Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Reporter, Startland News
Nikki brings to Startland News both community journalism and entrepreneurship experience and she loves being able to tell the inspiring stories of fellow creatives and risk-takers.
Before joining Startland News, she worked for over 10 years writing and editing for daily newspapers in Lawrence, Topeka, Duluth, Minnesota, and Park Hills, Missouri. She took a short hiatus from journalism to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef and starting her own baking business.
Recent Stories by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Thrive Homes builds ‘life-changing’ independence for those struggling with mobility, aging in place
The impact of Thrive Homes is as simple as it is profound, said Christian Hill, whose startup taps into state and federal health funds to provide timely home modifications for residents with disabilities and accessibility issues. The Overland Park-based company makes it possible for people with certain health conditions — and those who are experiencing…
Don’t like cookies? Your new favorite weirdough baker hungrily accepts the challenge
Tierney Larson is on a mission to bake the perfect cookies for those like herself with a not-so-sweet tooth, the Outliers Baked Goods owner shared. Each month, the self-taught baker and New York native experiments, developing four new adventurous flavors to please the taste buds of the outliers or weirdoughs of the dessert community —…
Royals roll out the blue carpet for entrepreneurs with campaign focused on small businesses that define KC, its fandom
Editor’s note: The Kansas City Royals is an advertiser with Startland News, although this report was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. Kansas City’s hometown baseball team is coming to the plate with a new pitch as opening day nears: a marketing campaign for the Royals that puts its city, fans and inspiring local…
National pain points meet local solutions at C3KC; How ‘energy of the day’ can spark lasting change
Editor’s note: The Junior League of Kansas City — through its C3KC conference — is an advertiser with Startland News. Fostering conversations about the most-pressing concerns facing communities not only helps expose the best of Kansas City innovation, said Becky Haddican, it also serves as a catalyst for even greater collaboration in the future. Now in…
‘When puppets talk people listen’: It’s not just storytelling anymore for one of KC’s most beloved children’s theaters
A Kansas City arts institution known for years as the Mesner Puppet Theater is animated with new life, said Meghann Henry, detailing a mission pivot for the freshly sewn and rebranded What If Puppets. Evolution at the nonprofit has taken a turn toward early childhood education since the retirement of Paul Mesner in 2016 —…
Fresh start: Selfie studio goes mobile, reimagining its FOMO factory as a custom experience
Fresh Factory KC is evolving, founder India Wells-Carter shared, embracing change as she re-evaluates where and how her camera-ready venture can help shine the brightest light on Kansas City. After a year and a half in its brick-and-mortar location at the Zona Rosa shopping center, Fresh Factory KC has uprooted and gone mobile, bringing the…
They’re not trying to die(t); how this mother-daughter influencer duo teaches spice of life after weight loss surgery
A support system after weight loss surgery is essential, shared Kiley Williams-Bowls and Linda Donaldson. After both underwent bariatric surgery, the Kansas City mother-daughter duo behind BariGirls have set out to help others who’ve experienced the procedure maintain healthy habits. “We discovered that there are hundreds of thousands of people that have had weight loss…
WeCode KC founder earns women’s achievement honor; adds national STEM figure to her org’s leadership
Only a few days into March, 2023 is already proving to be a big year for WeCode KC, noted co-founder and CEO Tammy Buckner. The organization — which operates with a mission is to give youth, especially those in the urban core, the opportunity to learn technology concepts and leadership skills and create a pipeline…
Designed by women, for athletes: How the woman-led team behind KC Current’s new stadium is ‘equalizing the playing field’ for women’s sports
It’s uncommon to design a first-of-its-kind structure in the world of architecture, said Jill Monaghan, but the new KC Current soccer stadium — the first such facility being built specifically for a professional women’s team — scored her just the opportunity. In her nearly 11 years with Kansas City-based Generator Studio, Monaghan — who serves as senior…
They started their own businesses; now these young founders are widening the pipeline to entrepreneurship for their peers
Aidan Hall felt the support of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem when he launched what would become KC Handmade Goods as an eighth grader, he said; years later, the young business owner is working to pay that feeling forward. An Iowa State freshman and Shawnee Mission West graduate, Hall got his start selling duct tape wallets…