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.
Kymberlee Stanley
The Full Circle JourneyBefore I ever stepped up to the easel full-time, my life revolved around storytelling, rhythm, and human connection. Growing up in Southern California, my young adult and college years were spent chasing creative expression from every angle—as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and modern dancer/choreographer, even while earning an art degree and my elementary teaching credential. For ten years as a public school teacher, that creativity lived in the classroom: I played guitar for my students, and wrote spirit songs for school assemblies. Read more>>
Jake Brown
My family and I moved to Lebanon, Tennessee, in 2004 from Lake City, South Carolina, when I was nine years old. It was my parents, my sister, and me. I grew up in Wilson County, went through the local school system, and graduated from Lebanon High School in 2013. Read more>>
Zaira salgado 
My name is Zaira Salgado. I grew up in Hermosa- a small predominantly hispanic neighborhood on Chicago’s northwest side. Started playing trombone and singing in second grade. Played jazz trombone through college and sang in Chior most of my life. I graduated with a bachelors in vocal performance, an arts degree. Read more>>
Brandon M. Miller 
I grew up in a small town in Upstate Western New York. A village of around 800 people named Forestville, about an hour south of Buffalo. My Dad had bought a six acre grape vineyard which he spent about two years clearing and then we moved into a double wide house installed on the property when I was 8 years old. Read more>>
Adel Hemyari 
In 2021, I began working in a Persian rug store and developed a deep appreciation for this enduring art form. Learning about nomadic weaving revealed the skill, time, and tradition behind every rug—each one shaped by generations of craftsmanship, distinctive motifs, and beautifully imperfect character. Read more>>
Amanda McCadams 
I started making candy as a hobby in 2022, and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it. I’ve always loved really good chocolate. One of my favorite little rituals was having a single piece of chocolate for dessert at night. Read more>>
ANA CONTESSA 
I am a born and raised Tennessean but regarding my career, It really all started in Maui. I was hired as a wedding planner for a well established wedding planning company based in the Hawaiian Islands. I moved from my Tennessee home to Maui with two suitcases and two dogs and a dream of surfing on my days off. Read more>>
Stephanie Ryann 
My journey into country music wasn’t exactly a straight line, but I think that’s part of what makes my story interesting. Before pursuing music, I wore quite a few different hats. I was a teacher, a model, and even spent ten years as a firefighter, becoming the first female interior firefighter in my department, serving alongside my dad and brother. Read more>>
Maddy Marceau 
Before becoming a mom, I was a young newly married woman working two full-time jobs and going to school full-time — I was used to being busy nonstop. Then I became a stay-at-home mom, and about six months later COVID hit. Read more>>
Jered Scott 
In 2000 I started my first punk band. We played for a year and a half, and broke up (as many bands do) but I was quite heartbroken. But I randomly found photography while at a friends concert. I slowly got interested in shooting shows, but then that went away for a number of years. Read more>>
Kari Emerson 
I’m originally from Connecticut, and my love of storytelling started early—I launched a blog when I was just 13 years old! That really planted the seed for everything I do today. I went on to study English in college, and looking back, writing has been the thread connecting my interests in content creation, fashion, and sharing my life online. Read more>>
Erica Billings 
I am a Nashville Native ‘unicorn’ people say who has always appreciated my city and music culture. Before I started the road to DJ, I had been working in the service industry since I was 16 years old. I am the oldest of my six siblings, and always had a good work ethic growing up, but wasn’t afraid to try new things. Read more>>
J.P. Clardy 
I started out as a kid who just needed music. Guitar and songwriting became the way I made sense of everything — the good, the messy, the stuff I didn’t have words for yet. That led me into the working musician life: playing on cruise ships, doing the gig grind, and eventually landing in Nashville. Those Nashville years were formative. Read more>>
Dylan Altman 
I grew up in New Jersey with two parents who were artists. My father was a jazz pianist/composer and my mother was a painter. I fell in love with music early on(The Beatles were an early influence), and started playing guitar at 13. I went to Berklee College of Music and learned how to play in/front a band. Read more>>
Shannon LaBrie 
I grew up on a farm in Lincoln, Nebraska, surrounded by creativity and entrepreneurship. My dad was a painter and musician, my mom was an avid quilter, and some of my favorite childhood memories are of going antiquing with her. Art, storytelling, and a love of vintage have shaped my whole life, so LaBrie Spaces feels like a natural extension of who I’ve always been. Read more>>
Colton Parker 
I was born in Lexington TN. My dad played bass when he was young and always had one laying around. He put one in my hands when I was around 4 years old. When I was 10, I moved to Jackson TN. One Sunday morning at my moms church, there was a bassist named James that truly lit a fire and inspired me. Read more>>
Emily Hackett 
My story is a bit of a winding road. In semi-short, I came to Nashville to attend Belmont University. Read more>>
Samantha Robbins 
My story is one of faith, resilience, recovery, and second chances. I’ve overcome addiction, domestic violence, personal struggles, and many obstacles that could have easily defined my future. Today, I am over three years sober, a proud single mother, and the owner and founder of 2nd Chance Cleaning LLC. Read more>>
Will Rodriguez 
My story has never really followed a straight line, but I think that’s part of what makes it worth telling. I’m a husband, father of five, Army veteran, former law enforcement officer, and entrepreneur. My wife, Sarah, and I own Kona Ice of Middle Tennessee and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Middle Tennessee. Read more>>
Leticia Saenz 
Love Olive Kitchen grew from my belief that food should do more than satisfy hunger—it should bring comfort, nourishment, and joy to everyday life. As a chemist, I’ve always been curious about ingredients and how food interacts with the body. That curiosity became something personal: I wanted to make wholesome eating feel welcoming, flavorful, and practical for busy families. Read more>>
Emily Davis
I first picked up a camera back in 2014, shortly after becoming a mom, & what started as a creative outlet quickly turned into something I really loved. Over the years, though, I struggled with burnout & a lot of self doubt, & eventually stepped away from photography in 2020. Read more>>
Dylan Sheppard 
I grew up between living the life of a poor family in low income, and a poor farm boy. When I was growing up there was never money to just pay someone to come fix anything. We’ve always had you fix it ourselves and I watched my dad and his dad do it, and teach me over the years. Read more>>
Margie Harkins 
I moved out of state once I turned 18, I got married young and had my first baby young. I navigated the challenges of parenting and motherhood and found myself drowning in postpartum depression and anxiety. I remembered thinking about how I wanted multiple children, but after having my first and struggling so badly after, I just didn’t see how it could ever be. Read more>>
Imara Majors 
If you look up ‘Jill of all Trades’ in a dictionary, my face would be next to it! My love for the arts started at a very young age. I am a singer, makeup artist, wig maker, ASMRtist, clay artist, content creator, you name it. Read more>>
Tiffany Pecoraro 
Over the years, I’ve worked in every level of eating disorder treatment, from inpatient and residential care to outpatient and virtual settings. I’ve had the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life, and those experiences have taught me that recovery rarely looks the way we expect it to. Read more>>
Jesse Dozzi 
I grew up in Australia in a very musical family. Both of my parents were working musicians, and my dad was also a songwriter, so music was always a huge part of my life. Some of my earliest memories of performing were Christmas caroling with my cousins, which eventually turned into forming a band together. Read more>>
Jessica Murray 
I’ve spent a large part of my career inside companies at the moment growth gets really exciting and messy. For a lot of people, that inflection point feels daunting. For me, it’s where I have fun. I’m a New Yorker who moved to Nashville in June 2021. Read more>>
Cynthia Martinez 
My journey into real estate wasn’t something I had necessarily planned, but looking back, it was exactly where I was meant to be. Before real estate, I built a career in the financial industry. I started as a bank teller and worked my way up to becoming a Financial Management Advisor. I had a steady corporate job, a consistent paycheck, and was growing professionally. Read more>>
Philip Brocklehurst 
I am an indie filmmaker based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. From a young age, I have always had a fascination with film and storytelling.In general. Two of my favourite films growing up were RoboCop (1987) and The Terminator (1984). I must have worn those VHS tapes out when I was a kid. Already showing signs of my age here (laughs). Read more>>
Daniel Baraka Zaluke
I was born in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. War was always a reality for our lives. Moments of peace were the exception. When my father’s life became personally endangered because of his religious and political beliefs, we asked asylum to the US and moved to Indiana. Read more>>
Aleeda Blu 
Aleeda Blu is an American pop duo consisting of identical twin sisters Megan and Erin O’Donnell. Embracing pop tradition infused with modern-day melodies, Aleeda Blu’s standout sibling vocals blend naturally in tightly woven, inseparable harmonies. Megan carries the duo adding beautiful harmonies to the melody sung by Erin. Aleeda Blu’s name comes from a neat and personal place. Read more>>
Lauren Fitzgerald 
This is my Why! I started Hadassah Beauty Live Nourished in 2014. Hadassah is the Hebrew name for Queen Esther, which means ‘myrtle tree or nourished’. I always loved her story about being chosen as queen after 12 months of beauty treatments and because she was unique of all the maidens in Susa, Persia. Read more>>
Kennedy Ann Scott 
Kennedy Ann Scott was born while attending MSU (Missouri State University) Springfield Missouri. When I entered my first amateur drag competition. My first drag name was Abenna Mann, but soon morphed into Kennedy Ann Scott when hanging out with friends. I was always fascinated by RuPaul and watching drag queens and trans women on the 90s daytime talk shows. Read more>>
Jess McAlister 
I’ve been in the golf space going on 10 years, having started with an idea around bringing social media marketing, influencer marketing, and the creator economy into golf. This was around 2017, 2018. With that, my first company was born and scaled to a handful of fresh faces across athletes, media personalities, and new influencers and creators in the golf space. Read more>>
Arrie’l Ballew 
My story started in 2023. When I first started college in 2020 I was a Business Management major and knew that I always wanted to own my own clothing business. I quickly learned that Business Management major didn’t fit what I truly wanted to do. Read more>>
Dr. Melissa Kroll 
I was drawn to chiropractic because it gave me a way to help others thrive naturally and holistically, by supporting the body’s ability to function and heal on its own. I graduated from chiropractic school at 29 with a clear vision of the kind of doctor I wanted to be. Read more>>
Xavier Esmon
I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures! From a child up to now, I was always taking a picture or getting in some pictures. My love for photography was reignited in high school. I was a part of the media team and yearbook committee after high school. Read more>>
Danielle Murphy 
The Clean Seat Concierge was born out of an unmet need I experienced firsthand as a new parent. As a nurse practitioner and certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, I understood the importance of car seat safety, but quickly realized how difficult it was for busy parents to find convenient, trustworthy support for cleaning their baby gear and navigating child passenger safety. Read more>>
TROY KEMP 
From Kempsey to Nashville: The Story So Far – Troy Kemp I was born in Kempsey, a small country town on the east coast of Australia. My mum was a nurse who loved playing piano at home, while my dad was a physiotherapist who played guitar and loved to surf. Read more>>
Maddy Jones
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember – really, since before I was old enough to understand what it meant to be a singer! I’m eight years old now, and music has been part of my life from the very beginning. Read more>>
Hunter Snow 
I took a rather unconventional path to becoming an author. I spent much of my career working in the music industry, alongside artists, managers, agents, lawyers, publishers, and songwriters. It was an exciting, sometimes chaotic world, and it gave me a front-row seat to the personalities, relationships, and behind-the-scenes drama that most people never get to see. Read more>>
Dr. Stacy Jagger 
I’m a Nashville native, a mother of four, a marriage and family therapist, and an artist at heart. Most people know me as Dr. Sassy. Before any of those titles, I was a little girl who loved to dance. I grew up with a lot of instability. Music, movement, creativity, and being outdoors gave me places to breathe. Read more>>
Sally Russell 
My name is Sally Russell. I am a wife, mother of 3 teenagers who has a heart on fire for Jesus and justice. I am a domestic abuse survivor and through my lived experience, God used my pain for a purpose. In 2021, I founded Whispers of Hope, a faith based antihuman trafficking organization that outreaches to women in the adult entertainment industry. Read more>>
Michelle Campos-Greatrick 
My career began in 2012 in luxury hospitality, at a beachfront resort in Key Biscayne, Florida, where I started as a hostess. I was drawn to the small moments that made guests feel special, and that curiosity led me to private event dining, then to the resort’s children’s program, and finally into events full time. Read more>>
Rozina Kollcaku 
My story began in Tirana, Albania, where I built a career in education as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. Education has always been close to my heart. I believe every person deserves encouragement, opportunity, and support to reach their potential. My husband and I moved from Europe to Middle Tennessee to be closer to our son while he pursued his dream of studying architecture. Read more>>
Solomon Joseph 
My name is Solomon Joseph, and I’m a filmmaker, editor, photographer, and emerging/student composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. Creativity has always been a part of my life, and much of that influence comes from growing up around art and having a natural curiosity about the world. Read more>>
Austin Wilson 
Reflecting on growing up, I realize how much the 90s served as the perfect cultural collage for my style as a filmmaker today. Watching shows like Hey Arnold!, The Simpsons, Power Rangers, and TMNT mesmerized me as a kid. I also loved reading books like Redwall and The Hardy Boys and magazines like National Geographic and Popular Science. Read more>>
Marie Murray 
My fascination with photography started long before I ever considered it something I could pursue professionally. I was always that kid with a disposable camera at every birthday party, summer camp, church event, and sleepover. Read more>>
Jill W. Fox 
The Story Behind How To Pay Less For Everything What began with a simple interest in saving money and finding great deals (a.k.a. being a cheapskate…haha) has grown into several connected projects, each with its own way of helping people. (SIDE NOTE: This is my side hustle. Read more>>
Logan Massengale 
My journey has been anything but a straight line. My background includes serving in the Army, playing college football, entrepreneurship, acting, singing and a few other hats being worn, but the most pivotal chapter of my life began in October of 2021. I survived a coerced suicide attempt and then made the decision to find myself and chose sobriety. Read more>>
Kiara Butler
I am Kiara Butler, and I am originally from Nashville, Tennessee. I am hairstylist, and proud owner of Salon BOS 3 in Hermitage, Tennessee. My journey began at the age of 16, doing hair for family and friends. I’m very passionate about doing hair ,and doing hair changed my life. Read more>>
Brenda Best 
My journey in music began long before Nashville became my home. Growing up in Eastern Canada, I developed a love for performing at a very young age. Eventually, my journey brought me to the United States, first to Charlottesville Virginia where I was part of an all-girl band “Best & Walker”. Read more>>
Zakk DuBois 
New Jersey-born in 1990, Nashville-raised from 2001–2013 & 2018–current; growing up with music around & constant since my first breath. Whether it was a studio at home in every house I grew up in, or my folks constantly blasting rock from the ’60s–’80s as our ambience. Whatever excuse to have the tunes rolling day in and day out. Read more>>
Lisa Dinkins 
I grew up in a nurturing home, with my Mama and Granny. We didnt have a lot of money, but mama knew how to make shopping an adventure at the thrift stores, and that is where I learned how to express my creativity, putting outfits together and draping crazy fabrics together. Read more>>
Savannah Lauren 
I grew up in California, the oldest of 8 kids. My mom always documented our childhood with her film camera, but when I was 16 we got a shared digital camera and I attended a Journalism Camp. While there, I discovered that I loved getting to be the person who tries to find the perspective no one else sees. Read more>>
Keith Askins
I started learning drums around 4yrs old which started my music journey then started playing drums in church around 7yrs old but about 9 or 10 was the first time I really heard a bass player with a quartet band and immediately said ohhh what is that I want play that lol, I would put 4 rubber bands around a book and just thump the rubber bands to songs, maybe a few Christmas’s after that my parents bought me a bass and been playing bass ever since Read more>>
Abby Dennis 
My journey began in 2021 when I attended the Aveda Institute in Franklin, Tennessee and earned my Esthetics license. I started working immediately after graduating, and looking back, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. My Esthetician growing up, Kristen Jones, had just opened Skin Design & Suites, and I was fortunate enough to begin my career working alongside her. Read more>>
Makayla McCree
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and moved to Nashville in 2016 to attend Tennessee State University, where I studied Political Science. I didn’t necessarily know exactly where this path would take me, but I knew early on that I wanted my career to be rooted in public service and making a difference in people’s lives. Read more>>
Michael Ball
I can trace the first spark of my music journey all the way back to middle school banging on pots and pans in my parents’ kitchen. Read more>>
Jerry Phillips 
Jerry Bedor Phillips is an artist living and creating in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the building manager, studio assistant, and gallery coordinator for the Vanderbilt University Department of Art and for Space 204, the contemporary gallery space located in the E. Bronson Ingram Studio Arts Center. Read more>>
