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.

Jared Myers

For 25 years, I worked in landscaping. Hard, physical work. But I liked it. Eventually, I started my own landscaping business. Lots of advantages: Better pay, more flexibility, more control. And, if you can believe, *more leads than I could handle.* Things were great. Then, everything changed. I got injured. 2 bulging disks, a fissure in my spine, and a torn rotator cuff. Read more>>

Tawna Fowler

I received my Master’s in Public Administration from BYU, with an emphasis in nonprofit management and international development. I’ve always been interested in both international and domestic humanitarian work, and have spent much of my life volunteering with or working for different nonprofits. I first heard about Rising Star Outreach through a friend who was working there at the time, and I was immediately intrigued. Read more>>

Teya Ridenour

I have always had love for the beauty industry since a child and making people feel confident, happy, and expressive through personal image. I also am a big advocate for mental health, as I have struggled myself. I transform individuals not only physically, but mentally, too. Clients leave my salon room feeling not only beautiful, but satisfied internally. Read more>>

Estefania Galvan

The dream started with Chef Leo, who was cooking at restaurants at the age of 16. He had worked in all types of areas in the food industry, from food plants, distributing, serving, to cooking. After 30 years of cooking in numerous restaurants around the country, he had mastered American, Mexican, and Japanese cuisine. Read more>>

Berenice Martinez

I started my journey with makeup very unexpectedly. I was working as a receptionist at 21 years old when I began watching makeup tutorials because I simply wanted to learn how to do eyeliner on myself. From that moment, I completely fell in love with makeup and beauty. What started as curiosity quickly became a passion. Read more>>

Sharee Carlisle

In 2020 I experienced a miscarriage around the time that we moved and the world shut down within 2 weeks. It was a difficult time in my life and I was seeking emotional support. My parents recommended a practitioner who used an Emotion Code type of modality called The Healer’s Blueprint, by Tam Pendleton. Read more>>

Kody Jacobs

Hey there I am Kody Jacobs, My Cowboy Hat story started super young, I have always wore Cowboy hats. My family has always been in the western world, ranching and competing in rodeo events. My love for Hats and the process of them started when I was 12 or 13, my sisters were doing Rodeo Queen contests and needed their Hats shaped very pristine. Read more>>

Laney Tolman

In 2017, I reconnected with someone from my childhood town in Brazil who was working at a school in a rural community. Through our conversations, I learned about the difficult conditions many families were facing and that many children were unable to attend school due to poverty and lack of basic resources. Read more>>

Samantha Cutler

HI! I’m Samantha, but I most often go by Sami. I’ve lived in Utah my whole life, surrounded by many loving friends and family. My story is still unfolding, but so far, the parts I love most are my relationships, my job, and the creative adventures I find myself on every day. I work as a piano teacher and take cello lessons. Read more>>

Jerren Staker

I worked for another locksmith for a few years until I felt ready to start out on my own. I started with just me in a van out in Eagle Mountain. Within a few years the business had grown enough we were ready to open a shop. We moved the business to Pleasant Grove and currently have 3 vans on the road. Read more>>

Mary DeBoer

Salty Gold Supply Co. was founded by a brother-and-sister team with deep roots in ice sports and a heart for building community. Matt and Mary grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, skating with the West Michigan Speedskating Club, where they learned the value of hard work, family, and the people who show up along the way. Ice sports have shaped our family for generations. Read more>>

Amanda Kae Gillen

My journey into this work began through one of the most transformative experiences of my life — walking alongside my husband through his health journey and chronic illness. During that season, I found myself searching for answers beyond what we traditionally understood about healing. Read more>>

Eileen Mullane

RE-Park City has been open for nearly one year. The concept began with a conversation between Jennifer Redington and myself. Jennifer has always been interested in fashion. After retiring from a corporate career she wanted to explore the idea opening a women’s clothing consignment shop. I had recently sold my furniture consignment store (Right At Home). Read more>>

Tera Grasser

I knew I wanted to be an artist by the time I was ten. The turning point was seeing a teenage friend’s oil painting of a woman dancing—a whirlwind of vibrant reds, oranges, and long, flowing hair. Read more>>

Matthew Baron

My name is Matthew Baron. My business is Wholesale Nuts And Dried Fruit (https://wholesalenutsanddriedfruit.com/). My business started close to 10 years ago. Selling nuts and dried fruit from the Port of Newark, NJ area. Newark is the largest food port in the world. Selling first on the website. Then branching out into Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, and Temu. Read more>>

Tracey

I was born a natural psychic. I had clairvoyant abilities since I was abut 5 years old. I would pass on messages for those who had passed on. Read more>>

Vanessa Clavijo

For a long time, volunteering was something very personal to me, usually something I did on my own. I started volunteering when I was around 11 years old in animal shelters and assisted living homes, and over the years that passion to be involved in helping others never left me, it only grew. Read more>>

Chloe Chinchilla

CWAC’s roots date back fifteen years, when it emerged as an animal-assisted therapy program under Friends of Animals Utah. Post-OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom)/OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom), many veterans were returning home with not only physical disabilities, but mental health concerns as well. Read more>>

David Aldrich

The dream of Kodiak Counseling started after I got my first job in Vernal back in 2019 with Uintah School District. I saw the need for Social Workers and the impact they had in different areas inside and outside of schools. One of my first mentors offered me a position as a School Social Worker and that led to more opportunities while completing my schooling. Read more>>

Brianna Green

My life is nothing like I thought it would be growing up, nor anything like I was told it would be, and I am so happy with how it’s turning out! My childhood dream was to be a doctor, and culturally I was taught that my role was to be a wife and mom in adulthood. It didn’t happen like that. Read more>>

Samantha McCoy

I’ve been an esthetician for 10+ years, and a medium for 3+. I combined both of my passions into one business this year. Being an esthetician has allowed me to move across the country, meet interesting people, and explore the US in a unique way. Meeting women in such an intimate setting has really allowed me to see the world through others’ eyes. Read more>>

Joanna Kahn

Growing up in Vermont, I was influenced significantly by the perspective of my parents. They were both teachers, with a love for community, adventure, and travel. A persistent message was to find your joy and give it back to those around you. Even as a kid, I knew I wanted to help people. That thread never wavered. Read more>>

Melanie Webb

I’ve always had one foot in the fitness studio–and the other in the outdoors. My path to creating WebbWell and meeting injured or recovering power players and business people where they’re at started long before I entered the professional world. Read more>>