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.

Alona Harper

After being born into a huge family (12 kids) in Moab Ut to moving to My mother’s hometown in South Carolina, (hence my accent) where I was raised after my father died in a work accident. My mother raised us on her own and held our family together with love and a strong faith. Read more>>

Philip Wintch

Yeah I started Hilltop Counseling in 2019 because I believed that when people give their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs the power of speech they are able to find out what the truth of their life is. That truth then sets them free to decide their fate. Read more>>

Nicole Cook

Photography started as something I loved long before it became my career. I’ve always been drawn to photography and what it can create. I love looking back through old photos and reliving the emotion, the laughter, the quiet in-between glances, and the little details people don’t always notice in the moment but treasure later. Read more>>

Amanda Storrs

Cars have been part of my world for as long as I can remember. My dad spent years selling cars in dealerships, and as a kid I would wander the showrooms, climb into the driver’s seats, and daydream about the stories those cars would live. I didn’t know it then, but those early memories planted the seed for the path I would eventually take. Read more>>

Kristy Smith

I, Kristy Smith, love Pilates because it supports control, stability, and strength at any age. I first discovered Pilates many years ago while working as a federal law enforcement officer. It complemented the traditional push-up, pull-up, and sprint training required for my job and helped balance the intensity of that work. Read more>>

Trevor Rose

Our story is multi-generational. We are fifth generation dairy farmers in Morgan, Utah. Our roots are deep in the community and in the land we farm. In the 1920’s our great grandpa began selling the milk from his cows for commercial use. That carried on once my grandpa took over the operation, and when my father took over as well. Read more>>

Amy Howton

I’ve always enjoyed movement. As a young child I insisted on ballet lessons. My mom says I was still toilet training at the time and that ballerinas didn’t wear diapers; apparently that’s what it took to get me out of diapers and into ballet class. I was hooked from that point and danced throughout my teen years and into college. Read more>>

Garrett & Tamera Samuelson

We moved to Alpine 2.5 years ago and about 1 year after we had moved in to our new place we started to notice that there wasn’t anything to do for little kids on the East Side of the Freeway. Anyone that was from Alpine or Cedar Hills needed to travel 20-30min to get to a kids playground during the very hot or cold months. Read more>>

Oscar Moreno

I (Bruce Sessions) retired from dentistry, after 31 years, in 2018. After a few months I decided to start a new business. After considering multiple options, I decided to start a fleet services business. We started the business in the spring of 2020 just as Covid-19 was starting. Read more>>

Melissa Payne

My story didn’t start from a “pretty” place, but I’m grateful it eventually led me somewhere beautiful. As a young girl and teenager, I was relentlessly bullied. Home life was often difficult, and school wasn’t much easier. For a long time, I believed that if I could just learn how to be “pretty,” maybe the bullying would stop. Read more>>

Kim Clegg

Photography found me twice. The first time was in middle school, when a teacher recognized something in my eye and pushed me to take it seriously. I never forgot that feeling — but like a lot of things we love, life got in the way. The second time was a date night with my husband. Read more>>

Makayla Peterson

I was a full time pediatric dental assistant when I went to Esthetician school, I would work 8am-4:15pm and go to school 4:30pm-10pm every night. I loved being a pediatric dental assistant but knew I wanted something with more flexibility, and to work for myself was my main goal! Read more>>

Sloan Risolio

Sit. Stay. Sloan. was created from two perspectives that deeply shape how I view pet care: being both a dedicated dog mom and someone who has spent nearly a decade working in the pet care industry. Through my professional experience, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with animals and see firsthand how complex and individualized their care can be. Read more>>

Pat Brehl

My path into social work wasn’t a straight line. Looking back, there have been many junctures in my life where I benefited from the right guide at the right time. Sometimes those guides were teachers/professional/fellow travelers and sometimes they were obstacles that blocked a path I thought I needed to take. Entering the field of social work was the latter. Read more>>

Anastasia Anderson

When I had my first baby I asked for a camera for my birthday. I wanted to ‘take better pictures’ of him as I got to watch him grow up throughout the years. Something shifted in me when I started to notice we *all* have a story! Hi I’m Anastasia and here’s part of my journey and why photography means so much to me! Read more>>

Kylee Alejandre

I founded Doulas of Utah (Utah Valley Douas at that time) in 2021 after becoming deeply passionate about improving the birth and postpartum experience for families. Like many doulas, my journey began through my own experiences with pregnancy and birth. After my first birth, I realized how much difference education, preparation, and support can make during that time. Read more>>

Madison Katsilas

My story started with a leap of faith. I didn’t know exactly what the next step would look like or where it would lead me. I had been an athlete and fitness lover most of my life, but something kept pulling me toward bodybuilding. So I decided to bet on myself and step on stage for the first time in April of 2023. Read more>>

Laurie Divino

What now seems like ancient history I graduated from the U of U with a B.S in exercise physiology. I enjoyed a career in Seattle working at the W.A.C and also with Seahawks, Mariners and Sonic. (Yes, it has been a hot minute). One of my favorite things about that time was being a coach for the Seattle Kids marathon. Read more>>

Jeanette Dayley

I am the daughter of a natural childbirth instructor and the big sister to two homebirthed siblings. Growing up, I knew that birth was one of the most momentous things that could happen in life and I was excited to be able to start my own family when I was older. Read more>>

Dianne Singleton

I left upstate New York to come to Utah for school in 1982. I married in 1987, and like everyone else, I’ve faced my share of challenges in life. The first major one came when I was nine months pregnant with my first child while my mom back home was dying. No airline would let me fly that late in pregnancy. Read more>>

Ariel Elias

It seems an impossible task to pinpoint exactly what makes me interesting, I am interested in many things and fascinated by life in general. Born and raised in the sunshine of Southern California, at the ripe age of 21 in 2012 I was an almost graduate of CSUN with a major in ecology and evolutionary biology. Read more>>

Shawnee Boswell

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and a passion for working with people and building businesses that serve the community. Earlier in my journey, I owned Mom’s Café, which gave me my first real experience running a restaurant and connecting with customers on a daily basis. Read more>>

Haileigh Mason

Ever since I was a junior in high school I knew I wanted to make a difference in healthcare. I originally started my journey in 2008 as a medical assistant in an office that specialized in pain management. I was working with the provider there and we soon found out the importance of hormone replacement therapy in our pain patients. Read more>>

Ryann Westrop

Dance has been so many things for me in my life: a friend, a therapist, a motivator, a cheerleader, and a storyteller. I love being able to teach young dancers the art of expression, correct and safe technique, as well as healthy mental and emotional habits. Read more>>

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>>