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.
Diana Hurtado
My career has been guided by a commitment to service, education, and creating opportunities for others. As an Army Reserve Military Police veteran, educator, and leader, I’ve had the privilege of serving across the military, K–12 education, healthcare, higher education, and technology sectors for more than 20 years. Read more>>
Michelle Keaton-Barrow
I was born in Taylorsville NC in a hospital that no longer exists in the Western Part of North Carolina. I grew up in a small town called Stony Point or as I said growing up about an hour from Charlotte! Blessed to be the youngest of 6 children and academically gifted. My father passed away when I was 5 years old. Read more>>
Hana Schuman
Equipped for the Calling: How a Leap of Faith Shaped My Creative Journey My name is Hana Kaelynn, and I am a professional photographer based in a small, beautiful town in North Carolina, where I specialize in capturing the joy of weddings and the milestones of senior portraits. Read more>>
Tiffany Machler
I’m a multidisciplinary artist, author, speaker, and community builder based in Wilmington, North Carolina. My creative career has never fit neatly into one category. I have spent more than fifteen years creating paintings, murals, public art, live art experiences, and installations, but the deeper purpose behind my work has always been connection. I believe art can do more than decorate a space. Read more>>
DL Zene
I’m a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, musician, and vocal arranger. Music has really been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started playing piano as a kid, and that’s where I developed my ear. Later on, I taught myself how to play guitar, and that journey eventually led me to the Hollywood stage on Season 21 of American Idol. Read more>>
Flo Lumsden
I grew up on stage — theater, singing, dancing — so storytelling has always been my language. Along the way I got hooked on tech and innovation too, and spent my twenties figuring out how those loves fit together: interning on Capitol Hill, cold-calling for the car-sharing platform Getaround, even selling VR domes. Read more>>
DAVIS88
I am a songwriter/musician from Rockingham, North Carolina. I play all over the state, but most recently have been splitting time in Raleigh, NC and Nashville, TN. I grew up in a small town. Everyone I knew coming up was playing sports. Unfortunately, the arts were not encouraged in school as they should have been. So, I focused on athletics all through school. Read more>>
Jalissa Grier
I’m Jalissa Grier, a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and the owner and Medical Director of Bella Sol Medical Spa in Winston-Salem. My path into functional medicine and aesthetics actually started with my own health. I was diagnosed with prediabetes, and going through that process myself, digging into root causes instead of just treating a number on a lab report, changed how I saw medicine entirely. Read more>>
Tania
My Journey started in 2020 during Covid. I grew an interest in lashing. I’ve always loved beauty, beforehand, I was making and selling lipgloss/lipsticks and other beauty products. Lashing intrigued me, I took 2 courses around the area before I flew to California to help develop my skills. I then went to esthetician school. Read more>>
Joe Lopez
I was born and raised in Mérida, Mexico, where I earned my architecture degree from the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY). During my studies, I had the opportunity to study abroad in both Panama and France, experiences that broadened my perspective on architecture, urbanism, and the relationship between design and culture. Those early experiences sparked a lifelong appreciation for thoughtful, context-driven design. Read more>>
Deborah Kruger
I have known I was an artist since I was five years old. I grew up making things, especially clothing. Instead of going to college, I studied textile design and became a wallpaper designer. I’ve always loved being in nature, walking in the woods, sitting by water, listening to birds. Read more>>
Alexis Gwyn
Like many entrepreneurs, my journey didn’t begin with a perfect plan—it began with a passion for serving people. I became a licensed cosmetologist over a decade ago and quickly realized I wasn’t just interested in making hair look beautiful; I wanted to understand why hair behaved the way it did. Read more>>
Lisette Fee
Lisette Fee has been creating and designing jewelry for over twenty years. Lisette began her apprenticeship at a silver smithing repair shop along with assisting professional jewelers in the field then she moved on to acquiring her metalsmithing degree from East Carolina University. Read more>>
Nabila Hasan
Having been a stay at home mom and raising my 3 daughters, I was eager and ready to go back to the workforce once my children were in school. A friend of mine was moving to California and wanted to sell her business and I bought it from her. My husband, Hashem, owned his own business at the time. Read more>>
Yolanda Belser
Coach Yolanda Belser’s entrepreneurial journey began at just six years old, When I discovered the creative power in her own hands. What started as styling hair for family and friends eventually grew into a professional career in beauty where I quickly realized I was doing far more than transforming appearances. Read more>>
Kristen Stoneman
Absolutely. I believe there are two separate ‘voyages’ so to speak. One for Kristen and one for DJ K Stones. They run parallel to one another and cross ever so often, but they are both just as important. DJ K Stones started in college at ECU. Read more>>
Annie Wells
I graduated with a double major in philosophy and religion from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I started my career in veterinary medicine over 20 years ago. I have two different certifications in class IV laser therapy, particularly the K laser. I have been a receptionist, Kennel attendant, inventory specialist, veterinary technician, stray, pet coordinator, etc. throughout my veterinary career. Read more>>
Dave Park
I’ve always had a passion for building homes. Long before I became a home inspector, I was a builder. There was something incredibly rewarding about taking a set of plans, an empty piece of land, and creating a place where a family would build their future. It wasn’t just about lumber and concrete—it was about creating homes. Read more>>
Markita Adair-Crudup
My journey started in my own kitchen with a passion for bringing people together through food. Although I’ve worked in the culinary industry for nearly two decades, Kita’s Kitchen was born in 2021 after I began hosting live cooking shows during the pandemic. What started as a creative way to connect with people quickly grew into a thriving private chef and catering business. Read more>>
Luan Do
Hello, my name is Luan (Loon) K. Do and I was born in Vietnam. My family came to America (specifically NC) when I was 13 months old. I spent most of my upbringing in Greensboro, NC and have always been obsessed with YouTube since the early days of inception in the late 2000s. Read more>>
Harsha Sipani
My journey into photography actually started in the world of formal design. I have a background in visual communication and design, which completely shapes how I look through a lens today. For me, elements like composition, color theory, negative space, and visual balance aren’t things I think about after taking a photo—they are the absolute foundation of the image. Read more>>
Kaylyn Kadah
My journey into photography started way back in in 2012, when I picked up my dad’s old film camera and started photographing friends for fun. Those early rolls of film, now multiple, scrolls down in old Facebook albums, captured a creative spark I didn’t yet realize would become my career. Read more>>
Niki Brown
When I was studying pre-medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I discovered the field of interior design. Pivoting to a design career was certainly a huge switch; however it was a perfect fit for me as I have always had a love for both science and art. Read more>>
Gracie Smith
I started as a food blogger in the summer of 2017 as a way to keep my recipes organized. As my blog grew, I received product deals and it quickly grew from there. i’m on track now to by myself a new car by the end of this year! Read more>>
Emily Byrd
I had my son 2 months shy of my 23rd birthday. I was living in Las Vegas, NC at the time and was bartending on the strip. The birth of my son itself was an experience of deep initiation – and from that moment, my life accelerated. Read more>>
Tamara Hall
From foster care to emancipation, to boarding a Greyhound bus with nothing more than a borrowed military duffle bag, my journey has been anything but ordinary. I learned very early in life that school wasn’t just about education, it was about warm meals, safety, and hope. It became the place where I learned that the right environment could change the trajectory of a life. Read more>>
Alesia Dawson
I have always believed some of the most valuable things aren’t discovered on the surface. They’re uncovered through pressure, perseverance and growth. Professionally, I built my career in communications and brand strategy. I’ve always been drawn to helping people recognize their potential and build something meaningful from their experiences. All while giving them the push they need to soar. Read more>>
Matt Tomko
I’ve always been drawn to the natural world. Some of my earliest memories are of exploring outdoors, watching wildlife, and being fascinated by the beauty and individuality of the animals around me. Read more>>
Donovan Zimmerman
Paperhand got started when Jan Burger and I met 30 some years ago at the Haw River Festival. The festival issn environmental education program for 4th graders that focuses on ecology, wonder and connection with the Haw river. We did our first smaller scale show there and got a lot of positive feedback. Read more>>
Yimzy Lopez
I was born and raised in Nigeria, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts. After moving to the United States, life took me in a different direction, and I began working in a group home for teenage girls with behavioral challenges. It wasn’t an easy job, but I truly enjoyed supporting them and helping them feel confident and beautiful. Read more>>
Alexandra LaBelle
My passion for acting started in high school and I felt that I had finally found “ my people” and some direction in life. I even went on to pursue acting in college and received a scholarship to continue studying theatre. At this time I started having panic attacks and a lot of anxiety- which was new to me. Read more>>
