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.

Ashton Charles

My name is Ashton, and I’m known as The Sunflower King. People call me Sunflower. You can call me whichever you like. As long as it’s spoken in Love, I will respond to it. I grew up as a ‘gifted’ kid, and all the tropes that come with it. Read more>>

Lucee Santini

I started MomJunky in 2013 as a creative outlet and a way to share the things that mattered most to me as a mother. What began as a small parenting and lifestyle blog gradually grew into a space where I could write about family travel, food, beauty, parenting, and real-life experiences. Read more>>

Sujata Kumari

Hi, I am Sujata Kumari. Thanks so much for this interview. I’m excited for this interview with you. I am a certified psychotherapist who helps people move past burnout. I offer all types of regressions, wombology, and chronic stress to reclaim their well-being and many more. My journey didn’t start in a classroom; it started at home. Read more>>

Debra Boblitt

I started my career journey in education and after the first year, I knew if was the wrong career for me. I received a call from a manager at State Farm who had seen my resume at the university and wanted to have lunch and discuss a business opportunity. As soon as we met and I reviewed the potential, I knew I was interested. Read more>>

Angel Murchison

Mommies Minis Cupcakes was started with a passion for sharing my love of cupcakes with others. My grandmother taught me how to bake before I could even cook at a very young age. She taught me that if you bake with love, the joy will always be felt by others through your desserts. My love for mini cupcakes came from convenience and visual appeal. Read more>>

Julie Diebolt Price

As a fledgling ballerina growing up in the Midwest, I dreamed of seeing the world. When I missed an opportunity to tour Japan because I couldn’t get a leave of absence from my job, I had an epiphany. At 25, I realized we create our own opportunities. If I wanted a different life, I had to make it happen. So I did. Read more>>

Shyla Collier

As an Arizona native, I started working at a young age and learned early on the importance of hard work, creativity, and building genuine relationships. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Photography from Northern Arizona University in 2008 and have built a career through internships, business ownership, hands-on marketing experience, teaching, and becoming an Amazon best-selling author. Read more>>

Jackie Brink

Early in my career, I worked in union film and television in costuming. That experience taught me to work creatively under pressure, with limited resources and within a collaborative environment. It also deepened my understanding of how objects, clothing, identity, and story can communicate things that words cannot. Read more>>

S.K. Patrick

My journey has been shaped by a passion for communications, sports, education, and helping others. I started my career in banking, where I developed a strong understanding of financial literacy and the importance of educating people about money. That experience eventually inspired me to write children’s books that introduce young readers to banking and financial concepts in a fun and relatable way. Read more>>

Emmy Lunt

Before I jump into my career, I always like to give credit to my parents because they really shaped the way I approach business. One lesson they instilled in me from a young age was the value of hard work. Their motto was always, “Work hard. Read more>>

Wesclay Sardinha

I started working with wheels over 20 years ago in New York City. A friend invited me to try out at his shop, and as someone who’s always been creative and passionate about cars, I figured it might be the perfect fit. The beginning wasn’t easy, the learning curve was steep, the weather was brutal, and there were plenty of challenges along the way. Read more>>

Kimberly Campbell

I’ve always been someone who is interested in people. I’m curious about what shapes us, how we understand ourselves, how we connect with one another, and what helps us become more of who we are. Read more>>

Gilbert Tellez

Hair, makeup and fashion has always been something I’ve been interested in, working retail and watching shows like America’s Next Top Model sparked my interest more. The Beauty and Fashion Industries had to take a back burner as I was raising a family. I took a 9 to 5 job working for the Superior Court. Read more>>

Mikayla Brown

**My Journey Behind the Camera** Hello, everyone, My name is Mikayla Brown, and I am a professional freelance photographer and videographer. I have been involved in the visual arts for nearly seven years, and when I reflect on the journey that brought me here, it still amazes me. My passion began when I was 16 years old and enrolled in my first photography class. Read more>>

Carolina Podkin

I started photography back when I was in high school (sophomore year), picked it up as a hobby taking pictures of my sister and now brother-in-law since they were dating. I was their ‘photographer’ everywhere we went. Got more serious with it my Senior year (2010-2011) and so my father gifted me my first professional camera (2011), a Canon Eos Rebel xsi. Read more>>

Dalia Barrios

I’ve been in the fitness world for over 15 years, which is honestly crazy to say out loud! I was born in Mexico, grew up in Arizona, and this career has taken me from AZ to teaching in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and now somehow full circle back home. For me, fitness has always been about SO much more than the workout. Read more>>

EMPUT aka Emily Lopez

Growing up, my dad was a DJ for events like weddings and quinceañeras in my home town of Yuma, AZ. That was my first exposure to mixing music and EDM. At the time, I never thought that was something I could potentially get into myself. However, as I moved away to college, my personal rave/EDM career began. Read more>>

Angel Ruiz

My filmmaking journey kind of started by accident. Since I was a small child, my dream was to become a comic book artist, which was my goal until 2002, when I was offered a video editor position at my job. Read more>>

Dana Maciag

In 2018 it was my daughter’s 10th birthday. I knew I wanted to make it extra special being the over the top party mom that I am. I knew she was going to have a sleepover with 9 of her closest friends. So I started googling ideas and these teepee tents kept popping up. Read more>>

Molly Burkett

I started reading tarot cards at friends request in 2011 and it snowballed into parties and then a gig at Catland Books in Brooklyn. Major press followed and my practice evolved in the wellness space into mastering reiki energy healing, certifications in yoga, and getting ordained in interfaith ministry. Read more>>

Sam Savat

I’m a wedding photographer based in Arizona, and most of my year happens somewhere else. Italy, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, Patagonia. Wherever my couples are getting married, that’s where I end up. I didn’t grow up planning on this. Photography started as something I was pulled toward before I could really explain why. I liked being the person paying attention. Read more>>

Katie Hopp

I started to take an interest in photography at a young age. Starting with disposable cameras and one of my favorite gifts, a poloroid. To capture a moment in time was so magical to me as a kid and as I grew old and learned how to manipulate lighting and subjects I really grew interested in the art of photography. Read more>>

PJ Bidwell

I grew up in Yuma, Arizona, and have spent most of my life in Southern Arizona. Music and songwriting have always been a big part of who I am, but my path into doing it seriously wasn’t especially linear. Read more>>

Philip Carnevale

I’ve always been fascinated by cameras and the outdoors, especially the old-fashioned way of doing things—getting outside, learning by doing, and creating something with your own hands. But it wasn’t until I met my amazing wife, Natalia, and had her support and encouragement that I really started to see how those passions could become a career. Read more>>

Michelle Castillo

When I was in 6th grade, I bought my first 36mm camera with prize money I earned selling magazines for a school fundraiser. I fell in love with portrait photography and always had a camera in my hand, but didn’t think it would ever become a career. Read more>>

Mauriah Hilton

I started doing nails just as hobby while bored in college in 2019, it was something fun to do but I never intended it to become my career. COVID happened and kind of turned my world around. I realized that when you have a trade it can never be taken away from you. I started to take nails more seriously and enrolled in nail school. Read more>>

Angela Zancanaro

I’ve always been an artist and designer, but my path to creating Oceza wasn’t exactly a straight line. I studied art in San Francisco before eventually moving to Baja California Sur, Mexico, where I started a small jewelry business and sold my work at local farmers markets. Living in Baja completely changed my relationship with the ocean. Read more>>

Marci Symington

I was raised in Texas, San Antonio to be exact, and moved to Arizona for graduate school, where I met a cute boy and stayed. Thirty years and three kids later, I still call this beautiful desert home. I began my career as a CPA, but quickly realized that cubicle life wasn’t for me. Read more>>

Denise Yaghmourian

I was born in New York, but my family moved to Arizona when I was a child, so I really consider Arizona home. Growing up here had a huge influence on the way I see the world. I was always drawn to nature, exploring, collecting things, and making things with my hands. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents. Read more>>

Darrell Carter

I’ve been writing or preforming music since the age of 16. As a ghostwriter and artist I’ve been able to understand music and the different stages. I have a very unique outlook on life and the pain that comes with it. I catalog and turn my pain into music. I work with many artists of all genres producers as well. Read more>>

Star Martin

My path into skincare and aesthetics wasn’t exactly traditional, but it was very intentional. Before The Craft Skin Bar, I spent nearly 15+ years working in marketing. I genuinely loved the creative side of that career, but after my last pregnancy, I found myself at a point where I had to take a hard look at what I was doing with my life. Read more>>

Ryan Grovey

My journey started while I was in college. At the time, my father was helping pay for my education, and I thought I had a pretty clear idea of the direction my life was going. Unfortunately, my father passed away, and that loss changed a lot for me. Read more>>

Sheri Lopez

My name is Sheri Lopez, and I am a survivor of human trafficking. Growing up, I was a typical teenager, I like listening to music, dancing and hanging out with my small group of friends that I worked hard to make in middle school. Being a naturally shy teen, it was hard for me to step out and make friends. At 15, I feared rejection. Read more>>

Kirk Voclain

Photography has been part of my life for so long that I honestly have a hard time remembering who I was before I had a camera in my hands. I was born in Houma, Louisiana, on the Fourth of July in 1962, and my story as a photographer began when I was about eight years old. Read more>>

Ellevan Music

I’ve spent most of my career finding unconventional ways to build a life around music, creativity and live performance. I started as an independent artist and songwriter, but pretty quickly realized I was just as interested in creating experiences and finding new ways for music to reach people. Read more>>

Virginia Almeraz

I started this business without ever imagining what it would eventually become. It began as a small cleaning company while I was working as a mitigation technician for a restoration company. That experience taught me a great deal about restoration, property damage, and what it takes to bring a home back to life. Read more>>

Elizabeth Urabe

I was born innately knowing that I was here to accomplish something great, unprecedented, of a magnitude previously unknown by humankind. I am here on the planet to awaken, heal, and transform/reintegrate old energies. I am REAL. No BS. No games. The attached photo is, obviously, not a professional headshot. Read more>>

Gene Ladell

My journey has always been rooted in music. I started as an independent artist and producer, eventually becoming an audio engineer and earning an Audio Engineering degree and Avid Pro Tools certification. I’ve had the opportunity to open for artists like Snoop Dogg, Waka Flocka Flame, and Dave East while continuing to build my own career and sound. Read more>>

Kennedy Smith

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a little girl, I started a cherry limeade stand in my childhood neighborhood with my sister. We did research to figure out the busiest corners of the neighborhood, and sold cherry limeade instead of your typical lemonade to distinguish ourselves. Read more>>

Ashley Burnam

Getting to where I am now has been quite the adventure! I started my first small business as a protein cookie and lactation cookie company when I was a new mom. The Cookie Bar Queen was my project, and pretty much identity, from 2017-2025. I attended trade shows, farmers markets, and dipped my toes into wholesale. Read more>>

Amina Akhtar

I’m a former fashion editor from New York. I helped launch the Cut for NYmag, worked for Elle, Vogue, etc. After losing my mom to pancreatic cancer and getting laid off, I started writing fiction. I wrote a wild, slightly unhinged thriller set in the fashion world called Fashion Victim. Read more>>

Jeanna Allen

My love for the beauty industry really started when I was a little girl, and I can trace so much of it back to both of my grandmothers. My mom’s mom went to the salon every single week. Whether it was for a color touch-up, a fresh curl set, a perm, or her nails, I always wanted to go with her. Read more>>

Joshua Hendon

My name is Joshua “Josh” Hendon, and I have been fascinated by machinery for as long as I can remember. Growing up on a farm in West Texas, I was surrounded by equipment, engines and things that constantly needed to be maintained or repaired. I was especially interested in anything with the potential to go fast. Read more>>

Jacqueline lauko

I started out as a board member of the Coastal Therapeutic Riding Program in college. Helping a therapeutic riding program wasn’t enough for me, so I went on to get my master’s degree in counseling so I could go a step further. Read more>>

Ariel Graves-Wake

I was born in Detroit but moved to Phoenix early in my childhood. I ended up staying in Arizona for grade school and college, which is where I discovered my passion for interior design. Funny enough, interior design wasn’t actually my original plan; I was initially studying cinematography. I guess you could say I was always destined to end up in a creative field. Read more>>

 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>>