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.
Treena Wetsel
It began as a matter of necessity. When my middle son was born, I wanted to buy a nice layette set for his crib. I went to a high-end store to shop. The store representative asked if she could help and I told her what I was looking for. Read more>>
Juwan Blocker
My story really started when I was about 13 years old growing up in Prince George’s County. At that age, I didn’t really see myself as a leader. For a while, I didn’t even know that my voice mattered or believe that I could make a real difference, especially being so young. Spoken word poetry was really what opened that door for me. Read more>>
Chris Michael
Chrisen Michael known as The God son of RnB was born and raised in The Bronx New York. He started his career at an early age dancing in local talent shows. Read more>>
1st Lady Of The West Coast
1. Your Story I’m an Oakland-born, Northern California-raised entrepreneur, author, herbalist, artist, and creative visionary. My journey has never been a straight line, but every chapter has shaped who I am today. I started studying cannabis around 2003–2004, long before the industry looked anything like it does today. Read more>>
Kim Harley
When people see Allthingz Creative Printing & Graphics today, they see the printing, custom apparel, banners, signs, awards, promotional products and all of the creative things we produce. What they may not see are the years behind it. The long days. The late nights. The sacrifices. The learning. The changes. The challenges. The relationships. Read more>>
Semoine (‘Simone’) McQueen Boyer
My journey to CocoaLuxe Home & Spa wasn’t a straight line. Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, I spent more than 18 years in technology consulting and program management, primarily supporting large-scale human capital management and federal technology initiatives. I started CocoaLuxe as a creative outlet while continuing my corporate career. Read more>>
Olawale Osilaja
In 2014, I was working at Subway. Just got off a shift, had an event to get to, and needed a fresh cut. I walked into a barbershop, took a seat, and waited. And waited. Two hours. Not one barber approached me — not to take my name, not to let me know what was going on. I finally got up and asked. Read more>>
Melanie Vendette
Serenity Soak started because I needed somewhere to put my energy. I was going through a difficult season and had become interested in healthier alternatives, which eventually led me to essential oils. At that point, there was no Serenity Soak. There weren’t even “sensory baths.” I just took normal baths. Read more>>
Ekaterina Sinchinova
I started embroidering a lot while on maternity leave. I posted my works on Instagram, and my artistic career began when my embroideries started becoming popular. Read more>>
Kate Rowe
I’ve worked with clay most of my life. My art school, graphic design mom infused arts and crafts into my DNA so I’ve always been messing around with one medium or another. I’m grateful that my hometown had an incredible resource called the Perkins Center for the Arts that hosted a variety of educational classes and workshops (that they still host to this day). Read more>>
Jeanina “Justice” Yap
Skin has always been a struggle of mine and insecurity growing up. I struggled with acne and it dictated a lot of my mood on certain days. As I got older, I made it a priority to take care of my skin. As my acne started to go away as an adult. I made sure to always keep moistured. Read more>>
Marc Scott
I am an artist and musician, as an independent artist I do commissions and I publish my own comic book. My late Uncle Howard was a true renaissance man, he was an opera singer, actor, teacher, forensic judge, he was a great inspiration for me. He showed me how to embrace being an artist. Read more>>
Clayton Bell
My story really starts on the East Side of Buffalo, New York, where I was born and raised. I’ve always loved music and art, and I’ve always been creative. I’ve also always had an entrepreneurial mindset. Read more>>
Andrew Perrin
Yelp started as a hobby. When I started my DC job I was already writing reviews regularly and I was invited to the Yelp Elite Squad, an exclusive group of influential users who love supporting local businesses, meeting business owners, spreading word-of-mouth, and sharing honest, constructive reviews. Read more>>
Louise Kennelly
Frederick Arts Council’s Sky Stage began as a vision to transform a historic downtown Frederick building into a vibrant home for the arts. This pre-Revolutionary War building was damaged by a major fire in 2010 and has no roof. In September 2016, the plywood boards on the doors and windows were removed to reveal Sky Stage. Read more>>
Florencio Lennox Campello
A leading contemporary art personality for many years (in 2016 the Washington City Paper called him “one of the most interesting people of Washington, DC…”, Florencio Lennox Campello was born in Santiago de Cuba, raised in Guantanamo, and exiled as a child to Brooklyn, New York as part of the 1960s Cuban Diaspora. Read more>>
Christie Vazquez
I’ve always had a love for fashion. I started my journey studying fashion in New York before finishing college at Towson University. After graduation, I worked in the fashion industry in New York, gaining experience that ultimately gave me the confidence to take a chance on myself and open my first Brightside location in Federal Hill. Since then, Brightside has grown and evolved tremendously. Read more>>
Olesha Haskett
It started in 2019 out of frustration of being in a boudoir Facebook group with almost 10,000 members and not seeing any Black photographers as educators or rarely any Black or other people of the Global Majority showcased as models or clients. This is still a major challenge in the industry today, but back then I wanted to do something about it. Read more>>
Tricia Branham
My love for crystals started when I was a child. My family traveled to different campgrounds in our motorhome during summers, and I always remember stopping at places that offered little crystal displays and being fascinated by what I found. As I got older, I grew out of collecting. Read more>>
Jennifer Mummert
I started Jennifer Mummert Photography in 2018, but photography had already been something I loved long before I ever turned it into a business. What started as a creative outlet grew into something much bigger once I realized how much I loved documenting people, relationships, and the moments they never want to forget. Read more>>
Dominic Jones
As a young kid that grew up in Baltimore city running around Park Heights with my brothers and my cousins living on the west side of Baltimore, I found my love for art recreation center called c c Jackson. I used to go to on Park Heights. Read more>>
Uche Anaeto
I moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2019 to pursue my education, and CrownedByUche was born during that transition. I started braiding hair while I was still in college. At the time, it was really about creating a source of income and independence for myself while balancing school and adjusting to life in a new country. Read more>>
Natalie Gensits
I went to college for marketing and advertising and have spent my whole career in that industry. I also muddled through a multiple year wellness journey. In 2015, after learning so much about nutrition and the role it plays in my overall health, I was inspired to write a book, Digested — eating healthier made easier 3 ways. I also did talks on this topic. Read more>>
Dr. Taavon Bazemore
I am a Baltimorean at heart born and raised in West Baltimore. I am the oldest of 5 children (mom has 3 kids including me and dad has 3 kids including me). My parents overcame many of the obstacles in life that my clients face i.e. substance abuse, eviction, DV, trauma. This is what motivated me to become a social worker. Read more>>
Chelsea Miller
I started pursuing photography professionally about a year and a half ago. My whole life, I have loved taking photos. Digital, Polaroids, disposables, and once I got an iPhone, all bets were off. You name it, I loved anything with a lens as a kid. Read more>>
Elizabeth Mastromonaco
I started taking fitness seriously around 2022, when I met my now-husband, and began going to the gym more consistently in 2023. At that point, I had reached a place where I knew I needed to make a change. Read more>>
Debra Rossi
My journey to H.O.P.E. was born from loss. After losing two close family members, I was grieving and looking for a way to move forward when I saw an opportunity to volunteer at a local shelter. I have always told my children, “The best way to get over yourself is to help someone else,” so I decided to take my own advice. Read more>>
