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.

Chandler Larsen

Six years ago, I was really lost. My family had just moved across the country and we didn’t know anyone. I had been a makeup artist for years and starting over with my clients was overwhelming on top of being freshly postpartum and breaking away from my religious upbringing. I felt like I had no idea who I was or what I wanted anymore. Read more>>

Alissa Kepas

I saw my first yoga pose in person my senior year of high school while on a field trip to the Spanish Fork Krishna temple. This was in the early 2000’s before social media, the internet, and yoga scene boomed and to be quite honest I was amazed. After seeing this posture, tittibhasana, in person I knew I wanted to learn yoga postures. Read more>>

Patrick Dimoh

Hi! When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I only knew possibilities to be what I saw and experienced within my neighborhood. Things like a lack of resources, a small, low-income apartment, and a harsh environment limited my understanding. Of the world. Of Life. Read more>>

Erin W. Berrett

Art has always been my language — it’s simply how I’m wired. But the path from a kid who loved to draw to a working painter was shaped by a few pivotal forces. Teachers mattered enormously. Read more>>

Randi Carter

My name is Randi Carter, and I am the owner of Hustle Dance Events. Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I began training at the age of three in local dance studios and continued my dance journey through high school on the drill team and later as a member of the University of Utah Dance Team. Read more>>

Alec McCullough

Flooring has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My family has been in the flooring business for four generations. My great-uncle started the original flooring company in Dallas more than 80 years ago. My dad got into the business as a teenager and spent the next 50 years building flooring companies across Texas, Alaska, and Salt Lake City. Read more>>

Tiera Kunz

My path to where I am today has been anything but linear. For many years, I worked in the corporate world while quietly carrying a deep knowing that I was meant to do something more meaningful and heart-centered. I spent a long time following the path I thought I was supposed to follow, even when parts of me felt disconnected, burned out, and unfulfilled. Read more>>

Robyn Cage

Robyn Cage is a multifaceted artist whose powerful vocals have commanded stages nationwide — from soloing with the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall to Austin City Limits and the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater. Born Robyn Kemp in Salt Lake City, Robyn’s musical interests surfaced at an early age. Read more>>

Cole Sandvik

I’ve always been a storyteller. Even as a kid, I spent more time observing than talking, sitting back and thinking about the way the world is, the way it was, and the way it could be. My imagination was always bigger than my surroundings. I was born in Orem, Utah, and grew up in a complicated family situation. Read more>>

Junior Cruz

I didn’t take music seriously till i was about 15-16 years old but have been writing since i was like 9 or at least attempted, i knew it was something i was good at the more that i did it so i pursued it and gave it my all, countless nights and days in the studio, closet studio, bathroom studio, kitchen studio, i’ve been everywhere. Read more>>

Diego Alvarado

I arrived in the United States from Venezuela in 2018, and the past eight years have been a journey of growth, adaptation, and discovery. Back home, I was studying journalism, but due to the situation in Venezuela, my family and I had to leave and start over in a new country. Read more>>

Dr. Calvin Norton

I’ve started as a gospel promoter with Blockbuster Showdown Gold Cup Awards which was in existent since 1983. Subsequently, after years of promoting to ten thousand participants I then started my own recorded label. We have Grammy Awards Nominee, Stellar Award Winning, and Dove Awards Winning artists we promote on radio, DSPS, and Digital Media Marketing. Read more>>

Moronie Fall

You know photography has always been a passion of mine, I took classes in high school and my photography teacher even encouraged me to do photo journalism. I am from the Caribbean and you didn’t go to college to study photography, that wasn’t a big girl job to my parents. They wanted me to be a lawyer, an architect, engineer, doctor. Read more>>

Ryan Marthaller

I’ve always been drawn to creative storytelling, whether through acting, music, or photography. I started pursuing acting at a young age and worked my way into theater, film, and television, taking every opportunity I could to learn and grow. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to appear in projects including Dead 7, Brown, For the Night, and Seasons 1 and 2 of 1923. Read more>>

Sasha Taylor

I am originally from Pennsylvania and knew as I went through college majoring in Nutritional Sciences and Kinesiology, I wanted to become a physician that focused on the whole person and used nutrition, lifestyle, and more to treat people rather than just medications. I went to medical school in Tempe, Arizona to become a Naturopathic Doctor. Read more>>

VERONICA XOLALPA HINDS

My story doesn’t begin in a boardroom. It begins at a swap meet in Los Angeles, selling clothes every weekend, learning the hustle from the ground up. I immigrated from Mexico to the United States in 1998 at 22 years old. I didn’t wait for an opportunity — I created one. Read more>>

Cesar Rocha

La Bodeguita Latina was born from nostalgia and a dream. When we moved to Utah almost five years ago, we experienced firsthand what it felt like to miss the foods, flavors, and traditions we grew up with. We realized that many other Latino families felt the same way. We decided to take a risk and build something that would bring our community together. Read more>>

Serena Mackerell

Several years ago, my sisters organized an infertility awareness event to raise funds for the fertility treatments my husband and I needed. The event was an overwhelming success, inspiring us to establish our own foundation dedicated to increasing awareness of infertility and raising funds to provide grants to individuals and couples in our local infertility community seeking treatment. Read more>>

Levi and Julia Allred

Julia grew up playing mostly soccer as goalie. In 5th grade she hyperextended her knee and clashed with a teammate at practice that caused an injury to end the season early. During high school, seeing her friends play and also having season ending injuries, she wanted to help. Read more>>

Jova Thomaz

My journey in the beauty industry has been driven by one simple passion: helping people feel confident in their own skin. Before entering the beauty world, I spent over 13 years working in the medical field as an ophthalmic assistant. During that time, I learned the importance of caring for people, listening to their concerns, and helping them feel comfortable and supported. Read more>>

Brittney Gonzalez

My story starts like everyone’s story – I grew up, got married, had 2 kids. But my journey didn’t really start until about 10 years ago, when I started to realize that motherhood was triggering emotions for me that felt big and scary – and I didn’t know how to cope. Read more>>

Laura da Silva

Lighthouse Counseling Services began in 2013 as a solo private practice founded by Laura da Silva with the vision of creating a safe, compassionate space where individuals, of all ages, and families could find healing, hope, and connection. What started as one therapist with a passion for helping others has steadily grown into a collaborative mental health practice serving children, teens, adults, couples, and families. Read more>>