Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Candice Watt
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. Like many entrepreneurs, I’ve faced challenges with balancing resources, educating customers on the benefits of natural ingredients, and standing out in such a competitive market. There were times when I questioned if people would really see the value in products that are made with intention and care. But each struggle pushed me to refine my vision, stay true to my brand values, and keep moving forward. Those challenges are part of what shaped the business into what it is today a wellness brand focused on nourishing people, inside and out. Read more>>
Kendra Pearson
I went to Real Estate school and completed it right away. However, life threw a curveball I ran into some trouble that temporarily halted my progress, delaying my ability to get my real estate license by seven years. During that time, I stayed focused, kept pushing, and eventually went back to apply for my license. I took the exam, passed it and finally received my Real Estate License. Since then I’ve been committed to helping families lease, buy sell and build wealth in Real Estate. Read more>>
Lauren Parr
I have had an artist’s heart my entire life. I was the type of kid who wanted to try everything — piano, guitar, painting, writing, photography — anything that gave me a way to express what I was feeling and seeing in the world. When I began college, photography became the medium I focused on most, and for the past 12 years it’s been my career. I’ve had the honor of documenting love stories, celebrations, and real life all across the world, and that chapter shaped me in so many ways. Read more>>
Nicole Cooper
So I did what most people wouldn’t expect… I became a waitress at Red Lobster. And honestly, that job was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It gave me freedom to move to different cities, try different things, pick up gigs, and really discover myself outside of the traditional path. Eventually, I found my way into real estate, became an investor, and thought I had finally “made it.” Read more>>
Megan Brown
I read Andrew Weil’s book Spontaneous Healing and felt like I’d uncovered an underground world of healing no one was talking about. It turned on a light I couldn’t turn off—I had to learn more. So in 2010 I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York. What began as learning for myself quickly grew into helping family and friends. Soon I was hearing from others navigating their own autoimmune struggles, and I knew I needed deeper training to truly help. Read more>>
Melynda Nuss
When Jose and I moved to Austin, we discovered an amazing bookstore that specialized in small publishers and works in translation. It was started by Joe Bratcher, a visionary guy who had had the same experience we had. He also went to creative writing conferences and was fascinated by all the small publishers and works in translation. In fact, he was so fascinated that he started Host Publications, a small press based in Austin, and Malvern Books, the amazing bookstore we found. We started buying books at Malvern, and since Jose is a local author, he was asked to read there. Read more>>
Amber Barry
It has been so cool to see who we’ve meet and what he’s doing with our photography business! We started photography where we met in Washington, so you’ll see that our portfolio is full of the Washington people and beauty. We moved to Austin area where Phillip is from in June of 2025. I have fell in love with Texas and it’s unique beauty. The people and culture are what drew me to being here. I can’t wait to see where this next season of our lives will bring and the creativity that will be unleashed in this city! Read more>>
Loren Sack
As a mother of 5 children trying to navigate the big boxed buisness that education has become, I found myself discontent with the options that were available for our children. My husband Darren and I started our family in the Silicon Valley, where things change at the speed of light, are innovative, competitive and not entirely family oriented. After several trial and errors over 4 years and an answer to prayer, I decided to homeschool. The year was 2017, I started with our eldest, then eventually the whole crew. Read more>>
Sarah Jones
My love affair with fitness began in the most unexpected place: tagging along to my mom’s group fitness classes at our neighborhood community center as a teenager. While my high school friends found their rhythm through sports and dance, I was discovering mine in a different way. After gaining weight during my sophomore year, those classes with my mom became my lifeline, not just to movement, but to something much deeper. For the first time, I experienced the magic of community forming around shared goals. Read more>>
Paloma Ramirez
A silly breakup with my first boyfriend in high school unexpectedly led me to where I am today. My passion for being in front of the camera and expressing my creativity grew tremendously year after year, and I never imagined how much I would grow in this industry. It all began with my friend’s new camera, we started taking photos just for fun and posting them on Instagram. Week after week, we created, and the joy I felt from sharing my creativity became undeniable. Read more>>
Emily Abrams Smith
Leaving a stable and steady career to work part time for the school district was a bit nerve wracking. Thankfully I have a supportive partner who is holding down the family with health insurance! Although the change in income was scary at first, I’ve never felt more sure that I’m on the right path. Plus the fulfillment of connecting with kids and sharing creative confidence, as well as the freedom to connect in new ways with my community (as well as the schedule flexibility to complete more community art projects to add some razzle dazzle and joy to the neighborhood) has been incredible. Read more>>
Aimee Simons
During this time, she became even more passionate about her desire to be in law enforcement and she recieved police patches, challenge coins, and memory from around the world. As a result, our girls became determined to pay it forward. They started sending custom care packages to other children with cancer. Sarah’s Warriors The Officer Sarah Simons Foundation became an official 501c3 Non Profit. Read more>>
Mayra Angulo
Even though I explored different fields like finance, computer science, and business administration, I realized my heart was always in beauty. When I moved to Los Cabos with my family, I got back into makeup while helping my mom with her Avon business. Later, after marrying and moving to Austin, Texas, I didn’t speak English at first, but I learned fast so I could enroll in cosmetology school. My prior experience helped me stand out quickly, and I even got to work on events like Project Runway, TV shows, and photo shoots. Eventually, I opened my own shared studio. Read more>>
Olly Pryce
Poverty and the absence of family shaped much of my early life. Without a safety net, I understood that if I wanted to create something meaningful, I would have to find my own way. It pushed me to go to extraordinary lengths, far beyond what most people would consider “normal,” to earn the resources I needed to turn survival into a life built in connection and harmony with nature. Those struggles instilled resilience and revealed my true purpose: to remain in connection with the Earth that has raised me, and give back through my life’s work. My work is both a reflection of that bond and a commitment to restoring harmony between people and the natural world. Read more>>
Julia Lopez
Outside the office, I’ve always been passionate about community work—whether through Church Under the Bridge, the Women’s Shelter, Shoreline Church, or simply translating and helping the community in general—because service has always been at the core of who I am. Today, that same heart for advocacy is what drives me at the firm: not just to meet legal needs, but to help clients build stronger, more stable lives. Read more>>
Virginia Hernandez
In my early 30s, I went back to graduate school, focusing on gender studies with the intention of moving into nonprofit work. But, after graduating, I was completely burned out and decided to take a three-month sabbatical before job hunting. During that break, a friend invited me to photograph an event he was hosting, a soccer game, and a gala. I accepted, and that ended up being my turning point. I had so much fun, produced work I was proud of, and there was really no looking back. Read more>>
Tania Degregorio
St Cecilia is the patron Saint of Music and growing up surrounded by such incredible live music over the past 27 years has become the most important thread in the fabric of who we are. Music has continued to lead our way towards beautiful people, adventures and opportunities. Following St Cecilia has been a blessing and we wouldn’t change it for anything! Read more>>
Daniel Ceballos
I graduated during Covid so like a majority of people I did not have anything lined up after college and I accepted the first job that was offered to me. Wasn’t want I wanted to do but it paid decently, and the work was interesting. Eventually I wanted to move back to Austin where I lived in for my senior year of college. And eventually I got a job at medium-sized civil engineering firm, and we handle a lot of subcontracted work related to infrastructure regarding the City of Austin. That’s when I realized my job—and even my degree—weren’t truly what I wanted. They were more a construct of societal expectations, and of meeting external and internal needs, rather than actual wants. Read more>>
Andrés Melo
The first time I had my own business was with a music recording studio, where I spent several years recording and producing. After moving to the United States I started my own business again, this time as a photographer and videographer. In a way I ended up doing what I used to do as a child with my mom, only now on a much bigger scale. Read more>>
Cindy Cornwell
Of note, Dr. Edwards would not accept you as a student in his school unless you were also a client. He used to tell us, “You can’t take anyone anywhere you haven’t been or are not willing to go. You must also always keep working on yourself. The more you work on yourself the more people you will be able to help because you will have genuine empathy.” So, in our lab sessions, we took turns being either the Client, the Counselor, or the Observer during each session. We rotated roles. The rest of the time we were in class. Read more>>
Dan Aguilar
The story of Austin Vibes AV has been a fun one over the past few years! One of my favorite memories was when I was heading to a client site in North Carolina (we bring Austin Vibes wherever it’s needed). My flight got delayed. so I headed to an airport lounge to grab a bite and a beverage. I got to talking to a gentlemen and we were having a blast discussing all of our experiences, our respective businesses, and what was next for us. Read more>>
Kiki Gordon
My personal journey took a new turn when I discovered that I carry the BRCA gene, a hereditary marker that significantly increases the risk of breast cancer. This became even more personal because my two sisters are breast cancer survivors. Walking alongside them through their battles opened my eyes to the emotional, physical, and financial toll recovery can take, not only on the patient, but on their entire family. Read more>>
Genny & Juan Acosta-Li
We’re a husband-and-wife duo and both proud UT alumni (Genny studied Finance & Juan Math/Econ). We started Mù Coffee in February 2025 because we wanted to share something different with Austin’s coffee community. Since then, we’ve done eight pop-ups around the city, and people really connected with our Chinese-inspired flavors like Osmanthus, Five Spice, Jasmine, and Barley, flavors that are reminiscent of Genny’s heritage and unique in the coffee scene. Read more>>
Michal Morrison
I was born in Austin, grew up in a farming community just outside of Phoenix, and returned to Austin after receiving my Bachelors in History and English Literature. I worked in archaeology throughout my 20’s, working on excavations in Greece, Turkey, Italy, the UAE, Ireland, and throughout the United States and the Caribbean. My academic interests spanned the gamut, so I also attended graduate school at a seminary and studied Theology. Read more>>
Astrid Abrahamyan
In Silicon Valley, I worked within the corporate world and saw the inner mechanics of how technology companies grow, scale, and tell their stories. It was an invaluable education. I learned how fast ideas can turn into businesses, how critical data and systems are for decision-making, and how easily companies can lose touch with their customers if they don’t adapt. Those years gave me both structure and perspective — the discipline of corporate processes, but also the realization that I wanted more freedom to build something of my own. Read more>>
Carlotta Binns
The name ‘Coeur’ is French for ‘heart,’ and it’s the core of our business. We’re committed to implementing our strategies with heart, focusing on the individual behind the business and the passion that motivates each educator. We truly believe that small business owners are driven by a need for empowerment and creativity, while educators are motivated by a deep desire to give back and make a profound change. We’re here to support both of those journeys, helping our clients elevate, innovate, and succeed with a strategy that comes from a place of genuine care.” Read more>>
Sandra Van Der Geer- Van Eck
Every client I work with is different, which I love; this keeps my work interesting and challenging, as I’m feeling out each and every new person or couple to what they are exactly looking for. Each individual has their own personality, values, style and color preferences, plus ways of communicating and working. Read more>>
Tien Chen
Yes it’s been pretty smooth career wise but health wise it’s been a struggle. I was diagnosed with lupus is 2020 and have been fighting the disease for years. My health limits me to many activities and often sends me to the hospital. I wanted to keep my life as normal as possible to inspire other autoimmune persons that your life doesn’t need to stop just because of a diagnosis. You can still chase your dreams Read more>>
Ashley Oberholtzer
From January to July, I painted a series of 14 “Electric Feminine” florals inspired by arrangements from Austin’s House of Margot Blair. I subscribed to a biweekly delivery of 12 arrangements and spent time with each one – lighting them creatively, photographing them, and selecting a favorite image to paint. Each 11” x 14” oil painting experiments with backgrounds, colors, and compositions while staying cohesive as a series. For July, I collaborated with Flowersmith ATX, incorporating their hand-marbled orchid stems into an arrangement that became one of my favorites. Read more>>
