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.

Jacobe Grant

It wasn’t a smooth road losing my dad during this time was Definitely one of the toughest challenges I’ve faced, and I was also starting college during COVID which made it hard to find work, so I was depending on financial aid and credit cards to get by & When I started tatting, I wasn’t making much. Even real estate wasn’t helping because it was commission based and my commission splits were so low, but moving back home and rebuilding I had a lot of people that were supportive so i was able to stay consistent, and that definitely helped me grow. Read more>>

Chris Turner

TriFactor began in 2015 in the basement of a small church in Hiram, GA, where nine students and I gathered with nothing more than a whiteboard, curiosity, and a shared desire to grow. I was asked by my aunt and pastor, Karen Dones, to step in and lead the church’s youth department. What started as a call to serve quickly became a calling to build—though at the time, I didn’t yet have language for what we were creating. Read more>>

Davian Taylor

In 2017, I joined the Atlanta Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America Inc. and started receiving the training I desired, to assist a church music department. From there, I’ve had the opportunity to work with such departments like the New Life & Faith Christian Church (Decatur, GA; Pastor W. Pharr), New Morning Light Baptist Church (Conley, GA; Rev. C. Hamilton), Kingdom Fellowship Ministry (Atlanta, GA; Rev. Dr. S. Calloway), and currently the Welcome Friend Baptist Church in Ellenwood, GA (Rev. J. H. Smith Sr. (Pastor Emeritus) & Rev. K. Daniel (current Pastor). Read more>>

Neanna Jones

When I got to college at Albany State University, creativity found its way back into my life in an unexpected way. Around 2019, I took a marketing course where one of our assignments required us to use TikTok as a creative tool. That class reignited something in me. I started creating funny videos again — this time with intention — hoping to build a community and truly express myself. Read more>>

Shaniqua Smith

I began my journey selling plates as a mobile chef, building my reputation one dish at a time. Through dedication and consistency, I evolved into a sought-after private chef, now traveling to serve celebrity clients. Read more>>

Jennifer Hearman

As early as being a young girl at the age of 9 years old, I was always very resourceful ,willing and eager to learn new things. I was a mixture of shy and quiet but my brain was very innovative whether around family or friends. Read more>>

Jessi Colwell

I started out making white ribbon merchandise for lung cancer awareness. I make a little of anything and everything, custom. Shirts, bags , coffee cups, Tervis tumblers with the straws. I take 20% of each product sold to buy lunches for piedmont ATL brain tumor center patients. Read more>>

Cannon Cobain

I started music when I was 16 I had a real addiction to writing short stories but my short stories sounded like raps so one day my cousin found a book which I kept my short stories in he said to me that they sounded more like raps because of the way they were written so one day we went to a mutual friend’s house he had a studio where they made beats he told my cuz read these to the beat I never looked back I put the time and effort in perfected my Kraft worked landed my first industry feature and went to the radio never looked. Back  Read more>>

Amari Williams

I’ve always been a creative person since I was young. Being different than everyone else was something I’d strive for. Whether it was a standard pair of jeans or shoes that everyone had, I’d distress or paint them to add my own twist. While being in college one summer, I knew I wanted to create a clothing brand that was personal to me. Read more>>

Naomi Ross

I’ve been a storyteller and an artist my entire life. I was always drawing and fabricating epic tales in my composition notebooks. Creating is in my blood; my mother being an author and painter, my father an illustrator. Art was all around me as a child, so I feel like it was a clear option to go into a creative career from the beginning. Read more>>

Mysterri Maxwell

I started my journey during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when everything slowed down and I had the opportunity to reflect on what I wanted to build for myself. Creating content began as a creative outlet, but it quickly grew into a platform where I could share my voice, connect with others, and advocate for causes close to my heart—especially foster youth. Read more>>

Danielle Bryson

I discovered my interest in hair at the young age of 3. By the time I was 6 years old I was placing extensions in my doll baby hair. Fast forward to middle school I began doing my own hair, It was just me and my mom and we didn’t have extra money for salons. Read more>>

Diamond KingMinel Dzebo

Before I was a healer, I was an artist I studied light, where it fell, how it created shadows, the times it was the brightest, when it was the most dim. I people watched, quite often. I sat in silence and just watched people in their day to day movements, admiring how beautiful and precise we were as God’s creatures. Read more>>

Minel Dzebo

My marketing journey started back in middle school when I took my first marketing class. I immediately fell in love with it. I learned the fundamentals of marketing and even built my first website. From that point on, I made it a goal to take a marketing class whenever I had the opportunity. By high school, I realized marketing was more than just an interest. Read more>>

MJ Park

I started my career with a strong interest in designing work that’s both visually strong and operationally meaningful. Early on, I explored branding and identity projects, which helped me build a solid foundation in visual systems, storytelling, and consistency across touchpoints. Read more>>

Lorenzo Thrash

I’m a creative entrepreneur, media producer, and systems builder based in Atlanta. My journey hasn’t followed a traditional path—I’ve always been driven by building platforms rather than fitting into them. Over time, that mindset pushed me into creating businesses and creative ecosystems that help artists and brands turn ideas into tangible, monetized experiences. Read more>>

Kashish Jain

Ever since I was two years old, I have been in love with the art of acting. I was born and raised in Bangalore, India, until I was twelve, before moving to Dallas, Texas, in 2016. From a very young age, I was vocal about what I wanted to pursue, and that dream was always to become an actress. Read more>>

Sabrina Rosa

I started in this business over 10 years ago, when I was just beginning to truly understand credit and why it mattered. I remember trying to buy a car, and my credit was one of the main reasons I couldn’t get approved. Read more>>

Brandon Patrick

I would most likely say I’m proud of my music but I would love to learn on a professional level to really know everything understand everything about what I love because I love knowledge everyone that knows me know I love a good song it plays in my head all day I will learn step by step the moment I’m given the opportunity it’s the only thing I’ll have o my name that means anything to me because I care for nothing else Read more>>

Sheena Townsend

My writing journey really started back in third grade. I remember my teacher , Ms. Allen, telling us to write a short story, and something in me just perked up. I typed it quickly, not even thinking too hard about it. I don’t remember what the story was about, but I do remember how my teacher responded. Read more>>

Jaylen Robichaux

From early on I was a nonconformist. Aesthetics- at first- weren’t all that important to me. I experimented with bleach and wearing women’s clothes, just shit I didn’t think much about- just liked the look of. This notion followed me to high school. It was a small, private boarding school with roughly 400 people so everyone knew everyone. Read more>>

Toni Street

It all began when I became too big to sit behind the potters’ wheel and make pottery. I needed something to do with my hands, and I found Polymer Clay in a craft store in 1991. You can work with it with your hands and create just about anything you would like to. Read more>>

Danielle Dannucci

Ink&Lace the fashion event was created in 2021 and produced in 2022. We are currently planning our 4th show after a year break. Ink&lace came about when myself (a veteran model) was denied a spot in a show I had walked in numerous times due to my tattoos. I was told my tattoos would take away from the designers showcase. I was appalled and motivated. Read more>>

jaeden

I started making videos when I was eight years old. At first it was just a hobby, but even back then I wanted to be a big YouTuber. As I got older, that goal never changed. I tried different types of content, from making TikToks about Fortnite to documenting my attempts at becoming a professional gamer. Everything really clicked when I was fourteen. Read more>>

Kalina Richardson

I started by painting and drawing with my grandmother. She was an artist and always encouraged me to express my creative side. Throughout elementary and high school, I always took pride in my artwork which eventually led me to SCAD Atlanta, where I have fallen in love with design and printmaking. Read more>>

Josh Parker

Thank you for having me. I have been a licensed Realtor for over ten years. I began my career as a leasing agent before transitioning to an independent agent in 2016. Since then I have served in over 300 real estate transactions serving buyer and seller clients in an array of deals ranging from single family homes to large commercial developments. Read more>>

Khalil Anderson

Born and raised as a small town kid out of Beckley West Virginia. My journey started as a weight loss plan. Back in 2020, at almost 300lbs. My goal was to get my health back on track, to be more active. The idea of modeling was something that was a tv thing.. but I figured hey I could try it. Read more>>

Kwame Oeaux

I was born in 1989 in Mableton, Georgia, to immigrant parents from Ghana, West Africa, and moved to Decatur before the age of one. Music was always part of my life. My siblings still joke about me banging on pots and pans as a kid. A lot of that came from my father’s record collection, which mixed American and African music. Read more>>

Rusty Wallace

I grew up in western Kentucky surrounded by resourceful, creative family members. I started drawing when I was a toddler, and have loved it ever since. Read more>>

Valtorin Dynasty

Hi my name name is Svetlanna Valtorin, I’m an Afab drag performer, and honestly it was not easy. I do enjoy the things that aren’t easy. I’ve kinda always been around drag, rather that be on tv, being around my uncle my uncle, or even the local drag idol I’d see on Facebook: Yutoya Avazé León. Read more>>

Sua

I would say my life has made a big shift back in 2022. Since then I have been on a wooden roller coaster. The year of 2025 really tested me, my morals, and character. I learned in life everything changes…AND EVERY TALENT OR HOBBY DOES NOT NEED TO BE PROFITABLE! Read more>>

LaTonya Herring

I have been in business for 20 years this year. Coming from working with the IRS, Jackson Hewitt and Liberty Tax, I decided to pursue my own company Visions Tax Solutions and Services, which not only just serves tax preparation, but to give people a better understanding of their taxes. Read more>>

Genna Jacobs-Freeman

My path into design wasn’t a straight line — and in many ways, that’s what shaped Space Design Collective into what it is today. I come from a background in public health, where I managed large-scale programs and complex systems centered around human behavior and well-being. Read more>>

Sincerely Dad

Raised in Attleboro Massachusetts. A small town outside of Boston. I grew up rapping and singing with my friends in the projects. We would go door-to-door performing for everyone in the neighborhood. That eventually grew into a rap group called “Squad Deep”. But it was short lived when my parents decided to move to Atlanta in 2005. Read more>>

Joshua Black

My journey in numismatics began in May 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 shutdowns, when a simple gift from my grandparents sparked what would soon become a thriving business. They gave me a binder for state quarters, and the process of filling each slot—searching for the highest quality examples I could find—captured my attention immediately. Read more>>

Kim Whitehead

My story is one of evolution, integration, and ultimately, alignment. I began my career in deeply technical and high-stakes environments. Read more>>

Zell ‘Creyv’ Granville

I was born in Charleston South Carolina, an eighties baby. Raised by a single mother along with my sister and we moved around frequently. With no exaggeration I attended over 9 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 5 high schools. This was between SC, CA, NC, GA, NY, and FLA. Read more>>https://voyageatl.com/interview/conversations-with-zell-creyv-granville

Shakera (KIKI BLACK) Matthews

I started my journey in fitness and wellness from a very personal place. I was navigating a season of divorce, identity shifts, and deep self-reflection, and fitness became more than just physical for me—it was mental, emotional, and eventually spiritual. Over time, I realized that many women weren’t just struggling with their bodies, but with confidence, relationships, boundaries, and knowing who they were becoming. Read more>>

Cooper Hudson

Alicia and I began with one location and I never thought we would expand to three restaurants and an events business. From the beginning, my passion has been rooted in hospitality and a genuine love of people—taking care of them, listening to them, and creating a space for them to grow. Read more>>

Ruma Momin

I started á La Couture right after I graduated from college with a degree in Finance. Honestly, I chose Finance because it seemed like the ‘safe’ option, but I didn’t feel any passion for it. After landing my first corporate job, I quickly realized I was miserable there—my manager was miserable too, and that’s when I started dreaming about á La Couture. Read more>>

Einar Haraldsson

in Icelandic Police Force 1974-1993. Bodyguard 1980-2005. Actor from 2022 today. Met Actress Sandra Bullock in LA while I was on my trip to LA. We had a brief talk and she offer me a job as her personal bodyguard. I start working for/with her and stayed with her for 10 years. She is the one who push me into acting fields. Read more>>

Raina Ball

My journey began when I decided to pause my pursuit of a bachelor’s degree and enroll in Cosmetology school. Though I was uncertain about what the future held, I committed myself to achieving my goal. I recognized that a career in Cosmetology could offer me a flexible income that I could manage on my own terms. Read more>>

Jasmin Jones

I began my journey as a plant mom. At one point, I had over a hundred tropical plants, lush, vibrant, and alive. Caring for them was therapy for me, especially during the pandemic and through other seasons of life. Tending to plants gave me peace, grounding, and healing when I needed it most. Then life shifted. Read more>>

Laykon

I have been creating since a child, but in the recent years have turned the creative vision towards photography. After picking up a camera for a short while, someone I respect in the art community called me the best female photographer in Atlanta. I am now constructing a business around the photography- shooting birthdays, events, concerts, families, and whatever else you can name. Read more>>

Brandy “Gymani” Rhodes

My story begins in the church. I grew up as a preacher’s kid, where faith wasn’t just something we talked about—it was a way of life. Church was my first home, my first stage, and my first foundation. By the time I was four years old, I was already singing on the praise team, learning early that music was more than performance—it was purpose. Read more>>

Mim Chowdhury

My journey into modeling began after I moved to the United States from Bangladesh. Coming from a different culture, stepping into the fashion industry felt both exciting and challenging, but I saw it as an opportunity to grow, learn, and express myself creatively. Read more>>

Kiana Henson

My name is Kiana. I am an entrepreneur and a mother of three, striving daily to become everything God has created me to be. My story and journey to success began at the intersection of growth, faith, survival, and creativity. I didn’t start with a business plan or a clear roadmap… I actually graduated with a degree in accounting. Read more>>

Kagen King

Even as a child I had took a liken to politics and political cartoons, and that sort of satirical take on politics stuck with me. I started to go through my political foundation during 2020 when I was admitted into the Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah). Read more>>

Hope Smith

Becoming a counselor was not my original plan. I began my college career at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington as a film studies major, fully intending to pursue a career in the film industry. During my freshman year, however, I took an introductory psychology course. And everything changed. I was immediately drawn to the subject in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Read more>>

Cherita Lewis

I have always known that I was different. From a very young age, I carried an awareness that I couldn’t explain. A deep knowing, a sensitivity to things others couldn’t see or feel. Life introduced me to pain early, in ways that altered me at my core, but it also awakened something powerful inside of me. Read more>>

Joe Mousa

My story didn’t start with a business plan or real strategy to solely make profits. It started with loss, trauma, and the fight to rebuild myself. The biggest turning points in my life was watching my father go through dementia and eventually losing him. That experience changes you. Read more>>

Cassandra Houston

My journey has been shaped by purpose, resilience, and a deep belief in the power of people. I began my career over 20 years ago in human resources and leadership roles across manufacturing, healthcare, and the nonprofit sector. Early on, I saw firsthand how strong leadership can transform workplaces and how the absence of it can limit people’s potential, especially women and communities of color. Read more>>

Heyobed

I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia to parents who immigrated from Ethiopia to the United States in the 1990s. Growing up between cultures shaped my ear, my sense of language, and my understanding of identity early on. Those influences became part of how I listened to the world before they ever became part of how I created within it. Read more>>

Verity Yata

For most of my life, I struggled with how I saw my body. Like so many women, I spent years feeling disconnected from myself, chasing confidence, and believing I had to change before I was worthy of being seen. Photography was not just my creative outlet, but how I found acceptance of my body. Read more>>

Lyla Jones

I wanted to make some money to redecorate my room. My mom showed me a video of an older girl on TikTok who started a lemonade business to earn money for college, and it looked like something I would love because sweet and sour flavors are my favorite. Read more>>

Jesse Winter

My passion for Filmmaking, especially Visual Effects, started when I was around 8 years old. I watched Star Wars Episode 3 for the first time and was completely captivated by all of the Visual Effects. From the space battles, to General Grievous, and the final fight on Mustafar, I was just blown away and was so curious of how it was all created. Read more>>

Percy Glover

As a formerly incarcerated person, I have made it my personal and professional mission to disrupt the systemic pathways that funnel Black and Brown youth into incarceration, and to create opportunities rooted in prevention, accountability, and healing. Read more>>

Leo D. Martinez

I am a first-generation Black Dominican American and trans writer based in Atlanta, GA, from Harlem, NYC. I still remember the first story I ever wrote. I was in the 8th grade, and during morning announcements, Ms. F.S. advertised that she was starting the Authors’ Club. Read more>>