Phoenix’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.

 Curtis Dickman

Curtis Dickman, MD—renowned neurosurgeon turned celebrated visual artist—creates bold, innovative, and emotionally resonant works that engage both intellect and imagination. Dr. Dickman’s art reflects the same precision, curiosity, and creativity that defined his distinguished medical career. A world-recognized specialist in spinal neurosurgery, he was known for his surgical mastery, groundbreaking inventions, research contributions, and academic excellence. Read more>>

Michael Seib

I have been drawing and painting my whole life. I drew planes and animals and portraits of my friends as a youngster. When I was a journalist in central California I learned how to use the Adobe Suite to design ads and political cartoons and a lightbulb went off. I vectorized my drawings and paintings to be colored and manipulated digitally. Read more>>

Jim Porter

I grew up on Long Island in a middle class family that was very musical. I learned to play guitar by ear at the age of 6 or 7? I played in groups during my high school years and got married to my high school sweetheart. Read more>>

Courtney Semple

Petal and Clover was a passion project that began for the sole purpose of creating. We are a team of two who love and adore creativity as well as sustainability. We have combined both of these in an effort to create sustainable art! We thrift all of our base materials, and give these once loved items a new life. Read more>>

Elena Markelova

Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom enrolled me in art school when I was ten years old, and after years of studying different mediums, I completely fell in love with watercolor. When I moved to Canada from Siberia in 2012, I was amazed by the incredible wildlife and landscapes around me. Read more>>

Heather Hackett

I started my photography business about 15 years ago when, as a single mom and a teacher, I needed to find a second stream of income. Photography had always been something I loved. Growing up, my dad had a darkroom in our basement, so I was exposed to photography from a young age, and I later went on to major in fine arts in college. Read more>>

Katrina Foe

I had back pain in college as a dance major and was doing the pre-reqs to go to physical therapy school. It was Pilates that figured out the issue and resolved it and I was hooked. I got certified while still in college and opened my own studio when I returned home – 25 years ago. Pilates has kept me pain free through 7 pregnancies. Read more>>

Taunya Altamirano

My journey into the travel industry grew out of a deep, personal passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures, especially through food, wine, and shared connections. Read more>>

Felicia Rials

My story has never followed a straight path, but every chapter has taught me something that brought me to where I am today. I started my career in the beauty industry, eventually becoming a business owner and working as a hairstylist for more than a decade, including time in Los Angeles working alongside celebrity clientele. Read more>>

Michael Goodwin

I’ve lived in phoenix my whole life, and after attending arizona state university for graphic design, halfway through the program, I realized how miserable it was and took one welding class, and after that, I was a sculpture major. Read more>>

Meghna Thacker

I would love to share my journey of becoming a naturopathic doctor and building Feel Your Best Self Naturopathic Medicine. I grew up in Mumbai, India, and from an early age I was drawn to natural medicine and the idea of helping people heal from the inside out. Read more>>

Mae Linehan

I originally started sharing content because I was new to Arizona and genuinely wanted to experience everything this state had to offer. What started as simply documenting places I loved quickly grew into something much bigger. Read more>>

Rafael Paz

My journey started long before Paz Salsa officially became a business. Growing up, food was always at the center of our family. The recipes we still use today have been passed down through generations, and cooking became my way of bringing people together. Before becoming an entrepreneur, I spent years building a career in the corporate world. Read more>>

Kristin Kulpa

I started pickling 10 years ago this year! A decade of bold flavors and experimentation to get to the perfect blend of spices while adding new and fun flavors to my lineup. It began in a small apartment in San Diego when I was inspired by a local farmers market to attempt making my own pickles. Read more>>

Becca Bunch

I got my start in social media back in 2012, but I like to joke that my career really began in 2006 with my own custom-coded MySpace page! Shortly after college, I turned that early love for the platforms into Homemade Social. Read more>>

PJ Cardona

I’ve been a Certified Light Therapist specializing in InLight Therapy (the company) for 12 years now. I started my practice in Chicago and moved out to AZ about 6 years ago. I discovered light therapy because I was in pain and someone invited me to a seminar to learn about light therapy. I was thinking ‘this may help me, I’m excited to try it!’. Read more>>

Cielo Ortiz

My name is Cielo. Also known as Lowrider girl AZ or my friends call me low. I am 25 years old, born and raised in Arizona.married I am the oldest out of five siblings and I’m in college I started in the Lowrider scene as someone who was looking for a way to get out of the house. Read more>>

Lou Hunt

As a young woman I was extremely shy and insecure. Mostly I studied a lot and did art and my friends were much the same When I was 17 an older friend suggested I enter the local Miss America pageant because she had done so and told me it was a good experience. I thought if I could do that, I’d stop being so afraid. Read more>>

Amber Kuhn

My story really began long before I ever picked up a professional camera. As a little girl, I would sit for hours flipping through old family portraits, completely mesmerized. I wasn’t just looking at the images, I was searching for the story behind every shot. Who were they? What were they feeling? What moment in their life was frozen right there? Read more>>

Matty Malone

I am a local artist in Scottsdale Arizona where I manage a small fine arts school; in addition I have been pursuing my career as a painter and fine art educator. I was born and raised in the pacific northwest in a small town west of Seattle. Read more>>

Michele Robbins

My journey started as a Realtor when I was a young Mom and had a horrible experience buying a home. I made a vow to help others so they never had to go through those challenges or feel as alone and vulnerable as I had. Read more>>

Jennifer Johnson

I’m Jennifer Johnson, the founder and makeup artist behind Jeislay Makeup Artist, a beauty brand based in Arizona. I was born in California but raised in Arizona, and this community has always been home for me. Read more>>

Andela Rosson

It wasn’t until high school, after seeing a chiropractor and learning about my condition through X-rays, that I understood the source of my discomfort. This revelation sparked my journey into massage therapy. During my studies, I discovered the profound relief massage can bring, not only to myself but to others suffering from similar pain. Read more>>

Kacee Aguirre

Storytelling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories involve a stage, music, and the excitement of performing. I was blessed to grow up in a family where the arts were simply part of everyday life. Read more>>

Lacaya Naz

I’ve never really had a straight path to where I am now. I’ve always been creative and have found different ways to express myself, especially through writing. I became a published poet, but for a long time photography wasn’t something I imagined turning into a business. Read more>>

Malachy O’Neill

A huge part of my career was born in Phoenix. It’s where I was given opportunities to grow, experiment and work with some incredible people, and although Los Angeles is now my primary base, Phoenix has become a home from home and remains an important part of my professional life. I originally came into the industry through writing. Read more>>

Sarah Woodward

I taught special education before this, and I’ve always been the type looking for an outlet for my creativity, usually in the form of some wild business idea I’d talk myself into and out of. Balloons were the one that stuck. It started small, just decor for my own kids’ birthdays, and it turned into something I couldn’t stop thinking about. Arcadia Balloon Co. Read more>>

Kiarrah Holt

I am actively working on content creation on YouTube consistently every week. Building a platform that promotes how to improve your makeup or skincare routine with descriptions of each product. Showing you how to apply each product on to the skin plus blending each product to make a finished look you are ecstatic to share with your customers. Read more>>

Aidan Wilson

I discovered my passion for dance and hip hop at a very young age. Born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona, I started dancing when I was five years old. I trained in various styles of hip hop and joined my first dance crew when I was eight. Read more>>

Ashley Orellana

So this goes all the way back to fourth grade. My dad was a media director, and I used to sit behind him at his computer just mesmerized watching him build these digital projects. I remember thinking, ‘I want to do that.’ So I grabbed our family’s little point and shoot and just started shooting. Read more>>

Allyson Iverson-Cannon

Pastor David Iverson started nonprofit Extended Hands Food Bank in July 2004 located in Fountain Hills, AZ. In the beginning, we served only 20 families a month and we now serve over 550. We now have expanded to school pantries in the Fountain Hills schools. David’s granddaughter, Allyson Iverson-Cannon(pictured left), is now the Executive Director and will be named CEO/President in September 2026! Read more>>

Mario Nunez

It all started as I was the person that will always have a music Playlist ready on my iPod (at the time) to play at my friend’s reunions. One day one of those friends suggested me to be a DJ because she said I’ve always played ‘good music’. Read more>>

Erin Dragoo

I’ve done a little bit of everything before I made it here. I was one of those people who took forever to find my purpose. I went to Cosmetology School and did hair for a while. Then I went back to college and graduated with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I built websites and did social media strategies for a short time. Read more>>

Jeremy Lee Perry

I was born in Long Beach. A kid with big feelings, big dreams, and no map for how to hold either one. Life took me off track early. Choices I made. Choices that were made for me. Eventually I ended up in prison. Not just the physical kind. The kind you build inside your own head until you can’t see the sky anymore. Read more>>

Ty Schell

My journey in the power washing industry started in 2008 when I was 23 years old. At the time, I was working as a bellman and trying to figure out what I wanted to build for myself. One day, I saw someone pressure washing a pool deck, and something about it immediately clicked. I saw an opportunity. Read more>>

Veianya Hansen

Its not really a cut and dry kind of story. One thing led to another, that led to another. But long story short. My adult daughter and I lived together in Shkoder, Albania. While there, we started a resale and gift shop. Life happened and we ended up abruptly back in the states. But wanted to keep some of Shkoder with us. Read more>>

Jenn McMillan

I’m a classically trained singer and musician, and I’ve been performing for most of my life. I studied Vocal Performance at the University of Michigan and spent years after graduating teaching voice and piano, performing, writing music, and trying to figure out where exactly I fit in the music industry. Read more>>

Ben Burt

I got my start in the Handyman/Contracting business in 2021 because I recognized a positive correlation between the influx of people moving to Arizona and the demand for homeowners and businesses needing reliable contracting work. Read more>>

Chris Arpad

My attention to the mechanics of events began back in college circa 1985, when I was booking my first band, Stainless Steel. I completely shared my bandmates’ passion for being part of an original, creative project and showcasing our own music. But as we played a wide variety of settings, I had a realization: not every show is a showcase for original music. Read more>>