Woman-led Stories
Artist Q&A: KC musician Lava Dreams brings fans to their feet with her original rhythms
Music gives people an outlet to feel, dance and express themselves, shared 27-year-old musician, Lava Dreams. She’s dreaming of doing the same. Hailing from Kansas City, Julia Hamilton grew up surrounded by music and officially became a solo artist in 2018, now performing as Lava Dreams. In 2020, she released her EP, “GOOD ENERGY +…
She put down her soda and started walking 10 years ago — 80 pounds later, Ginger McCune’s wellness center is running on impact
Life is best lived loud — not sitting on the sidelines, wishing you could experience it, explained Ginger McCune. “If you have a car and it takes premium gas — and you fill it full of regular gas, what’s it gonna do? It’s gonna go for a little bit and then it’s gonna spit and spurt and…
Body of artwork: Birdies’ Peregrine Honig sketches business artistry from Crossroads lingerie shop
A global pandemic has far from caged artist-turned-entrepreneur Peregrine Honig. Her creativity helped perch the Crossroads lingerie shop she founded within a market the ongoing economic downturn couldn’t cover. “Liquor and lingerie do great when people are freaked out,” said Honig, who co-owns Birdies with Alexis Burggrabe. “People at home still want to entertain even…
Worker wearables startup Kenzen earns $1M capital injection from Fenaroli-led Overland Park investor
Kansas City-worn Kenzen is rolling into 2021 with new funding and partnerships pushing the wearables startup into overdrive. The company announced a $1 million injection of funding from Overland Park-based Examinetics — a portfolio company of New York-based Freedom 3 Capital — Wednesday. “The Kenzen solution is gaining momentum. This alliance with Examinetics will broaden the team…
Actress-entrepreneur finds sweet inspiration, resiliency in life’s unexpected ingredients
From the stage to the studio to a sweets shop on Main Street, the creative talents of Shawna Peña-Downing have never let her down, she said, crediting her resiliency to a STEAM-focused education. “I finally got a job after being laid off in June,” Peña-Downing, multiplatform artist, teacher, and entrepreneur, said of her reality amid…