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.
Madison Vacek
I met my husband, Jax, while we were both working at a local coffee shop as teenagers and coffee quickly became something we shared a strong passion for. Our dream since then was always to open a coffee shop. A few years later I started my career at Ulta in New Braunfels, Tx. Read more>>
Karina Davila
As a child I always enjoyed baking and watching Food Network. I used to knock on neighbor’s doors and sell banana bread and brownies. In high school I did culinary arts as an elective and really enjoyed it. My teacher encouraged me to pursue it as a career. Read more>>
Kevin Tong
In the early 2000s, I got started by doing gig posters for bands. That took off and led to movie posters, which is quite a bit of what I do these days. Read more>>
Sean Doherty
The idea of Sharpened Iron Studio was a vision downloaded to me on a plane flight form DC to LA. Previously I had been in politics for 38-years with the last 13 being a lobbyist. Our firm had offices Sacrament and DC for 13-years. We were in the process of opening a London office. Read more>>
Kelley Pacillas
The ideas behind River City Refillery began forming about 11 years ago. My husband Aaron and I had just had our first daughter and we began searching for the healthiest products to bring into our home for her. We researched lower toxin baby washes, laundry soaps and moved away from harsh chemical cleaners. Read more>>
Lana Ato
My husband and I moved to Austin when our oldest daughter had just been released from the NICU in California after spending 3 months there. We didn’t know that many people and daughter needed around-the-clock care, so I was completely in mom and caregiver mode, functioning on almost no sleep. Read more>>
Christopher Beckcom
I’ve always been drawn to making things. Long before I considered myself an artist, I was fascinated by how line, proportion, and space could shape the way we experience the world. Read more>>
Cara Juan
Ladyfang has been a long and slow burning project. Cara (vox) is a free spirit and has bounced a lot between various cities. She met Chocolate (bass) first in Austin, where they worked on another project together. She met Rocky (drums) in New York City, also working on another project. Then the 3 of them finally combined forces in Austin and adopted Bread (guitar). Read more>>
Koko Banx
I came up in Rochester NY in a home with several generations so I was raised around a lot of music. My father from Jamaica exposed me to reggae and lovers rock; my Southern mother exposed me to soul and funk; my sister loved dancehall, R&B and rap. Me, I loved it all but especially rock music because I felt like it spoke for me. Read more>>
Logan Pierce
I started cutting hair in the 10th grade because my friends knew I had a pair of clippers at the house. They’d ask me for cuts every now and then, and at the time I never looked at it as a career. I was just passing the time and happened to enjoy it. Read more>>
Ronald Gross
I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. I began by studying art and design at Nassau Community College and Pratt Institute, and later earned my degree in Advertising Design from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Read more>>
Nia Nash
My name is Nia Nash, and I am one of the co-founders of Noire, an organization at the University of Texas at Austin for black creatives. Noire started as an idea in late spring 2025, in response to a problem in our black community at UT. Read more>>
Veronica Chappel
I own Texas Placenta Service, and I have encapsulated hundreds of placentas since 2016. Like a lot of women who have a baby, becoming a mom changed me and the entire path I was on. Read more>>
Melissa Fleming
My journey began at The University of Texas at Austin, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in 1999. A few years later, I returned to UT and completed my master’s degree in Psychology in 2004. While completing my graduate studies, I taught middle school at Bailey Middle School in Austin from January 2000 through May 2004. Read more>>
Amber Beer
So, my path to becoming a fractional controller and a bookkeeper started right out of high school. Let’s see, I got married right out of high school and had my first son. I had my second son when I was 20, and I stayed at home as a stay-at-home mom up until I got divorced when my boys were 10 and 8. Read more>>
Richie Jaynes
My path here wasn’t a straight line. I played college football on scholarship, then found my way into the fitness business — I bought a Dallas training center at 23 and grew it into a 12,000-square-foot facility with 3,000+ members. Read more>>
Alexandra Villalba
Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I began taking piano lessons at five years old and continued studying through high school before pursuing piano performance at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Read more>>
Kamille and Jacques Deysel
South of Here Co. has never been just about leather or candles, it has always been about hope. Our story began during one of the hardest seasons of our lives. At our 20-week anatomy scan, our oldest son, Owen, was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), a rare birth defect that would change the course of our lives. Read more>>
Pete Hayes
God has led me through a winding, twisting road. From UC Berkeley and working for IBM out of school in San Francisco. To Austin for more than 33 years. Mostly technology marketing roles. Then more recently, Chief Outsiders – fractional growth executives for mid-sized companies. Where I’m co-principal with my partner Art Saxby. He and I wrote ‘The Growth Gears’ back in 2016. Read more>>
Amanda Cevallos
My story starts out in Houston and moves around the United States. I’ve lived in California, Montana and even New York. My love of the arts is what’s taken me from here to there and back. I started oil painting and modeling at 9 and dancing soon after. I’d say as a young person I was a dancer and an artist. Read more>>
Vanessa Flores-Newton
I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of people, systems and care. I began as a social worker supporting children and families in pediatric hospital settings, including intensive-care environments where families were navigating chronic illness, grief and crisis. I later moved into school social work, supporting adolescents and their families through mental-health challenges and major life transitions. Read more>>
Valerie Avila
Learning how to prepare food, sweet and savory in a healthy way. What makes us different Is that we use organic white spelt which is an ancient grain and is easier to digest. We started selling a full vegan menu at several farmers markets on the south and east side of Austin. Read more>>
Rosie B.
I’m the host and bilingual content producer of Life 100 Podcast, an English and Spanish show featuring insightful stories, remarkable guests, and everyday tips for life. At its core, the podcast celebrates diversity and creativity, by living life to the fullest, living life at 100! This mission is deeply personal. Read more>>
Laurelin Paige
I’ve been publishing romance novels since 2013, and over the years I’ve been incredibly fortunate to build a career I never could have imagined. My books have become New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers, and they’ve been translated around the world. Read more>>
Roy FAUST
I grew up in a construction family. My dad ran a painting contracting business and owned multiple rental properties. He was a true rags-to-riches story and someone I admired deeply. He wasn’t the smartest man in the room or the strongest, but he could outwork anyone. After a few sales jobs out of college, I landed at a remodeling company. Read more>>
Whitney Sarnella
The Shelf King wasn’t something we set out to build overnight. Like many entrepreneurs, my husband, Chez, and I simply saw a problem that needed a better solution. More than a decade ago, we experienced firsthand how difficult everyday tasks can become when mobility is limited. Read more>>
Chantal Piet
Two Dutch people, the Green Card lottery, one suitcase and a stroopwafel iron. That’s how Stroop Club started. I moved to the U.S. from Rotterdam in 2015 with my business partner Tako, without a network, no job and no plan beyond the fact that I couldn’t imagine giving up the one Dutch tradition I actually missed. Read more>>
Alexis Dorchester
I grew up on a ranch outside Dripping Springs, Texas, and from an early age I learned that life rarely follows the path you expect. After being diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade, my parents helped found Rawson Saunders School because they believed children who learn differently deserved an education built for them—not one that forced them to fit into someone else’s mold. Read more>>
Alexandria Bond
I started acting when I was 13 and, to put it simply, I became completely obsessed with storytelling. Then at 17, I received a talent scholarship to attend the New York Film Academy and moved to LA with absolutely no idea what I was doing… which honestly feels very on brand for me. Read more>>
Jenny Honeycutt
If you had told 25-year-old me that one day I’d willingly trade board meetings, performance reviews, and climbing the corporate ladder for snack negotiations, Bluey marathons, and trying to convince a tiny human that clothes are not optional, I would’ve laughed. For years, my identity was wrapped up in my career. Read more>>
Makis Martinez
Azucar Dulce was born from the flavors, traditions, and memories of my childhood growing up between Northern Mexico and South Texas. Food has always been at the heart of our family. My mom was a baker who sold cakes. Her famous yogurt frosting is still something people remember today. Read more>>
Ann Marie Langrehr
I’ve been a creative for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I thought I’d become either a fashion designer or a magazine editor. I was constantly sketching clothes in notebooks, writing, and drawn to anything creative. For a long time, I imagined my career would be in editorial. Read more>>
Katie Vincent McClure
I’m one of the many Austinites who moved here to go to U.T. a long time ago and never moved away. In this time, I’ve seen so much change in Austin, but it is still very much a home to me. I feel fortunate to be a small business owner in this community. Read more>>
Graeme Purdy
My path to becoming a professional fine art wildlife photographer was a slow, deliberate journey built over many years. From a childhood passion to where I am today, my evolution as an artist was never an overnight process.Photography was something I truly grew up with. In my family, it represented smiles, laughter, and connection. Read more>>
Josh Cliffords
Back in 2015, my wife and I started a nonprofit organization to support refugees in Europe. Over the next 18 months of volunteering, we heard the same heartbreaking story again and again: many people had been forced to leave their homes because they lacked access to basic essentials like clean water, food, safety, or economic opportunity. Those conversations stayed with me. Read more>>
Tren Entrichel
I started DJing, actually, last year fully. I have always been in music growing up. I’ve played the violin, guitar, and drums. The drums were taken away as quickly as a kid. Obvious reasons why my parents did not like that. I have always been fortunate to be around music and DJs. Read more>>
Jade Place
We started Hillside Farmacy with a simple but deeply personal vision: to create a place that honored the history of our neighborhood while bringing people together over thoughtful, locally sourced food. Back in 2011, we signed the lease on a building on East 11th Street that had once been a beloved drugstore that closed in the 70’s. Read more>>
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