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.

Hollie Vandenberg

From a young age, I remember being creative, crafty, and full of imagination. Read more>>

Ana Yslas

My name is Ana Yslas. I was born and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela. After graduating from dental school and becoming a dentist, I decided in 2004 to come to the United States to learn English. I enrolled in the ESL (English as a Second Language) program at BYU–Provo and completed two semesters there. Read more>>

Brian Lindley

I am a self-taught airbrush artist based in Salt Lake City with over 20 years of experience. My journey as an artist began at a young age, but it was when I discovered the airbrush that I truly found my medium. Early in my career, I began working with local motorcycle shops, including Coonyz Customz, where both my skills and reputation steadily grew. Read more>>

Audra Kujaczynski

I was working in a completely different industry when my life changed in an instant. My daughter and I were involved in a very serious ATV accident and were both life-flighted to the hospital. I wasn’t wearing a helmet, and as a result, I sustained a traumatic brain injury along with Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES). Read more>>

George Outlaw Music

Inspired by the unique scenery of the cliffs around Moab and especially Castle Rock we had several musician friends stop by and inspired by the scenery and vibes the composed new and exciting works. Read more>>

Grace Wathen

I never set out to be an acupuncturist—it’s a path that unfolded naturally. I was always drawn to healing and fascinated by the way the body finds balance when given the right support. That curiosity began in my granny’s kitchen. She believed deeply in the quiet medicine of plants—a warm cup of peppermint for digestion, chamomile for rest, something steeped slowly and offered with care. Read more>>

Linda Black

I started my nutrition/exercise exploration early on in life… I can remember in the 7th grade wanting to eat so that I had more energy for gymnastics. My gym teacher was slim and fit, unlike many of my past physical education teachers. How was she in her 30’s and still able to do everything that we as kids could do? Read more>>

Jed Thorpe

I’m kinda weird about the whole ‘what’s your story’ angle because I think everyone has a formative and impressive story…plus therapists are typically better at listening to other people than going on about themselves. But in the interest of doing uncomfortable things; here goes. My biological father died in a motorcycle accident when I was three. Read more>>

Mandy Ji

I became CEO of Doba about seven years ago, stepping into a company that was already a pioneer in dropshipping since its founding in 2002. Coming from a background in e-commerce operations and global sourcing, I saw the huge potential, but also the misconceptions, that were holding so many people back. Read more>>

Dave Panarelli

I started my martial arts journey in 1991. I was 24 years old. I earned my 1st degree black belt in three years at an accelerated rate because I was attending classes 5 days a week. I dove in and loved every minute of it. My style is Hen San Ryu. Later on I became the senior instructor at the school. Read more>>

Reno Reno

Oh man that’s a very long story, the readers digest version I tell people that I’ll probably never talk to again is that I woke up here. Truth is that I moved her 6 years ago with one goal and that was just to be a tattooer. I accomplished that and am still earning the title every time I set up my station. Read more>>

Rob Ence

Grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah in a family seven children. Involved in a variety of sports and musical activities through the 1960s and graduated from Skyline HS. Lived in northern Italy for two years as a religion-based volunteer. Enrolled at the University of Utah where I earned a BA in Psychology (‘78) and later an MBA in international business (‘91”. Read more>>

Kevin Stout

Multi-instrumentalist Kevin Stout born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Black Friday, the youngest of six siblings. He began playing and singing at an early age, and by the time he was 8, he was studying the accordion. By age 14, he was already playing multiple instruments as well as composing and arranging. Read more>>

Kerby Barker

My entrepreneurial journey truly took off in 2018 with a leap of faith: a video game truck, a trailer, and a stack of zero-interest credit cards. My background was actually in zoology, and I had previously tried a couple of times to build a business around my love for animals. Read more>>

Gena Bertelsen

13 lucky years ago I was crowned the Queen of the Orem Senior Friendship Center. At that time we had an average of 99 patrons per day coming through our doors. Fast forward to today and we average 400 people a day stopping by for learning or exercise opportunities, fun events and our wonderful homemade meals. Read more>>

Bryan Beach

I spent the 80s as a child drawing in front of the TV and in the 90s, I moved on to jr high and comic books. I learned to paint in high school and entered several art shows. Read more>>

Joe Bott

I had been living abroad from 2017-2020 and had just moved to Indonesia right as COVID was building. I found myself moving home last minute to not be stuck abroad during a global pandemic. Read more>>

Andrea Moore

I studied Family and Human Development along with Marriage and Family Therapy at Utah Stae University. During that time, I was assigned a practicum at The Children’s Center in Salt Lake City. It was during this time, of undergraduate studies, that I fell in love with helping children and their big emotions. Read more>>

Aubrey Baldwin

I moved to Boston in 2012 chasing a boy. While living there, I decided to finish my bachelor’s degree and in the meantime worked as a body waxer which I both excelled at and enjoyed. The relationship and my time ended in Boston and I moved to Park City in 2018 for a job producing live Broadway-style shows. Read more>>

Tiffany Frazier

My husband has worked in commercial construction and real estate for nearly 30 years — renting space is what we do. In 2018, we watched a large barn in Alpine be transformed into a wedding venue, and our daughters were completely captivated. They would ask us to pull over just to watch the bride and groom exit during their send-off. Read more>>

Jerika Mattson

In January of 2025 I was looking for craft ideas to make my friends some birthday gifts when I came across a photo of a hand embroidered tea towel. I had done some embroidery as a kid, but hadn’t done it for some time. I immediately fell back in love with it! Read more>>

Michael & Diana Saunders

After 40 plus years in the automotive industry, we decided to move to Southern Utah permanently and look for a business that we could maintain while enjoying semi retirement. Diana used Aveda in Florida for many years so she was familiar with and loved the products and thought it would be a lucrative and fun endeavor. Read more>>

Dan Farr

Before I started FanX Salt Lake, I spent over a decade in the tech industry and co-founded DAZ3D (DAZ) in the early 2000s. We were able to accomplish amazing things, like the digital tool DAZ Studio and the Genesis Platform. My time in the tech industry was filled with many amazing memories, milestones, and achievements. Read more>>

Heidi Cowan

The founder of Rise Up School of Dance, Alyssa Bertelsen Ruesch, won free ballet lessons at the age of 9. Her family could not afford for her to take ballet classes so she would not have been able to dance without these free classes. Read more>>

Leanna Hunt

This is a big question, my life has had many stages with so much to learn along the way and it might help make more sense if I go from now to then. I am currently waiting for my first book to be released. It is titled: Becoming a NeuroHeir (TM after NeuroHeir): Releasing What Was Never Yours To Carry. Read more>>

Christine Lac

As the CEO and a Consultant at HRIST, I specialize in optimizing the human element of business. I provide expert guidance on performance management and employment relations, ensuring that every professional connection within your organization is productive and compliant. Read more>>

Dyana DelRio

Coming back into this position, I now have former members returning with their younger siblings recognizing me, and it’s incredibly special to witness and hear their stories of how Club made a big impact on their futures today. The Club’s mission means so much to me. My heart is forever in it. Read more>>

McRae Van Noy

Growing up, I always thought I was meant to be a nurse. I took all the medical classes, graduated from nursing school, and spent six years working in the medical field. It wasn’t until I had my fourth boy that something shifted. I realized how deeply I craved creating art — how alive I felt surrounded by flowers and beauty. Read more>>