Through our work we have had the good fortune of seeing firsthand how success comes in every shape, size, color, faith, and orientation. More importantly we’ve learned that success is often the result of people embracing their unique backgrounds and so we’ve asked the community to tell us about their background and how it has impacted where they are today.

Whisper Williams | Blogger, Health & Fitness Coach, Model

I’m from San Diego, California originally. I attended college in Miami and stayed nearly a decade. I’m an afro latina, black, Mexican & white. Being mixed and coming up on the west coast was a challenging journey. I always felt out of place and I had to learn how to love myself, because society, at that time, didn’t. Having a Mexican raised mother who looked white and a black father was not the norm in the 90’s like it is today. So I had to fight for who I was. Now, I’m proud of and relentless with who I am; nobody can tell me nothin; I love me. And loving me has ushered in much abundance in my life. Read more>>

Tamar Daneshrad | Mind/Body Wellness Journey Facilitator

I was born in Iran and moved to Los Angeles when I was twelve years old. Since I was five years old, I asked questions about things that should be unquestionable. I had a desire to heal people and to me at that point meant that I wanted to be a physician. I was incredibly determined in my education. I was premed at UCLA when I got married, and I decided that it was important to me to be there for my children to be, so I decided to go to pharmacy school. First day in I knew that was a mistake but alas I felt there is no going back. As I learned about drugs and saw how they acted in the body and the potential harm, I started looking into alternative healing modalities. I learned about homeopathy, naturopathy, herbs and so on. That is about the same time that I found Kabbalah which change and shaped who I am. About fifteen years ago, I was introduced to BodyTalk. This modality allowed me to bring together all my trainings and gave me the ability to use all of it to contribute to my clients. Read more>>

Meg Nocero | Former Federal Attorney, Award Winning Author, Inspirational Speaker and Empowerment Coach.

While I am proud to be an American, I am equally proud of my Italian-American heritage. I am grateful that my great grandparents got on a boat and traveled across the ocean to claim their American Dream. I was taught well about the villages and regions my ancestors came from, the difficult conditions that forced them to leave, the serious prejudices and hardships they faced when they arrived in America, and the sacrifices they made to overcome illiteracy, poverty and prejudice. I am the proud daughter of second-generation Italian Americans. Both grew up in New York City, that is where my great grandparents arrived when they left the poverty of Central and Southern Italy in the late 1880s for the United States. It was in New York that my family created a beautiful legacy for each member of my family to honor and emulate. There was an expectation of excellence and an ethos of perfection passed down for each child to accomplish great things and make the family proud. Politicians, lawyers, judges, doctors, teachers, educators—these were the traditional fields of study to choose from, requiring nothing less than a strong work ethic, each doing their part to serve. Read more>>

DOES | Artist

I live in Geleen, the Netherlands. I entered into a talent development programme of one of the Dutch Professional football teams when I was 10, was selected for the national team at the age of 12, signed my first contract when I was 15 and made my debut in the fist team at the age 16. I started tagging around my 15th birthday. I guess I needed some kind of relief from all the routine and discipline. I had always been drawing a lot without a particular purpose. When I discovered graffiti I really started to take drawing very seriously as I felt that was my basis. Throughout my soccer career I continued to draw a lot. Especially during my darker moments, which where mainly related to knee injuries, drawing helped me to stay positive. For over a decade, it was football by day and graffiti at nightfall for Does: ‘In 1997, I started drawing pieces and soon after, the excitement of spray paint and tagging walls drew me outdoors.’  On track to become a professional football player, it was my way to let off some steam. ‘I needed it to balance out the strict regime and focus that football demanded. No one from the club knew I was doing it, I was living a parallel life.’ Read more>>

Gülce Albayrak | Potter & Owner at Mandita (Pottery Studio)

Ankara; in the centre of Anatolia, the capital of the Republic of Turkey and one of the largest cities in here. Although it is still unclear where the origin of the name came from, the first known name was “ankyra” during the Phrygian period, meaning “anchor” that pointed out a region the sea reached at that time. While different names such as “Engürü” and “Angora” were given in the early periods; I was born very long time later in 1985, right in the middle of this geography. The vast majority of my childhood spent in the streets and in nature. Although there is a lot of “earth” in my memories, it was at the end of my 20s that clay began to guide my life. Currently where I live, is one of the most beautiful coast cities of Turkey which is called İzmir. Well, what actually dragged me here and how? Everyone has breaking points in the course of their lives; sometimes these points bring departures to our lives, sometimes departures cause evolving. Read more>>

Cristina Melendez | Cristina Melendez | On-Air Traffic Reporter

I was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. My upbringing is deeply rooted in my culture. Whether it is through what I wear, the music I listen to, my self-expression … every part of who I am, I owe not only to my parents but to my enchanting island. Every year, I am blessed to engage in meaningful conversations and experiences with my family in Puerto Rico. Those moments are ones I long for once I’m back home in Miami. And although Miami is my home, PR will always have my heart. Us Puerto Ricans are kind, hardworking, resilient, and selfless. We love to laugh, dance, and show love for our community regardless of the challenges we face. Being Puerto Rican has allowed me to become a proud, confident, and lively Latina who is still learning, growing and most importantly showing off that red, white and blue flag everywhere I go. Read more>>

Sandra Madjdi | Image Creator , Celebrity Stylist, Business Owner

As a Iranian American, born in Tehran and raised in the USA. Our culture is filled with rich cultural values and traditions that my parents continued to envoke in us. How i see life is not by surface but deeper into purpose. Read more>>

Kat Of LA | Freelance Makeup Artist & Hairstylist

Katia Valencia aka Kat of LA. I am from a small border town in Yuma, AZ. I am proud to be Mexican American living in South Florida. My upbringing was not perfect but simply amazing. As being first generation Latina, the oldest out of 3 kids and the prettiest 😉 the only girl. Since day one I always had responsibilities like translating to my parents and grandparents from English to Spanish, babysitting, learning to cook for my cousins, booking vacations and car rentals since I was 9 years old and learning to work with a budget. I am so thankful for all those lessons now. Let’s just say that being from a small town there was very little to do. I had a lot of time to play with makeup and hair. Hard work, integrity, respecting others, being punctual, being strong in my choices, we’re also being taught at an early age. They also taught me that people are different and have different beliefs, to be kind to others was one of the greatest things they taught me.. My upbringing has made who I am today and part of me being successful is growing up with an open mind and hard work ethic. Thank you to Nacho and Betty for all the tough love. Read more>>