It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from throughout New Jersey.
Courtney Sprechini
Throughout my entire life, I have found joy in helping others. Since I was a teenager, I began to expand helping others beyond my community by volunteering for various national and local charities and participated in many fundraising events. During this time, my uncle was also diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. Read more>>
Maria Sokolina
I have always been drawn to creating something beautiful with my hands and finding creative solutions . From early on, I knew I wanted both: meaningful work and the independence of running my own business. Growing up in Russia in the 1990s as a Jewish girl came with significant challenges. Opportunities were limited, and the environment was unstable. Read more>>
Nicole Schwarze
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an artist, but it wasn’t my plan to become a photographer. I was always painting and drawing as a kid, that was the umbrella of who I was. In middle school, I got a little digital point-and-shoot camera and somehow became convinced I was going to make horror movies. Read more>>
Michelle Bergamo
I’m the writer of “Jersey Birdies,” a feature film (RufCut Pictures) currently in post-production with an anticipated 2026 release. I’ve always loved to write. I grew up in Byram Township (northwest New Jersey), performing original shows with my sisters and friends. My one friend and I used to perform plays for our 5th grade class. Read more>>
Monica Johnson
At times, my story feels like it was pulled from the pages of a warped fairytale — full of unexpected plot twists and radical pivots I never would have written for myself. There were seasons that nearly broke me, however, those chapters forged me into the author of my own becoming. Read more>>
Jennifer Gregg
My journey has never been linear. It has been layered. I began in the helping field with a deep desire to understand people, pain, and resilience. With a background in Psychology and Sociology, I earned a Master’s in Behavioral Science and later returned to school to complete a second Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. That second degree was not just about credentials. Read more>>
Melissa Clarke
My journey to forging a thriving business was far from a walk in the park (I’m sure you can relate!). Picture this: from my roots in the UK, I followed my darling husband’s career moves to China and later the United States. Oh, and just to keep things exciting, I welcomed a daughter and twin boys into the world along the way! Read more>>
Michelle LaVecchia Odendahl
I’m just a girl who was born in New Jersey… with a bold voice, confidence, creativity & a passion for travel. I always knew I had a big purpose for my life… but I didn’t know how to find it. For nearly two decades, I poured my creativity, energy, and soul into the world of visual merchandising and retail management. Read more>>
Melissa Ludwick
I began baking professionally in the Spring of 2016, after retirement from the NJ Public School System, where I taught for over 10 years. What has been a hobby and creative outlet since childhood is now a growing business. It all began by selling “YogiBars” – now “Goodness Bars”, to the yoga studio I attended regularly. Read more>>
Briana Germano
Right out of high school, I worked as an office assistant filing charts and helping with faxes. I went on to “move up” in the office as a medical assistant. Then, before I knew it, I was managing the office. I worked for 10 years managing medical practices in Monmouth County, specifically Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Read more>>
Lisa Ascolese
I am an inventor, mind, body and spirit. I have been inventing since I was nine years old. My first product that sold on the market was called the “Bosom Buddy Breast Feeding Cape” which sold in retail stores nationwide. Following that, I was bitten by the inventing bug and went on to develop hundreds of products for herself and for her clients. Read more>>
Brittany Wisniewski
In college, I dreamed of having a family, owning a home & business. I studied different subjects & worked many jobs to gain knowledge & experience. After I met my husband, he inspired me more to pursue my dreams. In 2021, I purchased my first home. In 2022, I married my husband. Together we opened a retail business in the same year. Read more>>
Hazel Alvarez
I have been an Early Childhood Educator since 2002. In 2021, I resigned from the Department of Education and created the Nuna 5D Community, PEA. The name Nuna came to me in a dream. In various Indigenous languages, Nuna means “land” or “earth.” In Korean, it means “older sister.” From 2021 to 2024, Nuna 5D served as a sacred community for children ages 4–10. Read more>>
Upendra Gulrajani
Our commitment to the Client In addition to building a great product we want to give great experience our core values are as below We at AG Home Builders understand that a home is more than a structure. It is a haven for those who own it. With this as our foundation, we are committed to redefining dreams into intimate living spaces. Read more>>
Kara Kushnir
A Work of Heart Counseling was built from both professional calling and personal conviction. I’ve always been drawn to the emotional worlds of women and children — particularly the spaces that often go unseen or minimized. Early in my career, I worked closely with families navigating anxiety, trauma, developmental differences, and life transitions in schools, in-home therapy and medical settings. Read more>>
Marcel Kaganovskaya
• I started Mindful Cognition to reduce the long wait times New Jersey families face when seeking psychiatric care. • I saw firsthand how patients were falling through the cracks due to provider shortages and restrictive practice barriers. • I wanted to create a space where patients could receive timely, evidence-based psychiatric care without unnecessary delays. Read more>>
Brett Rosen
I am the first lawyer in my family, which meant I had to navigate the early stages of my career through trial and error. My first role after law school was at an insurance defense firm, but within three months, I was fired. While that was an abrupt start, it forced me to find a path that better suited my strengths. Read more>>
Michael Ciccolella
Füdgarten was founded in 2020 during the height of the global pandemic. Like many people at the time, the uncertainty forced us to look closely at what the future of food and community dining could look like. Read more>>
Chani Getter
I was raised in a Hasidic-ultra-orthodox-Jewish community and was married off as a teenager. By the age of 23 I left my then husband with 3 children under the age of 5 and began a journey of self-discovery. Therapy was one of my biggest support and where i learned to trust myself on the journey out. Read more>>
Dr. Sam Von Reiche
I began my journey to become a psychologist at Princeton University. With all intentions of becoming an attorney specializing in international affairs, I was wowed by a class I took in Abnormal Psychology, given by a man who would later become my advisor. It thrilled me, and the rest, as they say, was history. Read more>>
Yael VanGruber
I’ve been an artist since I was a child—creating, imagining, and exploring has always been a part of who I am. As life went on, I devoted myself to motherhood, which was an incredible journey, but required me to put some of my personal creative pursuits on hold. Read more>>
James Falletti
I grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, where my curiosity about the world began outdoors. As a kid, I spent a lot of time exploring parks, observing wildlife, and looking up at the night sky wondering what might exist beyond our planet. Read more>>
Wesley Arcentales
I am a Doctor of Physical therapy from Seton Hall University, I was working in private and corporate physical therapy clinics for about 10 years until I decided I wanted to do this for myself and my patients. Read more>>
Madeline Cassano and Jenny Easton
After a dozen years in the mental health industry, Madeline Cassano and Jenny Easton founded Helping Minds Heal Counseling Center. Opening their own practice allowed them to create a space where clients feel safe, supported, and understood while giving them the freedom to offer personalized care that truly meets clients needs. Madeline and Jenny are dedicated to what they do. Read more>>
Jae Hyun Lee
I joined with my mother-in-law my family one and half year later before my wife and the son came to America in 1997. My wife and I made up our mind to provide my only son with better educational future. Read more>>
John Middleton
Right Handlers Moving LLC started in 2017 when I, John W. Middleton Jr., found a passion to serve others through moving services. I began seeking God through prayer for a business name, clientele, and the right team. Read more>>
Vaissnavi Gautam
I started Rhythm Revolution as ‘Dance Club’, back when I was in 8th grade. We had one performance that year, and only had minimal outreach. Gradually, we started increasing the number of programs, recruited volunteers, and expanded our presence and reach. Read more>>
Moya Mathison
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor and the founder of Mending Wings to Soar, a therapy practice in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Earlier in my career, much of my work focused on individuals navigating anxiety and the long-term effects of childhood trauma. Those experiences taught me a great deal about how early environments shape the way people respond to stress, relationships, and responsibility later in life. Read more>>
Yensy Graham
My company, Bridging Bonds, came together during one of the most unexpected and life-changing seasons of my life. I was going through a major personal transition, and it became very clear that I needed to create more security and stability for myself and my future. That moment pushed me to stop waiting and fully commit. What started as a hard pivot quickly turned into action. Read more>>
Matthew Kim
The Youth Stability and Support Alliance (YSSA) was first founded to honor one of our classmates who fell victim to suicidality and took their own life. In the beginning, we didn’t know how to create or galvanize an impact until we started researching the interventions that have the most efficacy and availability for adolescents. Read more>>
Lodi Tannios
I didn’t start my journey thinking I would one day own a real estate brokerage. Like many entrepreneurs, my path was shaped by life experiences, challenges, and a deep desire to create a better future for myself and my children. Before real estate, I was a high school teacher. Education was always something I valued deeply, and I loved helping people grow. Read more>>
Ian Duhart
I’ve pretty much been an entertainer since before I knew what the word was. I was told that as a child I would memorize and perform commercials, and jingles after seeing them once or twice. The arts have always innately spoken to and have spoken for me when I don’t have the words. Whether it’s writing, singing, acting etc. Read more>>
Rena Ambrose
I always knew I wanted to build an ethical, evidence informed practice centered on women’s health, with the lymphatic system as its foundation, an essential but often overlooked pillar of healing and recovery. During COVID, while home with my young son, I used the time to clarify that vision. Read more>>
Dakota Ramppen
I didn’t start out trying to be an entrepreneur, I started out trying to survive and make sense of my own relationships. My background is in education and youth work, where I spent years watching how unspoken rules about masculinity, intimacy, and emotional expression were shaping how people related to each other, often in really harmful ways. Read more>>
Allison James – Frison
My name is Allison James-Frison, and my journey started long before the titles. I am a survivor. I am a social worker. I am a woman who made a decision to turn pain into purpose. Growing up, I experienced wounds that weren’t always visible to the outside world. Read more>>
Thomas Seymour CPP
Moka Energy started with a simple question that turned into an obsession: Why has no one made coffee truly edible? I’ve been drinking coffee my entire life. I was introduced to it at a very young age at my Nonna’s house, where it always came from a Moka pot hot, dark, and bitter. Read more>>
Talana Bard-Allen
My journey started from a place of deep personal transformation. Before becoming a speaker, coach, and founder, I walked through seasons of low self-esteem, trauma, depression, and feeling stuck without direction. I know firsthand what it feels like to want more for your life but not know how to break free from the patterns holding you back. Read more>>
TheZachMichael
I started out the same way a lot of musicians do – curious, obsessive, and motivated. I was always drawn to making music, songwriting, and production, but early on I realized I didn’t just want to create, I wanted to understand how the whole system worked and I wanted to build a business in the music industry. How songs made money. How artists got discovered. Read more>>
Quintara Tucker
My journey into behavior analysis wasn’t linear, but it was always rooted in people. I started out drawn to understanding behavior, systems, and why some individuals are expected to adapt while others rarely have to. Early in my career, I found myself working in spaces where I was often the only one who looked like me, which shaped both my resilience and my perspective. Read more>>
Armando Castañeda
I picked up a camera when I was 18 years old. My professor told me ‘you have an eye for things’, ever since then I have never put the camera down. In 2018 while driving around Seattle my eye was suddenly caught by a group of lowriders. I introduced myself to them and I havent looked back since. Read more>>
Kira Simmons
I started this business with a mixer, a vision, and a deep belief that *everyone* deserves a beautiful cake on their special day—no matter their zip code or budget. As a Black woman growing up in a community where luxury often felt out of reach, I saw how meaningful moments were sometimes limited by access. Read more>>
Jody Boehmer
I didn’t start out with a master plan, this began as a hobby. I discovered a website that offered products in exchange for honest reviews, and I genuinely enjoyed testing and writing about things I was already using in my everyday life. What started as curiosity quickly turned into consistency. Read more>>
Tiara Bryant
Coming from a healthcare background, my entrepreneurial journey began as an independent mobile notary. That work introduced me to the legal side of life’s biggest moments, and through it, I learned about wedding officiating. What started as a practical service quickly became something much deeper. Everything shifted after my first ceremony on February 22, 2022. Read more>>
Chaeyeon Kim
Hi, I’m Chaeyeon Kim — a performer and actress working internationally. I began my journey with rigorous training in voice and acting, drawn to the stage by a deep curiosity about human complexity. What started as a love for performance gradually evolved into something more intentional: a desire to embody layered, emotionally precise women and to tell stories that linger beyond the curtain call. Read more>>
Nadia Murdock
I always say life isn’t linear and neither is my story. I started Nadia Murdock Fit as a side hustle, a way to spend more time doing what I loved and to find an escape from a job that felt deeply misaligned at the time. Read more>>
Terika Floyd
Born in 1983, raised in a single parent household, in the Cramer Hill section of Camden, NJ for the first 12 years of life. These first 12 years shaped me into the woman I am today. Read more>>
Christopher Lind
I started working in film while I was attending college. I went to William Patterson University in Wayne where I was Studying Media Production and Fine art. At the time, I actually wanted to be a special effects makeup artist, but I never really got down the skills. Read more>>
Lord of Horns
I discovered heavy metal around the age of 16 and I immediately connected with it. The speed and aggression resonated with me. I was a fan of horror since a small age, so many of the tropes associated with metal I already enjoyed. At that age I was pursuing acting, so I was naturally drawn to bands like KISS, Alice Cooper, and King Diamond. Read more>>
Elizabeth Schedl
My journey into this work really began with a deep belief that community spaces save lives. I did not set out thinking I would one day lead a countywide LGBTQ+ organization. I started with a desire to serve and a commitment to justice. I joined Hudson Pride Center in 2013. At the time, it was a small but deeply loved community organization. Read more>>
Jesus Nunez
I started my career as a full-time artist, building my own practice and navigating the realities of the contemporary art market firsthand. That experience quickly revealed a gap: many people wanted to live with original art but lacked access, guidance, and confidence to collect it. J. Nunez Gallery was created to solve that problem. Read more>>
Director Ab
I started out making music a long time ago and I made some good connects back then but I just couldn’t get over the hump. This will keep us here all day but the more important thing to remember in all of this was that I always knew how to network back then. Read more>>
Lizzett Cuervo-Losas
I’m a first-generation Cuban-American educator, executive function coach, and founder of Chispa. For over 15 years, I worked as a special education teacher in New Jersey, and I kept seeing the same pattern: incredibly capable students and adults struggling with organization, time management, and follow-through, then blaming themselves for it. My own ADHD diagnosis later in life brought so much clarity. Read more>>
Jeffrey Bracaglia
I opened Point 5 Lafayette in August of 2025 as a way to help the community drink less and hopefully get a little healthier. The non-alcoholic beverage industry has grown very fast and while there are limited options in traditional liquor stores, most products need to be ordered online. Read more>>
Tomika Reid
Growing up, I enjoyed reading. I journaled, wrote songs, and poems but never imagined doing anything with them. After going through many losses, trials, and tribulations, a childhood friend told me I should write a book. I was unsure about it—looked into it but didn’t take it seriously until I received a phone call from my eldest daughter’s aunt. Read more>>
Terry L. Cyrus
My journey has been shaped by a deep commitment to creativity, culture and building access where it has not traditionally existed. I began my career in the music industry as an artist manager, which opened the door to consulting roles and the opportunity to work with legendary music executive Walter Yetnikoff, former President and CEO of CBS Records, now known as Sony Music Corporation. Read more>>
Alan Locher
I launched The Locher Room in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic after being laid off from my job in New York City’s tourism industry. Read more>>
Tyneida Alanos
Urban Travel Experience was born from both my personal story and a deep desire to change what access looks like for our children. I was raised by a single mother, and growing up I saw firsthand how hard she worked to give me stability, love, and opportunity—even when resources were limited. Watching her navigate life with strength and sacrifice shaped who I am. Read more>>
Victoria Leigh Poplaski
Thank you so much for having me! I’m Victoria Leigh Poplaski, artist behind VLPOPART. Like most artist stories, mine starts a bit chaotic. I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember and grew up surrounded by creatives in my extended family, with parents who always encouraged it. At the same time, soccer was my whole world—my daily routine and my identity. Read more>>
Vincent Veloso
I graduated from Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ, where I enjoyed doing many of the arts/music activities there; marching band, jazz band, region band, wind ensemble, sax quartet downtown for the holidays, New Players pit orchestra. I completed my undergrad, studying music at NYU with Frank Foster, Vincent Herring, George Garzone, Kenny Werner and many other amazing instructors. Read more>>
Gene Miller
From 1956, I grew up along the banks of the Delaware River in the tiny river town of Delanco, New Jersey. All of my lifetime play as a child occurred in and along that river. Read more>>
Gherald Alaman
The Talent & Skills Story: Redefining the Industry ‘Good Talent is Hard to Find. Not anymore.’ It all began as a visionary concept during my college years. After graduation, I teamed up with a group of friends who shared a relentless passion for entertainment and a collective goal: to build a platform that truly looked out for talent. Read more>>
Bradford Roberts
Growing up in New York, it’s tough not to soak up the artistic influences all around you. I discovered my love for art and design early on, but it took a little detour thanks to sports and music stealing the spotlight. It took until high school for my design passion to really kick in. Read more>>
Najia Khan
I’m a entrepreneur, professional stylist, and proud mom of four beautiful girls. My journey in the beauty industry began over 15 years ago with a passion for helping people feel confident and beautiful. I earned my cosmetology degree from Empire Beauty School in 2012, and from that moment on I knew my dream was to one day open my own salon. Read more>>
Masashi Aoki
After working at Sushi of Gari as an executive chef for 15 years, my boss (Mr. Gari), whom I respected and saw as a mentor, retired. And at the same time, I quit my job to start my own business. When I was thinking about my restaurant’s style, I noticed that many people and businesses adopted the Japanese fusion-style concept. Read more>>
