Fabulousness is cropping up all over Utah Valley. We’ve got
do-gooders who remain down-to-earth, innovators who thrive by going against the grain, and great minds gaining ground in their fields. And the best part of all? Our 50 most fabulous people are all homegrown — they live and work locally, blooming where they’ve been planted. Read on for a look at 50 of Utah Valley’s most fabulous people.

Although the official Team USA won’t be named until mid-January, three Utah Valley winter athletes are racing to represent their country — and our state — at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. For them, this isn’t an every-four-years event. This is an everyday-for-four-years event. And whether they hit a gold mine or not, they have plenty of reasons to cheer for Utah Valley as we cheer for them.

In between photo takes at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, Kurt Bestor looked up from the piano and interviewed me.
“What’s your favorite Christmas song?”
Without hesitation, I said, “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella.”
And so began my private concert by arguably the state’s most
recognized musician — with the most signature hairstyle.
I felt like throwing money in the jar when he finished his feet-tapping rendition of the carol that includes my first name. But instead of coins, my payment will come by way of PR as I count out his life’s harmonies and discords on the next six pages.
Kurt’s musical journey began in Orem, and he’s lived in Utah County all his life except his first seven years in Wisconsin and the past 10 in Salt Lake City.

UVU’s new leader of the brand is Dr. Matthew S. Holland, former BYU political science professor and current father of four under the age of 11. With his wife at his side — both literally and figuratively — Matt brought his school of thought in June to the fastest growing university in the state. Now he’s had his taste of UVU catering and budget setbacks. But he knew what he was getting into. Matt moved to Provo as a high schooler so his father, Jeffrey R. Holland, could be the president of BYU. Talk about then and now.

Orem’s Chelsie Hightower has the fashion flair and texting ability of a 19-year-old (which she is). But she has the life experience and business opportunities of someone twice her age (which she isn’t). Chelsie leads a life in Utah full of friends, family and fun, and another life in Southern California as star of “Dancing With The Stars” and standout starlet from season four of “So You Think You Can Dance.” Her two-step life has her being interviewed on “Entertainment Tonight” and answering “Mormon questions” in airports. But her family and the mountains keep her in sync. “The first thing I do when I get back to Utah is drive up Provo Canyon,” Chelsie says. Ironically, our photo shoot took place in a dance-studio-turned-photo-studio in Orem. She remembers taking classes on the same wooden floor with friends whose lockers are still marked in the back of the studio. “Oh, I love these girls!” she says as she touches stickers with familiar names. As we snapped nearly 200 photos of this dancing queen, she asked us to turn up the music a few times or to change the song. Clearly, this is a story of “beauty and the beat.”

Stephen Covey and I held our interview in what he calls his “Harvest Room,” but we didn’t talk about seeds he has sown and reaped as author of one of the best-selling business books. This 76-year-old wanted to focus on the future. In fact, one of the eight books he’s working on right now is tentatively called “Living Life In Crescendo.” “Throughout life, we should constantly be finding more meaning,” he says. “We shouldn’t slow down.” Without a doubt, Stephen practices what he preaches.

You’ve got to hand it to Utah Valley — it’s overflowing with fabulousness. And we’re not even counting the celebrities. We’re talking good old fashioned, regularly fabulous folks.

May we present Utah Valley Magazine’s second annual “50 Most Fabulous People,” starting with man behind the “Fablehaven” heaven — Highland’s Brandon Mull.
BRANDON MULL
Mull over this: Brandon Mull, author of The New York Times Bestselling series “Fablehaven,” didn’t always plan to be a writer. Sure, he hoped that someday he’d get to “geek out and write fantasy books,” but hope doesn’t pay the bills. So instead of pursing his writing full-time, Brandon, a BYU grad, worked for several years in marketing while penning novels at night. In 2006 his efforts hit pay dirt when Shadow Mountain published the first book in the “Fablehaven” series, and Brandon decided to write full time.

For Sherri Tomlinson, Scott Crockett and Stephanie Shurian, 2008 was all about gains and losses. Collectively, they lost 107 pounds and 42 percent body fat. They gained healthy habits and valuable fitness advice.

When we introduced our three fitness challenge participants a year ago, they admitted they’d tried everything from Weight Watchers to cabbage soup diets to exercise videos. They were at a loss, ready to gain help from our expert personal trainers. Now, a year later, Stephanie, Scott and Sherri are seeing fit with the healthy outlooks they’ve gained.

We’ve followed their gains and losses in each 2008 issue of Utah Valley Magazine. Here is our final look at their fit new figures.

Provo’s Kelsey Nixon spreads holiday cheer
with original recipes and a new Food Network show
For a 24-year-old, Kelsey Nixon’s resume reads like a recipe for success — she’s earned culinary arts degrees and a bachelor’s in journalism, she’s worked for Martha Stewart Living, she develops recipes for Utah-based Zupas, and she’s taught her cooking techniques to [...]

Bull riders are well paid for a mere eight seconds of work.

But those who’ve been in the arena know there’s much more to bull riding than a few seconds of hanging on.

Utah Valley Magazine spent 150 minutes with Payson resident and reigning world champion bull rider Wes Silcox to document his time leading up to [...]