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 in and around Denver.
Lisa Mickelson
Dr. Lisa Mickelson, PhD is a Colorado licensed school psychologist who is focused on providing resources for all ages and helping people improve their mental wellbeing through evidence-based practices that they can apply in their everyday lives. Dr. Lisa is the owner of PanaBeam Books, LLC and the Co-Chair of SEL4CO (sel4co.org). Read more>>
Danette Martinez
Starting my business was a journey fueled by determination and a thirst for knowledge. I embraced education, both in school and through books, to build a strong foundation. As an entrepreneur, I successfully subcontracted with diverse entities like Boulder, Blazing Cloud Consulting, and ESS Substitute. Currently, I’m furthering my career by studying real estate, aiming to create generational wealth and secure a prosperous future. Read more>>
Cierra Brown
To start my name is actually Cierra. A lot of people know me by my social media name which is my middle name, it kinda fit better as an @ name and turned into a brand so I just kept it. Now that that’s out of the way… I’ve always been a a creative and active person. Read more>>
Susie Lynn
I started my blogging journey in 2019 after spending 13 years as a retail manager. I had a Bachelor’s Degree in English collecting dust, and when my husband asked what I’d actually enjoy doing after becoming a stay-at-home mom, the answer was easy: writing. Building a blog from scratch is a lot less glamorous than Instagram makes it look. Read more>>
Bree Norton
If you had told me years ago that I’d become a firearms instructor, I probably would have laughed. It wasn’t something I grew up dreaming about or even something I envisioned as a career. Looking back now, though, I realize the destination makes perfect sense because the common thread has never been firearms—it has always been people. I’ve always been drawn to helping others grow. Read more>>
Jennifer Doheney
My career began in international business, where I spent more than 15 years working in leadership, strategy, budgeting, and project management. One of the most transformative chapters of my career was living and working in Dubai, where I helped manage large-scale department store projects as the liaison between designers and operations teams. Read more>>
Diana Proemm
My story didn’t begin with a carefully mapped-out plan. It began with a desire to see what was beyond the familiar. Growing up in Ohio, I dreamed of mountains, wide-open spaces, and a life that felt bigger than the one I knew. In the mid-1990s, I packed up my car and headed west, chasing seasonal jobs in ski towns, national parks, and remote mountain communities. Read more>>
Joel Hastings
I grew up middle class in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. I was raised by a “garage sale dad” who always haggled for the best deal. I learned to look for sterling silver jewelry at garage sales, and learned negotiation from my father. I began to “know enough to be dangerous” as my dad once told me about numismatic coins at these sales. Read more>>
Rachael Waggoner
I graduated from CU Boulder with all intentions of going to law school. I took a few years off and decided to apply. I got in! I started stressing about how I would pay for school and started brainstorming. I went to nail school the summer before I started law school and it completely changed the trajectory of my life. Read more>>
Carol Sigala
I am Carol Sigala, business owner of Skin and Brows By Carol I Denver and I’m so happy to share my story. When I was 18 years old, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life and I left my family behind in Mexico and moved to the United States with hope in my heart and a dream of creating new opportunities. Read more>>
Danica Sleet
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved making things. Creativity has always been my way of slowing down, processing life, and finding a little peace. For years, I ran an Etsy shop that became a creative refuge during a difficult season of my life. Looking back, that little shop reflected exactly where I was. Read more>>
Tatyana Grechina
I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and came to the U.S. when I was a year and nine months old. I was always drawing and painting, but also writing stories, sewing clothes and putting on little plays — creative expression became ingrained in how I understood myself and the world around me. Read more>>
Adrianna Leal
For as long as I can remember, I’ve known I wanted to do hair and makeup\. What started as a childhood dream gradually turned into something I pursued more seriously, leading me into training, hands\-on experience, and the early stages of building my career\. Read more>>
Bob Karisny
Much of my culinary career has been spent in Menu and Menu Item Development for large national restaurant companaies. While that type of work had many challenges it didn’t fully challenge my creative culinary mind. I had made chocolate truffles in all my jobs since gradualting from the Culinary Institute of America. Read more>>
Lacey Vandermeer
Hi! I’m Lacey, the person behind the camera. Today, I specialize in branding and family photography, but my journey began with weddings. I was drawn to wedding photography because I loved the challenge and the opportunity to tell a couple’s story. Read more>>
Taylor Plasz (of Dear Luna)
Hi Voyage! Music has always been the common thread throughout my life. Whether I’m writing songs, performing, or helping other artists develop their own songs, my passion has always been about creating connection through music. My love for singing and songwriting started at just two years old, when I was recording my own songs on a Fisher-Price tape recorder (a true songwriter origin story!). Read more>>
Amira Althany
Like many entrepreneurs, my path wasn’t a straight line. Before founding Copper Page Interiors, I spent over a decade in corporate sales and sales enablement, helping build training programs and develop teams for fast-growing technology companies. I loved the work, and it provided me with incredible opportunities. Read more>>
Conal Rosanbalm
I began singing at a very young age and was involved in choir all the way through elementary school. I was always extremely interested and engaged in music as a fan and kept singing all the time but really started performing in college in Fort Collins. Read more>>
Lila Kimel
My path to founding Kimel Psychological Services really began long before I opened my private practice. As an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), I became fascinated by autism spectrum disorders and the ways it affects brain functioning across the spectrum. Read more>>
Heather Prall
I spent years building a career in HR, earning my SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications and a master’s in business along the way. But after about 13 years in that world, I stepped away from the traditional workforce to pursue something entirely different: painting. I started as most artists do, experimenting, showing up, and putting work out into the world however I could. Read more>>
Liz Onufer
I started riding horses at the age of 8, got my first job in a barn at 10, and was given my first horse at the age of 12. My love for horses has never waned. Growing up in NJ, I had heard about the wild mustangs in the West and the opportunity to adopt one. Read more>>
Gail Rieke
I am an artist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My work involves many media… collage, assemblage, installation, writing, drawing, photography to name a few. I show my work in my home/studio/gallery and in invitational and museum shows. I have been a teacher all my adult life and have traveled to teach various workshops over the years. Read more>>
Ahkeem Jamahl
The Story Behind 47Visions Call me A.J. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, I’ve always believed photography is more than creating images—it’s about preserving emotion, energy, and the beauty of moments that would otherwise fade. A photograph gives people the chance to experience life through another person’s perspective, allowing them to connect with moments they may have never witnessed themselves. Read more>>
Julene Ewert
I have been an artist for as long as I can remember, beginning with childhood sketches pinned to my grandmother’s door. Over time, that early passion evolved into a professional career, and today I run my own art business. My work primarily focuses on vibrant, colorful paintings and book illustrations, and I have even expanded into textile design. Read more>>
Debbie Marden
In the midst of a successful career in interior design, I found myself craving a new kind of creative spark—one rooted in the raw, electric energy of live music. Intrigued by the idea of bringing that joy to a crowd, I picked up the bass guitar mid-life and set my sights on the music of my favorite decade: 90s Alternative Rock. Read more>>
Abigail Dixon
Honestly, I have never loved the question, ‘how did you get started?’ because it implies a single moment, like I flipped a switch one day and became someone who plans events. For me, that wasn’t how it happened. What I do with Bella Vie has always been part of who I am and how I live. Read more>>
Kathy Dyer
My name is Kathleen, although almost everyone knows me as “Cookie.” My dad started calling me Cookie the day I was born, and the nickname has stayed with me my entire life. Years later, it became the perfect name for my bakery. Baking has always been something I loved, but turning it into a business happened one step at a time. Read more>>
Dr. Natalia Wiechowski
I built an international thought leadership brand, became one of LinkedIn’s best-known creators, published books and helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow their businesses. By many standards, I had achieved what I had worked for. But after doubling my company’s revenue, I realized that success, money and recognition didn’t give me what I thought they would. Read more>>
Zachary Lucas
I was born in Belgium in 1981, and my father was a musician. My earliest memories all revolved around music, and I started playing young. Drums and piano, and then saxophone at ten. When I was twelve, my dad took me to a festival he was playing at. Read more>>
Jonny Lohman
Boogie Boys was founded by me & my best friend Joel in honor of our close friend ‘A-Boogie’ Avery who passed away, the studio carries his name as a way of keeping his memory alive. Read more>>
Kristina Markey
Hello! My name is Kristina, I go by Meddlewares or Stina’s Meddlewares. I live here in WNY with my little fam, originally from Eastern PA and have lived/traveled throughout the States and overseas. 3 years ago I had an unexpected major surgery that put me off my feet for a handful of months! Fun. Read more>>
Brooke Mooney
I started Discover Durango because, honestly, I can’t sit still—and I’ve always loved being outdoors. Nature has always been the place where I find rest, both spiritually and mentally. It’s where I feel closest to God, where the distractions of life fade away and it feels like it’s just Him and me talking. Read more>>
Rachel Ballinger
My husband Isaiah and I have 8 kids and live on a small farm in Sedalia Colorado. We have a horse, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys, Golden Retriever dogs, and a bunch of barn cats. I enjoy feeding my family down home country cooking made from scratch with real ingredients. Read more>>
Sonja Wendt
From Systems to Stories: My Journey to Authorship Writing was not a hobby. It wasn’t something I ever intended to do. I was pulled into it by a sense of concern about the world our children are navigating—and honestly, by a calling so strong that I often felt I wasn’t even the one writing the words. Read more>>
Melody Hu
As a conversation opener, I like to say that I’m “made in Taiwan, designed in Silicon Valley, and seasoned in France.” I’ve lived in 12 cities across four countries on three continents and have traveled to more than 30 countries to date. Read more>>
Kimberly Crabtree
Photography has been a part of my life ever since I took a photography class as an elective in high school. My mom bought me an inexpensive camera kit, and from that moment on, I was hooked. I wanted to document everything around me. That passion followed me through college, where I continued taking photography electives whenever I could. Read more>>
Alan Skowron
I am, Alan Skowron, an accomplished guitar performer and instructor in the Northern Colorado area. I have been a part of many groups over the years, such as the Wilson Winner Jazz Quintet, Monty Hogan Jazz Quartet, Dominant 7, Illusion, Albion Kross and others. I have been featured on many radio programs and am a member of the Northern Colorado Classical Guitar Society. Read more>>
Ashlee Brown
Music has always been part of who I am. My mom loves telling stories about me dancing as a little kid or finding ways to turn the radio on whenever I could. Growing up, I was always more interested in discovering new music than watching TV, and that curiosity has never really gone away. Read more>>
