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.

Jennifer Skinner | Business Operations Consultant

This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. As someone who has a tendency to pile a lot on my plate, I’m always assessing what to keep vs what to give up. When deciding, I often reflect on a few key questions: 1. Impact on Health: “Is this endeavor negatively affecting my physical or emotional health?” If the answer is yes, I choose to let it go. Maintaining my health and wellness is my biggest priority. Read more>>

Chuck Brown | Writer

Before I became a parent I tried to plan for everything. Something that is impossible to do. One of our biggest struggles was bedtime. That’s when I started reading to my kids as infants. We tried to make an event out of reading and bedtime. Today our kids are excelling thanks to reading to them early. Read more>>

Sophia Hastings | Owner, Salt Marsh Mercantile

As a parent, I believe the most important thing I’ve done is nurture a strong foundation of faith and love in our home. The most important thing I can do as a parent is to guide my children to the cross and for them to have a strong relationship with The Lord. I homeschool my children, which gives me the opportunity to be closely involved in their education and to teach them not only academics but also the importance of kindness, respect, curiosity about the world, and a strong work ethic. By involving them in my journey with Salt Marsh Mercantile, I hope to show them the value of working hard, being passionate about what you do, and persevering through challenges. Read more>>

Amanda Anduiza | Business Solutions Consultant

Often people, including myself at times, focus on big, grand initiatives to make a social impact. When I was a teenager and first entering my twenties, I had grand ideas about changing the world through opening medical clinics in underserved areas or starting an organization that lobbies on behalf of not-for-profits. Thank God there are people who are called to do those things, have done them, and continue to do them. What I have learned though is that social impact starts with the person right in front of us. If we are a business owner or a manager or just a person with any power, it starts with the choices we make about how we treat people and wield that power. I believe in power with instead of power over. And when we treat people that way, it has ripple effects. I ran a small business from 2018-2022. Read more>>

Ethan Carpenter | Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing and Painting Company Founder

I would have to say that one our biggest competitive advantages is the pride we take in our client relationships. We are very intentional about creating lifelong relationships and treating the clients with respect and dignity. Over the course of two years we have created a primarily referral-based business and do not rely on paid leads. People have not only loved our work, but the experience involved. The clients always feel comfortable in their home when we are working and do not have to worry about turning their back on us or leaving the house while we work – because they trust us. This has allowed our name to be passed from friend to friend, family member to family member, or neighbor to neighbor. Additionally, we actually care deeply about the end result and strive to leave the client with a happy smile on their face. Read more>>

Imani-grace King | Writer & Filmmaker

Authenticity is paramount for me. When my actions and words align with what I truly believe, I feel more confident in my ability to get the job done. I find that things flow together with more ease. I feel more invigorated and patient with the creative process and challenges that arise. I think if you’re being authentic to who you are and feel – you can positively influence and impact anyone you collaborate with. And hopefully, when someone witnesses me doing what’s authentic to me, they will feel empowered to do the same. Read more>>

Cypress Ashley | Witch and Holistic Healer

My end goal is to live an integrated life between my career and my personal life. Some days really do need to be that 9-5, but, not all days do. I want to create for myself the financial freedom to be able to take work when others need me, within where I am available, and to spend other parts of my day in creation, education, time with friends, rest, and fun. I am excited to have the opportunity to help others as a part of my daily life, but with flexibility. I’m equally excited to have the opportunity to create art, sugar scrubs, spell candles, spell jars, jams, and whatever else I’d like to make, and to sell those to the people for whom they will impact. Read more>>

Jamie Morris | Portrait & Sports Photographer | Athletic Trainer

I grew up playing sports and my dad was always on the sideline with a camera. I loved seeing the photos he took of me playing sports and my teammates always raved about getting new pictures. As I got into my full-time job as an athletic trainer, I loved incorporating my hobby into my daily life. I would bring my camera to practices and games. My athletes got so much excitement getting photos and immediately shared with their parents. I had parents messaging me, thanking me for capturing a part of their child’s life, it was a memory they would cherish forever. Read more>> 

Jasmine Rhoads | Hair color specialist

As a stylist and busy mom of two, work/life balance has always been something I have had my fair share of challenges over the years as my boys have grown up theyre 12 and 9 now and what I have found is I try to do as much as I can today to help the me of tomorrow. Meaning if I have a huge pile of laundry laying there and I know tomorrow is really busy better believe I’m going to try my best to help myself out for tomorrow and get that done today. It sounds simple but it’s the little things that tend to overwhelm our days. I also try to make sure I make time to do things that feed my soul. Read more>>

Thaddeus Adams | Also known as “Indi’Gxld” -songwriter, performance artist, journalist for Extra Chill Magazine, booking agent Rebel Taqueria, co-lead vocalist of Rhodium, I collab project between myself and Black Zola

Risktaking plays a vital role in development in the sense of learning how to respond to success and failure and what steps you proceed with from that. In 2023 I had my first tour and being that I still work a regular 9 to 5 I had to really buckle down and sacrifice a lot of time, energy and money to go on this tour And be featured with this specific artist. Though we went on the tour and completed it, it did not pan out to anything that we signed contractually, and we took a big financial loss on it. Taking that risk, I learned so much about how I need to move with myself and my team and the time I need to take to cultivate business relationships that can lead into success for those things. And I don’t regret it because although we lost financially, we gained so much knowledge, Built so many relationships, and got affirmation that we are indeed on the right path for what we’re doing with Music Read more>>