Halle Ann Fernandez is a 22-year-old Prescott resident, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., who is a self-proclaimed “Arizona Transplant”. Halle is an accelerated Master’s student at Prescott College studying Critical Psychology in the undergraduate program and Outdoor Education Leadership in the Graduate program. When she moved across the country to pursue higher education at Prescott College, she quickly fell in love with the community. She began to immerse herself in service work with local non-profits such as the Prescott Community Cupboard Food Bank and the Western Heritage Center. 

Halle is an Education Specialist for GEM Environmental and a Challenge Course Facilitator at Camp Way. She has held the titles of Miss Prescott 2022, Miss Granite Mountain 2023, and Miss Peoria 2024 in the Miss America Organization. As Miss Peoria, Halle uses her platform to share her community service initiative, ‘LNT For You & Me,’ where she teaches young children through high schoolers socioemotional skills like empathy, compassion, and boundary setting through Leave No Trace practices. She also uses her platform in the Miss AZ Org. to encourage adolescents and young women to shine in their individuality and authenticity regardless of what others think.

Local mother of three young girls who went from management to opening a face painting business. Nuggy Bug Parties takes on the county fair, rodeo, and many other large events in Prescott including training and staffing other moms and women within the community. 

Learn more at https://www.nuggybugfacepainting.com/

Katee Norris has been working at Prescott Area Shelter Services since 2012. She stepped into this role through the AmeriCorps Program as a VISTA, and after two years of service, she became the Director of Programs. Katee makes sure the shelter runs smoothly, and that the guests have a clean and safe environment, feel cared for, and are treated with kindness. She ensures we have volunteers to support the guests through meals, advocacy, and empowerment as the volunteer coordinator, and she dedicates endless amounts of time to writing grants, planning fundraisers, and creating new programs and expansions to better support the guests. Katee also became a Registered Nurse and works at a hospital in Flagstaff as an RN, BSN. Katee takes her experience at both the shelter and the hospital and learns from them to better serve and help people in need, no matter what situation they are in.

Learn more at https://prescottshelters.org/

The owners of Rockin Smiles are sisters, mothers, and entrepreneurs. Today they talked to us about finding balance and the art of finding your smile.

Rockin Smiles is proud to serve the beautiful communities of Prescott and Prescott Valley, AZ, specializing in professional teeth whitening services. Their team of experienced professionals is committed to enhancing your smile and boosting your self-confidence.

Utilizing advanced whitening techniques and top-of-the-line products, Rockin Smiles ensures that your smile shines brighter. Their in-office procedures are complemented by our specially designed take-home products, providing you with the tools to maintain that gleaming smile and achieve lasting results.

Rockin Smiles website

Shana Lujan, the mother of 5 children, has lived and been a teacher in Yavapai County for over 20 years. She has taught everything from 3rd grade to high school and subjects varying from theatre to English. She loves education and working with local youth. Currently, she works at PACE Preparatory Academy High School and is a founding board member/director for One Stage Family Theatre.

Shana was the 2023 Prescott Woman Award Recipient for S.T.E.A.M.

Dr. Kimberly Albarran, PT, DPT, CFNP is a physical therapist since 2013 and a certified functional nutrition practitioner since 2021. She officially started her business Hope Health Healing in 2018, in the Prescott area, with the vision of serving her community as the premier provider for individuals with chronic pain, resulting in the highest quality of life for her clients. 

Dr. Kimberly’s mission is to provide solution-oriented, holistic, and compassionate care through physical therapy, both online and in-person nutrition coaching, and wellness classes, which now include Radical Rebounding!! 

Her goal is to empower individuals with chronic pain to take control of their health using her four pillars of health: mindfulness, nutrition, sleep, and movement to restore health and healing. Dr. Kimberly loves to motivate, encourage and lift up her clients along their journey. 

Learn more at https://hope-health-healing.org/

Maddie was born and raised in Prescott, AZ, and has worked as a stylist for three years now. She has been extremely blessed by the ladies at Strada Salon who have mentored her and taught her so much about hair and life. Maddie’s passion is curly hair, and she loves doing bridal hair as well. Maddie herself has curly hair and she enjoys being able to come alongside people who hate their hair. Her goal is that they will always fall in love with it! Maddie loves Prescott and the community we have in this great city. I’m thankful to be a small part of the small business community and for all the amazing women in this community!

Maddie was the 2023 Prescott Woman Awards BeYOUtiful Recipient

After visiting her first Overland Expo in 2014, Lauren said, “This will be my life.” Later that same year, Lauren turned wrenches and drilled holes at AT Overland Equipment here in Prescott, the only woman in a shop of men. Three years of gearing people up for their adventures encouraged Lauren to embark on her own.

In 2017, Lauren set off on 6 magical months of solo travel through Mexico, immersing herself in the culture and becoming fluent in Spanish.

Commonly referred to as “Lolo”, some of her travel/adventure accomplishments include having open water and advanced diving certifications, as well as being a 52 Hike Challenge Finisher (47 hikes of which she did in Arizona). Lolo has been to the top of Humphrey’s Peak and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon backpacking from Rim to Rim, Coyote and Buckskin Gulch, Havasupai, and more.

Lauren is also the 2023 Prescott Woman Award recipient for Adventurer

The Launch Pad is INCITING TEEN CONFIDENCE AND EMPOWERMENT THROUGH INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT. They are an all-inclusive, youth-driven, and focused space, providing programming that is culturally relevant to teens in Yavapai County. On this episode, we speak to two teens – Sophia and Giada, and the director of The Launch Pad, Courtney Osterfelt about their WEB conference, Better Together, and much more!

For more information visit:
https://thelaunchpadteencenter.org/

Katie Machado, a Prescott native, has been involved in the community since she first organized a can drive fundraiser at Washington Elementary School in 1998.  She is actively involved in Prescott-Caborca Sister City and the Prescott Frontier Rotary Club.  She loves that the people of Prescott work hard to better our community by helping our world.  She loves being a part of these efforts.  She and her husband, Danny Machado, made a decision upon leaving the Army to build a business and home in her hometown so they could raise their two children, Daisy 3, and William 1, around the same people, environment, and culture she experienced as a child.  She enjoys traveling, tennis, golf, and running with the silliest dog in the world–Bossy.  She loves art and especially acrylic painting but can frequently be found enjoying good friends, family, and the great foods of Prescott.

Katie is also the 2023 Prescott Woman Award recipient for Social Impact.

Sarah Haynes is the founder of Pixel Parfait, which provides graphic design, web design & online marketing services to small-medium size businesses around the country. Sarah has been in the design & marketing field for over a decade and specializes in helping businesses and individuals develop their brands.  Sarah has a passion for designing full branding identities and helping companies refresh their branding through fresh, clean, and cohesive design pieces.

For more info visit: https://www.pixelparfait.graphics/

Lesa West, is the owner of New Life CPR, in Prescott, AZ but is originally from Tennessee. She says the best thing about what she does is having someone come up to her and say “I heard your voice in my head” when they had to either perform CPR or a First Aid situation. She says about mentorship: Our job here on earth is to be there for each other – teach and not give but really TEACH, Listen, Hug, help people breathe, and give others strength in themselves – when we do all these things, we grow!

For more info visit: https://newlifecpr.com/

Liberty Casarez worked as a financial aid manager before entering the automotive industry. Liberty joined the Findlay Automotive Group in Bullhead City in 2014 and she started her career as a salesperson before being promoted to Internet and Marketing Manager positions.

For more info visit: https://www.findlaytoyotaprescott.com/

Sarah Vincent is the Education Director at the Highlands Center for Natural History. As a member of the Education team, Sarah brings a passion for science and a love for education.

Sarah brings experience in environmental and educational leadership – constantly learning from and celebrating the communities that make up the Central Highlands, human and non-human. She works hard to facilitate meaningful experiences for people in nature, about nature, and most importantly, with nature. She is the *brand new* mother of Sylvia and the wife of Andrew

For more info visit: https://highlandscenter.org/