The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Paloma Aquino
Now, in 2025, I’m a homeowner and business owner. I started my cleaning business, VPD, at the end of 2023 to step away from corporate life and do something I’ve always loved. I used to help my brother with his cleaning company as a young adult, and it became a side job I really enjoyed over the years. One day my best friend said, “Paloma, you’ve always been a cleaner—why not start your own business?” So I did. Read more>>
Nicole Blanco
My husband started his Transport and Logistics company named CONEXION TRANSPORTES in 2016 in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico where he is from. In 2018 when we got married we wanted to start the sister company in the USA named CONNECTION TRANSPORT & LOGISITCS INC. We started with a 2006 Ford 250 pick up truck and have grown into a fleet of 7 different size trucks and a team of 7 employees between both companies. We strive to provide the best customer service to bring peace to our clients during their transport needs. Read more>>
Kayla Gavigan
Once Upon A Party was founded by Kayla Gavigan, a lifelong performer, artist, and dreamer who believes in the power of storytelling to create lasting joy. With a background in performance arts and formal studies in production and performance at Texas State University, Kayla blended her love of creativity, theater, and family entertainment into a vision for something truly special. Read more>>
Jennifer Alaniz-Yassa
My journey into the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) began during my undergraduate years, when I volunteered and later worked as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). It was through that hands-on experience, supporting individuals across a wide range of ages and developmental levels, that I discovered my passion for helping individuals with autism and their families. That passion led me to earn my Master’s in Special Education with an emphasis in ABA, completing my graduate internship at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Read more>>
Dennise Ruiz
After graduation, I followed my love for wildlife and took a position at SeaWorld working with the parrots of the “AZUL” show and “Beluga Educational Show”. I loved to inform the public and show off our beautiful birds. Later, I moved to Louisiana to serve with Americorps at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. As a Community-Based Restoration intern, I traveled the coast, working on environmental projects and documenting the Coalition’s progress through photography. Read more>>
Christie Marie
Over time, I realized that people were really connecting with the way I shared stories—not just about the food, but the experience behind it. That’s when I leaned into blogging more intentionally, combining short-form videos with storytelling and honest reviews. I started collaborating with local businesses, covering events, and exploring everything from hole-in-the-wall diners to boutique hotels. Read more>>
Jacqueline Primrose
I moved to Austin from Washington, DC at the height of the crack epidemic. my son was beginning to get involved with gangs, and my daughter was pre-teen, girls going wild. This was my motivation to make a change. So, with encouragement from a friend already living in Austin, my intent on starting a new career in IT, guided by my faith, and with no job, no family, no encouragement for my minimalist reboot plan, I was able to get a job with a prominent IT startup, be promoted to Systems Admin within a year of starting, earned my Bachelors in Information Technology, obtained my CISA. Read more>>
Jackie Salgado
As a young child 5-7 years old she spent lots of time outside and always felt inspired by nature and the fine details no one paid attention to. Her young art deeply reflected the overlooked aspects of botanicals and spirituality that only the innocence of a child can fully understand. Her artistic skills became apparent, when adults she would see routinely, including teachers, and doctors, continuously made comments about her excelled talent in drawing and artist skills throughout her years of adolescence. This positive reinforcement encouraged her to explore this talent more with age. Read more>>
Elizabeth Mancha
In 2019, my husband Kevin and I were cruising through the streets of San Antonio in Vespa-powered sidecars. With Sidecars SA, we weren’t just offering joyrides. We were creating a fresh, unforgettable way for people to experience the city we love. Every turn through downtown, every laugh from a passenger, every curious glance from someone on the sidewalk reminded us why we do this. We do it to connect people to the heartbeat of San Antonio. Read more>>
Erik Melland
Hasn’t been a smooth road, but we knew that. Being new to town or even having a new style of fitness brought into town can be challenging. Many are used to conventional training as I focus on both unconventional and conventional training. We have been steady with people noticing us in the fog but once they know what we offer, they are already a member. We are confident about the future and very happy that we are slowly progressing forward. Read more>>
Angel Villa
Sure! I’m 17, and I made the decision to step away from traditional school to fully focus on building and running my business, Nova Prints. I’ve always been drawn to hands-on, creative work, and I started with a 3D printer and a lot of curiosity. That quickly grew into a full custom shop offering 3D printing, laser engraving, prototyping, and more. Read more>>
Harim Moreno
Fast forward two years, and I found myself in a situation that would unknowingly set the course for my future. Frustrated with the teaching style and choreography of the instructor for a particular Quinceañera, my teenage self, perhaps a bit too boldly, voiced my displeasure. This led to the instructor’s departure and my subsequent grounding. However, my mother, with a wisdom I appreciate even more now, held me responsible, tasking me with ensuring the dances still happened. With the unwavering confidence of youth, I declared, “I will, and it’s going to be better than whatever that lady was doing!” Read more>>
Great Akudo
At the time, my business partner and I thought to ourselves “what if we could get him the working capital he needs for his business, maybe he could get a commercial insurance policy with us.” Read more>>
Madison Ortega
When I met my husband, Santiago, he was working through his own health issues. I supported him by eliminating inflammatory foods from his diet and introducing him to juicing and whole food nutrition. He believed in me from the beginning and encouraged me to start something of my own. At the time, I was working in tech at a digital marketing agency, but in July 2019, I took the leap. We decided to bet on ourselves and launch Southwest Elixirs. Read more>>
Crissy Martinez
It started as a fun hobby after picking up a cricut machine and supplies at my local craft store during the pandemic. I started to create fun crafts and share them on my social media account and little by little I had people interested in purchasing some of the creations I had made. I had taken the leap of faith and decided to start my own small business and never looked back. I didn’t think from crafting in my parents office corner, would I grow 5 years later into my own office space creating items for people all around. 3 years into this adventure I would start setting up at local pop up markets and instantly fell more in love with what I was doing. Read More>>
David Teran
The article was written by a ballerina who had been working as a guest dancer at the Buenos Aires Teatro Colón. As David read the story and looked at the photos, he realized he had been to many of the places featured in the article during his previous trips to Argentina. At the end of the article, the author mentioned an Argentinian ballerina friend named Marisol Lopez Prieto. Captivated by the allure of Buenos Aires, often referred to as the Paris of South America, David decided to include a photoshoot during his trip. He asked Marisol, and she agreed. David brought along his “hobby” camera at the time, the Hasselblad 500C/M, and used it for the shoot on film. Read more>>
Brandie Regalado
I completed my first teacher training thinking I’d just deepen my personal practice, but San Antonio had other plans. One class led to another, and suddenly I’d taught thousands. Crystal singing bowls had been a staple in our house for years but it took me a while to build up the courage to follow the vibrations calling me to bring them out to classes revealing new dimensions of healing I hadn’t imagined possible. Read more>>
