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.
Amanda Darosett
My story with photography started long before I ever imagined it would become my career. I first fell in love with photography in high school. This was before digital photography became what it is today, so I learned on film. I remember being in the darkroom, developing my own film and watching an image slowly appear on a piece of photographic paper. Read more>>
Bjorn Andersen
I got started in digital marketing back in 2012 when I launched my first marketing agency. At the time, digital marketing looked very different than it does today, and I learned a lot by simply being in the trenches—building websites, working on SEO, running advertising campaigns, generating leads, and figuring out what actually helped businesses grow. Over the years, the business evolved. Read more>>
Elyor Nemat
I grew up in a little town around Bukhara, Uzbekistan, during the last years before the USSR collapsed. My country inherited chaos, a totalitarian regime, inhumane bureaucracy, poverty, and a deep economic crisis. So growing up in need was not something unusual for the families around us. There was not much society could offer to the new generation. Read more>>
Kory Langwell
I started my career as a physical therapist after earning my Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, and over the years I had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of patients in different settings. As I gained more experience, I found myself becoming especially passionate about helping people with neurological conditions, particularly stroke survivors. Read more>>
Michelle Drake
I’ve been teaching Pilates for about a decade, working with everyone from clients recovering from injuries to athletes and people simply wanting to feel stronger in their bodies. After years in traditional studios, I wanted to create something more personal and flexible, which led me to launch Lunar Pilates in San Diego in 2026. Read more>>
Raymond L. Haywood
Raymond L. Haywood is an Afro futurist abstract expressionist painter working in acrylic and mixed media on wood panels and watercolor paper. Read more>>
Kimberly Schmidt
My path to becoming a real estate agent was a bit circuitous. I worked for a realtor back when I was getting my undergraduate degree, and loved it. Those were the days when everything was faxed, and we didn’t have e-signing. It was a lot of running around and interfacing with clients. Read more>>
Christiane Mikles
I began my journey with Reiki in 2003 while managing a pet bathhouse and boutique in Seattle, WA. I had no idea what reiki was but when I saw an ad for the class with Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing that said it was for all species, I knew it was where I needed to be. Read more>>
Gregory Holder
My name is Gregory V. Holder, founder and Master Sandblast Artist of Icons By Holder / Glass Icons by Holder. My journey began with a vision of transforming glass into something more than decoration—I wanted to create artwork that preserved history, legacy, achievement, and personal stories. Read more>>
Steve Jaimes
I started cutting hair at 13 years old growing up in Chicago. At the time, I didn’t know barbering would take me anywhere. I was just cutting my younger siblings, friends, and people around the neighborhood. Read more>>
Deborah Santoro
My story with photography began in my childhood. My family was always taking photos, and because of that, I grew up surrounded by albums packed with memories. Today, I’m able to sit down with my own children and flip through those exact pages to show them where they came from. Read more>>
Ryan McBride
I’ve been a professional photographer for over eight years now, though the origin story is less ‘five-year plan’ and more ‘my camera roll got embarrassing.’ As a flight attendant, I was constantly snapping pictures wherever the job took me — a habit I clearly inherited from my dad, the family’s unofficial paparazzi at every birthday and holiday. Read more>>
Brandi Hartdegen
I loved horses from a very early age. As a kid, I occasionally had the opportunity to ride a friend’s horse, and every time I did, it just left me wanting more. When I was 14, I had to complete community service and found a local barn where I could do my hours. Read more>>
Rob DeVenuto
Every photographer has that moment where an interest transforms into an obsession, and for me, that shift happened when I really started to see a path forward with my photography. I’ve had a strong interest in photography since I was a teen but really didn’t get serious about it until after my kids were born. Read more>>
Anna Pearson
I sometimes think I became an artist twice. The first time was as a little girl, before I had any idea that being an artist could be a career. Once I learned to hold a pencil, I drew everywhere. Books, doors, wallpaper – pretty much any surface that stayed still long enough. Read more>>
Alex Kelso
The Story Behind Boards N’ Beans I opened the coffee portion of the shop in August 2021 while simultaneously building out the surf section inside. For the first eight months, I worked every day as our in-house barista until we had enough revenue to bring on a barista a couple of days a week. Read more>>
Yasmin Shenoda
I grew up with my family in the restaurant/ sales industry. I was always in preforming arts but coming from a middle eastern family acting and singing as a career wasn’t in the books for me. After graduating high school I attended Some college but then dropped out to attend beauty school at Paul Mitchell. Read more>>
Siah-Ra Ausar
For 24 years, I had the honor of serving in the United States Marine Corps. Like many who have devoted a significant part of their lives to service, eventually that chapter came to an end. Read more>>
Virgil Simpelo
In 2006, I put out a Craigslist ad to anyone interested in forming a tribute band to the Smiths and Morrissey. There was only maybe 2-3 major tribute bands at the time and it was very rare to have any visit San Diego. So I wanted to start one for San Diego that would play regularly and bring the fan community together. Read more>>
Jiri Tomanek
I started tattooing in 2014 in the Czech Republic. There was no big master plan behind it. I was always drawn to art, but tattooing became the first medium where I felt like everything came together: drawing, people, psychology, pressure, improvisation, and the fact that there is no eraser. Once you put a line into somebody’s skin, you have to stand behind it. Read more>>
Sonia Gupta
My journey into mixology started more than a decade ago. I started bartending as a side hustle in college, but over time, I became really interested by the way a drink could tell a story, through flavor, presentation, technique, and even nostalgia. As a first-generation Indian American, I began looking at the flavors I grew up with through the lens of mixology. Read more>>
Raquel y Monica Charabati Bizzarri
Raquel and Mónica met in high school. Raquel went on to study Ceramic Arts, while Mónica graduated from university with a degree in Graphic Design. Two different paths that, many years later, found a way to come together. Read more>>
Ashley Daly
I started my career early on like most girls braiding and cutting their Barbie’s hair. Watching Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias, and my Aunt Monique who has been a hairdresser since the 90’s. I’m actually a 4th generation hairdresser in my Norwegian roots. Read more>>
Jerry Danielsen
I’ve spent most of my life creating in one form or another. Music was my first language. I’m a composer, producer and recording engineer, and I own Busy Signal Studios in Southern California. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide range of music and audio projects, including film scores and music for television and theater. Read more>>
JJ Jones
I was born and raised on Kumeyaay land also known as San Diego, and I started martial arts when I was seven years old. Martial arts has been a constant thread throughout my life. I grew up practicing judo and eventually Brazilian jiu-jitsu, becoming a black belt in both. Read more>>
Dr. Tara Shah
My path to acupuncture wasn’t very direct. I started out on the East Coast, where I studied chemistry and later worked in the pharmaceutical industry. I had always been interested in health and medicine, but over time I realized I wanted a career that felt more personal and allowed me to work with people in a more meaningful, one-on-one way. Read more>>
Justin Choudhari
Music has always been a big part of my life growing up in San Diego. I started breakdancing first, battling at local shows, and eventually got into DJing in 2005. It all began on vinyl. From hand-me-down records to digging through the 25-cent bins at the local record store, that was how I started building my record collection. Read more>>
Iris Silva
I was born and raised in Rome, Italy. My parents were part of the cosmopolitan world travelers of the most refined intellectual circles in the world and brought me to experience the most incredible learning life experiences, especially the ones connected to the wilderness and rural cultures such as African Masai dances in the mountains or the ancient rituals of pre Vedic rituals in India. Read more>>
Tad Ryan
Disappointing Joseph started with three friends who grew up and went to high school together. I (Tad Ryan – piano/vocals) had piano lessons from age 4-14, but grew weary of daily practicing and weekly lessons entering high school age. Eventually after becoming friends with Carl DeSiena (guitar) and knowing he was learning guitar, I decided I’d rather play guitar too. Read more>>
Rachel White and Jennifer Hatfield RJAD Owners
We are currently in our 6th year as business owners of our hometown dance studio: RJAD as well as the Dancin’ Feet Boutique. Last we talked to you we had finished off a great dance season and ended at our Nationals Competition. Since then, we have continued to grow in our enrollment, bringing in new faces older and younger. Read more>>
Meniyka Kiravell
My Evolution as a Vibrational Scientist My life has always been a wild one dedicated to uncovering the mysterious patterns underlying our physical reality. Like the wind, thoughts cannot be perceived with physical senses, but their effects can be felt and known. I was born with autoimmune issues and also experienced nightly uncontrollable out-of-body experiences for decades. Read more>>
Jared Harman
I’m born and raised in San Diego, and went to Hilltop Elementary through High School. Graduated top of my class in 2018 and went on to study chemical engineering at UC Davis. After my first year I learned enough about that career path to know it wasn’t what I wanted in life. Read more>>
ilana Friedman
I moved from University City in San Diego to Ramona eleven years ago after my son abandoned me and went to college, and my almost 30 year career at Nordstrom was ending due to a work injury. I wanted to funnily a lifelong dream of wanting to rescue/help animals. Read more>>
Traviana Kazee
My journey through psychology began in the city of San Bernardino, CA with a particular interest in the brain; and how it is shaped depending on an individual’s ecosystem. Read more>>
Ken Allan Phillips
I have been involved in the acting world since 5th grade (50+ years ago). I was originally cast in in a small role in an elementary school musical called ‘Tom Sawyer’. I was so passionate about my very first acting gig that I actually learned every single line, including every character’s line and song in the musical. Read more>>
Michael Leaf
This is always such a difficult question for me to answer. I feel our stories, as individuals, are so complex and organically integrated into our actions, it is hard to really identify where it begins..My story as an artist began I’d say when I was searching for what to do after quitting being a professional extreme rollerblader from the identifiable age of 15-20 years. Read more>>
Melissa Mello
I’ve always loved textiles. Whether shopping for vintage dresses as a teen, selling high end clothing in lovely boutiques, or working on production for a clothing designer – the fabric has always been what’s hooked me. And I’m a collector. As many sewists will admit, I have more fabric in my “stash” than I can reasonably use in my lifetime. Read more>>
Eric Chen
I started my career at Marcus & Millichap, where I joined the National Multi-Housing Group and quickly developed a passion for multifamily investment sales. I worked my way up to become the top investment sales producer nationally and also had the opportunity to mentor newer agents, which really shaped how I think about building a team and serving clients. Read more>>
christine blackburn
I think my love for photography grew out of a few things that have always been a big part of who I am—my love of nature, creativity and connecting with people. My appreciation for nature started when I was a kid. My mother would take us on road trips and insisted that we look out the window and appreciate the beauty around us. Read more>>
Denezel Bynum
We went thru many phases and had to overcome many obstacles but with the grace of god we got thru , between having to pivot for different locations , affording an expensive food truck lease and keeping up maintenance on a food truck it’s been bumpy for sure Read more>>
