In this day and age, your brand is the foundation of your business. The power of visual media is a major factor in driving business and reaching the right customers. Many businesses and individuals are struggling to figure out where they are going wrong in marketing, social media, and sales. What they do not realize is that they need to examine the root of their business: their branding.

With ten years of classroom experience, elementary teacher Lauren Beck knows a thing or two about children and the compassion they need to thrive as learners and leaders. In addition to serving as a hard-working second grade teacher in Buncombe County Schools (Asheville, NC), Lauren is a busy mom whose home is filled with the delightful squeals of laughter and love from her nine-year-old twin girls, Ryleigh and Braelyn, and four-year-old son, Liam.

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is committed to providing meaningful, valuable, and equitable educational opportunities for its students and the communities in which they serve. Currently, all of A-B Tech’s health and nursing programs are led by women, including newly named Dean of Allied Health Angie Goodwin and Nursing Chair Christy Andrews.

For Actress Maddie Casto, musical theatre wasn’t a career choice, it is simply who she is. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, while most kids her age were watching cartoons, Maddie was singing along to Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musicals with her mother, who was a singer.

Founder and visionary of Asheville Tea Company and Western North Carolina native Jessie Dean brings locally and regionally sourced handcrafted teas to the teacups of her customers across the Southeastern region. A tea connoisseur at heart, Jessie has traveled to many places throughout the world and experienced how tea is an integral part of different cultures.

As the weather turns colder and days get shorter, many individuals experience a drop in their mood and energy, often referred to as the “winter blues.” Maybe it's the lack of sunshine or the time spent indoors due to the bitter cold, but let’s face it: wintertime is not all it’s cut out to be for some of us.

If you have any health issues, someone will inevitably advise drinking water as a solution. And when it comes to skin problems, we’ve heard it a thousand times: drinking enough water is the solution for everything from acne to flakes. Surprisingly, while drinking water is important to overall health, the consumption of H2O is not the magic formula for all skin problems.

Set in the heart of the mountains of Western North Carolina, Blackford Wellness is an up-and-coming body contouring and health spa on a mission to help women of all ages and sizes on their journey to reach their health and beauty goals.

Nancy McDonald turns 70 this year. She is the proud mother of five children, fourteen grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. When she lost her mother about six years ago, Nancy took possession of the large collection of photos and genealogy records which grew her pre-existing collection to over 11,000 photos. She recently began to worry about the vulnerability of these boxes stuffed in closets and what would happen to them if her health suddenly took a turn.

Last year, the combined efforts of the Appalachian State University faculty and the Appalachian Theatre brought Western North Carolina a taste of local heritage, culture and talent with their documentary film festival Boone Docs For 2023. The event’s lead organizer Beth Davison is expecting it to be just as big of a hit as last year.

Western North Carolina native and CEO of Bettini Financial Brittany Bettini has made it her life’s mission to help people and small businesses learn how to repair their credit and manage their finances for long-term financial success.

In 2020 when the pandemic hit and people were learning to adjust to staying home, many turned to art for comfort. Meg Thompson, hailing from Charleston, SC, has always been an artist interested in many mediums, but she had a special interest in ceramics.

For twenty-four years, Norma Melton has worked behind the scenes of the Mountain State Fair Ministry to make a big impact on the lives of fair workers. She is definitely a “Game Changer” when it comes to the business of serving others.

The friend I’d invited to go to the concert had an emergency and wasn’t going to be able to make it – yikes! There was no way I was letting this ticket go to waste. I’d seen this band last year at the Radio Room in Greenville, SC, and I knew it was going to be an incredible show.

The kitchen can be one of the most exciting rooms to renovate in your home. It is the central hub of the home – the room that brings people together. It is where we spend a lot of our time, from brewing coffee in the morning to cooking dinner for our family in the evening.

Are you thinking about putting your house on the market soon? If so, there are several things you’ll need to do to get your home “show” ready in order to get the best price for your home in this changing market.

Previously, I thought it was just an obvious concept: don’t drink while you are pregnant. But I was left wondering why we don’t talk about alcohol consumption and pregnancy more.

Every fly fisher has a story of how they discovered the sport. Some were introduced to fly fishing by a family member. Others were taught by a generous friend willing to share their knowledge and gear with a newbie.

Most people see furniture flipping as a long and arduous process. Y’all, they aren’t wrong. It can be time-consuming and if you aren’t careful, it can take a good bit of money to get going. Rather than let you learn the hard way on your own, I’m going to share what did and didn’t work for me.