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.

Brandie Christensen

In 2018, my life took a significant turn when I lost my ability to drive. Suddenly, I had to reimagine my independence and daily routines. I immersed myself in learning braille, white cane navigation, and assistive technology through the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix, Arizona. Through this journey, I met many individuals with vision loss who lacked family or community support. I quickly realized how little understanding there is globally about the different types and degrees of vision loss. Read more>>

Brax Johnson

Boothe Brothers Music started in 1983 with one guitar on the wall and Steve Boothe, our founder, teaching guitar lessons. In 1984, Mike Boothe, Steve’s brother, came on board to help the growing business manage the logistics. From there, Boothe Bros flourished. In the early 90s, they moved into the building that they’re still in on Spanish Fork Main Street. In 2020, one of Steve’s family members approached him about investing in the store. Steve countered with an offer of his own – to outright buy it. After almost 40 years as the leader of southern Utah County’s premium music store, Steve was ready to retire. In 2021, the sale was final, and Boothe Brothers Music became Boothe Music. Read more>>

DJ Luva Luva And Dajon Thompson

LVRS SLC is a dynamic entertainment collective based in Salt Lake City, founded in 2019 by longtime friends DJ Luva Luva and Dajon Thompson. Their mission is to infuse the city’s nightlife with soulful, inclusive, and culturally rich experiences, drawing inspiration from vibrant scenes in cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago.​ Read more>>

Kristina Hanson

So, in 2022, I stepped away and started Uplift. At first, I just wanted to give people a better experience — personalized, full-body, solution-focused care that actually addressed what they were going through. What began as a solo venture quickly grew into a thriving practice with an amazing team of providers and support staff who all believe in our mission: to uncover the root cause of pain, dysfunction, or disconnection, and guide people back to feeling at home in their bodies. Read more>>

Lisa Carneiro

I’ve been working as a hair dresser for 30 years and in 2016, after working in a few different types of salons in Salt Lake City, I decided it was time to move into an ownership role, and open my own hair salon, Beyond Beauty. The name came from the idea that there is so much more that happens in my relationships with clients than just beauty. It is a boutique salon with a Mid Century vibe. We want clients to step back in time where life was more simple. Read more>>

Madalyn Houghton

After a pivotal turning point in my career, I realized that I wanted more than just a job—I wanted to create something that was entirely my own. The experience left me with a renewed sense of purpose and a deep understanding of the value of independence and more importantly, integrity. I decided to take a leap of faith, stepping away from the “traditional” work environment and embracing the challenge of building my own company. With a passion for my craft as a barber and a desire to shape my own future, I took the leap and was/am determined to build a business that reflected my values and aspirations. Read more>>

Mallory Bouchard

I think a struggle for myself when I was first starting out and probably most designers have felt this way at some point or another in their early career is knowing your worth and overcoming the “imposter syndrome”. I have been so lucky for the companies I worked for, and mentors I had previous to starting my own firm as I definitely would have had a much bumpier road, but I think that if you don’t have some struggles you aren’t learning, growing, and evolving. Read more>>

Cami Adams Sarah Payne

In 2017, my (Cami) daughter (Chloe) asked if she could take art lessons. She was 8 at the time and a bit of an introvert. I was thrilled that she expressed an interest in something and began searching the area for any type of art class experience for her. I found nothing. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t an outlet for these kids. When I expressed my frustration to my husband his response was “you could do it.” I was an art major in college and did have experience, but like most mothers, wanted to give my child the best and didn’t feel confident that that was me.  Read more>>

Deanna Outsen

The Spirit Goat’s store-front is the perfect one-stop shop for those looking for natural skin care, gifts for anyone, custom-made products and everything in between. They have created a strong online presence, shipping everywhere in the United States with loyal customers from all over the country. Since 2021, The Spirit Goat has been nominated and voted Best Boutique Shop in Best of Northern Utah. Throughout the years, they have added on a few more categories! They have been voted Best Health & Wellness Products along with Best Place to Buy a Gift. They truly value each and every customer and wouldn’t be where they are today without their support! Read more>>

Fernando

We blew an engine in the truck we used to tow our trailer, missed all the key event signups because we started late in the season, and faced some tough questions about whether we were really cut out for this. There were moments we seriously wondered if we made the right choice. BUT, through these challenges we learned that the right time to start is NOW and there is no such thing as perfect timing. Read more>>

Hans Hansen

Post-formation, it’s been a challenge trying to tie down an exact sound: we rotated 4th members that we couldn’t get to gel, we agonized over naming the band, and lining up our collective goals was a learning process. We self-produced and released 4 singles and collaborated with some other artists, but we wanted to try to make something special. Read more>>

Sean Kuttner

They quickly noticed a gap in care—while the area had strong orthopedic rehabilitation options, there were few resources dedicated to people living with neurological conditions such as stroke, acquired brain injury, or spinal cord injury. Rather than remain limited by insurance-based clinical models, they decided to repurpose the functional movement gym they had purchased during the 2020 shutdown into a space where people could continue to improve their health and wellness beyond what traditional therapy covered. Read more>>

Brandy Tafoya

This experience led me back to Home Care and Hospice Care, allowing me to be more present for my children. In 2016, while my spouse and I were home with the flu, binge-watching medical shows, my spouse offered me his GI Bill to return to school to become a provider. I applied to and was accepted at Frontier Nursing University, the second-ranked school in the nation for Nurse Practitioners. I began my studies in 2017, earned my Master’s degree and Board certification in 2020, and subsequently opened my own clinic in Clinton, Utah. While managing my clinic, I pursued my ultimate academic goal of obtaining a Doctorate degree as a Nurse Practitioner. Read more>>

Madeline Belaustegui

Few small businesses will tell you they have a smooth road starting out! With limited resources, a global pandemic, and a wildfire of online misinformation, it was hard to convince people that meeting with a Registered Dietitian was the most clear-cut way to improve their health holistically. We don’t preach any fool-proof diet, magic pill or superfood. We aim to teach people the science behind their individualistic needs and give them the tools they need to make sound nutrition choices for themselves. We don’t want people to think good nutrition is expensive or complicated. It incorporates the foods from their culture and the foods they love so they can have a meaningful life as well as a healthy body. Read more>>

Kimberlin Chipman

I eventually got licensed as a nail tech and have loved every second of it. There is something about connecting with people and making them feel beautiful and confident that I love. A few years after getting my license I decided to start teaching as well. I now have had over 30 students who I have taught and helped license and it has been a dream to, again, connect with these people and build relationships over what may seem like something trivial, but to me is so much more. Read more>>

Autumn Bear

I did some extensive travel when I had just graduated from my undergraduate degree and unfortunately I had gotten quite sick. When I cam home a family friend had recommended that I try acupuncture (this was in the 90’s just as acupuncture was being legalized in the US). I absolutely fell in love with it!! I became a patient for 10 years and when I was making some decisions about graduate school I decided that I wanted to explore Chinese medicine as an option. I went to an open house for a small school in the heart of New York City run by an 88th generation Taoist priest and practitioner. It was like the skies parted. I applied immediately, was in school a few months later and never looked back. That was 20 years ago. Read more>>

Trish Painter

I feel that in these divisive, troubled times, putting my energy into activities that bring people together to participate in activities that form common bonds is what I can do for my community and peace of mind. Creating Art and making Music bring people together. Our winter trails venue provides an escape from day to day chaos, and lifts the spirit in the beautiful nature of winter. My former work life gave me the skills of grant writing and the ability to initiate projects and keep them going, all which have been successfully transferred to fun endeavors in my retirement. Read more>>

Kaci VanderHoek

Starting my business was easy an easy decision. Most of the time it felt like smooth sailing but then as I raised my prices or moved to a new state it felt like starting all over again. It was especially hard during the uncertainty of 2020, but that led me to finding joy in elopements and small weddings until big celebrations could make a comeback. I always knew that if I just kept going, I would outlast many photographers who give up in the first 3-5 years. I’m glad I stuck with it! Read more>>

Julia Rae

The funny thing about running is that you have to be able to run. I just got out, but my knees hurt to run and fell down all the time, my knees would just go out from under me. So after seeing the doctor at 15 he diagnosed me with some long word and told me I would be in a wheelchair at 40. Read more>>

Juan Brito

My Name is Juan Brito. I am a 21-year-old Puerto Rican, artist developing my music in Utah. I go as “Juanton” on my music and all my socials. I started freestyling and doing my version of Spanish songs when I was 14 years old, inspired by my older brother, that used to freestyle when he was that age too. After a year into freestyling my brother brought me an idea for a song and the people to make it happen so I went with it. By that same time, I went through heartbreak and casually the song Idea was about moving on from a relationship so I was really inspired at that moment. After that, I became a solo artist. having released around 12 singles now trying to solidify my movement XLAFAMXLOSMIOS thru music in the Latin Urban industry. Read more>>

Lydia Martinez

I always had a knack for storytelling—not the kind you find in textbooks, but the kind that builds communities, sparks ideas, and makes people feel like they belong. Early in my career, she honed that talent in the world of food, hospitality, and brand building, helping companies craft experiences that truly resonated. Read more>>

Rhonda Lauritzen

One nail-biting moment came not long after starting my business, a buyer serendipitously bought our historic home without it being on the market. It was the right time for our family to move, and we had amassed plenty of sweat equity, so we had a nice down payment toward another home. But then, my biggest client had to suddenly stop our project after losing money to a terrible Ponzi scheme. It threw our plans into turmoil. One of the worst days of my life was telling my family we wouldn’t qualify for another home loan, all because I had followed my passion. Read more>>