Eric Tivers was doing just fine as a clinical social worker with a thriving private practice, and a side hustle as a podcaster.

Kathleen Drennan has two great passions in life: business and flowers.

In Sadie Robertson Huff’s LO sister app, young women learn to stop scrolling and start living.

The true story of how the PLANTSTRONG Community came to be is so legendary, it just may deserve a spot in the annals of American folklore. “The founder of our company, Rip Esselstyn, was a firefighter in Austin Texas,” says Ami Mackey, PLANTSTRONG’s Curator of Creative Content. “And firefighters have a tendency to be a little bit competitive.”

The Self Care Space launched on Mighty Pro and quickly saw the benefits of having their own private membership community and branded apps. Mighty Pro helped them quickly launch branded, white-labeled iOS and Android apps, without the time and complexity it takes to build from scratch.

A pediatric nurse by trade, Cat Golden has spent many years working in hospitals alongside some other inspirational nurses.

By the time she was in her early twenties, Ashley Fox had it all: She had graduated from Howard University, fulfilled her dream of working on Wall Street, and was making six-figures helping millionaires and billionaires sustain and build their wealth. 

Practicing trademark and brand strategy attorney Kimberly Bennett strongly believes that our legal system is deeply flawed. She also believes that educating her fellow legal professionals on the intersection of anti-racism and technology is the way forward.

As a longtime practitioner of yoga and meditation, one thing always stuck out to Lauren Ash: when she took classes and attended events, there was often a severe lack of teachers of color. And there were rarely any events that centered Black women.

It took Courtney Sanford moving to Seattle after college to start really appreciating the outdoors. But it turned out that Seattle wasn’t exactly the best place for her to do that. And before long, Courtney found herself packing up her Subaru and hitting the road. 

Even before COVID hit, Leigh Metcalf was looking for ways to add some zhuzh to her business.

Both Dana Howe and Tiana Cooks live with Type 1 diabetes. And they’re both passionate about fostering a community for people living with or impacted by diabetes, and helping those people live well, now.

When Carolyn Gardner joined Oiselle last year, the women’s running apparel brand had just joined Mighty Pro. But the process of finding Mighty Networks was a lengthy one—and not necessarily easy.

Author and digital product designer Ryder Carroll knew that if he could create a methodology to help him focus he could unlock his full potential. 

Margo Blackstone confesses that she wasn’t always interested in midwifery. “I didn’t even know what it was at first,” she admits.

For as long as she can remember, Lenéa Sims has been interested in better understanding the world around her. So much so, that in college she studied everything from sociology and art history to communications and media studies. “I’ve never been able to choose anything,” she says. “So I just did everything.”

Today, Goddess Council is a blossoming, digital community. But it originated in a decidedly tangible space: Cat Lantigua’s living room in Brooklyn.

After living in sunny Australia for six years, Scott Bakken’s return to his native Canada was, unsurprisingly, a substantial adjustment. “It was like, fish out of water,” he says. “And for me and my wife, we just wanted to reconnect with Canada and this way of life.”

For as long as she can remember, Elizabeth DiAlto has been interested in the difference between womanhood and femininity. “Growing up, I was a tomboy,” she says. “But my body was ‘hyper-feminine.’ And a lot of my work has been born out of me saying, ‘Let me reclaim and redefine what womanhood means to me.”

As a certified interior designer herself, Lisa League knew that acing the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam was no walk in the park.

When it comes to sharing his journey, José Hernandez likes to start at the very beginning. “My personal story is a big part of what I’m trying to do,” he says. “And it’s a big part of what I want people to know about me.” 

Today, Brooke Thomas works in the intersection of the physical and the spiritual. But at the beginning of her journey, she was only concerned with the former, trying her best to find ways to heal from the chronic pain she grew up with.

Emily Thompson will be the first to tell you that Being Boss’ journey has been long, windy, and full of surprises. “We’ve had intention, and purpose, and thought. But there’s also been lots of flying by the seat of our pants and just having a whole lot of fun with it.”

Four years ago, Anne Cocquyt was doing double duty: toiling away at a corporate gig in digital health innovation and organizing a ladies club where women could network, event, and attend workshops.

James Oliver Jr. freely admits that he believes in acting first and thinking later. “I’m crazy. Once I get an idea, I’m charging headfirst down the path.”

Rae Benjamin had always been a writer. She just didn’t know how, exactly, to make a career of it. “I thought being a writer meant you had to be a novelist,” she says. “That was ingrained in me. And I knew I didn’t want to write novels.”

Doug Neill knew he wanted to help people master the art of visual note-taking. But when he decided to merge his interest in sketch noting with his background in teaching, he wasn’t sure where the journey would take him.

Sheena Collier moved to Boston 16 years ago for graduate school. But when she first arrived to Beantown, she had no intention of staying long-term.

For years, SonoPath—a hub for veterinary ultrasound, telemedicine, and education founded by Dr. Eric Lindquist—has been teaching vets how to interpret ultrasounds and helping them complete required credits for continuing education.

When Caroline Hill left her job as a high school principal in 2015, she took two big ideas with her. First, she wanted to explore the role of race and equity in inclusion work. Second, she wanted to see how that work fit into the idea of how we, as people, can design and innovate new worlds for ourselves. 

Picture it: Miami, 2010s. Jordan Melnick was working for an arts and culture blog, covering the Magic City from a hyper-local perspective. But when he wasn’t writing, he was connecting with his readership through a variety of community events.

It took a little bit of time for Tiffany Johnston to find her (literal) sweet spot.

As a psychologist and mindfulness teacher with nearly 20 years of experience, author Elisha Goldstein knew his way around the world of courses. And there was always one thing that stuck out to him:

Carly Walton had spent over three years traveling the world and teaching music online. But when a music company reached out for a prospective partnership, she wasn’t sure where it would take her.

When it comes to the subject of women and travel, most people either focus on the romanticism of exploring the world solo (think, “Eat, Pray, Love”) or the danger of going it alone.

When Erik van Vulpen and Nando Steenhuis met working at a venture builder in the Netherlands, just a few months after graduation, they had no idea where their collegiality would take them.

What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the words “financial freedom?” There’s a good chance you start imagining trading stocks, keeping an eye on your 401K, or following the Dow. But financial advisors Russ Morgan and Joey Mure want to change that.

Brother and sister artists Lee and Sarah Rubenstein hadn’t expected ArtSnacks—their art supply subscription box—to take off as quickly as it did. But as their number of subscribers grew, they found themselves looking for ways to bring their new artists together.

Jamie Smith and Tara Lee Bennett had a simple goal: To make it easier and more obvious for visual artists to make a living doing what they were meant to do.

Cecilia and Jason Hilkey knew first-hand that modern parenting wasn’t exactly easy.

Gary van Warmerdam and Eva Beronius had been trying to bring their expertise together under a single membership model. But they kept hitting snag after snag.

Adele Shaw had spread herself too thin.

Trish Martin was getting burned out.

Nathan Lively had always known where his passion lied: in the niche world of live sound engineering. And with Lively as his last name, it sure seemed he was destined for it.

Lee Robertson was always good at considering the big picture.

Dr. Ashley Southard was feeling frustrated.

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based youth minister Zac Workun knew his calling as a youth minister was the right one for him. The fact that it was also isolating and, at times, lonely was something he chalked up to the price he paid for pursuing his purpose.

Christine Byer was flat-out exhausted.

Alyssa Malehorn wanted to find people on her same wavelength.

Jessica Abel knew the biggest hurdle for serious artists was easier said than done: Making the time to get their creative projects done.

Miranda Palmer has come a long way since launching her first free Yahoo Group in 2005.

When you’re the best-selling author of 48 Days to the Work You Love with a wildly successful podcast and weekly email newsletter that reaches tens of thousands of people, what in the heck would inspire you to spend the past year investing your time and energy in over 600 people on a brand new platform?

Tara McMullin has served as a coach, mentor, and leader to thousands of small digital businesses over the past decade.

Martinus Evans didn’t want to start just another Facebook running group for his fans.

Eric Tivers was doing just fine as a clinical social worker with a thriving private practice, and a side hustle as a podcaster.

Kathleen Drennan has two great passions in life: business and flowers.