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.
Alison Lincoln
I started my practice 21 years ago when a friend of mine asked me to try something new. I was looking for a bit of adventure and purpose, so I joined an Aikido class with her. The class came at just the right time—I was recently single and responded well to the sense of community and self-empowerment that one finds in Aikido class. Read more>>
Marilyn Pham
My story originates from when I was a little girl growing up in Virginia. I was a self taught singer and would practice whenever I got the chance. This usually included locking myself in the garage so nobody would hear or find me. Nobody in my family knew I could sing until they came to my school talent show, and they were shocked. Read more>>
Lorna Kennedy
I’m originally from Scotland, but Richmond has been home to me and my family for more than 15 years. My professional background is in project management and business leadership, where I’ve spent many years managing teams, building relationships and bringing complex projects to life. I’ve also been involved in the local community through my work in early childhood education. Read more>>
Taz Alam
My relationship with entrepreneurship began when I was 15 and launched my first business selling heatless hair curlers. That idea eventually led me into national pitch competitions and gave me my first real glimpse of what it takes to turn something that exists in your head into something other people can see, understand, and believe in. Read more>>
Kacper Lastowiecki
Most people never think about the air they breathe inside their own home, or the way light hits them at 7am and again at 7pm, or what is off-gassing from the materials in the walls around them. I think about all of it, constantly, because I have dedicated my architectural work around one idea: that a home should actively make you healthier. Read more>>
Joe O’Connor
I am adopted into a family of six boys, born and raised in the West End of Henrico, and after completing my undergraduate degree, I moved back to Richmond to start my professional career. I had started doing social media while still in school and continued as a hobby throughout my post-grad career. Read more>>
Shant’a Miller White
From Surviving to Speaking: The Story of Shant’a Nichole If you had told the little girl I once was that one day her voice would become a powerful instrument of encouragement, advocacy, and inspiration, she probably would have believed you—but she never could have imagined the journey it would take to get there. My name is Shant’a Miller White, known to many as Shant’a Nichole. Read more>>
Milton Rodriguez
I grew up in Baja, Mexico, where food was everything. From making tortillas and tamales with my abuela to grabbing tacos on the street with friends, I was immersed in traditional flavors that defined my childhood. Later, I brought this with me to San Diego and Austin, where I worked nearly every job in the restaurant industry. Read more>>
Kevin Maness
I began my art journey when I was 8 years old. I started by drawing my favorite cartoon/anime characters as a kid from Avatar, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Teen Titans & more. Once I graduated high school I went to college at the Art Institute in Virginia Beach which gave me the opportunity to learn more about my craft. Read more>>
Erin Palmwood
When I started college at the University of Mary Washington, I had no idea what I wanted to major in – let alone what I wanted my career to be! I ended up double-majoring in math and psychology, an admittedly odd combination, and went to graduate school to get my PhD in clinical psychology. Read more>>
Lori carter
I was in a 8 year abusive relationship. For years I was in denial of what abuse really was. My first bout with domestic violence, he pushed me down the steps. He made me believe that i tripped down the steps. Manipulation played a huge part in our relationship. Read more>>
Laura Fling
I fell in-love with wedding planning by planning my own. I had zero prior planning experience. I planned my wedding in 10 months, fell in-love with the process and once my wedding day had come and gone, I felt sad. Those ‘wedding blues’ some speak of, for me it was a real thing and it hit hard. After we got married the world shut down. Read more>>
Jordan Joyes
Tattooing is part of my family history. I’m a second-generation tattoo artist, and State Of The Art Tattooing was established in Winchester, Virginia, by my father in 1986. I grew up around the studio and was introduced early to both the artistic side of tattooing and the responsibility that comes with it. Read more>>
Raven Boone
My name is Raven Boone and I’m a multi-disciplinary artist that her turned her passion into a business. Some people spend their entire life trying to discover who they want to be and what they want to do. I have known since birth. Since grade school I’ve always had an affinity for art and entrepreneurship. Read more>>
Derek Tresize
I never expected to be a bodybuilder, a personal trainer, or a vegan; so it’s funny how life works out sometimes. I earned my personal training certification in 2007 and worked at university and commercial gyms while I finished a biology degree at VCU. By age 22, I was running the personal training department at Gold’s Gym in Richmond. Read more>>
Valeria Stewart
I’m a guitarist, vocalist, and singer-songwriter whose multilingual performances blend Latin, folk, jazz, and Americana influences. My original music has earned recognition from the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest Awards, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and the International Songwriting Competition. Read more>>
Julia Sandrock
My path has been a bit unconventional. I started my career in consulting after earning my MBA, but over time I realized I was much more drawn to the human side of transformation, helping people understand themselves, move through difficult transitions, and create lives that feel more aligned. Read more>>
Yadira Soto
It all started a few years ago when I was on the hunt for natural, lightweight, and unique earrings for myself and our little one. I’ve always loved earrings, but for years I struggled with headaches whenever I wore heavy earrings. I still wanted to enjoy wearing them, but I was struggling to find something that felt like me and that I could comfortably wear. Read more>>
Ashanti Corbin
My nail journey honestly started during a time in my life when I was just trying to figure things out. I’ve always had a passion for art and creating things with my hands, so doing nails started as something that allowed me to express that side of myself. I didn’t necessarily know where it would take me, but I knew I loved creating. Read more>>
Natalie Apelquist
I started sparkling hair a year and a half ago for another small business. I decided to take a leap and open my own business and home studio (Ashburn, VA) in May 2026. I am a mom and elementary school teacher and love meeting new people. Hair sparkles are a great way to make additional income in a relaxing and rewarding way. Read more>>
Adriana Williams
Pawtomac Paradise started simply from my love of dogs and grew organically through word of mouth and referrals. What began as caring for a few dogs has grown into a full-time business offering boarding, dog walking, and our newest service, Adventure Daycare. Read more>>
Patrick Bazan
Onyx Auto Towing started from a simple idea: I wanted to build a towing company that felt more professional, transparent, and customer-focused than what people typically expect from the industry. Before starting Onyx, I spent many years working in sales, customer service, and operations. Those experiences taught me how important communication, reliability, and the overall customer experience really are. Read more>>
Freddy G
Well, it all started when I wanted to cut back on smoking, so I started experimenting with making edibles. In the beginning, it was brownies and Rice Krispy treats, but I quickly realized the shelf life was an issue. I was giving away more product than I was actually selling, so I went back to the drawing board. Read more>>
Trenice Freeman
I grew up with a strong desire to give my future family a better life. My early dream was football, then music. But something always felt missing. After giving my life to Christ, everything shifted. One night, after a painful argument with my wife, I prayed along with an unexpected video, and that moment, on my knees, became a turning point. Read more>>
Dan Heo
My name is Dan Heo. I was born and raised in South Korea, served in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, and moved to the United States in 2013. Coming to America meant starting over. I did not arrive with a business waiting for me or a clear roadmap of what my life would look like. Read more>>
Chelsea Bretcher
My name is Chelsea Bretcher I am a 35 year old mom of one living in Richmond, Virginia. During my pregnancy my husband and I decided it made the most sense for our family for me to become a stay at home mom at the end of my maternity leave. Read more>>
Jalen Nichols
Creativity has always been part of my foundation. I come from a musical family—my grandparents played instruments and sang, and music has continued throughout each generation. Ironically, I wasn’t interested in music at first. My first real spark came through guitar and playing the video game Guitar Hero. Read more>>
Claudia Massey
Reclaiming My Life: A Journey of Faith, Resilience, and Purpose As a teenager, I endured the pain of sexual abuse. Later in life, I found myself in an abusive marriage, carrying wounds that seemed impossible to heal. Read more>>
Steven Hepler
My stage name is Tso Ghostly,i started writing music when I was about 12 years old. While experiencing a rough upbringing music quickly became home for me aswell as a way for me to express what I was going through. Over the years, I taught myself the ins and outs of the music industry while also becoming an audio engineer /vocal producer. Read more>>
Simone Rainn
My love for modeling began when I was a child. I always enjoyed taking pictures and felt naturally comfortable in front of the camera, but I didn’t begin seriously pursuing the industry until I was 18 years old. Since then, I’ve had the honor of building my portfolio and working with talented photographers in Orlando, North Carolina, and now the DMV. Read more>>
Calah Ferris
I am wedding planner and venue manager that got started in the wedding and evens industry from a very young age. I recall working in the food and beverage industy from the age of 15 then transiitoning to events as a freshman in highschool. Read more>>
Kaitlin Olah
I’ve always been a creative person. Art has always been a big part of my family, so being artistic felt very natural to me. My love for photography actually started in high school, when I took an off-campus film photography class. Read more>>
Mandy Helmlinger
My name is Mandy Helmlinger, and I am the founder of Richmond Urban Dance, or RUD. If you had told me when I was growing up that I would one day be 51 years old, a grandmother, and running a hip hop and street dance organization in Richmond, I probably would have laughed. Read more>>
Vanita Kumar
My journey to owning Postal Connections in Leesburg has been driven by a passion for serving people and building relationships within the community. I have always enjoyed helping others solve problems and making everyday tasks a little easier, which is what drew me to the shipping and business services industry. Read more>>
Katie Lemmert
I’ve been a graphic designer for more than 20 years, but it took me a long time to finally take the leap and work for myself. At the beginning of 2020, I had decided I wanted to leave my full-time job and go all-in on my own graphic and web design business, Katie Did Design. And then I got scared. Read more>>
Steve Thomas
I began my martial arts journey in my late teens/early twenties. I was a US Marine, and a member of my unit’s boxing team. After gaining some amateur experience, I attended a tournament try-out for the All Marine Boxing Team. Unfortunately, I did not have my best performance against some excellent competition, and did not make the team. Read more>>
Grace Sallusti
Throughout my career, I’ve become increasingly interested not simply in what children learn, but in how they learn—and in the many factors that shape whether a child feels capable, engaged, and successful. That curiosity has guided me through different roles in education, with a particular focus on literacy and language development. Read more>>
Dayna Hlinko
I started my career as a speech-language pathologist because I wanted to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, especially for individuals who often struggle to have their voices heard. Over the years, my clinical experience grew, and I began to see a need for a more personalized, patient-centered approach to therapy. That led me to start Pinnacle Therapies. Read more>>
Amy Davidson
I went to ultrasound school in 1998, and after graduating, I began my career at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago, working with Maternal Fetal Medicine. During my 10 years there, I gained extensive experience in obstetric and gynecological ultrasound, with much of my work focused on high-risk pregnancies. Read more>>
Stephanie Tierney
I’ve always loved flowers, after high school I went to a local flower shop and asked if they were hiring. That was in 1993, I purchased the shop in 2013. I have been blessed with a very busy business and a great town with so much support. Read more>>
Mackenzie Layne
I grew up in a super small town where choosing a career in the beauty industry wasn’t necessarily viewed as a “real” or financially stable career path. I remember feeling like I was being told that if I chose hair and makeup, I was basically setting myself up to struggle financially. Read more>>
Kendra Pena-Collazo
My journey into this work began with movement. I started in fitness and spent years helping people become stronger, move better, and feel more confident in their bodies, including developing fitness programming within the military community. Over time, however, I began to notice that exercise alone was not always enough. Read more>>
Lyssa Pfauth
I’ve been around beauty for as long as I can remember. I was always doing my friends’ and sisters’ makeup, and when I was 11, I actually got the chance to do makeup for my first bride. I obviously had no idea at that age that it would turn into a career, but I loved it. Read more>>
Enka Tsend
My journey to Mommy Time began during the Christmas shopping season in 2013. While shopping at Tysons Corner, I noticed exhausted mothers struggling with shopping bags while their tired children followed behind them crying. Read more>>
Emily Kallick
I’ve always been creative. I wanted to go into fashion design, actually. What I love about fashion is the intersection of artistic creativity and the real technical know-how of construction. Which is incredibly similar to Marketing. On the surface it is beautiful and effortless but the workings behind that image are nerdy and calculated! Read more>>
Araceli Colato
My journey to Colato Compass began during my more than ten years working as a nanny. Over the last few years, I started noticing something that stayed with me. I worked with incredibly capable families who had the resources to create wonderful experiences for themselves and their loved ones, but they often simply did not have the time to manage all the details. Read more>>
Amber Jackson
New Mornings Coffee is inspired by the stories in Trujillo, Peru. A small city outside of Lima, Peru where a quaint coffee shop operates as a non-profit to employ orphan young adults striving for a better life than what they have known. Read more>>
