Faith

If you’ve ever driven miles and miles and fought for parking spaces at big box toy stores, only to not find what you’re looking for, then you can relate to Aubrey Hinkson’s journey. Late last year, the 33-year-old Aiken native had a conversation with her young child that would change the trajectory of her life as a professional and a mother. The bargaining chip? Classic toy royalty: A jump rope. “I told her that if she could listen to mommy, daddy, and her teachers and have a good week at

Anyone consuming daily medication for high blood pressure probably wishes that were not the case. The menopausal woman would prefer not to have to battle for hormonal health. The diabetic hopes for a day where the only sugar that matters is the sweet kisses they receive from their grandchildren. Uniqua Clemons, an herbalist known on social media as “Catalina Cali,” says she sympathizes with folks who find themselves in such situations. She claims to have a remedy that comes from the earth, through her business, Earth Bar, LLC. For her,

“She’s not new to this, but true to this.” This modern-day catchphrase describes Jamelia “Jay” Moore’s new journey into business ownership perfectly. She’s always been physically active, fit, and fanatical about self-care, as working out became therapeutic. For 13 years, she’s coached recreation, middle and high school basketball, and T-ball. However, becoming a sole proprietor with fitness goals in mind for others, failed the first time. That was then. “I began to post snippets of workouts online and motivational videos and received a positive response from women,” the 42-year-old recalls.

Each morning before the workday begins, Paul Myers, owner of Myers House Buyers, and his team of five, each recite three things for which they are thankful. The Augusta native says it is the one time of day he knows his team is completely focused on gratefulness and God’s word. When buying distressed homes, one has to see the good that could come from something seemingly bad. Giving thanks daily, he says, helps keep things in proper perspective. “That’s helped us immensely,” Myers said. “Having a ‘gratitude’ time each morning

The hymn writer penned part of the lyric in the song, Amazing Grace, that says, “…how sweet the sound.” When JaVonne Jones takes to the strings of her electric violin, that is all anyone hears: sweet sounds. But the former public school educator wasn’t always making music. She says fear held her back. In 2020, though, at the height of the global pandemic, she resigned and decided to take a leap of faith. No strings attached. “Faith is knowing it’s going to happen even though you have no clue how

Trip Patat is quick to sum up the services Augusta Junk Removal offers: “If you can name it, we can haul it away.” However, the blessings God bestows, he says, cannot be summed up if he tried. The Destin, Fla., native has called the CSRA home since 2007. Since 2021, he’s been to dozens of homes in the CSRA doing what most people hate: taking out the trash. Someone else’s trash. “We are a waste management company that provides full-service junk removal,” Patat said. “This includes driving to a customer’s

Tim Fitzgerald II knows how to turn scraps into something special. As a former employee of a hardwood flooring company, he would salvage discarded pieces of quality, sometimes antique, wood. That’s when ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ became more than just a saying. “I started gluing them up and making cutting boards. With each one, the process and quality were improved until, after giving one to every one of our family members, my wife finally insisted that we should start a business,” he recalls. “In July 2013, we

As a young girl, Shannon Franklin would gather her stuffed animals and teach them everything she learned in Sunday School. Her mom knew she had a gift for teaching. Franklin, though, had no idea that gift would eventually usher her into entrepreneurship as founder, tutor, and executive director of a non-profit organization.  She recalls at 17, thinking none of it was possible. “I thought that my dreams were unachievable at the time,” she recalls. Over time, though, she realized this was a calling and if she activated her faith, God

The time is upon us to bask in the rays of the summer sun. One local business owner is also hoping customers revel in the love of the Son of God…and enjoy water ice at the same time. What is water ice? According to Deon Jones, owner of DJR’s Water Ice, LLC, it just may become the cold dessert treat of choice you never knew existed. “It is a water-based, non-dairy, cold dessert that has no fat, gluten, tree nuts, peanuts, and no high corn fructose sugar,” said Jones. “The