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.
Yakruti Patel
My story as an artist didn’t follow a straight path. It began with a natural pull toward making things by hand—working with color, texture, and form as a way to express what words often couldn’t. That instinct led me to study sculpture at I.S. Read more>>
Mike Schroeder
After 26 years of service in the U.S. military—including 16 years as an engineer in 1st Group Special Forces (Airborne) out of Fort Lewis, Washington—I retired in 2023 ready for a change of lifestyle. Our family chose Middle Tennessee as our forever home, and I decided to utilize the skills developed over decades of service into starting a land management business. Read more>>
Nic Erickson
I have assisted in running small private equity backed healthcare organizations for 20 years. I was laid off the summer of 2024 and had been grinding through interviews without much luck. I told my wife I could keep doing this or we could try to build something ourselves. We searched many opportunities and landed on Bricks and Minifigs. Read more>>
Vicshaneria Curb
My journey into healthcare began in an unexpected place beauty school. In 2023, I trained as an esthetician because I was passionate about helping people feel confident and cared for. That experience taught me the importance of touch, trust, and creating a comfortable environment for clients, which later became a foundation for how I approach healthcare. Read more>>
Rick Caudle
It says on Ancestry dot com, that my Irish Grandfather was known for standing back to back with his brother and his cousin, and fighting everyone else in the bar. That, plus the fact that my mother was half Cherokee, and I was born in the year of the Dragon, I was destined to follow a warrior’s path. Read more>>
Kristy Hansen
My journey began 11 years ago when my marriage faced the challenge of infidelity. Growing up, I always thought therapy was something only for those who could afford it, which I could not at the time. I had never considered mental health a priority until I found myself in a crisis, and it was then that I discovered the profound impact of therapy. Read more>>
ALEX DE LA ROSA
Painters Tennessee was born from perseverance, faith, and the courage to start over. For Alex and Priscilla De La Rosa, building this company was never just about paint—it was about survival, purpose, and creating something honest with their own hands in a city they came to call home. Like many immigrant and first-generation entrepreneurs, our journey began with long hours, uncertainty, and limited resources. Read more>>
Kaylea and Anna
Analea Wedding Co. was founded through a shared love for planning, specifically weddings, and a desire to provide couples with a clear, organized, and stress-free planning experience. We are Kaylea and Anna, best friends and business partners. Read more>>
Emi Tanga
My husband and I love to travel, particularly to Europe. We are originally from Albania and often visit the Balkan region of Europe as well as Italy. In addition to the culture, architecture and history, we really enjoy the food- how it is grown and prepared, how passionate the people that make it are and of course the taste and freshness of everything you eat. Read more>>
Alice Sullivan
I started editing and writing professionally only a few months after graduating college. I was soon hired by a publishing house to ghostwrite my first two books. Twenty-five years later, I just finished writing book #70! Read more>>
Genevieve Newby
I have always had a love and interest for beautiful nails ~ so much so that when I was in sixth grade, I stayed after school to learn how to do nails because one of my teachers was offering an afterschool nail care program. That passion has stayed with me throughout my life. Read more>>
Jeff Caldwell
Yellow Brick Fitness started as an online app meant to help people learn how to work out on their own. I’ve been a trainer for almost 20 years now, and wanted a way to help more people live their happiest and healthiest life. Read more>>
Kate McPherson
I never considered myself “crafty,” but a few years ago I was looking for a hobby to take my mind off a very stressful job. I fell down the chunky knit blanket rabbit hole—hours of YouTube videos, misleading Pinterest blogs, and a lot of confusing jargon. Read more>>
Molly Cooper
My story started as a small child watching my dad create amazing house plans that his customers loved and then crafting those plans into their home. I went to school for business and marketing ‘the first go around’ but my love for building and making things pretty won in the end and I went back to school to gain my interior design degree. Read more>>
Denise Eimerman
I was jumping job to job mostly in customer jobs that were meaningless and something I did just to get by. I never felt like I belonged in the companies I was working for. In 2012 I was laid off from my current position at the time, as a Pharmaceutical Returns Specialist where I worked at a Pharmaceutical Returns Company for just over 4 years. Read more>>
Brandon Sleeman
Hydeout Concrete was built on a lifetime in the trades and a belief that doing things correctly still matters. The foundation comes from growing up around excavation, landscaping, and concrete work, where quality and reputation were non-negotiable. Over time, experience across construction, restoration, and complex project execution made one thing clear: the industry was moving faster, not better. Read more>>
Sarah Ashley
I started in the event industry at a young age, working hands on for several lighting and draping companies where I learned the technical and operational side of the work from the ground up. Everything shifted when I met my wife, Brandy. We got married, and just one month later, we took a leap of faith and started RENOWNED together. Read more>>
Shev Apelbaum
Rhoë Pilates began as a very personal idea. Coming from a healthcare background, movement was always something I approached with both curiosity and precision, not just how it looks, but how it actually supports the body long-term. Over time, I felt the gap between clinical understanding and the boutique fitness space widening and wanted to build something that honored both. Read more>>
Jesse Stilwagen
I started creating online content probably around 15 years ago in the form of music album reviews, writing for an online publication before venturing into blogging, interviewing, and promoting metal music in my local area of Murfreesboro, TN. Today I host my own podcast in a completely different genre: Germanic Heathenry. Read more>>
Cenita Scott
I am a nail salon owner . The name of my salon is The Manicure Lab located in Goodlettsville. We are known for Russian manicures and pedicures (dry manicures and pedicures). I am proud to be a pioneer of this type of salon in the Nashville area. We are not your average nail salon. We offer very specialized services and we focus on quality not quantity. Read more>>
Mads Grimm
Mads Eatz began as a side project while I was working full-time as a Registered Dietitian. What started quietly grew through generous word-of-mouth and repeat clients, eventually evolving into a full-time career. I sold my very first cake in early 2023, and everything since has been a joyful blur of flour, buttercream, and a deep love for celebrating life’s moments through cake. Read more>>
