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.

Robyn Adair

I began my business as an equine photographer, photographing horse shows across the Midwest, creating equine portraits, and shooting for national publications like Horse Illustrated, Equus, and The Chronicle of the Horse. I was a single parent, and I’m grateful to my parents for watching my daughter while I traveled. Read more>>

Charlene Goddard

Writing was my way of expressing myself even when I could not find the verbal words to do so. As a child, I would create my own short stories and illustrations in my diary and on the computer. This was my outlet. Writing continues to be a major part of my life. I am a Writing Arts professor and I love what I do! Read more>>

Alphonso Harris

During the Covid pandemic I wanted to create a safe space for people just like me, A place where their voices can be heard and be able to be themselves and be free. Read more>>

DeKayla Jenkins

I started doing hair in 2019 while attending Clayton State University. I remember a friend of my roommate asking me to wash and restore her wig because they were getting ready to go out to a party. I had the bright idea to set up my camera and record the transformation. I posted it on my Instagram, and it’s been up ever since. Read more>>

Kaylee Nicole Johnson

I decided I wanted to be an actor when I was three years old. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I knew what being an actor meant at that age, but somehow I knew it was what I wanted to do. In kindergarten, I told my teacher, Mrs. Read more>>

Jennifer Hoppins

My journey has not followed a neat, linear path. It has been shaped by professional reinvention, profound personal loss, and a growing conviction that achievement should not come at the cost of our health, spirit, or sense of self. Read more>>

Shay Weeden

This journey started in 2016 when I got my first makeup palette and it was a huda beauty rose gold palette . I found a love for makeup prior from YouTube makeup compilation . Seeing those girls do makeup was a dream I wanted to achieve. Read more>>

Kaneii Evans

My sense of fashion had started at my first anime convention. Seeing all the creativity of the community and their commitment to bring their characters to reality. I had stop and think to myself, ‘why only limit my creativity here?’, and I started to explore concepts to wear as everyday fashion. Read more>>

Kay Dee

My journey into the beauty industry started when I was about 14 years old, but in many ways, it started before I ever picked up a comb. My mother was the neighborhood and family braider, and watching her is where my interest in hair first began. Before long, I was doing hair myself. Read more>>

Ayshia Hancock

My story is a comeback story I would say based on what I called middle life. I married young had my kids young and the devotion to my husband and children was everything for me. It was my world. Then life came to crashing all the kids graduated school and moved off to their respective schools. Read more>>

Sayquon Keys

After completing a successful career as a professional dancer and international dance instructor, I decided to move to ATLANTA to share my expertise. I moved from LA to ATL in 2019 and thus began my journey with DREAMWORLD, my dance agency!!!! So while staying focused on Creative Direction, Choreography, and the Agency I’ve built a network of amazing dancers here in ATL. Read more>>

Chinua Hawk

My story starts at Friendship Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey. I was five years old when I started singing there, and I was so shy. I was terrified to sing lead. But I loved music from the very beginning, and that never went away. Those early years shaped everything about me as a singer. Read more>>

Alaysia Mitchell

I actually started out as a basketball player, from high school all the way through college. A lot of people don’t know that about me. While I was playing, I would constantly hear people tell me that I should model because of my height and appearance, but at the time, I was completely focused on basketball. Read more>>

Jordan Malone

I’ve always had a love for a personal mythology. Once I began to find meaning in the way I want to live my life, I realized I desired to manifest that meaning into art, because it fulfills me. Read more>>

Lauryn Mott

My journey in beauty started at a young age. I spent hours binge watching hair and makeup tutorials on YouTube, playing with mannequin heads, and watching beauty related movies like Beauty Shop and shows like America’s Next Top Model. I especially loved the makeover episodes! Over time, that childhood interest grew into a genuine love for hair, makeup, and helping women feel good about themselves. Read more>>

Millicent Dwyer

I’ve loved art my whole life and was always drawing, painting, or making something. I went to the Savannah College of Art and Design for painting and minored in sculpture. I originally thought I’d become a portrait painter, but once I got into sculpture, I fell in love with creating things with my hands and the whole process behind it. Read more>>

Dana Zarowny

I worked downtown in the oil and gas industry for years, and photography started as a hobby while I was working full-time. Over time, I started taking it more seriously and eventually decided to pursue it as my career. I now run Dana Zarowny Photography in the Alberta foothills. I photograph everything from portraits and personal branding to horses and fine art. Read more>>

Brice Harkness

I started doing nails during COVID while I was still in high school. At the time, I was always considered a scholar—I graduated with a 3.8 GPA and had dreams of becoming either a children’s book illustrator or a therapist. But when COVID hit, I watched as people’s livelihoods were stripped away and the entire world seemingly came to a stop. Read more>>

Jenna Watson

I think creativity and art have always been a part of my life in some way. The first time I knew that might cause trouble was in the second grade, when my teacher chastised me for scrawling drawings in the margins of whatever assignment we were supposed to be doing. Read more>>

Alyssa Abernathy

I’m a Southeast Queens native whose journey has been shaped by faith, resilience, and service. After becoming a teenage mother, leaving high school, and experiencing homelessness, I returned to school and earned my bachelor’s degree and Master of Social Work. Today, I’m a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Grief Counselor, and doctoral student at Tulane University. Read more>>

Madelyn Gordon

Gordon Social really started from a mix of curiosity, creativity, and noticing a gap that I felt like I could fill. Read more>>

Hayden Levine

Like most artists, there was a consistent and sometimes quiet theme and hobby of sketching and playing with my creative side since I was a child. Growing up I never truly understood that an art/painting career was possible, despite having two parents who were entrepreneurs in both the music industry and photography. Read more>>

Corey Elliott

I started my career in the furniture industry in 2001, working in the warehouse. From there, I learned every side of the business firsthand. I moved from the warehouse to furniture delivery, then into sales, and eventually worked my way up to store manager. Read more>>

Jenesis Miller

My name is Jenesis and I’m a singer , songwriter and multi-hyphenate artist. I love expressing myself through artistic mediums ,it’s where I feel I belong . My start in music ? For as long as I can remember music has been my first language. I sang in church in my adolescence and in school talent shows and assemblies . Read more>>

Danielle “D’Rei” or “D” Reid

My journey began with a genuine passion for helping people feel confident and beautiful. I’ve always been drawn to the beauty industry, but over time, I realized my purpose extended beyond creating a great look—I wanted to provide an experience that made every client feel seen, cared for, and empowered. Read more>>

Lai Wei

My name is Lai Wei, and I am a freelance illustrator from China. I completed my undergraduate studies in San Francisco and later earned my graduate degree in illustration at SCAD’s Atlanta campus. Illustration has been a lifelong passion of mine. Read more>>

Alan Flurry

A writer and filmmaker, I spent the better part of twenty years in higher educations communications – speech writing, research and science communications, crisis communications large and small, and media relations. The work naturally opened up onto opportunities for video and documentary filmmaking. I produced and directed dozens of short interview videos and two documentaries filmed in Italy. Read more>>

Eddie Kim

My story has been a journey of discovery, a journey of trials & tribulations. Growing up in Atlanta I quickly became a product of my environment, lost & troubled I spent a lot of time doing the wrong things from selling drugs & being involved in gang culture. Read more>>

Carmolina Da Lomba

I grew up watching my mother singing and recording. She converted one of the bedrooms in our house as her studio. I use to put on her headphones and sing while she was recording. I loved all her pretty dresses and the red lipstick she wore. Was always excited when she left home with her band to go sing in shows. Read more>>

Jabrell Roland

For some reason, I always knew that I wanted to work in music and entertainment. When I was little I remember watching the short films that Michael Jackson made dancing to his own music, moving like he was the master of his own universe. Read more>>

Maasai Dream Foundation (MDF)

The Maasai Dream Foundation was born out of a simple, powerful truth: those who live the challenges are best equipped to build the solutions. As a grassroots organization rooted in Arusha, Tanzania, our foundation was started by members of the Maasai community who grew up right here in these villages. We didn’t have to guess at the struggles facing our people—we lived them every day. Read more>>

DJ Donn

Well, my story is a bit longer than I care to tell. But I basically started my DJ journey around 2017, DJing for friends parties back in Dallas (TX) and a couple weddings. At the time, it was just more of a hobby/side hustle, I was really pursuing a music career under the name ‘Donn Chii’. Read more>>

Muse&Manes LLC

Muse&Manes really grew out of a journey that wasn’t linear at all. Originally from Connecticut, the journey began with earning a bachelor’s degree in Psychology before moving to Atlanta to pursue cosmetology professionally. That transition came with its own challenges, including premature dismissal from the first cosmetology school attended. Read more>>

Jayden Arria

My story truly begins as a little kid. Growing up, just like a lot of kids my age, I wanted to be a YouTuber. I was constantly recording things around me, whether that be family events or forcing my friends to do some kind of challenge video. Later on in high school I discovered an elective class called Audio and Visual Tech. Read more>>

Emma Eady

I can hardly remember a time where I was not making art or working on something with my hands. My favorite class in school was art; I loved it so much that I would participate in local art camps over the summer. However, my passion for art became my desired career and future when I got really into anime around 10 years old. Read more>>

Komfort Kollection

Komfort Kollection was created around the idea: luxury should feel as good as it looks. The brand began and continues with handmade, all-natural candles designed to bring together elevated fragrance, clean aesthetics, and everyday comfort. From the beginning, Komfort Kollection was developed as more than a traditional candle brand. Its strongest differentiator is the combination of luxury, comfort, and a highly intentional customer experience. Read more>>

Brian Moote

I grew up on a farm on Whidbey Island, WA. I went to college to play basketball at the University of La Verne. I got a degree in psychology and education. Moved back to Seattle and started teaching in special education. I started doing open mics and touring as a comedian while subbing as a teacher. Read more>>

Clifford Williams

Since i was younger I always had a creative eye for art and fashion. I always thought about being an artist or doing something in the creative realm. I saw an infomercial for an art school that would send you a pamphlet to test your art skills. I begged my mother to for weeks for the shipping and handling fee to order a test. Read more>>

Sisa Quispe

I was born and raised in Peru, in a small city called Tacna, in a family of Quechua and Aymara heritage. Storytelling was always part of my life, even before I understood that filmmaking could become the way I expressed myself. Read more>>

Joe Ayinde

Joe Ayindé is a truth-teller shaped by faith, fatherhood, and a relentless belief in reinvention. A preacher’s kid who grew up surrounded by rhythm and reverence, he learned early how powerful a voice could be and how words could heal, confront, or set someone free. Joe’s path became one of sharp turns, quiet storms, and self-discovery. Read more>>

Cristofer Alvarez

My story really started in Colombia, where I was born, but Atlanta has been home for most of my life. I moved here when I was young, and growing up in Atlanta shaped a lot of who I am today. I was introduced to music through church when I was around six or seven years old. Read more>>

Geneva Gee

My connection started when I was around 14 My mother would make sure I listened to the clean versions of songs, and whenever words were edited out, I found myself filling in the blanks. That curiosity sparked something in me. From there, music became more than something I listened to—it became something I wanted to create and be a part of. Read more>>

Dezene Thompson

I was born in St. Ann, Jamaica, and spent the first part of my childhood in St. Mary, where I was raised by my grandmother until I was about 10 years old. I then moved to St. Ann to live with my mother. I attended Steer Town Primary and Junior High School and later graduated from Ocho Rios High School. Read more>>

Hanna Kemp

Thank you for having me! It’s nice to finally be telling this story from Atlanta. I’m from a small town called Perry in the middle of Georgia, where I grew up homeschooled with my three brothers. Now I’m a full-time actor. My parents were local rock drummers (and are again today) who competed against each other in the “Battle of the Bands” in the ’80s. Read more>>

RedRooster Technologies Inc Mike Westbrooks and Ron VanPelt

RedRooster Technologies started with an idea, but not a technical team. We wanted to build Smeegle, a software recruiting platform designed to help college students connect with opportunities. We believed in the idea enough to take it from pitch competition to pitch competition, and we were fortunate enough to win a few along the way. Read more>>

Tianni Jones

I started ReviewsByTianni last year by simply posting free promotions for small businesses. I wanted to give brands an opportunity to get their products in front of new people, and before I knew it, my content had reached over 250,000 views. As I continued working with small businesses, I started noticing a gap. Read more>>

Daniil Markitan

I started photography about nine years ago, when I entered university in Ukraine to study film and cinema. Creativity had always been a big part of my life — I had graduated from art school in my hometown before that — but photography quickly became something I connected with on a completely different level. About six months into university, I started building my portfolio. Read more>>

Charles Shima

My story starts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I was born, and Rwanda, where I grew up. At 19, I moved to Canada in 1997 and began building a new life. I spent 17 years in finance, including seven years at RBC and later working with CMHC. But eventually, I realized I wanted to build something of my own. Read more>>

Leila Nabavi

When I got accepted to my graduate program, Dominican University of California’s Physician Assistant Studies program, I created an Instagram account to serve as a ‘digital scrapbook’ for my friends and family to watch my journey. Quickly, other PAs and future PA students began to follow along on my journey. Read more>>

Shontell Stephenson

Honestly, my story is really about me just taking the things I love and finally believing in myself enough to actually do something with them. I’ve always been somebody who loves making people feel good, whether that’s through beauty, food, or just bringing people together. Read more>>

Kat Zempolich

Morgan’s Message started out of an unimaginable loss. In July 2019, we lost my friend and Duke lacrosse teammate, Morgan Rodgers, to suicide. In the aftermath, her family, friends, and teammates came together with a shared desire to make sure other student-athletes didn’t feel as alone as Morgan had felt. Read more>>

Amber Jewel

My journey into modeling and dancing began at just 12 years old. What started as a passion for creative expression eventually became something much greater—a way to tell my story, embrace my individuality, and turn life’s challenges into motivation. At 16, my world changed forever when I lost my mother. Read more>>

Mikaya

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had a strong love for writing and the arts. I always had a passion for fashion, acting, and music. I started out in creative writing classes while in school, and loved writing poetry. Later on, as I got older, I combined my love for writing, poetry, and music, and turned it into rap. Read more>>

Gabrielle Jones

Gabby’s Cookies started on September 5, 2025, as a hobby that quickly grew into a passion and a small business. I began baking homemade cookies for family and friends, and as more people tried them, I started receiving orders and realizing there was an opportunity to turn something I loved into a real business. Read more>>

Alphonso Meadows

Growing up, my parents never placed limits on what I could do or who I could become. They gave me the freedom to discover my gifts, and I realized pretty early that those gifts weren’t confined to just one area. I found myself drawn to business, music, administration, sales, leadership, public speaking, and eventually entrepreneurship and content creation. Read more>>

Scott Swope

Scott Swope is an American actor whose path to the screen was forged through years of discipline, leadership, and high-level competition. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Swope built his foundation in athletics before transitioning into coaching, national defense work, and ultimately film and television. Read more>>

Roq Mitchell

My journey has taken a few different turns, but each experience has helped shape the person and professional I am today. I started out in pest control, working alongside my father from an early age. He spent more than 40 years in the industry before starting his own company around 2003, and that business is still operating today. Read more>>