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.

Ed Hearn

What is Groovy Cruises STL? We’re St. Louis’ favorite community-driven social skating crew, built on one simple promise: ALL WHEELS, ALL PEOPLE, ALL VIBES! ​It all started back in March 2026 at a Skate St. Louis meetup. Read more>>

Harley☆TCG Aurora

I began my journey 14 years ago, I was raised in an environment where media was how we got food on the table and grew up watching my older siblings in shows and making movies with their friends during Y2K and I always wanted to give it a shot. Read more>>

Lianne Johnson, LPC, NCC

In 2011, I founded Avenues Counseling Center, a nonprofit, with two primary hopes: first, to bring quality mental health services to our community in truly accessible ways; and second, to cultivate a psychologically safe workplace where counselor and staff care are genuinely prioritized. Looking back 15 years later, I am amazed by our growth. Read more>>

rememberbuddha

It’s been a long time coming with lots of moves throughout my artist journey. When I first got started attempting to rap, I would freestyle a lot in high school at parties and after football practice and my friends really hyped me up about how good I could be. That gave me the bug to pursue rapping and making music. Read more>>

Dr. Tia Morris

When I was younger, I always knew I wanted to help others. I thought about becoming a doctor, but also knew that math and science weren’t my strongest points. I’ve always been curious about people and human behavior, along with societal impact, and making positive change, so social work made the most sense for me, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Read more>>

Tayah Davis

My story is rooted in service, community, and a genuine desire to make a difference. Long before Inspiring STL became an organization, serving others was already an important part of who I was. My professional career in law enforcement with the Berkeley Police Department has given me the opportunity to see my community from a unique perspective. Read more>>

Sara Taylor

I walked into Y6 Des Peres (now closed) at a pivotal moment in my life to ‘try’ yoga. Truth be told, I did not think I could stay on the mat with an actively racing mind. Turns out, yoga spoke to me in a way that nothing else could. I took a job at the front desk for $8.50/hr as a wellness advisor. Read more>>

Paul Meyers

Started as a one man bartender only and people starting asking me to provide the alcohol too. I then decided to explore the options of opening a business in 2014. I opened and started on Woodson Rd., obtained my liquor licenses and insurances and slowly expanded. Throughout the years it’s been a learning experience and every changing to evolve in today’s enviroment. Read more>>

Macey Orf

The story of ORF Home Inspections begins with my father, Chris Orf, who still owns and operates the company today. He had spent years building a career in construction when several friends began encouraging him to consider home inspections. Read more>>

Prime Caranzo

This all started November 2019. I was a mechanic working between two aerospace companies for a total of 76 hours a week when my 2000 Honda Accord finally broke down and I needed a new vehicle. Read more>>

Andre Williams

I started with nothing and a dream, using my phone, I wanted something to resign with my late cousin who passed a few years ago the name of Mental Rose Bond comes from trying to raise awareness of mental health problems around the world(Mental, and (Rose) comes from the cousin one of his favorite words, (Bond) is to bring the community/people together in all. Read more>>

Amanda Price

I was born in Virginia and moved to St Louis around 2010. I was blessed to have artistic abilities naturally. Both my parents were creative. My dad was a wood craftsman, and my mom had many artist talents. I was not a formally trained artist. I took my first art classes when I was in college, aside from elementary school art classes. Read more>>

Elizabeth Crabtree

I was a stay-at-home mom for more than 18 years while my husband served in the military. Like many military families, we moved often, and my career took a back seat while I raised our family. When we landed at Scott Air Force Base in 2012, I had no idea that a local garden club would change the direction of my life. Read more>>

Thao Truong

After my stepfather passed two years ago, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that life was short. I wanted to do so many things, but I kept finding reasons to push them off. I leaped out of my comfort zone and started taking as many classes, workshops, and lessons as I could. Read more>>

Jill Wilke

My grandparents Alice and Charles Miller founded Wonderland Camp in 1969. They had two sons, my father Keith and my uncle Phil. Phil had a syndrome called Prader-Willi Syndrome. My grandparents felt that all children deserved an outdoor camping experience and so they founded Wonderland Camp. Currently Wonderland Camp is a foundation and non-profit entity. Read more>>

Tamara Landeiro

I was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1979. Growing up, I was inspired by my family’s recipes and dreamed that one day I might have my own restaurant, serving those same dishes to the community. As I grew older, however, that dream became an idea I carried quietly in the back of my mind while the demands of everyday life in Cuba took priority. Read more>>

Cynthia Ryan

My (Cynthia Ryan) Roses & Mint journey began in 2018 after my family relocated to St. Louis. After spending my son’s first year as a stay-at-home mom, I was looking for a creative outlet and an opportunity to do something just for me. I joined Roses & Mint as a weekend contractor, never imagining where that opportunity would eventually lead. Read more>>

Travis Greer

Chris and I have always joked that entrepreneurship seems to follow us around. We are first cousins, lifelong best friends, and have been finding ways to work together since we were kids. From selling homemade popcorn door-to-door for charity, to starting a children’s birthday party business together in our late teens, we have always enjoyed building something together. Read more>>

Katy Goldstein

For as long as I can remember, I have loved talking about the things they tell you not to bring up around the dinner table, both of those being religion and politics. And after taking a church history course at Missouri Baptist University, I became increasingly interested in theology and the Christian faith. Read more>>

Afua Bromley

My desire to become a doctor was initiated on my 6th birthday in Ghana, West Africa. The father of one of my closest friends was a physician and the family was late to my party. Read more>>

Chelsea Tamplin

I have been an artist since I was very young. When I was around 7 years old I actually thought my mom a picture I had drawn of a cartoon I was watching, she was convinced I traced it. She made me redraw it in front of her. It was then my family started to notice I had an artistic gift. Read more>>

Donna Marx

After I retired in 2020, I spent a lot of time with my grandsons while their parents worked. Since I was a teacher, I liked planning our days with themed activities, like Dinosaur Day or Space Day, and we started calling it Camp Grandma. The boys and I read a LOT of picture books! One day I thought “This can’t be THAT hard. Read more>>

Amosh Kumar

My name is Amosh Kumar, and my journey as a restaurant owner is something I never could have fully imagined when I first came to the United States from India in 2017. I didn’t come from a business background, and I didn’t arrive in America with a big investment or a detailed plan to become an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Jennifer Leigh Smith

My journey into holistic healing has really been a journey of learning to listen to my own body. 16 years ago I started my business offering Reiki and Tarot Reading at my metaphysical shop and Spiritual Wellness Center. 11 years ago I was becoming a massage therapist and planned to continue my shop with that, but the universe had other plans. Read more>>

Sebastian Tomas

I’ve always had a passion for art & creativity growing up. I had designated drawing notebooks in my school supplies. Art class was taken seriously. Art eventually became my mainstay in life and guided my decisions when choosing extra curricular activities in high school such as painting, architectural design, year book, videography, & graphic design. In my junior-senior of high school. Read more>>

Freddy Kostjerevac

Like many small businesses, FreddyFit Personal Training started with a vision. I began training 1-on-1 clients while living in my parents’ basement, quickly discovering a passion for customer service, fitness, and serving the fitness community. I left a full-ride scholarship at a four-year university, where I was pursuing public accounting, to pursue a career in fitness. Read more>>

Annie Trachsel

My journey began at age 11 when I was in a coma for 11 days and woke up with a broken femur and hip with my leg in traction! I had been hit by a drunk driver and this is where my story begins. Throughout the years have under gone several surgeries because my bones healing incorrectly. Read more>>

Michelle Sirles

Rendleman Orchards is a fifth generation family farm in Alto Pass, Illinois, just a scenic drive from St. Louis. My husband and I are the fifth generation to run his family’s farm, where we grow tree ripened peaches, nectarines, apples, pumpkins and flowers. Read more>>

Beth Rumack

I grew up in Soulard in St. Louis in the 1980s, an only child being raised primarily by my mom. We didn’t have much money or much space, but I don’t remember thinking about my childhood in terms of what we didn’t have. I remember family. I remember being fiercely independent. Read more>>

Anjl Rodee

I’ve been an artist and graphic designer for most of my life, but BrushCapades started in 2014 almost by accident. I began hosting painting events and quickly discovered something that fascinated me: so many adults arrived absolutely convinced that they weren’t creative. They’d tell me, “I can’t even draw a stick figure,” or that someone else in their family had gotten all the artistic talent. Read more>>

Bree Love

My journey into massage started when I was young. My great-grandmother would have me massage her head and legs and always told me I was good at it. She was unknowingly my first client. In 2018, while working at a chiropractic office, clients would often ask the doctors for extra time with me. That encouraged me to pursue massage therapy. Read more>>

Taylor Re Lynn

Taylor Re Lynn’s journey is rooted in both storytelling and lived global experience. With a background in film production, I’ve always been drawn to narratives that connect people across cultures. Read more>>

Samantha Brda

I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, and a massage therapist who owns their own business wasn’t even a thought. I suppose I knew I wanted to help others through massage therapy when I booked an appointment for myself randomly because a spa day sounded like something someone in their mid twenties would do at the time. Read more>>

Alexis Krueger

The beginning of Krueger CPA began when I was a a teenager. I have wanted to become a CPA since high school, when I took an accounting elective class. That class sparked a passion that has only grown throughout my career. What drew me to accounting was more than the numbers. Read more>>

Mee Jey

Mee Jey is an Indian immigrant artist mother of two kids. She has double masters’ degree in History and Field Archaeology and an MFA degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Mee Jey’s practice is dialogical with the place and people she co-inhabits with and is shaped by her quotidian life’s challenges and joys. Read more>>

Lonnie Wesley

My name is Lonnie Renā. Modeling is something I have always wanted to do. However, I have always been shy and reserved. Growing up in North St. Louis City, I was always comfortable being in the shadows, but I knew in my heart I was meant to be something more. Read more>>

Brittany Whitford

My story started with a simple desire to explore. My first trip outside the country was a cruise to the Bahamas, and experiencing a different culture, trying new foods and discovering new adventures sparked something in me. That trip became even more meaningful when my now-husband proposed, making my first international experience one I would never forget. Read more>>

Megan Owens

Mindy & Megan – We are two retired educator sisters who were obsessed with all things true crime. We decided to take a leap of faith and start a true crime podcast focused on cases from Missouri, our home state. Our goal is to go beyond the crime itself—to recognize and honor the victims, examine the facts carefully, and explore the unanswered questions that remain. Read more>>

Priska Lay

I started combat sports at 35 years old with no experience. Took my first fight in 2019 & debuted with a split decision loss but got a Fight of the Night award. This set the pace for my own performance standards. I have won a kickboxing belt, been 3x State BJJ Medalist & traveled out of state to compete with the best. Read more>>

Charlene Waggoner

My work uses fiber art and storytelling to create an interactive world where curiosity, conversation, and imagination complete the artwork. I am a lifelong maker, storyteller, collector of overlooked things, recovering academic, and clean water fanatic. Read more>>