Alexis Michaud

Kim Johnson of Funk It Up Interiors has creativity running through her veins like no one I have ever known.  By her own admission design is as natural as breathing.  A native to Las Vegas she was, she designs luxury custom homes, has appeared three times on Property Brothers shows, and yet still will help people like me who are designing a space room by room over the years.  She gives clients permission to find their style without fear or judgement and then she mixes in only what I can describe as a bit of magic, elevating their style to a place they never thought possible. A common remark Kim hears from her ecstatic clients is “I can’t believe this is my home!”  Take a listen and learn from the best!

Kim Johnson of Funk It Up Interiors has creativity running through her veins like no one I have ever known. By her own admission design is as natural as breathing. A native to Las Vegas she was raised in a very creative home but went to school to be an English major. Her path has zigged and zagged as all the good ones seem to do. She is the mother of six kids and it wasn’t until her youngest went to school that she got to drop the throttle and go full bore into a design business she had dreamed about daily for decades. Now she designs luxury custom homes, has appeared three times on Property Brothers shows, and yet still will help people like me who are designing a space room by room over the years. She gives clients permission to find their style without fear or judgement and then she mixes in only what I can describe as a bit of magic, elevating their style to a place they never thought possible. A common remark Kim hears from her ecstatic clients is "I can't believe this is my home!" Kim Johnson without a doubt is another amazing human making Las Vegas a wonderful place to call home.

Cheryl Cooley serves as the Executive Director for the Southern Nevada Children’s Advocacy Center. Cheryl has worked in the child welfare arena for the past 16 years. From childhood, Cheryl’s desire has been to work in the helping profession. She earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Arizona State University and from there went on to work with a variety of populations in need of assistance. While child welfare has been her most current experience, she has had the opportunity to work in the full-time ministry with her husband, she worked with people with mental health challenges, the homeless, and welfare recipients in need of employment. While employed with the Department of Family Services, she attended UNLV and graduated with her master’s degree in public administration. Cheryl was promoted to the Executive Director position 2 ½ years ago and has worked in partnership with the CACF to make a difference in the lives of children and their families in Clark County. Cheryl is married and has two amazing daughters. In her spare time, she has several interests. She likes Zumba, tennis and is learning to play pickleball. Music speaks to her soul and there’s nothing like the magic that a performance on the stage brings.

Neyda Becker, MPA is a long-time resident of Las Vegas.  Born in Cuba her family moved to the U.S. when she was an infant and they made Las Vegas their home.  For as long as she can remember, Neyda has been passionate about helping others and serving the needs of underserved populations residing in her community, particularly women, children, and persons with disabilities.  Having attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Neyda received a B.A. in Sociology and later returned to school to obtain her master’s degree in public administration in 2018.  She has worked within the nonprofit sector in a number of different roles for over 15 years.  Neyda is currently the executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center Foundation (CACF).  Through their unique public/private partnership with Clark County and the Southern Nevada Children’s Advocacy Center (SNCAC), the CACF is committed to helping and healing victims of child abuse and neglect.  In addition to her work at the CACF, she is also a part time instructor at UNLV’s School of Public Policy and Leadership.  When not supporting the needs of the SNCAC or teaching at UNLV, Neyda loves to spend time with her family and friends, playing tennis, hiking, traveling and enjoying all that the local Southern Nevada community has to offer.

Ike Dweck is Founder and Owner of Stately Home Staging. Building on a long career spanning decades in luxury retail, through his family’s business Regis Galerie — which has a 25,000 square foot showroom, located in the Venetian Hotel. Regis Galerie specializes in luxury home decor, Asian art, French antiques, decorative lighting, fine jewelry and antique art glass — Ike launched Stately to embark on the business of home staging concentrating on curating furniture collections for luxury homes. Stately strives to make a stunning first impression and entice potential buyers with a wide range of versatile and tailored home furnishings.

Heidi Carlsen Designer at Stately Home Staging. Heidi leads design efforts to transform luxury home settings into beautiful living spaces aimed to allure potential home buyers. Through the staging process, Heidi and her team provide direct consultation to learn about particular interior design styles clients are aiming to show, begin staging processes including white-glove delivery and setup services and finally once the property sells, offer staging items for purchase at clients’ preference. Heidi comes to Stately home staging with five years of experience in design formally serving as an interior designer at Intuitive Solutions.

Barbra Jo Batterman was born and raised in Philadelphia, and her mother was also a makeup artist. She watched clients come into her home from a young age, and also worked in her mother’s boutique, developing a deep passion for beauty and wellness. For more than 40 years, Barbra Jo Batterman has served anyone who seeks to look and feel their best. Being a professional multimedia makeup stylist has helped her collect clients that range from celebrities, dignitaries, business moguls and everything in between. Now, she’s made a shift in her own life to help others hit the reset button. As “A Reset Coach,” she is an expert in helping clients grow by activating and maintaining good habits to help them live happier and healthier lives.

Rebecca Parkey is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the States of Nevada, Missouri, and Kansas.  She has been practicing for over 12 years.  Her expertise ranges from couples who are experiencing typical relationship distress, infidelity, infertility problems and more.  In addition she has a specialty in trauma and has several evidence based certifications in both trauma and depression, anxiety, and more.

In addition to providing therapy, Rebecca also provides leadership coaching and training to businesses and entrepreneurs.  She is a Fellow Member with the Institute of Coaching.  She provides training and coaching to business in communication, enhancing or overcoming negative office culture, improving patient satisfaction and retention, improving workplace satisfaction and retention and more.

Kathleen Barnett of Vitality Family Chiropractic was raised on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. She was a curler and describes it as a very serious sport. Her methods for wellness can be attested to by many and she is the first person I call after a workout injury, which is more often as we age.  She’s a breath of fresh air, incredibly bright, and has built a successful practice helping many people live their best lives. She is most certainly another example making Las Vegas a wonderful place to call home.

Tom Michaud was born and raised in Marin County California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.  He has an energy level that is off the charts. He attended small private schools K-12.  His class sizes in high school ranged from 10-14 students and his entire graduating class had just 80 kids, a large percentage of which were accepted to Ivy League colleges.  Athletics, nightly dinners around the dining room table, spirited discussions about sports and history were a staple of his childhood.  For the last 22 years Tom has been a 7th grade US History public school teacher.  His love for history, teaching, and children literally radiates from him.  He’s dynamic, articulate, and his passion for US History is infectious. He teaches in an Academy which is a school within a school in the Clark County School District, the 4th largest school district in the nation.  During the pandemic he was required to start teaching remotely, however, early in the pandemic, the children were not required to attend class.  Tom taught every single day to class sizes ranging from 50-80 students.  He received messages from parents of students at other schools asking if their children could join his class (which for security reasons was not allowed). Very few people get to pursue their passions in life and even fewer get to make such a profound impact on so many.  I cannot help but wonder what we could all accomplish by approaching education the way Tom does.  If every teacher was given the resources that Tom has, could we improve literacy, improve graduation rates, and lower incarceration rates, as many policy reports and data show time and time again?  I think we could.  I know we can all do better for our children but in the meantime I sleep well at night knowing that his students year after year find themselves in a pocket of magic every day they enter his classroom.

Rick Williams, CEO of Las Vegas based AirSmart.

Looking for alternate ways to travel this summer and beyond but concerned about the masses? Maybe flying private is a good fit for you and your family. Check out this episode of Home with Alexis Michaud which aired last year.

On this episode of Home with Alexis Michaud we speak with Rick Williams, CEO of Las Vegas based AirSmart.

From lying on the ground as a child watching the clouds roll by and dreaming of being Neil Armstrong, to becoming a SWAT officer, eventually a pilot, and now CEO of AirSmart, Rick Williams has led an interesting life. Although after speaking with him, you get the feeling he doesn't see it as unusual.  He's the consummate professional, exuding calm whatever the situation;  Whether it's flying into Yosemite when it was on fire (a flight I was on), or out of Burning Man, a week long event in the middle of the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Rick's work takes him all over the world but it's Las Vegas that he loves to call home.  If you are looking to charter a flight, have fractional ownership in an aircraft, and fly with a group of stellar, seasoned pilots, check out this episode and reach out to AirSmart.  You will see why Rick Williams, is another member of our community who makes Las Vegas a wonderful place to call home.

Tevis Holborow is one of the rare people that leaves an indelible impression on everyone she meets. At nearly six feet tall, with a head of vibrant red curly hair, and green eyes she is striking and when she smiles she radiates an energy through her eyes that is truly unique and unique she certainly is, in all the right ways.

A graduate of the University of Oregon, she returned to her hometown of Las Vegas to pursue a career in public relations with the hospitality giant MGM. As time went on she was drawn into her family business of design, partnering with her mom and working in the interior design space for over a decade. She and her husband have a set of twins that are their greatest adventure and now she finds herself giving back to the community she’s called home her entire life. She accepted the role of the Director of Development for the Las Vegas Film Festival. Tevis describes the film festival, the people behind the event, and what makes independent film and Las Vegas, so beautiful.