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.

Bradley Thompson

As one of Park City’s most active skiers, Brad has an extensive knowledge of ski accessible properties. In addition to his focus on recreational properties, Brad is active in all areas of Park City real estate. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of what the Park City lifestyle has to offer with anyone who dreams of making Park City their primary or vacation home. Read more>>

Lynzie Burdick

I balanced working weddings while finishing my degree in graphic design, and after graduating in 2019, I landed a corporate design job. Photography quietly slipped into the background—until the pandemic hit and flipped everything upside down. I thought my dream of traveling the world, camera in hand, was over. But when I saw an opportunity to work for an airline, I jumped at it. Suddenly, doors opened. I started building my photography brand again, shooting love stories in places like St. Thomas, Italy, Hawaii, and Utah. Read more>>

Alia & Beau Sampson

We started small. A single soda truck, hand-mixed fantasy-inspired flavors, and a lot of trial and error. Beau and I spent weeks crafting the perfect menu, months handling the logistics, and our four kids (now joined by a new baby) quickly became part of the adventure. It wasn’t easy—long nights, back-to-back conventions, figuring out how to juggle business, family, and passions. But the first time we saw someone’s eyes light up after trying one of our sodas, we knew we had something special. Read more>>

Loreana Pachano

My journey into real estate began as a secondary service to my main business at the time. As a licensed immigration consultant, I recognized that obtaining my real estate license would enable me to better serve my immigration clients during their moves from other cities, states, and even from other countries. My husband and I had also a shared vision of investing in real estate, which further fueled my interest. After successfully helping several families secure their first homes, I discovered my true calling in this field. Today, I specialize in helping immigrants realize the American Dream, one home at a time. Read more>>

Srilatha Singh

I did not foster it as much and as actively as I would have liked until my daughter came into my life. In wanting to have her appreciate and enjoy the intricate and nuanced vocabulary of Indian classical dance I rediscovered my zeal for the art form, and have thoroughly enjoyed expanding my boundaries in terms of presenting, choreographing, collaborating, creating and importantly teaching the detailed aesthetic underlying our classical dance. It is a disciplined and demanding dance form but every so often so you see a child or two suddenly realise what they are trying to express, inside and out… That is a joy to behold. Read more>>

Ashley

Through out the years iv had close family & friends who battled with mental health. Mainly anxiety and depression. I felt the need & want to help get them into a better headspace. That good ole saying “Starts with your home” so I would go in and help clean. I began to notice it helped me mentally as well! I truly love people all around, you can be a complete stranger on the street and I will talk/connect with you. Thrive Cleaning isnt just another cleaning company. We are spreading positive vibes with every home that is being cleaned. Read more>>

Vicente Agelvis

Starting a business is a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, but when you find what you’re truly passionate about, those difficult moments are worth it. Photography has not only given us the opportunity to grow professionally, but also to do what we love every day. In retrospect, all those moments of doubt were just necessary steps to get to this point, where financial stability and success begin to be the fruit of perseverance and commitment. Read more>>

Natalie Taylor

A large part of where I started has to do with my college education. I was pursuing an editing and publishing degree at Brigham Young University (BYU). At the time, my course load consisted mainly of English classes and one class related to human development. I LOVED learning about development. I clearly remember talking to my sister about how we could both picture me in a more people-focused work environment rather than the editing world. Thus began my track towards becoming a therapist. Read more>>

Cam Houston

Like many people in creative industries, I’ve had to wear multiple hats, often at the same time—juggling passion projects, client work, and personal responsibilities. There were moments where I questioned if I was doing the right thing or if I should just take the “safe” route. But I’ve always believed in building something that’s true to who I am. Read more>>

Julie Schumann

Drumming and intending peace and happiness for people and truly hearing and seeing them was so fullfilling. After I had my 2nd child a boy , I left hair for some time and worked with people who struggled with substance abuse and mental health. I earned my certificate in mindfulness coaching and family interventions. This was hard work and took a lot of time away from home, so I decided to come back to doing hair and have been working full time as a hair stylist and energy practitioner, hosting sound meditations and healing sessions. And so excited to have started a product line to support both efforts. Natural healing oils that are charged with crystal energy, for use on Hair , skin and nails. Read more>>

Kaitlyn Howell

A few years later, we purchased our first home, where I expanded my business by adding a second long-arm machine. Today, I have two employees helping me keep up with the demand. From the start, my goal was to design bag patterns, and I knew long-arm quilting would give me the financial stability and flexibility to pursue that dream. In 2016, the same year I launched my long-arm quilting business, I released my first bag pattern—and the rest is history! Read more>>

Mel Oaks

I spent every minute of free time I had practicing music and any ambition I had to practice law fell by the wayside. Two years later, in eighth grade, I met Bill McGiniss. Bill is a folky who graciously donated his time to teach a bunch of teenagers about songwriting. I’d written one or two songs at this point — both terrible — and when I heard him play one of his originals I realized I found the thing I wanted to do the rest of my life. After that first encounter, we became friends and he mentored me through my first years as a songwriter. Since then, I’ve written hundreds of songs and published eight of them. six of them were published last year. Read more>>

Janine Sobeck Knighton

At least for a semester. The siren call of the theatre department lured me over and even though I wasn’t sure what I was going to do – I knew enough to know that I didn’t want to be a professional actor – I switched majors and started to take classes in a wide variety of subjects. Along the way, I discovered the magical role of the dramaturg – someone whose job is to research worlds, develop new stories, and work with the audience to enrich their understanding of the production – and knew I had found my niche. Read more>>

Ashley Hamic

I talked with Effie for a bit to capture her true needs and desires and what types of things Ford likes. I really love my creations to be perfectly curated to the recipient. Turns out Ford loves planets so I picked a fabric with planets all over it! I created a sketch of what I thought might work and Effie approved it. I brought it to life and the Buggy Blanket was born! Effie shared the Buggy Blanket with her community and tagged me in it. Many of the moms in similar situations followed me and reached out for a Buggy Blanket of their own. Read more>>

P.J. Guinto

Photography has long been in my family — my dad was a hobbyist and my sister also dabbled in photography. I got into photography seriously later in life at age 36 in late 2019 right before the pandemic started. The pandemic was beneficial in a way due to the fact that I had a lot of free time that I could devote to learning the craft. Photography was the creative outlet I always wanted, but never had. Read more>>

Abby Smith

When I returned home, I committed to refining my skills and slowly building my business. I sought out mentors and minored in Visual Communication, where I took Digital Imaging courses to sharpen my technique and deepen my understanding of photography. Over time, I developed a passion for making people feel comfortable in front of the camera. Through continuous sessions, I gradually built my brand and refined my style, which now features scenic outdoor locations with a timeless, film-inspired touch. Read more>>

Kristine Widtfeldt

I have moved from entry-level to C-suite, serving as CEO, CMO, and President in different brands and industries. I chose roles that often made little sense on paper, but that stirred my imagination and got me hopping out of bed in the morning. Titles impressed me less than chances to build something with smart people. What that journey looked like in practical terms has been anything but a straight line, including experiences at an educational publisher, creative agency, workplace coaching firm, and consumer goods from fashion accessories to papercrafting to home fragrance. Read more>>

Charlene Ronsmans

When I moved to Utah, I struggled to find bread that matched the flavors and quality I had grown up with. As a self-proclaimed bread addict, I knew I had to fill that void. This led me to dive deep into the history of breadmaking and sourdough fermentation. I started my first sourdough starter, baked countless loaves, and fell completely in love with the process. At every gathering, I would bring a loaf (or two), and it quickly became a crowd favorite. People started asking if they could buy my bread, which planted the seed of an idea. Read more>>

Micki Harris

After 12 hours of observation, Jocelyn underwent surgery to repair her spleen. But when doctors tried to wake her, they discovered she had suffered severe, repeated strokes. My husband rushed to his brother’s side as they faced the unimaginable decision to remove her from life support. Jocelyn, a mother of five and an extraordinary athlete who had summited 52 of Colorado’s 58 fourteeners, was gone. She was so strong that even after being taken off life support, it took nine and a half hours for her heart to stop—a heartbreaking wait her children endured, knowing they were losing their mom. Read more>>

Heather Braden

Being a producer and director for decades in fast paced and high action NYC on hundreds of different productions a year, often on locations I’ve seen everything so for myself I stay calm under pressure but for younger generations without that intense big city experience on set it can be intimidating. It really takes special personalities to really make a great teammate and I really look for that quality in partners and not so much on experience.. so finding the right people takes time but otherwise we have had a lot of very positive responses and people seem excited to have to movie magic in the area! Read more>>

Zach Primavera

My most recent signed tracks to Ethernal Records, Spiro & Nox was able to reach as high as #7 on Beatports Melodic Techno charts. It was at this moment that I knew this once dream was finally becoming a reality. Apart from production, over the last year I have played two of Utahs biggest music festivals. V2 Presents is arguably the biggest promoter in Utah and I was lucky enough to play Das energi & Get Lucky. Which was a dream come true because I was able to play alongside some of my biggest inspirations. I hang these show flyers up in my music studio along with a Insomniac Events show that I played as well this year. These are a constant reminder to always be that kid in the crowd with a dream and to never give up. Read more>>

J.J. Mendez

Design can be challenging depending on the industry to work for, for example during my times in the sales marketing world it can be demanding, fast paced environment, same day turn around, long hours, work over weekends, holidays and lots of all nighters, but rewarding too. I got to work on incredible campaigns, work with and meet incredible people. I was on a billboard on I-15 with Professional basketball player Rudy Gobert for Utah Jazz/Vivint Campaign. Read more>>

McKenzi Layton

As an adult, I began fostering for local shelters and rescues, seeing firsthand the impact a safe and loving home could have on a dog in need. But I also saw the struggles rescues faced—overcrowding, limited funding, and not enough resources to save every animal that deserved a chance. That’s when I knew I had to do more. My dream has always been to create a rescue and boarding facility together, where the boarding side could help fund the rescue’s mission. Read more>>