Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Jen Stone
My journey has been anything but linear, but when I look back, there’s actually been a consistent thread running through it: I’ve always been fascinated by people, personal growth, and understanding what helps us thrive. I started my career in the corporate world, where I spent about 12 years working in forensics and audit. Read more>>
Tracy Ann Battaglia
I’m Tracy Ann Battaglia, founder of The Fully Alive Agency — a full-service creative and business development agency that helps entrepreneurs launch, refine, and scale their small businesses, all under one roof. But I didn’t start as an agency — I started with a camera. Read more>>
Austin Sweeney
I grew up on a family farm in Dayton, OR. I played music in different bands growing up and near the end of my college tenure, I moved to Nashville to give it a go. It didn’t work out. I was naive and broke and Nashville can make broke folks broke-er. It was a great experience though of how competitive the music business is. Read more>>
Saint (Joshua Peters) Svintskvstle
I got my start at age 9 when I picked up a cheap guitar, and my family quickly realized I had a natural connection with music. I started taking lessons and eventually formed my first band at 13. By high school, I had landed my first record deal and began touring, which I continued until 2019. Read more>>
Oluchi Onwumere
My journey to Everkind Care Homes began with a deeply personal vision of what assisted living could and should feel like. I saw an opportunity to create something different from the traditional institutional model of senior care, a smaller, intimate residential setting where exceptional care could coexist with warmth, dignity, beauty, and genuine human connection. Read more>>
Kim Huenecke
We created the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival back in 2016.We started to show films back in 2018. The energy was incredible! The female filmmakers were thanking us for creating this festival. Then in 2021, we made the festival into a non-profit entity. The energy at the festival is good. We work to create a welcoming environment for everyone at the festival. Read more>>
Georgiana Salagean
I came to the United States from Romania at 19 years old and built my life here from the ground up. Over the years, I developed a passion for caring for seniors and eventually turned that passion into my own assisted living business. Read more>>
Leah Locke
My journey into massage therapy has been about discovering what I wanted to create—and what I didn’t want my clients to experience. Working at a day spa gave me valuable experience, but it also showed me that I wanted something more personal and intentional. Read more>>
Ambar Mach
Our business actually started during COVID, when the world felt heavy and everyone was desperate for something fun to bring people together again. My husband has always loved photography, and I’ve always been obsessed with creating backdrops, props, and all things visual. One day we saw a post on Instagram that combined both our passions so perfectly it practically jumped off the screen. Read more>>
Holly Skaggs
I am an artist, innovator and founder of Wild Tonic, a nationally distributed, better-for-you beverage called jun – a rare ferment made from honey and green tea. It was born from my lifelong fascination with alchemy, nature and transformation. Growing up in Alaska, I first experienced the art of fermentation through my grandmother, who transformed wild dandelions and blueberries gathered from her homestead into wine. Read more>>
Ashley Howell
I grew up in Alaska knowing very little about entrepreneurship or what it meant to work for yourself. My dad’s passion was building homes. He built a few for our family growing up so I was exposed to that from an early age but I never thought about real estate as a career option for myself. Read more>>
Hilary Gordon
It actually started because my sisters both created hyperlocal Instagram accounts in their own cities, and I watched what they were building and thought, that looks really fun I want to do that here in Phoenix. So I started reaching out to small, women- and family-owned businesses to spotlight them on my page. Read more>>
Lisa Wade
Lele Sweets was born from my deep love for Maui and my desire to give back to a place that has become a second home to me. I officially launched Lele Sweets in November 2024, but the inspiration behind it goes back much further. Read more>>
Joshua Grzywa
Deep Sea Valkyries began in 2014 during one of the most difficult periods of my life. Over the course of six weeks, eight Soldiers I had served with died by suicide. Read more>>
Maria Jasmine
My journey into transformation began in fitness, helping women transform their bodies and feel better in themselves. But my own transformation took me somewhere much deeper. Read more>>
Vita Chang
I have worked in international business for more than a decade. Before founding DRAMAGO, I led international market initiatives at Alibaba, where I spent years studying consumer behavior, content preferences, and market trends across regions. My co-founder brings deep experience in film and entertainment production. We had each built a career in our respective fields, but eventually saw an opportunity to bring those perspectives together. Read more>>
Tricia Riggio
I have been doing hair for the last 22 years. For the last six years, I have ran and owned my own micro Salon as well as starting to grow my Salon team. Read more>>
Tiamo De Vettori
In my early 20s, I started writing poetry, and eventually realized that songwriting was like putting poetry to music. Seeking to impact more lives with my messages, I learned the guitar and wrote my first song. After making my live debut as a performing singer/songwriter, I quickly discovered my new burgeoning passion. Read more>>
Brittany Trull
I have been in the social media space since around 2014 – I started on YouTube and just created content for fun with friends who also were in the space with me. This time in my life taught me to post what I wanted without the fear of being judged which really opened up the door for me and content creation. Read more>>
Erica Carpenter
I got my start in construction when I was 18 years old with no college degree, no formal training, and honestly no idea where the industry would take me. What I quickly realized was that construction isn’t just a great career, it’s an incredible opportunity for women who are willing to work hard, build relationships, and learn. Read more>>
Meg (Muge) Jones
Born and raised in Turkey (Muge Jones). College education in Turkey and Europe as an English Major. Moved to Japan and started my marketing career as a magazine copywriter/editor in my early twenties. I was deeply inspired by what SEO and Google Ads can do for businesses. Read more>>
Paula Johnson, LCSW, CCTP, CFTP
Hi, I’m Paula. I believe therapy is a collaborative journey where you can feel heard, supported, and empowered to create meaningful change. Before becoming a therapist, I spent more than 25 years leading and mentoring others in the corporate world. While I valued helping people grow professionally, I felt called to support individuals in a deeper, more personal way. Read more>>
Carlos Mata
I opened Natural Results Plastic Surgery on February 17, 2017 — a few weeks after my wife delivered our first son, Jordan. So the practice and my family literally grew up together. It was me and four employees, a lot of conviction, and one idea I refused to compromise on: results so natural that people can’t tell you had anything done. Read more>>
Josh Kennedy
I grew up in the Ozarks and moved to Tempe Arizona to go to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences.. There I started working at the Gin Blossoms studio for them where I met Chico (our drummer) and then meeting Brenden( Bassist). From there it was just full tilt and we have been writing, recording and touring ever since. Read more>>
Troy Rivera
My story really began in education. I spent over 20 years serving students, families, and school communities as a teacher, instructional leader, and school administrator. During that time, I learned how powerful relationships, mindset, identity, and belief systems are in helping people grow and create change in their lives. Read more>>
Hannah Bringas
For the past decade, photography has been a huge part of my life. When I moved to Arizona to attend the University of Phoenix, I never imagined how much that decision would shape my future.. While earning my Bachelor’s degree in Health Management, I worked as a professional caregiver, a role that has taught me compassion, patience, and the importance of connecting with people. Read more>>
Cherie Miracle
I started my photography journey long before I had a camera in hand. As a child, I read a book (the name escapes me) but the hero of the story was a detective and would say the word ‘click’ to capture moments in her mind. Even as a child, I related that to photography, although I doubt I connected the dots back then. Read more>>
Sky Burgess
Before starting Housing by Sky, I worked in a variety of industries, including hospitality, where I gained experience in bars, hotels, reception, and customer service. Those roles taught me the importance of hard work, communication, and putting people first, but I always knew I wanted to build something of my own that offered more freedom, purpose, and opportunity. Read more>>
Polly Chan
My career has always been centered around helping people. I spent nearly 18 years at Verizon, where I learned the importance of listening, building relationships, and finding the right solutions for each customer. As I built my career in the insurance industry, I had the opportunity to experience both independent and captive insurance environments. Read more>>
Sambo Kim
Two older cousins who are practically my brothers were in the trade, growing with them i noticed there was job security there, i joined the trade after some years of just adventuring the job market. Read more>>
Augusto Blanco
My name is Augusto Blanco, and I specialize in men’s mental health, a field with far fewer trained clinicians than it needs. My story starts in an unexpected place. At seventeen, I was like most young people at that age: uncertain about the future but feeling the pressure to choose a path. Read more>>
Allysa Topel
During my college years, I was a dedicated student-athlete playing competitive soccer.. At the same time, I worked two jobs—serving and bartending at local Arizona restaurants while also contracting a few days a week with Castle Biosciences, a rapidly growing molecular diagnostics company. After completing my undergraduate degree at Arizona state University, Castle Biosciences offered me the opportunity to join the company full-time. Read more>>
Kiolli Sydnor
**Golden Rootz LLC Journey** Golden Rootz LLC began with a passion that started at just 12 years old. What began as practicing natural hair care on family and friends quickly grew into a true calling. Read more>>
Rebecca Chavez
When people ask how I got into animal rescue, they usually expect a simple answer. They imagine there was one defining moment that changed everything. The truth is much more complicated. My journey did not begin with a dramatic rescue or a lifelong dream of working with animals. Read more>>
Christopher Frank
Oh boy. Well to cut the longest story short. My mom use to live in Brooklyn, NY and I would go visit her during summer breaks and holidays. I was living with my pops in California at the time. My mom brought me to her friend Melissa’s house who was a DJ. I was immediately in AWE!! Read more>>
Wendy Kleinfeldt
I never set out to start a business. I watched my parents struggle financially, and I’d absorbed every horror story about the downside of owning one. But eventually I overcame this fear because of I had this persistent gnawing sense that I needed to reach beyond my horizon and impact more lives. Read more>>
Getsemani Bejarano
After years of Corporate America, my body mind and soul needed a ‘reset.’ I took a big leap of faith and resigned from my corporate job with no back up plan. That lasted about 3 months until my mind needed SOMETHING to do. I guess being a full time mom and wife wasnt enough! That’s how Its a Tots World came to life. Read more>>
Candace Carter
My journey started long before I ever imagined creating a business. I experienced PMDD from the time I was about 15 years old, but for years I didn’t understand what was happening to me. Every month I felt like I became a different person; emotionally overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, and disconnected from myself. Read more>>
Jonathan Limon
I started back in 2022 after graduating from Arizona State University. I wanted to start a new hobby and explore my new interest in photography. Self taught through trial and error, I would enjoy doing photo shoots for fun. I first learned how to understand the functions of my camera and moved on from there, practicing different styles as I grew. Read more>>
Kimber Lanning
I’m an entrepreneur and economic development specialist, and my work is all about encouraging strong, flourishing communities and inspiring a higher quality of life for people across Arizona. My entrepreneurial career began when I was 19 years old. In 1987, I launched a retail store to sell new and used music, Stinkweeds. Read more>>
