ATL’s Most Inspiring Stories

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.

Allison Pratt & Trevor Goble

Trevor Goble and Allison Pratt were both theatre kids who went to school for the arts, Trevor for Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University of Kennesaw, Georgia and Allison for Musical Theatre at Hope College of Holland, Michigan. Read More>>

Lul Bandz

I’ve been doing music for around 6 years now . Through hard times , trials and tribulations I’ve always stayed on track when it comes to pursuing my goals and putting forth my best effort in anything I do. Even with People trying to backstab me and make me fall down I’ve always gotten back up and never let a hard time humble me . I first started getting a feel for music when I kept going back to juvenile hall , after not knowing how or when I would find my purpose in life I realized im destined to help others get through trauma that I had to go through to get where I am today .  Read More>>

Mikeflo Aka Michael Flowers Aka Masud Asante

The road has been relatively smooth. Raising two children (now adults) in Atlanta (or anywhere else) has its challenges, but overall the sailing has been pretty smooth. But now that I think about it more, I’m also a 22 yr cancer survivor (sarcoma / left shoulder). It seemed so long ago and so many blessings (including that diagnosis) have been bestowed upon me since then. I’m truly grateful and thankful to be thriving today and doing what I love. Asé Read More>>

Minnie Mercury

I joined the troupe originally to stage manage their productions, and quickly began performing in their group numbers, eventually making my solo debut in 2017. I now am the Director of Production for the Candybox Revue as well as a teacher at the Atlanta School of Burlesque. I produce, perform, stage manage, choreograph, and train people in the burlesque world, and I couldn’t be prouder of where I am today. Read More>>

Monique Vaughan

While igniting her passion, Monique has decided to venture into the world of mixology and, at the same time, build and expand her brand, “The M3 Experience LLC.” originally known as Moe’s Mobile Mixology. This passion project has truly propelled me into rooms I never thought I would enter and allowed me to travel the world and learn from the Lord ‘s people about what spirit or herb is indigenous throughout their country. Read More>>

Ashley Brock

The fast-track to becoming findable is to attend the Marketing Matters Summit™ which is January 14-15, 2025 in Alpharetta, Georgia (you can get your ticket at ashleybrock.com/summit). There will be 500 female entrepreneurs LIVE in attendance. You’ll learn what you need to do to have a competitive advantage over everyone else who does what you do – because the best consultant doesn’t win, the best designer doesn’t win, the best therapist doesn’t win… THE. BEST. MARKETER. WINS. Read More>>

Tomas Flores

Never would I have thought that we would actually dominate the fence and deck business! With hard work, dedication, and the little English I knew, I brought All Pro to the company it is today. At the heart of it all is the people, working one on one and making sure all their needs are met. Today we are blessed to have these roots for they are the virtues that keep us driven and focused on improving. Read More>>

Ben Johnson

Needing something peaceful to do outside of collegiate track. Sundays I would go on hikes taking pictures of waterfalls, prairies, and overlooks. Eventually I started doing portrait sessions with friends. Read More>>

Taylor Graham

Most tattoo artists I’ve met will say they have dreamt of this since they were a kid, that is not the case for me. I kind of fell into tattooing. When I was 16 I got my first tattoo. My dad had to drive me to Alabama to get it and he had me photoshop what I wanted together, so he wouldn’t have to pay extra for the artist to draw it up (I don’t know if that’s how it worked when he was my age but most artists don’t charge for the design). I like to tell people that was the first ever tattoo I designed. Read More>>

Amanda Berisford

I got certified as a professional organizer and that finally felt like where I needed to be. I was able to design spaces that fit their individual needs and helped them learn how to take charge of their own spaces. An opportunity opened up for me to help style weddings and I fell in love! I knew I wanted to do it all for couples and help take the stress away of planning their weddings. I think that my background gives me a unique approach to the planning process. I help my couples individualize their weddings and really focus on what is important to them. Read More>>

Ashley Hunter

All while still being apart of local and out-of-state teams to further my knowledge in the sport. My passion for Cheer and Acrobatics has grown tremendously-from when I was younger to this present day! In 2020 I started my company Hunter Athletics Sports and Recreational Training for the youth who share the same passion and dreams. We are a USASF/USAG Certified Cheer and Gymnastics training service with over 20 years experience in the field. We currently work with different schools, groups and organizations to develop Cheer/Acrobatics Programs and Fitness/Wellness programs for the youth and adults in the community! Read More>>

Ali Mac Grant Mcauley

My story begins with me being obsessed with the radio station, Q100. When I was listening one day, I heard them mention their intern program and thought I should pursue that. At that time, I was too young to get college credit at Georgia College & State University, and the Q100 promotions internship didn’t pay a dime, but I didn’t care! Handing out stickers to listeners waiting in line for Bitter Ball was the coolest experience to me! I just couldn’t believe that I got a free t-shirt that said ‘Q100 Staff’ and handing out swag to our listeners was my ‘job’. I was part of radio. Read More>>

Shawron Gaffney

One day a friend of mine posted on IG that she was looking for a Production Assistant for a tv show, I called her immediately and asked her to get me on the show, she said she would but I better not embarrass her, I said you don’t have to worry about that , I just need to get in and from there I started working on Love and HipHop Atlanta. Read More>>

Jeffery Beckham

There was a point where I wasn’t sure if my vision would ever be the same. After surgery, I experienced periods of headaches, blurred and double vision. I never stopped painting, however, and that summer, my Renewed Vision Collection is some of my most influential work, all painted with one eye in an eye patch. I’m a firm believer in the power of faith and I believe the love of my family and friends, and power of creative outlet helped me heal from that trauma. Read More>>

Lenia Castro

I was born in a charming town called Alquízar, located about 40 km from the vibrant city of Havana. From a very young age, I developed a passion for visual arts, which led me to pursue studies in film, television, and radio direction. During that time, I had the opportunity to direct and produce some short films and documentaries, exploring stories that resonated with my community and culture. Read More>>

Sarah Mitchell

The next part of my story isn’t the sunshiny story I wish it was but it’s important to who I am now. My son and I are victims of domestic violence. My first professional camera was bought after what was another conversation turned bad. It was one of many gifts given in attempt to keep me quiet. I never used it. I opened it, turned it on, turned it right back off, and put it back in the box. There it sat for years. I always thought of things I could use it for but I could never make myself take it out of that box. Read More>>

Jenny Pineda-Ibarra

My love for beauty began as I was growing up. As a little girl I always loved everything beauty. My mom even tells me stories of how I would always grab her makeup and put it on myself for fun. She says I would even grab a pair of scissors and cut my own hair, thinking I knew what I was doing. Read More>>

Gaurav And Komal Bhagat And Patel

Our focus on creating memorable musical experiences, especially for large South Asian weddings, set us apart early on. We understood the cultural significance and emotional depth of these events, which allowed us to tailor our services to meet the unique needs of our clients. As word spread, we found ourselves transitioning from a duo to a full-scale DJ and production company, specializing in large, extravagant weddings, corporate events, and community gatherings. Read More>>

Dunesha Barker-Bey

I really think that what sets me apart from a lot of people in the catering business is that first and foremost I put a lot of love and care and excellence into my cooking and personalization to each person‘s events, I truly care about their event being a success in their eyes. Also I use the best quality and Freshes ingredients That are available, and lastly, I charge a fair market value for my services. Integrity in my business and having a high standard for not only the things that I do and how I cook, but also for my staff as well, everything that we do is making sure that the client is pleased in every aspect Read More>>

Lisa Oyanontaruk

In 1997, I moved to the US with my three young children to begin a new life after my divorce. I still had that entrepreneurial spirit still and wanted to start another business. It has taken a lot of time and effort, but I have made it to where am I today with the support of my children. Read More>>

Jasmeerah Brittian

It all started when I was a child. Born and raised on the South side of Griffin, Ga. I’ve always dreamed big and thankful to had my father who pushed me beyond my dream limits. I’ve always had many talents and love showcasing the talents I was blessed with, from modeling, to performing music, to drawing and to having experience in being an entrepreneur.  Read More>>

Todd Belcore

Over the years, Social Change has grown into a powerful force, advocating for social justice through legal services, community organizing, and policy change. The impact of our work has reached over 100,000 families, creating transformative change across the nation. Read More>>

DJ Diorr

After just being stuck in the house I made lots of friends that had the same passion for music that I did at this time they were already releasing their own projects. These friends encouraged me to actually start a career or at least a journey with music so after covid lightened up a bit id start recording in a friends home studio then making a couple of singles and even going onto releasing an EP also making a bunch of songs with fellow artist I consider close friends like ‘ZayDaDon” or “Ray Stuntin” , It wasn’t until April 2022 that I recorded in a professional recording studio and it’s been history ever since. Read More>>

Teara Ferrell

I began painting nails to occupy my time while she was up at night. Maison began to take an interest in painting which gave us something to do together in the middle of the night . Maison and I ended up with a lot of painted nails and a friend of mine actually bought all of our sets which made me think this could actually become a business. Read More>>

Jr Mchenry

The barber shop is the basis of the show. I wanted the show to have a feel of as if you were sitting in the barber shop just having a conversation. I believe conversations make for the best interviews. I absolutely despise robot radio where the host is reading down a list of questions interviewing a guest. My style is just to follow whatever my guest says and follow up off of that, in my opinion that makes for a better interview and listen for the audience. Read More>>

Deaundrea Hackett

The very first project I did was decorate my son’s first birthday, which was a lot of work. At that point I decided decorating parties was not for me! Then I started making rolling trays, that became a big hit for me! Soon I started getting request for other custom items. Then eventually I started trying to find other custom stuff I could do, to give my consistent customers more options. Read More>>

Julie Myers

As I entered the work force, eager and ready to start my girl boss era, I worked my corporate job Monday – Friday and worked as a stylist at Club Monaco on the weekends. I worked with Club Monaco for 6 years while simultaneously working my career 9-5 and realized that I looked forward to going to work on Saturday more than Monday. I knew then that I needed to find a way to make this profitable and my career. Read More>>

Cashley Banks

I am Cashley Banks , CEO, Artist, Fashion Designer, photographer, Actress, Coach. I got started in the industry in 2007 as a model and then became a well known photographer in Dallas Tx in 2009. I have been designing clothes and unique looks since high school as a teenager went to the Art Institute of Dallas for Fashon Design . Always had a unique style and would dress and style my friends when we would go out . Read More>>

Aiyanna Lovett

I saw myself in so many people like, Raven Baxter from That’s So Raven or Kim Parker from The Parkers. With that, you can probably imagine how animated I was and still am until this day. Being the oldest also gave me a different sense of independence, so any goal or idea I had, I had to conquer it. I had a great sense of self at a young age and that helped me become this multifaceted and multitalented person I am right now. Read More>>