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.
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>>
Michelle Powell
In the spring of 2022, I was a stay at home mom of three small kids, living out in the country and trying my best to raise good humans. The days were long, but I knew the years would be short and my window to show them how to lead a life of service, kindness and generosity would be small. Read more>>
Sandra Wheeler
“You just sit at a desk all day. Why would your feet hurt after work?” This is the perception some people have of office jobs. I’d spent 20 years in a corporate America office environment and, yes, I had a desk but spent a lot of time on my feet doing manual labor in a skirt and high heeled shoes. Read more>>
Tina Haefke
Like many, the pandemic offered an unexpected pause—a moment to step back, reflect on the impact of my work, and consider how my time and talents might be applied in new and meaningful ways. During this time, I was also providing consultation to other mental health professionals working within the school system. Read more>>
Shawn Helt
My Grandfather started growing sod in 1963. He retired in 1971. My Father started into the sod farm business the same year my grandfather father retired. I grew up working on the small family sod farm and then joined my father after graduation. Now my mother, son Slater, my wife and I run the farm. Read more>>
Marie Schulte
My journey starts all the way back when I was a little girl and my best friend’s mother had taken us to Children’s Palace. Dawn asked what toy we wanted. I wanted a book—it was called The Kids’ Book of Questions. I was very curious and wanted answers to all my questions. Read more>>
Ericka Beeler
I didn’t set out to start a consulting firm. I set out to fix what I saw breaking really good people and organizations in healthcare. Early in my career, I worked inside hospitals and physician groups and saw firsthand how much time and energy went into just trying to stay afloat. Brilliant leaders were stuck in systems that made growth and innovation feel impossible. Read more>>
Darrick Calvin
We started the Leon Calvin boxing gym in honor of my cousin Leon Calvin he’s the oldest son of former champion Leon Spinks he was murdered back in 1990 and had a promising career so we decided to open up a gym in his honor to give back plus help on youth get off the streets Read more>>
Conor Scholes
The Gathering Baptist Church has two campuses that are located in Independence and Blue Springs, Missouri. Read more>>
Jessica Bridgewater
It actually started when my own babies were little. I picked up a camera and just went to tow. No plan, no strategy, just pure curiosity. And a little desperation to freeze every moment before it slipped away. Which now that my babies are older, I’m so glad I did! I’d taken a few photography classes back in high school, but honestly? Read more>>
Emily Reinhardt
I had my sights set on majoring in photography when I went to college at Kansas State University in 2006, and part of that degree requirement was taking a three-dimensional credit course, so I enrolled in ceramics. Within two weeks of that first ceramics class I was pretty sure I’d found what I wanted to do. Read more>>
Samantha Thomas
Becoming a mental health counselor was an unexpected twist in my story. Growing up, there was a tug-of-war of sorts for me between person-centered, relational work and quantitative fields such as math and science. Career assessments spit out ‘aerospace engineer’ at the same rate as ‘psychologist’ for career recommendations. At 18, I chose physics. Read more>>
Cindy Haight
I grew up in a trucking family, I have one sister and one brother, we moved from town to town, wherever my dad’s job took us. We spent every summer on the road from the day school was out til it started again. Read more>>
Mary Peterson
I am a self taught artist. My journey started 50 years ago when I took a tole painting class. After that, I moved to a wet-on-wet class at a local art studio. The owner talked me into an oil painting class and I discovered I could actually paint! Read more>>
Josh Scott
Art House 808 came from my wife and I’s desire to be a part of impacting our local community of artists. We are artists ourselves and have long, successful careers doing many different disciplines. We saw a really massive gap and have experienced how under-serviced Grandview is in this area. Read more>>
Jessica Brown
Mighty Kids Pediatric Therapy began out of both necessity and calling. I was working with children through MO First Steps (early intervention services), and I kept meeting families who were desperate for therapy closer to home — families stuck on long waitlists at large hospital systems or driving an hour each week just so their child could be seen. Read more>>
Madeline Davis
My husband, Chase, and myself have been playing games and hosting game nights together since we started dating (13 years ago!) It’s always been about the quality time, community, and joy of gaming for us. We hosted often in college and have made some of most dear friends through gaming. Read more>>
Merrie Skaggs
About 15 years ago my sister Nan Funkhouser, who retired from the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra as second French horn player, decided to give piano lessons. She taught two little guys who had keyboards with song banks. Read more>>
Kali Keilbey
I started in the mental health field after college as a case manager, helping adults with severe mental illness. I quickly realized that helping others was something that I enjoyed in a career, but I found that I wanted more. I decided to go back to get my Master’s so that I could help at a deeper level. Read more>>
steve mayse shelley mayse
We designed and built our home in ’90 on 2 acres of woods in Lenexa. Steve built the studio (2005-8) (25′ x33′) to serve both artwork production as an artist/illustrator and Shelley’s work with clients and groups. We hold creative workshops, events, and Shelley holds her business activities in that space. Read more>>
Neal Biggs
In second grade, my mom was called into the school to meet with my teacher. The issue was that I would finish my schoolwork quickly and then would start to draw… which was fine… but I would hum… loudly. In fourth grade, I won an award for a drawing of Abe Lincoln. Read more>>
Meagan Fikes
I originally pursued a career as an actuary. I had a passion for all things math related, a knack for learning new topics outside of a classroom setting, and preferred to sit and focus at a desk rather than do the hands-on type of work. It seemed like the perfect fit for me. Read more>>
Greg Franklin
I started making cheesecake as a hobby. As a hobby a built a small delivery route. I took a variety of cheesecakes to local businesses for employees to purchase. After losing my job on National cheesecake day we opened our first location. During the COVID shutdown we added a food truck to be able to serve people outside. Read more>>
Candace Villanueva Greer
I am an advocate for equity in education and a proud product of the Kansas City, Kansas Public School District. Growing up in Wyandotte County surrounded by dedicated educators, strong community values, and resilient families instilled in me a deep belief in the power of education to transform lives. Read more>>
LaRonda LaNear
I started We Got It Covered out of a genuine love for food and community. What began as a small passion for cooking and hosting quickly grew into a full-service catering company built on quality, creativity, and care. Read more>>
Jen Wewers
I’ve always felt alive in spaces where people are navigating real life—moments of change, vulnerability, or growth. During my years in New York City, I worked as an assistant chaplain at Bellevue Hospital, taught high school at a Catholic girls’ school, and spent time in a day rehabilitation program supporting people living with severe mental illness and housing instability. Read more>>
