Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.

Josh Hamilton

Alley Cats Entertainment started in 2007 with a simple goal: create a place where families, friends, and the community could come together for fun and memorable experiences. Founded by Brian and Connie Smith, the vision was to build more than just a bowling center — they wanted a full entertainment destination that offered something for everyone. Read more>>

Earnest Evans

I started in the refrigeration business about 18 years ago. I worked for the same refrigeration company for 17 years before I started my own refrigeration company. Read more>>

Bobbie Baldwin

Growing up in Dallas-Fort Worth, I discovered my love for weddings early, starting my career as a bridal stylist at just 18. Through each experience I formed organic relationships. Before I knew it, I went from helping my clients say yes to the dress to saying I do and everything else in between! Read more>>

Aaron Wiggs

I started working with pets in 2007 at PetSmart, where I got a job as a bather in the grooming salon. After some months, I went to their grooming school for a month when it was held in Abilene with my instructor Stephanie. After finishing the school there, I went back to Lubbock and worked under the salon manager until my training was finished. Read more>>

Sara Wright

Hi! It is such an honor to share my story with you! My name is Sara Wright, and I am the owner of Aledo Pet Sitting, LLC. I grew up in San Angelo (west Texas). As I’m sure you could imagine, I have always loved animals. Read more>>

Jillian Mendez

Ever since I was little, I’ve dreamed of being an entrepreneur. It was always a part of me; I had business ideas and concepts to test out on my parents every day. I would run a restaurant, plan movie events, host puppet shows, resell stuffed animals, make flyers and websites for my new business ideas, you name it. Read more>>

Lora Zimmerman

I have been a RN since 2000. I have worked in the field of Hospice care the most. I noticed a lack of care for the dying patient. There is not enough personalized care in the nursing homes or assisted living facilities. I opened a group home for the elderly two years ago. Read more>>

Barbara Zinda

My journey into coaching didn’t start as a business idea. It started as a season of deep personal transition. For many years, I built a successful career in banking and financial services. I was driven, working hard, and doing what many people do, chasing revenue goals and professional success. But life has a way of asking deeper questions when you least expect it. Read more>>

Danielle Edmondson

My journey into holistic health and spiritual wellness has been unfolding for more than two decades. I began exploring holistic health in my early thirties, driven by a deep curiosity about how the body heals and how our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives are connected. Read more>>

Melissa Gardner, Sadler Bass N\A

Both: We met while working at a training facility where we each worked for several years. While we were there, we developed our training skills with a variety of dogs, and we also became close friends. We realized that we both had a passion for helping dogs and shared similar personal goals and a vision for the future. Read more>>

tom bacon

In Janjary 2021 my wife and i were on vacation on Maui, evaluating our lives during the pandemic like many others, when a close friend who lives in Pilot Point let us know a property was going to auction that we might be interested in. My wife is a world champion horse trainer and PP is the epicenter of the quarterhorse industry. Read more>>

Lidya Winnie

My journey with Konjo Beauty started from a deep love for natural skincare and a desire to create something meaningful. Growing up, I was always surrounded by natural ingredients and cultural beauty traditions that emphasized caring for your skin using what comes from the earth. Over time, I began experimenting with different ingredients and formulations, learning what truly worked for different skin types and concerns. Read more>>

Andrea Cole

My journey started with a single bouquet. In 2016, I preserved a Valentine’s Day arrangement my husband gave me because I couldn’t bear to throw it away. What began as a personal project quickly grew into something bigger as friends and brides started asking if I could preserve their flowers as well. Read more>>

Lauren Chandler

Here is an excerpt from a post I wrote on Substack that summarizes the story: Storied Provisions is the dream I never knew I had. It’s also a coffee-book-gift shop that I opened with a friend in December of 2025… Storied’s story begins in a very unexpected place—the heart of a small town just northwest of Flower Mound. Read more>>

Cassie Harlan

I didn’t originally set out to become a therapist. My first career goal was a pharmacist, and I spent my college years working as a pharmacy technician. However, after struggling through my science coursework, I realized—with the help of a trusted advisor—that the path I was on wasn’t the right fit for me. Read more>>

Krisha Crosley

After I had my babies, I started to help other moms have their babies. I am told I have very calm, stable demeaner for women to lean on when things are intense. These expecting moms wanted me to attend their births. Read more>>

Erica D. Parker

I began my career in corporate America, advancing in HR from Lead Recruiter to Talent Acquisition, and eventually into senior-level recruitment and HR leadership. Along the way, I became a six-figure earner, managing million-dollar contracts in talent and resources for major companies. Throughout my journey, I recognized just how challenging corporate life and entrepreneurship can be on mental health. Read more>>

Carolina Conejo

I started my journey with a passion for helping women feel strong, confident, and capable in their bodies. What began as a small vision quickly turned into something much bigger as I saw how powerful strength training could be for women in every stage of life—especially during pregnancy and postpartum. Read more>>

Jessica Swaim

JLS Hospitality began when I was 24, during one of the most defining moments of my life. A close friend of mine, Raymond, was diagnosed with a terminal illness and didn’t have health insurance. I felt helpless, but I knew I could gather people to support him. Read more>>

Bruce Campbell

As an underwater photographer, I spend much of my time underwater, observing environments and moments that are easily missed. My work grows from extended immersion–returning, waiting, and learning to recognize when nothing should be forced. Before a photograph can be made underwater, the water itself must be understood. Read more>>

Elena S

How it Started My journey began with a passion for art and a desire to help people feel whole again. I specialized in paramedical tattooing, focusing on scar and stretch mark camouflage. What started as a small mission to help clients regain their confidence quickly grew into something much bigger. Read more>>

Christina Thammavongsa

My Instagram originally started as a personal page, but one day I began taking photos of my food and realized how much I enjoyed it. Over time, it slowly turned into a creative outlet where I could share restaurants, cafés, and food spots I genuinely love. What started casually grew into a passion for discovering new places, capturing those experiences, and sharing them with others. Read more>>

Bianca Holley

In 2020, God gave me a vision to start a podcast that would create a safe space for women, a space where they could feel heard, seen, and free to be raw and authentic. I didn’t move in obedience right away. In fact, God had to deal with me about delaying what He had clearly instructed me to do. Read more>>

Jennifer & Marylene Leogier

Our journey into sound baths grew naturally out of a shared passion for healing, presence, and helping people reconnect with themselves. Like many people in the wellness field, we began by exploring different approaches to supporting the body and nervous system—especially modalities that help people slow down, regulate, and find a sense of balance in a very busy world. Read more>>

Nino Thresher

I grew up surrounded by family. Big gatherings, loud rooms, kids moving through every stage at once. Being in the middle of that taught me something early on, the moments that matter most don’t announce themselves. They happen while life is busy, imperfect, and full. That understanding shapes how I work today and the main reason behind my business. Read more>>

Priyanka Sangishetti

I’m really happy that you’re interested in interviewing me. I’ve always been a creative person who enjoys working with crafts, balloons, and designing decorative setups. Creating something beautiful from simple materials has always excited me. I started my décor journey in 2017 by freelancing small event decorations. Like many small businesses, everything began in our garage. Read more>>

Drew McGill

Seven years ago, I began working with Carlisle Interests to assist in development and project leasing for their industrial portfolio, much of which was along the I-35 corridor and NW Dallas. During this time I purchased a home in NW Dallas and began taking on other clients in this area. Read more>>

Lindsay & Brandon Overbay

Brandon has always felt connected to animals. From the time he was a child, he was drawn to them and seemed to understand them in a way that others didn’t. That connection only grew stronger as he got older. Instead of following a traditional path into the field, he chose to educate himself, studying behavior, training methods, and communication with dogs. Read more>>

Jared Mann

I started recording music sometime in middle school. My older brother had invested in some basic recording gear and left it set up in our family’s basement. There, I slowly learned how to play drums, guitar, and record myself. That early curiosity led me to engineer my first album in my freshman year of college. Read more>>

Jennifer Cattet

I’ve been training dogs professionally since I was 18 years old, so for more than 40 years now. I actually started my career in France, where I lived for about 30 years. Read more>>

Cici Marks

Ive Known from a very young age I wanted to be a hairdresser, I graduated high school with my cosmetology license knowing my passion for it, worked my way up from apprentice to stylist at Neiman Marcus salon Atelier to now being in the business 17 years and running my own business while progressively learning and growing in my knowledge in hair/products and techniques. Read more>>

Mehdi Peikar

I’ve always been driven by curiosity and a desire to understand how things work at a fundamental level. That curiosity first led me into physics, where I studied quantum mechanics and developed a deep appreciation for precision, systems thinking, and problem-solving. Read more>>

Kausar Fathima

I’m Kausar Fathima, a wife and a mom of two boys, and ever since they were toddlers, I’ve been very involved in their learning. I’ve always believed that education, especially Islamic education, should be fun, engaging, and meaningful for kids. That belief naturally pushed me to start creating things for them myself. Read more>>

Zahra Jahanyfard

I am a visual artist, art educator, and community builder based in Frisco, Texas. For me, art is not just something we create — it is a way to connect with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us. I grew up in Iran and spent part of my childhood during the eight years of war. Read more>>

Dhebhashree Sivakumar

I’ve loved baking since I was a child, though I never really had the opportunity to pursue it back then. My mom is an incredible cook who loves exploring different cuisines, and she would often bake cakes for our birthdays. Growing up watching her create food with so much love probably planted the seed for my passion for baking. Read more>>

Sarah Vanornum

3Stacked With Purpose began during a season when our family was living on one income while raising five kids. I have young adult children and also twins, and during that time I felt a strong prompting in my heart that it was a “yes year” for me. I told my husband that whatever God placed in my heart, I would say yes. Read more>>

Amanda Iwu

My story honestly started long before I had the words “medical aesthetics” or “injector” in my vocabulary. Growing up, my mom worked as a physician assistant in dermatology, and when I didn’t have school, she would sometimes take me to work with her. Read more>>

Hector Dominguez

For most of my adult life, my path looked fairly traditional. I spent many years building a career in human resources and leadership, eventually serving as an HR Business Partner overseeing multiple stores across Texas and Oklahoma. My work centered on people — helping teams grow, navigating conflict, and supporting employees through difficult moments in their lives. Read more>>

Meredith Colbert

About eight years ago, I went through a trauma that completely devastated me. At the time, I truly didn’t know how I was going to survive it. The pain was so overwhelming that I often felt like I was dying inside, and I could not see a way forward. Read more>>

Kyle & Taylor Mathieu

We are Kyle and Taylor Mathieu, parents of three children — Kyle (15), Bennett (13), and Charlie (5). We live in Texas. Today when we look at our oldest son — now 15, standing 5’9′, kind, thoughtful, and excited to be home — it’s almost impossible to recognize the boy we see today with the long and painful road our family traveled to get here. Read more>>

Stephanie Helsley

My story really starts with childhood Christmas traditions. Some of my most cherished memories are of decorating the tree with my parents—carefully unwrapping ornaments each year and adding a new one to the collection. It wasn’t just decorating; it was a ritual that marked the season and created lasting memories for our family. As I got older, that love for Christmas design never left. Read more>>

Marquita Powell

My path into this work has evolved over time, but it has always been centered around helping people improve their quality of life. I actually began my career in speech therapy, where I spent about nine years supporting individuals with communication and development. Read more>>

Brenda Lopez-Mitchell

It was grueling but I knew it would be worth it. Now, here I am, living my dream, counseling, starting my own private practice and still teaching yoga as much as I possibly can. The biggest lesson I’ve learned this far? It’s never too late to start. A wise teacher I had one time said, “you not living in your purpose is like the sun waking up in the morning and refusing to f*ing shine, so what are you waiting for?!” Yea. I took that personally. And I am so glad I did! Read more>>

Grant Joung

In our early days, the demand for stem cell treatments skyrocketed. We faced the temptation to scale faster by using over-the-counter third-party suppliers, but doing so would have compromised our Transparency and Honesty. * The Resolution: We chose to slow our initial expansion to develop our own proprietary, clinical-grade products. This ensured that our North Star—Patient Care—was never compromised. We proved that Profit is the Outcome of Doing the Right Thing, not the primary driver. Read more>>

Dexter Brown

Born and raised in Dallas Tx, owning a studio was always a dream of mine. It did not come easy at all. Many years of preparation and consistency made this dream come true. There were & still are challenges, obstacles, long nights, moments of doubt, but I remember this is exactly what I dreamt of . Muhammad Ali once said “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life” Read more>>

Sasha Riess

Sasha Riess & Texas All Breed Grooming School The idea of Integrative and Holistic Dog Grooming did not appear overnight. It developed through decades of professional experience, observation, and a series of bold experiments that tested whether the industry was ready for a different approach to dog care. Read more>>

Jackson Savarese

With over 30 years of experience, our family-run, woman-owned company takes pride in crafting large-scale props that elevate every space. Our fully customizable fabrication studio specializes in creating large scale props for casinos, hotels, restaurants, music festivals, and events. We are based in Arlington, Texas, and install displays all over the nation. Read more>>

Cliff Nichols

We are a Father and Son team small business that has operated mainly in North Texas for a number of decades. I learned master craftsmanship from my father, who years ago worked with Boudestory Tile and Staubach (Rogers Dad) & Gavin (Senator) Construction, both companies are out of Dallas. Read more>>

Jake & Mandy Graves

I took parts of our ‘About’ section on our website which basically tells how we got where we are today. Jake grew up in a small Texas town, where as a child he hunted both with guns and archery from an early age. Hunting, as well as shooting and archery became a passion for him. Read more>>

Lucas Folegatti

After a couple decades working in Corporate America in the technology sector, traveling the country and working for and with large corporations, my wife and I decided it was time to re-focus on our local community, and grow business relationships with my neighbors, rather than individuals multiple states away. The question then became: what business do we want to focus on? Read more>>

Josh Perlin

My father-in-law and I opened Bonkers CBD & More in December 2023. We both shared aspirations of starting our own business and ‘being our own boss.’ Eventually we landed on the idea of a CBD store. With the cannabis world on an upward trajectory, we dove in head first and still have not looked back over 2 years later. Read more>>

Brett Priestley

I moved from Iowa to marry my wife Rae, down in Athens, Texas. I was a carpenter, building log homes and doing remodels. One of my customers had a small vineyard on his property that caused he an I to have a conversation about wine and my love for visiting wineries whenever I was traveling or could. Read more>>

Ken Reichart

Before retirement, my wife and I spent over 10 years working with married couples in our church’s Re/Engage ministry. As I approached retirement, I knew I wanted to stay active in serving others, so both of us decided to become certified life coaches through ICCI (International Christian Coaching Institute). Read more>>

Christopher O’Bannon

Born and raised in Texarkana, Texas, I learned early the value of hard work, integrity, and community—a foundation that has guided me through every chapter of his life. After graduating high school, I attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where I continued to build on those core values before answering the nation’s call. Read more>>

Christian Dorn

Drum Arsenal Productions grew out of my career as a working drummer and my passion for great sounding records. After years of touring and recording with various artists, I built a purpose-designed studio where I could provide professional drum tracking, mixing, and production for artists and songwriters around the world. Read more>>

Toni Caruso

I was a summer birthday, July 30th, in the middle of vacation. That meant that no one was around for my party, except the 8 kids in the neighborhood who came over daily to swim in our above-ground pool. On July 30th they came to swim and we ate cake. Unlike my sister’s April Birthday where the entire school grade showed up for her parties. Read more>>

Alicia Claytor

I first picked up a camera to take photos of my kids, I was just trying to freeze those little everyday moments before they disappeared and honestly fill my time at home with some creativity. At the time it was purely personal, but the more I shot, the more I realized how much I loved documenting real life as it was happening. Read more>>

Anthony Morrison Jr

Looking back, I think my connection to weddings started long before I ever picked up a camera. Even as a kid, I always felt like weddings were something special. I didn’t attend many growing up, but the idea of two people committing their lives to each other always struck me as beautiful. Read more>>

Sydney Davis

After high school, I headed to college because that’s just what you’re ‘supposed’ to do. It was a struggle. I bounced between schools, trying to find my way, and then life really hit—I had my daughter right in the middle of a semester. Read more>>

DK Kang

My journey has really been shaped by resilience, discipline, and faith. For over 18 years I’ve worked as a licensed massage therapist specializing in pain management and mobility, and for more than 30 years I’ve practiced martial arts, eventually earning my 4th-degree black belt. Those experiences taught me early that growth doesn’t come from comfort. Read more>>

DJ Beach

Carnivorous plants had interested me for many years prior to having the ability to properly care for them. I started collecting houseplants and carnivorous plants in 2021, when I finally had enough space in my home to care for them. Over time my houseplant collection grew and I ended up with a breakout of fungus gnats. Read more>>

Brenda Picado

I grew up in New York with an immigrant single mom, and we didn’t have a lot of resources growing up. After high school, I moved to Dallas and spent a few years trying different jobs and career paths, but nothing really stuck. I was working jobs I wasn’t passionate about and felt like I was just going through the motions. Read more>>

Nennu Arora

My journey with dance began in a small town in India, where I first discovered my deep love for performing arts. To me, dance has always been more than movement — it’s like painting through the body, a way to express emotions, stories, and culture. Read more>>

Margaret Kilanski

Memberships: The Heart of ETGMS Memberships are essential to keeping the East Texas Gem & Mineral Society’s commitments alive. Like many nonprofits, we face ongoing challenges in covering the costs required to sustain our educational programs, community outreach, and organizational responsibilities. Our members are the foundation that makes this work possible and the reason we can continue sharing the wonders of the earth sciences with our community. Read more>>

Anita Lane

Sure. I began my career in community organizing – building coalitions and writing grants to fund housing and economic development projects in Detroit. I worked with incredible organizations and the work ultimately attracted a lot of television and print media. That’s when I realized the power of earned media to help an organization achieve its goals. Read more>>