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.

Andrew Weber

Music had been pulling me in since I was a young kid. I was guided into my first public performance in my senior year of high school and found my love for songwriting in college. With the audience response I received, I decided to make a career out of music. Read more>>

Cheyenne Vandegrift

Hi, I’m Cheyenne! I’m a St. Louis-based live wedding painter and watercolor guest portrait artist who believes the most meaningful parts of a wedding day are often the moments nobody planned for. I think God has so many beautiful stories He tells through life’s small moments… Those are the moments I love to preserve. Read more>>

Sarah Quernheim

I started my career as a teacher, while also building a photography business on the side. Over time, photography grew from something I loved into a full-time career, and for more than a decade I’ve had the privilege of photographing families and building relationships with clients who have continued to come back year after year. Read more>>

Stan Strembicki

I am an emeritus professor art, having taught at Washington University for 36 years where I headed the photography program in the Sam Fox School. I am now a working artists and currently represented my the Bruno David Gallery in Clayton, Mo. Read more>>

Jamie Eros

I’ve been in the arts my whole life. When I was growing up, there was never a place outside of high school to study performing arts and when I came back after my master’s degree I only saw places in St. Louis. I always wanted to give back to my community and finally took the chance. Read more>>

Ami Amore’

A natural artist, entertainer, entrepreneur, and creative ADHDer from an early age, I would often do impersonations, create characters, put on shows, make magick potions, and draw for hours with my friends, imaginary, real, and stuffed. My dream as a young child was to be a comedienne, an artist, a fashion designer, an oracle, or a lawyer. Read more>>

Nicole Schaefer

Nic Nac’s Magic started from my love of helping people and creating calm out of situations that can often feel overwhelming. I’ve always been someone who enjoys staying active, helping others, and finding ways to make a difference in people’s lives. Read more>>

Abby Kruvi

My path to event planning actually started long before I ever called myself an event planner. I grew up with a musical theatre background and have always loved bringing people together – whether that meant creating community, meeting new people, or being the person who was inevitably planning something for whatever group I was involved in. Read more>>

Crystal Alber

I was born, raised, and bred in St. Louis, Missouri. I began my career in healthcare at the bedside as a critical care nursing assistant, caring for critically ill patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. That experience shaped me and sparked a desire to learn more which eventually led me toward the highly specialized field of anesthesiology. Read more>>

Tracie Brown

I am a retired Air Force veteran. I served for 23 years and 5 months, with 8 overseas assignments and one tour in Afghanistan at Bagram Air Base. After retiring in 2015, I chose not to work for 2 years but that ended up being long enough. Read more>>

Steve Krieger

O.K. Hatchery was founded by my grandfather, Oscar Krieger, in 1927. Come 2027, we will be celebrating 100 years of serving the Kirkwood community! What began as a small hatchery, catering in baby chicks & rabbits, has now blossomed into who we are today: a feed and garden store. With 4 generations of family working closely together, we’ve managed to stick around! Read more>>

Kyle Pasley (skate school)

“It’s hard to let go of my West Coast roots. & I probably never will.” Skateboarding has been a lifelong passion for me! founded the school to fill a local gap in structured skateboarding instruction while also creating a safe, welcoming environment for riders of all skill levels. Read more>>

Rusty Pliers

The character of Rusty Pliers started in the fall of 2009 at the Eckerts Millstadt Fanfarm. I was hired by a man named Smooth to come and do a magic and ventriloquism show. At that time Smooth was doing the Pig Race Show at the farm. Smooth is the type of performer that inspires you to want to do better. Read more>>

Desiree & Meagan Drury & Schulte

This blurb from our website covers a lot: Hi, we’re Meagan and Desiree — the mother-daughter duo behind Something Blue Planning + Coordinating, based in O’Fallon, Missouri and serving couples across the St. Louis metro area, the Illinois Metro East, and beyond. Read more>>

Alex Allison

I started photography by buying a little Canon T3i and shooting photos of what I loved. My family, friends, creative styled shoots and thrifting adventures. Then, I started being asked to photograph people, and I was absolutely hooked. I realized how passionate I was about telling people’s stories and I couldn’t get enough. Read more>>

Robert D. Bailey

ABOUT CHEF ROBERT D. BAILEY A Culinary Journey Rooted in Family, Passion & Purpose Chef Robert D. Bailey’s love for cooking began in East St. Louis, Illinois, working alongside his father in a small family barbecue house. Those early years taught him the value of hard work, hospitality, heritage, and the power of food to bring people together. Read more>>

Hakee Mitchell

I believe that my story began as a 9 year old boy who felt like my 5 year old baby sister was my responsibility to protect. I also had an older brother who was only 1 1/2 years older than I was and who was always it seemed in competition with me. Read more>>

Matthew Thome

Our story started in 1993 when our founder, Alan Thome, created a business with the goal to provide high-level service at a fair price. Just like in 1993, that goal drives Castlewood Plumbing Company today. Today, Alan’s son Matt Thome leads Castlewood Plumbing Company and carries on his father’s vision of providing unmatched customer service and dependable solutions at a fair price. Read more>>

Tracey Mack

My story is one of evolution. I began designing and sewing my own bow ties. From there I began designing and sewing “teacher” totes bags and small makeup-types bags using cotton fabrics and mostly African prints. My current passion is repurposing wooden cigar boxes into purses. One day I saw a lady in church with one and the creative thoughts began churning. Read more>>

Joe Cumbee

## My Story I started tattooing around 2001 at **Inksmith & Rogers Tattoo in Jacksonville, Florida**, where I was fortunate enough to come up through a very traditional, old\-school approach to learning the craft. I learned from guys like **Mike Wilson and Eric Inksmith**, at a time when tattooing was still very much something that was passed down from one tattooer to another. Read more>>

Brittany Henricks

My journey into real estate really started with a love for business, people, and the idea that there had to be a better way to serve both clients and real estate professionals. Read more>>

Jermaine Andre

Honored & Recognized by the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame for contributing to the Martial Arts around the world. For his efforts to advance the teachings and traditions of the Martial Arts and dedicating his life to instill discipline, confidence and passion for the Martial Arts into the lives of his students and community around the globe. Read more>>

Jade Stoner

If you had asked me years ago what I thought my life would look like, I definitely wouldn’t have described what I’m doing now. There was never some big master plan. I just kept following the things I loved, taking opportunities when they came, and creating my own when they didn’t. Read more>>

Alexander Christain

I started in my mothers stomach making her laugh(wait maybe that’s to far back)… I was an entertainer(acting and comedy) all through my school years. Post highschool some one said I should try comedy. My first time on stage was at the Westport funny Bone. Read more>>

Monique Smith

My journey into beauty started long before I ever imagined building a business around it. I’ve always been drawn to transformation—not just the outward kind, but the kind that happens when a woman begins to see herself differently. With a background in psychology and mental health, I’ve always understood that confidence, identity, and self-image are deeply connected. Read more>>

Dr. Robert S. Harvey

I’ve spent my whole career circling one question: what do we owe each other to live choice-filled lives that are just, loving, and whole? Read more>>

Allyson Ardison

I’ve been a Cosplayer for 7 years now starting at the age of 12, alongside my older sister Michaela, what got us into the hobby was stumbling across an Undertale Cosplayer (one of our favorite games at the time) on a social media platform called “Musical. Read more>>

Chloe West

I was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming to two artist parents – both ceramicists who had spent some years as rolling stones across the country at various art residencies and art-related jobs. They found home in each other and in Cheyenne as art teachers and raised my sister and I as hippy children in the Wild West. Read more>>

Bob G.

Kodiak really started from my own frustration as a homeowner. I’ve spent most of my career in construction and operations, but when I needed work done on my own home, I found myself dealing with the same problems homeowners complain about all the time—calls not being returned, people not showing up, poor communication, and never really knowing who you could trust. Read more>>

Charnea Davis

Nourish was created from a place I’ve always associated with love: food. Some of my earliest memories involve food. From sitting on the counter stirring Kool-Aid, to standing on a chair so I could hover over the stove and cook myself some eggs, food has always been a part of my life. It wasn’t just something we ate—it was something that brought people together. Read more>>

Justin Williams

My connection to voice acting started around the age of 16, during my sophomore year of high school. I was going through a pretty dark period in my life, and one of the things that gave me hope was my favorite anime, Fairy Tail. There was something about that world and the performances behind those characters that stayed with me. Read more>>

Dana Smith

My passion began as a childhood dream—starting with hand-sewing pillowcases in Adventure Club and styling outfits for my Polly Pockets, Bratz Dolls, and American Girl Dolls. I also styled and modeled GAP clothing in my first fashion show in sixth grade. Read more>>

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>>