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.
JW Goodwin 
For me, basketball isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. Spending years running pickup games across local gyms and connecting with ballers across the region made one thing crystal clear: our area was overflowing with real talent. Read more>>
Lina Maria Baquero
I have always wanted to build something of my own; something that would feel like me, reflect my vision, and represent the way I choose to live life. I knew I wanted to create something meaningful, but for a long time, I wasn’t quite sure what that something would be. Read more>>
Joann Schermerhorn 
I came to web design through wellness, not tech. For about twenty years I worked in spas and gardens. I managed spas in Atlanta and Kansas City, did a permaculture internship in California, and picked up a lot of training along the way: herbalism, esthetics, yoga, lymphatic drainage, Ayurveda, and most recently sound healing. Read more>>
Lauren Johnson 
Some people wonder for years, what will I do when I “grow up”, luckily for me I knew from childhood I wanted to own my very own restaurant! I was born into the business! My family owned two restaurants over the course of 27 years in a town called Wallingford, Connecticut. Read more>>
Keke Blackmon 
My name is KeKe Blackmon. I was born November 18th in Little Rock,AR My parents are Albert and Denoris Blackmon. I am the youngest of three siblings. I am a mother of 5 which I adopted them all!! I was always taught, IF you are too big to serve, then you are too small to lead. I am married to my amazing wife Consuela Benson-Blackmon. Read more>>
Nikita Razo 
Honestly I didn’t plan to ever own a business. I actually have an engineering degree that I never got to use. Then a few years after graduation, I stumbled into a photography business that I ran for 10 years all over the world that gave me something to pour myself into during one of the hardest seasons of my life. Read more>>
Thomas Drake 
My wife was diagnosed with sleep apnea over ten years ago. She did not want to use a CPAP. I am a dentist so I educated myself on how oral appliances can help a person improve their snoring and sleep. Then I made one for her and her snoring reduced. Read more>>
Bianca Sisillo-DeFries 
Hello, I am Bianca, sole owner, investor, CEO + Creative Founder of INSPIRED Play Cafe LLC. I am a Christian woman of great faith, a wife to my husband Robert and a mom to five wonderful children (all under the age of 8!). From young as I can recall, I’ve had a natural love and connection with children. Read more>>
Amelia Harshfield 
I had really bad bookkeepers that I hired as a landlord. I just got so frustrated with them. Then when a restaurant that I worked for asked me to be their bookkeeper, I told them I would learn it but probabaly hate it. Read more>>
DJ Luigi El Picosito 
A music pasión begins at a young age of 7, being influenced by TV shows, radio and CD Albums. There was always music playing in my house hold. Instead of following the soccer ball after school, it was catching up with the latest music releases from the radio. Read more>>
Arthur Dachiardi 
Greetings! My name is Arthur Dachiardi and I am the creator of the company V.R.B.E, a (Visual Reading Bible Experience)! VRBE is now a fully functioning user-friendly application designed to make God’s Word accessible, engaging, and unforgettable for people of all ages! It has always been my goal to understand the Bible better, and to help others do the same! Read more>>
J.R. Nolan 
My story is really a mix of Jesus, music, ministry, family, and learning how to keep growing through different seasons of life. Music has been a big part of my life for years, especially worship and songwriting. Over time, I realized I wanted to create music that felt honest and gave people space to bring their real emotions, questions, grief, hope, and faith to God. Read more>>
Melissa Cowan 
It all started from day one of my childhood. I was born three days after my mother turned 16. My dad was 19. Three years later, my brother was born. My mother’s childhood was filled with trauma. She witnessed and endured abuse from her parents. Her life was difficult—truly, to say the least. When I was 12, my mother received her first diagnosis of schizophrenia. Read more>>
Nya Robinson 
Nyomi’s Puddin’ started with grief, but it grew into something that gave me purpose. In 2021, I experienced the loss of my daughter, Nyomi. A few years later, I found myself wanting to build something meaningful in her honor while also creating a different life for myself and my son. Read more>>
Austin Swegle 
I started doing photography when I was young, around the age of 3. Then I just never really stopped. What started as a hobby has turned into a life long passion. Read more>>
Andre Coleman 
I’d like to say my story is a simple one, but in life, there is no reason to downplay the falls as long as you keep getting up time and time again. As a son, a brother, a father, a friend, a martial artist, a coach, all hold a connection and a special place in my journey and life. Read more>>
Abrianna Howard 
I started at 17 years old and I had come to a point in my life where I didn’t want to get relaxers ever again nor did I want to keep relying on others to take care of my hair even though I never went to a real professional. So I decided to take control of my hair journey. Read more>>
Jazzmine Cayton 
I started photography in 2023! It was “the year of hobbies” for me, and thankfully I was gifted a camera from my bonus mom. That year I decided to try as many things as I could, outside of my comfort zone and photography was my first step. That first step led me to start a small business. Read more>>
Kimey Begaye 
My name is Kimey Rose Begaye, and I am a Diné and Lakota artist, community advocate, and the owner and artist behind Kimimilas Beadwork. I grew up on the Navajo reservation and later moved to California when I was 16. Growing up, my culture, family, and community shaped so much of who I am today. My journey with beadwork started small. Read more>>
Melissa Sisk 
I started foraging as a kid, picking lambsquarters with my grandmother for casseroles. I didn’t know that’s what it was called. She and my grandfather grew up in the Depression and wasted nothing, so weeds went into dinner right alongside the tomatoes and green beans. It stuck. Read more>>
JD Soil 
I started as a visual artist, and I’ve always wanted to build a career around creativity. While attending art school at Missouri Western State University, I was exposed to a wide range of artistic mediums. That experience gave me the confidence and inspiration to explore my creativity in new and exciting ways. I’ve always been drawn to graphic design. Read more>>
Jocelyn Tate 
K2C started as a hobby pressing prints on shirts for fun on the side while I was a cosmetologist during the day. I had 2 kids and I was trying to find my passion outside of being a mom. I started this hobby on my kitchen table and then quickly moved to my garage. Read more>>
Megan Snyder 
It all started with wanting to do something unforgettable for my children on their birthdays—something that would remind them just how special they are and that they are seen, loved, and celebrated. Then, one thing led to another. Someone asked me to plan their wedding, and even though they were from out of state, I said yes. Read more>>
Shelby Ayres 
A brief walk through my story I always say I didn’t choose the beauty industry, it chose me. I grew up loving transformation, creativity, and connection, long before I ever realized those things could become a career. Read more>>
Tevin Mitchell 
My name is Tevin Mitchell or often people refer to me as Coach Tev. I’m a Personal Trainer in the KC area. The “Coach Tev” program has a motto that I stand by daily “Outwork Everyone”. It’s a mindset that reminds myself and my clients to go out there and be the best and not let anyone outwork you. Read more>>
Josh Simcosky 
My story really starts with recovery. For a long time, I was very good at looking like I had things together while privately struggling with alcohol, addiction, anger, anxiety, people-pleasing, and the need to control how other people saw me. Eventually, that way of living caught up with me. In August of 2020, I got sober. Read more>>
Iris van Gelder 
I started making collages in 2011. I had a love and fascination for fashion, photography and magazines. For me, magazines were more than just something to look at. Every month they opened up a new dream world. They were a source of inspiration. After trying out photography and fashion styling, I found out that making collages was my passion. Read more>>
Tamara Curling 
I always say my love for fashion didn’t start in a boutique,…it started on a runway. At sixteen years old, I was a professional model in New York City, signed with a prestigious agency, walking into studios where the air smelled like fabric steamers and fresh garment bags. I didn’t just wear the clothes; I studied them. Read more>>
Crystal Parsons 
My journey into holistic health and wellness really started through my own life experiences. I’ve always been someone who believes there is so much more to healing than simply addressing symptoms. Over the years, my own experiences with health, personal growth, spirituality, and learning to listen to my body led me deeper into natural and holistic approaches to wellness. Read more>>
Dori Bell 
I began studying aromatherapy back in 2000, after a search on this new thing called the Internet revealed that I lived just a few miles from a woman who taught it. I had been feeling an overall dissatisfaction with my life and remembered how lit up I had been when smelling an essential oil a few years previously. Read more>>
greenkanvaz@gmail.com Kanvaz 
My journey as an artist started long before I started making music. My parents were musicians and visual artists as I grew up. I’ve always been a creative person, especially through visual art. In high school, I wore green almost every day and eventually became known as “Green” or “Mr. Read more>>
John Hudson 
Growing as a kid I faced a variety of challenges. I was dyslexic I had a speech impairment I suffered from a chronic illness called Crohn’s disease. The only thing I felt I was good was basketball and sports. However deep down inside I had a great passion for music. Read more>>
Emma Jo 
I got my first guitar from a late-night TV commercial that my dad bought on a whim. My mom raised me on country music and my dad raised me on rock and roll, especially Bruce Springsteen. I still describe my sound as the love child of Bruce Springsteen and Shania Twain. Read more>>
Julie Rudman 
My pleasure, and thanks for asking. I never imagined that I would be doing this work, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else! I started The Breast Cancer Club after I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. I had no family history, and I was the healthiest I’d been in my adult life. Read more>>
Wes Cauveren 
I was born and raised in Independence, Missouri, and have spent most of my life here in the Kansas City area. Looking back, I think my story is really about learning to move from living life by default to becoming more intentional about the life I’m creating. Read more>>
Naomi Kurata 
Starting in middle school, I struggled with inflamed acne that would come and go randomly. My parents thought it would be a temporary condition that I would grow out of once I became an adult, but it followed me into adulthood. It was painful not only physically but also emotionally and it wrecked my self-confidence. Read more>>
Allegra Kincaid 
Like most professionals, I credit my education for providing a strong foundation for my career. I was fortunate to attend Notre Dame de Sion High School, then continue on to the University of Notre Dame for my undergraduate education. I made a major pivot in my undergraduate years–my plans to attend medical school evolved into plans to attend law school! Read more>>
Aubree Hendershot 
Radiant Wellness really began long before I ever opened its doors. I started my career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, where I was trained to look beyond a symptom and understand how the entire body works together. Even then, I was drawn to a more functional approach—asking why something was happening instead of simply addressing where it hurt. Read more>>
Musudeen Harrell
I got started in the in-home care arena in 2004. At the time, I was working as a nurse on the night shift, and I began to see a need that deeply impacted me. I saw individuals going into nursing homes simply because they did not have the care and support, they needed at home. That experience opened my eyes to a greater need. Read more>>
baexier (xaviertevaseu) 
I’m Xavier, known online as Baexier- a Kansas City-born comedian, streamer, and content creator built from real life, not shortcuts. I come from the trenches and have faced unfortunate situations that could have held me back, but I chose to turn pressure into purpose. Every challenge taught me resilience, discipline, and the importance of staying solid when life gets hard. Read more>>
Marquitta Alberty 
Yes, well I started braiding hair about the age of 13 in middle school. My mother didn’t know how to do a French braid or any other styles other than ponytails. Me and my sister decided to just start experiment with our hair and turned out to be hair artist. Read more>>
