Finding Founders

Maybe it was black magic, or maybe it was the locals pushing back on the first signs of foreign development. Regardless, it is a complicated thing to start a business when you are a foreigner. In spite of countless roadblocks, Waterborn stands, and Sayan Gulino, the current CEO of Waterborn Bali, has pushed his father's legacy forward. Today, Waterborn has won several awards and is recognized for...

For Paul Austin, psychedelics are a tool or skill to be used to courageously explore and create. His own psychedelic journey began at the age of 19, and through those journeys, they allowed him to release some of the shame and guilt he’d been raised in within a fundamentalist religious family. Now, with Third Wave and Psychedelic Coaching Institute, he works to expand knowledge and guide others th...

Raul Baltazar wields the power of painting, video, visual art performances, and much more to examine the experiences of the Mestizo Los Angeles Communities, including responses to trauma and post-colonialism. Baltazar has exhibited his community-focused art in LA and internationally, including Mexico, Taiwan, Vienna, and Australia. Baltazar has earned international acclaim and received fellowships...

After growing up in Ireland, Patrick McAndrew moved to New York City to work in business. But after feeling called to quit his job to start his first business, he became interested in exploring human attention, particularly how we relate to technology. With that question in mind, he founded HARA, an inner circle for exceptional entrepreneurs and leaders trying to reach their highest potential in b...

Growing up in a city with no wilderness at close proximity, Joe Robinet found his love for nature through television shows such as Little House on the Prairie. With over a million subscribers on YouTube, Joe has been sharing his outdoors experiences since 2007. Joe goes on 1 - 2 week camping adventures. However, a dirt bike incident has resulted in Joe getting lots of nerve and ligament damage. Th...

  Have you ever wished you could capture a memory forever? Heather Maio-Smith and her team have made this reality through thousands of recorded interviews with Holocaust survivors. After working with them to create interactive testimony exhibits, Heather was inspired to develop new technology that not only captures a memory, but allows for the most unlikely of conversations to occur, crossing the...

Janel Hawkins was just scrolling on Craigslist looking at jobs when she noticed one hiring sand sculptors, no experience necessary. She worked there through college, but as she was going into her senior year, she decided to blow her life up. In one month she cut her lease, left a bad relationship, dropped out of college, quit her job, and moved back home to start her own sand castle sculpting busi...

Jamie Goulding has been an entrepreneur & leader since the age of 14. He has led two start-up sales teams to success and been a top salesman wherever his career has taken him, closing more than $2 million in sales. Jamie has now turned his passion for mentoring into a new mentoring platform, BeenThere, which connects mentees with mentors around the world who have already “been there.” Learn mo...

The Vietnam War put many people in the position to flee Vietnam. Marina Tran-Vu’s parents were one of the millions of people put into the position. Marina’s parents fled to Canada where Marina was born. As a refugee, it was hard to make a living as Marina’s mother worked hard to get their family from a basement to the back of a store to a house in a nice neighborhood in Toronto Canada. Nonetheless...

This author holds the title for having written the most shoplifted novel in British publishing history. Meet Irvine Welsh, the author of the critically acclaimed novel “Trainspotting”. Famous for his harrowing depictions of heroin addicts and imbuing them with humanity, it may be no surprise that Welsh had a similar tract in life to his characters with a troubled childhood– one that caused him to...

Start-up millionaire nephew of former ABC chair Ita Buttrose, Andrew Spira has not had an easy life. But between the heavy drug use, childhood PTSD, and brushes with the law, he has managed to build several businesses, including a highly successful small loan business, Pineapple Funding, and a $10 million dollar real estate portfolio. But before diving into his success, let’s look at the mistakes...

James Webb is a competitive eater from Australia who has completed over 400 food challenges and consumes as much 10,000 calories a day. As the #1 competitive eater in Australia and #5 in the world, James has learned how to navigate eating large amounts of food while maintaining his health, especially after recovering from Guillain-Barre syndrome. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

Patrick Bertoletti‘s ability to eat large amounts of food took him from an insecure teen to the high-competition circuit of professional eating. He competed in 47 contests in one year at the height of his Major League Eating career, from state fairs to the stage of America’s Got Talent, where he repulsed judge Heidi Klum by consuming 120 eggs. He’s competed against a bear on Nickelodeon, been rank...

You just heard Josh Johnson recalling the moment where his worst nightmare came true: after finally stepping away from his safety net, he found himself jobless with the rug yanked out from under him. Now well known for his performances on Conan and Comedy Central, his tours with Trevor Noah, and a 2020 Emmy nomination, Josh has come a long way from his first script writing experience on the Tonigh...

Watching as he racked up tens of thousands of new fans over the course of the day, Sean Sotaridona let out a sigh of relief he didn’t even know he was holding. This success, this new and unexpected online stage, was what he had been looking for all his life. It only took him 16 years to find it. Going by the username SeanDoesMagic, Sean’s masterful magic tricks have garnered more than 21 million f...

From dreams of being in the NBA to personal assistant of multiple Hollywood stars, then a waiter, and finally becoming a YouTube sensation, Kevin Langue’s career path has been anything but conventional. Known for his genuine and fun-filled content, Kevin has always stayed true to being himself on and off camera. Now, with around a decade’s worth of experience in fostering an audience and creating...

Imagine being launched into YouTube stardom within hours… From his first channel playing video games with friends to joining SMOSH and co-hosting Smosh Gaming, Josh Ovenshire, better known as Joven, quickly became a pivotal figure in YouTube Gaming Channels. Smosh Gaming showed there was an audience for friends just having fun playing games. In consuming loads of content, Joven became a skilled st...

Mari Takahashi’s first video for SMOSH, a YouTube sketch comedy channel, wasn’t immediately met with praise. And this gig was far on the side – she had a legitimate career as a professional ballet dancer. Youtube stardom wasn’t even a consideration… but eventually she’d have to make a choice. Today Mari has a large digital media presence, has won 2 Streamy Awards, produced shows like Smosh Pit Wee...

It’s not every day Barbara Corcoran slides into your dms, but for Caleb Simpson this was suddenly the new normal. Now, if this name is sounding familiar at all, it’s because you’ve probably met Caleb before….on your For You page. Known for his casual house tours and the signature question “how much do you pay for rent,” Caleb has amassed over 7.1 million followers on TikTok and 2 million YouTube s...

Jan Williamson is a dedicated artist and community leader who’s transformed Southern California's art scene over three decades. As the executive director of the 18th Street Arts Center, she has grown the organization into the region's largest artist residency center, supporting nearly 700 artists. She’s co-founded environmental art initiatives and led 18th Street through reinvention with new progr...

This project, Shit Art Club, started from creative expression in high school. But from a high school rebellious art project, it grew into a thriving artistic community in Downtown Los Angeles. Dedicated to genuine creative expression, Shit Art Club rejects conventional form and function, embracing authenticity and anarchy. The collective invites everyone to join their creative crusade, fostering a...

Despite thinking his career was shattered by his injury, Eric Clem continued to follow his passion for woodworking. In 2010, Eric was able to mix his love for archery and woodworking through Bowyer Brooklyn, where he sold handcrafted bows and arrows to the people of New York. He would eventually move to Los Angeles where he realized his dream of sharing his craft with others, as he opened the door...

Midtown Lunch was a hit but we’ll come back to that later… because before Zach Brooks was looking for hidden gems in food he was looking for gems in music. Zach’s career would go from radio to food blogging, to eventually becoming the general manager at Smorgasburg where he operates the largest open-air food market in LA county. But let’s find where this love of food started and go back to his chi...

So if you don’t know Berenice Abbott was a famous photographer known for capturing New York's transformation from low-rise to skyscraper-filled in the 1930s. Julia’s apprenticeship with this renowned photographer was just the beginning. Despite facing financial constraints, Julia's determination propelled her forward as she traversed the landscapes of the United States, capturing the essence of so...

Amidst Covid lockdown disruptions, Adam Pisk navigated the challenge of keeping his Manila-based business running. Recognizing opportunities, he swiftly spearheaded the development of an online store for a major Supermarket, followed by a similar success with one of Australia's leading fashion retailers. With years of Global Sales experience at other companies, Adam co-founded Bruntwork, propellin...