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.
Sammi Young
I would bring a huge pile of books to my Grandma & ask her to sit & read them all to me. As I got older, I started getting into makeup & beauty more. Now, I’m extremely lucky enough to have a beauty career where I continue to create while making others feel beautiful. That has helped me build such a warm & loving community where I truly feel heard & accepted. I plan on continuing to venture out with my second business, which is clothing, & other creative projects I want to pursue. I feel like my flow will never end with creation. Read more>>
Emily Imbus
Getting here hasn’t been easy. Every booking, every client, and every challenge has shaped me into the esthetician I am today. I’ve spent countless hours learning not just techniques, but how to truly listen—to the skin and to the person behind it. I’ve dedicated myself to ongoing education so I can offer treatments that are both results-driven and deeply restorative. Read more>>
Bobbi & Tracy Cannon & Wilson
Tracey responded, saying she wanted to start posting fashion content, and from that moment on, this journey was born. Since then, we’ve been consistently creating and sharing thrifted fashion, styling tips, and creative looks. This hasn’t just been a fun outlet—it’s been a meaningful way for us to chase our dreams together, support one another, and grow personally and creatively. Even with our busy lives and responsibilities, this space has become something special. We’re learning as we go, discovering new skills (like editing and storytelling), and proving that no matter how full your plate is, there’s always room to pursue something you love. Read more>>
Don Howdyshell
My love for rivers and water started as a child when my parents took us canoeing or hiking along the Cuyahoga River. As a Cuyahoga Falls native, we explored local parks and spent time by the river regularly, engraving a passion for the outdoors and an ethos of respect for nature in me. That pull faded briefly when I joined the Marines from 1999 to 2003, trading riverbanks for barracks. But when I returned home, the Cuyahoga called me back—I’d missed its flow and the parks that shaped me. Read more>>
Ralph Protano
My journey in professional trailbuilding actually started back in 2008. I was working in advertising as a graphic designer for a daily newsletter for thoroughbred breeders in the horse racing industr. This was so long ago, that they literally used fax to distribute it to their members. It was a comfortable job in a strange time, as I was new member workforce of a workforce just as the country was entering a recession. Many of my friends who were recent graduates were having trouble finding jobs in their field and I had a well pay-ing job in an office full of big screen TVs with bottles of Perrier and a keg in the refrigerator. Read more>>
Donald Nicely
I grew up in a home with people I felt like I really didn’t know and did not have much in common with. I was sexually assaulted as a child. There was lots of violence in my home. Everything felt on edge most of the time. I was cut off from extended family due to co-dependent and other behaviors I witnessed from most of the adults in my life. My grandmother, who lived with us until I was 12-years-old was always my safe space. In school I was picked on and teased. I did not know how to connect with other people in healthy ways. Read more>>
Ryan Branscomb
Because I was ready to take the leap. Didn’t know exactly what I was gonna do but I’m gonna do it. So for the last 4 1/2 years I’ve been on my own. We have shot and filmed over 100 weddings in that time. I say we because my wife joined in 2021. Not fully but help out in July at a wedding in Lorain Ohio. She was instantly hooked and loved it. It took a few years of becoming established but after a year “helping” 2021-2022. 2023 she quit her job as a teacher aid for the local elementary school system and jumped fully into the business. We haven’t looked back since. My 10 year old son Jamison has helped on weddings as well. Read more>>
Amy Bock
I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Certified First Responder Counselor with a private practice in Westerville, Ohio. I specialize in providing mental health and wellness services to first responders. About half of my time is spent in individual counseling with police officers and firefighters, and the other half is spent out in the field—delivering trainings, responding to critical incidents, and facilitating wellness programs at local police and fire departments. Read more>>
Micah Timothy Bishop
My musical journey coincides a lot with my personal journey and growth especially these last couple of years. This project Timothy, my alter ego has helped me work through that growth and change and has allowed me to really dig deeper in asking the questions of life and to be open to whatever the answers may be. Read more>>
Dana Clay-Perdue
Later in life, I did attend college and received my MBA, but I wasn’t fulfilled. I decided to go into the coaching track and field at the high school level. I aim to be that resource I didn’t have in school and help guide them through the college scouting process. Nowadays, many more resources are available for high schoolers, but there’s nothing like having the extra support along with the parents and family! I have been coaching high school track and field for 4 years and love it! I want to start my own performance coaching business where I can help children and adolescents maintain or enhance their athleticism. I am in the beginning stages of my business, but I am excited to begin helping children and adolescents be the best form of themselves. Read more>>
Rawia Abdelsamad
I was born and raised in the Chouf mountains of Lebanon, where food was more than just nourishment — it was storytelling, identity, and connection. After building a successful career in management consulting across Beirut, and Dubai, I moved to the U.S. with my husband and three kids, eventually settling in Cleveland. It was here, in the Midwest, that I felt both the ache of missing home and the spark of a new idea. Read more>>
Devin Petulla
I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Biobehavioral Health, and for a while, I wasn’t sure exactly where that path would lead me. But several months before graduation, everything changed when my sister passed away from leukemia. She was the strongest, most resilient person I’ve ever known, and losing her shifted everything for me. In that moment, I knew I had to do something in the medical field. It was never something I had considered before, but suddenly, it became my calling. Read more>>
Carly Sioux
It hasn’t been smooth, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be. There’s a quiet pedigree in this industry that doesn’t get talked about enough. A lot of designers come into this work with a safety net—whether that’s generational wealth, connections, or the flexibility to treat it like a passion project. That wasn’t my entry point. I built this by working across cities, flipping pieces, saying yes before I had a blueprint. It takes a lot to be seen as legitimate when you don’t fit the mold or come from the “right” background. But that distance from the usual pipeline has also given me more room to experiment—and that’s where the good stuff comes from anyway. Read more>>
Ryan Taylor
The second semester of the year was when I began digital photography, and found the results to be much more of my speed and style. Post processing was now done on the computer and I would use all kinds of wacky and zany filters or effects on the images. Nothing was held back as I let my imagination and creativity wild and limitless. I was hooked! Read more>>
Chuck Sambuchino
I’d say the hardest part is not having a true mentor at any part of the process and thus learning everything through trial and error and guessing. Running a small business involves so many parts, including advertising and accounting. But when I can get past that difficult stuff, I get to teach writers and travel the country and help people get published. I even will teach in Italy this year (2025). So I have to enjoy the good stuff. Read more>>
Shannon Meyer
I started out building my portfolio in a shop in Dayton for a little while. Then I came back to Cincinnati and walked shop to shop, showing anyone who would look my art. I had no connections in the industry, so I told every shop I went into that I would work for free, or whatever they wanted to pay me. I just wanted to tattoo. I heard back from a few places, but Beelistic was where I wanted to go. I’ve met some amazing people in this industry that I can already call family. I am blessed to have been given a chance to put art on people forever. I’m looking forward to continue to grow my career and making new friends along the way ! Read more>>
Kevin Mackey
One of those companies, Halcyon Salsa, was pivotal to the creation of the Urban Farming Initiative. In 2018, I founded Halcyon Salsa and began selling at local farmers markets around Cincinnati. During that time, I learned so much about local food businesses, supply chains, and purchasing trends. But when the pandemic hit in 2020 and market distribution went away, I lost my primary means of reaching my customers. I knew something had to change. Read more>>
Lia Massari
For as long as I can remember- I’ve wanted to be an artist. I never knew quite what that meant or how to make it a reality. I didn’t attend college; instead, I built a life in the service industry. I spent a decade bartending downtown at Hilarities, a job I truly loved. Alongside that, I always kept art close—creating murals, designing band flyers, and designing shirts whenever I could. Read more>>
Melina Millerleile
After creating a mock business plan on opening a dental office with a friend, I quickly realized that I didn’t want to open a business on something I wasn’t completely passionate about and at the time, the only thing I truly cared about for me was how I felt during a cycling class. The fact that I grew up and never felt empowered, strong, into sports or fitness, this lifestyle took a hold of me and made me feel all of those things and more. I made friends, I felt strong, I wanted others to feel the same. So fast forward to 2021, I opened Cycle Fly. I went down the avenue of dark room rhythmic based cycling because numbers and metrics were never something I cared about. I only cared about feeling good and getting to move my body while having fun with it. Read more>>
Shawn Douglas
I’m an artist out of Ohio. I started my journey in music as a teenager making music as a collective. As time went on I started taking my music seriously around 2019 in the mixtape era of Hiphop. Been blessed to be in a few distribution deals. In 2021 I signed a distribution deal with BeatRoot music. From that time I’ve slowly reached milestones as in having over 50 million in streams. Everything to be played on the radio in my hometown of Youngstown Ohio on the 330show on 1023Loud fm radio. So I’m thankful for all the strides in my career as a artist especially a Hiphop/RnB artist in my experience. Read more>>
Megan Howard
I didn’t make one cent in profit the first year,. but the struggle was worth it. Now I’m 2 years in and I’ve built a clientele of people who are truly amazing! We have a built of community of women helping women, and I’m grateful to be the bridge between them. Read more>>
Savanna Twiddy
When COVID restrictions lifted, the wedding industry absolutely EXPLODED. So many people had postponed their celebrations, and suddenly there was a huge demand for artists. I took that as my sign to dive in headfirst. Now, over five years later, I’m a full-time artist (and yes, I still walk dogs for funzies <3) who averages about 30 to 40 weddings and over 250 clients in the chair each year. I feel incredibly lucky to have a career that is not only fun and creatively fulfilling, but also centered around uplifting people and celebrating beauty, authenticity, and connection. Read more>>
Kenji Prince
I needed a place to work, but nothing fit my idea of what a barbershop should be, could be. It became a destination barbershop built out neccessity. I signed a lease in November 2011, the space, at the time, was an “antique” store filled with broken tvs, dirty stuffed animals, and half bottles of old cologne. Slowly adding a few sinks and chairs, it finally became a legal business in April the next year. A place where everyone is welcome, and often come early to hang out and stay after the services rendered to continue the session. Read more>>
