LEESBURG, VA 

After 20 years of military service and a search for something to hold onto after coming home, Chris Chavez walked into a culinary school open house with his service dog — and walked out with a new purpose. Together with his wife Jenn, he built Chris’s Dishes: a Virginia-based personal chef service rooted in local sourcing, intimate dinner parties, and meals that are shaped entirely around the people eating them. From gluten-free brick-fired pizza to a backyard barbecue in Hawaii, their story is one of reinvention, passion, and the belief that food, at its best, is something you remember for the rest of your life. This is how a soldier became a chef — and why that journey makes every dish taste a little different.

After 25 years in the mortgage industry, Matt Bubacz of Peoples Mortgage in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has built his reputation on something most lenders overlook: truly listening. While other loan officers lead with rates, Matt leads with a simple but powerful question — where do you want your payment to be? — and works backwards from there. In this feature, Matt shares how he helps buyers cut through misconceptions, understand their real options, and navigate one of life’s biggest financial decisions with confidence. His approach to communication, education, and lifelong client relationships is redefining what it means to have a mortgage professional in your corner.

From watching her military father struggle to buy a home three times to helping him finally purchase his “Texas mansion” last year, discover how Hershey Llanes built a real estate career on one principle: actually listen. Learn why she stops transactions when clients stop asking questions, how her 6-year-old daughter became her marketing director, what homework assignments teach buyers about finding home, and why embracing her Filipino heritage transformed her business. Meet the agent whose son used to cry over “no contracts this week”—and who’s building legacy one relationship at a time.

From watching her military father struggle to buy a home three times to helping him finally purchase his “Texas mansion” last year, discover how Hershey Llanes built a real estate career on one principle: actually listen. Learn why she stops transactions when clients stop asking questions, how her 6-year-old daughter became her marketing director, what homework assignments teach buyers about finding home, and why embracing her Filipino heritage transformed her business. Meet the agent whose son used to cry over “no contracts this week”—and who’s building legacy one relationship at a time.

From ER night shifts that “went down in the memory book” to launching mobile Botox during COVID to opening brick-and-mortar locations, discover how Kim and Mimi built Radiant Aesthetics on 15+ years of friendship and 40 combined years of clinical expertise. Learn why they never offer treatments they haven’t personally tried, how ER experience makes better injectors, why aging gracefully means aging confidently, and what makes clients call them “best friends from the first visit.” Meet the business partners who can place IVs with their eyes closed—and whose 6-year-old fights to go to work instead of school.

From athletic beginnings to professional bodybuilding, discover how Rugiatu Turay (Rugi) built Tusked Fit on the principle that form beats weight every time and patience is non-negotiable. Learn why she tells clients “bring lots of patience with you,” how seniors inspire her most, what “discomfort vs. pain” really means, and why the “bulky” myth needs to die. Meet the trainer who admits “only insane people” do bodybuilding—and whose discipline helps clients get out of their own heads, move better, and remember that fitness is a lifestyle, not a quick fix.

From accidentally training a mortgage company president to becoming Executive VP at Atlantic Coast Mortgage, discover Laura Triplett’s decades-long journey of turning “never” into “home” for countless families. Learn why she starts with client stories before credit scores, how she explains complex mortgages without jargon, what her 2025 favorite story reveals about possibility, and why she believes the right time to buy is simply when you’re ready—not when the market is perfect. Meet the educator, mentor, and first-time homebuyer specialist who didn’t know how to spell mortgage when she started but now orchestrates dreams into reality.

From starting in a basement ten years ago to operating multiple locations across Maryland, discover how Abby Sakariyah built Cherished Hands into the benchmark for caregiving through three core pillars: mental stimulation, physical activity, and healthy nutrition. Learn why her background as a caregiver-turned-psychiatric nurse practitioner shapes everything, how she empowers staff to become leaders, why gratitude beats worry every time, and what it means when clients graduate from dialysis thanks to comprehensive care. Meet the founder who’s building a healthcare system where every client matters—because in her world, people aren’t numbers, and promises are kept.

From conquering test anxiety to building a real estate career on authentic connection, discover Ingrid Pickett’s refreshingly honest approach to serving Northern Virginia clients. Learn why she treats rental clients with the same care as buyers, how her couples counseling background shapes her communication skills, what “thinking outside the box” really means in practice, and why her number one principle is simple: listen, listen, listen. Meet the realtor who can’t pretend to be anyone but herself—and why that authenticity is exactly what clients need.

From a college project that sparked a career to a one-week relocation scramble that taught her empathy, discover how Reannon White brings fresh perspective and genuine connection to Northern Virginia real estate. Learn why she believes professionalism and personality aren’t mutually exclusive, how Long & Foster’s collaborative culture elevates every client experience, and what it’s like to work with an agent who truly remembers what it feels like to be on the other side of the transaction. Meet the realtor who treats clients like friends—because building real relationships is the only way she knows how to work.