The Most Inspiring Stories in Utah

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.

Jared Whatcott

I was in the Air Force for 5 years as a contracting officer. After 5 years, I got out of the military to go to business school (Darden) and then moved to Utah to become an international equity manager on several mutual funds. After a career in international investing, I wanted to invest locally and spend more time with family instead of traveling all over the world. When I heard about Take 5, I knew the business model would be a success in Utah, so I purchased the rights to northern Utah. People love the fast, friendly, simple oil changes, and the stay-in-your-car business model. We also added 10-minute emissions test for the same price that the competition is charging, and our customers love that! Read More>>

Robyn Nielson

We cannot wait to open our doors in March. We have spent the last year overcoming many obstacles to get us to where we are. We learned adding 20 large infrared panels and a commercial grade humidifier to a 1,350 square foot room requires a lot of planing, engineering, approvals and groundwork. It will all be worth it! Read More>>

Kaibrienne Richins

My family was surprised, but supported me in everything I did. I still remember the feeling of being on that stage, singing for people for the first time. It’s something I will never forget – just the feeling of pure love and passion, even though almost my whole body had gone tingly from the nerves. My mom told me that afterward, my principal came up to her and said “she is going places with that voice.” From then on, I knew that my dream was to become a singer… but extreme stage freight & anxiety kept me from doing much with it for a while. Read More>>

Cristi Bissegger-cozad

I have been extremely fortunate to have been raised in Tooele County. Many of our first clients were lifelong friends and their word of mouth has been so important to our growth. Being able to build and retain your clientele in aesthetics is difficult. Knowing your brand, skills and knowledge is the backbone to your growth. Of course, mistakes have been made but without setbacks you will never learn or grow with your surroundings. Read More>>

Sarika Nayak

My body language is trained more to adapt Indian classical dancing , Indian folk dance forms and Indian semiclassical choreopgraphies . I trained myself in other dance forms like Hop-hop , Jazz , freestyle movements to create Bollywood choreographies . Read More>>

Kamiko Adcock

It all started seven years ago when I was a senior at BYU and me and my buddy, Tanner LeBaron, were going to the movies a ton. We had been talking about starting a YouTube channel as an outlet to express our love for film, but then a buddy of ours had just started podcasting, so we figured that would be an easier way to dive into talking about movies. So in May 2018, we started our movie podcast, Sweet Film Talk, and are still publishing episodes, every Monday, to this day. Read More>>

Jessica Sheffield

The focus for my preschool has been developing their schema! The more background knowledge in life kids have, the more they can pull from that in their learning as they grow up. With this knowledge, my preschool is designed to give the kids as much exposure as possible. We have academic, creative and social opportunities in class. We also go on a variety of field trips and do community service events. We have two programs a year to showcase what we are learning, but also to give the kids an opportunity to develop confidence in being in front of people. Read More>>

Leki Manu

This can be very challenging because you’re breaking a system that was meant to follow so you will create great resistance. In the beginning most the of the struggles came from the learning curve of learning the system. Zoning, regulations, inspections etc. After the intro state of challenges then comes the challenges of leadership, team development, learning patterns of behavior and how to utilize them towards growth to the businesses. The next phase of challenges that presented itself to us was consistency. Consistency in maintaining, consistency in growth, consistency in quality. All while you are juggling your personal life. Read More>>

Erin Langford

I loved the energy I felt during my first photojournalism assignment, and I’ve been chasing that dream ever since. I get the same thrill with each wedding ceremony I capture. For the past 19 years, I’ve been capturing these special moments in northern Utah. I love getting to know my couples and their families. I also enjoy leading photography workshops and mentoring new photographers. Read More>>

Mandy Anderson

I insisted that I am “THE most introverted Introvert who ever introverted.” And that my greatest wish in life is to disappear. I do not enjoy being “seen”. I have never, nor had I ever wanted to do a pageant. As someone with very little self confidence, major depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, and suicidality- I was absolutely not interested. However after a few months, I had the thought that this might be part of Gods plan for me. To help with my ongoing Refugee Advocacy efforts, and to have a platform to share love, understanding and awareness about refugees and asylum seekers, to people around the world. Read More>>

Tessa Lopez

You could say my story started a good while ago, I was a young girl who always aspired for a better life. I knew from the beginning I wanted more. I came from a low income household. Growing up living pay check to pay check wasn’t exactly anyones dream lifestyle. I new that better things were coming, I’d just have to put in the hard work to get anywhere close to what people might call luck. Read More>>

Kaylee Young

At this point I poured every ounce of myself into my business not only for me, but to show my kids that it doesn’t matter where you came from or your circumstances- you have the capability to do anything you set your mind too. I went from that little studio suite to opening up Mrakki Brow Bar, I hired employees, started a cosmetics line and purchased a laser. If you were to tell me this is where my life would be 10 years ago, I would’ve laughed in your face. But here I am. I did it. And now my kids get to have a mom that they can look up to, and be proud of! Read More>>

Ryan Parra

July 2021, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Uganda, working with the United Nations and Rotary International to teach business skills to local entrepreneurs. That experience reinforced my belief in the power of small businesses and the impact they have on communities. Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of helping over two dozen businesses globally, guiding them through their own challenges and growth. Read More>>

Zuleyca Pacheco

I still planned to work for the mortgage company so I could continue to get health insurance for myself and my son which meant weekends were going to work best for my business. 2 months before graduating I put a deposit on a suite I found online and started my own business alongside a friend I met in estie school, and we’ve been open now since October 2023. As a new esthetician I marketed myself to friends and family, I made referral cards with $10 discounts, I posted discounted services if I wanted to fill up my days and started gaining some momentum that way. I continue to work 7 days a week Monday -Thursday doing loans and Friday- Sundays as an esthetician, but I absolutely love and look forward to my weekends with my clients. Read More>>

Whitney Fisher

There are always going to be bumps in the road—that’s just part of the journey. But the beauty of being independent is that you have full control over how you tackle those challenges. For me, the biggest hurdle was the fear of losing a steady paycheck. That fear held me back for so long. But once I pushed past it, I truly felt unstoppable. Read More>>

Darren Smith

A few months into this I visited the store to grab a donut and chat with the owners. I was informed that they were looking to retire and wanted to get someone in the store to take it over so the shop would not close. A year of trying to secure the financing, and work out the details later, we closed on an agreement in Aug of 2024. Read More>>

Adam Rees

A single moment can change the trajectory of a life. What started as a simple request for a vessel turned into a 25 years long and still-on-going exploration. I have been pushing and pulling this medium—literally and figuratively—to its limits. The journey has seen devastating failures like the time a massive mountain goat was smashed during shipping to incredible successes like getting into my first gallery. But every turn takes me to the next thing, the next experiment, the next lesson, the next achievement. Read More>>

Sunny Logdson

Prior to moving to Utah, I was a lifelong Texan. In Dallas, I started my career in public relations before transitioning into media, writing about local businesses for Daily Candy. Later, I joined D Magazine Partners, where I helped launch their business publication, D CEO. Those experiences led me to start my own marketing firm, where I worked with entrepreneurs to build branding and digital strategies that foster meaningful growth and connection. Read More>>

Prabhjot Bhatia

Through our work, we strive to promote the values of peace, love, knowledge, and inspiration, connecting a global community that shares our vision. Whether we’re telling stories of everyday heroes or shining a light on critical issues, we’re committed to making a difference in the world through the stories we tell and the communities that we build. It all began with me wanting to show people that no matter where you are in the world we are all human and at the end of the day we all want similar things in life. No matter how hard the media tries to divide us deep down we are all more similar than we are different. Read More>>

Alexis Giles

But I couldn’t do it alone. As someone that leads creative ideation and execution I knew the vision I had for TDC would never come to life. That’s when I brought in not one, but two other key pillars at the same time. My best friend and longtime collaborator, Madison Welling, was the first. A fellow content creator with a natural talent for structure and efficiency, Madison became the pillar of operations—turning ideas into action and keeping TDC running seamlessly. Read More>>

McLin Sanders

For high school, I graduated from an all-boys military boarding school called Riverside Military Academy in north Georgia. The experience at this school absolutely gave me the mental fortitude I needed to be successful on my first big adventure. Had I not gone to that school, I do not think I could have been successful on the Appalachian Trail (AT). That was my first big hike, the Appalachian Trail. Read More>>

Jessica Walker

At the time, I was creating a series of paintings to capture each stage of my sister’s pregnancy. I told myself that once I finished, I would give up painting altogether. I’ve always struggled with freeform creativity—I need structure, boundaries, a clear set of lines to color inside. But then, in the middle of that project, I discovered contemporary botanical art. Read More>>

Karen Hill

I was able to create a year long Preschool and Kindergarten program that meets educational core standards and prepares children to enter the school system. In 2012, an opportunity came to me to open a childcare center in Draper which I did. I used this curriculum and had great success which led to the opening of a second childcare center. I continued to refine the program as well as to create a Toddler/Year 2 curriculum. In 2021 I moved to St George to escape the cold winters, and opened Discovery Kids Academy in 2022. Read More>>

Dawn Griffith

15 years ago, I moved to Salt Lake City from Las Vegas, NV. I was starting a new life and needed a new beginning from a failed relationship and a much different lifestyle. I didn’t know anyone when I moved here and decided to start a meetup called Adventure Seekers of Salt Lake City. I wanted to meet new people who were interested in doing exciting adventures they have never tried before so I made a list of all the things on my bucket list I wanted to accomplish within a year and created the meetup. Read More>>

Rachel Krahenbuhl

Through my time working with clients I noticed that as I worked with their bodies they would start to open up more and more. A deep sense of connection and trust ensued, and they would share things with me that felt important and personal about their individual health journeys. I wanted to develop the skills to hold space for all things health and wellness, so embarked on another degree in health education and wellness coaching. My masters in health and kinesiology gave me a deeper understanding of human anatomy and physiology, as well as the many layers of human health and behavior change that support holistic well-being. Read More>>

Rylee Llanes

After being an art teacher for a few years and becoming an FBLA national champion in 2017, I decided to blend my love of social media, art, and business knowledge and start helping local businesses with their social media. I wanted to help people like my mom, who were passionate about their business and maybe just didn’t have the extra time to promote it online. Read More>>

Oscar Word

Life is definitely full of ups and downs. We found that having a dream that you’re passionate about can sometimes be the easy part, and the first step of an ongoing formula. Certifications, licensing, permits, insurance, taxes, marketing, global pandemics, and ever-evolving studies are just a few of the challenges and intricacies that cropped up along the way. However, I had a good support system including my wife, family, friends, and community. With some help along the way, a pinch of luck, and a boat-load of persistence we’ve navigated each new obstacle life threw our way. Read More>>

Jordan Cox

Photography allows me to share my unique perspective with others, to invite people into a moment in time they might never have experienced themselves. I became a photographer not only because I was drawn to the art of visual storytelling but also because I saw it as a means of connecting with others in a profound way. Whether it’s capturing a person’s smile, the quiet solitude of nature, or the chaos of a city street, I wanted to create images that evoke emotion, provoke thought, and make people see the world with fresh eyes. Read More>>

Robin Bradfield

The concept of parental alienation, a term unfamiliar to me until my son’s departure, describes the heartbreaking estrangement resulting from gaslighting and manipulation by the other parent. The distressing process started after my divorce from my son’s father in 2007, marked by years of enduring relentless criticism directed towards all aspects of my life – my character, parenting style, choice of home and vehicle, career, and even our cherished family vacations. As the parent-child bond gradually deteriorated in the years leading to the alienation, the unimaginable happened, and our son was completely severed from my life in 2022. Read More>>

Melissa & Cristian Campuzano

My husband, Cristian, and I are both Mexican-Americans, raised to honor our culture and traditions. Growing up in Utah, we were constantly reminded of the importance of staying connected to our roots and passing down those traditions. Now, as adults and parents, we’re committed to spreading the passion for our heritage and sharing the beauty of our Mexican traditions not just with our children but with the world. This is why we started QUE PEX! Read More>>

Tessa Rushton-Sanders

I’m a native to the Salty Lake area in Utah. I have always been drawn to art & design from a young age. I was always coloring, drawing and playing on Mircrosoft Paint on my parents computer. I knew I wanted to pursue something that incorporated those aspects when I went to college. In my freshman year I found the Visual Communications Degree, which was a perfect fit for me because it was a combination of being creative and using the computer. Read More>>