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.
Heather Hanson
That’s when I started looking into what needed to be done to become a notary, families still needed notary services for various things. Once I decided I could do it, I looked into what all kind of services a notary could do & offer, that opened everything up. Not only could I provide a mobile notary service for those without transportation, or couldn’t leave their homes, it was a service I could provide remotely thanks to Covid. Read more>>
Jessica Jokinen
For 22 years, I built a career with the same company, developing a strong foundation through long-term commitment and hands-on experience. While I valued the security and lessons that came with that role, I reached a point where I knew it was time to take what I had learned and apply it in a new direction. Read more>>
Sonia and Travis Even (Of Lovely Dark)
Our first practice was on January 1st, 2011. By that point, I’d already been playing in bands for years—everything from touring with post-punk acts to backing a Garrison Keillor show with an instrumental group. Along the way, I was quietly stockpiling song ideas, waiting for the right moment to use them. Read more>>
Gregg Hall
My name is Gregg ‘Cheech’ Hall. I grew up in a place called Smith Valley in the heart of the midwest’s driftless region. I have been playing music since age 9. I come from a large family of actors, artists, and musicians. I have been playing in the midwest and beyond for over 2 decades. Read more>>
Evonne (Boom) Bilotta-Burke
Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association (MBOTMA) does two hotel takeovers each year in Plymouth MN, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. That Fall of 2022, the 6 of us were all involved in a number of events where our paths crossed in significant ways. The two big ones were the Band Scramble, and the other was the Songwriting Workshop. Read more>>
Char Reinhart-Kalk
As a young girl, I have fond memories of watching This Old House on PBS with my dad. Together, we would learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ and dream of restoring grand Victorian homes. Growing up in a house built in 1910, my dad was always working on a project or planning the next one. Read more>>
Evan Swenson
I started playing music when I was in elementary school around 7 or 8 years old. I was in my schools band for quite a few years after that and fell in love with playing music and listening to as it was a necessity at home growing up. Read more>>
Mary Strand
I practiced law at a large Minneapolis firm for many years, then decided I’d be happier writing novels. (I’ve published nine so far.) In 2010, one of those novels, Livin’ La Vida Bennet, featured a teen girl who had to learn how to play guitar in a hurry. I’d never played. So I took guitar lessons! Read more>>
The Morning Kings
We actually go back to 2010 in Rochester, MN. It started with that itch to create something high energy that people could move to. We eventually made the move to Minneapolis, which really pushed us to morph into our current sound. We’ve released three EPs leading up to now: Sunrise, our self-titled EP, and Get Outside in 2023. Read more>>
Guisela Pinto
Divas Fair Trade began with a simple but powerful idea: to honor artisans, preserve cultural heritage, and create meaningful connections between the people who make beautiful things and the people who wear them. My journey started over 20 years ago, rooted in my deep connection to Peru and the Andean culture. Read more>>
jenny cunningham
My love for gardening was born on my grandparents’ farm. They had a 50 acre farm in Osakis Minnesota. When we were little we would spend much of our summers on their farm. They raised dairy cows, chickens, and had many gardens. They grew enough produce to last through the winter months. Read more>>
Josie Hasnik
I started writing music during the pandemic, then took to the stages of open mics and coffee shops as soon as quarantine lifted. I soon got to recording my debut album Where Could We Go? and had a release show for it at KJ’s hideaway, which sadly closed. Read more>>
Ben Robinson
My background has always been contracting – even when it was with Legos and toy tractors. I got my degree in civil engineering and pretty quickly took to the field after that, realizing I like the sun more than a fluorescent bulb and I had an affinity for building things. I’d been in residential construction for a little more than 10 years by that point. Read more>>
Christine Junod
This is actually my third career and every step of the way has been fun! I don’t ever plan to retire, there’s too much more to learn. After retail and project management, I was a family pastor in Northern CA and Central MN for 17 years. Read more>>
Jenessa Rudell
I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Minnesota State University, Mankato. After graduation, I moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where I worked for the largest community mental health agency in Northern Colorado. It was there that I discovered neurofeedback and it immediately resonated. Read more>>
Jenny Ramseth
I’ve always loved cooking and brining friends and family together around a table of great food. Creating simple, delicious recipes with high quality ingredients has long been a passion of mine. My husband and I often talked about how someday we’d love to own a shop that sold the very best ingredients. Read more>>
Theresa Priya (Freese )
As a teenage mother, I began my higher education and first career through a hybrid in-person/long-distance program in IT and business—back before online learning was common. It was the only option that allowed me to pursue college while remaining near my son’s father. Earlier, I had considered nursing, but at the time my vision of what I could achieve—while maintaining that relationship—felt limited. Read more>>
Jenita Pace
In the year 2000 I went through a mental health crisis, one that I never thought I would go through. After struggling with depression and anxiety for months, I attempted to take my own life. I ended up in a psychiatric hospital for two weeks. It was a very hard time, and I struggled to find a therapist that I trusted. Read more>>
Mariana Lindblom
I opened Medina School of Music while I was nine months pregnant with my second child. At the time, I had already been teaching piano and voice for over twelve years and was running a full private studio with a waitlist. Read more>>
Lindsey Trossen
I got my start with $15,000 of student loan money and a dream. My opportunity arose when the company I worked and managed for decided to close in 2011. The initial plan was to take over the existing month to month lease in what was Block E (now Mayo Clinic Square). Read more>>
An Thong
We opened our doors on May 10, 2025, with nothing but passion and a big dream. Early on, our head spa sessions started gaining attention online, and soon our books were filling up fast. Seeing people leave feeling relaxed, emotional, and genuinely restored has been the most rewarding part of this journey.Since then, Koze has grown in ways we’re so grateful for. Read more>>
Theresa Benoit
We – that is, Jeb Sawyer and Theresa Benoit, co-founders and co-owners of the Relationship Therapy Center – met during our couples therapy internship. There was an instant connection between us, the once-in-a-lifetime type that seemed almost too good to be true. Read more>>
Sami Hernandez
I’m Sami Hernandez, founder and creative force behind FITSO Plus Size—an unapologetically bold apparel and accessories brand designing for the 60% of us living, thriving, and taking up space in fat bodies. FITSO is an acronym meaning Fit In – Stand Out where we reclaim our power by choosing to fit in or stand out on our terms. Read more>>
Terah Trucano Rinerson
I was fortunate to grow up on a farmstead on the hills off of Lake Vermilion, steeped in ancestry—land my family claimed after immigrating from Italy. From my earliest memories, the land itself felt alive. The West Two River flowed nearby, rich with brook trout, and endless woods invited a kind of freedom only nature can offer. Read more>>
Rachael KraMer
People often ask ‘how long have you been a Holistic Health Practitioner’ … and the answer is ‘since I was in my mother’s womb’. I can honestly say I was born that way, it was not something I grew into. I remember back, being an itty-bitty elementary school kid, sick on the couch and my mom trying to give me cough medicine. Read more>>
Lynn Messman
Growing up in Minneapolis, I was lucky to have a grandma and mom who were passionate gardeners. That’s when I realized dirt under your fingernails wasn’t a bad thing! My earliest garden memory is of my grandma’s. I fondly remember planting seeds and flowers with her, using the tiny shovel and pink garden gloves she gifted me. My love for gardening took root there. Read more>>
Sai Piccolo
I had experienced something known as “The Akashic Records” ( An eternal library of infinite information stored in the fabric of reality (Everything) for about 5+ years. In that time I had my higher self showing me visions and speaking to me everyday for hours on end, much like vivid daydreaming. Part of this happened because of childhood trauma. Read more>>
Tricia Haynes
Tricia Haynes began working as a singer/guitar player at the age of 19. She worked as a soloist as well as fronting a variety of bands in Toronto, New York, Dallas and Myrtle Beach. At this young age, she was happy to be able to make ger living playing music. Read more>>
Will Vincent
Where would you like me to begin? I’ve got a storied career path; starting in my mid teens working at Pine Tree Apple Orchard, making donuts, then working as a pizza cook and delivery. I drove a school bus and was a mobile and nightclub DJ. Read more>>
Jodi Donley
I started as a volunteer. Giving back to the community that gave so much to me. Upon losing their employees I stepped up to cover as a super volunteer. Then I was hired as a temporary program assistant. Then as a coordinator. Now I am the manager at our local food shelf. Read more>>
Lisa Deyo
This crazy venture into the world of books and candy selling was first initiated by husband John Deyo to his wife Lisa in November of 2015 as a “You’ve always wanted to do this and now there’ s a storefront available…why not?” Lisa quickly was embraced by friends as accomplices in making the store happen. Family and friends continually offered building help, shopping help, etc. Read more>>
Angela Kapp
My husband Keith and I opened and operated several child care centers from 2012 to 2023. When Covid hit we struggled to keep the 4 locations we had open fully staffed. We made the decision to start downsizing in the hopes to get down to one location in Maplewood and do it well. We closed our Inver Grove Heights location in November 2020. Read more>>
Carrie White
I was a Certified Veterinary Technician for almost 10 years when I had finally decided I needed a career change as I was feeling very stuck. I felt as if I did not have anything more to work towards in my current career especially in a smaller town. Read more>>
Pamela Hubbard
I started by being an organizer for Craft Shows in Cloquet about 8 years ago. I met some wonderful artists and crafters who joined my shows. When I saw this building available, I contacted my faithful vendors and asked if they would like to be in a shop. And so it goes. We took the lease in June 2023 and opened on July 1st 2023! Read more>>
Emily Welder
Our story began when we were very young parents, just doing what it took to provide for our family. After our first child was born, Jellay went on the road working in asphalt road construction. Over time, he worked his way up to an asphalt construction superintendent, often working 80 hour weeks to support our growing family. Read more>>
Marissa Liljander
My journey into photography began when I became a mother. I found myself wanting to hold onto the fleeting, in between moments. the way tiny hands reached for mine, the quiet chaos, the love that felt bigger than anything I’d known before. Read more>>
Stefanie Kim
What still feels like yesterday, I walked away from a financially dependent abusive relationship and a marketing career I worked so hard for because my life was being run by someone else’s control. After a traumatic injury stole my voice, I made a decision. I was taking my life back. Read more>>
Kevin Bonthius
After a career in the corporate world, I decided it was finally time to trade the office for the outdoors. I’ve always been happiest with my hands in the dirt, and when a career transition provided the opportunity, I knew I had to follow that passion. Read more>>
Kristy Djernes
How I Got Into Laser Hair Removal & Opened My Business – As a teenager, I struggled with the embarrassment of unwanted body hair—along with the constant reminder of razor burn and ingrown hairs. Read more>>
Kari Bulthuis
My name is Kari Bulthuis. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Richard. We have two boys, Gavin 22, and Evan 19. I work full time as a medical Speech-Language Pathologist. I love to bake! I started baking when my boys were born, it was important to me to bake their birthday cakes from scratch. Read more>>
Paul Kaz
We are a local family that has been in business since 1967. Our parents, Ted and Diane Kavajecz, started out owning and operating a small barber and beauty shop business in McGregor, MN and then got an opportunity to purchase the local motel and restaurant in town and they pursued that. This was when they were 28 and 26 years old. Read more>>
Natali Bohm
I currently own Axis Travel Group, where I’m proud to support 134 incredible travel agents. We specialize in Disney destinations, Universal vacations, cruising, and so much more. I purchased the agency two years ago, but my journey in this industry started long before that. Read more>>
Angie Westling
In 2015 I was a working at another business in town and was unhappy with the lack of flexibility. I was talking to my friend’s mom, who happened to own a real estate company, and she said she was looking for an office manager. Read more>>
Devon Bishop-Martinez
I got my start in the music and entertainment world as a karaoke DJ, where I learned how to read a room, engage a crowd, and keep energy high no matter who was on the mic. That hands on experience naturally led me into bigger events, where I began refining my skills in music selection, timing, and creating memorable moments for guests of all ages. Read more>>
Ben Feret
My path to where I am today has been anything but linear, but that’s part of what makes it meaningful. I’ve always been drawn to building things — businesses, systems, teams — and figuring out how to make them better, more efficient, and more impactful. Read more>>
B.J. Wilder
My Career in insurance started in 2017. It started like most agents will tell you to do, start with all of your friends and family. Most of my friends and family, (Including my own mother), told me that insurance is a scam and don’t waste my time. Read more>>
Morgan Hastings
I began my career in mental health while completing my bachelor’s degree in social work, graduating in 2016, and working full-time in Child Protection and Behavioral Health Services with Clay County Social Services in Moorhead, Minnesota. From there, I earned my Alcohol and Drug Counseling degree and worked in both residential and outpatient substance use treatment settings. Read more>>
Janelle Negen
It was a learning process, and it was a long road. Building the kennel on a timeline, raising my kids, and working full time at my current job at the time, starting a business in my spare time required me to shift my priorities and give up a few things that would allow me more time to focus on my goals. We had to be all in to make it work, and somedays I definitely had to remind myself why I was doing this. Read more>>
Renée Cloutier
Looking back at my childhood, there were many clues connected to my psychic abilities from a very young age, but the most acute experience wasn’t until age eighteen when I intuited vivid details of a friend’s death at the moment it occurred, without being near them or knowing it had happened. The intense nature of this super-sensory experience, and its accuracy, marked a key point for me and psychic hits began occurring more frequently. Read more>>
