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.

Mookie Tolliver

I was born and raised in Madison, Illinois, and I started singing at the age of four. Music became a major part of my life after I lost my mother when I was nine years old. With my father not being around until my later teen years, I carried a lot of emotions that I eventually turned into poetry and then music. Read more>>

Kate Turner

My love for celebration started really early. Read more>>

Jay College

I’ve always been drawn to creating. Whether it was making music, drawing, painting, producing beats, or imagining stories, I’ve never liked being confined to one lane. Today, people know me as Jay College, but at the core I’m an artist, producer, songwriter, and visual storyteller. Every medium I work in is just another way to tell a story. Being raised in St. Read more>>

Janett Lewis

My path to founding Rustic Roots Sanctuary has been anything but traditional, but every chapter has shaped the work I do today. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where I spent many weekends on my grandfather’s farm. That’s where I first learned to appreciate the connection between the land, healthy food, and community. Read more>>

Julia Castner

I wanted to be a hairstylist my entire life. Growing up I frequently accompanied my mom to the salon while she would get her hair or her nails done. I love sitting and watching all the stylists work as well as looking through all the hair look books. I completely fell in love with the idea of doing hair for the living. Read more>>

Morgan Taylor

My name is Morgan Taylor and I’m 23. I grew up in St. Louis, and gospel music was literally everything for me early on. I actually found my real singing voice around nine through vocal lessons with a powerhouse church figure. Read more>>

rose mayweather

I started practicing braiding on my own head because i couldn’t stand how my mom would do my hair so i would practice on me and my older sisters hair who was in high school and that transitioned to me doing friends and family hair and that lead to how I gained clientele Read more>>

Jillian Sanders

My cosmetology journey began in 2010, and I have loved every step of it. I was fortunate to start my career working alongside an incredibly talented, seasoned stylist who helped build the foundation of my skills and passion for the industry. From there, I joined a larger salon where I continued to learn, grow, and be inspired by experienced stylists around me. Read more>>

Chris Ejike

I attended the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka in the Eastern part of Nigeria. Upon completion of my Bachelor’s degree, I moved to Lagos, the commercial hub of the country and that is where my modelling career truly began. I landed my first commercial role in 2018 for a prominent financial institution and this made brands and agencies take notice of me. Read more>>

Danesha Becton

My story has never been about hair alone. Hair was simply where my purpose first found me. I discovered my passion at just 12 years old, long before I ever became licensed. What started as styling family and friends eventually grew into a calling that led me to Paul Mitchell The School St. Louis and the launch of my career as a professional cosmetologist. Read more>>

Lisa Paden

My entrepreneurial journey began while I was working full-time in corporate America. Although I had a successful career, I knew I wanted to build something that truly fulfilled me, a business I would be excited to get up for every morning. I’ve always believed that gift-giving is about more than the gift itself. Read more>>

Latosha Clark

I first learned to crochet when I was about 15 years old. It started as a creative hobby where I made scarves and blankets for myself, my family, and my friends. As I got older, people began asking if they could purchase my handmade pieces, and by my mid-20s I was selling the items I crocheted. Read more>>

Bekah Harris

Two Pink Elephants began in 2013 as a partnership, operating out of our homes and hosting trunk shows in women’s homes featuring clothing, jewelry, and accessories. As our customer base grew, so did our vision. In April 2015, we opened our current storefront, creating a welcoming boutique where women could shop for unique fashion and accessories. Read more>>

Aya Kawasaki

For decades, immigrant service providers in the St. Louis region worked independently to welcome and support newcomers. A small group later began collaborating on educational and networking opportunities. In 2014, the group convened an immigrant-focused roundtable to build capacity around immigration policy engagement. By 2015, this evolved into the Immigrant Service Providers Network (ISPN), a permanent space for providers to connect and collaborate. Read more>>

Amanda Spencer

In 2021 my kids’ school district made national headlines after a small but vocal group of parents complained about diverse American history being taught in school. The conflict was sparked by a parent’s complaint about the book Ron’s Big Mission, about future NASA astronaut Ron McNair’s one-boy protest to be allowed a library card in a segregated library. Read more>>

Correna Hollingsworth

Bare Esthetics was built from my passion for helping people feel confident in their own skin. I became a licensed esthetician because I loved the idea of combining skincare, beauty, and meaningful connections with my clients. What started as a dream has grown into a business I’ve proudly owned for over five years. Read more>>

Meranda Green

My story as a photographer started in a way I never expected. Years ago, I picked up a camera with no intention of starting a business or building a career. I simply wanted to capture memories, document life, and preserve moments that meant something to me. Photography was never about making money in the beginning—it was purely something I enjoyed. Read more>>

Rachel Patterson

We owned two vape shops and we felt God was telling us to change the vape shop to a coffee shop. We sold the other one and turned the other vape shop to a coffee shop. We did a lot of renovations ourselves Read more>>

Edo Rosenblith

When reflecting on my own story, the one consistent thing I did as far back as I can remember is draw. My family and I moved around a lot as a kid. First from Tel Aviv, where I was born, then to the suburbs around New York City. Both places I do not remember. Read more>>

Ariel Storm

I started writing stories and poems as a pre-teen. It was kid stuff, but there was something about writing that pulled me in from an early age. I didn’t start writing novels until my early 20s and have had lots of starts and stops in my career since then. Read more>>

Dr. Davorka Marovic-Johnson

My story begins in the small Mediterranean country of Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), where I was born in the coastal town of Kotor. I am the oldest of three children, and I grew up surrounded by a close-knit family, a strong sense of community, medieval villages, and the beautiful Adriatic Sea. Read more>>

Halie Hebron

I grew up as the youngest of five girls. We all danced and played different sports. We also all participated in the Miss America Opportunity, so I had the privilege of looking up to some really amazing role models. Through my involvement in MAO, I had the opportunity to develop my Community Service Initiative, which became Art Rx: Art For All. Read more>>

Martha Leticia Seitz

Arte Rojo STL was born from my lifelong passion for Mexican folk art and my desire to share the beauty, history, and cultural richness of Mexico with our community in the United States. My journey began in Mexico, where I had the privilege of working in museums and cultural institutions. Read more>>

Maggie Dunlop

I have always loved photography. There is something special about capturing a moment in time and preserving it for years to come. Photographs have a way of bringing us back to a feeling, a season of life, or a person we love in a way that memories alone sometimes can’t. Read more>>

Andrew Kobby and John Breier

The Flora Conservancy of Forest Park, established in 1999, is a non-profit organization in partnership with the St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry. Its mission is to design, enhance, and maintain the gardens, savannahs, and prairies as outlined in the Master Plan of Forest Park. Read more>>

John Morlock

I served in the US Army from 1981 to 1997. While in I served in 3 combat zones on 3 different continents. The first six years I was a medic, then I retrained into satellite/microwave communications repair. While in the Gulf War, I served with Special Forces Command at King Fahd Air Base. Read more>>

Kimberlyn Renee

I am a surrealist pop artist. Though I’ve loved art and creating my whole life, I have no academic training. I actually went to school for business, and got my degree with an emphasis in marketing and management! Read more>>

Jim Harper

Some careers are carefully planned. Mine wasn’t. Mine has been built one opportunity, one risk, and one great mentor at a time. I grew up in a family that didn’t have much, but my mother gave me something far more valuable than money. She gave me curiosity. She took me to museums, art classes, libraries, and anywhere creativity could be found. Read more>>

Christopher Kaiser

I got started in Poetry in 2009 although I’ve been writing Poetry since I was a little boy I did my first performance in 2010 and from there and I was performing a different open mics Abby game with self published author in 2012 releasing five books that year and from there on I continue writing and performing until I hosted my first open Mike in 2016 for 2016 to 2019. I held down one of Mike 2019. I started my own open my under my name and produce several different shows and since then I have published 24 going on 25 books and more. Read more>>

Jeff Friesen

I headed to NYC to begin my culinary journey at 29 years old. Finding myself bored where my Biology degree from Truman State University led me, I wanted something fresh. Fresh out of culinary school I landed at A Voce in New York, a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant and learned more than I could imagine. After that I moved back to St. Read more>>

BDot

My journey into the music industry wasn’t built overnight, and it definitely wasn’t handed to me. Like many people who are passionate about music, I started simply because I loved it. But over time, I realized my purpose wasn’t just creating music—it was building opportunities for artists and creating infrastructure that would allow independent talent to compete at the highest level. Read more>>

Royce Martin

I started the piano when I was 14 and had interest in playing all kinds of different styles, like r&b, gospel and hip hop. as well as jazz, classical music and ragtime. I just wanted to play beautiful music that made me feel something. Stories inside of the music has always been the fascinating part for me. Read more>>

Albert Cloudy

It all started in high-school freshman year with my first poetry slam in Mrs. Justin’s class then senior year one of my poems turned up in front of a local author. Then we created magic she did i book an im co author in it with my poems in the beginning of each chapter. Called UR Titatium now on Amazon. Read more>>

Mikayla Vermeer

I’ve always loved the beauty industry, but growing up I was very academic. After my junior year of high school, I experienced some major health challenges that completely changed my perspective on life. It made me realize that life is too short not to pursue something you’re genuinely passionate about. I toured a few cosmetology schools and immediately knew I had found where I belonged. Read more>>

Joe Ivancic

I first heard about CIC St. Louis and the Cortex Innovation District when I was in grad school. My mom, an educator, had taken a tour of the district and came home and told me, ‘Joe, you need to go look for a job there.’ So I did. My wife and I are both from St. Louis, our families are here. Read more>>

Jasmine Kinnard

My journey in the beauty industry began over 10 years ago in Atlanta. I had recently graduated from Central Missouri State University with a degree in Child and Family Development, and I started my career as a Pre-K teacher. I always loved working with children, but makeup had been my hustle throughout college, and it naturally followed me into my career. Read more>>

Harman Singh Heer

Growing up in Kenya gave me a deep appreciation for wildlife and the natural world from a very young age. Every few months, my parents would take my sister and me on safari, and those experiences quickly became the highlight of my childhood. Fourteen years ago, I picked up my mum’s old Canon 450D DSLR and proudly declared myself the ‘photographer’ of the trip. Read more>>

Makenzie Pate

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved taking pictures. I used to pick up my mom’s camera and would take pictures of whatever I could! My love for photography only grew as I got older. From taking pictures for my high school yearbook to coming up with photoshoot ideas with my friends for fun. Read more>>

Jeannie Liautaud Maul

As a child, family stories were pivotal. My dad lost both of his parents in early adulthood, which made us a sentimental crowd, holding onto moments and items. Old photos were treasured. With that and my extroverted nature, I picked up a point-and-shoot camera as a teen. What started as shots of friends and daily life turned into a true passion. Read more>>

The Kelpies

We started off a few years ago under the moniker ‘Horse Magik’ jamming up a the Lemp Brewery. We gigged around the city for a bit playing all-originals wherever people would let us. Eventually, we underwent a lineup change – our bassist switched over to guitar, we got a new bassist and vocalist, revamped our music and started working on new tunes. Read more>>

James Walsh

I began “Get Cheffy with James” in 2020 with the aim of educating home cooks to see they don’t need professional training, expensive ingredients, or a perfectly equipped kitchen to make exceptional food. Read more>>

Tish Period

A little bit about me, is that I was my parents miracle child. Every disease was supposed to take my mother and I out and we both lived to tell the story. I’ve been singing since I could talk. I was a teenage mother at 15 and I faced many obstacles growing up. Read more>>

REVÉ

I don’t think my origin story is different from many. I grew on up the greatest combination — singing in church and Disney princess movies. I went to school for music, and then from graduation walked into performing in regional theatre for next few years. Read more>>

Brittani Bouwman

My grandmother looked at me, squinting at a picture I’d covered in wild hues, and said, “You’re really good with color.” Little did she know that those words would paint my future. Now, as an EU Clean makeup artist and the creator of “Painting Made Easy” classes, I blend confidence, color, and creativity—whether it’s on a face or a canvas. Read more>>