Kansas City’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.

Chandler Johnson

Don’t get me wrong… I am proud of these titles and opportunities that have emerged from my decade-long run in this industry. But at the same time, I try to keep my highs low or be humble (as Kendrick Lamar suggests) and stay focused on the idea that I just love creating in whatever way that comes. It’s truly a fantastic thing to be able to have a career based on one’s passions. Read More>>

Kylie Helm

That same year, I started working as an SLP at an elementary school. It was a special school—a Title I school located in an affluent suburb—and I quickly recognized the needs of many students as familiar. Growing up in a low socioeconomic environment (SEE) myself, I understood that for some families, school, grades, and therapy weren’t top priorities. Their needs were more immediate: food, sleep, safe housing. This understanding motivated me to advocate for these students, but it was also during this time that I began to feel limited in my practice. Special Education policies, while protective, started to interfere with how I could provide services and who I could serve. Read More>>

Tim Jones

Once I dropped I started off in real estate and read 50 books on the subject as soon as earning my license in 2019 with “Remax beyond” in Olathe KS (the only remax in olathe). My first year I didn’t do well and only sold 4-6 homes… But I knew that I needed a mentor to learn before I could earn and so I got with a mentor names Taffy from the Block and we created a team, also receiving mentorship from Donald Payne of Vision Realty in Columbus, Ohio (where I was born). With his extensive knowledge he still mentors me now. Read More>>

Rebecca Dickinson

I’d say that it’s been relatively smooth. I am super lucky because my husband has always been willing to lend a helping hand anytime I needed him. This meant completing last-minute stages, if needed, or having a back-up mover if one failed to show up. I can’t really say we’ve had any really significant struggles. I’ve been really lucky that the business has grown organically and we’ve been able to maintain a strong reputation. I’ve also been really lucky that we’ve hired some extraordinary people who are hard workers, fun, and really passionate about making the business a success. Read More>>

Beatrice Henry

Each child should have access to quality education and every caregiver should feel confident in educating their child no matter their income or skill level. I am able to use my two loves of educating and creating, as an Educational Consultant, to help bridge the gap between home and school. The programs I create and share help build a connection between literacy and family engagement. When we learn as a team we build a strong community of learners. Read More>>

Mark D. Harper

If someone had told me a decade ago that he would be running a military-style aviation academy for underserved youth, I might have laughed. Not because I didn’t believe in big dreams—I’ve always been a dreamer—but because, at the time, my wife and I were deep in the trenches of early childhood education, running a preschool in Kansas City, Kansas. Aviation wasn’t even on the radar. But, as Mark puts it, “God had other plans.” Read More>>

Chelsea Walker

Yet, in the rush of life, I finished recording, grabbed my phone and stumbled off to work. It would take another two hours, and advice from a coworker before I realized I was having a stroke. I look at life now as “pre-stroke” and “post-stroke.” Pre-stroke I had more energy, lived more freely and spent more time outside of the house. But now, life post-stroke is full of exhaustion, sleepless nights, depression and wonder. And despite spending months in therapy sessions to recover, I am often left wondering if I will ever recover to the “pre-stroke” life of being a carefree thirty-one year old. At thirty-one, I should be young and full of life, but now I struggle with memory problems and speech. Read More>>

Mariam Saifan

One of the biggest challenges was breaking into high-end weddings. It’s not just about taking good photos—it’s about building a brand that stands out. I had to learn how to showcase my work in a way that attracted the right clients, how to price for profit, and how to create an experience that couples rave about. Read More>>

Strange Poet

I was raised on R&B, Brian McKnight, Teddy Pendergrass, Stevie Wonder, Avant, etc and I was always liked how the music was structured and the words were nuanced. I started writing down my favorite songs to see what it was like, that turned me to writing my own poems which turned me to writing them to beats and so on and now here we are. Read More>>

Jennifer Wilson

I started getting neurotoxin treatments and realized the huge impact it had on my self-esteem and confidence. I no longer looked exhausted! But the appointments were so rushed, I didn’t like not fully understand how the product worked or what all of my options were. As a lifelong learner and someone who likes a good challenge, when the opportunity presented to learn more about aesthetics, I took the leap! I love to travel so I headed to Florida for training. Read More>>

Walter Bethea

In that idea, “Song of the Day” was born, which was a series where for every single day in 2023 without fail I would upload a short of me lip syncing a song. Along with this, I uploaded a variety of videos, from basketball commentary to vlogs to skits and between January of 2023 and May of 2023 my audience grew all the way to 1000 subscribers, meeting my goal of 1000 subs by graduation. Throughout the rest of the year my total amount of subscribers would grow to well over 2000 and the song of the day series came to an end. After which, I’ve continued to upload longer form videos to YouTube and the channel has continued to grow to over 3000 subscribers, sitting at 3008 today. I want to be more consistent with my upload schedule and have the goal of hitting 10k subs by the end of 2025. Read More>>

Kelsi Eastman

Early in 2022 I started to see these videos on tiktok of cakesicles and I thought that they looked so fun to make and I wanted to figure out how to make them. I kind of jumped in full force because I already loved to bake and did so often. One tricky part to that though- I have a gluten intolerance so everything I baked during that process I couldn’t eat. My dear sweet husband would always taste test for me, and though he loved them told me that I either needed to stop or sell them for his health. So, for Halloween 2022 I made a couple different designs and sold them on facebook. I was truly blown away by the support! Read More>>

Heather Yacenda

I used my savings and decided to immediately go out on my own doing booth rental in a small salon in Andover KS( my hometown ) Read More>>

Nan Turner

I hung out a lot at the “Sidewalk Cafe (home of “antifolk”) and saw songwriters like The Moldy Peaches and Jeffrey Lewis and Regina Spektor. I would go to open mics where people were encouraged to write an interesting song, with the idea that your skill on an instrument would catch up eventually. For me that was absolutely the case! I was writing songs before I really knew how to play guitar. But being in a supportive environment really helped me take risks and to follow the fun of creating. Read More>>

Tonya Round

The beginning is not typical of where I ended. I catered my 5-year High School Reunion and said I would never do that again. It was hard and exhausting. Fast forward, I discovered that working in restaurants was the easiest way to attend and pay for college – so there I was. I have spent 40+ years in the Hospitality Industry in about every area you can imagine. My career led me to being The Director of Catering of Garozzo’s Ristorante for 11 years. I knew nothing about catering when I started [besides my experience years ago], but by the end, I’d executed thousands of events—and I guess I was hooked! Read More>>

Brooke Buck

Thankfully, I have an incredible support system, and being open about the realities of running a small business and navigating personal struggles has helped me and (I hope others) feel less alone. I believe sharing these experiences helps foster a sense of community, which is so important in the creative world. My work and the amazing clients I get to collaborate with have been a huge source of healing and positivity for both my husband and I—a beautiful distraction for us! Read More>>

Adam And Jennifer Parker

The empty shelves of grocery stores and supply chain issues, stoked our resolve to help our neighbors, families, and friends suffering from food insecurity. Tiny Pantry Times (TPT) started in our front yard, supplying 2,500 pounds of food and hygiene a month into the community. TPT has since blossomed into a not so tiny pantry that now resides in the front yard of Overland Park Christian Church supplying between 30 and 36,000 pounds monthly of food and hygiene into that same community. As the community need has grown, the service to meet that need has been growing right along with it. Read More>>

Shawnneice Mitchell

It has not been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges was finding my target audience and realizing that my products and art don’t resonate with everyone. It took a lot of self-reflection, but through staying true to myself and my vision, I was able to connect with the right people and find my audience. Read More>>

Angela Janssen

We are passionate about our team and take pride in nurturing young stylists, nail techs, and estheticians within our community. This past year, we onboarded shareholders within our salon company. These future Stem owners have grown up with the company, and we look forward to passing the torch to them one day, ensuring the continuation of our vision. Read More>>

Cerberus Kc

Our biggest struggle has probably been trying to be grounded in what we want to accomplish and learning to take things step by step. We all have pretty big dreams and goal, but getting to do all of that costs money, requires more permits, and more space to work out of. We want to do things right, so pacing ourselves to ensure we can do things more strategically has been something we’ve been learning to be better at. Read More>>

Daisha María – Breona

I also enjoy exploring the delicate nuances of mental health, I aim to spark conversations and foster empathy. Embracing the beauty of all bodies, my work celebrates body positivity, advocating for self-love and acceptance. Ultimately, my art serves as a catalyst for freedom of expression, inviting viewers to engage, reflect, and be inspired to embrace their true selves unapologetically. Read More>>

Dulcinea Herrera

At Café Corazón, our journey began with a dream – a dream to create a space where culture, art, and community could come together over a cup of coffee. We didn’t start with much, but we had a vision and the determination to make it happen. As a family, we brought together our unique skillsets, from business and design to craftsmanship and creativity, to build something meaningful. We’re proud to be family, veteran, Latin, and Indigenous-owned, and we reflect those values in everything we do. Every step of the way, we leaned on each other and our local community to bring this vision to life. Read More>>

Jaclyn Liberator

She was shocked and told me how while they can help guide, they are not supposed to outright deny students on what they would like to pursue. She advised that maybe I should take an Art History class and see what I thought and then we could decide from there. I took the class and loved it. At that point I finally had my major and was feeling happy about it. I did have some skepticism from others on what I would do with this degree, but I persevered. You can surprisingly do a lot with this degree – Work in a museum or art gallery directing or curating pieces, work with the FBI on fraud pieces, teach at a school, etc. However, once again, that’s not what happened. Read More>>

Amandeep Kaur

While the journey so far has had its smooth stretches, It has had its share of highs and lows. There have been moments where challenges seemed overwhelming, and many tried to undermine my passion and dreams. But through it all, I remained steadfast. Each setback only fueled my determination to push forward. I’ve learned to embrace the struggles as part of my growth, and I am proud of how far I’ve come. The road to my dreams may not always be easy, but every twist and turn has made me stronger and more committed than ever. Read More>>

Jessica Yehle Rix

I am a Minnesota girl at heart, born and raised in a suburb of St. Paul. I met my future (ex)husband when I was in college. He was from Kansas City and when we left school we relocated here. I have called Kansas City home for 21 years. 19 years ago I had my first child, River. He has the biggest smile, best hair, hilarious sense of humor and his giggle is infectious! He also has severe disabilities. He requires full care in all activities. I didn’t just caregive at home, my career was in healthcare. In 2020 I was happily settled in my job at KU working in the OR. I loved my career and never envisioned my life changing directions. Read More>>