Empowering Women, Building Community: How One Reno Woman Turned Connection into a National Movement
By Chris James When Hindi Marciniak moved to Reno, Nevada, she didn’t know anyone. What she did know was that she wanted to make meaningful connections — and in doing so, she sparked a movement that is transforming how women-owned businesses connect, collaborate, and thrive nationwide. “I’ve always worked a nine-to-five,” Marciniak said. “Last year, I decided I wanted to start a little side business that had to do with parties. I went to Facebook looking for a women-owned business group here in Reno — and I couldn’t find one. So, I decided [...]
Finding Harmony: How JCPS Choir Director Talor Byrd Builds Community Through Music and Love
By Chris James At Fern Creek High School, the sound of voices lifting in unison is more than music—it’s healing. It’s hope. At the center of it all stands Talor Byrd, Director of Choral Activities, whose purpose is as clear as the notes her students sing. “The music’s great, but the kids are the priority. I just want them to have as many high-quality experiences as possible,” she said. The Starting Point Byrd’s journey into education began not with a single moment, but with a series of transformative ones. Growing up in Louisville, [...]
Ice Cream Oasis: Best Friends dish out immersive experience with the Roll Academy in Tennessee
Photo credit: Minnie Morklithavong By: Jerry Shannon A pair of best friends are turning their love for ice cream into scoops of adventure, success, and empowerment. Nashville, Tennessee is home to the one and only Thai-inspired rolled ice cream food truck experience in Music City. The truck travels around Middle Tennessee bringing flair to all types of events including birthdays, corporate events, private parties, etc. You may even catch them setting up shop at a local park. The two women behind the unique experience are also giving ice-cream lovers a chance [...]
We See You, Sis: Tahjená Muldrow– Where Purpose Meets Performance
Photo Courtesy: Kevin Jay Photography By Zoe Meyer Tahjená Muldrow has never fit into one box. Singer, dancer, actor, choreographer, writer, and teacher—her artistry defies labels, though she ties them all together with a single thread: purpose. She describes herself as a “purpose-driven, multifaceted creative,” equipped with gifts that allow her to explore artistry in many forms. Singing, dancing, writing, teaching—each, she said, springs from creativity itself. “As humans, we are divinely designed to create.” Destined for the Spotlight Born in Bowling Green and raised in Louisville, Muldrow seemed destined for [...]
Stephanie Terry: Breaking Barriers, Building Community
By: Tabnie Dozier Evansville, Indiana Mayor Stephanie Terry. Stephanie Terry still remembers the night she knew she was ready to run for mayor. Sitting in church during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in January 2023, she heard a sermon that pressed the congregation with a simple but powerful question: “If not now, when?” She couldn’t shake the gut-feeling that God was calling her to step into the moment. “That night, I went home and told my husband, ‘Let’s go,’” Terry said. “I couldn’t let it go.” Months later, Evansville voters elected [...]
From Grief to Grace: How Ashlee Johnson is Rebuilding Lives Through the Street Widows Foundation
By Chris James When Ashlee Johnson speaks, her words pulse with lived truth—raw, resolute, and profoundly human. As the founder of the Street Widows Foundation, Johnson is leading a movement born not from charity, but from necessity. A necessity that emerged from a devastating personal loss, shaped by public crisis, and powered by a deep-seated commitment to healing a wounded community. “I became a widow at 29,” Johnson says, plainly. “I lost my husband Tiwuan to gun violence. After that, I looked around and realized—there just weren’t spaces for people like me. People grieving [...]
