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.

Christen Gowder

I grew up in an entrepreneurial, patriotic, hardworking family. My mother was (and still is) a very successful Registered Nurse. My dad followed dreams of working for himself and built the first full service laundromat the year before I was born. Read more>>

Elaine Taylor-Klaus

My first ten years as a parent, I was miserable. Let me be clear: I love my kids. More than anything. But there was always a “but.” But it was hard. But it was frustrating. But it was lonely and isolating and terrifying. Read more>>

Nicole Gregory

Born and raised on the southside of Chicago, it taught me a lesson of community and gave me a go get attitude. I was raised by a single father and grandmother, this helps me both navigate hard choices and stay focused and determined. Read more>>

Fran McMiller

I have always been a clean and organized person. About 3 years ago I decided what could I do to help others keep their homes clean, organized and smelling fresh. One day I woke up and said today will be the day. Read more>>

Jasmine Chester

My love for beauty started early, at the tender age of six years old. I grew up in the hair salon, sitting at the front desk while my mom got her hair done, soaking up the environment and energy that would later shape my career. By first grade, I was teaching myself how to braid, and not long after, I was practicing on family members and friends at school. Read more>>

Angel Hull-Taylor

Hello World! My name is Angel, and I am a Soulfirmation Yoga teacher, spiritual guide, and founder of Yoga Ave, a wellness and spiritual lifestyle brand rooted in elevation, alignment, and inner transformation. Read more>>

Deneshia Leonard

My name is Deneshia, and I am the author of I Refuse To Lose and I’m also the Founder and Senior Pastor of On The Wall Ministries, Inc. in Decatur, Ga. My journey began from a place of hurt, betrayal, and purpose. Read more>>

Michael James Sewell Jr

My journey into acting didn’t start with a plan it started with a decision to change my life. Read more>>

Mirage Vanguard

My keys to success have been passion, faith in God, and relentless drive. Growing up with a father who is both an artist and a minister, I was rooted early in creativity and faith. I didn’t attend art school. Instead, I learned by watching him and committing to my own practice, even spending my childhood recess sketching and refining my craft. Read more>>

Toluwani Omotola

I’m a British-born Nigerian with a deep passion for hospitality, event planning, and wedding design. My journey started organically—planning birthdays, graduations, and special moments for friends and family. I quickly became obsessed over the details that made the event special and memorable. Read more>>

Larissa Peixoto

Influenced by my family, I started my path in law school. At the time it made sense to follow it, but after a few years working in the field I realized it wasn’t where I was meant to be. I had always had a deep love for art and architecture, and that never went away. Read more>>

Landon Murray

My name is Landon Murray. I’m 27 years old and an Atlanta native at this point, though I was originally born in Miami. Atlanta is really where I grew up, especially on the east side, and it played a major role in shaping who I am today. I’ve always had a balance of creativity and structure. Read more>>

Ashley Shannon

I’ve always known that working with children was my calling. Growing up, I naturally gravitated toward caregiving and education, and by high school I was already intentional about that path. Read more>>

Ruth Reynolds

Ruth Reynolds, originally from Austin, Texas, discovered her passion for acting during college. What began as a creative outlet quickly turned into a serious pursuit, leading her to take a leap and move to Los Angeles to chase opportunities in film and television. After gaining experience and building her craft, she eventually relocated to Atlanta, where the growing entertainment industry opened even more doors. Read more>>

Netanya Browne

About three years ago, I started creating content just for fun, without really knowing much about strategy, algorithms, or what it truly meant to be a content creator. I was simply posting and figuring things out as I went. As time went on, I became more intentional about learning the craft. Read more>>

Michael Gibbs

My insurance journey began about 17-18 years ago when I was transitioning from the wonderful world of accounting whereby my experienced evolved within industries like import/export company, telecommunications, and financial services. I always felt that I didn’t have an employee’s mentality and was drawn to entrepreneurship while working for these companies. Read more>>

Sentez Ellison

I was raised in the quiet, rural stretches of Crawford County, where life moved slowly and meaning had to be made rather than found. In a place with few distractions, I gravitated toward what was always available such as books, family, and faith. Those early years were defined by deep familial bonds and a household grounded in devotion. Read more>>

Lisa Anderson Akine

My life started pretty chaotic growing up in an abusive home with an alcoholic mother and a passive father. This caused me to leave at the age of 13. At that time, I became involved in drugs, prostitution, and basically a life riddled with addiction by the time I was 17 years old. Read more>>

Quezz The Connect AKA Quezzbo

It all started at the age of 12. One day I was listening to music with my younger cousin and told her I believe I can write a song. As most cousins would do, she challenged me. Read more>>

Armando Rodriguez

I , Armando Rodriguez, started our family legacy of Cuernavaca, immigrating from Mexico to the US to fulfill the entrepreneurial dream for generations to come. Through a trajectory from washing dishes to having a career in business administration, I was able to open Cuernavaca in 1990. Read more>>

David Ndlovu

I’ve always been inspired by the energy of the Zimbabwean music scene. I started out experimenting with beats and production, but I quickly realized that for our artists to truly shine, they needed a cohesive brand and a professional support system. ​Building Weoverthere Records was a turning point for me. Read more>>

Miguel Willis

I’m from Atlanta — born at Grady and raised on Bankhead. My path ain’t been traditional at all. I came up around music early, working with producer K-Rab and being around records like “Walk It Out” by DJ Unk and “Buy U a Drank” with T-Pain, so I’ve been around real motion and seen how things get built from the ground up. Read more>>

Pamela Robinson

My journey has been shaped by a deep passion for hospitality, an unwavering commitment to personal growth, and a calling to empower others, especially women and young people. I was born and raised on the lush island of St. Lucia, where my foundation was built by a remarkable single mother who raised five amazing children, four girls and one boy. Read more>>

Julieta Vergini

I’m originally from Argentina, and my journey into cinema started when I was 15, after watching The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a German silent black-and-white film. I was fascinated by how cinema could build entirely new worlds through visuals—almost like sculpting with light—and I knew I wanted to do that too. Read more>>

Om Yadav

I started my journey back in 10th grade. While I was supposed to focus on studies, my mind was somewhere else — I was obsessed with understanding how money actually works. I spent hours watching videos about making money online. Like most beginners, I got attracted to day trading. It looked like the fastest way to success. Read more>>

Tope Alawaye

Well, I started my art career in 2019 at the age of 17, I started practicing art professionally in 2022 here in Ibadan, Nigeria. I participated in some art exhibition across Nigeria both online and physical. I’ve worked for many fashion brands online including puma and David Blackmoore in Lagos, Nigeria. Read more>>

YNOT

I started YNOT from a real place just wanting to create something that stood for more than clothes. Growing up in the Bronx, I was surrounded by culture, hustle, and creativity, but also a lot of limitations. The name “YNOT” came from that mindset questioning everything and turning doubt into motivation! Read more>>

Perry Slaughter III

I didn’t step into ministry because I had everything figured out. I stepped into it because I felt called to serve people right where they were. My journey started with a simple desire: to make sure young people felt seen, heard, and valued. Read more>>

Kenya Kelly

I’m a rising model from South Carolina. Now residing in NYC. and I’m content creator building my own lane through consistency, personality, and real connection with my audience. I started off just sharing my lifestyle and creative energy online, and it naturally grew into opportunities in modeling and streaming. Read more>>

Royce Rollies

I go by Royce Rollies. My story isn’t about “making it” yet—it’s about still pushing, still building, still believing. I started with nothing but a vision and a phone. Recording videos, posting on Instagram, trying to get my sound and my face out there. Read more>>

Margaret Warfield

I am often asked where I got the creative side of my personality. Rachael Cathy, my grandmother. With fabrics, needles and thread she fashioned quilts, not to sell but to warm the bodies of her husband and their eight children during the winter months in Maury County Tennessee. Read more>>

Jiggy Korean

Born in Washington, D.C., Michael Coleman, fondly known as JiggyKorean, discovered his love for art at the young age of nine. He later transitioned to music writing, expressing, “Creativity is the most important thing to me! Creating, discovering, traveling, and brand marketing keep me engaged and inspired. Read more>>

Julie Thompson

I’ve always been drawn to creativity, but my path to becoming a full-time artist wasn’t linear. I spent many years working in hospitality, management, and training—roles that taught me how to connect with people, lead with empathy, and build meaningful experiences. At the same time, art was always there in the background, quietly becoming something more than just a hobby. Read more>>

Jimmy John Misty

I started doing comedy in Asheville, NC, and then I moved here during the pandemic. When the world was slowly re-opening, I went to a couple comedy open mics to keep doing regular stand-up, but pretty quickly I lost whatever little bit of a stand-up voice I had. Read more>>

Tyson Lowe

I always had a passion for content creation when it came to sports. Growing up, people always used to tell me that I would be a great sports commentator because I was always talking about sports with my homies or in class when I should’ve been paying attention to the lesson. Read more>>

Shannon Logan

Similar to many Interior Designers, my interest in interior design began in childhood. I loved decorating my own room and helping my mother make our house beautiful. This passion was something I truly enjoyed and that my mother still talks about to this day. However, as I grew up, I struggled with the confidence that interior design could be a viable career path. Read more>>

PLAYA WÂǓN

I’m from the east side—Snapfinger, Decatur to be exact. I’ve been rapping my whole life, starting with family and friends, and I recorded my first song at just four years old. Over time, I started to take my identity more seriously. I go by PLAYA WÂǓN now. Read more>>

Zack Boland

Music has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I first picked up drums and percussion in middle school band, and that early spark quickly grew into a lifelong passion. Read more>>

Kristin Tansey

I worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years. Most of that time was in NYC. My specializations include designing bras, intimate apparel, and activewear. I’ve always been fascinated with the human body, mind, and spirit. Studying natural health and wellness was my hobby. Read more>>