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.
Ron and Star Nelson
Our story is really a story of obedience. In 1998, God began opening our hearts to missions through service in our local church and short-term ministry opportunities in places such as Haiti, South Africa, and Kenya. What began with simply saying “yes” to the next opportunity gradually became a clear calling to help others discover their place in God’s mission. Read more>>
Joana Rodriguez
Born and raised in Fort Worth Texas, photography has had my heart for as long as I can remember. When I was around 10 years old, I was constantly playing with the camera on my mom’s phone, convinced I was already a photographer hehe. Read more>>
Anubhi Jadhav
Dallas Desi Scoop was born from a simple idea—to create one place where the South Asian community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area could easily discover everything happening around them. As someone who has always loved connecting with people, exploring local businesses, restaurants, cultural events, and community initiatives, I realized there wasn’t a single platform bringing it all together. Read more>>
Carrie Dubberley
I started my landscape design journey in Estes Park, Co. while studying Horticulture at CSU in 1987. My first business was Rocky Mountain Plant Care focused on Interior Landscaping in Estes Park. After graduating, I worked with 2 large interior landscaping companies in Denver and Dallas. Read more>>
Adam Fung
I’ve been painting for over 20 years at this point in my life. Being an artist has been a wild endeavor really, full of leaps of faith and trust in a vision. This interview is allowing me to pause and look back on how my interests, passions, and the formation of an art ‘career’ has been cobbled together from a series of smaller choices. Read more>>
Chef Richard Chamberlain
My Culinary Journey………..I never imagined that a high school crush would change the course of my life. As a teenager, I signed up for Home Economics for one reason-to meet a pretty girl. Cooking wasn’t on my radar, and I certainly wasn’t thinking about becoming a chef. Read more>>
Joseph Mayberry
I had a neurological accident in 2010. It left me temporarily paralyzed. After a successful surgery, I progressed from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane. While in recovery I wanted to travel and watch my son play basketball. I started using a mobility scooter and realized the value of assisted mobility. Read more>>
Heather Kell
My journey to starting Kellofaplan definitely wasn’t a straight line. I spent nine years in education as a reading teacher and instructional specialist, and I truly loved teaching. I’ve also always been a creative person with a love for paper planners, so in hindsight, it feels like everything was leading me to where I am today. In 2015, life felt wonderfully chaotic. Read more>>
Brian Timmons
Because I’m a lunatic, I made my first violin without professional training. That’s the short version, anyway. The real story goes back quite a way. I’ve always enjoyed creating and working with my hands. As a kid, that meant a lot of drawing and building with LEGO sets. Read more>>
APE. LAK3GRIFFIN
I’m from Dallas, TX, Pleasant Grove specifically. I fell in love with music as a child listening to blues and old school; I always wanted to be a musician. Growing up I played sports throughout high school and college so that was my main focus but I still would freestyle and write music or poetry so I’ve never been able to put it down completely. Read more>>
Naomi Jones
My journey in the beauty industry started much more humbly than where I am today. I began doing lashes from home, literally in my kitchen area. At the time, I was a new mom, so there were days when I would be breastfeeding and doing lashes, or rocking my daughter in her car seat with my foot while working on a client. Read more>>
Ibrahim ‘Lejin’ Elahi
Im Ibrahim ‘Lejin’ Elahi. Im a Dallas – Ft.Worth baby 100% lol I was born on the Eastside of Aggtown (Arlington),Texas. I come from a well known musical family from West Dallas. Growing up in the Nation of Islam, a lot of my childhood upbringing took place in the Southside of Ft.Worth, This was the location of my place of worship at the time. Read more>>
Andre Looney
I am a God-fearing man, that has strong faith values. I am a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a beautiful wife name Yannette. Two incredible daughters Delilah and Sophia. I am a servant in the community and a huge advocate for father been involved with their children. Read more>>
Jazib Khan
I’m a three-time founder with a background in AI and machine learning, but SmileViz did not come from searching for an industry to apply AI to. It came from a problem my family and I experienced firsthand. Read more>>
Gerald Thomas
I was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago, and despite the challenges that came with growing up there, one thing I never questioned was whether I was loved. My family didn’t have everything, but they gave me something priceless: a foundation rooted in faith, service, and the belief that my life was meant to make a difference. Read more>>
Briana Byrd
My story starts in Roanoke, Texas, where my family has lived for over 30 years. I’m the third youngest of the whole family, and we’ve always been a close-knit bunch who show up for one another no matter what. Growing up, I was often the outcast, the loner, and I struggled with my mental health for much of my life. Read more>>
Anna Clark
People often ask how long I’ve been doing hair, and my answer is, “Officially since 2003, but honestly, my whole life.” Long before I ever picked up a cosmetology license, I was the one styling my family’s hair, experimenting with makeup, and convincing anyone who would sit still to let me create a new look. Read more>>
Brianna Alvarran
I’m Brianna – a 25 year old nursing student who has been in school since I could remember. I graduated highschool in 2019, and that year my little sister was born. As the oldest daughter, starting college was just another item on my plate. Read more>>
Janiyah Jacobs
What started as a leap of faith has become six years of purpose, growth, and style. Shéic Exchange Formally Known As “The J.Renee Stylez” Originally Started In 2019 As I Was In College On The Campus Of Alabama A&M University. What started as personal styling and custom clothing business quickly became something much bigger. Read more>>
Victoria Deeb
I have always loved taking photos. I have this awesome photo of myself at a kindergarten event holding a little point and shoot camera and it really shows how i have loved photography for so long. I remember my grandfather always had a camera on him and he gifted me my first DSLR ‘big’ camera when I was in middle school. Read more>>
Priscilla Whitlock
Being an artist was really just a dream, until it came true, one day at a time, taking a deep breath and practicing. .Could you imagine a concert pianist performing at Carnegie Hall without practicing every day? I received my B.F.A. and began grad school, while working as a TA. Read more>>
Michael Kelly
I always love the game of basketball, so a friend of mine (in 2021) invited me to an open run. I went and that’s when I met my mentor Coach Charles Williams. I’ve been up under him since then learning and soaking up everything from him! Read more>>
Robert Bosworth
I can’t remember an era in my life when I wasn’t making music in some form or another. I started formal piano lessons around age five, though I’m told I was drawn toward the instrument from infancy, often crawling over to be near the piano at my parents’ house. Read more>>
Anshu Gupta
The journey that became Goonj started long before we had a name, a registered office, or a grand vision. In the early 1990s, I moved from Dehradun to New Delhi to work as a journalist. Those were different times—my understanding of the world came from books, long walks, and lived realities. Armed with a camera, I roamed the streets looking for stories. Read more>>
Quanisha Bynum
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y and raised in a public housing complex, my developmental years were lived in a place where a sense of community was prominent, but dreaming beyond the circumference of my neighborhood was not. Determined not to allow myself to be limited by societal stereotypes, I drew inspiration from television families in my childhood. Read more>>
Aria Norman
I spent most of my life with no idea I was psychic. I think it’s important to mention I had no desire to be psychic, either. I had heard of energy healing, and I studied energy healing starting in 1995. Read more>>
Courtney Hugghins
After 17 years of working with financial databases in corporate IT, I decided to make the leap into owning my own business. It’s something I’d always wanted to do. I researched various options, and talked to a few Realtors. I knew pretty quickly that would be my next career. I’ve been a residential Realtor for 12 years now and love it! Read more>>
Georgette Daniels
Anais + Co. began from a love of creating and a desire to bring a little more calm into everyday life. I originally started making home fragrance products because I enjoyed the creative process and loved how scents could completely transform the feeling of a space. Read more>>
Mayra Rodriguez
Single mother to a special child. We have overcome so much together. Our journey started with his early arrival back in May of 2022. My son was not supposed to “make it” it was bad news after bad new after bad news. He was supposed to be born In august but was so excited to meet us! Read more>>
Viktoriia Kulhava
I’m originally from Ukraine, and entrepreneurship has always been part of who I am. I started my first business—when I was only 16 years old. After moving to the United States, I lived in Chicago and worked in the events industry, where I was constantly interacting with people. Because I worked directly with customers, having well-maintained nails was always important to me. Read more>>
Britttany McCleary
When people ask how we ended up in home care, the answer is simple: it wasn’t part of our original plan. My husband, Matt, and I were both teachers. I began teaching in 2009, and education was the career we thought we’d spend our lives pursuing. Matt, however, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Read more>>
Giovana Garcia
I started running because I wanted to meet people and build a healthier habit, but I knew the typical club or bar scene was not for me. I already went to the gym, but the gym did not offer the same sense of interaction or community as running with a group. Even then, I was guarded. Read more>>
WiL TURNER
My journey began with profound loss. I lost my mother at the age of twelve and never had the opportunity to know my father. From an early age, I found myself searching for what every child longs for—a sense of family, communitu, belonging, safety, and unconditional love. Read more>>
Rc Versie
I started WAGDOD at 19 after surviving one of the darkest periods of my life. What began as a clothing brand became a mental health movement built to remind people they are never alone. Today, I use fashion, community events, boxing and storytelling to turn pain into purpose and help others choose life. Read more>>
Juan & Gabriel Mercado
We would love to. I (Juan) was working in Real Estate when my son was young, while prospecting I asked someone “hey, are you interested in buying land.” He was not interested in at the time but, he then let me know that he was looking for subcontractors to do sheetrock work In Dallas. Read more>>
Joseph Groh
I was active For 35 years in the HVAC industry, both on the unitary as well as the applied commercial segments of the market.On Father’s Day 2008 I was rendered a quadriplegic following an aerobic bicycle accident.That meant I was completely paralyzed from the shoulders down, with no movement in my arms or legs. Read more>>
Dr Ayeshia Duru
I am a Philadelphia native who has called the DFW area home for more than 20 years. I’m a wife, mother of three, and have served as a hospital-based clinical pharmacist for nearly three decades. Entrepreneurially, I wear several hats. I operate my own online e-commerce business as an independent Unfranchise Owner with Market America. Read more>>
Deezil Greezil
Seven years ago, I walked onto a comedy stage for the first time with no roadmap—just a belief that I had something to say. Since then, that journey has grown into much more than stand-up. Today I’m a comedian, author, speaker, music producer, and digital creator who believes laughter is one of the best ways to start meaningful conversations. Read more>>
Keyarea Payne
My journey has taken me through several places that have shaped both who I am and the hairstylist I’ve become. I was born in Sikeston, Missouri, and lived there for about a year before my mom moved us to Champaign, Illinois. Read more>>
Alicia Reisinger
Wax Buffalo was born at my kitchen table out of a deep obsession with nostalgia, scent, and a need for something clean and real. Years ago, right after my first born came into the world with a cleft palate, I was burning candles constantly to make our home feel grounded, cozy, and inviting. Read more>>
Ellexis ‘Lex’ Lindsey
When people ask how Big Zaddy’s started, I usually tell them it started way before the thought of a restaurant was a twinkle in my eye. It started in my childhood. Growing up, burgers were a staple in our house, especially during family cookouts. Read more>>
Clara Dena
What started as my family craft project evolved into a meaningful God-given passion. I began creating beautiful items matching wonderful colors and with special textures. The end result brought joy to all those around me. This journey has been both fulfilling and inspiring thanks to the unwavering support of my family, our cultura, and our community. Read more>>
Joanne Thomas
My love for cooking began when I was about six years old with an Easy-Bake Oven. Looking back, I realize that while cooking sparked my interest, hospitality was always my true gift—I just didn’t recognize it until much later in life. After graduating from high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a communications operator. Read more>>
Frankii C
I started cooking from a young age of 8, cooking with my family, and learning from them, skills that had been passed down through generations. Also, I traveled a lot when I was younger, so I was able to have very unique and exciting experiences, by being exposed to different cultures. Read more>>
Sarinya Oliver
Studio Space Arlington started with an old chapel, one big open room, a wheelchair-accessible layout, and a simple question: How could we make the most of the existing space while creating something useful for our local community? Read more>>
Eustacia Sheppard
My story is one of faith, survival, loss, and discovering purpose through some of the most difficult experiences of my life. There was a time in my life when I was dealing with physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse while also experiencing unimaginable loss. I am the mother of four children, and three of my children passed away. Read more>>
