Tiana's passion for dance and fitness led her to finally leave the corporate world and bring her unique style and experience to her business. She offers various classes, including zumba and hip hop, and hopes to one day have her own space to hold her classes and other arts-related events. Tiana is a dedicated teacher who always makes her students feel empowered through positivity, inclusivity, and a no-judgment culture.
Emily and Taneesha provide professional development and consulting services to school districts globally, as well as to corporations and small businesses. Their trainings include trauma-informed practices, mental health awareness, and culturally responsive teaching and learning. Both Emily and Taneesha were educators and collectively have over 30 years of teaching experience, so they know first hand how valuable the conversations they are starting can be in the workplace.
Elizabeth is a personal branding and styling consultant who caters to professional women looking to make a career change. After leaving the corporate world, she decided to use her branding skills to pursue her love of fashion. Different from other personal stylists, she helps clients develop a personal brand to help them move past plateaus in their careers. She seeks to establish a more robust pipeline for capturing customers.
Dawn's father was an FDNY firefighter who taught her how to cook and inspired her to go after her culinary goals. When friends raved about her homemade and versatile sauerkraut, she decided to start selling jars of it. Dawn now sells her signature kraut in several stores nationwide (including Key Foods) as well as from her local mobile hot dog stand. Dawn is committed to serving the community and loves sharing her passion for healthy, high-quality, and delicious food with everyone she can.
Acacia, an Oakland high school Ethnic Studies teacher, has always appreciated the different perspectives that can be gained through traveling. She started her own traveling consulting business after creating popular itineraries for friends visiting Brazil. Acacia now offers language and itinerary consulting services so that customers can have amazing trips while also benefiting local vendors.
Janelle offers tax preparation, consulting and bookkeeping services to both individuals and small to mid-sized businesses. She has experience in both auditing and fraud investigations for large firms, but is now focusing on her own practice full time. Janelle is adamant about educating her clients; she wants them to have a basic understanding of their own finances, and makes sure they gain that knowledge throughout the process of working with her.
After relocating temporarily to Georgia with her family Kayisha walked into a store in 2010 and found a cake decorating class. She discovered she was talented and even was tapped to teach cake decorating to children. When she returned to NYC, she won scholarships to study under celebrity cake designers and is now running her business on City Island in the Bronx.
Originally from Nigeria and an IT professional, Mojisola (Moji) was inspired by her daughter and her late mother to dive into her own business. Her spreads offer an all-natural, preservative and sugar free alternative to jams and jellies. Offering a wide variety of unique, homemade flavors, Moji has established a healthy alternative to traditional kids snacks and sandwiches that is perfect for health conscious families.
Jasz's creative business designs and sells household goods with unique twists. Her signature item is her collection of handmade, artisan baskets that fit every decorative style. Each basket is custom produced by a woman-owned micro-business in Senegal, directly impacting the income and wellbeing of each family. Baskets are eco-friendly and crafted from recycled materials that support a clean environment.
Kwamè is a certified personal trainer and licensed martial art black belt. Now based in Maryland and working in the DMV area, he has been practicing martial arts for over 20 years and in his younger years, competed at international tournaments mixed martial arts competitions. A true motivator, he has a passion for passing his experiences and knowledge on to his students. In his mixed martial art academy, he takes pride not just in helping students achieve physical and lifestyle goals, but also in training the next leading trainers that represent and carry out the business' mission.