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.

Karen Dupree Williams | REALTOR® GRI, CREN | Business Owner | State Political Coordinator | Philanthropist

Risk-taking has been paramount on my journey to entrepreneurship. Throughout my career in real estate, I’ve learned that calculated risks often lead to some of the greatest rewards. When I made the decision to start my own brokerage, Triangle to Coast Realty eXp, after over two decades of experience, it was undoubtedly a leap of faith. However, I knew that in order to achieve my goals and fully realize my vision for the future, I had to embrace the uncertainty and step outside of my comfort zone. Read more>>

Debbie & Liz Godbout & Dzurinda | Co-owners of Bexley House

We are constantly surprised and gratified to hear our customers refer to Bexley House as their happy place. If they’re having a bad day, they’ll come in and browse and their spirits will be lifted. We have formed friendships with many of our customers. Some customers have formed friendships with one another and continue to meet at the store to shop. Mothers come in with their adult daughters to set up a new home. It’s a privilege to play a part in these moments. To know we have created a space where people feel safe and free to interact with one another as well as with us. Hopefully, they find an item or two to take away with them, to bring those feelings of family, friendship, and joy into their homes. It may be social impact on the micro level, but these small human interactions seem more vital now than ever. Read more>>

Sara Delaney | Founder

The purpose must come first. Creating a product just for the sake of another product that we want in stores is not enough. The why behind it must include passion, purpose and alignment of values. I started Sarilla because I wanted to make an impact and improve social experiences in the U.S. while helping individuals on their health and wellness journey, while also making a positive economic impact in the producer communities where we work, mainly in Rwanda. I always hold those faces in my mind, especially on the harder days. There are so many stages and seasons of growing a business and they won’t all be joyful so the work I am doing now on my inner landscape is to stay anchored in the purpose while we promote and sell the product. Read more>>

Pooja Mehta | Mental Health Activist

I have called the Raleigh-Durham area home since I was 3 years old, and my family, roots, and hear still live there. I grew up as a first-generation american, raised by parents who immigrated from India, in a tight-knit community in the south. For most of my life I was in a room where I was the “only”–sometimes I was the only person of color. Sometimes I was the only one who didn’t speak Hindi or Gujarati. Sometimes I was the only person who was open about my mental health conditions. It was really lonely at times, but it also taught me how to find the identity I was comfortable with, and how to seek common ground with the people around me. Now I feel confident in way that I have chosen to express my identity as an Indian-American woman who lives with mental health conditions, and have been able to find kindness and community in the temple, the country bar, and everywhere in between. Read more>>

Ginger Terrell | Career & Business Consultant

I was born into a military family to parents who literally lived and grew up on opposite coasts. My mother grew up near Seattle, WA and my dad grew up a few hours outside of Washington DC in Winchester, VA. We moved around quite a bit and while I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area in California, my first memory is a little town called Culpepper, VA. Read more>>

Diego Rodrigues | Creative Director

I have a degree in business and early in life I realized that I wasn’t born to have a 9 to 5 and I needed a creative outlet to express myself. Read more>>

Jessica Abreu | Custom Foundation Creator, Makeup Teacher and Social Media Marketer/Reels Coach

Achieving a perfect work-life balance can often seem like an elusive goal, particularly for moms juggling both family responsibilities and professional endeavors. It’s essential to dispel the myth that total equilibrium is attainable. Instead, we must recognize that our efforts should focus on prioritization and flexibility. Read more>>

Jessica Pullara Frazier | Baker & Entrepreneur

Over the last 2.5-3 years that I have been in my storefront my work-balance has for the majority of the time been extremely off (working ALL the time). This was due to long hours, staffing issues or not being able to afford staff, and me literally doing anything to make sure the job got done. Over the last 6 months we have really gotten a great staff & they are very supportive in my work-life balance. I am able to work shorter, more normal days, and am able to trust my business is still running without me there. Read more>>

Dr. Timogi | Master Facilitator & Speaker

“Fake it until you make it.” This advice is fraudulent. It’s a crime against ones self worth and lacks integrity. Instead, I say “Learn it so you can earn it.” Information is at our fingertips, access it for your well being and not just for entertainment. Being “fake” is internal poison. It erodes ones genuine worth. The time and energy it takes to fake it is better spent investing in becoming a better version of your true self. Read more>>