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.
Samantha Crouch
I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Missouri, and shortly after graduating, I began my career in education. Over the past decade, I taught high school and middle school English, and in my final three years, I served as a behavior intervention coach. Read more>>
Kelly Jackson
My introduction to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) started when a co-worker recommended coming to a Family to Family class in 2017. My husband was having unusual behavior, severely depressed, suicidal, irritable and he was in the process of being diagnosed with a mental health condition. This class was an absolute game changer for me and my family. Read more>>
Braden Pedersen
I started my career as a pastor, spending more than a decade leading people, building teams, and serving communities. That season shaped how I view leadership, purpose, and the kind of steady, compassionate guidance that mission-driven work requires. Over time, I stepped into executive roles in nonprofit and ministry environments, overseeing development, leading strategy, and helping organizations navigate complex transitions and growth. Read more>>
Ed Barnett
I was introduced to the commercial electrical trade in 2009 while living in California and finishing a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministries. Read more>>
Jeremy Wiedmaier
My journey started out of necessity, not inspiration. I’ve always been the kind of builder who reverse-engineers everything in front of me, and a few years ago I found myself trying to solve a problem that didn’t have a playbook: how to create an actuator system that behaves more like a human muscle. Read more>>
Wanda Winters
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS!!! Python’s Drill Team is a community-based, non-profit organization that provides a safe, structured outlet for Kansas City youth to express their talents through music, movement, and the arts. Founded in 1986 by Wanda Winters—with only 10 girls performing to a boom box and cassette tape—the team quickly expanded. Read more>>
Angela Berry
Alan and I were married in 2004. At that time, Alan was a wedding DJ with over 10 years of experience and I was a general manager for Marriott. It was apparent from the beginning that we both enjoyed taking care of people. Alan always encouraged me to become a DJ too. Read more>>
Kimberly Grewing
Designed To Flaunt began in 2020 with a simple love for creating. We started by assembling macramé earrings using blanks purchased from other laser makers. When wait times for those blanks started to increase, we decided it was time to take control of the process. We invested in our first machine, a small 40 watt laser, and began designing and cutting our own earring blanks. Read more>>
Musudeen Harrell
I am a dedicated nurse, accomplished entrepreneur, and passionate advocate whose career spans nearly three decades of service, leadership, and empowerment. With over 28 years in nursing and 21 years as an entrepreneur, I have built a legacy rooted in compassion, innovation, and advocacy for those who cannot speak for themselves. Read more>>
Chuckie Hessong
I grew up in Southwest Missouri, where “helping with supper” was not optional and where I realized early on, that creating delicious food brought people together. I studied Family & Consumer Science at Pittsburg State University because I loved the practical stuff, teaching life skills that actually matter to my high school students when they grew up. Read more>>
Ashley Lutz, Alyissa Johnson, Abbey Kobylinski, Annie Austen
The four of us are small business owners and makers who met while doing markets around Kansas City. We kept seeing how much talent was out there and how hard it could be to find a space that felt truly supportive. We wanted to build a different kind of market with community at the center. Read more>>
Nicole Mulmore
I never dreamed of doing hair, I tell people all the time this was the path that God chose for me and was birthed out of adversity. When I was a little girl my father was a hairdresser and would take care of my hair but his addictions, fast and reckless lifestyle caused my mom to move me and my three brothers to Kansas City. Read more>>
Angie Hasenbank
I started my career as an accountant with a simple goal: to work from home and spend more time with my husband and son. In the beginning, I had just a handful of clients—one of them happened to be a Managed Services Provider (MSP). That connection opened the door to the IT industry, and soon, referrals started pouring in. IT accounting became our niche. Read more>>
Marilyn Kay Lehman
My journey began when I was a young mother of two daughters. One year after my youngest daughter, Julia, was born, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. After Western medicine had little to offer to help her walk, I turned to alternative treatments. Read more>>
Tiffany Wyatt Michelle Graf
Hope House began in 1990 through the efforts of several local churches. Originally operating out of 2 rooms at a local church, Hope House has grown and moved twice over the years to our present location. Hope House is currently located at 205 W 17th St. Ottawa, KS 66067. Read more>>
Krista Kastler
My story begins with being an observant little kid watching my parents divorce and rebuild their lives, all while quietly carrying my own pain about the changes around me. I learned early on that I could earn positive attention through good grades and athletic achievement, so the structure of school—and later a Political Science degree—gave me something steady to hold onto. Read more>>
Kyondra Moss
My name is Ky’Ondra Moss, and I’m a certified purpose-led life coach. As a little girl, I loved school—teaching, reading, and writing came naturally to me. I knew early on that I would teach in some way, shape, or form. Read more>>
Southwind
In January of 2024, lead singer, Christian Shaffer, set out to start a band. After putting out an ad in search of musicians at Kansas State University, he soon found guitarist Cody Sundquist. After teaming up with writer and childhood friend of Christian, Dylan Sample, the trio wrote their first handful of songs. Read more>>
Amber Ellen
Back when I was preparing for a career in Occupational Therapy, the rising costs of school made me question my next step. It was my grandmother who gently pointed me toward massage therapy and in that moment, something clicked. What started as a practical pivot became a lifelong calling. My career began in St. Read more>>
Travis Carson
I’m Travis A. Carson, the 27-year-old Founder & CEO of LeapX, a tech startup built to eliminate waiting and simplify the restaurant experience. I grew up with a natural instinct to solve problems and create things that make life easier. I wasn’t a top student, and I eventually dropped out of college—but that’s where my real education began. Read more>>
Susie Gurley
I became a mental health advocate after my son, Will, started discussing his battle with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation publicly. At the age of 15, Will founded the You Matter Festival, where he shared his personal struggles with a 1,000 person crowd. This started Will’s role as a local Kansas City teen advocate for mental health. Read more>>
Luke Bergner
Oh boy… I was actually in the corporate construction world straight out of college. I had a business degree with no background in medicine really. But things changed drastically when I was 25 and I came down with a barrage of symptoms out of nowhere. Read more>>
dejon thompson
The funny thing is that starting a lawn care company was never part of the plan. I bought my first house at 22, and the yard was huge. I was pushing a little 21 inch mower, and it took me a couple of days just to cut my own grass. Read more>>
Rigoberto Tamez
Started off freestyling and beat boxing around the 5th grade at the time. Here is a lil autobiography i had wrote in school for an english credit. ‘Born October First 1992. Removed from the womb. Cord got cut now im getting cleaned up. I opened up my eyes as my mother saw my eyes for the first time. She heard my first cries. Read more>>
Tana Parry
I spent almost 28 years as a real estate appraiser and Realtor. I went to esthetics school a little over a decade ago, knowing that my real estate career wouldn’t last forever. My path into esthetics wasn’t a straight line—it unfolded slowly, shaped by both hardship and healing. For much of my life, I lived in extremes: a devoted sun-worshipper, a lifelong perfectionist, and someone quietly navigating chronic illness. Read more>>
Vonetta McClunie
Hi, when I graduated from high school, I pretty much knew that I wanted to pursue a medical/health profession. So, I enrolled in Howard University in Wash. DC in 1991 intending to pursue pre-med. I believe God had another plan for me, because I changed my major to Occupational Therapy. I began to work with neurodiverse children in the public school system. I found this work both rewarding and challenging. Overall, it was a blessing to work with both staff and students. Not long after working professionally, my own child was diagnosed with Autism.
I was 26 yrs. old. Back to God ordering my steps, this is one of the best careers to work with this population of children. In addition, God placed a village of people (family, friends, co-workers, etc. in my life to journey with me during this time. My daughter is now a beautiful 29-year-old woman! I felt God was calling me to do more with HIS gifts for me. It was revealed that marriage and family were the themes that kept ruminating within me. Marriages and families need support. Read More>>
