The Most Inspiring Stories in St. Louis

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.

Brett Turner

I didn’t grow up thinking I’d become a florist but looking back, I’ve always been drawn to creating experiences that make people feel something. What started as a creative outlet eventually turned into something much bigger once I understood how powerful flowers are in marking life’s most important moments. That realization became very real in late winter/early spring of 2020. Read more>>

Mike LaTour

Soundwave Art was born in 2012 because of a question my friend Justin asked me: “Do you think it would be possible to turn sound into a piece of art?” I had recently left a position as project manager for Slackers, a local chain of record stores. Read more>>

Terrell Fisher

I grew up in St. Louis and my story honestly has been one of survival, growth, faith, and redemption. There was a time in my life where I was heavily involved in street life and making choices that could have easily cost me everything. Read more>>

Bethany Reinhold

So the bakeshop has been ours now for 10 years, it will be our 11th in August. I was bartending and doing hair, Zac was middle management in a good company and we always talked about owning something of our own. Read more>>

Calvin Dantley

My professional journey started in business development and account management, where I was responsible not only for driving revenue growth, but also for building sales programs and training new representatives on operations, customer engagement, communication, and relationship management. I spent a lot of time helping teams understand how to work effectively with customers while also navigating internal systems and expectations. Read more>>

Katrina Blasdel

I’m Katrina Blasdel, the owner and esthetician behind Katrina Skin Studio. I’m from the St. Louis Metro East. I’ve been in the esthetics industry since 2019 and have always had a passion for skincare because of my own struggles with acne growing up. Read more>>

Tia Kays

While attending the University of Missouri for Mechanical Engineering in 2012, I started having craft nights with a friend just for fun. We eventually decided to open Etsy shops to sell some of the things we were creating, and what started as a hobby quickly became something much bigger. For several years, I balanced my engineering career with growing my business on the side. Read more>>

Karin Kostich

I began directing a food pantry at our church in April of 2020 at the height of COVID. About 2 years in I felt a stirring in my heart to do something more. After much prayer and consideration The James II Project was born. Serving a meal to the unhoused or underserved in our community became a mission for me. Read more>>

Mykel McIntosh

I’ve always been drawn to hospitality, community, and creating spaces where people feel comfortable being themselves. Before Videira Wine Shop & Bar, I spent years working around restaurants, bars, and wine, learning not just the technical side of service, but how much atmosphere and connection matter. Read more>>

Brian Ray

Hustle City Clothing didn’t start as a clothing brand — it started as a tote bag and a theory. With a foundation in fashion design and merchandising, a very specific sense of humor, and a hunch that there were people out there who wanted apparel that didn’t take itself too seriously but was actually well-made, HCC was born. Read more>>

Beth Sansoucie

I didn’t take a traditional path into my career, my journey really started with being a young mom. For a long time, my focus was on raising my children, and I put my own career goals on hold. Once they became more independent, I found myself asking what was next for me. Read more>>

Carol Watanabe

Defenders Gateway was born from my years of experience serving Military children and families through Little Patriots Embraced, the charity I founded in 2004. Understanding the challenges they faced, I was determined to help provide a place where they could easily find the organizations that serve them both locally and nationwide. Read more>>

Kelly Simmons

My journey began with a simple but deep passion for the ‘underdog.’ In a world that can often be loud and overwhelming, I saw too many young women in our community struggling to find their place and, more importantly, losing their voices. Read more>>

Wyatt Eikermann

Our farm was founded in 1984 with the original 160 acres purchased by Lee Eikermann. The farm has gone through a few name changes and the acquisition of more property before finally becoming the 350-acre farm we know and love today. Our name changed to Delhi Sustainable Farms in 2019 to encompass our farm and mission. Read more>>

Logan Vaughan

My story is a lot like many others that develop a career in Hospitality. I never once thought that I would be doing what I am today. Growing up in a very small town in Iowa, my career goal was to be in Law Enforcement. Read more>>

Alejandro Contreras

My name is Alejandro Contreras, and I’m originally from El Salvador. After waiting about 12 years for my green card process, I moved to the United States in 2019. Shortly after moving, I married my wife and began working at a Chick-fil-A restaurant here in the St. Louis area. That experience shaped me in a major way. Read more>>

Taisiia Hrynchyshyna

Patisserie Svoi is a story about a dream, a family, and a long step-by-step journey. For some people, our desserts may look like just desserts. But for us, every cake, macaron, pastry, and cup of coffee carries a much bigger story behind it. It is the story of a dream that started long before we had a café. Read more>>

John Gelineau

Mushrooms Naturally is a gourmet mushroom farm dedicated to providing the finest quality ingredients to the St. Louis culinary scene and beyond. We offer mushrooms, mushroom-infused sea salts, at-home grow kits, Koji fermented products such as soy sauce and miso, compost and soil, classes, dinners and more! Read more>>

Matt Gladbach

Your RIA is the American Dream. Ownership of own business through brick by brick building with an entrepreneurial spirit. For many years worked at many of the largest financial firms in the country. Had the opportunity to travel the U.S.A. and meet people from all 50 states. You can never know enough good people and have had the fortune of meeting many through travels. Read more>>

Deseray Hardwick

Where Creativity and Energy Meet: The Story Behind Designs by Deseray By Deseray Hardwick In the heart of the charming river town of Grafton, Illinois, a new creative space is bringing art, connection, and inspiration together under one roof. I’m Deseray Hardwick, owner and operator of Designs by Deseray, and this studio has been a dream in the making for many years. Read more>>

Iveta Dietz

As soon as I received my first camera (which still used film), I fell in love with photography. I was always the designated photographer for school trips, events with friends and family, and while traveling. During college, I spent a year as an au pair in London, which allowed me to practice photography during sightseeing while gaining experience with children. Read more>>

Jessica Dixon

I grew up surrounded by creative women. My mother, aunts, cousins, collectively had something special— painters with skinny brushes holding their hair up, quilters with rich, bold fabrics hand-dyed using plants grown in the garden, bakers rolling out dough and delicious smells fresh from the oven; all makers who turned weekends into art-filled adventures. I naturally found a path to a medium of my own. Read more>>

Meghan Verbeck

After my first son was born, I stepped away from my teaching career to pursue something I could build alongside my family. Since then, I’ve welcomed three more boys and operated an in-home daycare, which allowed me to be fully present as a stay-at-home mom while still contributing financially to my family. Read more>>

Amanda Carr

I’ve always had a passion for working with children. I delight in being with them and supporting them through whatever they are experiencing. I embrace play as a way to connect and build a therapeutic relationship with them. Read more>>

Infiniti Whitley

I’d wanted to learn the fiber arts since I was about 9 years old. Being from a family of creative folk having a seamstress grandmother, one could say I was predisposed to it! Growing up, I was nerdy but always had love in my heart for all things creative. Read more>>

Nadine Rivera- Randell

My journey began over 25 years ago after taking my first yoga class. While I couldn’t name it at the time, I knew deep inside of me something sparked. Little did I know that class would be the catalyst for where I am today. Read more>>

Sam Orlando Orlando Family Foundation for Charities

At the end of a party my family planned for my father, in January of 1999, for his 60th birthday, he announced to the guests, “This has been such a terrific event, let’s do it again next year! Read more>>

Jeremiah Williams

My journey began at the age of three, banging on pots and pans at home. My family recognized something in me early on. My mother and father were the first to discover the gift, and like any supportive parents, they poured into me. They purchased my first drum set and began cultivating my talent in our local church. Read more>>

Suzy Farren

I spent my entire career as a writer, assuming I could never make anything with my hands. But shortly after my son left for college, I began taking a variety of classes on everything from making a paper bowl to creating a book. I remember the feeling of awe when I held a tiny accordion-fold book in my hands! Read more>>

Dwight Carter

Growing up in St. Louis, I was always drawn to creativity, culture, and bringing people together. My journey really started through storytelling and community — finding ways to connect fashion, music, sports, and experiences into something bigger than just an event. Read more>>

Jada Hall

Since a young age I was fairly decent at drawing an enjoyed doing it in my free time- however never considered it could be the career I would pursue as an adult. About Sophomore year of college at UMKC, I fell back in love with art and learning about it, so I changed my major from Psychology to Studio Art. Read more>>

Andrew Glantz

I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to St. Louis in 2013 to attend Washington University in St. Louis. I originally came here for school, but St. Louis quickly became home and played a huge role in shaping both my personal and professional journey. Read more>>

Katie Reuther

My story is really a series of ‘uncomfortable stretching’ moments that turned into my biggest leaps of faith. I’ve lived several professional lives by the age of 43 already, and each one taught me resilience and perserverance. Since I’ve always been a ‘builder’ at heart. Read more>>

Jessica LeMaster

I didn’t set out to do this work. I didn’t even know this work existed. My starting point was being a parent who knew something wasn’t right. My child was being suspended over and over again, more days out of school than in, and I was being told by professionals that he was “too smart” to qualify for an IEP or a 504. Read more>>

Anna Warfield

I started in 2018 with a dream to help to children who normally would not have coats during the winter. I would see children on bus stops waiting for a school bus without a warm coat or the child had on a jacket. Read more>>

James Higround

Performing magic, for me, is really just a red herring I use to reach people and help them connect with themselves and other humans on a deeper level. And my journey with magic began later in life than most magicians… it was a result of COVID19. I’ve been a performing artist for 20 years now, though that began with circus and sideshow arts. Read more>>

Paige McClellan

I grew up in eastern Kansas, where the women in my maternal grandmother’s family were always quilting together — gathering to pass the time, celebrate milestones, and make things by hand for weddings, births, and family events. My mom grew up surrounded by that creativity and continued sewing and making throughout my childhood. Read more>>

Michael ‘Dj MikeLuv’ Mason-Love

I started djing while I was stationed at F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming back in 2007. I always wanted to learn and I had nothing else to do, so I would drive to Colorado every weekend for lessons. Read more>>

Constance Anthony

I first learned how to sew at Girls Inc. summer camp in 2009. Since then, I have been passionate about fashion design and bringing my creative visions to life with a sewing machine. Read more>>

Debbie Kindschuh

I’ve had a lot of variety in my career. It started when I was still in high school. If I wanted something new, I had to learn how to make it. We had a large family with limited income and all of us, children and parents, learned how to find resources that we manipulated to create whatever was needed. Read more>>

Britain Shaw

I didn’t know I wanted to be a Licensed Professional Counselor until after I received my BA in Psychology. When I chose that major, I had dreams of being a Doctor of Psychology and working in prisons for prisoners’ rights and advocacy. Read more>>

Jai Mayhew

I’ve always been drawn to imagery that feels elevated, cinematic, and a little fashion inspired. What started as a creative outlet eventually grew into a portrait experience centered around helping women embrace a version of themselves that feels elevated, confident, and fully seen. My work today is very editorial at its core. Read more>>

Laurie Sirtak

Founded in 2015, the non-profit Crossroads Arts Council hoped to plant small seeds with the hopes that we could build an organization who’s mission it is to support art and artists in our local community. Through the efforts of our founders and board, and the tireless work of our volunteers, our mission continues to evolve and grow. Read more>>

Marcus Gwynn

I was 14 when I picked up my first clipper. My father worked at the City Hall in University city and someone was donating some clippers. He took them and came home and gave them to me. I asked “What am I going to do with these?!” ..He replied “I don’t know..Cut Hair”. Read more>>