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.

Bret Gash

Music and radio have honestly been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I used to make cassette tapes and pretend I was running my own radio station. I called it WBFG. Read more>>

Mary Ann Jensen

I’ve always loved stories. When I was a kid, I would enter writing contests, but I often struggled with the word limits because I always had so much more I wanted to say. Eventually, I decided to write my own book so I could tell the entire story the way I wanted to. Read more>>

SHAMUS HAWS

The Running U brand itself has been in the family for more than 150 years. Shamus & Jolyn Haws, now ranch owner, have been running the day-to-day operations on the ranch for the past 30 years, as well as conducting both public and private Colt Starting, Horsemanship, and Cow Working clinics throughout the country. Read more>>

Abby Buchmiller

I’m the youngest of seven kids. We moved a lot and didnt have much. My parents were kind and loving and worked constantly. I come from a long line of coal miners and tradesmen, so the trades have been part of my life from the very beginning. Two months into my junior year of high school, I got kicked out. Read more>>

Daniel Salazar

My story is a little unconventional, but I think that’s one of the things that has shaped me professionally. I’ve always been interested in people, languages, and different cultures. I’ve lived and worked in South Korea, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and the United States, and along the way I became fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean. I’m also currently learning Mandarin and Tagalog. Read more>>

David Evanoff

I was a music student at the University of Utah in the 80’s. Studying music but graduated in film production. I got a gig playing music at Disneyland, which introduced me to the music production side of the entertainment industry. Read more>>

Ash Hanson

I grew up in the rural Northwoods of Minnesota in a big, loud, creative family where making your own fun was pretty much a necessity. I didn’t grow up imagining that I would run a nonprofit or speak at conferences about rural arts, civic life, and philanthropy. I was a theater kid. Read more>>

Alejandra Lara

I grew up on a family ranch in southern Chile, surrounded by horses, animals, mountains, and a culture in which the natural world was simply part of everyday life. Long before I had language for concepts like attunement or relationality, I was fascinated by the relationships I saw around me. Read more>>

Kevin A Cannon

My journey began at age five, when I first discovered my love for music. By six, I was so determined to play that I spent months begging my parents for a guitar. When they finally gave in, it sparked a lifelong passion that has defined my path. Read more>>

Myndy Jean

One of my first memories as a child is walking around in the yard and singing to the trees. I loved to sing and connect with nature and the natural world. I was literally obsessed with music…Michael Jackson, Queen, Chicago, Huey Lewis and the News, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey…all the DIVAS! Read more>>

Brandi Nielsen

I feel like a lot of people grow up with a pretty good sense of what they want to be, but that was never me. As a kid, I was constantly reinventing myself—teacher, lawyer, artist, dancer, therapist, inventor. My favorite games, though, usually involved being some kind of merchant. Read more>>

Nick Eldredge

I’ve always had the love for cars/music/basketball and when I picked up the camera for the first time years and years ago I never thought just a piece of metal and plastic could take me so far and meet some really cool people! My biggest love is most definitely basketball being around a bunch of crazy athletes seeing what they’re capable of! Read more>>

Casey Kuckert

My entrepreneurial journey began when I started my first business as a broke single mom. I didn’t have a perfect plan or endless resources, I simply knew I wanted to create a better life for my family. Through determination, resilience and a willingness to learn as I went, I continued building businesses and eventually became an insurance agency owner in Wyoming. Read more>>

Mindy Tueller

While my story begins long before I was born, for purposes of this article, I’ll begin with my breakdown. My father died somewhat unexpectedly in 2018. About 6 months later, as I was going through his things, a lifetime of anger, blame, hurt and sadness cracked me wide open, and I had a panic attack that lasted that whole night. Read more>>