mother with two children under the age of two, I was looking for a new direction in my career. Read more>>
Keomi Blackshire
My name is Keomi Blackshire, and I am the founder of Bouquets by Dollhouse, a floral business based in Sacramento, California. My journey into entrepreneurship began while working as a preschool teacher. Although I loved working with children, I always had a passion for creativity, design, and creating meaningful experiences for others. What started as making bouquets quickly grew into something much bigger. Read more>>
Irene Kachel
I started in banking, loans, and high-level sales. The money was good, but the security wasn’t. After multiple layoffs, I was working more, missing time with my family, and never feeling truly ahead. After my fifth layoff, I made a decision. I wasn’t going back. I started my first business as a personal assistant. Read more>>
C.J. Vigil
I grew up working in my family’s plumbing business, so I was around homes and hands-on problem solving pretty early on. Being in and out of people’s homes also gave me a respect for how personal a home is. It’s not just a structure, it’s where people live their lives. I went to UC Santa Cruz and got a B.S. Read more>>
