One of the most rewarding things about getting to know so many entrepreneurs is seeing first-hand how many of them are focused on so much more than just financial results. So many of the folks we connect with are focused on having a positive social impact on their community or the world at large. Check out some of these amazing folks below.

Mariah Dennis | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and small business owner of a private practice. I provide mental health therapy to the Los Angeles community, specializing in helping people recover from stressful and traumatic experiences. We all would like to think that the painful moments from our childhood don’t impact us anymore, right? We want to be strong, move on, and forget about it. Yet sometimes that stress can be so intense that it is difficult to simply forget. It turns out there is a direct connection between childhood trauma and physical ailments such as heart disease, asthma, cancer, and early aging (according to research on the Adverse Childhood Experiences study – ACES, and California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris). So even if a traumatic experience occurred years ago, it can have a lifelong ripple effect on our bodies, DNA, and mental health unless it is addressed. Read more>>

Ashley Kansinally | Therapist & Entrepreneur

My business helps the community and the world because it caters to the mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum women. I provide a safe space for these women to relax, let their guards down, be vulnerable and talk about the difficulties that they’re experiencing.These women have a lot to think about when it comes to their baby’s health, managing a family, their careers and so much more and that often causes them to neglect their own health and well-being. I help my clients remember to not neglect themselves and show up for themselves as much as they show for everybody else. Read more>>

Ashley Yesayan | Founder + CEO

Whether you’re living with cancer or you know someone who is, OneVillage is here to help you navigate your new normal. We are the first and only marketplace for cancer patients and supporters to find relatable content, care planning tools, and a community that understands. The lack of online solutions like OneVillage makes the task of procuring the right services online unnecessarily difficult, at a time when patients and caregivers are particularly fragile. In our market study of over 500 patients, we found that only 8% of our survey respondents said they were able to meet all of their needs with existing resources. The other 92% shared consistent feelings of fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, and depression, which aren’t ideal mental states for healing and recovery. Read more>>

Britt Rowe | Co-Founder of Hella Awkward

Offering safe spaces for people to share their stories in their own words is one of the most powerful gifts you can give. I’ve always believed that most people have more in common than they realize. I’m drawn to finding those commonalities and celebrating our differences. Creating Hella Awkward was a way to help people connect and deepen relationships across cultures. We ask the tough, at times awkward questions that you’ve always wanted to ask, but were too afraid to. Wrapped in a card game, getting real with yourself and building intimacy through conversation feels approachable, attainable and fun. Read more>>

Stefani Herr | Co-Founder and CEO

We thought a lot about our impact as a company before launching our product line. My co-founder, Alexa, and I were certain that we wanted to bring to life a company that cared about the well-being of our clients as well as that of the earth. We are a purpose-forward and earth-friendly source for home goods, providing sustainable alternatives to our competitors. We knew we could improve the lives of our customers in a tangible way with functional home goods like bins and trays that are easy to use, encourage organization, and look beautiful in any space. We are passionate about the power of organization and are working to change the narrative away from organization as a chore and into organization as self-care. When purchased thoughtfully, our products are a way to help encourage this mindset and achieve balance. Read more>>

Sam Luu | Every Day Action Co-founder & DGA 2nd Assistant Director

Our company, Every Day Action, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit organization. We rescue waste and re-distribute it to those in need. Our mission is to inspire others to take care of their local community and to ask themselves daily: What can I do to help someone today? How can I be the reason someone feels seen, heard, valued, loved and supported? Currently our main means of fulfilling our mission is through the reallocating of excess food and meals from film production sets in Los Angeles to shelters, encampments, food coalitions/pantries and community fridges. There are roughly 66,000 homeless currently living in Los Angeles (those numbers were gathered pre-Covid). Read more>> 

Julyza Ruiz | CEO & Founder of Paint and Worship

We have sent some beautiful paintings to children who had cancer, and our art helps bring healing and hope in a time of desperation. We love giving back to the community, and we have hosted and painted at low income schools for “family night”. Evenly we want to start a non-profit to help low income schools to have a budget for art. Because unfortunately, a lot of art is no longer given, because of a low budget. Read more>>