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.
Randi Michaels Block 
Pauli’s Place Boutique was born in 2015 on a wing and a prayer. Growing up on Long Island in a family steeped in the garment industry, my mother would take me into Manhattan to visit my father’s sportswear company where he’d design and sell women’s clothing to big box stores around the country. Read more>>
Brigid Buckley 
As my mother puts it, I’ve been singing since I could talk and performing since I could walk. Music and a life on stage has always driven my life. I grew up singing in churches, voice recitals, and on my front porch. The dream was always to become a singer. That changed in seventh grade I was in my first musical, The Sound of Music. Read more>>
Markee Carter 
I’m the founder of We Legit LLC, an independent brand I started in 2021. What began as a vision to build something of my own eventually grew into We Legit Clothing, the We Legit 16: Stories & Hustle Podcast, and We Legit Hustle Media. I’m originally from Long Beach, California, and now I’m building in the Nashville area. Read more>>
Thornton Cline 
My mother was instrumental in starting my music career. She signed me up for piano lessons at age 5. I started making up little ditties and my mom told my teacher she was worried I wasn’t practicing out of my book. My teacher wasn’t concerned, he encouraged creativity. Read more>>
Kilee DeVito 
I started my career in the real estate industry in Beverly Hills, California, where I began processing transactions for high scale brokerages, including the Oppenheim Group and The Agency, That experience gave me a strong foundation in real estate transactions and sparked my interest in Title and Escrow. Read more>>
Garrett Peveler 
I started like most kids with the app ‘IMovie’. Me and my siblings would film every time we went to my grandparents most weekends. I then got into stop motion with my legos throughout middle school(All of this just for fun of course). Once I got to Independence high school I enrolled in a film class, and immediately fell in love with film. Read more>>
Brianne Pryor 
Thank you! I started writing as a very young child. The earliest memory I have of creating a story is what my grandmother calls: The Princess Story, which I wrote as a six-year-old. It was, of course, filled with misspellings because I could only spell maybe ten words at the time. Read more>>
Pam Smith 
I started my career in specialized pharmaceutical sales, where I spent 15 years building relationships and working with physicians and their staff. During that time, I also began helping friends plan their trips to the Orlando theme parks part-time. What started as something I simply enjoyed doing for friends quickly grew into a passion for travel and trip planning. Read more>>
Shehan Rodrigo 
The path that brought me here was not a conventional one. My story starts in Sri Lanka, where I lived for most of my life. I didn’t go to design school or have any formal design education. At the ripe old age of 17, I landed an unpaid internship at a large ad agency. Until then, I had never even seen an Apple computer. Read more>>
Cait Brady
I started out around 2008 taking photos of my first and forever muse- my sister. We grew up really in the middle of nowhere Missouri and our imaginations were strong. Both my parents are artists, my sister followed along, and some sort of creating was always going to be a part of my story. It just took me awhile to find my voice. Read more>>
Robert Warren 
My journey into healthcare technology didn’t start in a corporate boardroom or a Silicon Valley incubator—it started on our couch in Gallatin, Tennessee. My wife is a Family Nurse Practitioner with her own independent practice here in Gallatin. Every single day, she gives her absolute all to her patients, providing compassionate, high-quality care. Read more>>
Lester Martin 
In February 1982, John and Helen Martin moved to Woodbury, Tennessee, with the dream of starting a family business. They began with a single greenhouse, growing vegetable plants and building storage sheds. Over the years, they expanded their operation by adding more greenhouses and offering bedding plants for sale in Murfreesboro. Read more>>
Baron Miller
I started out in digital strategy and interactive media, working on projects for brands like Disney, DTS, Land Rover, and the CW Network. That was the era of advergames and some of the first interactive online video, and it taught me something I have carried ever since: technology should do the heavy lifting so people can focus on the work only they can do. Read more>>
Fiona Donohue
I moved to Nashville nearly 4 years ago because I felt as if I needed change. I ended up with a job as a teacher, making friends that I feel blessed to know, and way more trucker hats than I anticipated. However at the end of last year I felt stagnant again. Read more>>
Caitlyn McNabb 
My journey with line dancing began during COVID. Like so many people, I was looking for ways to stay active when gyms were closed, and we couldn’t be face-to-face with others. I started following TikTok and Facebook Lives and learning line dances from home. Read more>>
Nicholas Efstathiou 
My story in music started in Mrs. Smith’s fifth grade classroom because of a friend named Greg. He sat with me in class and encouraged me to get involved in music. I did not know I had a musical bone in my body. Music was/is something I had to work hard to learn, and I still do. Read more>>
Lisa Jennings 
I think I was destined to become an artist long before I understood what that meant. I grew up in a creative family in upstate New York. My mother was an artist and teacher who worked in textiles, ceramics and all genres of art, and my father loved music and literature. Read more>>
Janine Haynesworth
As a child I often watched my father Daron Haynesworth and grandmother Lois Haynesworth cook on a daily basis. I knew as a child I wanted to be in the kitchen creating dishes! In my teenage years, my cousin and I would make dinner. I would cook and she would bake. I come from a family of cooks. Read more>>
Malika Williams
Malika Sabän Williams — Interview Overview •Etiquette education and entrepreneurship: I am a Master Certified Etiquette Consultant and founder of Excuse Me, Please Etiquette Company, established in 2o14. I teach practical etiquette and life skills to children, young adults, corporations, schools, churches, Girl Scout groups, and community organizations. My work helps people build confidence and navigate both everyday interactions and professional settings. Read more>>
Taina Escalera 
I am originally from a small town, known as Humboldt, in TN. I moved to Nashville in 2017 to further my college education and be exposed to better opportunities. I originally went to college for Business, but I soon realized cooking was where my heart was. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, which I started at a very young age. Read more>>
Stacy Barry 
Before entering the travel industry, I was a school counselor. My husband served in the military for 20 years, which gave me the opportunity to live and work in different states, schools, and communities. Those experiences taught me to adapt, connect with people from different backgrounds, and understand what they need—skills I use every day as a business owner. Read more>>
Ian and Lindsay White 
The Middle Tennessee Tattoo Expo really grew out of our experience owning and operating Safe House Tattoo Studio in Nashville, which we opened in 2012. Being part of the tattoo community for so many years gave us a pretty clear idea of the kind of convention we wanted to create – one that felt welcoming, well-organized, artist-focused, and genuinely connected to the local tattoo community. Read more>>
Mollie Jannasch
I cut my teeth at Art + Commerce in New York, where I learned what great work actually looks like, the eye, the talent, the relationships, and the business behind it. That foundation still shapes how we work at Agency MJ today. We specialize in creative production, artist representation, and creative resourcing for brands, agencies, creative directors, brand managers, producers, and internal content teams. Read more>>
Connor Robertson 
Robertson & Co. started with a passion for people and creativity and a desire to bring those two worlds together. From the beginning relationships have been at the heart of our studio. We’ve always wanted to get to know the people behind the work and understand what gives purpose to what they do. That approach has shaped Robertson & Co. Read more>>
Helen Newell 
My fitness journey began in high school. I struggled with my body image as a teenager and started working out in high school because I couldn’t balance sports and music practice after school. I began taking classes at the local YMCA and discovered an instructor who was SO strong and led the most empowering classes. Read more>>
Yovana Olmedo Hernandez 
Hi, im yovana olmedo hernandez, im 32 years old, i love going to the gym, eating healthy, taking care of myself and my health, im a full time stay at home mom & wife, i have 5 wonderful children 1 girl & 4 boys! Read more>>
Kara Dellinger 
I’ve always believed that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish; it’s what allows you to show up fully for everything and everyone else in your life. That belief has become even more meaningful to me over the past decade I’ve spent building my career in marketing. Read more>>
Laura Carney 
My first book, the best-selling memoir My Father’s List: How Living My Dad’s Dreams Set Me Free, is about my six-year journey to complete the bucket list of my late father, Mick, who was killed in a car crash with a distracted driver. I was only 25 when he died; we found the list 13 years later, six months after I got married. Read more>>
Deori 
My journey with Luscious Figures really started from wanting to create something of my own while also helping people feel more confident in themselves. I became certified in non-invasive body contouring in Atlanta in 2021, receiving training in services such as wood therapy, vacuum therapy, laser lipo, ultrasonic cavitation, radio frequency, and cellulite reduction. Read more>>
Hannah Moeller 
My entrepreneurial journey started at a young age. I actually owned my first business when I was just 10 years old, so I got an early glimpse into what it was like to be an entrepreneur. As I got older, I worked for other people and experienced what it was like to work under someone else’s direction. Read more>>
Shamber Brannon 
Mane-Tain Barber Studio started with a girl who simply had a dream of cutting hair and creating a place where people could feel good about themselves. But for me, barbering was never only about the haircut. There’s something special about sitting in a barber chair. People slow down. They talk. Read more>>
Jeremy Kelley “J Ray” 
I think my story with comedy really started with my family. Some of my best memories growing up are the times we were all together just being ourselves. My stepdad, my Uncle Sam and my grandfather were all people who could make a room feel lighter. It didn’t have to be anything special. Read more>>
Alex Zimmermann 
My name is Alex Zimmermann. I’ve spent the past 13 years here in Nashville, but I’ve been recording music since I was 13 years old, playing in different bands. I grew up in the church, playing in the church band on just about every instrument, and eventually running sound. Read more>>
Laura Wright 
. I may have missed the COVID sourdough boom, but I’ve always had a love for bread at the table. My mother was an amazing cook, and we always had rolls or a loaf of bread alongside whatever delicious meal she had whipped up. Even now, seeing that bread basket coming at a restaurant still makes me excited. Read more>>
Nikki Campbell 
I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I attended Winston-Salem State University. Growing up, I was a tomboy, but as I got older and began to develop a strong attraction to boys, I found myself wanting to learn how to embrace my femininity. That curiosity is actually what led me into the world of cosmetics. Read more>>
Patrice Whiffen 
My company started by mistake – I never planned to be an entrepreneur. I was let go from an events job I had worked the previous summer, because at the last minute, the company decided to leave the event space. I then got a call from a former client, who asked if I could run their event that year myself. Read more>>
