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.
Caitlin DeWeese
I grew up in a suburb of Dallas and was a good and busy student who decided she wanted to be a teacher at 6 years old. I was taught that if I worked hard, it would pay off and I’d find the life I was looking for (spoiler alert: this isn’t how it works). I loved being a part of our burgeoning music scene, playing on the drumline, and crafting and thrifting with my friends. Read more>>
Catia Holm
I’ve always been deeply interested in people — in what shapes us, what wounds us, and what helps us heal. Over time, that curiosity became formal training in marriage and family therapy. Today, I’m a marriage and family therapist that specializes in relationships, trauma, and OCD. But long before my credentials, there was a personal journey of learning how intergenerational patterns, trauma, and resilience live inside families — including my own. Read more>>
John Winters
I wish I could say it started with a camera, but that would be far too normal. It actually began with a mild administrative error involving a time-traveling vending machine and three raccoons who were deeply invested in the future of visual storytelling. Read more>>
Rob Weidner
I grew up in Chicago and studied Computer Science at DePauw. By senior year I was running a hand-tossed New York-style pizza company out of the fraternity kitchen. Thursday through Saturday nights, zero startup cost, and the plan was to make that my post-grad life. Then I took a semester off to work for a small production company in Cape Town. Everything shifted. Read more>>
Luis Bosch
My story starts with a small, skinny kid who couldn’t sleep. At 13, I was used to being bullied regularly, drowning in anxiety and depression, and doing hundreds of push-ups in my bedroom at night just trying to feel something other than fear. I didn’t know it then, but I had already found my medicine. Read more>>
Dyan Lofton
From an early age, I learned the importance of giving back to the community that raised me. I grew up in East and Northeast Austin, attended Austin public schools, and graduated from John H. Reagan High School, now Northeast Early College High School. Read more>>
Alex Abbott
In June of 2021, I stopped wishing for an artistic career and started painting full-time. Although I earned a degree in Visual Art 20 years prior, I had never taken a formal painting class. I have spent the last 5 years learning as I go with oil and acrylic. While expanding my skills, I have also rekindled my love for visual storytelling. Read more>>
Candice Bailey
Just looking at my work background, I don’t think anybody would guess that I would be where I am today. When I told my friends and family that JL and I were buying a chocolate company, they all said they couldn’t think of a more fitting career path. Read more>>
Grace Nicholas
Personal Story – I’ve lived in Austin almost my whole life – born, raise, went to UT for PR and Business. Fell in love with the live music and outdoors in Austin, so I’ve bounced between those in my early career. While in college I interned at KUT, ACL Live Moody Theater, and Giant Noise PR. Read more>>
julia mann
I’ve drawn ever since I was a little girl. I taught myself how to draw by copying my favorite comic strips and animated characters. I went to college with a desire to become a veterinarian, but switched to art half way through, after taking an art class for fun. Read more>>
Colin MacDonald
My story began at 16 in the wilderness of Utah. Lost. Making fire from scratch and learning basic skills with a band of strangers who quickly became brothers. This experience wasn’t by choice. My parents sent me away to live off the land for several months because they ran out of options. They were seeking answers and were desperate. Read more>>
Lexie Marner
I’ve always had a thing for building something out of nothing. In college, I started an online resale boutique that ended up doing over $1.6 million in revenue, which is really where I learned how to create demand, build a brand, and turn attention into actual sales. Read more>>
Josh Bissell
I grew up in church and around music, so both were always part of my world. I wrote my first song at 13 on a whim. I don’t even remember what prompted it, but I remember being hooked on the process. Trying to say exactly what I meant while landing the right rhyme felt like solving a puzzle I couldn’t put down. Read more>>
Lexa Jack
The Kinectory began in 2012 as Founder and CEO, Dr. Lexa Jack, set to create a classroom where all children could thrive. The Methodology originally birthed as a response to a student who had autism. This student dealt with severe aggression and angry outbursts, but he loved music and sensory learning. Read more>>
Matthew White
I started as a kid at 12 years old going to farm Auctions with my father and I would buy the cheap stuff and sell it to Antique dealers on the ride home occasionally doing quite well after commercial fishing. Read more>>
Soham Desai
We grew up in Scranton Pennsylvania. Our parents were always entrepreneurial in nature mixed with building community. They came to America from India to build a better life for themselves and their children. Our father appreciated cars but we shared a room and we took it to the next level. Read more>>
Isabella Holland
Hi, I’m Bella! I’m a busy stay at home mom who has been passionate about baking since I was 7 years old. My mom and grandma baked often and I learned a lot of skill from them. I started with perfecting a banana bread recipe and chocolate chip cookies. Read more>>
Utah Hamrick
I started my musical journey as a 6th grade violinist, just so I could get into orchestra in 7th grade and play the bass. Why the bass? I honestly still don’t really know, but I knew that’s what I wanted to play! I went on to also play tuba in marching band and bass in the jazz band in high school. Read more>>
Bonny Riddle
I grew up in Northern California with a single mom (my “madre”) and a twin sister. We weren’t wealthy, but we lived in a super affluent area, which was tough (living in a small house or a 1 bedroom apartment) – but it lit a fire in me to shoot for the stars. Read more>>
Maggie O’Banion
Like a lot of people, I first learned to sew in middle school home economics class. I made one truly terrible cat-themed apron and somehow my mom still has it in the apron rotation. I was not exactly bitten by the sewing bug then, though. It would be almost 20 years before I found my way back to it. Read more>>
Shameka Jones
My journey really began in 2018 when I traveled to Cuba with my cousin. During that trip, we toured cigar factories and participated in pairing experiences with coffee and rum. That was my first true introduction to cigar culture, craftsmanship, and the lifestyle surrounding it. In 2024, my business partner and I opened Champagne Problems, a pairings and libations champagne bar in Morrow, Georgia. Read more>>
Shameka Jones
My journey really began in 2018 when I traveled to Cuba with my cousin. During that trip, we toured cigar factories and participated in pairing experiences with coffee and rum. That was my first true introduction to cigar culture, craftsmanship, and the lifestyle surrounding it. In 2024, my business partner and I opened Champagne Problems, a pairings and libations champagne bar in Morrow, Georgia. Read more>>
Karen Sandoval
Música Libre was something that had always lived inside of me—my inner child, my voice as an artist, and my lifelong connection to music. But it truly came to life through my children. It first became tangible with my son Nicolás. Many of the songs children sing today in our classrooms were originally written for him over 16 years ago. Read more>>
Terry Ilse
My journey with clay began at the University of North Dakota, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree In art with a focus on ceramics. UND’s ceramics department is a historic and prestigious one and it helped shape my technical foundation and artistic vision. Read more>>
Alex Carrasquillo
My journey with the Generals Baseball Club goes back to 2017, when I first joined the team back when we were still the Pirates. In 2018, we rebranded to the Generals, and that shift wasn’t just about a name — it was about creating an identity and a standard that guys could take pride in being part of. Read more>>
Palav
I have always believed that life is the greatest teacher. Even if we have higher education or knowledge, life has its own way of teaching us the lessons we need at different stages. The same was true for me. On the outside, I had everything that looked perfect—strong academic achievements, a full-time job, and a stable life. Read more>>
Kynan Dancy
I grew up in a small town in Arkansas, and over the last eight years, Austin has become home. For 14 years, I worked in finance, but owning a business that brought creativity to people was always the dream. When I finally stepped out on faith, I went all in on making Kandles2U what it is today. Read more>>
Lauren Hutson
This is such a powerful foundation — thank you for sharing that. Here’s a draft that weaves it all together: — **My story really begins in childhood.** Growing up, I watched so many people I loved get sick. Seeing family members suffer at a young age planted something deep in me — a pull toward healing that I couldn’t ignore. Read more>>
Patrick Diaz
I was born in Austin in 2000 but went to school in Bastrop and grew up there. Majority of my family like my grandparents, uncles and cousins live in south Austin and my dad has been a mechanic in Austin for my whole life so majority of my weekends were spent in Austin. Although i didn’t physically grow up in Austin, i was always there. Read more>>
Mariah Mann
I actually started content creation while working as a leasing agent. At the time, I wanted to highlight fun places to eat and things to do near the apartment community I worked at and show residents that there were so many great spots within just a 10-minute drive. Read more>>
Summer Leach
I was working a very intense corporate job and was very unhappy. I was good to a desk for over 8 hours, had a really discouraging manager who decided to bully me instead of uplifting me and being a mentor. I was a shell of the sweet sunny summer self I used to be. Read more>>
John Michael Perez
I waited tables and toured in a heavy metal band for eight years before suddenly quitting. Those years were my MBA. Every night on stage I learned to read a room. Every shift waiting tables taught me to serve before you sell, that’s not a slogan, that’s a truth I lived. When I found real estate, a mentor named Ben Love changed everything. Read more>>
Crystal Glaze
My path into photography really started taking shape in my twenties while modeling and connecting with photographers, but the love for it goes much further back. As a kid, I carried around a little pink film camera, always wanting to capture moments. Later in Life, however, had its own plans. Read more>>
Abby Senger
Thirdseer started with a simple idea: that a candle could hold an intention the same way a prayer does. I have been working in the essential oil candle industry for about five years, and for a long time I felt like something was missing. Most candles are beautiful objects. But I wanted one that meant something. Read more>>
Michael Flournoy
I worked in the pest control industry for 20 years… 7 different companies and found many of the same problems in each company. Pushy door to door salesmen, bogus deals, gimmicks that hurt homeowners more than helping them, doing services despite bad weather, and policies that harm customers and employees. Read more>>
Heather Snaman
My background is in nonprofit and advocacy work. I’ve spent most of my career in roles where the goal was to make a difference, rather than a profit. Kate (founder of Queen of To Do) and I met through a babywearing group when our oldest kids were tiny. Read more>>
Rumill Maldonado
I started my content journey back in 2016, originally just sharing my natural hair journey and documenting what worked for me. At the time, it was more of a creative outlet than anything else. Over the years, I stayed consistent, but it wasn’t until 2022 that everything really shifted for me. Read more>>
Minnie Jackson
My journey began with a passion for creativity and helping people show up confidently in their brand and personal image. With a strong background in customer service, administration, sales, and leadership, I learned early on how important connection, trust, and presentation are in business. Read more>>
Victoria Tawney
Birdie Bakes Co started with a simple question we couldn’t shake: why is it so hard to find foods that are both nourishing and something kids actually want to eat? As moms, we were constantly trying to get more real nutrition into our kids’ diets. We found ourselves baking often, especially muffins, because it was one of the few things our kids would reliably eat. Read more>>
Kent Broom
My path to real estate has been shaped by a passion for people, relationships, and helping others navigate important life decisions. Throughout my career, I have always been drawn to work centered on creating positive experiences for others, specifically clients. While “Sales” hasn’t always felt natural to me, building genuine relationships has. Read more>>
Amber Isaac
I grew up in the rural farmlands of Springfield, Missouri before moving to Texas as an adult, where I received an MFA in poetry from Texas State University. Despite functioning in the world enough to make ends meat, I isolated myself from people for much of my life. Read more>>
Katie Milton Jordan
My day job is in economic development. I run SimpleEDO.ai, where I teach economic development organizations across the country how to leverage AI for maximum impact in their communities — practical workflows, not theory. I work with the professionals whose job it is to help regions grow, attract business, and build resilience. Read more>>
Mason Henna-kanirie
I’ve been playing soccer for 16 years, starting when I was just 2 years old. Soccer has always been more than a sport to me it has been my escape, my motivation, and the thing that helped shape me into the person I am today. Life was very rough when I was young. Read more>>
Alice Rodriguez Fluke
I often say this path didn’t start as a business it started as an experience I couldn’t ignore. From a very young age, around four years old, I began sensing and seeing things that others around me didn’t. I was raised in an environment where healing, tradition, and spiritual awareness were a natural part of everyday life, especially through my grandfather. Read more>>
Benjamin Wong
After earning my Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of Utah in 2020, I began searching for opportunities to continue my career in music. When a music school in Austin offered me a position, I made the bold decision to relocate and begin a new chapter. After three fulfilling years of teaching, I felt called to build something of my own. I founded Dr. Read more>>
Tiffany Nguyen
I started Mori Matcha as a way to share something that has been part of my life for a long time. Growing up in an Asian household, tea was always present, and my connection to matcha really began in high school, long before it became as popular as it is today. Over the years, that interest turned into something deeper. Read more>>
Tiffany Lee McCabe
I started Lee & McCabe after going through my own wedding journey as a bride. I spent a lot of money on bridal outfits that were only worn once and most of them are currently sitting in the back of my closet never to be worn again. Read more>>
Maria Farley
About five years ago, we started IMSpaces with a simple idea: to create a place where people could celebrate life’s moments without the usual stress that comes with planning. What began as a small venture has grown into a unique, welcoming venue now located at 707 W Vickery Blvd, Unit 102A in Fort Worth. Read more>>
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