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.

gabriel morin

I began cooking in Maine as a summer job when I turned 14. I have always enjoyed creating food. In my 30’s I would ski all day and cook all night up at alta.. It was a perfect fit for me. In 2009 I started working in Park City where i learned the business end of cooking, labor costs, food costs and such. Read more>>

Tommaso Lenzi

I grew up in Florence, Italy, and I wanted to be an engineer since before I could even remember. I spent my childhood taking things apart and trying to put them back together, and I basically kept doing so up until I earned my PhD in biorobotics from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. Read more>>

Matt Winn

As an active kid and former collegiate athlete, I always knew I wanted a career where I could stay active and help others stay active too. While working on my undergraduate degree (BYU), I began exploring careers in healthcare. I became a Certified Nurse Assistant and worked in the hospital setting, which provided extensive training and understanding of modern medicine and our healthcare system. Read more>>

Steve Baum

Like a lot of good stories, mine didn’t start with a perfectly mapped-out plan—it started with curiosity, a bit of grit, and a willingness to keep moving forward. I was the first in my family to graduate from college, which meant there wasn’t really a blueprint to follow. But early on, I discovered something that changed everything—I genuinely loved learning. Science, in particular, just clicked. Read more>>

Rachel Posner

My path, post-undergrad, began in social services, which fairly quickly led to a master’s degree in counseling. From there, I became interested in somatics and the essential role the body plays in the therapeutic process. Read more>>

Ryan Tollstrup

My name is Ryan Tollstrup. I currently live in Sandy UT. My Journey has been a long one, and in many ways is not over. 6 yrs ago I was diagnosed with cptsd. Complex post traumatic stress disorder. Which comes not from the military as many assume, but from my childhood. I am a male sexual abuse survivor. There is a lot to this. Read more>>

Vanessa Ballam

The 2nd oldest of six children, I lived in NYC as a young child and traveled the country with my family while my father performed as an operatic tenor. We moved back to Logan when I was in elementary school when my father accepted a professorship at Utah State University. Read more>>

Matthew Lefler

I grew up on the East Coast and spent much of my life around the waters of Washington, DC, Maryland, and the Delaware beaches. Oysters were always part of the culture there. I had my first one at a Baltimore Ravens tailgate and was instantly hooked. Read more>>

Isaac Frazier

The story of SUPERKO: ‘Hello! Welcome to SUPERKO. My name is Isaac. What’s your name?’ is what you will hear when you walk into my store– SUPERKO! I love art, games, and most of all, I enjoy meeting new people every day. This is the story of how art, games, and community created a perfect storm that would change my life forever. Read more>>

Torrie Bunner

The journey of Spiral Quest comes from the idea that our lives are a series of cycles. We keep coming into contact with similar situations, and we either continue the cycle or break it and ascend the spiral created as a result. The original logo for my business was created long before I ever knew what I’d eventually do with it. Read more>>

Rochelle Johannessen

I was introduced to my craft organically, through friendship. A dear friend of mine would invite me to model for her, and somewhere in those moments, I felt something shift. What started as stepping in front of the camera slowly turned into a desire to be behind it. Read more>>

Danielle Layton

All my life, I have known that I wanted to be a mother. That dream was challenged when my husband and I faced years of unexplained infertility. After five difficult years, we pursued IVF. Our first cycle ended in miscarriage, a loss that was both heartbreaking and defining. Read more>>

Nate Mekhaeil

I started the ice cream trailer because I wanted to try something on my own and see if I could actually make it work. I didn’t really have a full plan; I was working at UPS, helping on the farm, and just decided to go for it. At the beginning, I was kind of figuring everything out on the fly. Read more>>

melissa fischer

One of the pivotal moments in my life was going through an unexpected divorce. I hadn’t worked for several years while I was raising three young children and my husband at the time was travel over 200 days a year for work. My resume up until this point was actress, free diver, and spear fisher… Read more>>

Carissa Devenport

I’m the founder of Pinyon + Star Wellness, a Reiki and energy healing practice based in Salt Lake City. My path here hasn’t been linear. I’ve spent the past decade co-owning a pizzeria in Park City with my husband, where we’ve created a space that people feel nourished and cared for. Alongside the hospitality industry, I’ve always felt a deeper pull towards healing work. Read more>>

Kay Tanner

I will attach a document that tells my story in the email. This document tells the story from the very beginning and adds the details that might be interesting. Read more>>

Ricki Chambers

We were looking for a business that could create residual income for us and Daylight became available when the last owner was ready to sell the business. It seemed like the perfect fit! What we didn’t know, in our naive knowledge of opening a donut shop, is how labor intensive donuts are!  Read more>>

Cassidy DuHadway

My business has expanded and currently has 7 locations – Heber City, Murray, Bountiful, Farmington, S. Ogden, Lehi and St. George ________ MY Story I didn’t start out wanting to build a group practice or train therapists. My story really began working with teenagers as a teacher, teaching math and music. Read more>>

Kevin Wellard

Born in Tampa, Florida, my story unfolds through the lens of a military upbringing — a journey across diverse corners of the globe. I was blessed with a Department of Defense (DoD) education. Many of my high school teachers were highly educated, on sabbatical, and teaching at Hahn Air Base in West Germany to experience something new. Read more>>