Amelia is the owner of House of Colour Kenmore, Seattle. As a teacher by trade, her passion is helping and educating others. She’s been in the fashion industry for over 13 years professionally.

House of Colour is rooted in years of science and research, both in color and style. Amelia loves teaching clients the background behind what they’re learning and seeing, to truly make an impact as they apply the knowledge to their everyday lives.

Ashley is the co-founder of Premier Catch and serves as the Director of Health and Nutrition. Premier Catch is women-owned, family operated and sources premium, wild-caught seafood from Alaska and the Washington/Oregon coast.

Ashley is a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified dietitian, and nutrigenomics specialist. She sits on multiple seafood and sustainability boards across the country and works with over 20 professional athletes worldwide. Ashley's passion lies in sharing the science of nutrition for longevity, emphasizing the crucial role omega-3s play in promoting a healthy and fulfilling life. Her expertise is showcased in her Seafood & Nutrition blog, where she provides valuable insights and tips for optimal health.

Favorite Premier Catch recipe: Pan Seared Scallops in Burre Blanc

Cat DeHaven, owner of Core Havn on Mercer Island. Core Havn is a unique blend of pilates principles and strength training techniques. It is high intensity and no impact.

Cat has been teaching pilates since 2009. She transitioned from corporate life to fitness professional with an 800 hour Romana's Pilates Certification. Cat is also a Master Teacher Trainer with Barre Above, Barre Above Pilates Focus, Extreme HIIT Chaos.

She was also Master Trainer and Fitness Director with the Pilates ProWorks franchise. She has completed certifications with American Council of Exercise (ACE), Slow Resistance Training, Schwinn Indoor Cycling, TRX, TriggerPoint Foam Rolling, Lagree, CycleBar. She has been a fitness conference presenter and has certified trainers in Washington State and Alaska.

Elizabeth Lopez is the founder and owner of rue Santé Mindfulness-Based Self-Care™, a wellness brand made in Seattle. Her mission is to change the unrealistic perceptions of beauty and aging and to empower people to prioritize their health with products & rituals that reduce mental and physical stress and promote a healthy, happy state of being. We transform your daily, rushed routines into intentional, thoughtful rituals of care. Beauty is just one of the side-effects.

We are as committed to sustainability as to mind & body wellness because Earth Care is Self-Care™ and that is why we hand-make our products with LOVE-luxurious, organic, vegan & eco ingredients & materials. We donate 10% of annual profits and use our platform to create awareness for the conservation of species and planet.

Elizabeth McPhail is a Sales Consultant at Seattle Boat Co. Elizabeth grew up on the shores of Lake Sammamish. Her boating skills were put to the test when she and her sister completed the 6,000 mile Great Loop in a 16' open-hull aluminum skiff. Her three month “road trip” via the waterways was a steep learning curve and nothing short of an adventure.

These days she spends most of her time on Lake Washington, carving out a couple weekends a year for some saltwater boating.

“Life is better on the water!”

Ellen Sontra has had a love of calligraphy since she picked up her first pen more than twenty years ago. When she started letters by Ellen Calligraphy in 2008, she never dreamed that it would be an opportunity to share this art with so many through teaching, events and commissions.

More than 3,000 students have learned calligraphy from Ellen and in 2019 she became trained as a Certified Cursive Instructor - another historical art she's excited to share and teach. When she doesn't have a pen in her hand, she spends her days shuttling around her two sons and attempting to grow her own vegetables.

A quote that inspires me: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver

Emma McCune is a nationally board-certified Acupuncturist, a trained Chinese Medical Herbalist and a Functional Medicine practitioner. Emma completed her Master of Acupuncture with a dual specialization in Chinese Herbal Medicine and Japanese Acupuncture (MACHM) at the New England School of Acupuncture at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She completed all required coursework for her Functional Medicine Practitioner Certification (IFMCP) at The Institute for Functional Medicine. She earned double majors in Psychology and Religion, with a concentration in Eastern theology, at Colgate University. These courses leveraged Emma’s passion for understanding people and helping them. Post grad, Emma worked in software sales until she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which prompted a journey of healing and a calling to use the disciplines that helped her to improve the health of others.

Emily Kim was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She attended the University of Washington and studied journalism and political science, before attending law school at Seattle University Emily then worked in public policy in Washington, D.C. before returning home to work on legislative policy at Seattle City Council.

After working in the public sector where she helped pass policies furthering equity and social justice, she joined Molly Moon’s Ice Cream to help form and launch their own non-profit, with the goal of getting milk and dairy to neighborhood food banks. She then headed their social impact and marketing team, leading both internal and external giving and equity initiatives, before meeting Heather and co-founding The Pastry Project. At The Pastry Project Emily gets to bring her love of pastry and social justice together as their Community Impact and Marketing Director.

Farren is the owner and designer behind Farren Celeste. She is a registered nurse turned paper artist who specializes in creating and teaching realistic paper flowers.

While she was still working as a nurse, she would design and sell paper products on the side using her Cricut and Silhouette cutting machines. She taught herself graphic design in order to create unique paper products for her customers. After moving abroad she transitioned to teaching others how to create her unique designs. She quickly discovered the joy that making something by hand brings to others.

She is now a contributing artist for Cricut Design Space, a Silhouette Design Store artist, and a virtual instructor with Papersource. To learn more about creating paper art with your cutting machine, visit www.farrenceleste.com.

Haley is the Head of Sales for Sea Wolf. Haley oversees the sales teams (retail and wholesale) and works with Kit and Jesse Schumann (the owners/ founders of Sea Wolf) on growth and planning. She designed and currently manages the sales platforms that their customers (both retail and wholesale) use to place orders, helping all the data to integrate seamlessly into their production schedules. She leads all customer communications on the website, via email, and on social media.

Haley started at Sea Wolf in 2017 working in the back of house with bread and pastry. Even though she doesn’t get to handle dough very often anymore, she is always looking for a chance to hop back on the bench. She loves working alongside the close-knit team at Sea Wolf and getting to share the beauty of hand-made bread with our community. When she isn’t working, you can find Haley hiking, running, reading, cycling back and forth to West Seattle, or cooking with friends and family.

Heather Hodge grew up in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with a passion for cooking outdoors and eating all things, but especially dessert. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with a degree in baking and pastry arts, she experienced many facets of the food and beverage industry from fine dining service to working as a private chef.

Upon moving to Seattle, she began work as an ice cream maker at Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream before eventually becoming the Culinary Director. Heather has focused her career on improving benefits and compensation standards for back of house employees. Now, Heather is the co-founder of The Pastry Project, where she trains and mentors individuals with barriers to employment seeking a profession in the baking industry.

Joci is the CEO and co-founder of Premier Catch. Premier Catch is women-owned, family operated and sources premium, wild-caught seafood from Alaska and the Washington/Oregon coast.

At Premier Catch Joci oversees daily operations and orchestrates scalable solutions to meet customer demands nationwide. She's dedicated to maintaining Premier Catch's wholesome family culture, which sets it apart from competitors.

Favorite Premier Catch seafood: Sockeye Salmon & Spot Prawns & Scallops & Halibut- basically anything she can make into a taco or some sort of bowl!

Jenna Weischedel is a seasoned floral designer with a profound love for nature's vibrant palette. With over 17 years of experience in transforming blooms into captivating works of art. Armed with a degree in Landscape Management from Brigham Young University, Jenna's educational foundation forms the bedrock of her floral artistry.

For the past four years, Jenna has called the scenic landscapes of Washington State her home. Amid the lushness of the Pacific Northwest, she finds endless inspiration in the diverse flora that graces the region. Her role as a Floral Designer at Mercer Island Florist allows her to explore this botanical richness and craft designs that resonate with the local aesthetics.

Juliana Bertucci is the owner and designer of The Nonesuch, LLC a landscape and design company which specializes in low-maintenance and permaculture design for the Pacific Northwest residence. Drawing on her educational background with double bachelors degrees in Landscape Architecture and Fine Arts plus certificates in Holistic Landscape Design and Permaculture, Juliana combines these principles to create sustainable and visually stunning gardens.

“I love inspiring people to interact meaningfully with their own landscapes, no matter how small, and helping them to manifest their green dreams by creating beautiful, ecologically sound designs that harmonize their own desires with care of our earth.”

Kate is a watercolor artist and educator whose mission is to make watercolor feel accessible, doable, and most of all -- FUN! Think of her as your own bubbly Bob Ross on too much coffee.

In addition to teaching watercolor workshops, Kate creates watercolor kits that have everything you need to start painting. She also adores painting big, bold, beautiful flowers! Check her out on social media at @splatter.and.bloom on Instagram and @splatterandbloom everywhere else!

“Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of watercolor!”

Kelsey Johnsen, RDN, CD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with specialization in pediatric and adolescent practice. Kelsey has extensive knowledge about modified diet based on disease/condition and how to make food approachable and enjoyable. She’s seen firsthand how food contributes to our overall well being and at times can serves as a form of medicine.

Kelsey’s 10+ year background in Clinical Nutrition has shaped her passion for teaching people about how food and our bodies work. There is so much noise and “labels” around food in our day to day lives and Kelsey strives to bring people back to basics and support their empowerment in exploring their relationship with food and building trust with their bodies.

Kevin is a Mercer Island resident who currently teaches at Westlake Dance Center and who created and ran a hip hop program and company on Mercer Island for many years. Kevin is a phenomenal teacher who loves teaching teens and adults. He is very good at breaking down even the most complicated dance moves and his classes are all about having fun and sharing his passion with his students! His classes attract people taking dance for the first time, people who have danced professionally and, his favorite, people who may have danced a bit many years ago and just want to get back to movin' and groovin'!

“I believe that the path to loving others is through learning to love myself.”

After two years of working in finance, Lauren quickly realized hospitality was her true passion. She's spent the last 18 years developing and managing hotels in Barcelona, NYC and Portland, OR.

Along the way, Lauren developed a passion for wine through her travels, as the president of a wine club at her business school, developing the bar programs at her hotels and then studying for a Diploma in Wine from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. Lauren recently relocated to Seattle with her husband and son.

Lisa Odegard is a cookbook author, teaching chef, private caterer and menu consultant from Mercer Island. She is the author of Cast Iron Desserts, and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Lisa has worked in restaurants in Seattle, San Francisco, Willamette Valley, and New York.

“Every great chef began without the knowledge of how to cook but they did possess curiosity. Stay curious, it can lead to great things!”

Melissa Galbraith is the fiber artist behind MCreativeJ. She was born and raised in the desert of Washington state where her mother instilled a love of making things by hand at an early age. Melissa shares her love of nature through whimsical and modern hand embroidery kits, patterns, workshops, and her book, How to Embroider Texture and Pattern. Melissa makes it easy to learn a new craft for makers of all skill levels. She enjoys seeing makers fall in love with the needle arts, especially that magical ah-ha moment of learning something new.

“I love seeing that ah-ha moment when learning something new clicks and you start to fall in love with it.”

Mia Pizzuto (aka The Charcuterista) is a creative director by day and a food stylist by weekend. Celebrating the freedom that comes with creativity, Mia blends her love for food, art and design with a great passion for entertaining.

With an artful approach, Mia curates spreads that reflect the season and honor any occasion. Every “mood board” is handcrafted and custom made showcasing diverse assortments of premium ingredients and unexpected pairings. The finished product is desirable—and delectable—sure to captivate you and your guests. By thoughtfully sharing this craft with the curious, The Charcuterista continues to surprise and delight!

“Every board has a story to tell.”

Nikki is a self taught artist who uses strips of paper as her medium. The creative process is called quilling; a decorative art form popular during the Renaissance period. As a lifelong crafter and artist, she gained many of her skills through years of experimentation and exploration. When Nikki discovered paper quilling in early 2000, she was immediately drawn to the medium for its versatility, which allowed her to utilize her art and craft background.

Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries and art centers throughout Western Washington. With her small business, Nikki travels to sell her art and handmade goods at festivals and markets. In addition to creating, she has taught quilling classes and was a visiting artist teacher for an organization in the Caribbean; a nonprofit program which brings creatives from around the world to share unique art and craft forms.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Rachel Lundberg is a Sales Consultant with Seattle Boat Co. Rachel spent childhood summers with a Cobalt on Lake Washington and trailering with her family to lakes in northern Idaho. For Rachel, there is nothing more fulfilling than helping clients find the perfect boat to suit their needs and witnessing their excitement as they take ownership.

“See you on the water!”

Regina is the owner of Regina Dylan studio, a Mercer Island based lash salon and candle workshop that provides service to the east side and greater Seattle area. Her studio features licensed estheticians who are focused on beautiful classic & volume eyelash extensions.

Regina started making candles for he home as a hobby in 2016. In the spring of 2020 she decided to start selling candles at the studio while she was unable to do lashes. Thanks to the support of her wonderful clients, they were a hit! Regina makes all of her candles with soy wax, lead free cotton wicks and fragrance oil free from carcinogens, toxins and mutagens. She feels strongly that the candles are safe for her clients and their children and pets.

Sarah is the co-founder of Animate Wine Collective. With over 15 years of experience in the wine industry, Sarah's journey has spanned many countries and aspects of the business.

Sarah worked for a Spanish Wine Importer in New York City, selling wine to renowned restaurants. In Spain she served as export director for wineries in Catalonia & Zaragoza. In London, UK, Sarah joined the buying team of a leading importer and distributor.

Sarah's mission is to share her love and understanding of wine with enthusiasts . Through her experience and knowledge, she aims to ignite a passion for exploration and appreciation in every glass. She holds a postgraduate degree in Winery Management from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, alongside a Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Scarlett Fairman is the owner of Scarlett Event, a bartending and event planning company. She gained her experience in the food and wine industry during her time at John Howie Steak, Tandem Dinner and Wine Bar, Salish Lodge and Nordstrom. She is a skilled professional who is passionate about impeccable food, wine, cocktails and personal, warm customer service.

“Save water, drink champagne.”

Stevie is the owner and director of Creation Dance Studio on Mercer Island. Stevie grew up on Mercer Island and began dancing with Camille Chrysler of MercerArt Dance at the age of two. Her passion for dance became increasingly apparent as she trained and performed in a variety of dance styles, including ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, lyrical/contemporary, and musical theatre, at a number of local studios. Stevie then began to pursue ballet intensively at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and she continued her dance training and education at Cornish College of the Arts, where she graduated with a BFA in dance and discovered her love for teaching.

Stevie has had the pleasure of teaching and privately coaching dancers of all ages. Creating a warm and welcoming environment and sharing her love and passion for dance with her students and the Mercer Island community brings her immense joy.

Tiffany Thompson is the founder and owner of Aunt Tiffy's Baking Co. Her business is named after her important role in life as aunt to her two wonderful nieces. She is passionate about the creativity and process of baking, as well as the smiles that her creations bring to her clients' lives.

Tiffany believes in the importance of using high-quality ingredients and the impact they can have on both the environment and our health. She strives to use local, organic, and/or ingredients from small businesses as much as possible and the majority of her packaging is compostable.

Sweets should be a delightful part of our lives; Tiffany’s objective is to ensure they can be enjoyed in the most responsible way possible, and she believes this focus is evident in both the flavor of her products and the joy they bring with every bite!