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.
Rose Cushing
After a great career in the equine industry and during Covid, I wrote a book, Chasing the Wind. I secured a deal with a traditional publishing house, but that route was not the right path for me. I had an extensive background in publishing having owned a 10 state regional equestrian magazine for many years. I decided to have my own personal publishing company. Cushing Publishing. In 2023 I published my book, and two others. Read more>>
Lar’e Lee
I started my official business in 2018 with just a logo and a vision. Entertainment has been my passion since a kid from being in drama classes, step teams, basketball and more. My passion first set sail writing poetry. Poetry was very therapeutic for me providing an outlet without speaking. In my surroundings, expression was frowned upon so I spoke to the pen and paper. Read more>>
Donald Kormegay
I began my ministry in 2001 and launched my transportation business, 4 K Express LLC, in 2022. Through faith and obedience, my healing and deliverance ministry has grown beyond what I could have imagined, giving birth to a podcast, a men’s ministry, a marriage ministry, and a successful career as a published author of 25 books. Read more>>
Marissa Reyes Duran
In April 2020, I launched MHP Lounge as an online magazine with the aim of engaging the local community in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It was through conducting interviews with various individuals that I realized the platform would be most effective if I tailored the publication to spotlight artists from diverse backgrounds, inspiring models, and business owners. Read more>>
JoMuriel Allen
My journey started as a passion project rooted in my love for all things hair. I’ve always been deeply interested in hair care and beauty, but I often found it difficult to find products that truly matched what I was looking for. That challenge pushed me to begin creating something of my own. Read more>>
Bryant Lloyd
My journey to founding Thrive Indie really begins with two separate paths that eventually came together. The first was writing. I began my career as a ghostwriter around 2015, writing books, articles, and even music. Over the years, my work has appeared in publications such as Forbes under other people’s names, while I also earned bylines of my own in various publications. Read more>>
Kanishtha and Shvetank agarwal
Story for the Magazine We found ourselves deeply disillusioned with life as we entered our medical internship, having just completed the rigorous journey through medical school. The toll was immense—not so much from the academic pressures, but from the relentless exposure to human suffering that became a daily reality. Read more>>
Phylicia Barker
How did I get to where I’m at now? Hard work, determination, no time off, traveling, and grandparents who paved a way for me to be successful. Read more>>
Dellys Arzolay
I was born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, into a family where service, faith, and leadership were part of everyday life. As the youngest of nine siblings and the daughter of a pastor, I learned early on that true impact is not measured by the recognition we receive, but by the lives we help transform. Read more>>
Matthew & Keisha James
Whisperin’ Pines is a Classic Country Singing Duo formed in 2024 by married couple Matthew & Keisha James. Their slogan is ‘The World Needs Another Johnny & June’. Singing kareoke was their favorite thing to do, which is where they met. Read more>>
Brittany Wall
Hi, my name is Brittany. I have been in the hair industry for over 15 years. My passion for hair began at the age of 12, when I started styling the hair of classmates, teachers, family, and friends in my neighborhood. Today, I am a licensed hairstylist and proud single mother to an amazing young man. Read more>>
Cameron Sykes
Only Ohana was born during the COVID 19 pandemic. Like a lot of people, I suddenly had something I had not had much of before, time. Instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to teach myself how to sew. I started buying sweatpants from Walmart and tailoring them by hand, turning simple basics into something that felt unique. Read more>>
Clarence Simpson
Games and game design have always been an important part of my life. I grew up in the 1980’s playing all the classic board and card games with my dad – Chess, Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, and Uno, to name a few. Read more>>
LaTanya Simpson-Speight
Waymakers of North Carolina began with a dream. Our co-founder, Everett Speight, had a vision of creating an organization where no one in our community would have to wonder where their next meal would come from. He believed that if businesses, churches, civic organizations, and individuals came together with a shared purpose, we could make a lasting difference in the lives of our neighbors. Read more>>
Konvo Tony Powell
My artistic journey was manifested while I was pretty young. However it did not start with music. My artistic journey began somewhere around elementary school. Read more>>
Michael Hines
My name is Michael Hines, and I am originally from Washington, DC. I was raised by a strong single mother alongside my twin sister and younger sister. We moved to Rutherford County, North Carolina, when I was ten years old. I did not grow up with a relationship with my father, and I have only met him twice in my life. Read more>>
Kyra Harts
My journey in modeling began when I was just eight years old. Since then, I’ve traveled throughout the East Coast, pursuing opportunities that have helped me grow both personally and professionally. Every experience has taught me something new and shaped the person I am today. As a biracial model, I’ve faced challenges and moments where I felt overlooked within the industry. Read more>>
Kim Fry
In 2019, Coffee On Raiford was born from the idea of bringing the Selma community together over a cup of coffee. Sister and brother team, Zena Rose-Hamilton and Jeff Hamilton, were determined to create a family-oriented establishment with a great product and an atmosphere of connection. In June of 2016, Jim and Kim Fry moved from Greenville, NC to Selma, NC. Read more>>
Jacob R. Colon
I’m a creative from a town called Linden in New Jersey. I started making skits with my friends through class projects. History class, in particular, had us creating spoofs — in our case of the Karate Kid, the Wonder Years, and Miami Vice — and small contests led to my first short films. Read more>>
Sydney Bell
Like many small business owners, my journey started with a simple idea and a willingness to take a chance. I’ve always loved creating memorable experiences and bringing people together, and I wanted to build something that allowed people to express themselves in a unique way. Read more>>
Brett Blumenthal
My career has taken a number of unexpected turns, but every chapter has built on the one before it. I began as an architect before earning my MBA and spending more than 15 years in consulting, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. While those experiences shaped how I think and solve problems, I eventually realized I wanted to create something that was deeply personal and meaningful. Read more>>
Carolyn Zahnow
Shore Soap was created in 2017 as a source of income for The Shore Grief Center, a nonprofit I founded in Wake Forest NC for grief support for those who had experienced the death of a loved one. I have since turned the reigns of the nonprofit to another bereaved parent but loved making soap so much, that I kept that going. Read more>>
Nailah Turnage
Running a home based bakery was never in my plans. I started respiratory school and was able to balance keeping my job. As the semesters went on, it became more of a challenge to juggle school and work. Read more>>
Laura Luyendyk
I’ve been an animal lover since my earliest memory, and other kids even gave me the nickname, ‘Mother Nature’. This was going to be an integral part of my life which I didn’t know at the time. Read more>>
Rob Belk
I’m a double North Carolina boomerang. I was born and raised in Charlotte but went to both high school and college in Virginia. After school, I started the first chapter of my professional life in New York City, in consulting, specifically retail supply chain. I learned from impressive mentors, traveled all over the country, and gained experience presenting at the C-level. Read more>>
Leo Quinto
We started as a small Hispanic store in Raleigh, Nc . We then started making ice cream and popsicles and we took off . Now we are trying to venture into festivals and catering . Read more>>
Elizabeth Shanahan
Growing up in Southern Appalachia, I’ve been obsessed with the landscape for as long as I can remember. My parents both moved here from Long Island, NY, and often pointed out the extraordinary beauty of our surroundings and how lucky we were to live in a place like this, so I had this awareness from a young age. Read more>>
Kirill SHRAYBER
I’ve been working in cartography for over 25 years. Our company is small, with just a few people, but all of them are highly qualified. SolCity NAV LLC is registered in Delaware, but we live and work in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We are currently world leaders in our market segment. Our online clients are the red pulsing dots right now. Read more>>
cortez Bass
Like when you are building a Social media Present and or Marketing it seems fun and easy but until you realize it takes a lot of patience and time to get the video and the right tools to present your craft to the public and after you get that part right then its the financial side to keep the marketing going, but after I came across that point it all worked itself out because then the Ball rolled itself Read more>>
Michele Yellin
I have always loved making things ever since I was a kid. Art class was always my favorite class. So, I was like a lot of other kids. And I was pretty shy, so it was a great way to occupy myself. Read more>>
Kate Ward
Orijinal started in 2015. I had several kilim rugs I inherited from my grandmother and I wanted to make them into something wearable. I didn’t know what. I started cutting, and the first pieces, necklaces, came to be. Since then, we have made all sorts of accessories out of hundereds of old, threadbare, and damaged, kilims. Read more>>
Vanessa Christina
I never imagined I’d become a nail technician. For more than 10 years, I worked as a child care provider, dedicating my time to caring for and teaching young children. While I loved making a difference in their lives, I eventually realized I wanted to pursue something that allowed me to express my creativity in a new way. Read more>>
Eiman Ali
Nearly 10 years years ago, Muslim Women For was started by Doha Medani, Eiman Ali and Lela Ali. We are three African immigrants, Muslim women and we wear our identities as badges of honor. Read more>>
Zandy Evans
Like many therapists, I never imagined that my path into private practice would begin during a global pandemic. When COVID-19 made face-to-face therapy unsafe, I transitioned primarily to virtual counseling and established my independent practice, Built for Mental Wellness, PC. Read more>>
Whitney Guerrero
Cult of Queer Movement was created in 2022 to provide a safe space for queer folks to dance. Read more>>
Kiea Taylor
I’ve always been drawn to creativity. In high school, I started painting my own nails because I wanted to express myself and stand out. Before long, I was doing nails for classmates between classes, and what started as a creative hobby quickly became a passion. After graduating, my grandmother believed in that passion enough to pay for me to attend nail school. Read more>>
Darrena Yehia
I grew up in North Carolina and have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Before real estate, I spent 15 years with Chick-fil-A, where I worked my way up to become the Owner/Operator of the Downtown Raleigh Chick-fil-A. Those years taught me that taking exceptional care of people, leading with integrity, and building lasting relationships will always outperform a transactional mindset. Read more>>
Royce Cormell
I’ve been doing sales for over 11 years now and I could not of told you the impact of switching to roofing sales two years ago would make on my life. A lot of it is perspective. Selling things that people want is a lot different then selling things that people need. Read more>>
Bearded Villains Western NC
Bearded Villains as a whole is an international beard club dedicated to the betterment of mankind through charity, loyalty, family, and respect. There are chapters all over the world with thousands of bearded men dedicated to the club. Western North Carolina planted its roots in 2016 after the 3 way split of a larger North Carolina chapter. Read more>>
Teonna Kidd
Looking back, I think every job I had was preparing me for where I am today. Before real estate, I spent years working in sales-based call centers. While I never truly enjoyed that type of work, I discovered I had a natural ability to connect with people. I consistently exceeded my sales goals and eventually began training new hires because of my performance. Read more>>
Emily Britt
I was born and raised in NY. I am Italian on both sides with a big family. I loved growing up with such a close family and truly had a wonderful childhood. I was however born with a heart condition and had to have several surgeries between the ages of 2 months and 4 years old. Read more>>
Connor Stewart
I’ve always believed that a photograph is worth a thousand words. Long before I ever owned a professional camera, I found myself stopping to capture sunsets, old barns, winding country roads, animals, and the quiet beauty of everyday life on my phone. Read more>>
Courtney Carroll
After my mom had breast cancer in 2011, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life, but I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare. I didn’t do a traditional college route like most teens; I ended up skipping college to wait tables. While it was nice having more spending money, I knew it wasn’t a career. Read more>>
RANDY &. Simone WILSON
Use to hang out at the local dive bar to shoot pool and opportunity came up to buy the place. It had been run down over the past 20 years and needed some upkeep. at the time they served beer only and mostly pre-frozen foods such as wings and burgers. They had 1 bartender who also served as the cook. Read more>>
Chanel Crosskey
So I started deejaying by accident. I was at a house party with my friends in college and there was a moment when I found myself in the kitchen behind the ‘DJ booth’ and I was watching the DJ play music on his laptop. Read More>>
LaWanda Smith
Allow me to reintroduce myself, I am LaWanda Smith, I’m from a small town called Turkey North Carolina. I am loving mother, a loving partner, dog lover, a professional credit repair consultant, a health coach and a serial entrepreneur. Read More>>
