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.
Paige Conway
So I started as an actor technically, I think most people in the theatre industry do. But I realized as I was pursuing a degree in it that I absolutely hated it and that I was much more of a director/deviser and physical theatre-maker. I grew up as a competitive gymnast (like, over 13 years in that world), and the discovery of physical theatre blew my mind wide open. While I was in school I also started working in prisons and unhoused youth shelters, teaching theatre workshops and devising pieces with the adults and students in those spaces, and it completely changed everything about how I experience and make art. Read More>>
Ryan Christie
I launched Verus Athletics from my parents’ basement while finishing my degree at the University of Toledo. My passion for sports performance ignited after my college basketball career ended, driving me to work with hundreds of athletes across all ages and levels over the past three years. Recently, I earned my Level 2 ATG certification, becoming one of only two professionals in Ohio to achieve this distinction. Read More>>
T’aira “Sunny” Wyatt
The year was 2020 and the month was December where I had just finished having a de-stress session in our bathroom of this 3rd story apartment here in Toledo. A lot of mothers, especially single mothers, know about these. Ha. After this emotional fit and just deep overwhelm I decided to sit down at my grandmother’s table where I have plenty memories from my childhood. As I sat there I began drawing and when I picked up that pencil and pink InkJoy Papermate pen I was surprised to see what I had drawn. This would come to be my first logo design. Read More>>
Danielle Milliken
As soon as I heard the idea, I KNEW it was exactly what I wanted to do! If you know me, you know Fall is my favorite season, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I love all things pumpkin – pumpkin spice, pumpkin pies, pumpkin patches… everything pumpkin! I have always enjoyed decorating my own porch with pumpkins and I knew this was a gift I could share with others! Within a week’s time I launched Porch Perfect Ohio and started delivering pumpkins and designing porches all across Central Ohio! Read More>>
Ralph Martin
I became employed with the YMCA working at the Van Buren Shelter. While employed there I was exposed to many different community organizations and programs that I have partnered and participated in over the years. I made connections with “UMCH Family Services” “Nationwide Children’s” Lutheran Social Services” ” We Are Linden” “Columbus Parks & Recs Center Without Walls”, “Celebrate One” “Action for Children” “Columbus Urban League” and many more organizations within the community. Read More>>
Ren1
My mom shared this story with me about how I would watch music videos all the time as a little girl–One day I happened to tell her that I would be a teacher by day and a Spice girl by night. Now that I think about it, I wasn’t too far off at all with being clear of my purpose at such a young age. I began dancing at the age of three and performed in my very first dance recital in 1997 after beginning my classes at Roberta Lynn School of Dance in Dayton, Ohio. And honestly, I was one of the cutest and most confident bumble bees that stage had ever seen. Read More>>
Sarah Awa
That was our biggest struggle. Another is the unfavorable algorithms on social media platforms seeming to hide our content, and a third is the general decline in the popularity of books. With TV and movies providing a much “easier” (and very accessible) form of entertainment, not to mention the sorry state of our educational system, books seem to be falling more and more out of favor as the years go by. We need to bring back “book mania” and rediscover the rich worlds that live inside a good novel! Read More>>
Brandon R. Scarborough
I began working in education in 2005 teaching 6th grade at Emmanuel Christian Academy. While my classroom teaching skills were not the greatest, that experience led me to obtain my Masters Degree in Education in 2007 and to continue working in other areas of teaching and education ranging from elementary school to being a college professor for a few years. At some point the dream began to formulate that one day I would open a school for young black boys in my hometown. I had no idea what that journey would look like and in my own planning, I enrolled in school again in 2013 to obtain my doctoral degree in education. Read More>>
Martha Reineke
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Building my business took time, especially in the early years when I was working to gain clients and establish trust. The pandemic brought its own set of challenges, forcing me to pivot and find new opportunities. Balancing my editing firm while working as a ghostwriter—and later as Director of Operations—stretched me thin. Walking away from a stable role to focus on my own business again was a leap of faith. But each struggle taught me resilience and clarity, helping me refine my goals. Today, those challenges have fueled my firm’s growth and success. Read More>>
Marissa Sturkey
I am new to the content creation space but one challenge I faced when getting started was just that: getting started! I had to get over the hump of “what will people think of me?” and “what if my ideas don’t stick with my audience?” and just do it. I used to film hours of content but never post it because I was nervous or my doubts overcame me. Now, I post whenever I’m feeling proud of my work or when I think a product or brand should be shared because I like it. By doing just that, I have landed so many jobs and opportunities with dream brands I thought I’d never get the chance to work with – and this is only my first year. Read More>>
Hannah Mosley
I would not describe the life of an artist smooth, but ever-learning and ever-changing. I initially started in photography before going into illustration full-time. I had photographed weddings, graduations, fashion portraits and family gatherings. Then it shifted to graphic design, which I still continue to do for work; but within that I fell in-love with the art of drawing again. There are so many bends and slopes that I’ve experienced, and truthfully, it’s not been easy- but they’ve taught me the biggest lessons. In art, the common theme is to try it out even if it looks “unappealing” or “ugly”, if you continue on it will eventually start to come together-and that’s all part of the trial and error. Read More>>
Deaj The Mua
Believing in yourself in order to be confident enough to begin taking clients was honestly the hardest part. The more you practice the better you’ll get. My work has definitely had its flaws and teaching moments in the beginning, as you’re not going to be the best when you first start out. Gaining clientele is and support was also a challenge. I had to learn to adapt and navigate in an industry I wasn’t used to being in. I also had to learn ways to make myself stand out as an entrepreneur, as well as become open to different marketing strategies that may be out of my comfort zone. I’ve grown so much since the beginning of my journey and it’s only still the beginning. I still witness myself growing more and more each day. Read More>>
Jesse Carter
When I was younger, my dream was to record my own music, I finally achieved that dream with the release of my first CD “Broken”, imagine my surprise when it won the OHIO MUSIC AWARD for Best Adult Contemporary CD. i just released my 2nd CD called The Dark Side of Love. As well as a Christmas Song called Merry Christmas Baby, and my soon to be released single called Tell Me That I’m Beautiful. I do occasionally play out at venues, but I mostly play at open mics. Two of which I host myself. Tuesday night at Kent Lanes from 7-9, and every other Wednesday 7:30-10 at The Venice both are located in Kent. Read More>>
Alan Chavez
I love that I can say I am one of the very few Hispanic photographers in my area. I love being able to speak both languages on wedding day with families who are Spanish-speaking. For those that do know me, I am more than positive they would say that I have an electric and charismatic personality. I know most people are going to show up wedding day with a good attitude, but I show up with an abundance of joy and comedic energy, wanting to set the tone for the rest of the day/night. Read More>>
Whitney Barkley
For me, personal branding and AI go hand in hand. Your brand is built on who you are—your values, expertise, and unique perspective. AI is simply a tool to help you express that more effectively, consistently, and authentically. My mission is to teach people how to use these tools not just to create content but to better understand themselves, reflect their true genius, and show up in ways that resonate. When you better yourself, you naturally better your brand—and AI is the amplifier to help make that happen. Read More>>
Rebecca Norton
My journey into matchmaking began over a decade ago, and it’s been an incredible adventure since day one. I always had a knack for connecting people, so it just made sense to turn that passion into a career. I started small, really focusing on understanding what makes people tick and how to create meaningful connections. Over the years, I honed my skills, worked with amazing clients, and helped form countless successful relationships and marriages. Read More>>
Marissa Sturkey
I grew up with having Chefs as parents so food has always been a huge part of my life. My parents, Chefs Paul and Pam Sturkey, had several successful restaurants in the Cincinnati, OH area along with creating our family’s Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing and Sturkey’s Spice recipes. I truly didn’t have a choice – food and cooking was in my blood! Once I was in my early twenties, I knew that I had a passion for cooking and a hobby of hosting dinner parties but wanted to use social media to my advantage to showcase my work since that’s the way of the world now. That’s when I started posting food videos and recipes to Instagram. I create content talking about new delicious products, healthier alternatives, “What I Eat in a Day” reels, travel content and more! It feels good to be able to share my life with the world and make a business out of it. Read More>>
