Losing is not an option. At least it’s not in the eyes of local boxer, Tori Nelson.

Four years ago, Tori walked through the doors of a local gym. She greeted the owner, Craig Fladager, with her sweet southern twang, and he proudly recalls their first meeting. “Tori came into the gym overweight and as burly looking as they come. When I asked what her goals were, I expected to hear what every other mom says- something to the effect of wanting to lose weight and get in shape. Not Tori. She looked at me and said, “I want to be the World Champion. I want to win the title.” That day, Fladager knew that he had found something special.

Never say never... At least that is what local realtor, Gina Tufano has recently learned.
Self-described as “quirky,” Gina has demonstrated a track record of success in real estate and in reproduction. If running a team consisting of two referral agents, two buyer’s agents, and a full-time assistant and having two boys ages fifteen and twelve at home wasn’t enough, Gina and her husband recently decided to add to the managed chaos. Gina is expecting a baby lovingly nicknamed “the bean” this January. With a whole new chapter about to start, Gina makes it known that recent life changes have definitely made her refocus and that “Life is a balancing act.”

They say home is where the heart is, and if so, Gladys Abi-Najm’s heart spans the globe. Her journey from Lebanon to America in 1976 at the age of 10 seems like something out of a movie, with her parents and four siblings fleeing in the night on a boat, in the midst of a civil war, with no more than what each could carry, representing the life of impoverishment they were leaving behind, without even the luxury of saying goodbye to their loved ones. Their only two material items of value: an onyx candy holder and vase, still cherished to this day, the symbols of poverty and wealth, and the fortitude of a family that bridged these two together.

“Everyone has something in them that they're supposed to do. They just have to find it.” Those words—spoken by clothing designer, Cindy Bapst—are so much more than words to her. Indeed, Cindy really believes that we all have a destiny of sorts and that it's up to each of us to seek out and fulfill our dreams.

Cindy has certainly done just that. Today, she's the founder and owner of Union of Angels, a women’s clothing line that epitomizes bohemian chic with beautiful silhouettes and effortless style. But she wasn't always a designer, and even though her designs have been recently been courted by Warner Brothers and Bravo Network’s The Real Housewives of D.C., she still very humbly refers to herself as an “aspiring designer.”