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.
Jenna Martine
Align Collection began with the desire to create truly clean, effective personal care products for myself and my family. I started making products in my own kitchen because I couldn’t find products that checked all the boxes; clean ingredients, plastic free packaging, effective formulas and a price that felt accessible. Read more>>
Cerise Hall
Thank you again for allowing Business Speaks LLC to share our entrepreneurial journey. We started out business here in the urban core of Kansas City in 2017 and purchased a commercial property in 2022. We are blessed to still be in business and have grown our footprint in our city. Business Speaks LLC has some distinct verticals 1. youth entrepreneur exchange 2.www.entrprenuerschurch. Read more>>
LaDora Johnson
I started my nonprofit in honor of my parents after my dad passed away in 2009. Initially, it was centered around community service on a broad spectrum, but later, it evolved into specifically advocating for missing persons and guardians and/or conservators of adults with mental illness. The shift was directly related to my adult son being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, who was missing multiple times. Read more>>
Jamie Kacz
My path has always been rooted in community, connection, and collaboration. Before stepping into my role as Executive Director of the Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce, I spent years working across nonprofit leadership, advocacy, education, event planning, and community engagement. Through those experiences, I developed skills in communication, programming, relationship-building, leadership, and creating opportunities for people to get connected and involved. Read more>>
Julie Hans
After starting our first business venture, Mission:Boardgames in December 2016, along with my husband and 2 adult kids, we opened Urban Prairie Coffee in September 2018. Mission:Boardgames is positioned in downtown Mission and there was an existing coffee shop next door. Read more>>
Hannah Williams
We started Savor & Swirl in 2019 to fulfill a dream in our hearts to bring people together around the table, share our passion for food & wine, as well as our love of the entire dining experience, with our guests. Read more>>
Dustin Williams
A passion for hunting and the outdoors led to studying wildlife habitat management at the University of Missouri. From there I found a job with a habitat contractor in Kansas where I worked for 3 years and gained a true passion for restoring native ecosystems within forest, riparian and prairie settings. Read more>>
Roger Ortega
In 2023, my cousin, DJ Duran was going to have a birthday party for his daughter. She wanted to have a foam party. He looked into it and thought, what a great idea for a business. He called me and asked if I was interested in a partnership. At that point I didn’t know what he meant? Read more>>
Robert Rebeck
My start in music production probably happened when I was 6 years old and playing with my parents’ tape recorder. My friends and I used to record skits and songs we made up. I started singing and playing instruments a little later, and then eventually grew to have an interest in music recording. Read more>>
Mallory Gittemeier
I started taking dance classes when I was 3 and haven’t stopped dancing since. I grew up in St. Louis training at a local competition dance studio. We learned ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, tumbling, lyrical, and even a little bit of modern. I continued my education at Webster University, where I received my BFA in Dance (emphasis in Ballet), and BA Math. Read more>>
Jeremy Mercado
I started my business out of necessity. I just had a daughter less than a year at the time and I knew I needed to find something I could do that brings in enough money to support us while having the flexibility to be more present. Read more>>
Laura & Aundrea Organizers | Co-Founders
Laura and Aundrea originally met as neighbors, where their passion for bringing community together through neighborhood block parties became one of their first collaborative projects. As their friendship developed, they realized they also shared a devotion to transforming chaotic environments into peaceful sanctuaries. Life gets busy. Between work, family, endless to-do lists, and everything in between, we know how quickly clutter can pile up. Read more>>
Rachel Righi
I loved baking from a very young age. When I was little, my grandma babysat me and she did a lot of baking. I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table helping her, and she always let me lick the spoon and the bowl. I still remember the exact bowl, and those memories always come up when I see it to this day. Read more>>
Glenna Menard
I started out volunteering to walk dogs when I was between jobs, which eventually grew into transporting animals for several rescues. Transporting to different rescues gave me the opportunity to meet people and learn what various rescues and shelter could take, which dogs and cats they preferred, and who had open space. Read more>>
ShaDonna Coleman
My journey began long before I became a nurse or business owner. I have worked in healthcare for more than 20 years, starting with my administrative career, not realizing this would be the foundation of everything I’ve built to date. I began my nursing career in 2005, as an LPN and later returned to school to become a Registered Nurse. Read more>>
Nevin Stoltz
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been drawn to creating. Whether I was spending hours building elaborate LEGO worlds with my brothers, sketching whatever captured my imagination, painting alongside Bob Ross on PBS, or building models in my basement, I found joy and purpose when creating. As I got older, that passion expanded into acting. Read more>>
Alisa Jefferson
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a home filled with Motown, funk, blues, soul, rock, country, and jazz. I watched music shows on TV and dreamed about performing onstage someday as a singer. Read more>>
Daniel Hipsher
I grew up in the BBQ business. My father was in the bbq business in KC for 51 years. Started work beside him in 1980 and have been in this industry ever since. I worked with him until 1994 when I went out on my own and started Daniel’s Bar-b-q in Edwardsville KS. Read more>>
Kaitlyn Norgaard
I started Inspired Iowan as a creative outlet in 2020 after I had our first child during the pandemic. I was a brand-new mom navigating postpartum and I needed something that just allowed my creativity to flow. I enjoyed sharing photos of our home, decorations, and diy projects that my husband and I were completing. Read more>>
Anakaren Medina
Name is Anakaren medina but my clients know me by Lady Barber KC and this is my story I’ve dreamed of owning a salon for as long as I can remember. My passion for hair started when I was a little girl. Read more>>
Larry Hernandez
I was born in Los Angeles to a Mexican mother and Salvadoran father. From a young age, I showed interest in music. At the time the Latin Rock band, Maná, was at their prime and my dad owned a few cassettes of their albums. Read more>>
Josiah Crandall
When I was growing up, I loved listening to the radio. It wasn’t for the music though; it was for the stories. Programs like Adventures in Odyssey, Down Gilead Lane or Your Story Hour helped spark my imagination and bring truth to life. Read more>>
Hollie Stuhlman
I’ve always been curious and creative. Looking back, I think I was becoming an artist long before I realized it. As a little girl, I loved digging through my grandmother’s costume jewelry, completely fascinated by the way the rhinestones caught the light. Read more>>
Peregrine Honig
Birdies was founded in 2003 as an intimates shop in 100 square feet of a Film Row Building. FIFA and Open Doors awarded owners Peregrine Honig and Alexis Burggrabe a grant to move from their 650 expansion in 2008 into an abandoned 2,000 square foot former candy store. Intima’s Best Lingerie Shop of 2023 and Pitch’s annual regional darling, the inventory is unique and inclusive. Read more>>
Joanne Velez
Maid Strong Cleaning Service has always been more than a cleaning company to me—it’s a legacy built on hard work, resilience, and creating opportunities for women. My mother founded Maid Strong in 2016 with a vision of providing exceptional cleaning services while giving women a workplace where they could be respected and valued. Read more>>
Bettie McReynolds
I started out just managing the bookings that were coming in for my nephew, who had recently been signed to a label deal right out of college. You don’t necessarily get a ton of money as a new artist, but you get the opportunity to record and be promoted. Read more>>
Vanessa Brown
Browns was started by my dad, Danny Brown, in 1980. It was primarily a repair and restoration shop. I have been riding in and driving VWs most of my life. I joined my dad at the shop many years ago, learning about parts and doing body work. I lost my dad in 2024 and continue his legacy, though my primary focus is selling parts. Read more>>
Kristin Yaffa Yanis
To be open and honest, my faith in spirituality and healing through domestic violence is how I got started creating products and advancing my skills as an intuitive service provider. I make products out of tree elements, which has been my go-to when anxiety builds and I need to feel safe or grounded. Read more>>
Raven Fleming
If someone had asked me years ago where I thought my journey would lead, I probably would have simply said, “I want to own a restaurant.” Cooking was my first love. As a child, I was fascinated by watching my older brother experiment in the kitchen, studying cookbooks, learning recipes, and discovering how food had the ability to bring people together. Read more>>
Teresa Floyd
My career definitely hasn’t followed the path I expected. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and originally planned to work in the Health and Human Services field. However, I graduated during the recession, when jobs were hard to come by. Read more>>
Paul and Jayme Voliva
Four years ago, while planning family vacations of our own, we noticed that many destinations had countless resources to help families research attractions, restaurants, and activities. Surprisingly, our own hometown of Branson, Missouri—a place that welcomes millions of visitors each year—didn’t have many family-focused resources created from the perspective of parents with young children. We felt there was an opportunity to fill that gap. Read more>>
Julie Ridder
In 2022 I began documenting family and friend’s weddings on my handheld camcorder, and became obsessed with capturing wedding days. I went on a search to see if anyone was still filming weddings the way we used to: unposed, candid, and full of real emotion, but I realized that style of wedding videography was surprisingly hard to find. Read more>>
SETHU GOPIDALAI
Photography has always been something I genuinely enjoyed, but it started as a creative outlet rather than a business. I moved to the United States from India to pursue my master’s degree in Computer Science, and eventually built a career working in data and technology. Read more>>
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>>
