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.
Jenna Irizarry
I’ve had a camera in my hands for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, I was always taking photos and documenting the people and moments around me. Photography was something I loved long before I ever considered it as a career. When my daughter, Freya, was born, we had her newborn photos taken by a professional photographer. Read more>>
Christine Dolahan
My journey has been anything but linear, and looking back, I’m grateful for every twist and turn because each experience contributed to the work I do today. I was born in Switzerland and raised between cultures, eventually earning a Magister degree in Art History in Germany before moving to the United States. Read more>>
S.Alicia M-Abungu
BSAM was birthed out of a passion to see professionals within the health, medical and wellness spaces get the visibility that they deserve. Read more>>
Nicole Lerario
I received my first massage when I was 16 years old. From that moment, I knew that this was the work I wanted to do. But at age 16, I also wanted to go into theater and be on the stage, so I did that first. Read more>>
Alexander Brown
After finishing my Bachelor’s degree in Jurisprudence at Montclair State University, I went through the kind of shift that many college graduates experience — a moment of clarity about what I actually wanted my career to look like and the kind of impact I wanted to have. I came to realize that the change I wanted to see in the world didn’t require a courtroom. Read more>>
Carrie Steffe
It started back in 2001 when I was home with my one-year-old daughter. I purchased a custom outfit on eBay for $15 and sent the seller photos of my daughter wearing it. She used those photos for her next listing, which subsequently sold for over $100. This sparked a professional relationship where I provided images in exchange for clothing. Read more>>
Ryan Miller
The Story of Ryan Miller and NJHeadstones, LLC For Ryan Miller, the monument industry was never simply about stone. It was about preserving memories, honoring lives, and helping families create lasting tributes to the people they loved most. Growing up in New Jersey, Ryan understood the importance of family, community, and tradition. Read more>>
Yana Robbins
The path to my third career, as a sustainable gardener and founder of Ecothumbs, was by no means linear. But looking back, it’s clear that plants were always a part of my life, no matter where I was living. My childhood was spent in Turkmenistan, Central Asia. With barely any kids’ TV programming or phones, days were spent wandering, exploring, and foraging. Read more>>
Katherine Tozduman
My journey with The Crafty Kit began with a simple belief: creativity has the power to heal, connect, and inspire. As a lifelong creative and animal lover, I’ve always been drawn to unique experiences that bring people together, spark creativity, and provide a momentary escape from everyday life. Read more>>
Patrick Marini
Back in 2021 while I was dating my now wife I was looking for something to cheer her up. Knowing she grew up with goldens and was a huge golden retriever lover, I contacted breeders in New Jersey, asking if I could come visit them and their dogs for a meet and greet. Read more>>
Arelie Estevez
My name is Arelie Estevez. I am a first generation college student as well as a first generation United States American citizen. My family is from the Dominican Republic. My dad immigrated here when he was in his 20s. Read more>>
Daniel Ratchford
Broreavement was born from one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I lost my first wife after a ten-year battle with illness when I was just 29 years old, leaving me to navigate my own grief while raising our two young children. Read more>>
Ivette Samaniego-Carmona
Growing up, my mom always told me, ‘Whatever you do, make sure you always give back to your community.’ That always stuck with me. Then I was talking to my mentor about my future, and I told her, ‘One day I want to own a business.’ She looked at me and said, ‘Why someday? Read more>>
Joe Gratz
In 2021, I started a floating concession stand on a 22ft pontoon boat. We made a name for ourselves selling hot dogs, walking tacos and mac + cheese on the water. Our goal was to bring joy to the boating community and make a little money on the side. Read more>>
Marco Esquivel
**I am going to keep this broad time wise** ** HIGHSCHOOL ** 2017 Going all the way back to highschool, I always wanted to be a football player and pursued it pretty relentlessly. As a team, we found a lot of success winning a California State Championship my junior year, but I realized football was not going to be my future. Read more>>
Desirea Corbett
I was alwasy interested in being creative. When I was younger I took painting lessons and in college I majored in Art History. It wasn’t until I had my first Son 12 years ago that I considered pursuing photography as a business. I started photographing friends’ families and newborn sessions and things grew from there. I also have a few side projects in photography now. Read more>>
Eliana Perdomo
In 2020, just before the world was reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, I made a deeply personal decision to undergo cosmetic surgery. After the birth of my three daughters and years of struggling with long-standing body dysmorphia, I sought the care of a locally recommended surgeon for a tummy tuck, thigh liposuction, and chin liposuction. Read more>>
Erin Robbins
There are so many threads that led me to the where i am today and i am grateful to have managed listened to them all, for better or worse! some were very painful and yet transformative. i have always been an empath, a listener, an observer and developed a fascination with human behavior at a very young age, likely as a means for emotional survival. Read more>>
Robin Grossi
Beach Bum Bees is a small, family-run honey business based in Monmouth County, NJ. Founded by Robin & Michael Grossi, our beekeeping journey began in 2016 with a backyard garden in Cranford and a curiosity about pollinators. One class turned into a passion, and soon our garden was thriving alongside our bees. Read more>>
Tracy Wilcox
Good Morning, My name is Tracy L. Wilcox. Born and raised in Newark, NJ, I struggled with finding my place in life. When I finally made the choice to live, I changed my ways. I started modeling and singing. I was engaged to the late Steven Washington of the famed groups Slave and Aurra. Read more>>
Erez Shimoni
After graduating college, I started working at a mortgage company doing more of the administrative and support side of the business. I really didn’t know much about mortgages at the time, but I was fortunate to be around people who were willing to teach me and help me learn the industry from the ground up. Read more>>
PAUL DEL SORDO
I was born into the automotive industry as a child growing up helping my dad at his service station in Mountainside, NJ. Graduated West Orange High School in 1975, took business courses at Seton Hall University, and then straight into technical school. Eventually owned and operated a gas station, a heavy truck center, and automotive repair facility simultaneously. Read more>>
Wes Sherman
Wes Sherman Biography Born in Olympia, WA in 1968 to Jim Sherman, Jr. and Doris Mitchell Sherman My dad was a minister for 60 years. We moved every few years. Washington, Michigan, Indiana, and Tennessee. All those states before I turned 15. Read more>>
Vivianna Acuña-Francisco
Our story really began with the pandemic’s unexpected side effect of making us want life to feel different. When my husband, Paul, and I bought our property in Matawan, we had no idea it would become a farm. We simply wanted more space, more peace, and a place where our family could breathe a little deeper. Read more>>
Divina Hernandez
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and later moved to the United States in search of better opportunities for myself and my family. Like many immigrants, I started from the ground up, learning how to navigate a new country, a new language, and a different business environment. Read more>>
Faith Noga
This October will be six years since I lost my 14 year-old daughter due to complications of epilepsy and an eating disorder as a result of her illness and going back-and-forth to the doctors. The idea of opening a café was put on my mind seeing that she was vegan and we got her weight restored eating that way. Read more>>
Bianca Beamer
I’ve always been an artsy person. I was born and raised in South Philadelphia, the arts were a part of my upbringing. At fifteen my love of photography was sparked by watching SUICIDE GIRLS : FIRST TOUR on a DVD I shoplifted from Tower Records on South Street here in Philadelphia. Read more>>
Noel Rapp
I was born and raised in New Jersey, by my grandparents while my mom was in college in North Carolina and my father was in the Marines. I knew at a young age that I wanted to help people, adults would come up to me and share their life stories, I never understood why until I was older. Read more>>
