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.

Clifford Walker

I truly believe my calling found me. When I first started in real estate investing, I joined a mentorship and followed the blueprint my mentor laid out. As I found success, people in my network began asking how I was doing deals so consistently. At first, I was simply following the process, but as I started helping others close their first deals, I discovered something deeper—I had a gift for simplifying the process and a passion for helping others transform their lives through real estate. Read More>>

Kate Woods

My longtime best friend, B. Paul, passed away from cancer a couple of years ago. They were the coolest person I knew growing up in Dallas. When I moved to NYC for art school, B. Paul soon followed. For 20 years, we worked alongside together in many creative facets. B was incredibly talented and owned a barber + tattoo shop in Brooklyn (Graceland) for many years. The shop’s creative spirit was one that was not easily matched. I felt really lost after their death and was searching for a way to honor them here in Dallas. Once presented with the opportunity to open up in the Cedars neighborhood, Paul’s Parlour was born. We are a connected family of longtime friends and have a team of talented artists. Paul’s is a gallery, tattoo shop, and barber shop. Read More>>

Jalen Askins

There a lot of factors that contributed to my success, but if I needed to choose I’d probably say to stay grounded and be humble about the fact I get to do this career in any type of capacity. You see people work hard to get where they are and some take years, months, etc. Unfortunately some may never reach their goal or have the support to do so. I had to realize early on it was going to be a challenge but also a journey into self discovery, experimentation, and overall confidence in myself to improve to become a better voice artist and actor. Read More>>

Erica Peterman

I am inspired by the magic of storytelling, the joy of theatre, and the wonder in a child’s eyes when they experience something truly enchanting. Our love for musical theatre and my years of professional performance fuel our passion for bringing fairytales to life. We believe in creating immersive, heartfelt experiences that allow children to step into their own magical world—where dreams come true, confidence shines, and memories last a lifetime. Most of all, we’re driven by the special bond we share with our mother-daughter business, making magic together and spreading joy to families. Read More>>

Melody Houghton

I always wanted to be artistic and have a way to express myself. For the first thirty years of my life I tried so many things to make myself artistic without seeing where I was already artistic.

Being able to walk through a park, a store, flipping through a magazine and so on, I find beauty and find myself saying “I could cookie that”

Taking that inspiration and making it come to life on a cookie is such a sweet gift. Read More>>

Meagan Ortiz

The key habits that helped me succeed in my business are staying organized, being determined, and leading with faith. Staying organized allowed me to manage my time and resources effectively, determination kept me pushing forward through challenges, and leading with faith gave me the confidence to take risks and trust the process. Read More>>

Mystii Marks

Being with family and friends. It’s a place where I am most comfortable and they accept me exactly the way I am. Read More>>

 Alex Mos

Playing the saxophone makes me happy. There’s something truly special about its tone—it’s rich, expressive, and almost like the human voice. When I play, I feel a deep connection to the music, but what brings me even greater joy is seeing how others react to it. When people enjoy my music, it amplifies my own happiness. I love making others happy. Music is a gift from God, and I believe it has the power to uplift, inspire, and bring people together. Read More>>

Christina Cabral

There are two sides to the Special Education process, parents and district. Period full stop. You can’t change the system and it will always be as it is. I disagree, I approach my work with families and with districts as a collaborative process to support the most important person in the process, the student. That student is the entire reason we are sitting at that table, it’s their future, independence and success that we should be focusing on.  Read More>>

Kevin Silva

The end goal is to win an Oscar. Bluntly, as many as I can. I grew up watching sports so taking that competitiveness into the thing I love which is telling stories and creating emotions. I know I won’t be satisfied when I win one. But I also know to take it one step at a time. Read More>>