We were fortunate to catch up with some brilliant artists, creatives and entrepreneurs from throughout the Houston area and they share the wisdom with us below.

Francisca Machado | Owner and CEO of Glamorous Beauty Aesthetics

The idea that I came up for my business was I wanted a place where women would come to my business in help of their beauty. My idea was, they come to me to help them with confidence of beauty and regain that feeling when they look at themselves in the mirror and saw a beautiful women staring in front of them. Help them by getting eyelashes, making their skin become healthy again or by loosing that stubborn fat. Read more>>

Patty Williams-Downs | Founder & CEO, BreakingBounds

One of the most important decisions I’ve made that contributed to my success thus far is – letting go of relationships that don’t serve me and revised and deepened existing ones while building new ones that support my highest and greatest good. In some ways this was really difficult and it was a relief. There wasn’t a single thing that I consciously let go of that felt awful or dreadful. It all felt incredibly peaceful, which told me, “This is where you’re supposed to be.” My definition of relationships is inclusive and holistic. When I say ‘relationships’ I mean: people, institutions, food, alcohol, and my DREAMS! I let go of a few friend groups and connected with new and incredible ones! Read more>>

Austyn Cage | Musical Artist

In my opinion, risks are necessary for growth and self improvement. I think that people deviate away from risks due to the fact that risks are scary. But that’s the whole point. How can you know what you’re truly made of if you never take that “leap of faith?” It’s supposed to be scary. That’s how you grow and learn as a human being. Even if the risk a person takes doesn’t work out in their favor, did they really lose if they learned something from it? Read more>>

Robert Breitenstein | DJ and Business owner

Risk is alwasy involved with business and life as a whole. I think that I have lived in a state of uncertainty for so long now, that it doesnt bother me too much. The uncertainty I’m talking about, that most people I’m sure you’ve interviewed, is the feeling of “is this all going to pay off or did I waste my time, money and energy”. Either way, I am here for the beautiful view at the top of the moutain, even if the ride is bumpy. No discredit to anyone else who takes a different path, but there is a certain feeling of acomplishment to be felt when you take a leap of faith into business and the jump of uncertainty. The feeling is unrivaled. Quitting a previous job you may have had with stable income right into uncertainy is the exact kind of feeling I’m talking about. Read more>>

Shannon Mann | Owner & Principal Designer of Mann Designs Studio

In 2019, we started our MannKind campaigns to bring awareness and raise money for the nonprofits and charities we support and work with annually. We believe the more we know, the better we all become, and collectively we can make a difference. We often focus on organizations that support the arts and education, as well as our local community. We recently designed (pro-bono) a creative classroom / lounge space for underprivileged children at an elementary school in Houston and have just started working on another one at a different school. We hope by doing so, this provides a safe and inspiring place for young children to ignite their own creativity. Read more>>

Keisha Ash | Founder / CEO

KDA Markets are more than just a place to find beautiful, unique crafts and delicious treats. They’re incubators of positive change, weaving a vibrant tapestry of economic empowerment, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability within communities. We believe in the power of local talent and small businesses. Our markets provide a platform for them to shine, directly injecting income into the community and boosting the local economy. Every artisan you see, every bite of a homemade treat, represents a local dream flourishing, creating jobs, and strengthening the economic fabric of the neighborhood. Read more>>

Jason Graham | Yoga Mat Owner & Actor

Ever since the Covid pandemic and how our leaders approached it whether positive or negative, I’ve notice that I have become riddled with anxiety. A friend recommended a book entitled, “ Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present.” I am an overthinker from way back. I have always known it and simply accepted the fact that I was going to live my life as an anxious person. This book certainly helps puts things in perspective. It provides multiple realistic and relatively easy techniques for addressing anxiety and overthinking. They make it clear that nothing works immediately, but that practicing and eventually mastering the techniques mentioned will put you well on your way to understanding and accepting your emotions and thoughts for what they are, and move past what they shouldn’t be. Read more>>

Dr. Delilah Gonzales | Executive Director/Founder of Emerging Learners Literacy Foundation

At my core, I am an early childhood educator. I operate under the tenet that “students do not need to reform educators; educators must reform to meet the needs of their students.” To create early childhood literacy learners, I believe thinks educators and families need to use approaches that are developmentally appropriate, grounded on research, and culturally relevant. I believe early childhood education places a strong emphasis on the holistic development of the child, including their physical, intellectual, social, and emotional requirements. I think programs and curriculum should be based on an awareness of both the unique development of each child and the broad patterns of growth that characterize the early years must be developmentally appropriate. Read more>>

Sherhonda Harper | Registered Nurse

My end goal is that I would love to leave a legacy that my family, specifically, my nieces and nephews would be proud of. That other individuals can read articles I have written and learn something impactful that can influence their career in someway just as others did for me. By the end of my career, I would love to be fully embracing my financial and educational investment. Maybe teaching a course or two, on my terms, at the college level, part-time! Read more>>

Benjamin Medina | FASHION DESIGNER / TATTOO ARTIST

I’m from Von Ormy, Texas -a very small town with very limited resources. Coming from a humble upbringing, I only had the skill of resourcefulness to rely on. This only bred innovation in my process and design. In my opinion this is the key to longevity for artists looking to last. Make sure to be as resourceful as possible, think practical and try to never exhaust your imagination. Stay grounded no matter how good or bad the circumstances are. Read more>>

Julian Hernandez | Real estate agent & Professional Musician & Fitness Instructor

I started out as a full-time classical musician and part-time fitness instructor. Once I shifted my main focus to real estate, I maintained work as a part-time classical musician as well as continuing my role as a fitness instructor, so essentially three jobs. I quickly learned that things will inevitably fall through the cracks and that’s okay, it’s normal, it’s human. I have started time-blocking my days where I’ll solely work on and think about real estate and the next few hours, it’s strictly for music. We do it at the gym, right? Why not with every aspect of your life? This small shift has massively improved my efficiency and accuracy in what I do. Read more>>

Amy Cole Bremser | Photograoher

I’ve been a creative my entire life! Growing up, I was always told to fit the mold: go to school, then college, get a normal job, work my whole life at that job, and then retire. While that’s fine for many, I’ve always felt that such a lifestyle was never meant for me. I was always ‘outside of the box,’ as my family would say. I was heavily involved in the arts, theatre, and photography growing up. I can remember carrying around one of those old cameras that would record on a 3 inch floppy disc (if you remember those). I even modeled for several years so I learned a lot on how to be on the other side of the camera.. So I’ve always been involved and around photography as an art. Read more>>