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.

Beth Berss

Before launching my art career, I spent years in the fast-paced world of marketing. Years and years in the publishing and early online world of marketing honed my eye for color and composition. When my two children were small, I transitioned into teaching myself how to paint and create. What began as a personal creative outlet expanded into a great second career. Read more>>

Elijah Wade

I started reading into why that happened, the actual neuroscience of how creating something with your hands lowers cortisol and calms your nervous system. That’s when it clicked for me that this wasn’t just something helping me cope, it was medicine. Real, accessible medicine that didn’t require insurance or an appointment. As a father of three, I think about access a lot. Read more>>

mark rinehart

Fashion and art have been apart of my life since I was really little. I was a shy kid but when I started drawing and performing it just felt like I could do anything. I loved fantasy and watching Britney’s tours and designing her outfits plus what I would put her in. Read more>>

Jessica McIntee

My entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by recognizing real needs in my community and creating businesses that provide meaningful solutions. Each of my ventures began with observation, identifying a gap or opportunity, and developing an idea that could make a positive impact. Read more>>

Carter Stone

my ceramic journey began in 2005 when I took a ceramic class in college. it was an instant love. I started taking classes at the local pottery lab in boulder Co, at which point I started bringing home my handbill projects and would work on them in my apratment living room. needless to say I was obsessed. Read more>>

Amber Dawn Bowyer

Eldest Daughter of seven siblings with a mama that died before my sixth birthday, preserving memories and absorbing stories became a passion throughout my childhood and adolescence. In many ways I think I was chasing her memory. Read more>>

Nastasia Rose

Hi! I’m Nastasia, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Jaded, a biannual independent fashion, culture, and arts magazine built around collaboration and community. I’ve always been drawn to art and fashion for as long as I can remember. In ninth grade, I was obsessed with Rookie, Polyester Zine, The Messy Heads, and StyleLikeU, and I secretly dreamed of starting my own independent magazine one day. Read more>>

Isabella Banich

I started ceramics a few years ago while I was still working at my traditional 9 to 5 consulting job. I wasn’t feeling very creatively fulfilled, so when my sister mentioned that she and my dad were taking a ceramics class at the county studio, I decided to sign up with them. Read more>>

Laurinda Andujar

My origin story is a mystery—even to me. If I’m honest, I have never liked being the center of attention. I would much rather be behind the scenes, watching someone else shine. There are countless people walking this earth who are more talented, more disciplined, and, in many ways, more gifted than I am. So how did I become a serial entrepreneur, author, and advocate? Read more>>

Geo Rhone

Born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, my creative journey started with fashion and the world-building of video games. I later spent time in New York City, immersing myself in the industry and sharpening my unique creative lens.For a long time, I preferred being behind the camera. Read more>>

Jamal Sutton

I was born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, by an incredible single mother, Kenna Clay. I’m the youngest of three children, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started singing when I was about four years old. Read more>>

Arielle Frioza

Photography has been my profession and passion since 2009, when I began my career in Brazil covering concerts, music festivals, theatre productions, and musicals, working with both national and international artists. Those early years taught me how to anticipate fleeting moments, work under pressure, and tell stories through genuine emotion, skills that continue to shape my work today. Read more>>

Mahogany Marie

Music has always been my first language. I was born and raised in Chicago, where I discovered a love for writing at eight years old through poetry. By eleven, I had written my first song, and after my teacher encouraged me to enter a school talent show, I won first place. Read more>>

luci Holbert

I started Buckhead Mahjong Club in 2023 with a friend, although my connection to the game goes back nearly 30 years. I’m a lawyer by profession, and after COVID and the birth of my baby, I found myself with a little more time and a lot of curiosity about where mahjong might fit into a changing social landscape. Read more>>

Alexandra Sorto

I’ve always been drawn to creating. As a child, you could usually find me drawing, coloring, or making little sculptures out of the red Georgia clay in my backyard. Creativity was simply part of who I was. I truly believe everyone is born creative, and somewhere along the way many of us lose the fearless, imaginative way we created as children. Read more>>

Keanu Davis

Keanu Davis is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of UNTITLD Entertainment. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, his passion for music was cultivated from an early age by a family deeply rooted in the industry. Influenced by his grandmother’s love for jazz and his father and uncles’ experience as DJs, he developed an appreciation for both the creative and technical sides of music. Read more>>

Duce Mat Noir

I’ve always been drawn to building things that make an impact. I started taking pictures all the time of other people and telling stories through content. Over time, I realized I wasn’t just interested in photography, I was passionate about solving problems, building systems, and helping people grow through content. Read more>>

Gabe Lustman

It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I don’t think anybody who’s had. Any kind of success would say otherwise losing my father was one of the toughest things and moving an uprooting from Minneapolis to move to Atlanta with nothing not knowing anybody just a shirt on my back and a duffel bag full of wrinkly, dirty clothes I had to forge away try to make a name for myself in a big city of the unknown Read more>>

Yiru Yang

My name is Yiru Yang. I also go by the nickname yannchann for my online activities. I was born in Shanghai, China, in 2005, and came to New York three years ago to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts. I don’t think I chose to keep creating at a specific moment in my life, nor for a single reason. Read more>>

Somers Wilson

Beatz and Culture Magazine began with a simple but powerful vision: to create a platform where the voices, stories, and creativity of Atlanta’s communities could be seen, heard, and respected. The idea came from recognizing that too many talented artists, entrepreneurs, photographers, designers, community leaders, and creatives were doing incredible work but weren’t receiving the recognition they deserved. Read more>>

Brittany Allen

I am a professional makeup artist and union member with extensive experience working on various film and television productions. Following the industry strike in 2023, production slowed down significantly, prompting me to find a creative way to supplement my income. As a lifelong creative, I have always spent my free time crafting projects for myself and my friends. Read more>>

Witma Nav

I was born and raised in Haiti and moved to the US at 12 years old, so you can imagine the cultural changes. I carry a deep love and pride for my Haitian roots, and I am endlessly grateful to my family for the path they paved to give me these opportunities.. I’ve lived in Georgia since 2016. Read more>>

Dr. Bianca Lee

If I had to summarize my entire journey in a single phrase, it would be the pursuit of integrated wholeness. I didn’t arrive at this work through a sterile academic pipeline alone; I arrived here because I had to learn, on a somatic and spiritual level, how to rebuild my own sanctuary from the inside out. Read more>>

Ameerah Brown-McMullen

Hello, my name is Ameerah Brown-McMullen, and I’m originally from Trenton, New Jersey. I moved to Atlanta with nothing but hope, faith, and the belief that there were greater opportunities waiting for me. Today, I’m a Presidential Scholar at Clark Atlanta University, where I’m pursuing a degree in Business Marketing. Read more>>

Sarina Woods

I got started was when I decided to take classes in 2018 from a professional makeup artist Monica Pope. In 2023 I decided to become a licensed aesthetician at Atlanta School of Massage. In 2025 I received my license through the state of Georgia. I became a professional makeup artist at Sephora as of now. Read more>>

Antwan Fider

After Love began as nothing more than a college assignment. The project was simple: create a logo for a brand and present it through a series of mockups. After experimenting with a few different concepts, I landed on a purple and gold logo. Read more>>

Evan Monét

My love for media started long before TheeKatchUp. In college, I had the opportunity to work in radio, which gave me hands-on experience in interviewing, content creation, and connecting with audiences. That experience confirmed that storytelling was what I wanted to do. Read more>>

Victoria Sorenson

I started my author journey working at a local dress boutique. My husband and parents watched our three girls while I was saving up for my first book cover from my dream cover designer. It took me six months to earn enough to afford my debut novel’s gorgeous cover art, and to this day I’m still proud of myself for making it happen myself. Read more>>

Ke’Asia Kennedy

During my sophomore year at Clark Atlanta University, I remember sitting in my dorm room bored because I was different. I didn’t like the party scene, and at the time I didn’t go out much, so I went on Amazon and bought a long, colorful jump rope. Read more>>

Anitra Terrell

Reflektion Design is an Afro modern lifestyle brand for people who love heirloom quality decor and gifts that reflects who they are. We work with artisans in Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda to produce an assortment of handmade tableware, throw pillows, jewelry, baskets, kaftans and more. In 2006, I spent eight weeks in Ghana, working as a Fulbright Scholar and textile buyer for a museum client. Read more>>

Cameron Turner

I knew early in my life that I was being called to serve some of the most vulnerable people in our city. As a native Atlantan, serving others was an important part of my upbringing. Read more>>

Nayo Dez

I was so lost.. Growing up in America by the most haitian people you’ll ever meet. I’m wasn’t born in Haiti so I always felt I never truly could relate completely I didn’t feel haitian enough for Haitian people. So that meant I’m technically American right? I should fit in for sure! Wrong! Read more>>

Feel Visit

Our creative output as a band comes second to and also birthed from out personal friendships. That compulsive impulse to make each other laugh bleeds over into making each other excited about a ripp or vocal. Playing music is just really a nice excused to all come to Ryan’s house and spend some quality and creative time to goof off together. Read more>>

Randy Mansour

My name is Randy Mansour. I was born in Clearwater, Florida to two loving parents who came here from Lebanon after the civil war. I grew up alongside the birth of the internet and spent a lot of my time exploring that frontier. To be frank, I was a bit of a loser. Read more>>

Jeromy Delgado

Growing up, I’ve always been a creative. Whether it was making little videos with my Bionicles on my phone when I was little, learning animation, video editing, making video games, or making music, I’ve always been drawn to creating. I’ve always had a lot of ideas and energy, and over time I’ve found ways to manifest those ideas into reality. Read more>>

Anthoney Charaman

I’ve been a musician, singer, songwriter, and producer for as long as I remember. I started off with piano lessons. I come from a long line of church musicians and ministers as well. I played in the jazz band in middle school and was in the marching band at Southfield Lathrup High School. Read more>>

Melissa Mitchell

I started writing stories as an escape while I was working toward my Ph.D. in physics. I’ve always been an avid reader—especially fantasy. I eat, sleep, and breathe books. But it wasn’t until graduate school that I finally decided to try telling a story of my own. It was love at first sight. Read more>>

Nicholas Strand

I spent nearly 20 years in large-scale live touring production, working behind the scenes on shows for artists like BLACKPINK, Sting, KISS, and Dave Matthews Band. My job was to make sure the chaos stayed invisible. Schedules collapsed, gear failed, plans changed by the hour, and none of that could ever reach the stage. The audience just saw the show. Read more>>

Troy Jackson

Some artists find music. For QuiTheLastWord, music was always there written into his bloodline long before he ever stepped into a booth. Born Troy Jackson in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, QUI came into the world with rhythm in his DNA. Both of his parents each carrying the Jackson name — were Queens natives who performed in separate music groups throughout the 1970s. Read more>>

Shanice Fields

I began my career after beauty school assisting a celebrity hair stylist in a high end salon on the upper east side of Manhattan in NY. Our clientele was made up of successful women of color from all walks of life from models and actresses, to lawyers and doctors. Read more>>

DJ Astro

My path to DJing was non-traditional. I vividly remember wasting away in my apartment during COVID lockdowns in a foreign city so far away from home that it may as well have been Mars. With nothing else to do, I picked up the DDJ-400 controller that my girlfriend had gifted me the previous Christmas and started toying around with it every day. Read more>>

Sania Irfan

My name is Sania. I’m a mom to a son and two lovely daughters, and I’m a self-taught abstract artist. After moving to a new city, I started painting to keep myself busy, and I quickly fell in love with it. When people began asking for custom pieces, my hobby turned into something much bigger. Read more>>

Ivan Juniour The Liaison

First I want to thank Voyage ATL for this opportunity & getting my journey out I hope I can encourage someone in their career with my story. My interests began when I was around 8 years old. I was fascinated by The National Geographic magazines in school & seeing commercials on TV of different countries. Read more>>

Matt Terry

As someone who grew up in a medium sized, working class market town in the UK – the thought of looking after goats and running a goat milk soap business would have been the most bizarre prospect, but I’m so happy to be here. Read more>>

Matthew Santana

For the past **11 years**, my journey has been built on one mission: helping people and businesses become visible, tell their stories, and create lasting impact. What started as a passion for empowering others has grown into **Santana Global**, a multimedia publishing and branding company that serves authors, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, artists, and community leaders. Read more>>

Zaina Ihenacho-Hill

I am a Nigerian American entrepreneur, senior publicist, brand strategist, and the founder of Girl Com, a national organization created to support women of color in e-commerce and product-based businesses. I also serve as President of Girl Com Global Corporation, our 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm, which focuses on entrepreneurship education, leadership development, access to funding, retail readiness, global sourcing, and supply-chain opportunities. Read more>>