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.
Brenna Cook
Overall I have been very lucky with the growth of my business. One of the hardest challenges was choosing to finally go from a gig on the side to this being my full time job. It took a few weddings and some time to believe that this could be a career that I could sustain. I found that when I finally made the call to put all my focus into my business is when it truly started to grow. The only thing I would change is taking the leap sooner. Read More>>
Thomas Cover
Visual Arts is a field in which raw materials, including art supplies framing materials and space to create, as well as talented professional artists, represent a substantial investment. Add to this, the fact that we are competing against very large National and International suppliers of wall art geared toward Interior Design, and you can appreciate what is probably our biggest challenge. We have been successful generating sufficient income to keep our business running and provide rewarding careers for our artists, but we don’t see an over-abundance of financial security. This said, we are content having committed ourselves to bringing a substantial fluid stream of revenue into our home city, Knoxville Tennessee, from the many affluent cities and communities in surrounding states, while at the same time building the names and careers of our artists. Read More>>
Clancy Phillips
I definitely got some strange looks and had a few people say that my pursuing Design as a major was a fancy way of saying “would you like fries with that” but chose to ignore them. I knew they had no idea the impact design had on our everyday lives! I started freelancing around my Junior/Senior year of college, which is something I continue to do to this day and landed a job with Josie’s Boutique right out of college. I continue to learn new things every day and am continuing to expand my offerings with my freelance business. I can honestly say I love Graphic Design and every time I working on a new design it never feels like “work”. Read More>>
Sarah Keyes
As I took some time going back and forth with the idea, my sister and brother-in-law asked if I could take their Pregnancy Announcement photos back in the Fall of 2022. It was such an exciting time and I was so honored they wanted me to be the one to capture those moments for them! Seeing and photographing the pure excitement and joy on their faces in this new chapter of their lives was something really special. I think that’s what first sparked my love of candid photography. Read More>>
Emily Harter
We host seasonal special events and partner with local businesses for the community to enjoy! In May, we hosted a Craft Fair and had about 150 people in attendance. Our second event was the Fall Festival at the Pumpkin Patch on October 26, and we had nearly 300 people in attendance! Read More>>
Lisa Mccleave
I truly have been so lucky! My family has supported me every step of the way and so have the many people who have joined my group on social media. It’s been fun to watch creations I make that really take off and to also help people create custom items they love. I still can’t believe it’s my “job” to make things all day! Read More>>
Warren Green
I was born and raised in the historic town of Eatonville, Florida—a community rich in culture and history. My upbringing was rooted in structure and values, thanks to my parents, Warren Sr., an entrepreneur (one-fourth owner of First Impressions Lawn & Landscaping), and Miriam Green, a present and active stay-at-home mom. Growing up in a religious home with six younger siblings, I was the oldest, which shaped my deep sense of responsibility and duty to protect and nurture my family. My role as an older sibling instilled in me the importance of leadership, accountability, and service. Read More>>
Cielle Song
During the pandemic, I decided to leave the corporate world and move to Knoxville, Tennessee, to start a new chapter. At first, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do after leaving my “perfect” job at Goldman. It took time and reflection to recognize what I truly love: creating and designing. Growing up, I had always been artistic and creative—I played piano, painted watercolors, and just loved making things. My favorite childhood computer game was The Sims, and the part I loved most was building houses, decorating them, and reimagining layouts over and over. Looking back, it’s clear that was an early sign of my passion for design. Read More>>
Gaby Johnson
Overall, being a business owner at a young age comes with its benefits & costs. I quickly learned the industry is booming with the new generation of cosmetologists, but with the strive to succeed, I knew I could make my goals happen! I jumped right into the industry being a booth renter, with no experience on how to run a business. Growing a clientele was ruff at first, but after networking, never giving up, and patience; I can proudly say I have been lucky enough to work on a total of 878 beautiful clients total within the past 4 years! Read More>>
Jasmine Ball
That was in 2018 and in AL. Fast forward, I moved to Knoxville in 2019 and became a mom in 2020, then again in 2023. I no longer publish my own magazine, but I am the Senior Copy Editor for a national magazine. And with my writing firm, BTM Writing Services, I’ve also been able to help clients from all over the world, published two books, have traveled to do speaking engagements, developed partnerships, and had so many wonderful opportunities. It’s been so great. Outside of that, I’ve been getting into screenwriting and joined the Board of Heartland WIFT, a nonprofit for Women in Film and Television. I was a Dollywood Insider and contribute to Knoxville Moms as well. Read More>>
Alex Shelton
Hard work is never easy, but it’s always rewarding. It takes a conscious decision every day to wake up and give everything you have. I’m committed to the quality of work I produce for my clients, and I like to think they would tell you the same thing. At the end of the day, I know God has all control, and I work for His will in my life to the best of my ability. Read More>>
Emily Davis
It was there, working with kids and families in the clinic, that my interest in the field of speech therapy evolved into a true passion. The roots of this ever-growing passion sprouted from seeing first-hand that communication is one of the most basic human needs, we ALL have a right to communicate with confidence, and helping someone learn to do so will visibly change their lives and those around them. I wanted to be a part of that. Read More>>
Amy Moore
Travelers had posted a sales job, I applied and they hired me and I excelled. After about 10yrs of being their top sales agent I decided I wanted to learn more so took a pay cut and started working for William Blount as a personal lines CSR. After 5 yrs there I was offered another position with a bigger agency and jumped on the opportunity. Now I am a partner at Tate Insurance Group and boy did I have to work hard to get to where I am but I give all thanks to our Heavenly Father who saw me through. My goal is to help as many people as I can and it’s not about making commission to me, it’s about helping people protect their assets. Read More>>
Tonya Loy
Well I would like to go all the way back to my childhood. My parents didn’t have a lot of money but we had love. Family is everything over here. We spent Saturday nights playing board games. Our summer camping trips and holidays were packed with family, fun, food and an overwhelming amount of decorations, especially Christmas. Hard work was instilled in me at a young age. My brother and I had daily chores and spent our summers helping my dad install carpet and other types of flooring. Read More>>
Alanna Bernstein
I was a mobile swim instructor and traveled to families and offered lessons in their backyard or community pools. By the end of that summer, my numbers doubled and the demand of lessons were so high that I had to find a way to offer my lessons as a year round learn to swim program. When I knew I had secured an indoor heated pool that would allow me to continue my lessons year round, I decided to rename my business to what it is now known as, “Alanna’s Aquatics” and have been a small business for almost 6 years now seeing close to 50 swimmers a week! Read More>>
Rachel Durbin
Since moving to Tennessee, my focus has shifted away from private instruction, and towards more live performances, guest worship leading for local churches & retreats, coaching, recording, and writing songs for the Church. I am currently on staff at a small local church where I lead worship most Sundays, but I also make time in my schedule to attend writing retreats and perform locally, online, and abroad (traveled to Vancouver, Canada last month). Outside of music, I am a mom of 5 kids, and also enjoy gardening, photography, and training in jiu jitsu. Read More>>
Ginger Werner
I ended up jumping around jobs at a magazine and doing freelance PR before I got a job as a content creator for an e-commerce company – Baopals.com. It was through this company that I met my future husband, Charlie, one of the founders of the company. I ended up living in Shanghai for seven years, and in 2021 our son was born. Charlie had grown up in Tennessee and had graduated from UT, so we decided to move to Knoxville in 2022. After renting for around one year, we were able to purchase a house and have been settling in and making Knoxville our home ever since! In 2024 my second son was born at Fort Sanders. Read More>>
