Local Voices (Miami)

Josh is the smiling fitness trainer here in South Beach, with a dream to bring more boxing exercise classes to the masses. Born in New Jersey, near Manhattan, he studied criminal justice in college, before pivoting to his true passion and getting a job at Equinox in Chelsea, New York, He excelled as a trainer and created his own group fitness concept called Ablab in Manhattan, when the pandemic struck, and he decided to take his talents to South Beach. Active in the nightlife and outdoor fitness spaces here in Miami, Josh is a humble and driven professional, and a great choice for anyone looking to elevate their personal fitness with a coach. Follow him on IG @joshcast_fit and send him a DM for more info. Learn how to be a lover and a fighter.

Stephanie is the sweet real estate agent from Panama, who is part of a great top rated brokerage here in Miami (https://miamiresidential.com/), and a great choice for anyone moving here or looking at at a new lease this year. After moving from Panama to the states 9 years ago, she finally found her way to Miami 4 years ago, and got her license in real estate while she was doing some marketing at the time. She specializes in leases in downtown Brickell and Edgewater, however her brokerage, Miami Residential Group, is top rated on Google, Facebook, & Yelp, and a great option for all kinds of real estate searches, such as new home purchases and condos. Follow Stephanie on IG @stephloxrealestate, and send her a DM when the time comes to search for a new property. See her at one of our Local Voices Art Walks where we showcase a different district each month (https://www.meetup.com/localvoices-miami/), or one of our Remote Workers Friday Happy Hours (https://www.meetup.com/remote-workers-of-miami/) at a different venue each week. Come join our growing community.

Brittany Brave is the marvelous Mrs. Maisel of Miami, born in New Jersey, raised in Kendall, and developed as an improv teacher, she has taken her personal hardship of the last decade and used it to evolve further as an artist, standing up on stage now all by herself and dishing jokes nightly. Initially in the PR industry after studying PR and Theatre at UF, she studied improv in New York & Second City, went full time into comedy in 2017, won Best New Artist at the 2019 New York Comedy Festival, and has embraced the challenge of COVID and thrived with her new online presence living back here at home in South Florida. Follow her on Instagram @BrittanyBrave, check out one of her many shows, virtual and in person, (https://www.brittanybrave.com/), and come by Showfields on Lincoln Road, Wednesday the 14th at 8pm, for one of her monthly events she hosts "Laughs on Lincoln" (https://www.eventbrite.com/o/showfields-30959176783). She's a riot.

Emilia is the sunrise greeter of Miami Beach, a loving yoga teacher, singer, voice coach, sound healer, and Jamaican dance hall instructor. After growing up on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, and loving surfing and singing, her family encouraged her to go to school on the mainland, where she found herself studying language and phonetics at the University of Miami. She worked as a translator while making music on the side, and eventually discovered yoga as a way to heal her body and build community here in Miami. Follow her on Instagram @emilia_garth, and check out one of her weekly yoga classes, or better yet, attend one of her open mic ceremonies known as Kanikapila, where she unites local people to sing and dance and heal together as one. Have a friend who works at Disney? Let them know there's a real life Moana here in Miami, ready for the next opportunity to inspire the youth with song.

Amaris is the intelligent vibrant soul in soul food, who truly cares about making a difference. Raised in South Philly, she first started loving cooking at her father's church on South Street, where she would help sell dinners on Friday and Saturday nights. After getting into property management, she answered the call one day to be the lifestyle manager for Sean Combs, and proceeded to create a concierge service of chefs for celebrities. Having opened her own restaurant called "South Street", and now a personal chef for rapper Rick Ross, Amaris is an inspiration for women chefs out there who can sometimes be intimidated by male heavy kitchen atmospheres. As someone who has experienced every side of soul food, she is uniquely qualified to help America solve its Food Desert problem, and help get more organic produce and healthy options available to African Americans in the Southeast.

Ana is the grassy knoll fun loving painter of Miami. Sitting on her chair outside on Ocean Drive, she enjoys bringing Art Deco buildings to life in watercolor drawings from her seat in the shade in Lummus Park. Born in Spain, and trained in accounting, Ana has embraced her retirement and has fallen more and more in love with the process of painting. A regular at local South Florida competitions, and often a winner, she is also very social in the community and looks forward to hosting more Paint n Sips, in the coming years, to help share her passion and encourage more young artists. Have an interest in stretching your creative side? Keep a look out for Paint night announcements on our Instagram @localvoices_miami, and join our monthly Art Walks, which are photo competitions in different districts each month, viewable on our community page over on Meetup.com >> https://www.meetup.com/localvoices-miami/. Embrace the future with more creativity!

ALI is the bold all caps fashionista and local super volunteer who has a lot to teach each of us about developing a more complete sense of agency. Born in Long Beach, Long Island, into a Brooklyn based family with roots in Miami, Vegas, & Cuba, she won an academic scholarship to study education & conceptual art at NYU, getting her MFA and also studying a bit at Parson's School of Design. She was a design director at Limited Express (now known as Express) in its early days, and even started her own fashion company, with an exciting life traveling everywhere from Hong Kong to Milan to the Middle East. After moving to Florida for 4 years ago, Ali has discovered how to live a fulfilling life here, filled with volunteer work in spaces and worlds she cares about, from the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to the Perez Art Museum, to the Adrienne Arsht Center, to the New World Symphony, and even to the local jazz station WDNA. She is an inspiration both to other retirees, and to each one of us who has yet to schedule a weekly time for service in our busy calendars. Open to some help finding a fun and rewarding volunteer opportunity? Text DOWNTOSERVE to our Local Voices (Miami) Volunteer Hotline at (833) 901-0927, to figure out what opportunities might sync with your vibe and schedule. Find out what you love and go serve there. We look forward to hearing from you.

Ignacio is the inspirational visual artist from Uruguay who recently won a contest to create a 4000sq ft mural in South Beach, Miami. After being born into an artist family, and quite literally into a gallery, he studied architecture and the arts in Uruguay, and won many awards in his country, before moving here seven years ago with his wife. Working as a waiter in Kendall by day, and creating various works on the side, Ignacio eventually signed a few contracts such as a mural of Jimmy Hendrix at the Delano Hotel, and invested himself fully in winning the contest here in South Beach with an incredible amount of time and dedication put into his application. Scheduled to be finished by mid March '21, the 4000sq ft mural on Washington St. features Muhammed Ali, Jackie Gleason, Prince, Jayne Mansfield, and Gianni Versace, in beautiful neon contemporary portrayals. You can follow Ignacio's progress on Instagram @marinolarrique, and check out his portfolio of work at www.marinolarrique.com. Don't forget to take a stroll down Washington St. to appreciate the mural, it is located on the corner of Washington & 16th, and is truly stunning from many different angles. Have a few too many white walls? Give Ignacio a ring, he will be open for more projects soon.

Fran is the spirited 80 year old Jewish retiree.....who spreads love everywhere she goes. After studying early childhood development in New York and dedicating her life to children, she followed her husband's love of Miami here to the Magic City, and fell in love with it herself. An avid salsera and aficionado of Latin music, Fran is an inspiration to all those here reaching their golden years. As someone who works out everyday and commits herself to a high level of activity, she is also an inspiration to the younger generation in Miami, who can always learn a thing or two from the elderly. Interested in how you can contribute to your community and be an appreciated companion? Text FINDMEAFRAN to (833) 901-0927, to join our Local Voices (Miami) - Volunteer Hotline, or just befriend one of your elderly neighbors next time you meet in the hallway, and offer a weekly chat. It's that easy.

Michael is the charming producer and art collector of Miami, who truly rocks the community. After studying interior design at Parson's in Paris, and architecture at the Pratt Institute, he networked his way into producing for MTV and PlumTV, a luxury media source that relocated him to Miami. He has won 4 Emmys for his short films, and blossomed into a talented contemporary art dealer, with his own space at Honablue Studios and also South of Fifth. As a middle man between the new real estate in Miami, and hardworking active painters and artists in the area, you could almost say he is the Robin Hood of Miami, who has also played Don Draper. Follow him on Instagram @MichaelHonablue and reach out if you have a piece that needs eyes, or an empty wall that needs art. Come by his studio for a showing.