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.
Ashley Cardona
What’s still funny to me is that throughout all of my years in school, college, and grad school, the only class I ever pulled an all nighter for was my interior design elective in high school. I was OBSESSED with getting my final project right. I suppose that should have been a signal for me to follow that path, but I followed another creative passion and became an English teacher and writer. Read more>>
Scott Schoeberl
– Olive Juice Studios has been in business for 25 years. – We provide photo, video and design services for families and businesses in the Midwest. – Started career as high school art teacher – taught film and darkroom photography in Chaska MN. – Met and married Kelly. She used her MBA to turn my side gigs into a full-fledged business. Read more>>
Joel Korte
I started playing guitar when I was 15, but I did not start getting into effects pedals until I was in my twenties. I was not sure what I wanted to study in college, but I found myself getting more and more interested in various audio hardware as I learned to record my own music. Read more>>
Ra Soul
It started with producing beats in high school, releasing them on SoundCloud. A lot of freestyles with friends as well. We were just having fun with it. Which later made me start rapping onto beats . Read more>>
Serena Roberts
My story starts in rural Minnesota, where I grew up surrounded by cornfields and free-range curiosity. I became a single mom at 19, and that experience shaped the way I approach everything—life, work, leadership. I had to work hard, juggle a lot, and figure things out without a roadmap. I didn’t set out to work in data and analytics. Read more>>
Dawn Drouillard
I’m originally from Grand Marais, MN. I am a chef by trade and am the founder of Fabulous Catering-a boutique catering company that served the metro for over 22 years. We closed up shop in 2020 during the pandemic. It was at that time that I had to pivot. Read more>>
Mark Glover
My story isn’t one of straight lines or perfect timing — it’s a story of twists, setbacks, faith, and eventually finding my purpose later in life. I grew up in a family where the career path seemed clear: get a stable job, stay loyal to one company, and retire with a pension. Read more>>
Jonathan Conkin
In 2006 I was living back home in New York on the Upper East Side and working as a chef in some high-end restaurants. A friend who works in publishing had a DSLR camera that she had brought home and I took some photos of her pets. When those ended up being published in a book I was inspired to buy my own camera. Read more>>
Matt Frank
I started True North Therapy Services with a passion for supporting teenagers and young adults through the unique challenges that come with growing up in today’s world. After working in community mental health for over 14 years, I recognized a growing need for accessible, compassionate and specialized mental health support for this age group. Read more>>
Aemelia Tallen-Whited
I have always had a passion for caring for others and supporting women and children. I received my Master’s of Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health with a dual concentration in Maternal and Child Health and International Health in 2007. Read more>>
Lindsey Anderson
Growing up, I was always a creative kid. I loved making art and doing crafts. That love for making things has always remained consistent throughout my life. I graduated college with a degree in Graphic Communications and have worked full-time as a graphic designer for about 15 years. Read more>>
Willis Kasereka
I once flee war back in Congo DRC. Read more>>
David Quady
Growing up, I was always what you’d call “creative,” but it took a while for my interest in visual art to really stand out. Things started to come into focus when I began taking art classes at a college near where I grew up in Nebraska, and there’s one story from that time that’s stuck with me ever since. Read more>>
James Egge
Carrying the Torch: A New Era for Edina Diamond When Edina Diamond first opened its doors in 1977, founder Tom Bianchi built the business on a foundation of trust, craftsmanship, and community. Over the decades, it became one of Minnesota’s most respected destinations for fine jewelry. Read more>>
Elizabeth Dvorak
I’ve always seen creativity as something that lives inside everyone — it just needs a safe space to breathe. Over the years, I’ve worn a lot of creative hats and explored many paths and disciplines. Read more>>
Brandon Schwartz
Before I picked up a camera, I was constantly experimenting—sneaker reselling, copywriting, trading. These ventures worked, but I was searching for something different. Sneaker reselling meant managing inventory and storage. Copywriting and trading were more mobile, but lacked the creative fulfillment I didn’t even know I was looking for. Read more>>
Pernell Meier
After years of being a stay-home mom to foster and adoptive kids, I began seeking alternatives to the current mental health system. Our family found over and again that medications and talk therapy alone were ineffective for lasting symptom management. I learned about neurofeedback and quickly realized that this could be effective. It was. Read more>>
Carrie Brimhall
I’ve been a very active person my whole life, so yoga was a part of my story, but so was getting up at 4am to run with a friend, working in a busy job all day, getting advanced degrees, and taking care of my family. Read more>>
Anne Zimmer
My background is in Business Administration and Marketing. I have worked in the dental industry for the past 43 years. In addition, I fell in love with the salon industry after providing a year of consulting with a local salon. I decided I wanted to use my experience and skills of growing a business by opening my own business. Read more>>
Arrowhead Chorale
Originally formed in the mid-1980s, the Arrowhead Chorale began as a semi-professional chamber choir under the direction of Paul Fletcher. The vocal ensemble engaged Dr. Stanley Wold as the first Artistic Director in the 1990s, and Dr. Matthew Faerber joined the Chorale as Artistic Director beginning with the 2018-2019 season. The Chorale has since grown into a symphonic choir of 55 singers. Read more>>
Ariel Barkeim
I started on my path to naturopathic medicine as a seeker, not knowing what I was looking for. I wanted to help people holistically, but I couldn’t find how to do it. The conventional medical system felt like it only treated the body; the mental-health system seemed to only address the mind. Read more>>
Amanda & Kyle Lussier
We moved to Grand Rapids in December 2020 in pursuit of opening a restaurant in Kyle’s hometown. Both of our careers had shifted during COVID-19, and we felt it was the right time to finally follow our dream. Read more>>
Bryce Becker
After finishing my collegiate athletic career, I was looking for the next challenge — something that would replicate the intensity, structure, and team environment I had always thrived in. In 2007, a former teammate suggested I check out CrossFit, and that simple recommendation changed everything. Read more>>
Ron Sundve
Grew up a Military brat they say. My father was in the Air Force. He passed away when I was 12. We lived in Japan at the time. My mom decided we would move to Sothern MN by be by my dad’s family. Went to school in Albert Lea MN. Had 3 children and moved to Rochester, MN. Joined the Army in 2005 as Infantry. Read more>>
Joshua Rogers
Started in the landscape industry at 15 years old and I spent 7 years working for other contractors. In 2021, I decided to go out on my own and have seen steady growth since. With long hours, hard work, dedication, communication, and quality work, a growing company evolved. Read more>>
Andrea Turini
My story with jewelry began when I was nine years old. On a family trip to Montana, I picked out seed beads and a beading loom as my souvenir. My mom showed me how to read the patterns, which taught me patience, problem-solving, and how to think in three dimensions. Read more>>
Katie Hakes
KK Advertising Inc is a full-service advertising and marketing agency based in Minnesota. The core of our story centers on championing the “Underdog”. We work with business of all sizes which includes entrepreneurs and those challenging their industry. We dedicate to every client, no matter size, high-quality professional branding and marketing that is often only found through large and expensive firms. Read more>>
Laurie Murray
In my 20s, I was working as a school bus driver for St. Paul Public Schools while putting myself through college. As I was finishing school and starting to think about the next steps, a colleague mentioned he had started a Master’s program in Counseling and Psychological Services. As he described it, I found myself increasingly intrigued. Read more>>
Sarah Lindsey, Adam Steinbach
We started our business, As You Are Therapy, 3 years ago as a way to invest in our communities and care for ourselves while we had young kids. Centering our commitment to being ‘humans first, therapists second’ has helped us create the cozy and authentic environment that we envisioned. Read more>>
Suzy Levi
I started my business in September 2006, right in my basement. At the time, I was working for a fitness company and also training private clients in their homes. I loved movement and wanted to create a more personalized, connected experience, something that felt less transactional and more transformative. So, I decided to begin offering Pilates, barre, and fitness classes in my home studio. Read more>>
Marcus Cage
My name is Marcus F. Cage, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that God never wastes pain. Every moment, the good, the bad, and the broken have been part of His process of shaping me into who I am today. When people see me now, the books, the broadcast, the ministry, they often assume I’ve always been this focused. Read more>>
Kelsie + Kristen Conant + Hirsch
We started Decluttering and organizing people’s homes as professional organizers together in 2019. We wanted to bring our donations to a good home. We didn’t want to just drop them off anywhere or throw the donations away. It was very important to us and our clients. Kelsie kept getting nudges (from God) to volunteer at a domestic violence shelter. Read more>>
Monica Zaun
I grew up in a modest home in South Minneapolis. My parents, who were very young at the time, stayed at home with my older sister and me. My dad worked on cars, doing auto body work, and my mom kept very busy taking care of us kids. Read more>>
Paul Swanstrom
I started Fast Bucksaw back around 1980, though at the time I didn’t realize it would turn into anything bigger than a small project for friends. We were out camping, and everyone kept complaining about the saws available. They were bulky aluminum things that didn’t fold, or if they did fold, they had loose parts that got lost too easily. Read more>>
Lena Scullard
I grew up a small-town country girl in rural Minnesota. We lived on what we called “the back 40,” raised chickens, and spent more time outside than in. My dad worked long hours in a blue-collar job, and my mom stayed home with us. From them, I learned the value of hard work, doing the right thing, and taking ownership and responsibility. Read more>>
Connor O’Meara
Then I started to run Alaska trips with my own company, which is Bluebird Guided Tours, and that was 15 years ago. When Bluebird started we used to only work with bank tour groups and in the last couple years, we’ve changed our marketing a little bit so now we’re growing which is nice. There were a few years I’ve thought about stopping running tours but now we keep getting bigger, so it’s fun to see the company grow. Read more>>
Taryn Montgomery
In 2024, our family purchased Great North Candle Co. from the DeSanto family, who built the business from the ground up over the previous ten years. Originally from the Duluth area, the DeSantos were moving to Kansas and ready to liquidate their candle-making supplies. Read more>>
Kelly Barry-Miller
Believe it or not I started out as a Homeschool Mom and Teacher, and as my daughter grew up I really considered what I wanted to do as a career path. We were deeply faith-filled and family oriented, so when I got the call to start in the film world as an actress and photographer . . . Read more>>
Lee Schwartz
Small Town Labs became a ‘thing’ when I realized how many small towns (and small businesses) out there were struggling–struggling to grow, struggling with technology, and struggling to make any kind of impression on young families, young companies & entrepreneurs. Read more>>
Ashley Cole
My wellness journey started when I decided to pursue a career in medicine. My career path changed in college, but my fascination and curiosity with whole body wellness did not. I found that I believe in taking care of our bodies with good nutrition and by preventing injury and disease instead of using medication as the first plan of action. Read more>>
Cathy Malmon
I became a therapist by way of an English Literature degree. After two years of working in social service. I decided I needed a degree that was more attuned to therapy. I graduated from the College of Saint Thomas with an MA in Counseling Psychology. This degree made it possible to work in other settings besides group homes. Read more>>
TERRI BERG
I started my company in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 2011. I had been teaching through the Artist-in-the-Classroom program in schools, and I discovered that I loved inspiring people; many more groups of people would also like to learn to be creative. My next step was to contact the local nursing homes, Ann Carlson Center, and Adult Education. Read more>>
Emily Johnson
My journey into hospitality wasn’t exactly planned — it was something I stumbled into and fell completely in love with. I actually started out on a very different path, studying pre-med in college. Read more>>
Annette Murray
I spent my career in IT Management, started early at 18 and just kept working at it and moving up the ladder. Read more>>
Lissa Johnson
My career in the beauty industry started after high school when I trained at the Aveda Institue of Minneapolis to be an esthetician and massage therapist. I worked in the salon/spa world for a few years before deciding I really wanted to be a nurse. I knew I wanted more for myself. Read more>>
Tyler Sit
My friends and I started a United Methodist Church called New City Church. Originally, it was a small group that met in people’s living rooms, but we grew to need our own space. Read more>>
Matt Herrmann
I worked in corporate for 22 years but my dream was always to start a business. After being laid off from my last pediatric genetics account manager position I decided it was time. Read more>>
John Khoury
I didn’t choose to be born Lebanese, I just got lucky. The decision my parents made to escape the civil war in 1976 and immigrate to America, was a blessing. My parents Joseph and Rita threw caution to the wind and decided opening a Lebanese restaurant in West Saint Paul was going to be how they make a living. Read more>>
Vanessa Jauregui
As a single mother of 3 boys, fresh out of cosmetology school I found myself struggling to love my body after creating life. Not only that I struggled with my confidence as well. Fast forward to 2021 I’m now a mom of 4 children, dealing with the grief of losing a child , and also finding the joy in having a baby girl. Read more>>
Renee Retzlaff
I arrived in this season through a series of reinventions. I spent years building a successful career in sales and marketing, but after the crash of 2008, I found myself aged out of the corporate world in my late 40s. That moment became a turning point. Read more>>
Michelle (Shelly) Overbey-Higgins
I was working for a travel agent and received a raise I did not feel I deserved, Jan. 2020 I stepped out in faith and started WayPoint Travel, prior to the pandemic. During this time all the event I had currently book all cancelled due to the pandemic. Read more>>
Dr. Christine Stueve
As a mom of 4 boys, my third son was diagnosed with several neurologic disorders at a young age. I chose to pursue a natural path without medications. The journey unfolded into a life changing cascade of understanding how trauma affects the brain and brain to body communication and how to help the body heal naturally the way it was designed. Read more>>
Adrienne O’Brien
I had the idea to get into massage therapy while working as a ski instructor in Colorado. I worked a summer job at a spa where I met a lot of LMTs and found value in getting massage as a way to mitigate the damage I was doing to myself living/playing in the mountains and teaching kids how to ski. Read more>>
Ashli Buchholtz
My name is Ashli and I developed a passion for photography after having my first child eleven and a half years ago. What started with capturing special memories of my daughter built into a hobby for close friends and through word of mouth I started offering a lot of photo sessions throughout my community. Read more>>
Jill Thompson
Fortunately, I had experience with farmers markets as a child, so I had some idea of what I would need for a craft fair. Thankfully, my best friend was able to come to Bemidji and help me box, label, bake, and decorate everything for the sale. The sale was incredible. I sold 100%, and I knew I was doing the right thing. Since then, I’ve started attending more craft shows and completing custom orders. I will attend 2 future events, including the Lumberjack Craft Fair on November 15th, 2025 and Holiday by Hands on December 13th, 2025. Read more>>
Cheryl Moore Brinkley
In 2011, I joined Joule, fabulous co-working with entrepreneurial support, and found the best way to explain and demonstrate the value of my work was to show up as guest speaker, gratis or for small fees, for lunch-&-learns and other organizational meetings. Those talks always yielded super referrals and long-term paying clients. Read more>>
