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.
Trisha Miller
Growing up I loved to dance and always had my nails done. My mom and grandma were cosmetologists, and my favorite cousin is a nail technician with her own salon so definitely inspired by them. After high school, I landed a general manager position at a tanning salon and was there for 10 years, which helped me learn a lot about business. Read more>>
Amy Abts
I was a theater kid growing up – I started in the theater at 5. I took piano lessons and did art starting around that age as well. In high school and college I continued with theater, and ended up with a BFA in acting. I studied art in college. Read more>>
Paul McLellan
My story really starts with technology. When I was 12 years old, I was given a Commodore Amiga computer and became fascinated with programming and Bulletin Board Systems — essentially the internet before there was an internet. I loved figuring out how things worked, building things and, probably most importantly, finding ways to make them work better. Read more>>
Amanda Mathiowetz
The business of Overjoyed grew out of a model I had watched my mother perfect. She had an ‘occasional store’ and was open nine months out of the year for only one weekend each month. The idea was simple: change the shop each month to reflect seasonal changes but also to show customers how to use and restyle the pieces they already have. Read more>>
Courtney Elling
Our journey started with the question ‘Why does this not exist at home?’ I was on a trip to Vancouver where I attended a Nordic Spa. Spending the day outdoors, in nature, and moving between the heat of a sauna, cold plunge pools, hot tubs, and rest areas was profound for me. Read more>>
Beau & Kara Lasiewicz
Beau and Kara have been public school teachers for over 15 years each and have been working in their individual disciplines for over 20 years each. Deciding to take the plunge into full time artists in 2020, they are constantly evolving their craft of woodworking, pottery, painting and photography with every new challenge that comes their way. Read more>>
Andrea Kienlen
My love for. beauty began long before I realized it could become a career. Growing up in pageants, I remember sitting in the chair while professional artists did my hair and makeup. But when I competed in a local pageant within the Miss America system, I was required to learn how to do my own makeup, and that experience sparked something in me. Read more>>
Kelly Yetzer
My journey into cosmetic and paramedical tattooing wasn’t exactly a straight line. I’ve had several different careers throughout my life, but when I discovered permanent makeup, something clicked. I loved that it combined artistry, technical skill, and the opportunity to help someone feel more confident in their own skin. After my initial training, I quickly realized how much there was to learn beyond the basics. Read more>>
Sarah Drake
My path has never been linear, and I think that is one of the reasons I am able to do the work I do today. I have moved through healthcare, education, nonprofit work, international humanitarian work, art, writing, speaking, consulting, and community engagement, but the common thread has always been people, access, creativity, and connection. Read more>>
Seran Kayserilioglu Otterson
My story started in Istanbul. As long as I can remember, I wanted to do the fine arts: painting. I took art classes at a very young age until I got a full scholarship from the best fine art academy in the country. Even back then, my instinct has always been to become an international artist. Read more>>
Sarah Moslemi
My story has never really followed a straight line. It has been more like a collection of things I loved that eventually realized they belonged together. I’ve spent most of my adult life in the wellness world. Read more>>
Robert Cormican
February 2021 is when we opened our doors at The Forge. It was a very small location not far from our current one. We quickly outgrew that and needed to move to a larger location. In September of 2021 we moved to our new and current place. About 3,000 square feet more space! Read more>>
Sean Stebbins
I began my martial arts career with High-School wrestling. In 2009 I finished my High-School wrestling career by winning the section championship, placing top 12 at the state tournament and competing for the Minnesota Storm at Senior Nationals. Upon completion of High-School I I was introduced to the Army Combatives program a year later. Read more>>
Taylor Ladner
From Curiosity to Henna Hollows How a simple creative curiosity became a journey of connection, community, and healing In 2023, I was introduced to henna through someone who was apprenticing and learning the art. It immediately sparked my curiosity. I found a reputable henna artist online, purchased my first cone, and began experimenting on myself and my friends. Read more>>
Amanda Wang-Erickson
My journey to illustration and design is not linear. I actually started out in chemistry and spent time working at 3M before I made the leap into art and design full-time. That background in science gave me the unexpected gift of patience for process, among other things, which turns out to help me a lot in creative work, and working mostly alone. Read more>>
Katie Ledermann
My Grandparents, Florian and Aggie Ledermann, purchased 95 acres of farm land from my Grandpa’s brother in 1999. My Grandpa was anticipating his retirement from Veterinary medicine and needed something to do. He converted the farm land to restored native prairie, and in 2006 planted an acre of grape vines. He continued to plant grapes, started making his own wine, and became licensed in 2012. Read more>>
Roger Sievers
We built our company on one simple premise, that we wanted to be the champion for small to medium sized businesses in the mid west. One centralized creative powerhouse that a small to medium sized business can get all the services they need to market and grow their business. Read more>>
Armani Battle
for as long as i can remember, ive been a creative whether thats drawing, dancing, fashion, writing, singing or content creation. as a child i spent alot of time alone and so creating art was my outlet and how i expressed myself. Read more>>
Matthew Borchert
Man, where do I even start? I’ve always lived out here in rural western Minnesota – Madison / Marietta area – and honestly that’s where it all started. I wasn’t trying to be a ‘photographer’ at first, I just couldn’t stop looking at the sky. Read more>>
Anthony Gutierrez
Wasabi Doll really started with a leap of faith—and light push from the universe. I spent years working in corporate talent acquisition, building a career in Fortune 500 companies and cooking was mainly a hobby, turned passion, turned career. Eventually I realized I didn’t just want cooking to be the thing I did for fun. Read more>>
KC Johnson
Up North Trading Company is a family run business started by 2 brothers, a graphic designer and a contract embroiderer, looking to put their respective skills together doing something they could wholeheartedly believe in. Located in Rogers, MN, all of our gear is designed, decorated and shipped in house. Read more>>
Vivian Lark
In May of 2020, we all watched Minneapolis erupt after George Floyd was killed on the street. Before moving to Rochester, my family and I lived in Minneapolis for 12 years. I was not able to join the protest, so I decided to start Music Lessons for All. When I lived in Minneapolis, no one in our neighborhood could afford private music lessons. Read more>>
Katie Shatusky
My journey with Thumbs Up began through my own experience with mental health and the loss of my grandfather, Bob Schmit, to suicide in 2010. His death deeply affected my family and changed the way I understood mental health, grief, and the importance of reaching out for support. For a long time, I didn’t necessarily know what to do with that experience. Read more>>
Sylvester Ware
I use to work in the school district, and during the summer I would cut some grass to help pay some bills while not working. Then I finally left the school right during the Covid error. Went full time with my landscaping company, started offering other services like snow removal and junk removal. To stay busy. And now we’re almost 10 years into business. Read more>>
Monique Smaz
I started playing music as soon as I possibly could. My dad was a professional jazz drummer, so music was a large part of my environment growing up. He had me practicing paradiddles as soon as I could hold a pair of drumsticks! Read more>>
Julia Fristedt
From a young age, creativity has always been what fills my cup. It has been something I’ve naturally turned to throughout every stage of life; whether as an outlet, a way to connect with people, or simply something that brings me joy. Gifting has always felt like an extension of that. Read more>>
