The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across Alabama below.
Morgan Greenlee
My name is Morgan Greenlee, and I’m originally from Oregon. I’m a country and rock singer-songwriter whose music is deeply rooted in faith. My sound blends honesty of country, the energy of rock, and the hope found in worship music. Although I’ve loved singing for as long as I can remember, I spent my early adulthood serving in the U.S. Read more>>
Brianna Tamburello
Our story is really a love story—between the two of us, our family, the restaurant business, and the community that has supported us along the way. Benard has spent more than 30 years in the restaurant business. Read more>>
Nina Dortch
I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, in a part of town locals know as Southwest Atlanta, the SWATS. It wasn’t an affluent community, but it was home. Growing up, only a handful of my friends came from two parent households, and I was fortunate to be one of them. My father worked in a factory, and my mother worked in fast food. Read more>>
Staci Paige
Hi, I’m Staci Paige from Birmingham, Alabama. I am a strong, intelligent, purpose-driven, Black woman who never gives up. I wasn’t always this strong though. I was born and grew up on the East side of Birmingham, Alabama, where i was bullied most of my days. So, of course that had a tremendously negative affect on my life. Read more>>
Erica Wright
I’m Author Erica Denise. I’ve been writing all of my life; writing and reading has always been an escape for me and creating stories allowed me a place to thrive and for my creativity to grow. Read more>>
Bama Andy
Jesus saved me from my past life, full of open sin. He healed me from addictions & just so much trouble in life. Although I still have struggles, still have issues, I give Him the Glory for always blessing me & my family. One of the blessings is my voice on social media, where I have a combined following of over 320K across all platforms. Read more>>
Jermaine Johnson
ZipTrip started from seeing a gap in the Birmingham market for fun that I saw in other cities, unique luxury experiences without having to leave the city. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and wanted to build something that combined lifestyle, convenience, and entertainment. Read more>>
Heather Jones
There I was climbing the ladder rather quickly in a great job, going to school full time, and my husband decided that he wanted to re-enlist in the military. That decision rewrote the plan I thought I was living. My story started like a lot of military spouses. I was working full-time, and due to a military move had to leave my job. Read more>>
Tracey S. Moses
My journey has been one of constant growth and reinvention. I originally started my work under the name Tracey S. Yang, when I was also the owner of Kyo Production. At the time, I was focused on creating meaningful media and finding ways to connect people through storytelling. As both my personal life and creative vision evolved, I legally changed my name to Tracey S. Read more>>
Courtney Thornton
As a young girl, I was raised in the rural city of Notasulga, AL. Surrounded by everyday Black folk, deep southern culture and a church on the corner of every red clay road – I began realizing the importance of community and archiving our experiences. Read more>>
Se’maj Hurst
I discovered my love for music when I was six years old. I come from a musically inclined family on my dad’s side, and one of my earliest memories is with my older cousin, who was nineteen at the time and a singer herself. Read more>>
Shercoria Kelly
In 2020, I transformed my body & lifestyle through health and wellness. Liquid vitamins, cleanses, mushroom coffee, and healthy energy supplements helped me take total control of my health. I was able to release 40 pounds by doing cardio and fueling my body. Today, I service my community by helping them do the same. Read more>>
Aaron Brown
I feel like my story as an emcee and an artist is really only just beginning, but I have learned so many different lessons and gained so many nuggets of wisdom that It feels like I’ve been doing It forever. I began on the journey of both during the 2020 pandemic. Read more>>
Annie Nguyen
Greetings! I am Annie: an A.A.P.I. Taurus woman, creative, second daughter, born & raised in Birmingham, AL. How I started professionally was following a conventional path, going to school & finding a lifelong career, until I realized I have to forge my own path. This wasn’t something completely new to me as I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, no matter what. Read more>>
Narfunda Ross
In 2008, I suffered the loss of my father. He appeared to me in a dream, telling me I had a mass on my right lung. Months later, and just after my 33rd birthday, I was diagnosed with acid reflux. The pain was so unbearable, I had to leave my uncle’s funeral and come home. Read more>>
Audriya ‘DRU’ Lyles
I was born Audriya Lyles, but my parents nicknamed me Dru. That’s what everyone who knows me calls me. I grew up as a very shy child. People probably wondered what was going on inside my head. Only I knew—and it was a lot of emotions. In elementary school, I was introduced to poetry, and I instantly connected with it. Read more>>
Cassandra Mitchell
I grew up between Florida and Alabama (and a few more places) and discovered my love for music at a young age. Some of my earliest memories involve singing, although I was incredibly shy. In church, I would often lip-sync instead of singing out loud because I was too nervous for anyone to hear me. Read more>>
Jason Smith
I joined the U.S. Marines in July of 1995 and retired in August of 2015 with twenty years of honorable service, including deployments across East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. I currently serve as the Director of Business Development & Veterans Programs for Florida Springs Wellness & Recovery Center in Panama City, Florida. Read more>>
Asia Gillaspie
Hi, I’m Asia Nicole Gillaspie, lead artist and owner of H&M by Asia Nicole. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and am a licensed cosmetologist. When I headed off to college at 18, my goal was always to use social media to grow my hair and makeup business, and now I have officially been a full-time makeup artist for 10 years. Read more>>
Kaira Baker
The thing is, I’ve always wanted to model, being on camera comes as natural for me as breathing. I spent a lot of time dedicating to this dream of mine although I really only began taking this seriously in 2020. Read more>>
Martina “PRIME” Moore
My first Primetime Link-Up took place at Carowinds on June 20, 2022, to celebrate Juneteenth. At that time, our Facebook group had around 100 people, and I wasn’t sure if anyone would actually show up. To my surprise, about 25 group members joined me at the park! The energy that day was indescribable. Read more>>
