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.

Tiara Burtin

I’ve always felt like my womb chose me for this work. The body has a way of demanding our attention, and sometimes what feels like a disruption is actually an invitation into something much deeper. From my very first period, I experienced painful menstruation, and by 19, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. But at 19, I didn’t have a relationship with my womb. Read more>>

Matthew Reed

Well…this may sound crazy, but it’s always been in my genetic makeup it feels like lol. I’ve always been involved with anything that had some attachment to music…dancing, making music, slight videography, and so many other niches/hobbies. Read more>>

Ria Contour

At 19 years old, I moved to Chicago to chase my dream of becoming a makeup artist. I had no idea that one decision would open doors for me to become a model, content creator, influencer, entrepreneur, and brand ambassador for multiple businesses. Content creation eventually became one of my favorite parts of my journey, especially when it comes to music and concerts. Read more>>

Alexia Dickson

Today, I am in a place that younger me could not have fully imagined. I graduated from Webster University in 2025 with my degree in Film, Television and Video Production, and I now work full-time at FOX 2 / KPLR in St. Louis as a Broadcast Engineer. Read more>>

Brian Lee Bauer

I was introduced to music when I was about three years old by my grandfather, who played ukulele. By the time I was 10, my mother had bought a beat-up antique upright piano and spent weeks restoring it by hand in our garage. Watching her put that much work into an instrument had a pretty profound effect on me. Read more>>

Nichole Kolb

My journey into photography is deeply personal, and it really began with the birth of my son, Knox. Before photography became my career, my husband and I had walked through several difficult years of infertility and miscarriages. When Knox—our rainbow baby—was finally born, I was completely in love and incredibly aware of just how precious and fleeting those early days were. Read more>>

Matilda Freeman

I was born in Sierra Leone and moved to Australia when I was 21. I now divide my time between Sydney and Tennessee, while running Adelé Atelier f. Starting again in a new country taught me how to adapt, work hard and create opportunities for myself, even when I didn’t have everything figured out. Read more>>

JA TheSongod

I’m JATheSongod — rapper, singer, actor, and poet out of North City, St. Louis. Music has always been how I process life: the pain, the faith, the love, the grind. My first project was Avert Your Eyes, where I found my voice and learned I wasn’t just making songs, I was telling the truth in rhythm. Read more>>

Chelsea Beeson

For a really long time, I was in survival mode. I spent a lot of my life doing what I needed to do to get through things, and I got really good at taking care of everybody else. I don’t think I truly believed in myself for a very long time. Read more>>

Owen Weber

Greetings, I’m Owen Weber, lead singer of the band Olive. I have done a handful of these VoyageSTL interviews in the past, so I’ll try to keep things current with you guys. Since the last interview, the boys in Olive have been working hard on releasing a new record. Read more>>

Latonya Duncan

I was a preschool teacher for 17 years before I obtain my bachelor’s degree in Early childhood education in 2016. From there I obtained my first corporate job supporting early childhood programs across 8 states who were starting up, maintaining, or expanding their programs. And then COVID hit in 2020 and everything changed. Read more>>

Hùng Lê

I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the majority of my life before moving to Kansas City to pursue a BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute. I originally wanted to major in animation, but was introduced to fiber during my first year of undegrad, which drastically changed the trajectory of my practice. Read more>>

James Joulies

My father (RIP) was a DJ back in the day. He would have stacks of records around his setup which was 2 turntables and an old guitar amplifier encased in a homemade box & sometimes when he didn’t have gigs to do on weekends, he would just play music in the house. Read more>>

Janelle Turner

Hello my name is Janelle Turner and I’m a certified breathworker and event facilitator with Inhalology curating integrated breathwork experiences. Inhalology was founded on the principle that breath is the foundation of wellbeing. We provide science-backed breathing techniques that reduce stress, increase energy, and improve mental clarity through community experiences, education, and wellness products. Read more>>

Trisha Knaff

Honestly I know it’s a common saying but, ‘I started from the bottom and now I am here!’ I can relate to so many people because I have went through a lot of trauma in my life. I was homeless addicted to drugs, mainly fentanyl, that was my drug of choice but I used almost everything. I’m a high school drop out. Read more>>

Octavia Cunningham

It all started when I was about 15 years old and it was just my mom and I growing up. She worked really hard but didn’t always have the time or funds to do my hair or get it done regularly. So, I had to start doing it myself. A few months later i started getting better while also actually enjoying it. Read more>>

Adrian Mejia

I’m Adrian Mejia, an artist and filmmaker from St. Louis creating music under the name Zonzin. I started creatively through filmmaking and directing, so storytelling came before music for me. Learning how images, pacing, emotion and perspective could change the way someone feels eventually pushed me toward sound. Music became another way for me to build worlds. Read more>>

Natalie Kalmar

FitnessFoodieSTL was born out of a bit of an identity crisis — and, eventually, a pretty fun rediscovery of myself. After 17 years in marketing, education and sales with a cosmetics giant, I left my corporate career a few years after COVID. By that point, I’d moved back to St. Read more>>

Ryan Omar Stack

Well, the poetics state that all good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end… but that seems excessive for an interview, so let’s just start in Act 2: After graduating from a small liberal arts college with a degree in International Business, I moved from St. Louis to Denver to pursue opportunities in the tech world. Read more>>

Night Parks

Night Parks, is an alternative-rock band from St. Louis, MO. Former members of the band Giants in the Sky; Rick Dachroeden (bass), Sean Leonberger (drums), and Scott McAnally (guitar), joined up with EJ Arroyo (vocals, guitar) in 2023 to begin their journey together as, Night Parks. We have recently added another member, Louis Tang on keyboard and synthesizer. Read more>>

Brandon Fink

Mission Statement: “Inspiring vitality through educational programming and providing an exemplary representation of the arts within the St. Louis Community.” Founded in 2019 by Artistic Director Brandon Fink, La Voûte has grown into a St. Louis-based organization dedicated to creating opportunities for artists to learn, perform, and flourish. La Voûte is proud to call St. Louis home. Read more>>