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.
Ruth Albee
There were a myriad of obstacles in constructing the Honeycomb Cottage. Since this is only the 4th bee therapy center like this in the United States, there was a lot of nuance to the building process. Getting the capital to spend on construction, figuring out how to make sure it was sealed and safe so there was almost NO WAY the bees could get inside. Read More>>
Karey Smagacz
My name is Karey! I’m 28 and was raised and currently live in Frazee! I am married and have 2 beautiful children ages 4 & 8. I also carried a baby for my dear friends in New Jersey, who is now 2! Much of my after high-school career was spent at Lund boats where I did many things ranging from upholstery to painting. In 2022, we moved back to frazee and I quit my job to pursue a degree in social work, which I got my associates degree in at Mstate in Detroit Lakes. Read More>>
Ellen Saul
Maybe I’m a late bloomer! It was after a divorce at 35 that I began working on the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” I went back to school to get a Masters in Community Counseling at Mankato State University. I was hired at Lutheran Social Service and learned my craft as I was completing my licensure as a psychologist. Thirteen years later I opened a private practice as a psychotherapist. I’ve been delighted through all of that time to work and learn together with my clients. My toolbox grew and grew as I learned and practiced play therapy, Sandplay Therapy, In Touch Again attachment work, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing, to name a few. Read More>>
Angel Teske
While working full-time, I struggled to find the time to create jewelry and focus on the aspects of my business that didn’t come as naturally to me, like marketing. At the time, I didn’t know any other full-time artists, so I often wondered if Earth Angel Jewelry could ever become a sustainable, full-time income. Could I make it work? As a one-woman shop, it can sometimes feel overwhelming juggling all the different hats, from designing to managing the business side of things. Right now, I’m focusing on figuring out the best way to allocate my time to grow the business and navigate the exciting but new challenges, like hiring independent contractors and photographers. It’s all a bit of a learning curve, but it’s exciting to see the growth and possibilities ahead. Read More>>
Nikki Baker
I now post on my newer youtube channel “Your Favorite Family” and @YourFavoriteNikki on instagram and Tiktok. My content now is mainly vlogging, lifestyle, fashion and a dash of humor. I married my husband, Brandon in 2023 who was a contestant on The Bachelorette and we had a baby boy in June. My family is often featured in my content. I am enjoying being a mother and I am happy to have a career that allows me to prioritize being a mom and spend so much time with my children. My business is doing well and I have a few streams of income now including brand deals. I Have been creating content for a long time now and it helps establish trust with brands when they are determining who to hire for sponsorships. Read More>>
Luke Ziegler
all roads in the music industry are bumpy. As a band we faced many challenges from finding rehearsal space, booking gigs and hiring crew. We are fortunate to have a group of seasoned pros that are able to handle challenges in stride. After enduring the Covid crisis many other challenges seem small and we are excited to playing out. Read More>>
Midhat Mujic, Muharem Dedic Dr. Rafael Sierra
Rochester FC was founded in 2018 by Midhat Mujic and Muharem Dedic, both of whom immigrated to Minnesota from Bosnia due to the war in their home country. With extensive experience in both semi-professional and professional soccer, Midhat and Muharem launched the club to provide new opportunities for local youth. What began with one semi-professional team and one youth team has since grown into an organization. From 2019 to 2024, Rochester FC expanded to include 8 youth teams, 2 high-level academy teams, 2 semi-professional teams, and 2 teams competing at the highest levels of pre-professional soccer. Read More>>
Jace Nelson
While we have been selling our shirts at markets and fairs for years, the online world was new to me and I had a lot to learn. I launched the online store and all that went into it in just a few short weeks to capitalize on the Holiday shopping market. Much of it was intuitive, but there was still a ton of things I simply didn’t know. I spent many a late nights scouring the web, looking up best practices and seeing what the competition was doing. It is a fairly saturated market as far as online clothing stores go, but focusing in on that hometown pride niche has been helpful. Read More>>
Lisa Stockert
Since launching the blog, life has thrown me a few curveballs, including divorce, but also incredible blessings, like marrying my amazing husband, Marc. Together, we’ve built a beautifully blended family of five kids (two of whom are grown). Parenting comes with its ups and downs, and having two special needs children has brought unique challenges—and countless rewards. We are truly a “blended family,” Read More>>
Mikayla Robertson
Once I reached high school, my mom was able to be more transparent with me in regards to our financial state. She could only focus on my basic needs, and couldn’t afford for me to get my nails/hair done. I got my first job at 14 years old at an AMC movie theater, just so I could afford to keep up with my beauty services. I got my nails done consistently by a very talented woman, she ran a small shop all by herself. I admired how she could handle 2-3 clients at a time, and still give amazing/creative work! Read More>>
Frankie Torres
I was born and raised in Minnesota and graduated from Minnetonka High School in 2018. My freshman year of college I went to Belmont University to study songwriting and production. However, I missed the midwest, so i transferred to the University of Michigan. I graduated in 2023 with my BA in psychology, and a social work minor and a music minor. Since graduating I have been focusing on my music career, most notably by competing in season 26 of NBC’s The Voice. Read More>>
Rachel Olivia
Definitely has not been a smooth road. There have been so many times that I’ve questioned if I was making the right decision or if photography was even the right path. Being in foreign countries alone had its own obstacles. But through everything I came out on the other side, feeling way stronger and more sure of what I was doing. You only grow by taking risks and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Read More>>
Michelle Wegler
I have always been drawn to draw. I initially worked in graphite, then discovered that working in pastel was both drawing and painting, allowing vibrant use of color, and did not require the mixing and drying time of paints. To make time to paint while my children were young I was able to set up my easel in the laundry room, where I seemed to spend so much time anyway. I now works in my own studio space in Duluth, as well as outdoors year round. Read More>>
Jill Jacobson
One of my most popular things is my office outfits of the day. Overall, just style and fashion in general. I love overdressing, dressing up for every occasion and I truly believe in the “Look good, feel good” mentality. I love to emphasize that regardless of what you’re body looks like, you can find clothes that make you feel amazing about yourself. I love to make every day special, and I feel like one of the ways to do that is the way you dress. Wear your extra tall heels to work, spend extra time on a new hairstyle just to run to target, paint your toenails when no one will see them. Read More>>
Pamela Powell
I’m Pam Powell, the founder and owner of Salad Girl Organics, a women-owned and family-run company based in the Midwest. We specialize in crafting fresh, organic salad dressings, vinaigrettes, marinades, and dairy-free creamy dressings. Our tagline, “Fresh organic dressings for fresh organic greens,” perfectly reflects what we’re all about: creating flavorful, preservative-free, and sustainable products for both foodies and health-conscious eaters alike! Read More>>
Yvonne Ndiaye
In 2017, I returned to school to pursue a degree in small business entrepreneurship. While working on a business project for one of my courses, it dawned on me that I could turn my passion into something real—a business of my own. When I shared this idea with my professor, he encouraged me to start building it right there in class. That’s when the name for my brand came to me, and I began drafting a business plan. Read More>>
Allison Breininger
Seeing how my writing resonated with people, my husband and I decided to use his background in non-profit management, my background in training, coaching, and content creation, and my years of caregiving experience to launch The Negative Space as a non-profit. The mission of The Negative Space is to change the way caregivers of all kinds are seen and supported. We do that by providing direct support to caregivers through 1:1 coaching, the In Sickness podcast, virtual support groups, social media content, and gift boxes. We also work towards that mission by educating and equipping those who are in a position to support caregivers, like medical students and professionals, faith leaders, employers, friends, and family. Read More>>
Anni Friesen
I think my biggest struggle is probably self-doubt. Being mostly self-taught can be a little lonely because there isn’t built in feedback from instructors or other artists as I’ve been developing my skills and style. While lack of comparison can be a really beautiful thing, it’s also a little daunting and I think in some ways it has (and is) taking me longer to learn things. Read More>>
Bennett Dahl
Being self employed is never smooth, and especially not at first. When I first started I didn’t have some amazing business sense I just loved what I did. I was good at the thing I did but I was 18, super green and didn’t understand the business side of things to an extent. I didn’t have the lead generation or systems setup I do now. I just stuck with it then and knew someday I’d figure it out because I was actively trying every single day. Read More>>
Joe Swegarden
I truly thought i was going to go to the NFL until my freshman year in college. I was a two time all-state defensive lineman, and runner up player of the year my senior year, only to get beat out by Carson Wentz. When i got to college and started playing, i quickly understood that my dreams of making it to the big show, were not going to happen. The week after football season was over, i got my first cooking job and the rest is history. Starting to get paid to do something that i truly love, it didn’t take long for me to understand that this is what i am here to do. Read More>>
Krista Holden
I currently work in marketing at Ski Hut, a local ski/snowboard/bike shop that has been around since 1955 and travel around the US as a snowboard photographer. My career in snowboard photography really took off last winter when I was asked to photograph Trollhaugen Resort’s Take The Rake, a women’s terrain park building event. It was at that event that I met the Co-Founder of traveling women’s snowboard camp, Beyond The Boundaries, that I now travel with and am able to flex both my photography and coaching muscles which brings me so much joy. Last winter I was fortunate to be able to photograph Red Bull’s Heavy Metal event in Saint Paul at the capitol building and look forward to doing so again this year as they will be back in Saint Paul again! Read More>>
Lindau Jax
I was always into Photography. As a kid my Mom was always taking pictures of family events and vacations. She was the one who instilled the love of Photography in me. I have photographed a lot of different subjects. From the Twin-Cities local music scene along with Senior Portraits and Weddings. I know am focused on landscapes and cityscape photography. Photography has been really good to me and I was able to meet a lot of really cool and talented people in my Photography Journey. Read More>>
Rachel Mairose
During college at Wash U, my mental health took a beating (happy to extrapolate here!) and I found solace and healing in fostering dogs. Imagine it: a tiny 700 SF apartment with 2 dogs of my own and 4 fosters. It was chaos, but it was beautiful. When my husband decided to go to medical school, I put my law school aspirations on the backburner and at 7 months pregnant, bit the bullet and started a nonprofit. Read More>>
Alayna Burmeister
As I stated, school came easy, but the career hasn’t always. I loved art class so learning the color wheel and basics of color and cutting made sense to me. But putting all those tools together and finding the confidence to do it on my own was hard!! I found myself second guessing my knowledge a lot in the first year and then some. Heck, it still comes in waves. But the best thing that’s helped me to learn is the fellow stylists around me. We lean on each others knowledge and in the end I’ve created beautiful hair masterpieces. Read More>>
Shea Mandli
When the opportunity arose to collaborate with a revolutionary dating app, I saw a chance to merge my skills with a mission to improve how people connect in the real world. As the VP of Network Development, I focus on sales and marketing strategies that not only promote the app but also create engaging, memorable events for singles across the country. It’s been an incredible journey filled with learning, growth, and the excitement of building something impactful. Read More>>
Kaylee Bergh
There has been some struggles along the way. With working a full time job it can be tricky to find time management in capturing my photography and YouTube videos. I am at my happiest when I get to do my photography. It helps to have a good support system to help me along my journey. Editing is also a struggle that I need to avoid procrastinating Read More>>
Cydney Gibeau
The MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids has a weekly Open Studio with an experienced instructor to give advice and help, so I booked a class expecting it to be very handheld and structured. I hadn’t done any prior research into how to set up a wheel, or what tools I’d need or anything. So, when I entered the studio with zero experience and didn’t have a clue what to do, I was anxious. Like some stroke of fate, that day was also the most overbooked date for that class. Where there were only 9 wheels for the class, 15 people showed up. Read More>>
Kathleen Kitchen
Others Happy makes me happy. I use to take my nephew for car rides and go back around the blocks over and over again and hit the same hills. Just to see him happy and smiling. He has cerebral palsy and retardation and can’t never walk. He lived his baby life in a body cast because his joints would come out of socket. So I bought a 4 door car when I was sixteen just to take him out the house in that body cast so he could go for rides. This made me HAPPY to see him happy. Seeing others happy makes me happy. Like my cooking southern Louisiana comfort foods. Just to see others eat it and be HAPPY. I just watch them be happy. Read More>>
Chelsea Lee
On this journey I have also seen the healing that community brings. Coming together, sharing, holding space for others, and allowing them to speak their truth. To show up for themselves and be seen and supported. My true intention with this dreamwork is to hold a safe space for dreamers to come and share! To share their dreams, to share their stories, to share their synchronicities, their feelings, and insights. Read More>>
Michael Kurtz
Learning from those experiences has led me into photography as well. I am a self taught photographer, picking up a camera with no experience and have to this day not taken any training or classes on photography. Over many years of experience I have gotten better with a camera for photography and film but I tend to stick to still photographs. I have upgraded my camera over the years and continue to learn from the animals I shoot. I am still learning to this day how to better myself as a photographer and how to be one with the natural world. Read More>>
Pa Xiong And Surina Lee Blitz
We’ve created a team that allows young women within the age range of 12-40+ to test their athletic abilities, experience healthy competition, and form an everlasting sisterhood. We have gotten this far from a common commitment and passion for flag football shared by 30+ women. We overcame the trials and tribulations through hard work, having a positive winning mindset, and being confident in what we do. If you are interested, we are recruiting every year during February through March for the season and have an average of two practices per week. Read More>>
Lewiee Blaze
I was born into a life of music. My father, Miki L Lewis was a blues musician and leader of a band. I remember growing up watching them rehearse and play concerts for the neighborhood outside. My first instrument was the drums. I performed with my father’s band when I was five years old. Little did I know this will propel me to become a performer of my own. In 2011 I lost my father to a heart attack. My mother was raising 4 boys on her own. She is the one who introduced me to the Hip-Hop culture. We would watch music videos every morning together. We would never miss an award show. Read More>>
Aastha Patel
As a photographer artist I have learned a lot about the photography art, light use, texture, depth, and so much more. I love doing portrait photography and landscape. Something im more fond about in photography. I am proud of the work I have done and slowly getting better at something I love. Read More>>
