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.
Danielle Neville
I’ve rebuilt my life more times than I can count and every time, a song came with it. I left London chasing a dream. I never expected I’d have to rebuild my entire life to find it. People often ask me if music was Plan A. The truth is, music was the one thing that survived every other plan falling apart. Read more>>
Shweta Chauhan
My spiritual path did not begin with a business plan or with the intention of becoming a holistic practitioner. It began with questions. I have always been deeply curious about people—why we hurt, why we repeat patterns, what allows one person to rise after hardship while another loses hope, and what it truly means to heal rather than simply survive. Read more>>
Katy Mitchell
Bought the shop three years ago from the previous owner. I was grieving the loss of my mother and my grief counselor suggested I do something that I used to do with my mom that brought me joy. I immediately thought of flowers as we used to garden and arrange flowers together for all the local churches when I was growing up. Read more>>
Charnell Murphy
My journey to creating Holistic Inspiration, LLC has been rooted in one central belief: people deserve to be supported as whole individuals and not simply defined by the challenges they may be facing. My professional journey began in the mental health field, where I had the opportunity to work directly with individuals and families while also growing into leadership and clinical supervisory roles. Read more>>
CoCo Genai
I’ve always been someone who believed there was more for me, even before I fully understood what that “more” looked like. Helping and encouraging others has always come naturally to me, but a big part of my own journey was first learning who I was for myself. A major turning point for me was attending modeling school. Read more>>
Stephanie Baum
From my 1st job in high school to majoring in fashion merchandising in college to a long corporate career in retail buying, fashion has been a part of my life. I love the pace of the business and that its every evolving. There are also problems to solve that keep you energized. Unfortunately some things are not meant to be forever. Read more>>
David Boyer
I grew up in a loving two-parent home with my mother and father. We had love, values, and a strong family foundation, but we didn’t always have access to capital or financial resources. Read more>>
Jay Trogdon
I founded our business on three main principles – quality, pricing, and service – and we pride ourselves on our commitment to these principles each day. Read more>>
Kristina Antic
I moved to Arlington, VA from Serbia in 2015 and worked in the restuarant industry. In 2020 the restuarant I was working at closed because of COVID. I took the time at home as an opportunity to turn my favorite hobby into a business. My friends started ordering cakes for small gatherings, and soon after my friend Emiliya encouraged me to start an instagram page. Read more>>
Ben Tufts
I grew up in Loudoun County and started playing drums in middle school. I was in a band in high school, and chose music as my major for my undergrad work at Longwood University, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor’s in Music Education. I moved back to northern Virginia after graduation, started work in IT, and began teaching private lessons on the side. Read more>>
Camille Kouyoumdjian
I grew up in Virginia, spending my childhood between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Eastern Shore. Moving between mountains and coast gave me an early connection to wild places and changing landscapes that still shapes my work today. My path to becoming a full-time artist wasn’t a direct one. Read more>>
Megan Bordwine
I opened my second hand used bookshop, The Book Cellar in 2023 with my husband Chad. I had mentioned the need for a bookstore in Abingdon and very soon after that the perfect spot became available and we’ve never looked back. I have always loved reading and am an avid thrifter. Read more>>
Dr. Tony Dice
For a long time, I thought my problem was alcohol, then I thought it was drugs, trauma, war, women, money, or whatever else I was chasing at the time, but eventually I figured out that none of those things was really the problem. The truth was, I needed intensity to feel alive. Read more>>
Terrence Bowser Bowser
The BodyLinez Story Built on Results. Refined Through Experience. Driven by Purpose. I didn’t get into this business because I wanted to simply become a trainer. I got into it because I became fascinated with what the human body is actually capable of—and how dramatically someone’s life can change when you learn how to bring that potential out of them. Read more>>
Reginald Buggs
My story began in Columbia, South Carolina, where I grew up as a troubled young man in a family struggling with poverty and living on welfare. My two sisters and I were raised by our great-grandmother because our mother battled alcohol addiction and domestic violence and was unable to care for us consistently. When our great-grandmother became ill, my sisters and I were separated. Read more>>
Angel Ortiz
This is a powerful story because it connects your career in security, your Puerto Rican roots, COVID, and your unexpected transition into music and community-building. I’ve shaped it into a **magazine-style personal story** with a stronger narrative arc while preserving the heart of what you wrote. Read more>>
Sara Ordway
When I was almost four years old I memorized Veruca Salt’s song and dance from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and would perform it for myself in the living room. That’s how my mom knew it was time to take me to dance class. Through my school age years ballet become my true love. Read more>>
Mohamed Sulieman
I started working as a delivery driver for Domino’s while I was in college. Then I got promoted to an assistant manager role. A year later, I got my first store as a GM. In less than a year, I became a district manager. I worked there for over 6 years. I used to eat at Stone Hot Pizza. Read more>>
Tamara Wills
My journey began long before I officially founded Bridging the Gap Youth Program in 2018. I spent more than 15 years working in customer service and over 13 years in advertising, marketing, promotions, branding, and event coordination. Those experiences taught me how to communicate with people, build relationships, recognize potential, and connect individuals and businesses with the right opportunities. Read more>>
NaJai Pollard
My name is NaJai Pollard. I’m a professional international basketball player, entrepreneur, mentor, and founder of Supreme World LLC. I played collegiately at Delaware State University, where I became the school’s all-time leading scorer and inducted into the Hall of Fame, and I’ve spent the last several years playing professionally overseas in countries including Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Israel. Read more>>
Melissa Cave
I’ve always been the person with a camera in my hand. Long before photography became a business, I was the “family photographer,” documenting birthdays, holidays, and all the ordinary moments in between. After losing my dad, those photographs took on an entirely new meaning. Read more>>
Tarsha Joyner
I actually went to school to be a computer programmer and then I went to school to be a graphic designer. One of my graphic design classes I was tasked with branding a business from start to finish. Including brand usage guidelines. I decided to create a real business because my son needed a summer job and it would be his first job. Read more>>
Dilan Rafael Burrola
Our journey began with a dream and a desire to grow both personally and professionally. For five years, I worked for a large company, where I had the opportunity to learn the trade, gain valuable experience, and develop the skills that would later become the foundation of our business. After that period, I was given the opportunity to take on several projects independently. Read more>>
Xavier Drakeford
My journey started in Ferrum, Virginia, where I grew up and graduated from Franklin County High School. From there, I went on to play college football at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. During my junior season in 2008, I earned First Team All-Conference honors and was named an Honorable Mention All-American. Read more>>
Andrea Kanelopoulos
My journey began over three decades ago when I walked through a 14 year near death battle with Anorexia. I began speaking in schools, hospitals, treatment programs and more while trying to recover. Once I found a healing point, I authored a book, FIND YOUR VOICE PROJECT: A JOURNEY TOWARDS HEALING, about my journey and from there I knew I wanted to do more. Read more>>
Jerome Gunn
My journey has truly been about transforming hard work, dedication, and service into something that can benefit others. I experienced what it was like to return home and try to make sense of things without many chances or a clear path after serving in the military. That stuck with me. Read more>>
Diego Sifuentes
The inspiration behind Doña Sazón has always been my mom. Growing up, she was the chef in our home, and every meal she made brought our family together. Her passion for Peruvian cooking inspired everything that came after. In 2014, my parents took a leap of faith and began selling homemade Peruvian food from our house. Read more>>
