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.

Ebony Jones

To start off, I knew I always wanted to run a business; I just didn’t know what I wanted it to be. I remember being in school while working full-time and feeling stressed and overwhelmed trying to balance everything. My mother bought me a candle for my birthday. Read more>>

Jennifer Grant

I grew up riding horses in the mountains of Colorado, but always had a variety of interests. I worked in the horse business from an early age through my college years. My curiosity about the world led me to a BA in liberal arts, an internship at a dance school, graduate studies and a stint as a Park Ranger in Boston. Read more>>

Pat Walker

It started at least eight years ago when I started to feed a stray cat at work . She was named Kevin than later changed to Bella . She was a feral which took some time, but I tamed her . She ended up having a litter of kittens . That’s when I met a lady named Melissa Camp . Read more>>

John McCoy

I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I was constantly creating—sculpting miniature characters and creatures out of polymer clay, drawing knights in shiny armor, and filling sketchbooks with anything that captured my imagination. Read more>>

Justine Johnson

My name is Justine Johnson and I am the owner and lead interior designer for JustDesigns. JustDesigns is an interior design company currently serving the Greater Cleveland area. I aim to conceive design that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional, maintaining the client’s needs at the heart of my focus. Read more>>

Robert Brooks

From a young age, music has always been a focus of my life. My grandmother was a music teacher and some of my earliest memories are playing around with her piano and other instruments. Read more>>

Rebecca Smiley

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/06/28-year-old-quit-her-job-as-a-college-counselor-to-become-a-travel-agentshes-on-track-to-earn-100k-this-year.html?&qsearchterm=rebecca%20smiley Honestly, this article gives a better overview than I probably could briefly haha! Basically I started in higher edu, working in some of the NKY schools. I didn’t love my job, and like many, COVID made me realize that. I met someone in travel at a wedding, and quit my job shortly after. Read more>>

J.julye Brown

My journey into the beauty industry started long before I ever became a licensed cosmetologist. As a little girl, I was known as the neighborhood braider. I grew up watching the women in my family style hair, and they often practiced new techniques on me. Read more>>

Sara Wilson

Piqua Arts Council has been enriching our community through the arts for more than three decades. Founded in 1991 and operating as an independent nonprofit since 1997, PAC has remained committed to one guiding purpose: making the arts accessible to our community through education, support, and presentation. Read more>>

Nicole Spisak

Richual started after I realized I was building something that didn’t actually feel like me. A few years ago, I purchased a women’s clothing boutique because I knew I wanted to own a business. It taught me so much, but over time I realized I wasn’t passionate about it in the way I thought I’d be. Read more>>

Dawn Scadlock

Well it all started with my mother, Gail Cochran, She was a stay at home mother for 15years and after going thru a divorce – she knew she needed to find employment – so she worked for a travel agency for 6 months and decided to open her own agency. She bought an existing agency that was for sale. Read more>>

Scott Eakins

I guess you can say my story started around 6th grade when we had a career day. One of the careers I chose to view was graphic design. From that point on I knew that’s what I wanted to do. After high school I pursued graphic design in college ending up at the School of Advertising Arts. Read more>>

Sharum Sharif

My path to becoming a physician has been somewhat unconventional, but every step has contributed to the doctor I am today. While completing my pre-medical studies in college, I made the unusual decision to pursue a degree in electrical engineering before attending medical school. I believed that engineering would strengthen my analytical and problem-solving abilities—skills that would ultimately make me a better physician. Read more>>

Matthew Novick

It’s amazing to think about the journey so far… Starting off as a simple DJ at age 16 just playing CDs, vinyls and cassettes. After those first few years of getting the basics down pat, it was really during college when I began to see things evolve more; Expanding from simple parties to the local nightlife scene and more significant private events.. Read more>>

Steffi Cappel

Cappel’s year-round business was opened in August, 1945 by brothers William and Urban Cappel. While the company has evolved from a display store that sold décor to department stores in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee to a retail corporation selling costumes, accessories, party supplies, and party decorations, it has remained family-owned and operated for more than 80 years. Read more>>

Anthony Legend

A lot of this really started with my two dogs, Atlas and Sedona. So my dog Atlas is a border collie-shepherd mix, Sedona’s a mini Aussie-border collie mix. I was already pretty active and at some point I just started running them more seriously instead of doing the usual walk around the block thing. Read more>>

Salomé Tregre

I’m a Cincinnati native born and raised. A Professional Ballet Dancer in the Corps de Ballet with Cincinnati Ballet. I started at their school when I was 3 years old. In 2017 I became Cincinnati Ballet’s first African American Clara in their previous 50 year history of The Nutcracker. The summer before my mother suffered from an intense stroke and I almost gave up ballet. Read more>>

Michele Perry

For nearly 30 years, I worked as a social worker in behavioral health, supporting individuals and families through some of life’s most challenging moments. Throughout my career, I saw firsthand how our environments affect our well-being. When our homes feel overwhelming, it can be harder to focus, rest, and enjoy the people and things that matter most. Read more>>

Wendell Adkins

As a kid growing up in Dayton I was fascinated by the Wright Brothers story. This led to me becoming a pilot and starting an aerial filming business along with my wife Leisa in 2005. Read more>>

Rebecca Rine

I am a certified life coach who oversees a nonprofit called Coach Dayton (coachdayton.org). I no longer charge for my 1:1 sessions because most people who truly need life coaching to help empower them don’t have the financial means to receive it. Read more>>

Kevin Thomas

We founded Western Reserve Distillers together in 2014, but the idea grew out of two very different professional backgrounds and a shared desire to build something meaningful of our own. Kevin spent approximately 25 years with Nestlé Professional, where he gained extensive experience in food and beverage, sales, operations, and brand development. Read more>>

Kisha Nicole Foster

I began my journey as a poet in 1999. I’ve always read books and was good in English, yet poetry was never my goal. My first time on stage was at this spot in Cleveland that was called The Humidor. I won a poetry slam for $200 there. After that night, opportunities started coming to me. Read more>>

Akilah wales

My journey into the beauty industry started with a simple love for doing hair when I was nine yrs old I styled and cut my first client ! As I grew older and bringing creative ideas to life. I spent countless hours practicing, learning, and pushing myself to master new techniques because I knew I wanted to create something special. Read more>>

Ashley Rothstein

My husband and I have always enjoyed building businesses together. We met while working at NM Residential, a multifamily real estate company, and after getting married at 20, we began investing in our own rental properties and apartment buildings. Over the years, we’ve grown our real estate portfolio while raising our family. Read more>>

Esther Crow

I started writing music for kids after the birth of my son, Vincent Crow (now almost 13!), in 2013. My first project was Thunder & Sunshine- a 6 piece band with 3 female singers- which released one album in 2017, which received an Award of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board. Read more>>

Eddie Cerino

My name is Eddie Cerino. I have been in the restaurant business for 50 years. My grandmother, Carrie Cerino, was the matriarch of our family. After settling in the States from Italy she started a bakery out of her house. Read more>>

Dr. Timothy Goler

My roots are in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. I currently reside in Hampton, Virginia, but Cleveland remains home and continues to shape my identity, scholarship, writing, and community work. Can you briefly walk us through your story, how you started and how you got to where you are today? I was born and raised in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. Read more>>

Caitlyn Dowdle

I worked here at ice cream island under the previous owners Kevin & Tammy Best for several years until they wanted to sell the business and when I heard they were going to sell I knew I wanted to buy it. Read more>>

Sylvia Brownlee

Sylvia Brownlee didn’t set out to build a brand. She set out to solve a problem the entire skincare industry kept ignoring: what happens to acne, hyperpigmentation, and aging skin when the ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions on the shelf were never built for skin like hers, or her clients’. Read more>>

Ely Meece

I was raised in old school hair salons, my great aunt had a salon in her basement after she retired and a good friend of my mother’s did our hair all through elementary school in the beauty parlor she owned. I’ve always been enamored with glamorous women and considered both of these women incredibly glamorous. Read more>>

Stevi Carr

My career has never followed a straight line—it has been shaped by a deep curiosity about people, leadership, and what truly helps individuals and organizations thrive. Read more>>

Marvia Presley

My story began as a little girl watching the struggles in my home and not realizing how deeply those experiences were shaping me. As the oldest child, I quickly became the caretaker. I even remember working and giving my mom money so she could get back and forth to work. Somewhere along the way, I began believing that my needs would only create more problems. Read more>>

Antonio Mejia

My journey into photography began around 2012, and like many great stories, it started with something deeply personal. I bought a simple point-and-shoot digital camera to capture everyday memories of my children. At the time, photography was simply a hobby, but I quickly became fascinated by the creative freedom that digital photography offered. Read more>>

Jennifer Bacha

I like to say my story began with a healthy dose of curiosity, a lot of flour, and a firm belief that life is simply too sweet for mediocre treats. What started as a passionate obsession in my kitchen has bloomed into Bacha Cookies Bakery in Austintown. Read more>>

Tiraj Lucas

FROM TIRZ was born from my belief that clothing can do more than make a statement—it can tell a story, challenge stereotypes, and create community. Growing up, I saw how streetwear was often unfairly associated with crime or negative perceptions, especially in Black and Brown communities. Read more>>