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.
Sandra Gutierrez
My food writing career began in 1994, when I was hired as the food columnist for The Cary News. I became the first Latina to have her own food column in an American newspaper. After 8 years, I moved on to write for national magazines and newspapers. Read more>>
Danzel Lor
I started my media journey with just a old iPhone 8 back in 2018, didn’t have any equipment or have the knowledge about anything in photography but I somehow knew how to capture the angles of a photo just naturally. Over time I kept learning, practicing, and pushing myself to get better. Read more>>
Yoli Ray
My story has been much less of a straight line and much more of an evolution. I’ve spent more than two decades building a career in leadership while also exploring the parts of myself that were asking for something more. Read more>>
Meaghan McKinley
I’ve always been a creative person, but for a long time, I didn’t necessarily have the language for what that could look like as a career. I just knew I loved ideas, coming up with them, making them better, and figuring out how to turn them into something people could connect with. Read more>>
Neeraja Rengamoorthy
I’ve truly been ‘the girl with a camera’ for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always the kid with a camera in hand—starting with film roll cameras, moving to digital point-and-shoots, stepping up to a DSLR, and now working with a mirrorless system. Read more>>
David Malachi
I all started when I received my first ever computer and got Facebook started making friends and building my brand & my team, (Dakota & Ashley). They are the ones that helped me with the beginning structure while also the starting of our band MHUK (Metal Heads U Knight)… yes haha it was a metal band. Read more>>
Laura Ashley
I’m Laura Ashley, the energy behind Laura Ashley Live Art, and I’m a North Carolina-based live event speed painter who transforms special occasions into unforgettable visual performances. I have a unique, bright, and wild artistic style, and I bring the creative process to life directly in front of audiences, sometimes in a matter of minutes. Read more>>
Gauri Singh
My journey as an Artist started way after my journey as a Humanitarian started. Read more>>
Latise Moore
My story really starts with being the person people naturally came to when they needed support, perspective, or just a space to be honest about what they were carrying. For a long time, I thought being “the strong one” was just who I was. Eventually, I started asking a different question: Who takes care of the people everyone else depends on? Read more>>
Mia Fennell
I started my business in 2018 during one of the most difficult seasons of my life. I had just experienced a layoff and was also going through a divorce, so in many ways, everything that felt familiar and secure was changing at once. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the season I thought was breaking me was actually pushing me into purpose. Read more>>
Gabrielle Lazarus
My personal and professional journey has been a rich weaving of many experiences ranging from environmental education, working with children, herbal study and organic gardening, pottery, energy healing, doula work and childbirth education. Read more>>
Daryl Mejeur
For Daryl Mejeur, construction has never simply been a career. It has been a lifelong journey shaped by hard work, military service, leadership, and a passion for building better systems and better experiences for people. Daryl’s construction career began at just 16 years old in Michigan. He started at the grassroots level, working with his hands and gaining experience across multiple trades. Read more>>
Jessica Hudgins
My journey into esthetics actually started long before I ever went to school for it. As a kid, I was always in the kitchen mixing up little “potions,” creating homemade face masks and experimenting with anything I could find. I was fascinated by skincare, makeover shows and the idea of creating something that could make someone feel good. Read more>>
Emily Lewis
From the time I was 3 and given my first film camera by my parents, I’ve loved taking photos. My Dad had a nice camera set up and we had so many photos of not just vacations but every day life that we had a huge basket in the living room of printed 4×6 photos that I looked through all the time. Read more>>
Katie Lumsden
I started my career journey as a zookeeper and wildlife rehabilitator. You might think that that is a pretty drastic switch from zookeeper to photographer, and you’ll be right! I used to spend my days playing with tigers, feeding rhinos, and releasing baby songbirds when they were all grown up and ready for the big world. Read more>>
Isis (Kelly) Telombila
My journey into real estate started with a conversation with a friend about the challenges of finding a job after graduating from college. At the time, I was a senior and honestly didn’t have a concrete plan for what I wanted to do after graduation. Read more>>
Jasmine Taylor
I’m a Brooklyn girl who has always been drawn to people, conversation, and creating experiences. I actually started promoting parties when I was around 14, and that eventually led me into radio and media. Read more>>
Jaime Saunders
I was in a darkroom before I ever reached teenage years. My aunt was a photographer. I lost her at a young age due to cancer. Later in life, my Mom brought me the Pentax that my aunt used to shoot with and the rest is history. She always instilled the importance of capturing memories in me. Read more>>
Casey Gregg
My story didn’t begin with entrepreneurship. It began with adversity. At 17 years old, during my junior year of high school, I made decisions that changed the entire direction of my life. I was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ultimately spent approximately 17 and a half years incarcerated. Read more>>
Cyteese Alexander
How I started was a mind set change. Once I had a mind set to want more and not just materialistic things but spiritual as well. I wrote a book called “I forgive me” because it all had to start with me. I knew I needed healing from traumatic experiences. Read more>>
Chantel Reid
I come from a family of musicians, although ironically, the most I could ever play was a recorder. 😂 My initial musical outlet was actually chorus, but I grew up in a household where music was constantly playing. 90s R&B was my father’s bread and butter. Read more>>
Gayathri Raman
I was born in a small town in southern India called Bellary, but I grew up in the larger city of Mysore, which is now a popular tourist destination known for its history and, increasingly, for yoga. Today, you can see people from all over the world coming to Mysore to study yoga, from the basics to more advanced practices. Read more>>
TREVON Small
Hello, I started underground art in 2020 during Covid and I saw where it was a lot of people losing jobs and a lot of artists didn’t have any shops to go to because of the shops closing down and also I wanted to become an apprentice and I went to bunch of shops and they pretty much denied me so I found a building and that’s when I started underground Art. And yes, you can say that’s where the fuel started and haven’t stopped till this day. That’s why I called the tattoo shop the hottest shop in the city Read more>>
Chanti Alston
Hey everybody! I’m Chantal Alston, also known as Styled by CHANTii and Chanti “Unbreakable” Alston. I’ve been modeling for about 9 years, and I’ve officially been a fashion stylist for about 3 years. But my love for fashion started long before either one — it came from my late mother. Read more>>
Simone’ LaRay
My journey started with poetry. I have been writing since the seventh grade, and poetry became a way for me to process my experiences, find my voice, and connect with other people. Over the years, I became a single mother of three, an educator, mentor, and community advocate. Read more>>
Tzai Rivera-Lopez
NailsbyV.T started in the COVID-19 Era. I was accepting clients at my In-home Suite. Then in 2020 I decided to take a break from doing nails to focus on other goals. In the mean time while focusing on goals, I would study nail techniques to strengthen my artistry. I decided in 2024 to take doing nails seriously and go to Nail School in Fayetteville Nc. Read more>>
Andy Forrester
I’ve always been funny, it’s just my nature, I was voted ‘Wittiest’ in High School. I went to college at UNCG and was a DJ on the college radio station the whole time I was there. My senior year they gave me my own show, let me bring in my own music, and it was a pretty funny show. Read more>>
Abigaile Janes
I started any form of art I could get my hands on since I could hold a crayon. From drawing to sculpting to now photography, art has had a hold on my life forever. I have always held weddings and memories close to the heart. My family is a BIG picture family, all starting with my grandparents! Read more>>
Tyler Jackson
We started Haven Hill Builders in 2006 to create a firm focused on craftsmanship and sustainability, striving to create beautiful homes that out performed energy models mandated by code, and used materials that were good for the environment, often locally sourced if possible. Read more>>
YC Broadie
I have worn many hats. I launched a PR Agency in 2007, where I have worked with various industries such as fashion, beauty, and image consulting. From there, I had my own Fashion and Beauty segment on the local FOX news affiliate in the Triad. Read more>>
Cole Dragotta
The last time VoyageRaleigh talked to me, I was a teenager who had just started a photography business because COVID took my job. I was shooting outdoor portraits because outdoors was the only place anyone would agree to meet you, and I was mostly just hoping the whole thing would work out. Four years later, it did. Read more>>
Jireh Padavich
My sourdough journey began in nursing school during a microbiology fermentation project. As someone who already loved to bake, combining science with baking felt like a natural fit. What started as simple loaves and treats for my family quickly became a passion. When unexpected challenges led me to step away from nursing school with a broken heart and spirit, I found myself praying for direction. Read more>>
Mr Rozzi
Started in a group ‘Dutch Mastas’ on Cignature Records. Had a record ‘Black Liquor’ on the EP take off Regionally. Mr Razzi then became Mr Rozzi and went solo with the playful ‘Wa Overdue’ EP then joined Spot Rushaz Ent and dropped the hipnotic ‘Mistaken ID’ EP. Read more>>
Jess Hopkins
My mother has told me that I have been attracted to anything and everything artistic since I started showing interest in things. Maybe it’s because I’m left handed, but from a young age I’ve always wanted to be in an artistic space. From organizing my mother’s closet by color as a child to taking every art class available in my teens. Read more>>
Adam McCoy
Unkie’s Seasoning really started with two things that have always been a big part of my life: the firehouse and cooking. I’ve spent more than 20 years in the fire service, and if you know anything about firehouse culture, you know the kitchen table is a big deal. Read more>>
Demetrius Hickson
I started QueenzReign because I wanted to create something that felt like more than just clothing. I wanted women to have pieces that were comfortable enough for everyday life, but still made them feel confident, feminine, and seen. A big part of what makes QueenzReign different is our relationship with color.So much of fashion and loungewear has become centered around neutrals and blending in. Read more>>
Megan Zwerlein
I was born into a toxic family, a product of divorce and early childhood sexual abuse. I have been openly sharing about it since I first told my family at nineteen years old. Read more>>
Shawn and Mel Frazier
Melissa and I have been married for 18 beautiful years. We first met through a mutual friend at church in New Jersey. After the service, I walked over and introduced myself and, according to my version of the story, she fell in love with me right then and there! (Though she might tell you it took a little longer.) We dated for two years and got married in 2007. Read more>>
Ashley Fermo
Ever since I can remember, I have always found peace in a creative flow. However, figuring out how to channel that artistic energy into something that could also support my family was a path I was constantly chasing after. Deep down, I always knew in my bones that a corporate 9-to-5 job would never bring me true joy or fulfillment. Read more>>
