The Change-Makers: stories that inspire

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.

Christie Davis

My journey began with a deeply personal realization: beauty shouldn’t require us to compromise on our health or peace of mind. For years, I watched the beauty industry flood shelves with products packed with complex chemical synthetic ingredients, leaving consumers trying to decode labels just to find something safe for their skin and hair. Read more>>

Darryl Yokley

I moved to New York in 2009 and quickly established myself as a band leader performing around New York City and the surrounding areas. Since then my band and I have toured nationally and have three albums out- The Void (2012), Pictures at an African Exhibition (2018) and Un Mundo en Soledad (2024). Read more>>

John Gombar

We are a small farm established in 1931 when my great grandfather, Louis Nameth, bought the property. It passed to my grandmother, Mary, and grandfather, John Gombar. I returned with my family to the farm in 1997 to care for my grandmother and the farm. Read more>>

David McKee

I am visually impaired, born with a condition called optic nerve hypoplasia — where the eyes may work fine but the optic nerves connecting them to the brain are underdeveloped. That has shaped how I move through daily life and how I create. Read more>>

Jewel Carter

When we first interviewed, I was in the early stages of releasing The Mirror Doesn’t Lie and sharing a message that had been growing inside of me for years. At the time, I was balancing entrepreneurship, raising my son, and building a beauty business while exploring what it looked like to help people on a deeper level. Since then, a lot has changed. Read more>>

Deborah Wright

I am a quilter. I have my Bachelor degree in Fine Art and started as a picture framer and graphic designer. When I changed careers and went work for a large corporation, I need a creative outlet. I got my Masters in Marketing and started a soap making business on the side. I sold at craft fairs and online for about 10 years. Read more>>

Anjali Phougat

I began my journey with a deep belief that fashion is not just clothing—it is storytelling, emotion, and energy woven into fabric. From the very beginning, I was drawn to Indian heritage, spirituality, and the timeless symbolism that lives within our culture. Read more>>

Anthony Riley

My name is Anthony Riley, also known as Mastamynd. I started Ohio Cannabis Live in 2019 because I saw a need for reliable information about Ohio’s medical cannabis program. What began as a small social media project grew into a statewide media platform reaching hundreds of thousands of people through videos, live streams, interviews, and educational content. Read more>>

Nadina Iadimarco

I have worked with children since the age of 12. It is truly not only a passion, but a calling. One day, I was with a friend, leading our daughters’ Girl Scout troop. I casually told her my dream was to own a preschool. Fast forward a couple years and she saw one for sale in our area and Facebook messaged me about it. Read more>>

Jason Kingsman

I’ve been making movies since I was old enough to hold a camera. As a lifelong passionate storyteller, my dream has always been to realize my visions through the medium of filmmaking- which I finally began to do when I created Slug Films in late 2021. Over the last 5 years, the brand has grown to become something I’m truly proud of personally. Read more>>

Mattie Bray

I didn’t necessarily set out thinking, “I’m going to start a business consulting company,” but when I look back, the signs were always there. My professional background includes more than 14 years in marketing, coaching, sales, and relationship-building. Read more>>

C. Swoope

Production and entertainment have been apart of my life for as long as I can remember through my parents. My Father C. Floyd Swoope was an innovator & pioneer in the beauty industry with his Mirror Mirror hair care centers/ franchise. Read more>>

Michelle Michael-Kang

I started my career in corporate communications for a media group, and for a time I was also a columnist for a weekly business newspaper. From early on, I was drawn to the intersection of communication, media, and how messages actually land with people. That curiosity eventually led me to academia, where I earned my Ph.D. Read more>>

Nina Averbeck

Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve always loved performing, creating choreography, and the energy that comes from moving to music. Over time, I discovered that what I enjoyed even more was creating opportunities for others to experience that same joy, confidence, and sense of community. Read more>>

Cindy Locker

Our story really begins with lived experience — and a recognition that too many women face major life transitions without anyone in their corner when it comes to finances. Between the two of us, we bring decades of experience in education, accounting, and personal finance. Read more>>

Steve Haley

I started detailing in 1998, working for a shop on West Alexis — the same building I run Precision out of today. I did that until 2005, then took a factory job. Steady work, decent pay, but it was never where I wanted to be. I still detailed nights and weekends the whole time. It was the one thing I couldn’t walk away from. Read more>>

Hannah Adams

I am a fifth generation clairvoyant, meaning all the females in my family, such as my mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and so have all been professional, psychic readers with professional offices to provide psychic insight! As a young child I had began getting very intense dreams and visions, along with experiencing certain synchronicity’s unknowing what it had all meant. Read more>>

Kent Searle

I was adopted from Paraguay and grew up in Perrysburg, Ohio. Honestly, growing up I was a completely different person than I am now. I loved football and rugby, and if I’m being real… I was definitely a little turd that thought he was the coolest guy in the room most of the time. Haha. Read more>>

Ellen Gobeille

I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always creating; painting, drawing, cutting up magazines, taking ceramics classes, playing the violin, and eventually committing to a two-year graphic design program in high school. That passion led me to attend The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where I earned my degree in Graphic Design. Read more>>

Hayley Price

Getting into bridal makeup was actually a happy accident. Over the years, I’ve worn a lot of different hats – nanny, personal stylist, licensed esthetician, and more. But everything changed when someone I knew said, “Hey! You’re good at makeup. Read more>>

lisa parnell

When I was 17, I began working as a signwriter in the United Kingdom, where I grew up. I dreamt of becoming a graphic designer. I loved typography, but I wasn’t sure how to get there, so I found a small design agency that was a signwriting company, from small pub signs to large murals. Read more>>

laure marianne

I was born and raised in France, where I first developed a fascination with design, art, and the ways people experience space. I studied Interior Design at the École des Beaux-Arts before pursuing a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at ENSAD in Paris, France. Read more>>

Erica Tomasch

I got into plants years ago, and what started as a hobby quickly became a huge part of my life. As my collection grew, I found myself becoming especially passionate about rare and unusual plants. To help support my hobby, I began selling plants online and shipping them to collectors across the country. Read more>>

Angie Watson

After being a SAHM for years and only dabbling in the workforce when necessary, I found myself with a lot of random time on my hands. My boys were teenagers and definitely still needed me, but it was more here and there, leaving much space in between. I stumbled through a couple of ideas. Read more>>

Theodora Theodora Ntovas-Roth

My path to healthy, glowing skin, however, wasn’t in a doctors’ office. It was rooted in a deep connection to my family’s heritage. My grandparents lived off their land in Greece, cooking with the freshest ingredients and using natural remedies for everything. Both of my grandmothers made their own health and beauty treatments from indigenous plants, local flowers, and organic beeswax. Read more>>

Eveline Ma

Before moving into education, I spent many years working in radio journalism and corporate communications in Taiwan. Because of my husband’s research career, our family lived in Europe and Japan before eventually moving to Cleveland in 2019. My journey into Mandarin teaching began from a very personal place. Read more>>

Kaushila Khanal Karmacharya

My story begins with a simple belief that has followed me through every chapter of my life: growth is a responsibility. That belief is what led me to pursue my PhD, a journey that has become one of the most meaningful parts of who I am today. Read more>>

Emily Luthy

Back in 2022 I got into the trucking industry as a fleet manager annd dispatcher. I also created a small business making custom accessories for semi trucks and truck drivers. My social media blew up from that, and I ended up meeting my now husband through TikTok! Read more>>

Windsong CJ Smith

Windsong started in 1979 as a small group of singers at a Womyns talent show, and has evolved and grown to over 80 singing members at our latest concert on May 17th at the Tri-C Western campus theater. Visit our YouTube channel Windsong Cleveland to watch us perform! Read more>>

Alex Boydston

Boydston Productions started from the desire to share peoples stories. There are so many incredible stories out there in the world – whether its a deep personal story, a local business venture, or even a story from an individual event. We want to help those stories get shared. Read more>>

Gracie Kreider

I started Gracie K. Socials in April of 2025. I have always been interested in social media and creating content for myself but never thought about doing it for others until my mom brought the idea to me. My mom owns a wedding and event business so our businesses work together very well! Read more>>