Pgh Dreamer's Pod

Amanda Lee is the owner and creator of Amanda Lee Glassware, which is located in Oakmont, a suburb just east of Pittsburgh. Amanda Lee Glassware creates beautifully hand painted glassware that's meant to be used as well as unique wall art & creations. With an on-site art studio, shipping to all 50 states and a booming in-person and online store, Amanda Lee Glassware has been featured on NBC and named one of Pittsburgh's Fan Favorites!

Kate Denman has her Music Education degree from Duquesne University, with a piano focus. She is currently a graduate student in collaborative piano at Carnegie Mellon University. Along with being an educator, Kate performs in a Grateful Dead cover band called 'Half Dead' and trio called 'Willmanback Trio', and has written, performed, and released her own music - check out 'Toxins', 'Flower', and 'Paper' on all streaming platforms!

Larissa Russo is the founder & owner of The Refillery, Pittsburgh's 1st refill and zero waste store, located in Squirrel Hill. The Refillery's mission is to reduce Pittsburgh's eco-impact by changing the way you shop for everyday essentials. BYO container to reuse and refill with personal care and home essentials such as laundry detergent, hand soap, and shampoo. Eliminate that pesky single-use packaging and start your zero waste journey today!

Lynn Berry is the founder and owner of Bridge Insurance Group. Lynn began her career in the insurance industry in 1985 as an agent with Metropolitan Life. In 1988, she became a partner in an independent agency focused on serving individuals and small businesses. After 25 years in that position, she launched Bridge Insurance Group in 2013. She is a mother of 4 and grandmother of 6, and lives in Washington PA with her two pups, Roxy & Ryot.

Emily Thornton is one of the owners of 1:11 Juice Bar & Eatery, a family owned juice and smoothie bar whose doors officially opened in 2022. The menu is booming with cold-pressed juice, snacks, and healthy lunch options. Emily was born in Korea and raised in Nebraska. Emily is an accountant by training. She and her husband, Eric have 4 young children, are guardians to 2 adult children and twin newborn grandchildren.

Andrea Caruso is the owner of Psychobathic, which provides high quality, natural skin care, bath products, and candles, for the edgy girl, and the owner of ALYN, a custom apparel T-shirt company that empowers women to fight damaging gender stereotypes and sexist attitudes. Both of Andrea's ventures help create a mindset of strength and equality as well as entrepreneurial and nonprofit opportunities for all women.

Shana Simmons is the Artistic Direction of Shana Simmons Dance, a company with a passion to create unique and engaging contemporary dance through immersive productions. Shana is a movement artist who creates works that have a heavy focus on research as practice. Each thematic movement exploration roots itself in studio tasks related to socially relevant topics, taking into consideration the physical and emotional experience of the dancer as response to the experimentation. Her work aims to engage the viewer in thoughtful ways, encouraging active participation, and absorbing them into the piece as part of the final meaning of the work. SSD's projects rely heavily on partnerships and outreach to explore topics relevant to our community at large with a heavy focus on the integration of movement in education. SSD collaborates with other companies and choreographers, providing collaborative platforms for cultural dance styles to be accessed and has performed their works in NY, Belgium, London, Chicago, and of course, Pittsburgh.

Emmalee Schattauer is the creator and artist of One Cat To Many. As inspired by her love for rescuing cats, One Cat To Many features one-of-a-kind, handmade sterling silver jewelry using genuine sea/beach glass, gemstones, and upcycled broken Pyrex and Corelle dishes,. Emmalee showcases her creations across the US at local festivals and is in several local and national retailers.

Rebecca Choltco is the primary artisan and owner of Stella Blue Home & Gift Boutique. Stella Blue is a small, independent online gift and home decor shop. Outside of creating her own items, Becky showcases specially curated, handcrafted items from other small businesses and local makers .Some of Stella Blue's offerings include farmhouse signs, fiber earrings, rustic trays, and customized prints of your pet!

Natalie is the founder and creator of Halo Luminary Candle Co, located in the city of Pittsburgh. Every purchase helps support pups in need. Each collection of candles honors dogs in a rescue shelter program by naming the scent directly after them and donating a portion of each sale to dog rescue partners. Every ray supports a stray!

Abbey O'Brien is an office manager for a small CPA firm and the creator & teacher of SHOOP, a fun spin on hoop dance and fitness. SHOOP blends abdominal toning, leg and glute strengthening, low impact but intense cardio dance, balance, and coordination improvement to upbeat African dance music. If you can waist hoop, you can SHOOP!

Dr. Judy Masucci holds a PhD in Genetics & Development and previously worked as a scientist before transitioning into business and marketing for biotechnology companies. During this period, she began advocating for breastfeeding and mothering needs through the development of A Mother's Boutique. Judy then recreated the business as Levana Bratique, located in Wexford which is just north of Pittsburgh. Levana specializes in hard to find sizes of bras and generally boosts and 'lifts' women in the area - hence the name 'Levana'. Levana is also the Pittsburgh Chapter host of I Support The Girls, a non-profit that provides bras and menstrual products to women in need.

Megs Yunn is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Beverly's Birthdays, which provides meaningful birthday celebrations for children experiencing homelessness and families in need. Since 2012, the organization has supported thousands of birthdays, and the organization has grown to offer a variety of celebration-based programming. They have partnered with over 100 social services agencies and 100 low-income schools within Allegheny County. They are also a contract provider with Allegheny County Department of Human Services.

Leah Lizarondo is the co-founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue, which works with food retailers to prevent surplus food from going to waste. Transported by a growing network of volunteers, 412 Food Rescue directly transfers food to nonprofit partners that serve those who are food insecure. In 2021, they delivered over 20 million pounds of food to the Greater Pittsburgh region!

Dana Bannon is a stylist and owner of Pageboy Salon and Boutique, located in Millvale, just northeast of the city of Pittsburgh. Pageboy prides itself on creating a comfortable and friendly environment for customers and clients, offering a range of stylists, curated beauty goods, and massage.

Kate Zarvis is the owner of Manikure, a top-rated nail salon in Pgh, owner of Kure, a modern day spa located in Lawrenceville, and a salon coach. As a coach, Kate helps salon owners grow from employees to entrepreneurs.

Check out Kate's services:

Jessica Graves is the founder and CEO of Una Biologicals, located in Lawrenceville. Jessica created a shop & community within Una Biologicals by developing products that nourish the body & lift the soul as well as mentoring youth and giving back to numerous non-profits.

Check out Una Biologicals:

Louise & Sarah Silk are a mother & daughter team and the creators and owners of SilkDenim. SilkDenim is a sustainability initiative that makes Arts You Can Use by recycling materials into individually crafted objects. They create one-of-a-kind wearables & accessories for their Southside shop as well as accept commissions, utilizing customers' fabric & vision. Louise also runs SilkQuilt and Sarah is an actress & Feldenkrais instructor.

Tierra Thorne is a social worker and the CEO & founder of Blanket & Board, an award-winning event planning company that provides luxury picnics and catering for special events. Blanket & Board's mission is to connect people through outreach, creating safe spaces for folks of all backgrounds, and fostering conversation & mindfulness among the community.

KD Meucci is an elementary school teacher & educational leader, the creator Franklin Bedtime Stories, and the founder of Happy Apple Consulting. Listen to her inspiring story to find adventure in every day!

Check out the links below for more info:

Dr. Cindy Zurchin is a motivational speaker, trainer, author, coach, consultant, and owner of Cynthia's School of Dance. Cindy holds a doctorate degree in Education Leadership, is certified in the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and "Leading Change", as well as Mindfulness, Chair Yoga, and Yoga for Children. She has written several books, including The Whale Done! Series and Ballerina on Wheels.

Check out Cindy's services: