Inspiring Stories from East Atlanta

ROS

It happened so often that I approached the designer I was working with at the time & told him that, with my network of DJs globally and his skillet, we could have something pretty dope if we launched a shop that was specifically dedicated to helping DJs’ brand themselves properly to grow their businesses. Read More>>

Nancy Eilen

I was that kid who would bring home stray and injured animals. Nursing them back to health or finding new homes as best I could. About 20 years ago I found out that wildlife rehabilitation was an actual ‘thing’ and started volunteering and getting trained by experienced permitted rehabbers. Although I have worked with small mammals, reptiles, and birds, I decided to focus on songbirds and got my federal rehab permit (since birds are federally protected, both state and federal permits are required to rehab them).  Read More>>

James Newman

My dad introduced me to blockbusters at an early age. We were always a movie night family. Since I was about 9/10 years old, I knew I wanted to make films in some form. I started with stop-animation using LEGOs and then did backyard films with my childhood friends throughout grade school. From there I attended film school in New York and adjacently worked as a PA on major productions in the city thankfully through distance relative connections. Read More>>

Jazzmyne Walker

Well, it all started with massage! At a young age I wasn’t aware then, but I had the gift of touch. Natural healing abilities. My father being my guide always. My father got sick when I was born, and he had a lot of accommodations. Growing up was very different with a sickly parent. We definitely needed each other more than we both knew. I had time to explore, or should I say prepare for the journey that I’m on right now. When he wasn’t well, he would always call on me to lay my hands anywhere that hurt.  Read More>>

Qiana Avery

And this passion has grown from losing my beloved mother and both grandmothers. As I get older, I still have many questions about our family history. I also think about how my great-nieces will never know their great-grandmother. It can only be from the stories and pictures we may share. Read More>>

Zaida Aleman

I grew up listening to salsa music, fostering a deep love for Latin music and dance. Instead of focusing solely on my major, I chose colleges with active and serious salsa clubs. San Jose State University became my home, where I joined their competitive salsa club, which later led me to join multiple semi-pro teams in San Francisco for six years. Read More>>

Tristan Blake

My name is Tristan Blake born and raised in Washington DC of Caribbean descent of Trinidad and Tobago. I’ve been here in Atlanta, Georgia, for now, 12 years. I got my exposure to Fashion at a very young age from my late grandmother being a seamstress and my late uncle being a costume designer. I took a sewing class in second grade, which I absolutely hated; however, later on, around the age of 12, I became very intrigued by watching my grandmother sew and being around my uncle as he made costumes.  Read More>>

Omar Townes

In the heart of Newark, New Jersey, amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life, there stood a sanctuary of creativity and transformation: Cut Creaters. Born from a desire to flee the “street life” and forge a path of purpose, it was a beacon of hope in a community hungry for change. It all began in 1993 when a partnership in a salon called “Flavor for your Hair” dissolved, leaving behind a dream unfulfilled. But out of the ashes of disappointment rose a new vision. In 1995, Cut Creaters emerged, a testament to resilience and determination.  Read More>>

Jonathan Bloodworth

I made a trip to a big box store, as many beginner woodworkers do, and grabbed some subpar supplies. My first project was not great, but it certainly worked. what it really did was give me the creator bug. This bug quickly evolved into a full-blown hobby and darn near job. I got the cheapest table saw available from a big box store, a few more tools, and the woodworking journey was off to the races. Read More>>

Keren and Edgar Herrera

We provide digital marketing with beautiful online branding, web design, SEO, and social media. We specialize in helping you become the best-known contractor in your area and dominate your online market. I am proud of all our websites and branding we have done, our book on Amazon, and the most recent podcast, The Contractor’s Corner, where we have interviewed multiple local home service companies, sharing their success and challenges.  Read More>>

Ebone Cooper

With that being said, I’ve always loved school and teaching. I use to play school with my siblings where I was the teacher, as an eldest would, lol. I’ve worked with children in daycare as a world-traveling nanny, and I was also an education manager at Sephora. Teaching is my core. I love to teach because I love to learn.  Read More>>

Jahmir Greenwell

From there, my mom booked me a feature role in the movie called “A Christmas Rescue,” currently available on BET+. I was only supposed to portray the younger child of the actor, but upon arrival on set, the one and only Mrs. Robin Givens was the director, and she decided to give us speaking lines. She’s the coolest! Read More>>

DJ ATL

First of I was born in Decatur, GA, and I started off not as a DJ but as a wanna-be promoter back in high school. I probably wouldn’t even say I wanted to be a promoter. One of my close friends, Jaylan Aaron, came up with the idea of wanting to throw a party, and we could provide the liquor and music. I was like cool. We would go to other kickbacks and teen parties and network with other schools. At the first party, we did okay, but the vibe wasn’t there because the music kept pausing or played too long. Read More>>

Whitney Cobb

My mother and I have been in the wedding industry since 2016 as wedding decorators. This started with my mother decorating my wedding to assist with costs, which ultimately unlocked a raw talent of hers. Since then, we have collaborated on weddings and other events. We have always had our eyes set on owning a wedding venue. That came true May of last year. Read More>>

Brayan Enriquez

It was my father who handed me my first camera. I was fourteen years old and at that time, my father had been writing a column in a local Latinx newspaper. Being an activist, he’d cover local community events happening throughout Georgia, such as health fairs and food drives that catered to Spanish-speaking folk.  Read More>>

Sydney Cook

I’ve always had dreams of owning my own business from an early age. I married my teenage sweetheart at the young age of 22 and became a Marine Corps wife, moving me away from the only life I had ever known in Georgia. We started our married life in Beaufort, South Carolina, where I was a full-time hairstylist in the sweetest little coastal community. In 2019, we welcomed the most beautiful addition to our family and decided it would be best for our family for me to be home with her. Read More>>

Lauryn Bass

My background is Broadcast Journalism. Hampton University helped give me opportunities to learn more about what kind of storyteller I could be. I’ve been striving to learn how to be proficient at them all, as people receive content differently. Read More>>

Stell Simonton

I’m a retired journalist. I’ve lived in Atlanta almost 40 years, nearly half of them spent working at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper. But it was only when I left the newspaper to become a freelance writer that I was really thrown onto my own resources and was able to branch into a variety of pursuits. The first thing that happened was that I took a “Painting for Fun” class from a retired graphic artist who was a neighbor. Read More>>

Terra Elan McVoy

In 2017 I left the realm of publishing, teaching, and bookselling to exercise my storytelling (and team management) skills in fundraising and then marketing. Now, I am Editor and Chief of Staff at Rootstock — a thought leadership consulting agency. Every day, I get to practice all the things I enjoy most: collaborating, team and project managing, creative strategizing, and using my writing skills in a variety of ways to help others tell their best stories to the right people. Read More>>

Sherian Mcghee

My makeup journey started as a little girl; my mother did hair and makeup in her community, and growing up watching her inspired me! I use to play in her makeup all the time and get in trouble. She lost her kidneys at 25, so she wasn’t able to pursue her career! Being the youngest of all my siblings, As I got older, the passion grew! I would always dress up and do my makeup! When I began working at a my Call center job, people would ask do I do makeup Read More>>

Zeeda Brat

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a camera in my hand, trying to show the world my new creation. I’m big on learning new things. Once I feel as if I’ve mastered my new craft, I love to try to show people how to do what I’ve just did. I love the idea of helping someone somewhere learn a new craft. So that brings me to today; my content shows me my workout videos, helping people get motivated to lose weight and become the healthier version of themselves. Read More>>

Talanee Tillery

“I started dreaming about my future when I was just a little girl. I had many aspirations, such as becoming a model, owning a salon, a dancer, a singer, an author, and even the first female Olympic boxer. As I grew older, I realized that I could combine all my dreams into one career. Read More>>

Maria Cid

I was ten years old and visiting a family friend’s house with my family. They also had a daughter who was about two years older than me. Trying to pass the time, she showed me her diary, which was more like a notebook for kids full of questions and stickers, really. On it, it posed the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” To what she had replied: “Actress.” I remember asking her, “Do you really want to be an actress?” Read More>>

Indigo Williams

As a young student, I was captivated by the 4-H members’ exhibits at our local fair. Their passion and dedication to their projects intrigued me and inspired me to join a 4-H Youth Entrepreneurship Program. Through 4-H, I learned valuable life skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork, goal setting, and resilience. Collaborating with my peers improved my ability to work well with others while setting ambitious goals for myself, which taught me to strive for excellence in all aspects of life. Read More>>

Victora Bianca

I always knew my purpose on this earth was to CREATE. Creating has always came to me naturally. I consider it a gift from God, A calling that I must share with the universe. Through creating art, I found my purpose. Drawing, writing & singing were some of my favorite hobbies when I was a little girl. As I got older, I realized that I had a “way with words.” I began writing short horror stories for my friends to read and enjoy at the lunch table when I was in middle school.  Read More>>

Katie Doyle

We are Chad Hess and Katie Doyle, the duo behind the business. Our love for vintage was born out of being thrifty and frugal. When we met, we both liked finding a good deal and the hunt of treasure, so we not only started collecting but selling. Now, we are using our skill set to help others in need with estate sales in the Metro Atlanta area and all around Georgia. Chad has been a professional freelancer photographer for over 15 years.  Read More>>

Wendy Smith

My journey has been an exciting adventure fueled by my passion for sales, marketing, and connecting with people. It all began in the hospitality industry, where I cut my teeth working for prestigious brands like Marriott, Hilton, W, and Sheraton. Over 25 years, I climbed the ranks from the front desk to regional sales and marketing roles, gaining invaluable experience in new builds and transitions. Read More>>

MsMek MHB

Sheimeka Jones (MsMek) was born Aug 13, 1991, in Cincinnati, OH. MsMek is an Independent Rap Artist and upcoming Actress. As a teenager, MsMek loved to write poems, remix industry music, and freestyle. Having a rough lifestyle, writing music became a method she used to release tension and her true feelings. MsMek knew she was one of the few you considered a “Raw Spitter.” When MsMek was 18 she experienced the studio for the first time. Read More>>

Quenshauna Motley Smith

My journey started as a Special Education Itinerant Paraprofessional, where I would support Pre-K children who were identified as having a Significant Developmental Delay in various developmental domains. The children received services at the daycare, HeadStart programs, and at their homes. I enjoyed working with the students so much that I decided to go back to school to obtain a degree. At the time, I wanted to own a business that was tailored to education. In 2003, I obtained my Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management. Read More>>

Glenn Zekser

I ended up getting invited to a friend’s senior recital and ran into a colleague from the composition program. He had recently made a post about how he’d gotten his 100th client in the basement studio he was working out of. This was really incredible since he’d only been out of school a year. Most people take a few years to make it. So, I asked him, “How do I do what you do?” My friend pointed me to a few studios around town where I might be able to intern, and a few days later, I emailed all of them. Only one responded. Read More>>

Maureen Sweatman

I have been on the journey of seeking joy my whole life, not because I am a bubbly, Pollyanna type but as someone who thinks and cares deeply and who knew there must be more to life than the depression and darkness of the traumas I experienced as a child and young adult. Read More>>