The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Chad Biggs
My journey into the wedding industry actually began on a stage. For years, I traveled the world as a performer on cruise ships, but after an injury sidelined me, I pivoted into a role as a Creative Director for shipboard events. That was my first taste of the ‘theatre’ of design. Read more>>
Patrick Moseley
I found my way into tattooing almost by accident. I grew up loving art and drawing almost every day. Every folder and backpack I had in school was covered with cartoons and band logos. I took a few years of art classes in school, but abandoned art as a regular practice to focus more time on music in my late teens into my adult life. Read more>>
Katie Lucier
I was doing pharma research and getting tired of office work. My husband runs an engineering lab at NC State and received a request through the extension program to advise on production for a local artist’s concrete tile business. The artist had great success selling through a national distributor, but was finding it difficult to scale up. Read more>>
Rick Paradis Almost Paradise Fence
I started building fence for my dad’s business in the 1980’s and had a partnership with my brothers in Western NY for 11 years throughout the 90’s after that before selling my share to move my wife and 3 children to better conditions for a much better chance at year round success in the fall of 2000. Read more>>
Sara-Anne Wolgin
Wow…well when we moved from the DC area to NC I had lost my mom in an accident and realized that I didn’t have any photos of me with just her. Read more>>
JODY MORPHIS
Chef Jody, attended culinary school in New Orleans, and completed his apprenticeship under Chef Duke Locicero of Cafe Giovanni. He also worked in various kitchens in New Orleans, before moving to Greensboro, NC. Jody and his wife Anne opened BLUE DENIM, a Southern | Cajun | Creole restaurant in Downtown Greensboro on November 15th, 2015. Read more>>
Darla Aldridge
The idea for our farm really began with family. Our daughter was attending University of North Carolina at Charlotte and had grown up spending most of her time outdoors on our family property. Read more>>
Mary Buckner
About three years ago, I reached a point where I knew I needed to make a change. At the time, I had spent nearly ten years working in the medical coding field. While I was grateful for the stability of that career, I began to feel a pull toward something that would allow me more flexibility to be more present with my family. Read more>>
Jake Scott
I attended NC State University and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education in 2015. My first professional chapter began in the classroom as a high school horticulture teacher and FFA advisor. Those three years were formative. I learned how to lead, communicate vision, manage moving parts, and invest in people. Teaching wasn’t just about plants; it was about building confidence, discipline, and purpose in young people. Read more>>
Allegra Grant
I was also dipping my toes in the Wilmington food scene at that time working in small independent restaurants. I somehow also managed to create recipes for Springer Mountain Farms Chicken and was also teaching cooking classes at The Seasoned Gourmet at this time. It is never dull when you have a serious thirst for knowledge like I do! After bouncing around Charlotte, Asheville, and Atlanta, Wilmington is now home where I reside with my husband and sweet dog. Read more>>
Eric & Megan Anderson
Eric’s background has always been customer service and sales, but when the 2008-era economy hit and financing dried up for metal roofing, he needed something steadier, something that truly mattered. Read more>>
Neicey Phifer (full name) Gloria Mayotte (full name)
Tea, herbs and spices have always been a part of GG (Gloria) and Neicey’s life. Growing up they always had tea parties and enjoyed conversations that they shared during these occasions. While Neicey was in college pursing a degree in business she aspired to have her own business one day. Read more>>
Jessica Cloward
I started my real estate journey back in South Florida, where I was working in a salon. One day, a property manager came in, and I overheard her talking about needing a new leasing agent. Though I had no experience, I knew my passion for homes and real estate ran deep. Read more>>
Chef Nekqua
My journey into food started when I was a teenager. I remember wanting to create dishes that were completely different from what my mother would cook. It wasn’t about rejecting tradition it was curiosity. I was fascinated by flavor combinations, presentation and the idea that food could look and feel different depending on who was creating it. In the beginning, I was completely self-taught. Read more>>
DeAndrea Hughes
I began my journey in massage therapy eight years ago. My interest was sparked by receiving prenatal massages during my own pregnancy, which initially inspired me to focus primarily on working with expectant mothers. Over the years, however, my passion and focus have evolved. I now specialize in supporting clients with injuries, those preparing for or recovering from surgery, and individuals experiencing limited mobility. Read more>>
Jonelle Kimbrough
I was proudly born and raised in Fayetteville, NC, so serving as Executive Director of Sustainable Sandhills provides a fulfilling opportunity to assist the community that I call home – a community that is near and dear to my heart. My journey in the sustainability sphere began at Fort Bragg. Read more>>
Kenneth Ivory
My mom went back to school to provide for my brothers and sister and became a Licensed Practical Nurse when I was in middle school. We didn’t have excess, but we had values, faith, respect, hard work, and a belief that you earn trust by how you show up for people. Those humble beginnings shaped my “why” long before I ever had a business plan: people deserve to be treated with respect. Read more>>
Logan Lineberry
I decided to become an Optometrist in order to practice Vision Therapy and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation. I graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 2022 and completed my residency in Vision Rehabilitation, Pediatric Optometry, and Neuro Optometry in 2023 through Pacific University. I added Cary Vision Therapy and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation in 2024 to Cary Family Eye Care. Read more>>
Southern Charm Retreats
Southern Charm Retreats was created to be a trusted local source for experiencing the best of Lake Norman living. What started with a small collection of vacation homes has grown into a portfolio of nearly 60 properties across the lake, ranging from cozy waterfront cottages to luxury lakefront homes. Read more>>
Robert Walker
In 2015 I began purchasing storage units to make spare money on the side. In 2018 my wife suggested I start to look into pursuing my hobby into an actual business. We first opened a brick and mortar in Florida but decided to come back to North Carolina. In 2021 we purchased a building in Selma,NC which was dilapidated and needed a full restoration. Read more>>
Ally Raven
My journey into the birth world began with the birth of my son over six years ago. While becoming a mother was life-changing, my birth experience left me feeling out of control and uninformed about what was happening. I remember asking questions and not always receiving the clarity or support I needed, which made an already vulnerable moment feel even more overwhelming. Read more>>
Chesley Schwantes
I got my first official camera, if you want to call it that, when I was around 12 years old. It was a pink camcorder that I used to document everywhere I went and everything I saw. That was when I realized how wonderful it is to document the world around me and to keep something alive even after the moment has passed. Read more>>
Rahab Kaguru
Edge Pros started with a simple belief. Every construction or renovation project deserves a clean finish before the keys are handed over. After spending time around job sites and seeing how often beautiful new buildings were still covered in dust, debris, and leftover materials, it became clear that the final step was often overlooked. That realization was what inspired the start of Edge Pros. Read more>>
Pamela Gould
From a young age, I knew my path would involve teaching or working with children in some capacity. I attended Old Dominion University, where I gained valuable experience through multiple student teaching placements that prepared me to return home and give back to my community. Read more>>
Nina McNeilly
After 30 years in an IT based position, I knew it was time to make a change. I began praying and looking for another opportunity. What could I do, what would engage me? I was too young to retire and do nothing. Grandma always said idle hands and brain were a danger. Read more>>
Nadine Zenobi
While traveling in Europe, I watched another woman silversmith work. I was captivated as the silver melted like chocolate before my eyes. In that moment I envisioned myself working with silver, From Europe I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, into a room previously occupied by a silversmith. Read more>>
Ellen Mary Webster
My love of gardening really began in childhood. Some of my happiest memories are in my parents’ kitchen garden, picking peas straight from the pod and being fascinated by how things grew. That early connection to nature stayed with me, even though I didn’t start my career in horticulture. Read more>>
Ruby Brown-Herring
I was laid off unexpected in October 2018. The only thing I knew to do at the time was offer Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings to organizations across the state. I quickly learned that it wasn’t a sustainable business because many organizations were offering the training at no cost during that time. Can’t compete with free! Read more>>
Allan Green
Some 30+ years ago I was working for a large tech company in upstate NY that asked me to take a temporary assignment in the Durham. My wife Chris and I had a large family, and after a lengthy search for housing, finally found a farm rental property in southern Orange County. Read more>>
Mandi Martin
I’ll fast forward just a bit for the sake of brevity. After high school I moved to South Carolina for a few months with a friend whose family lived there. I planned to enroll in college, but family demands brought me back to Ohio. Read more>>
Natalie Schorr
Creativity has always been a necessary, even vital part of my life. It would be hard to imagine a day without some creative pursuit. It allows me to process my life and the world around me when words fail, which is becoming increasingly the case in a world I understand less and less each day. Read more>>
Wanda Walker
My journey… wow. I was born and raised in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Birthplace of Dancehall right? However, I did not grow up dancing dancehall. I was made to join my school’s dance troupe at four years old and trained in ballet, modern, contemporary and tradition folk dance forms with them for 13-14 years. Read more>>
Jim Adams
We raised our family in suburbia, where food was mostly about convenience — though we tried to make thoughtful choices. We read ingredient labels carefully and avoided what we could, but like most families, we relied heavily on grocery stores. We had a dog, planted a small garden now and then, but nothing serious. Read more>>
Dan Wilson
I’m Dan Wilson. I’ve always been the “tech kid,” the one who could set the blinking VCR clock and actually enjoyed reading instruction manuals. Over the last 25 years, I’ve built, sold, and marketed technology for companies ranging from early-stage startups to established enterprises, and I’ve spoken on technology topics to audiences around the world. Read more>>
Ryan Schulteis
For almost 20 years, I worked as a physician in a busy academic medical center. Over time, I became discouraged with how medicine was being practiced. Care was increasingly shaped by insurance rules and volume pressures rather than what patients actually needed. Visits were short, schedules were full, and there was rarely enough time to truly understand what someone was experiencing. Read more>>
Marissa Howard
Being a ‘helper’ comes naturally to me. Even when I was very young, I was told that I was warm, genuine, and somehow seemed to know the right thing to say to help people feel good about themselves. Before I thought about pursuing a career that built on those traits, I wanted to be a singer and casting director. Read more>>
Shilpa Kundeshwar
My story is a blend of deep cultural roots, three decades of clinical science, and a mission to change how we view the human lifespan. I grew up in a culture where health was viewed holistically—not just as the absence of pain, but as a state of balance. In my Indian heritage, we were taught that caring for the body is a lifelong commitment. Read more>>
Lakshmi Om
I started my journey to where I am as a somatic therapist as a dancer, initially classical ballet and eventually modern dance. While getting my BFA in modern dance I learned about body therapy and immediately felt and affinity. I graduated from massage school in 1999, almost 27 years ago and have been working with bodies ever since. Read more>>
Kenneth William
I began baking in my childhood backyard in Detroit. I grew up with an apple and pear tree in the backyard. I used to help my mom in the kitchen with fresh pies. As I became a teenager I started baking for the holidays and selling desserts. This was still a hobby because I was going to school to become a Mortician. Read more>>
Nicole Tatum
The Story of 3thirteen Printing Company: Quality Meets Community Born in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina, 3thirteen Printing Company began with a clear mission: to prove that ‘home-based’ doesn’t mean ‘limited.’ Founded in January 2020, we launched just as the world was shifting, reinforcing our commitment to helping local businesses and individuals stand out when it mattered most. Read more>>
Apple Loi
My journey has always been a dance between movement and aesthetics. For years, my life revolved around the energy of Contemporary and Street Dance. As a professional dancer and instructor, I learned how to express emotions through discipline and form. But outside the dance studio, my greatest passion has always been the world of desserts. Read more>>
Laura Francis
I grew up in Cary, and was fortunate enough to be able to spend a fair amount of time traveling abroad with my parents as a child. Perhaps this shaped my love of language & culture, and wound up studying both French & Spanish at UNC Asheville. Read more>>
Daniela Flood-Walker
I grew up in a two-parent home in Alexandria, Virginia. My father was a chef at a Country Club and my mother if my memory serves me correctly, worked for a company building computers and other electronics. The company moved and my mother was laid off. She became a stay-at-home mom. Read more>>
Emily Fossum
When I was four years old, I remember getting so frustrated while drawing that I told my mom my people didn’t look like people. Being the amazing mother that she is, she signed me up for art lessons right away. From there my love of drawing—and really all art—just kept growing. Read more>>
Karoline Eckenrode
Since 2020 I’ve been designing my own floral arrangements. I started with my wedding bouquet for bridal portraits, April 2020, peak Covid, and for my small wedding in June of 2020. Since then, I have arranged flowers for wedding showers, baby showers, birth announcements and birthdays for family and friends. Read more>>
Erin Phillips
Growing up, I loved to read and write, but I always considered them hobbies rather than a possible career. I received a B.F.A. in Costume Design & Technology from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2013 and spent the next decade in theatre, first as a costume designer and technician. Read more>>
Sarah Billings
I have known ever since I was young that I didn’t want a “traditional,” 9-5, every-day-is-the-same kind of job. I think that being homeschooled and being able to enjoy that kind of schedule freedom really ruined me for being in the same place at the same time every day. Once my husband and I had our daughter, that feeling really just solidified. Read more>>
Breena Litzenebrger
My husband and I were sailors. We were cruising in Guatemala on our Aluminum boat, Tarka, when the pandemic hit. We stayed there for a time, but eventually wanted to be in the states so we sailed seven days from Belize to Florida. Read more>>
Angelia Champion
I am a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a friend, and life tested every part of me the day I lost my corporate job. One moment I thought I had stability, and the next I was staring at a future I didn’t recognize. Losing that job shook me. Read more>>
Monique Roberts
My story doesn’t really have one clean starting point — there are layers to it. I’m a United States Air Force veteran. I served from 1997 to 2006, and honestly, a lot of how I think and operate got shaped there. The discipline, the systems thinking, the ability to function under pressure without falling apart — that didn’t come from a course. Read more>>
Caitlin Masters
I moved to NC in 2009 to pursue my Masters in Speech Language Pathology. During that time, I read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande which really shaped how I think about aging, dignity, and purpose. About ten years ago, I shared with my husband that I had always dreamed of starting an intergenerational center. Read more>>
Seraphim Smith
I started painting outdoor murals in 2020. I won a contract with the City of Kinston – I was one of eight finalists out of 170+ applicants. My first outdoor mural was of a giant okra. From there, I went to Mount Olive and got a contract to paint giant pickle jars on a prominent wall in their downtown. Read more>>
Christy Vonderlack
My creative story began in the farm country west of Chicago. as a child I excelled in art and won many art contests including the ‘Dream for Tomorrow’ contest where I drew myself as an abstract artist. This piece hangs in my home studio today. We had many creative people in my family who were inventors, photographers and painters. Read more>>
Lesli Doares
My first business experiences out of college were in retail. As a manager, I was able to see the business from different perspectives–many of them discouraging. It prompted me to return to graduate school where I received a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with a minor in Human Resources. I finished my studies just in time for the recession of the early 90s. Read more>>
Chanin Davenport
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I wasn’t just listening to songs—I was studying them. I was fascinated by rhythm and sound, often making up beats by tapping on lunchroom tables at school or pots and pans at home. Read more>>
Kajal Patel
I appreciate the opportunity to share parts of my life that inspired me to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and begin my own private practice! It’s often said that many social workers are shaped by their lived experiences — that personal encounters with hardship, grief, or injustice guide them toward this field. I lost my father at age nine. Read more>>
Carla Crane Seven
The running joke, is that I’ve been artsy-fartsy out the womb. My parents were intentional in keeping my mind stimulated through extracurriculars, ranging from sports and chorus to craft circles and summer reading programs. Homeschooling with my mom was also a rewarding experience. Our quality time together poured into my imagination, creating an educational environment that reaffirmed my playful spirit. Read more>>
Victoria Parrish
My journey to creating Lashtastic Lounge really began long before I ever opened the doors. Like many things we pursue as adults, it traces back to childhood. Read more>>
Lauren Blanch
My husband Cameron and I are both passionate cyclists and rely on our bikes as our primary mode of transportation. When we moved to Raleigh, we noticed there were very few options for bike rentals outside of ride sharing apps, and we saw an opportunity to create something that could make cycling more accessible. Read more>>
YAMILE NAZAR
My journey into human and civil rights began when I was in the 4th grade in NY. The first east Indian girl came to our school. Yes, she smelled of curry. Yes, her hair was very long, thick and made up into two braids. And her skin color was a little different then those of us who were light skinned and those who were darker. Read more>>
Jessa Carpenter
You might think that I was always destined for this industry because my last name is Carpenter and my father owns a flooring company, but my professional route to becoming a home builder was a winding road. Read more>>
Trace and Rhonda Simms
We met in High School, started dating at 15, married at 20 and celebrated our 40th Anniversary on February 23rd. We moved to NC from New Jersey after my husband retired from the Federal Bureau of Prisons after 26 years and I worked for a Criminal Judge and attorney for a total of 17 years. Read more>>
Kelly Marshburn
The Samaritan’s Shelf food pantry is located at the West Clayton Church of God on Short Johnson Road in Clayton, NC. Church members have organized and led this food ministry for more than 20 years. It originally started as a food closet that community members or church members could access when their grocery budget needed to be stretched a little. Read more>>
Lorena Trocel
I emigrated from Venezuela to the United States in 2017 after many years of working in Human Resources. I hold a bachelor’s degree in HR, with a specialization in Strategic Management and Organizational Psychology, and I practiced in the field for 17 years. But even with professional success, I found myself struggling, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and fitness became my refuge. Read more>>
Brenton Walker
Prior to this epiphany, during my sales career, I became sick in 2016-2017, and at that time, I took a hiatus from the ‘9-to-5’ schedule, and found joy in the rideshare business, which lead me to the invitation to sit at a Keller Williams workshop where I had the opportunity to hear agents share the success they were having in the Real Estate industry. This is where my “Ah-hah” moment happened. I knew exactly where I wanted my sales career to charter. Read more>>
Douglas E. Robertson
Looking back, I wish I could say it’s been a perfectly smooth journey, but the “roadblocks” in this industry are often deeply personal. One of the biggest challenges I face isn’t just business competition; it’s the difficulty of helping families confront the realities of life’s “three-way fork in the road.” Read more>>
Denetra Taylor
In 2019 during the pandemic I realized just how precious life is and I took a chance and wrote my very first script called The Feast, with no formal screenwriter training. In 2020 Crimson Vibez Production was officially born. The Feast evolved from a film to a series at that time and by 2021 I started working on my second script called Ani-Mom, which was filmed in 2023 and is available on RM Entertainment streaming platform. Read more>>
AHAJANAY BOLDEN
On October 31, 2021, the same day I graduated from esthetics school, I made the decision to continue my education and enrolled in massage therapy school. A year later, I graduated from The Soma Institute for Massage Therapy in Chicago as my class valedictorian and was named to the President’s Honors List. Read more>>
