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.

Claire Mueller

Great Rivers Greenway’s story started back in 1996, when business and civic leaders created St. Louis 2004, a nonprofit to bring a renaissance to the 12-county bi-state region. More than 10,000 people were polled, 1,200 people participated in visioning sessions, and action teams established major goals, including one for Parks and Open Space, working with existing agencies and nonprofits. Read more>>

Alex Lane

My entire life, I’ve been surrounded by the arts. Music has always been around me. I got my first DJ board in 2017, but didn’t take it seriously until Fall 2023. My debut as a DJ was the first party I threw, From the Bayou to the Riverfront. This was a Black Mardi Gras party that I threw in my hometown of St. Louis. Read more>>

Constance West

Finding My Way: The Story Behind Mindful Tranquility Counseling Mindful Tranquility Counseling was born from a personal journey of learning what it means to truly know yourself, embrace your identity, and grow with intention. As a young woman, I was blessed to grow up surrounded by family, love, and support. Read more>>

Wayne Felix

I started Me 2 You Game Truck in 2016, and honestly, it started because I was miserable. At the time I was a medical billing collector for a surgical company — reviewing insurance payments against contracts, chasing carriers for corrections, fielding patient calls. It was stable. It was fine. And it was slowly suffocating me. Read more>>

Samantha Limberg

My passion for photography started way back when I was in middle school and 4H taking a photography class. Then in 2013 after highschool I started working with a local photographer who took me under her wing and helped me pursue my passion. Read more>>

Kathy Murray

Square Dancing – the best kept secret for having fun! If you are looking for a way to enrich your life, gain wonderful new friends, challenge your mind a bit, and at the same time get some exercise, all very economically, try square dancing! It’s fun for all ages and for both couples and singles. Read more>>

Oliver Lynch

I started playing drums when I was 12 and eventually began playing every week in the youth band at the church I grew up going to. That was really my first consistent experience playing music with other people and being part of something bigger musically. Over the years, I would pick up a guitar here and there, but I never really committed to learning it. Read more>>

LG Brown

I spent a lot of years doing the marketing thing – leading teams, managing big client portfolios and advertising budgets, and eventually going out on my own as a consultant. I was good at it, and by most reasonable measures it was a successful career. Read more>>

Mikayla Cavaness

I grew up in the Troy area and went to Triad until… I dropped out. That part used to embarass me but it was actually a foundational moment that helped create everything FPC is today because it allowed me to enter the dog industry early. Read more>>

Mrronnljones@gmail.com Ronald L. Jones II

My story really begins in North St. Louis. I have roots in Walnut Park and Hyde Park, and growing up in North City gave me an up-close understanding of both the strengths of our neighborhoods and the challenges they face. Read more>>

Cristina Sanchez

Cristina Sanchez – My Journey in Beauty & Education I began my cosmetology journey in 2002, right after graduating from beauty school. I started working in the Metro East area, mainly in Fairview Heights, Illinois, building my foundation one client at a time. In 2005, when I became a single mother, my life and my career shifted. Read more>>

Melissa Loyd

My journey with dance began at a young age, and it quickly became something I knew would always be a part of my life. I went on to earn degrees in Kinesiology/Exercise Science and Theater and Dance, and I began teaching dance over 20 years ago. What started as a passion for teaching eventually grew into something much bigger. Read more>>

Reginald Shanklin

I started the I am Foundation Reach Out LLC in September of 2023 with the ideal of reaching out to help as many people as I can throughout the world I provide motivational speaking life coaching and support service. Read more>>

Dermon Edwards

I’m Streetza Ria, an independent hip-hop artist from St. Louis and the founder of MDM Records. My story really comes from life experience. Music became a way for me to take what I’ve lived through the struggles, lessons, setbacks, ambition, faith, and determination; it turn it into something people could hear and hopefully relate to. Read more>>

Elizabeth Kline

Lizzy is a St. Louis based professional Organizer. Lizzy is a firm believer that organization is a skill that everyone can learn. She brings a nonjudgemental lighthearted approach to decluttering with her clients. Lizzy discovered her passion for organization and decluttering while being a full time mom of four. Read more>>

Jordyn Terry

My journey started in 2018 when I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. I had started college to become an elementary school teacher, but I quickly realized I wanted something more creative. I started making glitter lip gloss from my dining room table, and that was really my first taste of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Jen Cowan

While I grew up in Kirkwood and now live in O’Fallon, Missouri, my journey has been a wonderfully winding one. After graduating from St. Louis University in 2004 with a degree in Marketing, I spent years in corporate recruitment for Fortune 500 companies, eventually landing my dream job in 2012 managing MasterCard’s flagship internship program. Read more>>

Greg & Antoinette Rutherford

As One is a musical Duo comprised of Greg and Antoinette Rutherford; an influential couple who is using their marriage, musical gifts and lifestyle of servitude to transform the world. Read more>>

Tiffany Thompson

Healthcare has always been my passion, but I discovered that after a couple years of bedside nursing, that aesthetic medicine allowed me to care for people in a completely different way. It combines science, precision, and artistry while giving me the opportunity to make a positive impact on someone’s confidence. Read more>>

Nella Baduini

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to make art. Whether it was writing little stories for myself, doodling in my school notes, or making dinosaurs out of pipe cleaners, I’ve always felt this urge to create worlds and then find ways to share them with others. Read more>>

Michelle Eisenhart

When I first started the business more than 20 years ago, it was called Marc Strategies. The idea behind it was pretty simple: marketing shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. It should be tied to sales goals and business growth. That belief has been the throughline of my career and our company. Read more>>

Tanisha Patterson

My story is really a story of faith, resilience, entrepreneurship, and learning how to keep moving forward. Raised by a single mother in St. Louis County and Graduate of Howard University with a Bachelor’s in Science. I have been an entrepreneur for most of my adult life. Read more>>

Donna Moody

Founded in 1992 after a difficult season of racial tension in our region, the Center for Racial Harmony was born out of a simple, beautiful dream: to heal hearts and bring our community together. Read more>>

Tylain King

March 10th 2021, was the first time I went live on Twitch and the first time I committed to becoming a streamer/content creator. During 2020, the year of COVID, I used to watch my friends who were livestreamers at the time, and honestly, I was hesitant to even join that environment. Read more>>

Amy Felders

I have been a cosmetologist for 35 years. I started my career as a beauty professional at 19 years old. I worked for a corporate salon for 3 years before going into a rental salon setting. I always wanted to own my own business and in 2009 that dream became a reality. Read more>>

John Erysian

Started in 1993 as a cart in a mall. Grew to two locations. Presently in Sunset Hills where we have been for 23 years. Read more>>

Andrea Calisto

I am from Quito Ecuador and love art since I remember . Working for years with jewelry and portrait paintings decided to try abstract expressionism and as an Artist conceptual with the pourpose of connecting painting with the energy of the chakras and the feelings that are hidden so energy can balance Read more>>

Jason Wathen

My company story started at 18 when my cousin asked me to film his wedding in 1998. They loved the video and ended up saving the day because the photographers camera broke at the ceremony which would have left them with nothing had I not been there to film. Read more>>

Kalaija Mallery

I’m an artist, curator, and cultural producer, and most of my work has grown out of a pretty persistent question: what kinds of spaces allow artists, ideas, and communities to actually thrive? Read more>>

Katherine Francis

My story begins as a child in North St. Louis City. I was always drawn to music, fashion, and creating. I knew from a young age that I was meant to stand out from the crowd. I would spend all my time drawing and sewing clothes for my Barbie and Bratz dolls. On other days, I would be in guitar lessons and teaching myself piano. Read more>>

Lattral/Hoodie Mula Smoot

September 15 2021 the most impactful day of my life thus far. That day I lost my mother . I was working as the bar back at the world famous helium comedy club. Depressed lost not knowing which way to go. I met the comedian Deray Davis for the second time. I had the most heartfelt conversation with him. Read more>>

Michelle Foster

This might sound funny, but I can trace “how I got here” so distinctly in my mind. Every decision, every role, every bad boss, every rejection has a clear path to where I am today. And it all started when I was in high school. Way back in the late 1900s, there was a group called *NSYNC. Read more>>

Spring Tyme

My story really starts in Alabama, where I was born and mostly raised. Growing up there shaped a lot of who I am — my creativity, my appreciation for culture, community, music, and the importance of staying connected to where you come from. Alabama gave me my foundation, but I always felt like there was more for me to explore and create. Read more>>

Julianna Nichols

I’ve been hosting Messy Desk Club, a monthly 18+ craft club based in Edwardsville, IL, for over a year (since April of 2024!). The club came soon after being laid off from my ‘big girl’ corporate job in the Marketing field. I felt very defeated and unsure about what my next move should be. Read more>>

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>>