I’m thinking about: Changing the world. Really. Not just thinking about it. Doing it.

My passion: My nonprofit, The Bridge CDC. Our mission is to advance lives by reducing socio-economic barriers.

I love: My husband. Without him, I’d be all work and no play.
My best bargain find: I bought a pair of loafers when I went to Europe in the 11th grade. I still wear them.
I wish I’d known: You’re the only one who has to believe in your dreams. Everyone else will catch on.

My passion: Hoop Dance and living a purpose driven life.

Words I live by: Do what you love and you'll love what you do. Duh.

One thing I never want to do again: Live trapped by guilt, shame or fear.

Early bird or night owl? Both. I find sleep a nuisance.

My best bargain find: Awesome furry boots for $12 at Plato's Closet.

I am most proud of: Building a community of hoopers at the Carver Healing Arts Gallery.

The food I could eat every day: Ice cream. It's my medication.

I am guilty of: Being too optimistic. I live in the clouds and I like it up here!

My theme song: Flower Child by Lenny Kravitz

I feel strongest when: I'm surrounded by people who love me unconditionally.

If I could be totally wild, I would: Pack a bag and run off to BurningMan. Wooo Hoooo!

My first job: Working the Clinique counter at Bloomingdale's. I was the only kid I knew who earned a commission in high school.

My work: Inhabiting characters and singing songs; playing pretend and making music…
My passion: Live performance; the energy transfer between audience and performer ignites me every time.
My favorite possession: my apartment, a quirky, circular little space inside a giant milk bottle..
My best bargain find: friends! They’re free and limitlessly valuable!
My hometown: Alexandria, Virginia.
Words I live by:   “You must be the change you want to see in the world” ~Gandhi

My passion: Hiking and the environment. In June, I’m climbing Mount Shasta to fund research on environmental causes of breast cancer.

My favorite possession: My lime-green camping fork-spoon-knife thingy. It’s in my purse and I use it all the time. Is that gross?

I feel strongest when: I’m hiking up a mountain. 

I wish I’d known: That things like toothpaste, shampoo, and plastic water bottles can contain cancer-causing chemicals! Learn more at breastcancerfund.org/climb09/Jbarton.

My blog: jessbartonclimb09.blogspot.com 

Words I live by: "In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."  ~Baba Dioum

My best bargain find: An excellent futon ($25) and IKEA wardrobe ($15) off Craigslist.

The food I could eat every day: Bananas and TCBY’s White Chocolate Mousse. Why don’t we have TCBY in Richmond?

My hometown: Ochi Rios, Jamaica I am most proud of: My two restaurants. It’s an honor to share Jamaican food with people from all cultures and to offer stable employment to my wonderful staff. The one item that has changed my life: A plane ticket. At 16, I moved to Brooklyn from Jamaica. I’ve lived here ever since. My passion: Soccer! I play for CWSA, a Chesterfield County women’s league. My favorite possession: My Illy espresso maker. Right now I’m reading: Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood by Kien Nguyen. Coming from a mixed heritage (my mother is black; my father was Chinese), I really connect with his story. The food I could eat every day: Ackee and codfish, it’s Jamaica’s national dish. What keeps me awake at night: The price of rice! The world would be a better place, if only: It everybody would just tek it easie—as they say in Jamaica. Words I live by: Keep it moving. My family: My children are the center of my universe. My first job: A cashier in Glen’s Jerk Chicken in Brooklyn, NY. What are you most vain about? My hair. You’ll notice there’s no gray in it (wink). 
 I’d like to learn to: Salsa dance. I still can’t get the hang of: Utube… If I had a vanity plate on my car, it would say: JERK and, yes, I’m aware of the double meaning.

My work: I design stationery, gift wrap, and paper products for INK & PAPER and for PUNCH, a local design + advertising agency.

My passion: Design! Paper, textiles, interiors, environmental, fashion. I get inspiration for color and patterns from everything around me.

My favorite possession: Right now? My Orla Kiely handbag.

My hometown: Born in Chapel Hill; raised in Mechanicsville; I've also called Chicago home.

I'm thinking about: The eco-friendly house I will build one day.

Words I live by: If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

I can't live without: Project Runway.

I am most proud of: Running--and finishing--the Chicago Marathon.

What keeps me awake at night: Thinking about how to re-design my powder room. I plan to gut and completely re-do...by myself. There are so many options!

One thing I never want to do again: Get the perm I had in 6th grade during the Big Bangs period.

If I could be totally wild, I would: Move to Alaska for a year, live of the land, maybe have a couple of reindeer.

I am guilty of: Back-seat driving.

My passion: Adventure sports; scuba diving, skydiving, etc.

My hometown: Virginia Beach. I went to High School wearing a bikini under my clothes.

My first job: Marina dock hand. I pumped gas into boats, cleaned fish, sold beer and chips.

Words I live by: Get over it!

I can't live without: My Coca-Cola fix.

My favorite possession: My house! Wish I could put it on wheels and roll it closer to the city.

Something most people don't know about me: I presented Elton John and Billy Joel with an award from Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The one item that has changed my life: My college degree. I'm the first in my immediate family to have one.

One thing I never want to do again: Sell timeshares.

My mother always said: Your blinker is your best friend.

I am most proud of: My ability to bounce back. My grandmother always said I'm the only girl she knows who can fall in a bucket of sh** and come up smelling like roses.

I am guilty of: Talking to strangers.

Right now I'm reading: Water for the Elephants by Sara Gruen. Great book!

Favorite web site: AdAge.com

The nickname I wish I had: I have too many to wish for more: Hogbeast, T-Bag, Miss BadGood, Tay-Ray, Tay-Tay…

My family: One hot hubby, one fine stepson, one gentleman son, one red-haired firebelle of a daughter.

My work: I’m a headhunter for graphic designers. It’s all about the perfect match; helping candidates find their dream job at their dream company.

My family: Is my rock and I would be nothing without them.

My family: My heart. 

My family: Is GIGANTIC—and I love them dearly.

My work: I recover bone and tissue for transplants and match organ donors with recipients.

My favorite body part: The kidneys. A nice pair can save two lives.

My nickname: Mal Pal.

My favorite possession: My VW Bug!

Something most people don’t know about me: I can solve a Rubik’s cube.

My hometown: Charlotte, NC.

The worst idea I ever had: Leaving college to get married at 20. (What was I thinking!?)

My mother always said: Things happen for the best. (She was right!)

Words I live by: Show up, pay attention, tell the truth; and don’t be attached to the outcome.

What keeps me awake at night: The high-voltage current of creative ideas—feels like having my finger in a light socket!

My favorite possession:  My house—10 years of nesting and self-expression.