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.
Seri Lopez
I have had a love of baking and cooking since I was young. Starting with my Suzie Bake Oven, through High School with Home Economics and then alongside my full-time positions working in the executive world of education and environmental engineering, I decided to become a Pampered Chef Consultant and Director going into people’s homes cooking for them and selling kitchen tools. Read more>>
Megan Caldwell
The truth is, I never thought of being a florist growing up. I was simply a fourteen year old girl that needed to find a job. I knew that with my young age, options were going to be limited. This is how I ended up job hunting in downtown Los Gatos, California. Read more>>
Bonny Koeber
I worked as an Anesthesiologist for over 30 years in Texas. I retired in 2019 after the unexpected death of my husband from a heart attack. I moved to Oregon in 2020 to volunteer for my spiritual teacher Gangaji. Her Husband Eli Jaxon-Bear invited me to be part of The Leela Psilocybin Facilitation School which started in January of 2023. Read more>>
Max (Maxwell) Husbands
After graduating from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a background in film production and journalism, I started Maxwell Media Production, a real estate photo and video business here in Central Oregon. Through that work, I had the opportunity to help agents, homeowners, business owners, and developers tell the story of their properties through photography, video, drone work, floor plans, and marketing content. Read more>>
Candy Yiu
My journey to The Turning Peel is not a typical restaurant story. I grew up in Hong Kong in a family of seven, sharing a tiny 100-square-foot home. My parents never had the opportunity to attend school, and from a young age I learned the value of hard work, resourcefulness, and perseverance. Read more>>
Andrew Loomis
I was the first person in my family to get a college degree. In doing so, I decided to get an education in areas that interested me rather than ones that would just lead to a job. I earned degrees in English and Fine Arts. Read more>>
Jeana Bingaman
White Barn Estate’s story really begins in 1864, when the property was first homesteaded. Growing up, this place held an almost mythical quality in our community — it was the dream property everyone admired, known for its immaculate grounds, gorgeous flowers, a classic farmhouse, and of course, the big white barn that gives our venue its name. Read more>>
Alisha Pallotta
My journey into interior design began behind the lens of a camera. As a photographer, I learned that light is never just illumination—it is emotion. It shapes the way we perceive a subject, directs our attention, influences color, and quietly tells our brain how to feel before we consciously recognize it. Read more>>
Hien Nguyen
I moved to the US in Sept 2024, to Astoria because my husband lives and works here. Soon i realized this little town didn’t have big Asian community. Some days i craved for a good bowl of pho but it was hard to find. Read more>>
Laura Spawn
My WordPress journey began 17 years ago with my first personal website, where a natural curiosity quickly turned into a deep enjoyment and desire to learn how to use WordPress. Read more>>
Emma & Chris Leyden
We started in a food truck of the same name: Feast Food Company, in March of 2021. We wanted to test the market for our style of food, see what the Redmond demographics were really looking for in food options. We were lucky enough to find the building we’re currently in now, in August of 2022. Read more>>
Zach Hevner
I grew up in a small farming and ranching community in eastern Oregon. Growing up on a farm teaches you a lot—hard work, accountability, and how to solve problems with your own hands. If something broke, you fixed it. If someone needed help, you showed up. Those lessons have stayed with me my entire life. Read more>>
Mike Maddux
My journey is defined by a commitment to service, continuous self-improvement, and building a foundation for my family. It began with my service in the United States Marine Corps. That experience instilled in me a discipline and a ‘mission-first’ mentality that has remained the bedrock of everything I do. Read more>>
Kara Addington
With a degree in Theatre Arts, I had been living as an actor for 14 years when the 2020 pandemic hit Los Angeles. The industry shut down and shows were cancelled. And while we struggled as artists to remain connected through Zoom, we still had to pay Hollywood rent. So, I left. I left my friends, my home and what was left of my career. Read more>>
Tim Taylor
Chris Diamond and I met at the University of Oregon, where we both developed a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. After graduation, we took different paths. Chris helped his uncle open and operate a restaurant in San Francisco before managing restaurants himself, while I worked in finance, consulting, and sales training. Read more>>
Steve Miller
About 15 years ago, I decided to make a video game. That had to take a backseat to caring for an elderly parent. As time passed, and more tools became accessible to Indie Game Developers, I decided it was time to rekindle my passion for games, and I founded Chasing Windmills Games. Read more>>
Ashley Johnson
Rebuilding Connection, One Relationship at a Time I didn’t take a straight path to becoming a therapist or a business owner. Before opening my private practice, I spent years working in community mental health, crisis services, and substance use treatment, eventually moving into leadership and clinical supervision roles. Read more>>
Mark Francis
I am a product and company builder with an expertise in emerging technologies, aging services, and healthcare. My journey began as I worked as a care manager for older adults in my early twenties and then served as a program manager for the Boston Area Agency on Aging. Read more>>
Timothy Thomas
American Song-Writer, Performer, Rapper All Cash Playa from Clarksdale, Mississippi born and raised. I started entertaining at the young age of 9. I had a opportunity to perform in elementary school at a talent show and I got a standing ovation after singing Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmond song ‘Whip Appeal’. Read more>>
Tory Massey
My passion for photography started at a young age. There was never a time in middle school that I didn’t have a disposable camera on me capturing those around me! That love for photography carried on for years as a hobby. Mostly taking a back stage to a 9-5 in my adult years but that itch, that passion for photography never subsided. Read more>>
Amanda Herbert
I definitely see things differently than most people and I have a compulsion to go over the top with most aspects of my life. When glitter is an option make sure it is also UV reactive. I was raised in a strict religious home and diversity was frowned upon by my family. Read more>>
Russell McClanan
I grew up in Virginia Beach. I got my first surfboard when I was 7 years old and I made my first surfboard when I was 15. I competed in my first contest when I was 10 and I won my first contest when I was 15. My favorite place to surf on the East Coast is Rodanthe. Read more>>
Emmah Morgan
My love for photography began during a study abroad trip to Ecuador while attending Colorado State University. I was pursuing a degree in Fisheries Conservation. I carried my first camera with me everywhere; capturing frogs, turtles, and all the incredible wildlife the Amazon Rainforest had to offer. Read more>>
Peter Kessinger
I grew up on the farm and watched the business grow after my father, Jim Kessinger, started it in 1998. Every year, he and his team added new activities, expanded the farm, and looked for ways to make the experience even better for our guests. I spent my summers and fall weekends doing my part to help make the business successful. Read more>>
Ryan Clark
I started primarily because I wanted to imitate what I thought at the time was a cool jumping karate kick from a commercial I had seen on television as a kid. Over time, as I got older, grew more in the art, and achieved greater skills and rank, something inside of me made me want a black belt, and that propelled me forward. Read more>>
Maressica Iconi
I started my journey into massage therapy in 2021 when I made the decision to change my career path. In 2019 I decided to move out on my own and stop going to college. This decision lead me to start working long hours and multiple jobs just to keep myself afloat. Read more>>
Amanda Fredrickson
I grew up in a family of healthcare workers, so helping others was always part of my world. As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved all things related to food—from gardening and cooking to simply enjoying a good meal. Looking back, nutrition feels like a natural intersection of those two interests. Read more>>
Kelsi Roth
Life has been a blending of blessings and struggle! I’ve always been anxious and depressed — I was 8 years old writing poetry about suicide. The last few years of self-discovery and having labels to finally explain what society deemed ‘wrong’ with me blew my life wide open! Read more>>
Kristi Ventress
FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE, THEN COMES REAL ESTATE AND A BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE… At the age of 20 years old I found the love of Real Estate and the love of my first born child. Read more>>
