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.
Cammy Ripley And Sandy Horvath, Esq
She joined the Sunrise Board in 2014 and she currently serves as Treasurer. In 2015, Sandy moved next door to Sunrise and is currently the primary caretaker which involves coordinating the many professionals that help care for the Sunrise babies, feeding them, coordinating the many volunteers that come to help keep their space clean, comfortable and safe. There are so many other wonderful, dedicated individual and corporate volunteers, supporters and donors that allow Sunrise to exist. Read More>>
Tionna Barksdale
Along the way, I discovered how much I loved celebrating milestones and helping others do the same. Whether it’s a wedding, birthday, or a private event, I take pride in bringing a vision to life, down to the smallest detail. Family has always been my foundation, and their support inspires me to bring the same warmth and care to every project I undertake. Read More>>
Brittany Muck
One of the biggest struggles was finding people that we trust and enjoy working with as second photographers. It took us 3-4 years to find people with a great eye for photography, easy to work with, and wanted what was best for our company. Thankfully, my husband was able to fill the void of 2nd photographers the first couple of years, but when he started doing videography, he was not as available to help. By then we had a team of 3 other photographers that we love and trust for any wedding. Read More>>
Tacia McIntosh
Once I started experimenting with the different dye colors and relearning color theory, because that plays an important role in your yarn coming out great versus it being a muddy mess. As I got more confident with my yarn dyeing I decided to start an Instagram account dedicated to my yarn dyeing, it was not a business yet. Then 2020 happened and I was stuck at home on voluntary furlough 2 days a week with absolutely nothing to do. I’m also a crocheter and knitter, and I found myself testing one of my close friend’s patterns, someone commented that they liked my yarn and asked where I got it from I told them that I dyed it myself. They asked if I sold the yarns that I dyed and I said a stern” NO”….lol Read More>>
Gino Garcia
This curiosity led me to travel to Rome in 2019, and soon my passion for interior design took me to Madrid, Spain, where I not only honed my skills but also immersed myself in the most innovative European trends and approaches. During my years in Madrid, I had the opportunity to live, study, and work in an environment where design and functionality merge to create unique and sophisticated spaces. Over time, I started working on my personal brand, showcasing my work and creating valuable content on interior design and related topics. Gradually, new projects emerged, and I even had the chance to teach interior design and decoration at a small institute. Read More>>
Ras Asan
After graduation, I partnered with my Morehouse classmate Derrius Quarles to co-found Million Dollar Scholar, a software platform teaching high school students how to secure college scholarships. Our innovative approach earned us placements in five prestigious business accelerator programs, including TechStars, Power Moves NOLA, and Propeller. In New Orleans, we gained recognition for breaking racial barriers in the tech startup community—a milestone that inspired us to launch BREAUX Capital, a cooperative platform enabling Black millennials to pool resources and invest collectively. Read More>>
Kamakazi Kenji
Dealing with financial struggles and other personal things and continuing to over come the adversity of my situation. Read More>>
Chris Eischen
Chris Eischen’s journey is a remarkable testament to resilience, adaptability, and the pursuit of purpose. His early years were shaped by a passion for wrestling and theater, where he honed his skills in storytelling and connection. A love for flight took root during his senior year, influenced by his family’s time in Italy, which led him to work at a local airport. To fund his flying dreams, Chris spent time mastering the printing trade before a pivotal career shift in 2008 brought him to General Motors. Read More>>
Tedd Byers
joined my first play, as audrey 2 in little shop of horrors. the teacher was much more passionate. in high school, i joined the top band, choir, and did lead roles in plays as a freshman. ended up branching to singing opera, barbershop, jazz, and pop a capella. junior year is when i made my first beat, senior year i made my first song. i went to college and majored in vocal performance, while learning how to make music and engineer in my dorm. dropped out after the first semester and started engineering and making music on the side. 25 and now i pursue it full time! Read More>>
Jessica Blankenship
As a full-time art teacher, I have been directing my own art camps every summer since 2009. These camps have always been my favorite events! After years of thinking about it, I decided to start my own business, called The Artful Gathering, so that I could host more than just summer art camps. I opened a brick and mortar location in New Richmond, OH in September of 2022. After about a year and half in that location, I knew that Bethel was where I needed to move the business. I have now been in my Bethel location for one year! It has been amazing and growth has been steady! Read More>>
Chuchen Song
I received my M.F.A. from the glass program of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2021, and my B.F.A. in design from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2017. My current body of work involves a series of enameled and kiln formed glass which contain symbolic imageries to talk about the experience of Chinese women in this cultural background. I utilize an ancient glass enameling technique called “grisaille” to paint on glass. During the process of enameling, I hand draw the linework onto the glass, the imagery will then be kiln fired at 1100 degrees for fifteen minutes in order to fuse the enamel to the glass. My process involves multiple rounds of drawing and kiln firings in order to achieve depth and detail in my imagery. Read More>>
Mayceo Smith
With over 20 years of experience in preaching and teaching the word of God, Bishop Mayceo has led countless individuals to Christ, helping them uncover their God-given potential. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology and has ministered across various groups, denominations, and cultures, always proclaiming that Jesus still saves. Known for his remarkable ability to connect with people from all walks of life, Bishop Mayceo founded Coming Together for Christ, an initiative aimed at uniting the body of Christ. He also established the nonprofit organization Unity in the Community of Akron, which focuses on reducing senseless gun violence in the city. He also served on the Chief of Police Advisory Council. Read More>>
Candis Paoli
Now, as I continue to grow in this space, I’m passionate about supporting other small businesses and entrepreneurs—especially women and other traditionally marginalized folks. That’s actually what led me to start a second business focused on helping other small business owners thrive. It’s all about building a community of strong, empowered individuals who are ready to chase their dreams and make them a reality. Read More>>
Amy Walsh
Amy, her family and our recent AGP addition, Milena, all help with the manufacturing and distribution of AGP’s pickles and pickled products throughout the Dayton and Cincinnati areas. 2024 finally brought the break through growth that gave Amy the opportunity to sell her full-time fitness business of 12 years and is now a full-time pickle peddler. We are entering 2025 proud of our product lineup of ten items, in addition to co-packing a custom product line up of four items for Jungle Jim’s International Market in Cincinnati, Ohio. 2025 will be a year focused on sustainable growth, improved production processes and securing ourselves as a high quality provider of gourmet pickles and pickled goods! Read More>>
Chase Meade
Personal training is a career that takes years to develop. Years of 5am wake up calls and little to show for it. My journey has been one of career challenges, both internal and external. The internal doubts of success and external factors such as Covid-19 and previous partnerships. Covid-19 nearly halted all of my progress! Being shut down for 8 weeks with no pay while still paying for a facility. Another road bump was a previous partnership decision. At the time, it seemed right. After years together, I nearly left this career behind. Sometimes people lift you up. Other times, they will pull you down. I’m glad now for these hardships. Without them, Coreplex Fitness would not have happened. Read More>>
Beth Fontaine & Kayla Simonton
Initially, we both operated our own small paranormal event companies, learning the ins and outs of planning investigations, coordinating groups, and sharing our knowledge with newcomers. Along the way, we faced challenges, celebrated victories, and grew as both entrepreneurs and investigators. Our paths crossed during events, and we started to talk about combining forces and Eerie Excursions was born. Read More>>
Robert Stewart
I was born and raised in Painesville, Ohio, I lived there for majority of my life. I had a normal up bringing I guess you could call it. Lived with my mom and older brother Obie, we were two opposites really, he was the more outgoing one and I was the shy one for the most part. I had my group of friends that I would hang out with and proud to say that most of those same friends I still remain close with to this day and am very thankful for that. Read More>>
Karriane Grow
While I don’t have children of my own, I am a firm believer in the power of women supporting women. As a “girls’ girl,” I understand the importance of community and solidarity, especially during vulnerable life stages. I recognized that as a doula, I could offer not only practical support but also emotional guidance and advocacy, empowering women to navigate their own unique journeys with greater confidence and ease. I am driven by the belief that every woman deserves to feel heard, supported, and empowered throughout her reproductive journey, and I am committed to providing that support through my work as a doula, which I treasure. Read More>>
Janice Nelson
In all aspects of life, challenges are unavoidable, but teamwork enables overcoming them. We had a few models, including my own daughter. They would describe me as the demanding one and my business partner, Stephen, as the nice photographer/ co-manager. My objective is to prepare them for photo shoots and runway shows to establish their portfolios. Since the models found outdoor shoots too cold, my partner and I collaborated to acquire a studio. Our priority is ensuring the models’ safety, comfort, and readiness for work. Read More>>
Kolton Rice
This is where the narrative started to shift for me, I understood that there is more to filmmaking and cinematic storytelling than just movies. There are real stories that need told, stories that can change lives. I then attended Springfield-Clark CTC and took a photography course that helped explode my passion for storytelling. After a few years I got really burnt out and made the switch to video. This is where I discovered the true power of a story. It was then that OpenEye Studios was born. Read More>>
Kayla Printup
Another major struggle was building my business during the pandemic. There were constant fears about whether I could make this work financially, especially since I had just invested in training and securing a studio. Marketing myself as a new permanent makeup artist in a competitive field was also challenging, but I leaned into social media and word-of-mouth referrals to get my name out there. Read More>>
Eliza June
Since then we have recently purchased a new a permanent location, formally know as Shoyer Nursery on Winton Road that we are in the process of moving to. Finding access to land not rented can be difficult in and urban setting so I’m excited to have a space we are moving into that will become our forever home. You can now find us selling blooming annuals, culinary and ,medisional herbs, blooming perennials, tropicals, Christmas trees wreaths and firewood and cut flowers including a you cut flower field. Not to mention sharing our knowledge and passion for this trade. Read More>>
Carlson Gracie
We have a diverse collection of coaches from various backgrounds, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (having trained directly under Carlson Gracie Jr.), Judo, Muay Thai, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), and wrestling. We collectively have over a century of coaching and competing experience with hundreds of bouts in the aforementioned disciplines. We established in 2017 after having split off from a (now competing) MMA gym in the Cincinnati area. We are the only Carlson Gracie affiliate in the Cincinnati area. Read More>>
Josue Soto
We had an idea of creating apparel that would do just that. We really didn’t know where to begin, so for months we researched and designed only. After making some connections and creating an online store His Image Apparel was officially open. Since then we have continued to work and make meaningful relationships along the way that has opened multiple doors for us to walk through. From Pop up shows, concerts, collaborations, sneaker events, conventions, and setting up in a brick and mortar location, His Image continues to have new experiences and also experience new growth. Read More>>
Brianna Rhodes
My name is Brianna Rhodes and I am a freelance dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, poet, and activist based in Columbus, Ohio. My focus, as a creative, is through the eyes of a Black, queer woman. I create dance through a lens that brings understanding and awareness to certain social and political systems. My choreographic process challenges those systems of race, gender, and sexual orientation. I use my craft to create safe and constructive spaces for dancers like me. My purpose in the dance world is to educate society through the awareness and understanding of African American life and culture. Read More>>
Cherra Kay, MS, OTR/L
Personally, I had to confront my own fears and vulnerabilities around pelvic health before I was able to help other women heal. Diving into this work meant doing my own deep healing, which wasn’t always easy. But every challenge taught me more about resilience, self-compassion, and the importance of leading by example. Read More>>
Dan Kommeth
Of course it has not been an easy road. The HomeSmiles brand is fairly young (2018), so the name is not yet known in the marketplace. Early on there was a ton of “pounding the pavement,” getting to know apartment and property managers as well as local realtors. Read More>>
Rachel G Flows
Once that was out of the way, I found my footing in the flow arts community once again and discovered Bircus Brewery in Ludlow, KY who then launched my career in the circus! But it took a lot of work to get to where I am today, and I was not just given the opportunity outright. I had to work my way from customer, to bartender all the way to performer, while developing, learning and expanding my skill set. Throughout that time, I have grown and continue to grow into the performer that I am today. Read More>>
Heather Dew
I began baking at five years old with my mother. Like most children, I found it fun! As I got older with much younger siblings, I found it even more rewarding. I started baking their birthday cakes for them and it brought them (and me) so much joy! It filled my love tank, if you will to have any recipient love what I’d made for them. I didn’t fully realize how much I truly loved baking though, until I made my daughter’s first birthday cake in 1993. After that, I took a local cake decorating class, and started my licensed home bakery called Heavenly Heather’s in 1994, in Lebanon, my hometown. Read More>>
Jasmyn Banks
I’m Jaz! I am a 30 year old content creator! When I first discovered that Youtube and social media could be a job at 13 years old, I always dreamed of one day doing something along those lines. Along the way of growing up, a big passion of mine was fashion and beauty. So much so that even at 16 years old I cut a pixie hair cut in high school because I wasn’t afraid to be bold. Fast forward several years later.. Read More>>
Melody Phoenix
The road is not smooth at all! Learning an instrument is difficult and trusting the process is scary. I really want to run in this journey, but I have to stumble, crawl and then walk. Even though it’s hard, I love that because it feels like I finally found the missing piece to my journey. Once I’m stuck on something I have to master it, I won’t stop until I do. Read More>>
Jenn Morgan
The concept for my fudge business revolved around an ambition to create fifty flavors of unbelievably delicious and beautiful fudge that could change people’s perception of what fudge could be. So in 2020, Fudge By Jenn was launched. I experimented with my family recipe until I created fudge bases that could handle high-impact flavor, while still keeping the smooth texture the recipe known for. (And of course, keeping the original three flavors nearly identical to my grandmother’s.) Read More>>
KamTB
Hey I’m KamTB also known as KTB I am 17 years old from Cincinnati Ohio i been making music for a while now just start taking it seriously with all the different genres of music what really hit me into music was all the hate i received of me starting music I can admit it got to be it first but over time that can make me improve and it did I’m still improving each day by the end of this year I expect to develop my game and skill level to set my career higher then most out there also my grandpa is a really big inspiration to me his death was a really big tragedy on me and the most recent thing that shocked KamTB was his death of J aka J.L.O 2024 it’s now 2025 KamTB is definitely have things to prove Read More>>
Nikki Jones
After I graduated from Paul Mitchell in July 2022, I started immediately at my first salon! I received my cosmetology license on August 4th, 2022. I then went through a 6 month apprenticeship, learning more and perfecting my craft. After 6 months I worked my way behind the chair full time, and spent over two years building my books. As well as taking classes to ensure my knowledge stays up to date on new trends, and ways of doing things. I was fortunate enough to go to multiple Goldwell Classes! One in Nashville, and one in New York! After over two years at the salon I was currently at, life pushed me to take a risk. In September of 2024, I decided to rent a suite which allows me to run my own business. At Lived In Luxury Hair, I’m located inside The Copper Bow. Read More>>
Luke D. Rosen
Last year, I became the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Perrysburg Chorale. We had a great season last year, and we are building on that success this year. We just completed our Halloween concerts, and next up is Brahms’ Schicksalslied with the Perrysburg Symphony. We will also be singing at Rosary Cathedral in Toledo for their Carol Sing just before Christmas, premiering a Four Seasons piece (written by me) in March, a Broadway Cabaret in April, and a singer-songwriter concert at the Valentine as our annual fundraiser in May. Read More>>
Brianna
Growing up in the vibrant energy of New York City, I was surrounded by ambition, culture, and endless possibilities, which shaped my drive to become a multifaceted mogul. The city taught me resilience, adaptability, and the power of influence, laying the foundation for my journey as a creator and leader. Now, living in Columbus, Ohio, I’m focused on using my platform to inspire and empower others. My mission is simple yet impactful—to change at least one person’s life by sharing my story, providing value, and building connections. Whether it’s through my voice, my work, or my presence, I’m committed to leaving a meaningful mark wherever I go. Read More>>
