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 KC.
Maggie Hassinger
I decided I really liked being a makeup artist and wanted to become a licensed esthetician. I moved to Dallas, Tx for esthetician school and began getting into the wedding industry.
In 2021 I decided to move back to Missouri which allowed me to focus on my personal business, as the industry was not as saturated. I’ve been blessed to grow my business tremendously since returning to Missouri. Read more>>
Courtney Koch
Hallelujah Counseling began in June 2023 after my business partner, Hayston Wilson, and I took a step of faith to open a Christian counseling private practice. We’re based in Maryville, Missouri, and serve clients ages six and up. In addition to our counseling office in Maryville, thanks to local grant funding, we’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to support several area schools. Read more>>
Mariana Castro
My story begins in Argentina and Uruguay where I’m from. I’ve always been interested in houses, design and businesses. By the time I finished High School, I had done several large fundraisers and business attempts as well as working at my family retail stores. Read more>>
jim clark
I have always been fascinated by mechanical things. Been around cars since I could see over the fenders. Anytime there was a hood up in the neighborhood, I was there. After high school, I started at Goodyear Tire as a mechanic and worked my way up to Service Manager. Read more>>
Katie Frits
Sure! I started Prairie Trails Counseling in 2018, based on a lifelong dream. Prairie Trails first flickered to life sometime around when I was a sophomore in high school. Having moved across the country in middle school, I had really struggled with a lot of generalized and social anxiety. That’s when I first knew I wanted to be a therapist. Read more>>
Shiferaw Gobezie
I was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where from an early age I witnessed the deep suffering of elderly men and women who had been left homeless, sick, and completely without support. In Ethiopia, social safety nets such as Medicare, Social Security, assisted living, and nursing homes do not exist for those without means. Read more>>
Nick Anderson
My grandfather, Chuck Anderson, was the General Manager of a large General Motors store in Kansas City at the time, and was approached by a Ford dealer, Tom Dickson, out of Excelsior Springs in 1973 to purchase the location. My grandfather’s ambition had always been to be a Dealer. He purchased the store and opened on March 1st of 1974. Read more>>
Julie Ladd
Do you have a cup of coffee or your favorite drink to sit for a while? I think, like most people, my story is unique and ‘average’ in a lot of aspects. My parents met in college in Texas. Read more>>
Trey Hulse
As a founder, my journey with Suite Portal started long before the company existed. In two different organizations, I personally built proprietary portals on top of NetSuite – each time reinventing the wheel to solve the same core problem: businesses needed a clean, scalable way to share NetSuite data with customers, vendors, and employees, but the process was always expensive, complex, and fragile. Read more>>
Mark Hastings
We started Impact Medical in the most unglamorous way possible: in my garage. At the time, I was working closely with long term care operators and kept seeing the same thing: residents clearly needed wound, ostomy, trach, catheter, or enteral supplies but the process to get them was a mess. Read more>>
Lynne Bratcher
When I got out of law school in 1983, there was a recession. While I was looking for a job, I wanted to do trial work. My resume included that I was married with a son. Several of the interviewing lawyers (all men) asked me how I thought I could be a trial lawyer and be a mother, too. Read more>>
Natalie LaMendola
Running has been a big part of my life ever since I was introduced to it in junior high, when my dad let me join him for his evening jogs around the neighborhood. He encouraged me to join my school’s track team, and I was hooked. I ran through high school and competed collegiately at Rockhurst University here in KC. Read more>>
Ben Rao
I grew up in Louisville, Ky surrounded by the world of senior care. My mother spent her entire career working in senior services, so from a young age, I saw firsthand what families go through when a loved one begins to age. I watched the worry, the confusion, the frantic decision-making—and I also saw the heart of the people who serve seniors every day. Read more>>
Rob Hoskins
I’ve been working with my hands most of my life, starting as a maintenance technician working with my dad and then going into construction building and remodeling houses. After trying many different trades, I learned that I enjoyed working in the electrical side of things. I worked for a few companies who trained me as an electrician and grew my skills in the field. Read more>>
Lynne Peterson
I started doing hair at 19, but before that, I was hopping from job to job feeling lost and unsure of what really fit me. Once I found hair, everything finally felt right. When I discovered Invisible Bead Extensions, it clicked even more—I knew this was what I was meant to do. Read more>>
Tim Petet
After seven years in my last corporate engineering position, a layoff pushed me to rethink what I to do for a living. Instead of jumping into another corporate role, I started Ninja-360, a Kansas City–based digital media company focused on drone photography, 360° virtual tours, and visual storytelling. I want to help small business in my area. Read more>>
Amy Tibbitts
The Lilac Center’s story really began when Amy unexpectedly fell into working with clients who needed something different. She was seeing overflow clients from another agency to make some extra money, and she soon realized many of them were struggling with Borderline Personality Disorder. Read more>>
Parker Bender
Finishing school at the University of Nebraska in 2008, I started my first ‘Real Job’ at a Fortune 500, only to be downsized six months later. Nobody was hiring, so I began doing whatever I could come up with to survive. I was roofing, I had a small recording studio, and I started fixing cars in my garage. Read more>>
Steven Bequette
I used to work for a company that had me flying to Sweden every two weeks and sometimes staying for longer periods. I fell in love with the country and culture instantly. Read more>>
Chuck Moore
I am a proud native of Kansas City, Missouri, shaped by a strong Christian upbringing that taught me early the value of service, integrity, and purpose. Growing up, my foundation was built on faith, family, and responsibility—and those core values have guided everything I’ve done in my adult life. From a young age, I learned what it meant to show up for people. Read more>>
Angel McDonald
I often say that Mother’s Refuge has been part of my life far longer than I ever expected. Over 23 years ago, I was a single mom of two, trying to build a stable life for my children. Read more>>
Amber Brown
I didn’t start in real estate because I had everything figured out – just the opposite actually. I had recently left the corporate world behind and was currently working as a barista at a local coffee shop in Ottawa KS. (Shout out MugShot Coffee!) It’s still one of my favorite places. That job came at a very transitional phase in my life. Read more>>
Rikki Franklin
I grew up in Smithville, MO. I’ve been licensed cosmetologist since 2004. I started hair replacement when I was 20 years old. I started my own business in August of 2025. I can do all hair but I specialize in color and hair replacement. My suite is completely private and very comfortable. I love being creative. Read more>>
Dax McLoughlin
Dax McLoughlin is a beauty industry professional and the founder and owner of Luxury Brow + Skin, a permanent makeup and cosmetic tattooing studio in Kansas City, Missouri. Read more>>
Allison Chase
The journey leading me towards becoming a spiritual hypnotherapist began over a decade ago when I was fortunate enough to be taken under wing by a group of older, spiritually gifted individuals. They opened my mind to new perspectives and abilities I never imagined possible. After my introduction to their world, I started saying I’d be the old lady that does energy work. Read more>>
Eli Akins
My Journey to Where I Am Today Life for me wasn’t your typical “pastor story.” I didn’t grow up in chaos or without a foundation—actually, I had a great family. My mom and dad have been married over 40 years, so my whole life I saw consistency, commitment, and love under one roof. Read more>>
Katie & Danielle Davis & Antes
We first crossed paths at one of the most meaningful moments in life: the birth of Danielle’s third baby. Soon after, we found ourselves working side-by-side as nurses on a labor and delivery unit, caring for mothers and their newborns during those first precious hours after birth. Read more>>
Jordan Strickler
Like so many of us, what I’ve been able to achieve is thanks to the many wonderful people around me. For instance, my parents told me when I entered medical school that ‘Lauren Porter (now Lauren Hughes) also went to KU Med and became a pediatrician. Read more>>
Tina Andrews
Here’s a little bit of how I got to where I am today — in real estate, in business, and in my walk with God. For over 20 years, I worked long days in a job that never truly fulfilled me. But I stayed because I wanted my family to have a good life. Read more>>
David Roberts
I started working the family business when I was 14! Now that I’m 26 it’s crazy to think I started from the very bottom working my way up, doing dishes for a couple years then becoming more involved with production until I became a shift manager. Once reaching shift manager, I began training for duties that would become what I’m doing today! Read more>>
Candace Jeffries Mendy Shriver
Candace Jeffries and Mendy Shriver met when their husbands ran into each other at church after going to high school together 10 years prior. Since that day they have shared a faith-filled friendship for over 21 years. Their bond has strengthened through motherhood, ministry, and community leadership. Their friendship deepened further in 2011, when they traveled together on a life-shaping mission trip to Africa. Read more>>
George Pettigrew
It was July 28, 1966, that Buffalo Soldier veterans from WWII executed a charter and establishing themselves as the world’s first Buffalo Soldiers chapter. This occurred in the famed Kansas City 18th and Vine District at the SE corner of 18th and Highland Avenue at what was the National Guard Armory. Read more>>
Robert Dove
I entered the world of marketing through my background in anthropology. While completing my master’s thesis on mobile phone usage, I simultaneously managed e-commerce and digital marketing for Pets Go Here, mastering the art of transforming data into tangible sales. Early clients came via church referrals, and after becoming involved with the Spring Hill (KS) Chamber, I established myself as Dove Web Consulting to offer my expertise. Read more>>
Bianca Aaron
In 2008 I was at a crossroads – either go big with the pretzels or take an executive career path. I went through some of the steps to do the pretzels but ultimately went the exec route and continued to do the pretzels on a small level. In 2022 I retired and decided its now or never with the pretzels so we submitted for trademarks, had inspections, designed and created custom equipment, had a bagging machine built etc. In May 2024 we went live on a large scale and started attending festivals, fairs, Brewfests and other events as well as marketing to local businesses. Read more>>
Rebecca Ferguson “Silk”
It wasn’t always about business when keeping these relationships. I like to know how someone is doing, good or bad. One encouraging word can be healing for someone else. Read more>>
Ali Mahaffy
I took an advertising class in college (KU), and fell in love with the industry. I started in advertising right out of school and was able to get experience in sales promotion, media, research and account management pretty quickly in my career. I leaned into and landed on account management. Read more>>
Victoria Bell
My path into counseling began long before founding Solace Counseling LLC. It started in the school system, working in social work roles that shaped me in profound and lasting ways. Those early years revealed the community-wide challenges many students carried with them into the classroom. I often felt discouraged when the systems surrounding them disrupted the progress I knew they were capable of. Read more>>
Becca Grussgott
I’ve always been passionate about helping people, so it was a natural fit for me to study to become a speech and language pathologist. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. At CU is where I first became interested in stuttering. It was there that I had a professor who stuttered who taught one of my courses. Read more>>
Madi Leena
We come from very spiritually abusive backgrounds and both of us had to escape our homes in 2017 (Leena) and 2023 (Madi). In 2024 we met and exchanged stories and experiences and realized we had a lot in common. These stories ignited passionate discussions between us and we realized that abuse is overlooked in many Christian circles. Read more>>
Christopher Laubenthal
I moved to Kansas City two decades ago, after completing my Master’s in Public Administration at Ohio State University. At Ohio State, I discovered a gift for visualizing data—helping people understand abstract concepts and complex information. Coming to Kansas City, I was determined to continue working with data even if indirectly. Read more>>
Ben Carpenter
New Roots, for those who are unfamiliar, started in 2008 as a 50/50 partnership between Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Cultivate KC. It has operated since then at Juniper Gardens Training Farm, in Northeast KCK, as a 4 year training program for refugees and immigrants who want to start farm businesses in the Kansas City Metro. Read more>>
Holly Miller
After years managing big-box stores, I stepped away from retail when my first daughter—now 18—was born. My husband and I decided that being a stay-at-home mom was the right choice for our family, and over the next decade, as we welcomed two more daughters (now 15 and 11), that became my full-time world. Read more>>
Terry Seufferlein
In 1951, a small group of Christians purchased a building at 56th and Nall and started the Mission Church of Christ. The group grew along with the city, moving south and west along with the new growth, and taking the name Overland Park Church of Christ. The church moved into a building on 67th and Woodson in 1958, and 103rd and Antioch in 1972. Read more>>
Reverend Dee DePriest
I stumbled into the world of weddings in the summer of 2015, back when I was living in Northwest Florida. At the time, I was selling real estate, and let’s just say I wasn’t exactly knocking it out of the park. If not for my dear friend and fellow agent, April Peterson, I probably would’ve survived solely on caffeine and optimism. Read more>>
Jeremy Kobler
My story is long one, but we will keep this to the short version. I was in college trying to find the one thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Read more>>
Francisco Partida
Francisco’s Roofing Inc.: A Family Legacy Built on Hard Work, Service, and Determination Francisco’s Roofing Inc. began as a simple idea shared between my father and me. Before launching our company, my dad spent more than 20 years working for another roofing contractor, and every summer during high school I worked alongside him, learning the trade piece by piece. Read more>>
Dr. Kasey Flynt
My career has always centered on service, education, and building infrastructure that helps communities thrive. Before joining the Haskell Foundation, I spent years working in higher education, research, and program development supporting communities, students, and initiatives that promote health, access, and equity. That work naturally evolved into grant writing, organizational strategy, and capacity-building, which became the backbone of my professional path. Read more>>
Beauty Bar
I have always been obsessed with the beauty industry and everything about it. I decided to go to esthetics school in 2016. Its been such an inspiring journey since. I’ve met so many great and knowledgeable humans along the way in this industry. I joined a Dermatology Skin Cancer center in 2018 as a Medical Assistant/Licensed Aesthetician working hand an hand with the Provider. Read more>>
Paul Chapa
Paul Chapa is the Founder and President of Friends In Service of Heroes (FISH), a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for active-duty service members, veterans, and their families through emotional, physical, and spiritual support. Read more>>
Toni Whitworth
In 2010, I was asked to develop a new division within a privately owned national physician-recruiting firm. The mission was to identify hiring institutions willing to consider physicians whose careers had been impacted by substance use concerns and who were enrolled in a state-mandated, highly monitored five-year health program for impaired physicians. Read more>>
Rick Boxx
In 2001, hundreds of Christian business leaders from around the U.S. were seeking counsel from my consulting practice about the business challenges they were having. They desired to guide their business from a Biblical approach but needed answers and direction. We decided at that time that forming a nonprofit to support these business leaders would be beneficial. Read more>>
Angela and Paige
Hi! We are Angela & Paige! Two best friends and founders of Kansas City’s freshest pop-up hat bar. We met in 2017 through the bridal fashion industry and instantly clicked and never looked back. We’ve blended our collective talents to bring Kansas City a whole new form of self expression and creativity – rooted in our love for customization and all things fashion. Read more>>
Meg Davis
The Social Service League is the oldest non-profit in Douglas County; its history goes back to 1863. We attribute our longevity to our ability to change with the changing needs of the community. In our earliest years we provided the first two public hospital beds; we had a sewing room, a canning kitchen and in 1919 we opened a thrift store. From the mid 1900’s to about 2010 the store sold clothing price very cheap or free on voucher, but inflationary creep caused overhead to exceed revenue, and something had to change. Read more>>
Katie Jones
I think that was the first time I had heard of SE and I was amazed by how helpful it seemed to be. There was one resident who was having a lot of trouble eating and after seeing an SE therapist for a while, she was able to eat again and eventually do other things that used to be overwhelming to her, like take the bus by herself. It was so moving to me. I thought one day, I want to learn more about Somatic Experiencing. Read more>>
Carrie Mandigo
Of course there were struggles with the first 2 years of owning and operating a yoga studio being during the pandemic. But I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and just dug in and kept going. I offered free classes on FaceBook Live. When we were allowed to be in small groups again, I reopened the studio and kept classes very small while also offering several classes so we could get as many in throughout the day as possible. And we continued to grow. I truly believe we saved people’s lives during this emotionally and mentally volatile time. Read more>>
Gina Stockdall
I started Marilyn Jeanne Designs, LLC in 2021, and what a journey it has been! We’ve grown from focusing on business branding and marketing to serving nonprofits and churches, and now we specialize in publishing, marketing, design, and custom merchandise for Christian authors around the world. Read more>>
