Nashville’s Most Inspiring Stories

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.

Casey Noel

While I had a natural affinity for guitar, the passion for classical guitar was not there. My first and primary passion from age 8-17 was competitive ballroom dancing; something that I think has shaped the way I hear and create music. After years of trying to find a dance partner, I had to face the fact that I lived in North Carolina and unless I moved to Europe or New York, my chances of making that dream a reality were slim to none.It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make but it led me to jump full force into music. Read More>>

Keri Lynn Kehoe

They are so fun to stack and all made with stainless steel, 14 karat gold and genuine stones. As our brand evolves, it is critical to us that we get to a point where we can afford to donate a good portion of our income to benefit animal rescue. We want our customers to know that they are shopping with purpose and their dollars spent will be beneficial to those in need. Read More>>

Trevor Wright

By the time I was 16, I had enough of a portfolio that some musicians I knew started hiring me to produce their music videos and social media campaigns. I knew I had found my next creative obsession. Something that combines my love of music with storytelling, and cool abstract visuals. So I attended a music video production course at The New York Film Academy. After that course, I switched from making films to almost strictly making music videos and wedding videos edited in a music video style. This kept me busy for a number of years. Read More>>

Aly Jordan

In 2014, I first visited Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, TN. I was about to go into the studio and record a song on music row for the first time ever. My dad wanted to grab a bite to eat at Arnold’s – and of course we had to go to the guitar place next door after lunch. I was a junior in college and gigging as a solo musician to make some money on the side while I worked toward completing my BFA in North Carolina. Dad had been playing since he could walk, basically, and vintage instruments had a hold on him. Read More>>

Tammy Richardson

Growing up, family vacations weren’t a thing for me. But when I graduated college with my Bachelor’s degree, I was gifted a trip to Disney World. That trip sparked an undying love for Disney and family vacations. On that journey home, I told my family I’d work for Disney one day. Little did I know, that dream would morph into owning my own travel agency! Read More>>

Grant Wicker

It was a very hard start. I had trouble getting my name out there. I took some subcontract work but it was not my ultimate dream being able to bring people fully custom dream remodels so I just kept my head down and kept pushing till I finally got my first project and after that everything really came together Read More>>

Eliza Harrison Smith

My first couple of years in town, I really dedicated myself to co-writing and sharpening my songwriting craft. After a couple of years of building my musical community and co-writing for other people, I decided to commit more fully to my artist project in 2022 with the release of my song “August”. I’ve released a few more songs since, then, I’ve gotten to play at amazing venues like The Bluebird Cafe, 3rd and Lindsley, The Basement, and The Listening Room. And, I’m getting ready to release a 5-song EP in early 2025. Read More>>

Mozart Gabriel

**Mozart Gabriel:** After COVID, I had this dream of getting back to the U.S., taking my van, and making it back to Nashville. But it was tough—visas were hard to get, and it felt like rock ‘n’ roll didn’t have the same support in America as it did in Europe. We got rejected by Interscope, Atlantic Records, and Hopeless Records, even after recording a fantastic album at Rio Grande Studios in my hometown in New Mexico. It was a huge blow to not get picked up by playlists, radio, or magazines. Ultimately, we had to let go of that dream. Read More>>

Steven Dupin

We found with all of the new development in this thriving city, there was space to fill the needs in the health and wellness market. The company we started, The Fit Syndicate, is a full service concierge wellness group. We provide a wide range of services, from personal training, HIIT classes, yoga, Pilates, massages and more. Each of our instructors are carefully vetted by me personally. Read More>>

Blake Harris

Absolutely! I am born and raised in Nashville. My background is Football. I won a state title in high school at Goodpasture High School. I played college ball at Tennessee State University, and after college, I played Professional Arena football. Upon retirement, I leaned on what I knew the most about. I worked at a local nutrition store, while falling in love with personal training and coaching group fitness classes. Now I own the #1 Strength and conditioning gym in the city. Read More>>

Eric Lee Beddingfield

It was the loss of his father, Elwyn Beddingfield, that motivated him to dedicate a new project in honor of his memory. Shortly after, the members of The Charlie Daniels Band approached Eric about joining them on tour to help keep the Legacy of Charlie Daniels alive. All of this new energy inspired ELB to create a new album, “Resurrection” coming later this year. Read More>>

Camen Moore

Whenever you crash your drone, it can be heart breaking. All this money and/ or time invested, to see it disappear is any pilots nightmare. My biggest challenge so far has just been making a name/ advertising. My introverted and shy personality makes it a little of a challenge. I do all my editing and flights independently. Photoshop is a learning curve, though not impossible. Read More>>

Mariano Mallia

I grew up playing piano and trumpet, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I picked up the guitar and started writing, singing, and producing music. When I moved away from home, I had no TV or video games, and only a laptop that had been handed down to me from my older brother. This laptop had FL Studio on it, a recording software used by producers and beat makers to produce music. One day I opened that software and have never stopped making music since. Read More>>

Clifton Radford

I started working as a production assistant on commercials in Indianapolis. Shortly after that, I moved to Chicago and worked my way into lighting, gaffing my first feature film within a year. I made my way back to Indianapolis and became mostly a 2nd AC on commercials for a while, working with a lot of notable DPs. I started building a cinematography reel in Chicago and shot whatever I could over the years, making gradual improvements. Read More>>

Mekaylah Gilbert

That realization inspired me to start this company with my co-owner, who also happens to be my mother and the roots of Muse, Tonya Gilbert. We began with a small group of 6-8 dancers, and over the years, we didn’t let anything slow us down. Even during COVID, when we had to pivot to virtual classes and put on a couple of virtual shows, we always kept our dancers and our passion for the art at the forefront. Today, we are blessed with our very own studio space, a growing number of students, a growing dance curriculum, and incredible opportunities both locally and beyond Nashville. Read More>>

Zëta Ræ

After taking a few songwriting and production classes, I discovered that not only was I a creative person after all (which I hadn’t previously considered myself to be) but that I love making songs as much as I love performing. I created and released my first two EPs “Hôme Invæsion” and “everywhere you are is a garden” while in school, flying back and forth from Boston to Nashville. After graduating in 2022, I finally moved to Nashville to continue my journey as an artist. Since then, I’ve released a slew of singles, played as many shows as much as possible, and now here we are doing this interview! Read More>>

Brittany Wuthrich

After that experience, I realized how inspired I was by children’s book illustration.  I loved working with an illustrator on my book to plot out how the pages were going to tell a visual story.  For inspiration, I searched through the shelves of McKay’s. I drove to neighborhood yard sales. I browsed local bookstores. I reconnected with an appreciation for children’s literature and visual storytelling.  Read More>>

Ben Foster

Throughout high school, my summers were spent forming bands in my parents’ garage and playing any gig we could find, no matter how small the audience. After graduating, I moved to the Twin Cities, eager to explore more opportunities in the music world. I enrolled in business school but quickly found myself spending more time in a basement studio with my long-time friend, Chase. After a year of studying business, I switched gears and attended a two-year tech school for audio engineering. It was during this time that I truly fell in love with songwriting, becoming fascinated by the power of each word in a song. Read More>>

Blake Oliver

I started messing around with graphic design and photography in high school and got a job at a merch company after I graduated. I got to hone in my own style there and really started to enjoy T-Shirt design. Once covid hit, I launched my freelance business with the connections I had. One good opportunity led to another with a lot of consistency and patience over the years. Now I’m designing merch and logos for a lot of music artists, businesses, and brands all around the country. Read More>>

Emily Girvin

So over the past two years I developed @Collectible.Arts . It’s always been a passion of mine to search the world for special pieces, mostly antique drawings & oil paintings, but now I am making these valuable works of art accessible to everyone, which is especially gratifying when it’s artist who may have gotten lost in the shuffle. It feels full circle as I’ve now found healing in art, and get to share that with others. Read More>>

Haleigh Sadler

After about two years of wishing I had fresh food to fuel my day, I jokingly proposed starting a juice truck. Come to find out, food trucks were not permitted in Dickson… (a restriction that has since been lifted!!) The lack of healthy options brought me to a point where I was unable to wait any longer, so I began searching for commercial spaces in Dickson. I was beyond fortunate to find a space on College St., less than a minute’s walk from Bloom. Read More>>

Lapricia Howlett

I was initially hesitant about turning what I love to do in my spare time into a business because, I was afraid that I would lose interest and the enjoyment would be lost if it became a “job”. With a bit of a push from some of my closest friends, LBH Picnic and Gather decided to share that joy with others. The goal is to assist with celebrating special occasions; whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, proposal, date, bachelorette party, or just a friendly gathering! Read More>>

Andrew Huff

The way we like to think of it is that we want to create movies, TV shows, and books that feel like the ones we grew up on ourselves in the 80s and 90s. We specialize in stretching a production dollar, making low budget productions feel like they were made by big budget studios. Our flagship production is a streaming kids series called “Dot Conner: Webtective” (www.dotconner.com) about a teen detective who treats questions about life and faith as mysteries to solve. We just adapted the series into a feature length family movie that we are aiming to release theatrically in 2025. Read More>>

Marina Nessler

At Tru U Esthetix, I specialize in Korean skincare and advanced medical spa treatments, blending time-honored beauty rituals with cutting-edge technology. My focus is on personalized care, helping clients achieve their healthiest, most radiant skin. I’m known for tailoring each treatment to individual skin needs, ensuring that every client leaves feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and confident in their skin. Read More>>

Courtney Dickey

In 2012, my mom enrolled us in the Boys and Girls Club, where I took my first sewing class. I still remember the excitement of making my first pillow. Growing up in a small town like Humboldt, opportunities were limited, so I knew I had to make the most of every chance I got. Even though we wore school uniforms, I developed a reputation for having a unique sense of style, which sometimes drew envy but also a lot of admiration. Read More>>

Tanika Harper

Harper’s Naturals is your the ultimate destination for natural skincare solutions that nourish and rejuvenate your skin. We are passionate about providing our customers with products that are free from harmful and toxic chemicals, allowing their skin to thrive naturally. Read more>>

Krishon Gaines

I’ve been inspired by music since growing up as a little child watching my older brothers make music. Growing up in the church, music was always a part of our lives. I went to SAE institute for Audio to progress my knowledge and skills. From there I started working with artists around Tennessee which expanding my sound worldwide. Always growing, working, and upping my skills and talents has been the key to success. Read More>>

Erin Fiebig

Teaching in person is very different than online, interacting with students, and learning about their strengths and weaknesses gives you insight into where to correct them as well as yourself in your teaching. I’ve now been teaching at Heart of Wisdom for 2 years, I also teach at the 1 Hotel Nashville and just began to teach a yoga class at Solid Orange Crossfit. This past winter I spent 2 months in Rishikesh India earning my 300hr cert, now I am a 500hr certified yoga instructor. It has been a wonderful journey thus far! Read More>>