David Taub
I have been playing and teaching guitar for over 30 years. I was self-employed teaching private guitar lessons full-time for many years teaching students privately throughout San Diego and Orange counties. I would average about 30-35 students per week teaching out of my home in North County coastal San Diego. Read more>>
Julian Duval
In the early 1900s, what is now San Diego Botanic Garden consisted of two parcels of land on a sandstone ridge with a view of the Pacific Ocean and canyons and mesas covered largely in southern maritime chaparral. Those parcels were never part of a Mexican rancho, but occupied uncontested land available to homesteaders after California won independence from Mexico. Read more>>
Benjamin Timm
I came to California as a Young Marine in 2006. The moment i got out of my jeep on a mild February afternoon, i knew my life would keep me here in Southern California. In the last few years of my 10 year Marine Corps Career I reconnected with my love of Fitness and and helping people. Read more>>
Sandi Star
Can you imagine a six-year-old child with migraine headaches? That was me. I would be outside playing and my head would start pounding. My vision would get distorted and I would start feeling sick to my stomach. I’d have to come inside, take an Excedrin—which I now know helped set the stage for digestive issues to come—and cover my head with a pillow until the pain passed. Read more>>
Kinsey Volkart
Growing up in Encinitas I have always admired the ocean and beach lifestyle. I was introduced to fashion at a young age as my Aunt was a fashion buyer and my older step sister was a designer; both of which heavily inspired me to express my creativity through fashion. Read more>>
Noelle Friedberg
I was 10 years old, armed with only a disposable camera, when my love of photography was born. My family and I were visiting Hearst Castle on vacation, and I was in awe. The architecture was breathtaking, and I couldn’t help but take pictures of everything I saw. Read more>>
Michelle Wintersteen
I have always had a passion for good design and a natural knack for marketing. Coming from a family of female entrepreneurs (great grandmother, grandmother, aunt, mother, and now my sister were/are all small business owners), starting my own business was something that I kind of fell into. Read more>>
Amelia Brodka
I was born and spent the first decade of my life in a small town in Poland as the country faced complete economic upheaval in its transition from Communism. In a desperate effort to create a better life for his children, my father entered a U.S. Visa lottery and to his surprise, he was granted the opportunity to travel to a country we all revered. Read more>>
Kelly Bagla
Ever since I was five years old I have wanted to be an attorney. I am the first attorney in my family and practicing law has become my passion. I live by the mantra “Grab the world by the pears. It’s yours for the taking.” Read more>>
Michelle Barsana
Growing up with musically inclined parents, music was destined to become my best friend. I can trace my story to fifth grade to a humble music teacher. When it was time to select an instrument for the 5th grade band, I went to the music room looking for a violin but all were taken. Read more>>
Pegah Kadkhodaian
Resilience is in my DNA. Like many people, I have endured a lifetime of transitions, heart aches, and loss. It started at the age of 3 when I escaped my home country of Iran because there was a revolution happening. My aunt was a political prisoner and endured unspeakable loss. Read more>>
Dr. Leah Helin
Just as most people whom find themselves in the healthcare industry I wanted to help people. Contrary to where most drive this inspiration for me it was not originally the whole body but the smile. From a young age, I thought when people were smiling it meant they were happy and healthy. Read more>>
Morgan Wessells
My love for people, food, beverages, and events started at a young age! While attending San Diego State University, I joined a sorority and got my first taste of planning by helping with the coordination of socials, fundraisers, and philanthropic events. Read more>>
Petra Le Det
I toyed with the idea of designing cowhide accessories for a couple of years. I was going through a divorce and didn’t have the focus, or the energy to commit to much besides making it through the day. Eventually the divorce came to an end and there came a time when I either abandoned my dream or persued it. Read more>>
Brian Shields
Suga was born out of necessity by a lifelong surfer and yoga practitioner who was seeking a solution to an enduring problem. While surfers enjoy a unique bond with the natural environment, we struggle to reduce our environmental footprint. Read more>>
Danielle Barbeau-Cook
There is a part of me that always knew I would be an entrepreneur, although I had no idea how I would get there and could never had predicted my life would unfold as it has. I grew up near Boulder, CO as the daughter of a elementary school teacher and general contractor. I think that we all look to our parents for guidance as too what “work” looks like. Read more>>
Carlo Paoletti, Alice Rossi
We moved from Italy with our three sons, Tommaso, Rocco and Jacopo in 2017. With the help of our childhood friend, the restaurateur Roberto Vigilucci, we opened in December our restaurant, Alice’s Italian Gourmet and we are proud to share our favorite Italian dishes with customers. Read more>>
Reinier van der Lee
70% of the world’s available drinking water is used by agriculture. Climate change and drought could limit the future availability of water. Therefore it makes total sense to use the latest technology for optimizing agricultural water use, potentially saving up to 50% water. Read more>>
Heather Elise
I had always been very artistic growing up but never used photography as a medium and honestly wasn’t interested in it. Photographing still life was of zero interest to me. I had floated around to a few universities including SFSU and the UofA and simply couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do. Read more>>
Bil Zelman
I started off building my own darkroom when I was nine and carried a camera around with me obsessively for fifteen years working on a book titled “Isolated Gesture”. I’ve worked really hard since I was a kid to make images that were truly unique and not derivative of other artists- And since good work begat’s good work my career’s been a nice long ladder. Read more>>
Heidi Hopp
In January of 2018, I lost my best friend and pal Willy. He was a 9 year old rescue that I adopted when he was 18 months old. His bright blue eyes and calm personality made me fall in love and we were together for 8 years until his sudden death from a ruptured spleen tumor. Read more>>
Wendy Garafalo
My son Luca was diagnosed with Autism just after his fourth birthday. At the time, he was obsessed with letters and fonts. He taught himself how to read and wanted to know how to write every font. Read more>>
Janell Rowland
My name is Janell Rowland, and I started Clam & Clasp early in 2018. Clam & Clasp creates high-quality seashell jewelry that supports ocean conservation. I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean. I grew up in Southern California and remember going to the beach when I was a little girl and spending hours looking for shells while my sisters tried to convince me to come play with them. Read more>>
Jelynn Malone
This incredible journey started in 2009 when best friends, Jelynn Malone and Beverly Magtanong were traveling to the Philippines to do charity work. They were specifically working with a charity to help people living in poverty build homes and communities. Read more>>
Rebecca Holladay
I’m from a small town in Texas called Fredericksburg. My mother influenced me by telling me if I didn’t go to college that I would work at the chicken farm for the rest of my life. That scared me enough to enroll and start an education to become a nurse. Read more>>
Alexandra Shalhout
Telling the story of how I started out in Real Estate is funny to me. It’s a story I only saw as clear and linear with the perspective of hindsight. My career is the result of my evolution from a young age through the present and we both continue to evolve. Read more>>
Maggie Kelly
In 2001, my youngest child was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic, life-shortening, chronic and progressive lung disease. At the time, I had a three year old daughter as well. It was a bit like having been hit over the head with an iron skillet. Read more>>
Adam Seery
For over 15 years now I have been helping business owners finance their commercial real estate properties. Out of college, I started working for a seasoned commercial banker named Todd Massas in Del Mar, CA. He was working for a national SBA 7a, 504 and conventional commercial lender named CNL Commercial Finance. Read more>>
