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.

Krystyll Harden

My journey with Henry County Humane Society began with a lifelong passion for animals and a desire to make a meaningful difference in my community. I spent most of my career working in the service industry waiting tables and bar tending until I accepted a position as a barn specialist providing animal-assisted therapy to adults with autism. That experience changed my life. Read more>>

Heidi von Harringa

I am a therapeutic sound facilitator in Columbus, Ohio. I have only been on this specific path for a little over a year but in that time, I have discovered what it is that I am truly drawn to in this life. Read more>>

Candice Tolbert

I started SuperSeeds after my son was suspended with ‘staring at a girl.’ My story went international and people all over the country were reaching out to share their ‘black’ child suspension stories. I went to the State of Ohio’s Board of Education website to pull out-of-school suspension data. The data showed that over 200,000 youth were suspended. Read more>>

Rosalind Smith

I became a therapist because I’ve always been drawn to helping people navigate life’s difficult moments. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside individuals, couples, and families as they worked through trauma, grief, relationship challenges, anxiety, and major life transitions. Those experiences have been some of the greatest honors of my career. Read more>>

Meredith Wise

I’ve always loved working with children. As a teenager, I was the neighborhood’s go-to babysitter, which eventually led me to a career in elementary education. For more than 20 years, I’ve enjoyed creating engaging lessons and curriculum that spark curiosity, and I’ve always had a love for children’s books. A major turning point came when I experienced a stroke at 31. Read more>>

David Slagle jr

I started out making music , I taught myself social media , website design and various digital skills , That led to me getting an opportunity to co own a smoke shop . While I was running the shop I realized that I had been able to market my music and now this shop enough to see success in it .. Read more>>

Paul O’shaughnessy

My passion for fitness started early through playing baseball and basketball throughout high school. Those experiences sparked an interest in performance, movement, and what the body is capable of. As that passion grew, I realized I wanted to combine my love for fitness with a career that would allow me to make a meaningful impact on other people’s lives. Read more>>

MaKayla Roesser

From the age of 12, I knew I wanted to build a career in the beauty industry. My journey began with the dream of becoming a makeup artist, but as I grew older and explored different areas of beauty, I discovered that esthetics was truly where I belonged. Read more>>

Meghan Nowland

I started the Cincinnati Birth Center in 2019 because I wanted to help solve the problem of infant mortality in Cincinnati. I knew midwives and midwifery centers were the answer. Too many babies are dying in Cincinnati because they are being born too small and too soon. Midwifery care prevents preterm birth and low birth weight. Read more>>

john Fleischmann

My name is John Fleischmann. I am a concentrator photographer filmmaker out of Toledo, Ohio. I want to pen a career Center for digital video production back in 2010 graduated in 2011. That’s where I learned the basics of what I do while in high school. I had a deep love for Music and I played in a band. Read more>>

Dr. Elizabeth Dulaney-Cripe

If I go way back, growing up, my mom was a registered nurse in the pediatric ICU. She worked long hours and would really get joy from connecting with her patients, their families, and seeing them ‘graduate’ from the ICU. She took really good care of her patients. Read more>>

Kyle Winblad

My story starts in construction, where I spent time as a project manager. That work gave me a close-up understanding of what goes into a home and what it takes to bring one back to life. Over time I realized I wanted to do more than manage projects. Read more>>

Ceris Christopher

I started working in the hospitality industry when I was 18 back in Toronto, at this point I was already living on my own and working 2 other jobs. I was forced to grow up at a very young age. Read more>>

Colin Shepherd

My story has always been about coffee. My earliest memory is sneaking sips of my mom’s coffee- loaded up with French vanilla creamer, sitting at our kitchen table. Fast forward to being a bit closer to ‘an adult,’ and I was eager to actually work in the industry after drinking so much of the stuff growing up. Read more>>

Annastasia Hicks

I attended Centre College with every intention of becoming an attorney and planned to continue on to law school after graduation. However, during my final semester, I realized I wanted to build a career centered on creating meaningful, positive experiences rather than spending my life in conflict resolution. Read more>>

John Eslich

I started Factory of Terror with a simple goal—to create a haunted attraction unlike anything people had experienced before. What began as an idea fueled by a passion for Halloween and immersive entertainment has grown into one of the country’s premier haunted attractions and a Guinness World Record holder. Read more>>

Lee Mapp III

If you had asked me years ago where I thought my career would take me, I probably would have never said digital media. My professional journey actually began in the world of high-fashion modeling. Modeling gave me opportunities to work with incredible people, travel, and experience the creative side of storytelling through photography and fashion. Read more>>

Travis Crawford

Music has always been a part of who I am, but turning it into a full-time career is something I’m still working toward. I grew up with a love for country music and storytelling, and over the years that passion turned into writing songs and performing whenever I had the chance. Read more>>

Liv B

My business and brand, SweetBoxCLE, was birth in the mist of a layoff 4-5 years ago. I was injured on the job and in recovery. I had time and endless ambition. I didn’t want to be idle and for years prior, I have started and ended numerous business ventures. This one, I was sure of. I always enjoyed things culinary and feeding others. Read more>>

Greg Owens

Music has always been a part of who I am. I started playing drums at just two years old, and over time that passion grew into producing, songwriting, singing, and leading my own band. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I was influenced by funk, soul, R&B, jazz, and hip-hop, and those influences naturally blended into the eclectic sound I create today. Read more>>

Becca Britton

My career in animal welfare began in 2003 when I founded Friends of the Cleveland Kennel after seeing firsthand the need for stronger advocacy for homeless animals in our community. What started as a grassroots rescue effort quickly grew into leading fundraising campaigns, organizing large-scale community vaccine clinics, and working alongside countless volunteers to improve outcomes for pets and their families. Read more>>

Jay (Papa Sage) Hollingshed

“I had to heal myself before I could help anyone else heal.” My journey into metaphysical and energy healing did not begin with a business plan, a professional certification, or even an understanding of what my life’s purpose would become. It began with a deeply personal need to survive, understand myself, and create a life beyond the conditions that shaped my childhood. Read more>>

Courtney D. Love-Curry

I’m just your semi-friendly neighborhood Blerd, playing this life game that didn’t include a strategy guide. By day, I’m a wife, a mother, and a member of the legal mafia. By night, I’m the effervescent and ever extra multidisciplinary artist CasualBlerdist. I’ve been a ham since birth so performance was my first love. Read more>>

James and Lynne Mowery

Our story starts well before Fifty5 Rivers. We have been partners in life and business since the mid-90s, and between us our backgrounds cover a lot of ground. Lynne worked as a child therapist and later as a sales consultant, and she has a gift for listening to people and understanding what they actually need. Read more>>

Jaize Savon

At 16 years old, I was already carrying battles that most people couldn’t see. I felt defeated. Home wasn’t peaceful, school wasn’t easy, and somewhere in the middle of it all, I lost sight of who I was. I spent so much time trying to hide from the world because I didn’t want anyone to see how broken I felt. Read more>>

De’Marrco Cannon

My name is De’Marrco Cannon aka D$MONEY I was born on August 11th in the year 2000 . Read more>>

Kaylah Morris

Throughout my life, Fashion and Style have always been passions of mine. I found myself creating outfits when asked to “draw something” in school as a little girl. As I got older, I began to explore local malls and department stores for the latest fashion trends and statement pieces. Read more>>

Ra’Nesha Springer

My entrepreneurial journey has always been rooted in storytelling, creating meaningful experiences, and helping others. My husband and I have always shared a love for travel. The memories we’ve created together inspired me to turn that passion into something bigger. Read more>>

Talcon Quinn

I am an Appalachian folk artist with deep familial roots to my home here in Athens County, Ohio. My art is contemporary, functional art that is rooted in traditional Appalachian practices and includes jewelry, basketry, hide tanning and herbal folk remedy making. Beyond creating I provide hands-on workshops in these traditional art forms and organize community events focused on Appalachian folk art, ways, and traditions. Read more>>

Brian Orlando

I was a cynic. A doubter. Growing up the only things I cared about were music and professional wrestling. Home was loud and I couldn’t focus. School wasn’t exactly a welcomed escape. I learned how to listen to the feeling’s others had through the songs that called to me. Read more>>

Corbin Simms

Like a lot of kids growing up in a small Midwestern town, I was never really exposed to all the different paths life could take. Where I’m from, the expectation was pretty simple: graduate high school, attend a local college, find a stable job, and settle into a comfortable life. Read more>>

Paula Wofford

I took a leap of Faith and a year ago moved to Dayton Ohio not knowing anyone other than my ministry team to now knowing the mayor as my friend and many other great leaders here in Dayton Ohio that have now helped push me into purpose. Read more>>

Khari Johnson

I’ve never been great at staying in one place. I was born in New Mexico, raised between North Carolina and the Washington, D.C. area, and as the middle child, I learned early how to adapt, negotiate, and occasionally stay out of trouble. I’ve always felt most at home wherever there’s good conversation, good music, and good people. Read more>>

Drew Latshaw

If you had asked me twenty years ago where I’d end up, I never would have guessed ‘concert photographer,’ ‘writer,’ or ‘interviewer.’ By day, I’ve spent much of my career working in Information Technology, solving technical problems and helping people behind the scenes. At the same time, creativity has always been part of who I am. Read more>>

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>>