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.

Suzan Nickelson | Founder and CEO

My mom ,she was a herbalist a tradition that has been passed down through hundred of years by the women in our family, Our family originates from Ghana and were sold into slavery and ended up in Jamaica. Our ancestors fought for thier idependence and were called Maroons, ecspaed slaves that fled into the hills moutaineous region on the island outwitting their British captors. By working with the Indigeneous Taino Indians (Arawak) we developed our own farming commuinities. Read more>>

Karen Posey | CEO & Managing Partner of KP Strategies. A management consulting company that works with middle market CEOs on Strategic Alignment (Organizational Design, Talent & Culture)

I spent the first 11 years of my career in sales and sales leadership. Deciding to continue to stretch myself to become a general manager of an IT infrastructure company was a huge change. In my career journey, I have re-invented myself 3 times to get me where I am today as a business owner. Read more>>

Alton Shedrick Jr | Business Owner & Fashion Designer

I want my legacy and to be remembered as being someone who took risk to create opportunities for others. In todays society people are often judged and overlooked based off of the amount of followers that they have not realizing that followers doesn’t mean anything. So I take risk so that I can create opportunities for others so that they get a chance to do the same thing with just a few thousand followers as someone who has millions of followers. Everyone who I gave a chance to be apart of my brand (whether it was to shoot for it or be a brand ambassador) I seen greatness in them before the world got to see how great they are. Read more>>

Nicki Sage | Recording artist, professional musician, booking agent, and digital media professional.

A lot of things make me happy, but all in all, I would say that music and art make me the happiest. I am very blessed to be able to do what I love for a living. I find it to be very therapeutic, to have this kind of purpose. Read more>>

Matt Covey | Head of School at Denver Christian

We are in the education “industry,” specifically the Christian education “industry.” While biblical values we reveal within our education are rooted in ancient truth and unchanging, how we have progressed in providing education to children has developed over time. One example is the launch of our Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, which is one of the career academies we have developed as part of our high school elective offerings at Denver Christian School. Within the Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, Jon Baker, our academy director, is providing instruction to our students on how they can 1st think entrepreneurially and then apply that thinking towards action. Our B and E students have launched two student-run businesses within our school, most recently launching Surge Cafe, a smoothie business. By creating opportunities for themselves and others, they are learning how entrepreneurialism can be a force for good toward human flourishing. Read more>>

Cricket Fuecker | Fitness Coach/Trainer, Esthetician

I grew up in Central Minnesota. My Dad worked for the same company for over 36 years and always showed-up to work, his sports, and to his family. My Mom stayed at home and watched neighborhood children and had part-time evening jobs while we were young and then worked at my high school. Afterward, she then worked full time in her career. My parents work ethic definitely ruined of on me. Read more>>

Patty Roe | Public Relations professional and Founder of Pink Sesh Society, a community for women

In my journey to juggle work, family, and personal passions, the concept of balance has evolved significantly. Initially, I viewed it as a rigid equilibrium between my professional responsibilities and personal life. However, over time, I’ve come to understand that balance is less about maintaining a perfect split and more about prioritizing and being flexible. For me, balance now means recognizing when to push forward in my career and when to step back and nurture my family and community. It’s about being present in the moment, whether I’m at a public affairs event or helping my son with his homework. I’ve also learned the importance of self-care and checking in with myself. This has been the most challenging part because it’s easy to get lost in the whirlwind of responsibilities, so taking a moment to assess my mental and physical well-being has become crucial. I have turned a new leaf in 2024 to wake up and drink my coffee alone and without a phone or technology nearby. Allowing myself this time whether it’s fifteen minutes or an hour, allows me to listen intently to my intuition and decide what is worthy of my time and what is not. I approach balance as a dynamic state, knowing that some days will be more work-focused, while others will be family-centric. It’s about giving myself the grace to not always get it right and understanding that it’s okay to ask for help. This flexibility has allowed me to thrive in my career, support my family, and contribute to building a strong female community without losing myself in the process. Read more>>

Petrana Dudasova | Model & Content Creator

If I have to admit, I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family, and that’s why I always had a dream in life to succeed and dedicate myself to business. This led me to become a workaholic, whether it was working for a company or building my own project. I was approached by a company with a new weight loss project, and thanks to my extreme diligence, I launched the project within 3 months, seizing the market gap and utilizing the opportunity of Instagram, through which no one had sold products or built this kind of business before. I had around 300 people under me. However, I grew rapidly, and it was difficult to grasp. The same thing happened later when I started focusing on my own project as an influencer and blogger. I was always on my mobile and didn’t pay attention to my family. I had many collaboration opportunities, but I didn’t see what was happening around me. One day, while working from the beach in Bali, I realized my eyes had opened, and I found other values. Read more>>