We love asking the folks that inspire and excite us about what inspires and excites them. Check out their responses below.

Stephanie Smith | Makeup Artist, Brow Artist, Licensed Esthetician

I am inspired by a good “hustle”! I am inspired by women who hustle! the women who get it done by any means necessary. I come from a grandmother who was the first in her town to build her own beauty salon from the ground up. I come from another grandmother who was a private duty nurse at night so she could see her husband and kids off to work and school and makes time to still be an active member in her church even today at 103. I come from a mother who has been a nurse since she was 18. She worked in the hospital for 23 years, while working part time at other area hospitals to make extra money. My mother went back to school when i was 14, to become a Registered Nurse. She went to class at night and worked during the day then became a home health nurse for 20 more years, I am inspired by women who put in the work. Read more>>

Hector Gotay | Product Designer

I can truly say that I take inspiration from everything around me. I like to find ways to take something that is unorthodox and incorporate that into my designs. For example, on my portfolio you’ll see a section called “sneaker redesigns”. There I have taken a favorite color way of mine from a shoe I like and redesigned an application with that color palette. As designers we are problem solvers, so to take inspiration from one source would be near impossible!. Read more>>

Holly Hixson | City-Enthusiast & Owner of HollsOnHomes

I’m inspired by cities and people! I grew up in a small town and I always wanted to see different places around the world and when I first had the opportunity to travel I became so enthralled watching life unfold around me. Now for many years one of my favorite things to do is to sit in cafes or restaurant, or in a park or public space and just watch people interact with each other and their surroundings. I love the dance of movement that happens in cities, especially in cities like Montreal where I live, there is such vibrant street life and always something to catch your eye. Once you train yourself to look closer at the details of buildings and storefronts and streets, you get inspired and it gives you an appreciation for anywhere you are. Read more>>

Cristina Gonzalez | Founder of Pauji Outdoors

Nature in its rawest form has long been my main inspiration. Since I was young, I had admiration for the natural world and how perfect it all works together. I love to see nature the way is meant to be. I often remind myself that us humans are part of that perfect world, we are nature. We must learn to coexist in a sustainable way to ensure not only our survival, but also the precious creatures that make up this wonderful planet. After being able to experience nature in its most preserved form while scuba diving in the Galapagos islands, I was reminded what nature was like without the disruption of plastics and fishing lines that littered the oceans and beaches of the places I’ve frequented. Through Pauji I have been inspired by the resilience of nature and how through its sustainable resources we may rid ourselves of our plastic dependency. Read more>>

ALEJANDRO MENDOZA | Filmmaker & Photographer

I’ve always been inspired by the people who do what they love, especially those that do it for a living. From the moment I started using social media, I wanted to be like those who traveled the world creating amazing content or those who uploaded surprisingly good content to YouTube, but that was only a dream at the time. Years later I can say It was worth the wait because now I get to be one of those people who do what they love, and I get to do it for a living. Read more>>

Romina Muhametaj | Sales & Negotiating Expert , Host of Coffee with Romina podcast

One of the most controversial ideas to me is idealizing a celebrity or someone who we probably have never met or will do. By doing so not only do we give our power away from us but we allow a stranger to inspire us. Now, do not get me wrong, looking at others become successful is very inspiring, but how about ourselves? Look back at your own storyline? Who were you in high school? Who were you when you were 15? How about 5 years ago, who were you? What was your biggest life obstacle you overcame? Often we worship others without giving credit to ourselves. Well my friends, once I start finding inspiration within myself, finding inspiration at my 17 years old version of myself, I start looking at things differently. When I idolized a fortune 500 CEO or a celebrity and they did or said something that I did not agree with, in a way I felt disappointed. So, instead, I took charge of my own matters. Read more>>