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.
Noorah Nachbor
I attended Kansas State University and then moved to Kansas City in 2004 with ambition, hustle, and honestly… no real roadmap. I started my career as a bill collector for Chrysler Financial. Not glamorous at all. But it taught me how to talk to people in hard moments and it built on my resilience. I didn’t know it then, but that skill would follow me everywhere. Read more>>
Kyla Love
I studied Journalism/Mass Comm in school, graduated with a dual major in that and French. Communications jobs weren’t easy to come by in 2008 so I found a job using my French. Fast forward a few years, I became a stay-at-home mom, and needed a creative outlet so I began teaching myself Photoshop, Illustrator, WordPress, and other design/marketing skills. Read more>>
Briiohn Covert
My yoga journey began because I wanted to work out, but I had unhealthy habits, and I never liked running or high-impact workouts. My back hurt all the time from having scoliosis. I felt disconnected from my body and ashamed of my physical appearance. I was hooked when I found calming yoga videos online. Read more>>
Kristina Gasenko
When I moved to the United States, I saw how many talented beauty professionals — especially immigrants — were unable to work legally in their profession because they didn’t understand the licensing system. Many of them had years of experience in their home countries but felt completely lost navigating U.S. regulations. Read more>>
Krystal LaDuke
Years ago, when we started our deathcare company, our hope was to bring intimacy back into the process of dying, to return compassion, power, and control to the individual and their family. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that my 21 year young son would become my first truly intimate experience within this work. Read more>>
LINDSEY MARSHALL
If you want all the ‘things’ in life, you gotta earn them. Right? That’s how I was taught. Work hard, play hard, and always forward movement. I started serving when I was 16. I loved the interaction with people, putting smiles on their faces, and the general flow of the business. In college, I learned how to bartend. Read more>>
Kristiana Sanford
I’ve spent over a decade working in communications within the federal government, where my focus has always been on strategic storytelling and connecting people to information that matters. While I’ve loved that work, I found myself craving something more creative and personal outside of my 9–5 — something that would allow me to connect with people in a more meaningful, face-to-face way. Read more>>
Kiah Pogue
Ok, so it feels so funny but in like 2014-2017 my friends and I would get dressed up and go do photoshoots for instagram and I LOVED editing the images and coaching everyone through poses so for my 19th birthday my boyfriend (now husband) got me my first real camera, Canons Rebel T7. Read more>>
Kathleen (Kiki) Swift
I’ve been a cleaner for some years – started in Florida as an Airbnb cleaner. When I moved to KC branched out into other types of cleaning – deep cleaning, move in/out, regular/maintenance cleans. In late 2024 my body began complaining (it’s getting older, what can I say). Read more>>
Angelica Aviles
I’ve always had a passion for makeup since I was a young teenager. I was struggling with depression as a teenager due to issues going on at home, within myself, & school. It was a way for me to cope and block everything out by practicing makeup tutorials I found on YouTube. Read more>>
George Estrada
I grew up in a very creative family. Both my twin brother and I went to art college in Chicago, where I grew up. We both changed our majors to Visual Communications and got our bachelor’s in graphic design (graduated in 2005). I thought about majoring in Interior Design however I wasn’t sure I should. Read more>>
Malia Hinkle
Oak & Willow started as a bit of a joke on a beach in Mexico, where I asked my husband what his thoughts were on us opening a boutique in our small town. Hiawatha didn’t have much for clothing within a 45-minute radius, and as a mom who was freshly postpartum with my second son, online shopping just plain stunk. Read more>>
Alexis Roe
I graduated college with a Bachelors Degree in Communication which landed me a job in hospitality. During this time, I started doing my own nails for fun, as I loved art work and being creative. I quickly realized that I wanted to make people feel good and doing nails was the perfect way to do that. Read more>>
Stephanie Meeks
For 30 years, Missouri Pit Bull Rescue worked tirelessly to save and advocate for pit bull–type dogs. When the organization closed its doors, many volunteers knew we wanted to continue their mission. Out of that commitment, Made a Promise Rescue was formed on September 23, 2025. Read more>>
Bill Smith
I’m Dr. Bill Smith, clinical pharmacist and certified functional medicine clinician. As I went through my early career I would see so many individuals on 10+ medications with no hopes of ever really getting better or resolving their issues/symptoms and I knew there had to be a better approach. A few years in, I stumbled upon a functional medicine program and eventually decided to enroll. Read more>>
Joey Gross
918 Studio started the way a lot of good things start: three people with different strengths realizing we kept bumping into the same problem, really smart founders and business owners had great ideas, but tech felt either out of reach financially, or locked behind slow timelines and confusing processes. Read more>>
Business Navigators LLC
Business Navigators LLC was born from a simple but meaningful realization: many small and mid-sized business owners weren’t just looking for an accountant—they were looking for a partner. Someone who could walk alongside them, help them make sense of their numbers, and guide them through the financial decisions that shape their future. Read more>>
Monique Santoyo
I was born and raised on the Kansas City, Kansas side, and even though I now live in Las Vegas, Kansas City will always feel like home to me. Family and community have always been very important in my life, and that has played a big role in the business we’ve built. Read more>>
Donna Pashia
I sought out training for our own family dog a German shepherd . Training ended up becoming a hobby by participating in dog sports, obedience and agility I started offering group training classes per a request by a local veterinarian and that grew into offering boarding and later grooming. Read more>>
Gabriel Rodriguez
I worked for a company who after showed their true colors. I helped build a business and then was told to train my new manager who knew nothing about the industry. I was able to identify issues within the business and come up with solutions, but I wasn’t the owner or the manager, so it wasn’t up to me to make that decision. Read more>>
Iman (also called ‘Dr. Iman’ Williams Christians, Ph.D.
I started my career as a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and grief, working primarily with veterans. It was meaningful work, but over time I noticed a significant gap. Grief was present in nearly every story I heard, yet it was rarely being addressed directly or with the depth it deserved. That realization shaped everything that came after. Read more>>
Laura, Leah Probasco-Johnson, Probasco-Burns
Leah and I grew up in what you could call a therapy-loving family. Our mom and dad are therapists, both of us became therapists, and our youngest sister is an occupational therapist. Read more>>
Yee-Sik Wong
My name is Yee-Sik Wong. I’m originally from Hong Kong. I started playing piano when I was 4, and ballet when I was 5. I took lessons as a hobby when I was little. I was in choir and the recorder band in middle and high schools. Read more>>
Hayley Taylor
We are a small husband and wife duo. We started this little business after some research and finding a passion for quality, durable, wearable fashion that endures the test of time. My husband is an engineer by trade with a background in welding, and I am a doctor in training. Read more>>
Luke Luzicka
Hannah and I grew up at my mother’s ballet school together, and after high school we both left Kansas City to pursue ballet. After returning to Kansas City we got married and opened our own ballet school in Liberty in 2012. We started with a single class of 7 young students, renting a room from William Jewell College’s athletic center on Saturday mornings. Read more>>
Ebonie Hunter
Ten years ago, I started interning at Center School District as a social work intern, my senior year of college. A few months after graduation, I was hired — and this district has been my home ever since. Read more>>
Jackie Berra
I’ve been creative for as long as I can remember. I grew up in St. Louis taking art classes before I could even walk — drawing portraits, building with wire, constantly experimenting. That early exposure to art shaped how I see the world: through curiosity, structure, and storytelling. Read more>>
Chaya Niedzwiecki
Graze by Brachie & Chaya really grew out of years of cooking, community involvement, and a shared love of food. Brachie brings over 20 years of experience in the food industry, while Chaya has a background in food and nutrition management. Cooking and hosting have always been a big part of both of our lives. Read more>>
Lisa Reichert
I think we have to go back to childhood for this! I was probably 6 when I remember helping people align with their soul, their spirit and wanting them to get back on the path. I would set up family devotional time to help us connect and express our desires; definitely not my family’s strength, yet I was undeterred. Read more>>
Kimberly Pierce
I’ve loved makeup for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is watching my grandma put on her lipstick, and I was completely fascinated. When I went to college at Emporia State University, I majored in Theatre, which happened to be one of the few programs that included makeup training. I already loved theatre, so it was a natural fit. Read more>>
Kylee Nicolay
I’m Kylee Nicolay (formerly Timberlake), born in Bonner Springs and shaped by a lifetime in and around Kansas City. Sports were my first language, and they carried me to Kansas Wesleyan University, where I spent four years playing and coaching softball. Read more>>
Sonja Gittings
My husband and I enjoy staying at vacation rentals when we travel for more privacy and a more at home feel. We realized that our home area did not have many options and that it would tie in nicely with my current real estate business. Read more>>
June Northern
Hello, my name is June Northern of Lee’s Summit, MO. I am a devoted mother of two adult sons, Carl & Quincy, and I gained a beautiful daughter-in-love, Sydney. Read more>>
Sammie G
My story really started in a season of my life where everything felt uncertain. I had just been laid off, again, from my job of 12 years and was also battling alcohol abuse. It was a low point for me, but it became a turning point. Read more>>
Kristen Orr
My journey started fresh out of highschool and going straight into the workforce, college fit somewhere in those long hours as I dove deeper into my career but it certainly wasn’t a priority. The accounting world always has numerous deadlines so that was more important as time went on. Read more>>
Kelly Crabb
I spent nearly twenty years as a photographer, so I’ve always been a vocational creative. When I married my husband and became a stepmom in my late thirties, I found myself spending more time outside while the boys played — pulling weeds, planting things, trying to make our yard feel like home. I had never gardened before and honestly had no idea what I was doing. That turned out to be part of the magic. Read more>>
Antonia Andrews
That’s how Zenful Sparks evolved from a personal practice into a dedicated studio and collective space. I wanted to create a vessel not just for my own work, but for other practitioners like Julie Larson (Jules), whose herbalism and shadow-work complement the energy clearing I do. Read more>>
