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 throughout Pennsylvania.

Suzanne Nagel

I came to entrepreneurship the way most people do, out of necessity. After leaving a career in television news, I spent years finding my footing, teaching Montessori, becoming a mother, and somewhere in that quieter chapter, discovering yoga. I practiced for nearly sixteen years before it ever occurred to me to teach. Read more>>

Erin Wright

My husband and I lived for almost 20 years in the Denver, CO area and even had the opportunity to build our dream home. A tragedy during the Covid times brought us to the North Pittsburgh area to be close to family. Read more>>

Green House Tearoom

Richard Graessel and James Wheeler, co-owners of The Green House Tearoom, served as Pennsylvania State Troopers for 25 years. After retiring from the state police, Richard purchased the building located at 403 Cherokee St Bethlehem, PA The building was built in 1905 and was originally the home of Charles Green owner and operator of the the charles H. Read more>>

Chris Jones

I’ve been drawing since I could first pick up a pencil, and art has always been a very important part of my life. My dad got me into reading comics, so as a kid, my first aspiration was to become a comic book artist. Read more>>

Camilo Perez Cuevas

ArtDesignStudio officially began in Pennsylvania in July 2025, but my experience in this industry goes back much further. I am originally from Cuba, where I operated a business in the same field beginning in 2016. That experience gave me a strong foundation in design, production, and working directly with customers. Read more>>

Marley Beacham

Marley Beacham is a mixed media artist based in Philadelphia. She began her artistic journey in 2020, drawing inspiration from her childhood passion for art. Her work reflects influences from vintage music, advertising, and fashion, infused with a modern, dreamlike quality. Through collage, Marley expresses her vibrant inner world of sounds, shapes, and colors, skillfully repurposing images to convey unique meanings. Read more>>

Scott Josuweit

I came to this from the other side of the room. I have been a wedding photographer for years, and for most of that time I thought photo booths were a gimmick. I would be shooting a reception and glance over at the booth in the corner. A college kid in jeans on a stool with his phone out. Read more>>

Gabrielle Lucarini

I graduated from Robert Morris University with a business degree, a 3.97 GPA, and summa cum laude honors. I did well in school, but I struggled to find my place in corporate America. Then I got let go a week after my wedding and a week before my honeymoon. Read more>>

Brooke Richie

The beauty industry has had my interest since I was very young. I have always been a girly girl and loved everything fashion and beauty. I remember falling in love with YouTube makeup tutorials and learning different ways to naturally enhance your features, while also figuring out how to do a smoky cat eye or cut crease at probably way too young of an age. Read more>>

Monica Brodovsky

Evergreen Story began nearly 12 years ago as a small photography and design business founded by Monica. At its heart, the work has always been about creativity, connection, and the stories that shape who we are. Read more>>

ELLE The Druggg

This part of my story really begins in 2018. I had just graduated from college after taking a break from school, and I was ready to take on the world. Graduating felt especially significant because, when I first went to college, I struggled with the sudden change in environment, the workload, and, honestly, the freedom. Read more>>

Nicole Bentler

Pocono Maple Water was born from our family’s maple farm in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We’ve been farming our land for generations, and every spring, when we tap our maple trees, we noticed something incredible: the clear sap coming directly from the trees was naturally delicious, lightly sweet and incredibly refreshing — essentially nature’s original water. Read more>>

Sue Ajaj

The Story Behind The Timeless Capture Booth Co. The Timeless Capture Booth Co. didn’t begin with a big business plan, a storefront, or a vision of becoming an entrepreneur. It began with something much more personal: a desire to create something of my own. Read more>>

Mackenzie Pikaart

I have always been a creative person, but I really fell in love with art in second grade—the second time around. Maybe it was because I had already done the projects, but I think the familiarity of the materials gave me confidence in my abilities, and the rest is history. Read more>>

Natalie Ahwesh

After graduate school, I became a math teacher. I taught high school for several years and then spent about a decade teaching college. Throughout that time, I was always passionate about helping animals, but I never really considered animal advocacy as a potential career. I volunteered for years with shelters and rescue organizations, doing what I could in my spare time. Read more>>

Kathleen Nelson

I think Clositherapi Vintage or THERAPI (these days) really started long before I ever thought of it as a business. I’ve always been drawn to things that have lived a little… clothing with a past, objects with character, pieces that somehow carry a feeling with them. I’ve never been interested in perfection as much as I’ve been interested in presence. Read more>>

Joseph DeFranco

. J DeFranco & Daughters is an off-premise catering service. The DeFranco business started in 1926 by Philip and Theodora DeFranco. At that time the business was an Italian grocery store and butcher shop. After their retirement in 1976 they gave the business to their son Martin DeFranco who moved the shop from Roseto to West Bangor where the business is today. Read more>>

Drew Harris

Drew Harris puts his all into the ancient craft of tattooing. He started his tattooing career at Wizard & Co. Il in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In August 2004, Drew began apprenticing under his mentor, Bill ‘Wizard’ Paterson. Drew worked under his mentor for nearly four years before deciding to pursue his own business. Read more>>

Korey Aukerman

I feel like I’ve had an exciting and risky life, filled with amazing people and incredible experiences. I grew up in Cincinnati, OH, playing a variety of sports. Swimming seemed to stick and I spent countless hours in the pool. In high school, the hard work was paying off. I was good but my focus and excitement toward swimming started to dwindle. Read more>>

Jason Chen

Umami Hibachi Catering started with a simple idea: bring the fun and excitement of a hibachi restaurant directly to people’s homes. We saw that people were looking for something different for birthdays, family gatherings, and backyard celebrations. Read more>>

Liz Miele

The founders of the Herdic House, Gloria and Marcia Miele (sisters), opened their first restaurant, the Court and Willow Cafe, in downtown Williamsport, PA in 1977. They loved their cafe and its environment, but they were also fascinated by Williamsport’s Historic District, several blocks to the west, with its spectacular Victorian mansions dating to the mid- and late-1800s. Read more>>

Katelyn Mummert

Thank you so much for having me here to share my story with your readers. My story is a blend of trials, joy, failures, God’s grace, perseverance, and undoubtedly, love. If I am completely honest, I would not have chosen this path for myself. But I have learned that God’s plan is surely so much better than anything we can orchestrate ourselves. Read more>>

LaTasha Thomas

It was March 2020 and we were all trying to navigate Covid. I was transitioning out of a private practice I had been working at for some time and had taken a position with a local agency to supervise school based mental health clinicians. Read more>>

Justin Torok

I’ve always been a creative person, and looking back, it’s pretty amazing how everything I’ve done has connected and led me to where I am today. I went to East Stroudsburg University for Digital Media Technologies, where I focused heavily on photography, videography, filmmaking, and graphic design. That’s also where Ghost Encounters really began. Read more>>

Megan James

My journey into the insurance industry actually came from a very unexpected turn in my life. I had a career I loved as a design consultant when I was hit by a drunk driver. I spent nearly three years away from work recovering, and when I was finally able to return, I found myself essentially starting over. Read more>>

Allen Fulmer

Shorter version: I accidentally got into woodworking. In high school I went on a tour of the vocational school to get out of class for the day. You had to select a few different shops to tour, and one of my choices was cabinetmaking. After graduating, I apprenticed under a local fine woodworker learning fundamentals and working my way up to lead maker. Read more>>

Rochelle Berg

I was a nurse when Living Smart Granola began, and during the pandemic I switched gears from healthcare to baker and entrepreneur. It started in our family kitchen, making homemade granola for my husband, and quickly opened my eyes to the need for truly delicious, allergen-friendly food that more people could enjoy. Read more>>

Katie Martins

I guess in short there is no real answer to that question. I grew up in a small city south of Boston, MA. A city that is overpopulated, poverty ridden and suffers from a severe opoid epidemic. A child of a drug and alcohol addicted absent single mom. We were poverty stricken and never had very much in physical belongings. Read more>>

Jason Narber

My story isn’t linear. At all. I didn’t have some perfectly mapped-out career path or a five-year plan that led me to where I am today. Life threw things at me, plans changed, priorities changed, and I figured out what the hell to do next. Somehow, all of those completely different chapters ended up preparing me for exactly what I’m doing now. Read more>>

Kara Gurreri

I definitely didn’t grow up thinking, “Someday I’m going to be a photographer!” Honestly, photography kind of found me. I spent about 20 years teaching pre-kindergarten, and when I first started taking photos, it was simply because I loved it. Read more>>

Yolanda Romero

Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child, I loved taking pictures of myself and my family. I still remember taking the rolls of film to the photography shop and waiting to have them developed. There was something so special about finally holding those prints in my hands and seeing the moments I had captured. Read more>>

Brenda Sanchez

I’m a first-generation Latina originally from Los Angeles, and my story really started with always feeling like I was creating community wherever I went. When I moved from LA to Pittsburgh, I experienced a huge culture shift. I missed the sense of connection, diversity, and the kind of spaces where women could show up exactly as they are and feel like they belonged. Read more>>

Margo Kloster

My journey into personal training started about 15 years ago. Once my kids were both in school, I knew I wanted something of my own. Fitness and training had always been a huge part of my life, and I constantly had people telling me, “You should be a personal trainer.” Eventually, I listened. Read more>>

ROSS GARZA

. I have lived in Bethlehem my entire life. Growing up, I always wanted to be a professional athlete. However, while out on the college football field one day, I had an epiphany: I wasn’t going to play pro ball. Read more>>

Kenneth Maushardt

Tattooing started for me kind of later in life I was 24 when I picked up a machine and I quickly fell in love with it. I realized I wanted to take things seriously and started seeking out apprenticeships. Read more>>

Kelly Bakes

I was a cross country runner in high school and always interested in exercise. The coach had a dietitian talk to our team at one point, which was very interesting to me. I had been eating a lot of junk to try to get enough calories in to support the mileage, but soon learned that by eating healthier I was running faster. Read more>>

Allison McGeary

My path to floral and event design has been a winding road — from changing majors from economics to architecture in undergrad, to a master’s in architecture, to a handmade home goods business, and finally into events and flowers. Each unexpected turn shaped how I design today. In college I began my freshman year intent on earning my degree in economics. Read more>>

Dr. Darla Timbo PsyD, LPC

Atlas Counseling Services began with a simple but deeply personal belief: people deserve a space where they can be seen, heard, understood, and supported without having to leave parts of themselves at the door. Read more>>

Carmelina Cafaro

My name is Carmelina Cafaro. I was born and raised in Italy, in Vallo della Lucania, in the province of Salerno. I took my first dance steps when I was only three years old, and I danced my entire life in Italy. I earned my diploma in dance, specializing in Academic Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Hip Hop, from my hometown dance studio. Read more>>

Tina McKnight

If you would have asked me years ago where I thought my life would take me, I don’t think I would have described the life I have now. I became a mother young, so a lot of my growing up happened while I was raising children of my own. I didn’t have the luxury of having everything figured out first. Read more>>

Sarah Demchyk

Creating has always been part of how I move through the world, but jewelry was the language I understood first. My earliest memories are tied to the women in my family, and the way I came to recognize and remember each of them through the pieces they wore. Read more>>

Lia McClary

In the summer of 2023, my family of six (two humans, two dogs, and two cats) moved from North Texas to just outside Pittsburgh, PA. I knew I needed a new job, but the thought of going back to the florescent lighting and fake social niceties of an office was not one that thrilled me. Read more>>

Savannah Schroll Guz

I was born and grew up in the York, Pennsylvania area, where my parents manufactured custom cabinetry and fine furniture for more than 35 years. I have very vivid memories of sitting at my father’s shop office desk and drawing princesses with conical hats on his graph paper tablets from the Formica Corporation. Read more>>

Sherri Leon

Noshes By Sherri really started from my love of baking and the joy I got from sharing the Jewish baked goods I grew up with. It was a Facebook post looking for the best Jewish Apple cake out there our friends tagged us we shared a photo and orders rolled in. Read more>>

Victoria Smith

I started Art In The Dark Paint because I wanted to give people a place where they could express themselves in a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. I did not want to create another brightly lit, paint-by-number experience that felt more like a grade-school art class than a date night, corporate event, or celebration. Read more>>

Rachel Davis

My fitness journey started in 2013, after the birth of my son, when I found myself nearly 80 pounds heavier after pregnancy. I joined a kickboxing studio and began learning not only how to exercise, but how to properly fuel my body for weight loss. What started as a desire to lose weight quickly became a passion for fitness and nutrition. Read more>>