You grow up in Virginia, already carrying a storyteller’s brain even before you know what to call it.

In elementary school you write The Adventures of Tiny Mekhi and it ends up in a citywide contest.

Then the move happens. You leave Virginia for Atlanta for better opportunities, and everything speeds up. New environment, new expectations, new pressure. Atlanta doesn’t let you stay the same it forces you to level up fast.

You’re still creating through it all. "Borrowing" your sister’s Canon Rebel T100, filming skits, learning how to make something out of nothing. No big budget. No perfect setup. Just vision and consistency.

Now you’re a film major, sharpening the craft on purpose. Building your cinematic style in real time studying directors, pulling from their pacing and framing, then breaking rules when the story calls for it.

And then you take it bigger than you. You start YoungCreatorZ, a network for young creators who need community, access, and a real place to grow. You use the campus as the launchpad, turning everyday connections into a creative ecosystem.

You are Mekhi. Founder of YoungCreatorZ.

HELLA INSPIRED.

You grow up in South Memphis, where the days shape you early and you learn how to move with hunger, focus, and resilience. Sports becomes your first language, and when you move to Georgia and step into Wheeler, the adjustment is real, but you embrace it and keep rising. That drive takes you to Shawnee Community College and then to Clark Atlanta, where you help bring home the 2016–2017 SIAC Championship and carry the pressure of being the one your team depends on, learning what leadership really looks like when people are counting on you.

When basketball ends, you don’t lose yourself, you pivot. You build and create, turning that same discipline into a brand, launching what started as OAM and grew into Motivational Art, with your pieces getting seen on names like Pooh Shiesty, Dak Prescott, and Chris Brown. You learn that creativity opens the door, but structure is what keeps it open, and you start balancing the art with the business, the legal side, and the money it takes to grow something real.

Then life makes it deeper. Fatherhood changes the pace, loss changes the perspective, and you learn how to stay present while still letting yourself feel, using every chapter to sharpen your purpose. And through it all, music stays in the background, then steps to the front. From posting in 2015 to dropping Strictly Business in 2020, you step back to evolve your sound and return with momentum, including a video that crosses 1 million views, plus a distribution deal with UnitedMasters to take it to the next level.

You are Tim Sanders, creating through Motivational Art and music.

You grow up in Stockbridge, Georgia, and early on you learn leadership is not about a title. It is about standards. You are paying attention to what most people ignore. Who shows up, who gets overlooked, and what happens when nobody is held accountable. You step into rooms where you are the youngest, but you move like you belong because you do. You do not wait to be chosen. You put the work in and earn trust.

You take that mindset to Clark Atlanta, where campus leadership teaches you how to navigate people, pressure, and real decisions. Then you scale it through the NAACP, learning how to recruit the right team, activate communities, and keep momentum when the noise gets loud.

And eventually, you look at your city and think, this is not the standard. So you run. Not for attention, but out of responsibility. You win, and you make history as the youngest Black mayor in Georgia history, but you do not get caught up in the moment because you are already focused on what is next. Strengthening economic development, creating real opportunity for the next generation, and proving that Gen Z leadership can be unapologetic and effective.

You are Jayden Williams. Mayor of Stockbridge, Georgia.

You grow up in Ohio, and style is never just about clothes it is how you show confidence before you even say a word. Early on you are paying attention to the small things, how a fit sits, what feels clean, what feels forced, what actually feels like you. As you get older your taste gets sharper, and you start realizing most people are just wearing what is popular, but you want to wear something that means something. You start building your own point of view. Not chasing trends, creating a lane. You care about the details, the silhouette, the fabric, the way it moves, the way it represents. And eventually you stop looking for pieces that match your mindset and you decide to make them. That is where COUP USA comes from. More than a brand, it is a statement. A shift. A way to put identity, confidence, and culture into something people can actually wear. You are not just dropping clothes, you are building something intentional, piece by piece, with a standard that people can feel the moment they put it on.

You grow up in Nashville with a business mind and a creative pull you don’t fully understand yet. You get to Morehouse and you’re surrounded by talent everywhere, but you also see the pressure. People telling creatives to be “realistic.” To choose traditional routes. You see how many people have vision, but not the network, resources, or support to build.You’re holding important roles on campus, moving fast, and then life forces a reset. You go back home, have a real conversation with your mother, and everything shifts. You grind long hours, rebuild your mindset, and build the Ordinary Odds business model from scratch.You return ready to lead in a new lane creating a platform that makes “odds” feel ordinary. Clothing. Sneakers. Events. And paid opportunities that bring other creatives along with you. You are Ian Jackson. Founder and CEO of Ordinary Odds.

HELLA INSPIRED.

You grow up in Atlanta with big dreams and a blueprint. By high school, you’re leading organizations, running your own company, and rewriting what’s possible for young Black girls.

You study success like it’s strategy. You get accepted to 54 schools, earn $1.3 million in scholarships, and choose Duke. Your story makes headlines everywhere from Good Morning America to The Washington Post to Black Enterprise but you stay grounded, focused, and hungry for more.

You build Elom & Co. to give young creators a voice. You write, direct, perform and every word is intentional. You’ve seen how stories shape the world. So you tell them. Authentically. Unapologetically.

You are Daya Brown. A voice for the next generation.

HELLA INSPIRED.

You grow up in Atlanta, watching your parents build a $100 million company. You see the sacrifices. You learn early what it means to create something bigger than yourself.At Georgetown, you meet TK, your future business partner. Law school looks like the path but deep down, you know you’re called to build something different.You get told no 97 times. You don’t stop.You and TK launch The Gathering Spot a private club built on culture, connection, and community. You open in Atlanta in 2016, survive a pandemic, and expand to D.C., L.A., and beyond.You keep innovating. You keep leading. And through it all, you stay rooted in purpose building spaces where people don’t just gather — they belong.You are Ryan Wilson. CEO and Co-Founder of The Gathering Spot.HELLA INSPIRED.

You win a college basketball championship. You chase the dream overseas and play professionally. You come home with a new vision. At a time when vintage isn’t trending, you open your first store in Kennesaw. You get broken into. You get sued. Most people would’ve stopped. You don’t.

You start over in Marietta Square. COVID-19 hits. You keep the doors open. You keep showing up. Years later, your store is more than just racks of vintage it’s a cultural staple.

You get married. You become a father. And through it all, you stay locked in—still building, still pushing, still creating something that lasts.

You are Sean Tate. Founder of Collected ATL.

HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Jehron Petty & Rami Abdou from ColorStack.Jehron isn’t just talking the talk — he’s leading by example in making the tech space more equitable and diverse. After graduating from Cornell in Computer Science, he turned down a job offer from Google to create ColorStack, a non profit dedicated to supporting Black and Latinx students in computer science. Through mentorship and innovative community resources, Jehron is building pathways to success for underrepresented students.Rami Abdou, who also turned down a full-time offer to pursue entrepreneurship, joined as Head of Engineering, bringing a new dimension to ColorStack’s mission. An entrepreneur and software engineer, Rami is setting up ColorStack’s in-house engineering, creating an open-source environment for members to gain real coding experience.With a shared vision of inclusivity, mentorship, and innovation, Jehron and Rami are driving ColorStack’s mission forward, one student at a time.HELLA INSPIRED.

Tap in and meet Carlos Barksdale, Founder of Glory by us , a game-changing grooming brand. Carlos shares his journey from discovering an online community of wavers to building a brand that fills the gap for healthy, high-quality hair products. His inspiration? His mom, Vickie, who taught him how to stay fly and the value of dedication.

Glory by Us isn’t just a grooming line it’s a lifestyle. From addressing diverse hair needs to incorporating clean, high-performance ingredients, Carlos’s story is about innovation, commitment, and swag.

HELLA INSPIRED.