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.

Jim Ivins

I never had a choice in the matter. In addition to having parents with incredibly hip record collections for me to discover as a child, my cousin, Bill Leverty, is the guitar player in Firehouse, a band that has sold over eight million albums worldwide, won American Music Awards, dominated MTV and still get daily airplay on SiriusXM. Seeing Firehouse on top of the world in the early nineties, only to find this mythical figure with long hair and leather pants showing up at family events like Christmas Eve, was enough for me and my older brother, Jack: we wanted to do what Bill does. Read more>>

Betty B. Elrod

I started out as a traditional artist, with a formal background in painting and sculpture. I also grew up in family retail businesses, so the concept of owning and operating a shop comes very naturally to me. For many years I was trying to figure out how to make my artwork translate to the consumer, and jewelry design eventually became the solution. I operated a boutique in Boston, MA and did a lot of the buying, which is where I started making and selling my jewelry. People loved the handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces, so I kept making them. Read more>>

Shekita Beverly

Absolutely. Starting a mobile cigar bar has been a journey full of passion—but definitely not without its hurdles. First off, it’s no secret that the cigar industry is still very male-dominated. As a woman in this space, I’ve had to constantly prove that I know my stuff( always a forever student though). Often times, I walk in and the assumption that I’m just the face of the brand, not the brains behind it. But that only motivates me more. I’ve done the research, I’ve built the brand from the ground up, and I take real pride in curating experiences that intertwine quality, culture, and community. Read more>>

Cayla Evans

For a few years that’s really all it was — a part-time, passion project I fit in around everything else. Then when 2020 hit, I lost my job as an operations manager here in Nashville, and photography was the only thing I had to fall back on. It was such a scary leap but I didn’t really have much of a choice. It ended up being the push I didn’t know I needed. Read more>>

Betty Collier

I soon realized there were other books inside me that needed to be told. Now I’m an 11x bestselling, 19x award-winning inspirational Christian author working on my 16th book. I write with a purpose, and that is to bring honor and glory to God. How I do that will be a pleasant surprise to readers of my inspirational nonfiction and Christian fiction books that take readers on emotional journeys of love, hope, faith, compassion, forgiveness, and triumph. Read more>>

Sara Colla

No!! Difficult for sure! But very rewarding seeing something grow from the ground up. Trying to get my name out to people when I didn’t even have a single client or barely knew anyone. There are so many talented stylists here so finding your niche and standing out. Read more>>

Dana Moser

I started as a lifeguard and worked my way up to Aquatics Director, gaining knowledge and experience and certifications neccessary for managing a community pool and all the activities that happen there. I also coached US Masters Swim Team, High School and club swim teams, That was 20 years ago. It wasn’t long before I took to the road and started teaching swim lessons at HOA’s and private pools. Read more>>

Rachel Hickman

I went to Lipscomb University in Nashville for undergrad and didn’t really know what I wanted to do (like a lot of freshmen!). At the end of my freshman year, I declared psychology as my major – thinking that I wanted to become a therapist and do 1:1 counseling. As I started psych classes, I very quickly realized they did not suit me very well. I happened to simultaneously be in an introductory nutrition class as an elective and fell in love with the science behind the way our bodies use food as energy. I very quickly immersed myself in the nutrition world and decided to change my major to dietetics. Read more>>

Taylor Fair

I owe so much of who I am to Los Angeles. I truly am a constellation of all the people and places I have loved. Two of the brighter stars in my cosmos are my parents. I was raised by a father that chases his dreams as a day job and a mom who takes the limit of 24 hours as a dare to live every day to the fullest. That is to say, he is an actor and she is a working mom. My dad instilled in me an eye for style and maybe a penchant for the dramatic while my mom instilled in me a love for experiences and possibly a tendency to cram too much into one day. Read more>>

Craig Campbell

It has been pretty smooth since day one. Our biggest struggle since opening is and will always be employees. Other than that, Grindstone Cowboy is an experience and once people come, they usually come back. Read more>>

Karissa Paulk

After moving to Nashville to attend Belmont University, I fell in love with the city’s energy, creativity, and community. I was inspired to get into the hair industry shortly after Belmont and later after having my son, I was inspired to create Best Little Hair House—a place where guests can relax, laugh, and leave feeling better than when they walked in. Read more>>

Garrett Richardson

With a calming presence and positive energy, he helps couples feel confident and at ease in front of the camera — from engagement sessions to multi-day destination weddings. Inspired by his travels across Europe with his wife (they met during a study abroad trip to Greece!), Garrett has also co-led marriage retreats in Paris and San Diego, deepening his passion for celebrating love stories in all stages. Read more>>

Houston Neal

Outside of the farm, Houston works full-time as a bridge engineer in Nashville, and Brooke is a product manager for a 401(k) technology company. Along with raising three children, they saw how fast Middle Tennessee was changing and wanted to give people access to beef raised right in their own community. That vision grew into a business rooted in family, quality, and connection to the land. Read more>>

Yolanda López Haugabook

I still remember my very first dance fitness class as an instructor. I walked in (this was before my weight loss) and there must have been 60 or 70 people in the room. I could hear the whispers, all of which I understood because I am bilingual. Some people walked out, some looked curious to see what this big girl was all about, and others welcomed me with love. Read more>>

Karen Hedges

We got married a few months later. I started teaching piano at the store with just a few students and fell in love with teaching. Watching my students learn to play and to love piano was such a joy!!! I can’t believe I have been teaching for 50 years!!! I love teaching students of all ages. I also mentor young teachers to help them get started in teaching piano. I have students who have been with me for 10+ years and I am now teaching the children of former students!! My goal is for my students is to have a life long love of music. It has been a great journey.. As I teach, I meet each student where they are and help them nurture their love of music. Read more>>

Karen Jackson

Eventually, though, I found myself drawn back to books. I’ve always said books are my love language, if there is such a thing. That’s a funny thing to admit because I didn’t learn to read until the ninth grade. But somewhere along the way, I became someone who now reads three to five books a week. At HarperCollins, where I served as Senior Director of Marketing, I had the privilege of working on books with Gary Sinise, Phil Robertson, Jen Hatmaker, Bob Goff, and Donald Miller. I loved it there and thought I’d stay forever. Read more>>

Megan Jordan

I dedicated the next eight years of my life to studying the role of artists in social justice causes, the power of art in contentious times of social divides, as well as the psychological and material costs to artists who carve new ways of thinking and being in these times of crisis. During my years of studies, I got involved in my Nashville community, creating murals and bringing art to various social causes in our city, including immigrant and refugee rights, reproductive rights, racial justice, economic justice, and environmental justice. My first mural was the Black Lives Matter street mural on Woodland Street in October 2020, which is still there to this day (surprisingly). Read more>>

Chas Bugge & Paige MacKinnon

When Glen retired in 2024, we were lucky enough to be the successors to carry on the space. And we absolutely love it — as queer small business owners who know what it is like to balance vision with budget, we are beyond proud of our commitment to affordability, accessibility, and inclusivity. Whether you’re an artist just starting out or a pro who has been in the game for years, we want you to feel comfortable, supported, and able to create your best work. Read more>>

Mikesha Hooper

I think the biggest obstacle I have had to get over is comparing myself and my work to others. Our minds can tell us that there are enough people out here doing this don’t even try so I think honestly just that! The constant reminder to myself that I’m here to make a difference along side all of the other amazing photographers in this City I have a place and I have Earned it! Read more>>

Emily Daniel

I started Spanish Lessons with Emily D right here in Nashville, TN back in 2011! Over the years I personally have worked with students ranging in ages 1-99 years old. Between myself and my all star team of teachers that work with me teaching my conversational curriculum, thousands of students have come through the Spanish Lessons with Emily D program and have had amazing results. Read more>>

Kalyn Keen

When we got married in 2023, we knew we wanted to build something rooted in the community we love. In February 2024, alongside our good friend Adam Shea, we officially opened Keen School of Music. For us, it wasn’t just about opening a business, it was about investing in the town we grew up in and giving students of all ages a place to experience the joy of music. Gallatin has shaped so much of who we are, so it means a lot that we get to pour back into it through this school. Read more>>

Alicia Hall

I was born in New Orleans and derived much of my desire for creative self expression from that environment. I moved to Tennessee in 2012 and continued raising my family here. After devoting much of my time and energy to parenting and caring for my aging father with dementia, I have returned my focus to my passion, my art. This homecoming of sorts allowed me to find myself again and rediscover the things that motivate and inspire me. I enjoy unraveling a complicated subject and recreating it in my own style. The detail achieved through graphite pencil and pen and ink, my mediums of choice, offer a challenge that keeps me invested and striving to become better at my trade. Read more>>

Lorraine Looney

My youngest son Sam was diagnosed with prenatal hydrocephalus and other health issues when I was 24 weeks pregnant with him. That was when we knew that his path would be different from typical kids and our path as parents would be different as well. He had his brain surgery when he was 5 weeks old and we quickly learned that we had to be his fiercest advocates. When Sam was 3 years old, we noticed that his development was not typical- even for what we had been expecting- but we encountered many bumps in the process of figuring out what he needed, with doctors and with the daycare.  Read more>>

Amy Price Neff

When it came time to choose a career path, I thought my efforts would be best used filling in the niches that no one else wanted to do. This lead me to training in family medicine and psychiatry, and after graduating, I ran a free clinic for 10 years and practiced psychiatry. As I transitioned to Nashville from Virginia in 2015, I craved additional training in integrative medicine and since 2017, I have trained in integrative medicine, psychedelic medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and integrative oncology. Read more>>

Gail Wall

When I started creating wedding florals in Maine, I had limited resources and lived in a rural area. I had a small wedding community, where I did florals through our church and friends. Now that I have moved to Tennessee with a larger population and more wedding venues, my hope is to get connected to wedding vendors to generate opportunities to create floral pieces for weddings, showers and special events. Read more>>

Daniel Booker

I grew up in West Tennessee playing on the Tennessee Golf Foundation’s junior tour, and that experience shaped a huge part of my journey. Competing as a junior gave me a love for the game, a foundation of discipline, and the chance to measure myself against some of the best players in the state. It was during those years that my personal motto of Continuous Improvement was born. Read more>>

Tiffany Pecoraro (Haug), MS, RDN, LDN, EDOC

As I gained more experience, it became clear that this messaging was oversimplified and often misleading. In reality, many patients find that their eating disorder is not the only factor affecting their symptoms, and recovery from an eating disorder (which remains life-saving and important) doesn’t automatically address co-occurring conditions. For some, an eating disorder may have served as a coping mechanism for managing an underlying medical condition. This lack of nuance in treatment can leave patients feeling gaslighted and frustrated, particularly when their complex medical issues are overlooked or dismissed. Read more>>

Alysha Nesbitt

That longing pushed me to create my own opportunity: I walked into Guitar Center, bought a microphone and battery-powered amp, and began singing my heart out on the pedestrian bridge. At first, it was just me, the river, and curious passersby’s – but soon, crowds gathered. Over time, my little street stage grew: a tip jar, a sign, a stool, and hours of music until I just didn’t feel like singing anymore. Read more>>

Sydney Verge

I was born and raised in Nashville. My parents were in their mid-30s when I was born, and as their first and only child, they poured everything they could into me. I could read music before I could write well. They enrolled me in piano lessons in kindergarten, recognizing my musical gifts early and wanting to make sure I developed them. Read more>>

Brian Grammer

I started my painting career when I was about 17 years old and quickly realized how much I enjoyed all aspects of the painting industry. After a few years of working and learning with others in the field I took the leap to open my own business, this was in the fall of 1999. Once out on my own it gave me a real opportunity to test and perfect my skills in different ways, such as a more custom painting approach. I enjoy being able to work one on one with clients to bring their visions to life. Read more>>

Maya Ratcliff

The impact was undeniable, and Maya knew she had something special. With encouragement and support from her husband, Don Ratcliff, they sold their dream home in Hawaii and moved to Dallas, Texas, to expand the business. Hawaii Fluid Art became a franchise in just a matter of months, and the first studio was born. Read more>>

I first stepped onto Jiu-Jitsu back in 2019 while I was serving as a youth pastor in Mississippi. At the time, I was out of shape—physically and mentally—and needed something to challenge me in a positive way. I tried out a class and was immediately drawn to the fact that it wasn’t about competition or brute strength. Everything relied on technique, leverage, and timing, which meant it worked for anyone—kids, women, men—regardless of size or athletic ability. Read more>>

Dennis Cook

I’m a vintage 66 year old, slightly patina songwriter in Nashville TN. I grew up in a one bowling alley type of town in Michigan. It was the sort of place where my best memories are safely stored on high school football fields, at July carnivals and cruising up and down Military St. in my parents Delta 88 rusty-green tank. Read more>>

Katherine Sandoval Taylor

Absolutely! Music has really been at the center of my life for as long as I can remember. I started my training at Furman University, where I received my Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, and then continued on to earn my Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. Those years were incredibly formative—not just in terms of vocal training, but also in helping me discover the kind of artist and storyteller I wanted to be. Read more>>

Donna Blackwell

I started my career in finance roles at places like American Airlines and Kroger. At Kroger, one of my biggest challenges was sorting out years of unreconciled accounts, where I managed to find over $5 million in missing deposits. These roles taught me a lot about the ins and outs of financial management. Read more>>