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.
Kaylee Kirk
For nearly a decade, my mom served the wedding industry from behind a camera lens. After attending countless weddings she knew two things to be true- every couple deserves to have the focus be on their love story and choosing the right venue can greatly impact how seamlessly everything goes. Read more>>
Stacy Blackwell
After my colon hydrotherapy training, I was working at a wellness facility that abruptly shut down not long after I had entered into my new career path. I was blessed to be able to started my own business, Butterfly Factory, and I built out a space to work from in the ground floor of my home. I learned a lot about managing a construction project but was finally open for business about 9 weeks after I was informed I wouldn’t have a job any longer at the wellness facility. Read more>>
Rachael McKinney-Mason
I had spent my whole life in Florida, and after college I knew it was time for my next adventure. So I packed up and moved to Nashville without knowing a single person or having a job lined up — my parents gave me six months to figure it out. Read more>>
Rebekah Gillock and Kendelle Phillips n/a
Kendelle and I met when she hired me as a nanny in 2019-which seems forever ago at this point! I remember pretty immediately loving her. From there I feel like our lives have been intertwined. Kendelle has literally an insane amount of experience, I always joke that I still find out stuff about her even seven years later. Read more>>
Ramy Nassif
I didn’t start in accounting just to work with numbers, I was always interested in understanding how people and businesses manage money and how the right decisions can change their financial future. Read more>>
Samantha and Scott Padilla
Our journey into the world of hospitality began with a massive leap of faith: we bought our first investment property in Carthage sight unseen. To many, it seemed like an impossible risk, but my husband and I relied on a simple truth—the sureness of each other and our shared vision for our family. Read more>>
Christopher Jones
I’ve been in residential construction for over 30 years, with a background in mechanical design engineering that shaped how I approach building today. Early in my career, I worked hands-on in the trades, which gave me a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, precision, and thoughtful design. Read more>>
Axel Marshall
I’ve always been drawn to cameras, especially photography. When I was a wee lad, I carried a disposable Kodak point-and-shoot film camera everywhere. Whenever I filled a film roll, my parents would get me another camera to continue shooting. Read more>>
Mariska Harris
It really started with us just wanting more time together—less rushing, less noise, and more moments where we could actually be present as a family. I’m Mariska Harris, and my husband Chris and I have been married for 16 years. We’re both educators and coaches, and that legacy runs deep in our families. Read more>>
Gina Mendello
Born in Los Angeles, California and coming from of long line of entertainers, Gina grew up with and participated in music and the arts from a very young age, learning piano, guitar, oboe and saxophone, and participating in award winning high school drama departments in North Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Read more>>
Haley Mantlo
I began my career in education, teaching Kindergarten and leading my school’s Gifted program. My journey into photography started unexpectedly when I purchased my first camera secondhand through Facebook Marketplace. Read more>>
Marcio Florez
My journey has always been rooted in my passion for Peruvian cuisine and my desire to share the flavors of my culture with others. I studied at Nashville State Community College, where I had the opportunity to learn, grow, and be guided by wonderful mentors who helped shape my path. Read more>>
David Kowal
Becoming a wedding and elopement photographer started as a slow progression. Growing up, there was always a camera around when the family would get together. My sister would always make sure to grab family photos and group shots. To me that was normal, and I never thought about most families not having that luxury. Read more>>
Braden Warren
I taught math in the classroom for nearly 10 years before deciding to find work outside of the classroom. As the demands of teaching increased, my level of interest decreased. I figured since I had a math background though, I should pursue something that I enjoyed doing and that was working with numbers. Read more>>
Tony Obrohta
My story? Which one? There’s the story of being thirteen and being too young to play in the bars that I played at in my hometown so my dad had to chaperone. Playing forty five minutes of classical music in a tuxedo in front of my teachers and my peers to be able to graduate with a Bachelor’s of Music from Millikin University. Read more>>
Dionne Lewis
I landed what most people would call a dream job in New York City, working for a well-known global company, earning a plush salary, and collaborating with an amazing, high-performing team from around the world. After seven years, I requested a transfer to the Nashville office, ready for a new chapter and a slower pace. It felt like the perfect move, but suddenly, everything changed. Read more>>
Marah Havice
We moved to Clarksville in October of 2021 due to my husband’s job. We had 3 boys at the time and the smallest one was about to start part-time preschool. With the added free time I wanted to look for ways to bring in some extra money. Read more>>
Abanob (Bebo) Aguib
I grew up in Egypt and moved to the US when I was 12. As a kid I was always performing, playing piano, acting, just always trying to express something. That eventually led me to pick up a camera and start making my own short films. I would film them and premiere them at my church. Read more>>
Chris McMurtry
I was born and raised in Nashville, so I was always immersed in music. Started doing session work around age 15. Was a touring musician by 17. Fell in love with classical music while on the road and ended up going to college later than my peers. I got a degree in classical music composition at MTSU (how I ended up in Murfreesboro). Read more>>
Brandon McKay
I actually didn’t start in photography at all, I was a college football coach. That season of life taught me a lot about discipline, leadership, and reading people, but like most coaching roles, the offseason left a little room to breathe. I picked up a camera during that time just to have something creative to do. Read more>>
Caitlyn McLaughlin
I bought my first camera in 2015 while I was in college pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. Around that same time, I developed a love for makeup and began freelancing for weddings, proms, and special events. While I enjoyed that work, I found myself drawn more toward creative, artistic makeup looks, so I started asking friends to model for me. Read more>>
Russell Anders
My journey really began in Asheville, North Carolina, where I grew up surrounded by a rich tradition of craftsmanship and textiles. For 15 years, my ‘office’ was a tour bus; I traveled 280 days a year as a touring musician and engineer, working with legendary acts like George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Fishbone, Casey Kristofferson and The Punknecks. Read more>>
Kevin Kump
We owned several successful vacation rentals in the Willamette Valley and have great relationships with many of the Valley’s spectacular wineries. We saw the potential of Alpine Avenue and purchased the unimproved lot within walking distance of McMinnville’s historic Third Street. Sarita was inspired after a trip to Flying Flags Resort in Buelton, California where they offer cabins, safari tents and renovated vintage trailers. Read more>>
Dave Pieske
We want every child to feel welcome to be a part of our team, but more importantly be a part of the community (teammates and families). We have 4 pillars to touch every aspect of one’s character: Play Hard, Play Together, Play True, and Play Smart. We always want to do our best, and support our team, we want to play by the rules and compete in a way that gives us (and our team) the best chance at success. We celebrate all the small victories and learn from our defeats. Read more>>
Caroline Swenson
To make a long story short, I moved to Nashville to work for a startup called A-Stock, where our community partner was Friends Life Community. Through the work and partnership over time, I came to know—and truly love—the Friends (participants) and the entire FLC community. Read more>>
Kelsie Mans-Ray
After experiencing my own car being stolen, I became deeply aware of how vulnerable we can be when it comes to protecting what matters most. That experience led me to found Vaults Plus, LLC, an eCommerce security solutions company focused on helping individuals and businesses safeguard their assets, valuables, and peace of mind with safes and surveillance products. Read more>>
Sandrina Weller & Susan Cook
This is our story- the story of Susan and Sandy. Susan, a ‘Motown Girl’ born 1947 in Detroit and Sandy, born in 1966 somewhere in the Southwest of Germany. Read more>>
Brian Kannard
I came into publishing the long way around. I spent twenty years managing startups and corporate operations before deciding to figure out how to publish my own book. That meant building the skill set from scratch, layout, editing, production, everything. That one project turned into a career. Read more>>
Jason “Jay” Flack
In 2010, my twin sister (Jessica) suddenly died in her sleep. Shortly after, I would become homeless. I was lost, lonely and I needed something to bring me out of the darkness my grief placed me in. Read more>>
Amara Townes
I’m a Nashville native, and like many people, I thought I had my path clearly mapped out from the beginning. After completing my undergraduate degree at Middle Tennessee State University, I went straight into graduate school at Trevecca Nazarene University to pursue a master’s in counseling. At the time, my heart was set on working with child abuse victims. Read more>>
Vinny Tavares Pereira
I grew up in a small town in Brazil, where I spent my childhood riding bikes through the countryside with my friends, stopping at fruit trees and waterfalls along the way. That early passion for cycling only grew stronger as I got into mountain bike racing and continued developing my skills. Read more>>
Echo Pilot
The four of us have been a band since January 2024. Though there have been other renditions of Echo Pilot in the past, this lineup has been together for a couple of years. We released our first album, A Day Like This, in June of 2022. Our second album, Notion, was released in February of 2025. The current lineup all met through different ways. Read more>>
Cortney Hawks
Sometimes what we think we need as new moms isn’t what we actually need most. When I first moved to Nashville with a three-month-old back in 2016, I was navigating a new city, brand new to motherhood, and spending long days alone while my husband was at work. Read more>>
