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.
Giovanni DiDomenico
Shop Morris County started as an Instagram page on April 1, 2023. That was it. No website, no team, no plan beyond a simple idea that Morris County deserved a place that actually showed off what was here. We started posting the restaurants, the shops, the events, the little spots people drive past every day and never think to stop at. People responded fast. Read more>>
Anthony Coleman
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. I started in 1986 as a computer operator at the university I was attending, and I liked computers enough that I gave up my business minor and went all out into programming. Mind you, at that time regular people did not have computers. If you had one, you were fairly rich. Read more>>
Susan Bischak
The book I wrote, Healing a Desperate Heart, is the story of my life, a memoir. I wrote it to help people see relationships with compassion for the the person they are at odds with. To see the world through the other’s experience and get a greater understanding of how and why they act as they do. Read more>>
John Blanchard III
My story is really one of evolution. I’m from Morristown, New Jersey, and I’ve always been a creative. Long before there were businesses, titles, or brands attached to my name, there was simply a need to create, communicate, and build. Over time, I realized those weren’t separate interests. They were different expressions of the same person. Read more>>
Aaron Leszczynski
So I started my business with in 2014 my first sign was for two of my friends that were finally getting married. The grooms sister asked me to “ paint a sign” for a little backyard surprise party. That night I googled “hand painted signs” and something clicked. I really loved all the styles and saw a whole world I wanted to learn about. Read more>>
Marie Pietracatella
My journey to tattooing isn’t traditional. I went to university for history and art history with the goal of going into art restoration. Unfortunately I graduated the year Covid hit where most museums were firing and not hiring. I bounced around jobs for a couple of years trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Read more>>
Linda Attuh
My journey in healthcare began when I worked for several years as a home health aide before becoming a registered nurse. Working directly with clients in their homes allowed me to understand the importance of compassionate, dependable care and the trust families place in caregivers. It also gave me firsthand knowledge of the challenges caregivers face and the support they need to provide quality care. Read more>>
Gina Floridia
I’ve always been creative and loved art, but becoming a live wedding painter definitely wasn’t some big master plan from the beginning lol. It kind of grew into this really naturally. After becoming a mom, I knew I wanted to find a way to make art my full time career while still being able to be present for my son. Read more>>
Nicholas Caruso
Smoak N’ Goats (SNG Soaps) is a small, family-run business built around our love for our goats and our passion for creating handcrafted goat milk products. Our daughter, Juliana, started the business while she was in high school as a way to earn money to fund her barrel racing hobby. She began making goat milk soap and sharing it with friends and family to try. Read more>>
Anastasia Belova
For years, I thought the goal was to be thin. Eventually, I realized the goal was to be strong. My own relationship with fitness started from a very different place than where I am today. When I was younger, I struggled with my relationship with food and, like so many women, believed that being smaller and thinner was the ultimate goal. Read more>>
Drew Berry
My interest in photography started pretty naturally. My mom took film photography classes when I was younger, and she would always use me and my sister as subjects for whatever she was working on. I think being around that made photography feel familiar to me before I ever thought about doing it seriously myself. Read more>>
Nicole Austin
My journey in dance has really been a combination of passion, growth, and a lot of learning along the way. I began teaching and choreographing in 2018, and over the years I found that what I loved most wasn’t just teaching steps. It was helping dancers build confidence, understand their bodies, and discover who they are as artists. Read more>>
Joseph Garcia
In 2015 Hillsborough Township NJ and surrounding areas had a need for a better way to get driven places. At the introduction of Uber and Lyft there wasn’t a reliable service especially in the rural parts of Hunterdon and Somerset county. I came from a long line of Men in my family that worked very long hours, who were business owners, entrepreneurs and idea creators. Read more>>
Sofia Di Pinto
I’m originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved to the U.S. in 2022. I started Di Blu Bakery in 2023, almost by accident, from my apartment. I began baking and sharing Argentine pastries with friends and people in my community, and little by little, it turned into something much bigger than I had imagined. Read more>>
Laura Uhlig-Smith
When I finally decided to start my own business, I realized I had the sewing experience, the space, the time. But what to name the business?” One day, in my home studio, I was writing a summary of my career up to that point, kind of like I am now in this interview and in the last sentence I wrote,“. Read more>>
Amanda Girardi
In early 2021 after 25+ years in the banking industry, I bought a candy store. It quickly was renovated and The Sprinkle Experiment joined the party. That is our bakery. We grew quickly. Received hate mail about having a pride flag in our window. News, thousands of people showed their support near and far. Read more>>
Jordan Brennan
Music Mountain Theatre really began long before we had a theatre building. In 2001, our founder, Ginny Brennan, started a small performing arts studio focused on giving young people a place to learn, perform, and build confidence through theatre. Over the years, that community continued to grow, and so did the dream of creating something larger. Read more>>
Yeny Ferreras
My name is Yeny Ferreras. I am a Dominican-born artist who migrated from the Dominican Republic when I was thirteen years old. Ever since I was little, I have been passionate about fashion and creating designs for my dolls. As I grew older, this passion for creativity continued to grow, and I went to college and studied graphic design. Read more>>
Jonny Jenkins
Shore Avenue Coffee Company is a family idea started by three siblings, Jonny, Stephanie, and Andrew Jenkins. We grew up coming to the beach every summer, and those trips became the memories we talked about all year long. Read more>>
Bilal Alsubai
I was born and raised in NY and I am if middle eastern background. I was the first to go to college and went beyond for a doctorate degree. I chose the pharmacy career because health services is what is most dear to me. Read more>>
Nkem Ani
My Name is Nkem Ani, and I am the founder of Trained Mind Psychiatry LLC. I’m board-certified and licensed as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in both New Jersey and New York. It has been a long journey. I am currently working toward my doctorate. Why? First, it will help me to make more of an impact in my business and patient population. Read more>>
Shauna Schneeman
I really fell into photography. I purchased a basic point and shoot camera on a black Friday deal and was just using it to document things in my life while my husband was stationed in Virginia. A coworker asked me to do formal photos of her and I agreed and was immediately thrilled with it! Read more>>
Sharon Yarwasky
I grew up along the shores of Cape May, New Jersey. I came back to stay after college and taught 5th grade for 30 years. After a divorce in 2012, I later married my soulmate and we purchased a century-old farmhouse just inland from the Stone Harbor beaches. Read more>>
Cid Roberts
I started as a performer. I grew up in Los Angeles, trained in classical dance, and performed in musical theater productions throughout Southern California. In 1999 I moved to New York to chase the dream of dancing and singing on Broadway. Read more>>
Mary Andreano
My decision to pursue a career in nursing was inspired by a personal experience with my grandmother and a desire to become a hospice nurse. To achieve that goal, I attended a diploma nursing program in the evenings while balancing other responsibilities. Read more>>
Laura Geltch
I began my career in marketing for a publishing company in Princeton, NJ. Eleven years quickly flew by, bringing the challenges of raising a family and managing a home-life balance. Once our second daughter was born, I needed to be home more and decided to grow with my kids, seeking an early childhood certification, teaching preschool and pre-K. Read more>>
Yuriy Skripnichenko
My background is actually in tech — I have a master’s degree in IT. But when I moved to the United States, I wasn’t able to secure a job in that field right away, so I ended up working in the automotive business instead. Read more>>
Kelly Denti
Before opening Nex Level Ninja, I spent many years in the banking and finance industry. After experiencing a major business setback in 2015, I knew I wanted to build something that would make a real impact. Read more>>
B’fer Roth
The Tree House Guys started out originally as Forever Young Treehouses in the Fall of 2000 as a nonprofit speciallizing in wheelchair accessible treehouses. Read more>>
Victoria Trzeszkowski & Jill Leppin
We are professional pet groomers with approximately 15 years experience. We each bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every groom. We first met while working together at a previous salon and quickly bonded over our dedication and desire to provide truly exceptional care for all animals. Read more>>
David Warner
The Early Days: Hustle and Vinyl Fifty years ago, it all began with a passion for music. As a college student, I started out as a mobile DJ, hauling massive speakers and heavy crates of vinyl records to birthdays, Sweet Sixteens, and Bar Mitzvahs. There were no cell phones or GPS—just pure hustle and a love for making people dance. Read more>>
Alex Olov
Photography kind of grew into a business naturally for me. Growing up, I always had a giant Sony tape camera with me everywhere I went, capturing all the moments with friends. As smartphones came around, I was the one taking pictures of everyone and everything. I remember friends judging me for taking so many photos. Read more>>
Jolaine Otey
I was a new mom in 2021. I had worked through the pandemic as an emergency room nurse and was having a difficult time leaving the house with my young daughter. I had introduced sensory play to her to help develop skills. I then signed her up for a few local sensory classes to get us both out of the house. Read more>>
Minako Ota
I am a Japanese-born artist, currently based in the Princeton area of New Jersey. I studied Japanese painting at an art university in Tokyo. Later, I studied Western painting conservation in England and the US, and spent more than 20 years working as a painting conservator. Read more>>
Maysoon Salem
My name is Maysoon Salem, I am an Optometrist by trade and just opened my first private practice called Eyeluxe Eyecare in September 2025. I graduated from the IIlinois College of Optometry in 2020 and then went to complete an ocular disease residency at the VA in East Orange, NJ. Read more>>
Dale Spencer Weeks
Ever since I was a little boy, I had a feeling I wasn’t alone. I felt a positive presence around me, but I also sensed there was something greater, something beyond what I could see or understand at the time. Read more>>
Shakiem Evans
My name is Shakiem Evans. I am the owner of the fitness brand, X By SHAKIEM. We are currently offering our classes, which include Barre, HIIT, and mat pilates in Upper Montclair, NJ. I started my company in the fall of 2020 during covid. I am a former professional dancer, actor, and singer, having performed on Bway, film, and television. Read more>>
Carlos Lopez
My story starts in a kitchen, washing dishes. I got my first job in food service in high school, and instead of leaving it behind for something else, I stuck with it, working my way up through multiple restaurants all through high school and college. Read more>>
Rafeal Mersier
My entrepreneurial journey started during COVID, when I saw so many people looking for ways to create passive income and build something of their own. That inspired me to take the leap and establish my first company. Through that experience, I realized how seamless it could be to register and build a business when you have the right resources and guidance. Read more>>
Michael Sebahie
I’ve been barbering for over 13 years now and honestly it kind of grew into something bigger than I ever expected. I’ve always been competitive, I wrestled and played football for Paramus high school growing up, and boxed for years, so I think I brought that same mindset into barbering. Read more>>
Renee Stretz
In 2011, I was in school, struggling financially, and raising a newborn along with my daughter from a previous relationship. My fiancé had just returned from Afghanistan, and the man who came home was not the one who had left. PTSD made him abusive, withdrawn, and bitter. We separated not long after his enlistment ended. Read more>>
Joshua Davidson
My story starts just outside Atlantic City, New Jersey, right as the Great Recession was hitting our region hard. Foreclosures, layoffs, small businesses closing their doors. That was the backdrop of my teenage years, and it shaped how I think to this day. I fell in love with the internet early. Read more>>
Kenrick Wilson
Our Bakery, Teeters Dessert and Bakery grew from a lost passion that was rekindled during a major crossroads in my life. After losing out on what I thought was my dream job, I was left in no man’s land, and faced a tough decision: What I should do with my life? Read more>>
Michael Fleischner
I started my career in corporate marketing and spent more than 20 years working my way into senior leadership roles. That experience gave me the opportunity to learn how brands grow, how companies connect with customers, and how marketing can make a measurable difference for an organization. My path into entrepreneurship began with a simple problem. Read more>>
Nicole Contursi
My journey to becoming a cake designer has been anything but traditional. Long before Purple Cow Cakery, I spent decades working in finance. But even then, baking was always part of my life. Nearly twenty years ago, my husband owned a restaurant, and I started making desserts for the menu in the evenings and on weekends. Read more>>
Judith Lindenberger
I worked in human resources for about fifteen years, first working for the federal government designing and conducting EEOC training, then for a bank as the Manager of Management Development, and then for Brown-Forman Corporation as an international HR partner. I had always dreamed of owning my own business and had two mentors in my life who urged me to go forward. Read more>>
