Baltimore’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.

Christopher Tsung Kao

I perceive my story more as a series of transitions that has shaped me to who I am today vs a linear culmination of events. My dad was a doctor in the navy when I was young so we moved around a fair amount. Read more>>

Adriana Michelle Arana Flores

Hi, I’m Adriana Michelle Arana Flores – I’m 24 years old, but most people know me as Michelle. I’ve always been the kind of person who figures things out early and learns by doing. Read more>>

Ana Sierra

Dr. Ana Sierra’s path to psychology began long before she entered a classroom or therapy room. She was born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where she grew up surrounded by a large extended family. Like many households in Honduras, family life extended beyond parents and siblings to include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who shared daily life together. Read more>>

Makayla Gravely-Smith

Styled2Adore initially started off as a way to make quick money in college. Starting off at a small PWI in Charlotte, North Carolina, I just wanted a way to make money to help support myself while in school. I had initially learned how to braid during my first year, while being an athlete on the woman’s lacrosse team. Read more>>

Hannah Bjorndal

I founded La Vie En Rose in 2015. Combining my assortment of skills in the filmmaking and fashion photography world, I dove head-first into wedding photography. The business quickly grew to be a team effort, and since then, I have completely fallen in love with managing and growing my talented team. Read more>>

Korlu Wolobah-Kuyon

My journey into healthcare started with a simple but deep-rooted belief that has stayed with me ever since I moved to this country: you must always look out for others and take care of people first, and the rest will naturally follow. Read more>>

Michael Habermann

Life in Mexico City, then piano studies, then getting college degrees. After that, many years of teaching. Recorded a few albums – now doing other things. Continuing to help students learn to play the piano, not work it – or combine learning with fun. Read more>>

Woody Brewer

The idea started at home. Our son had severe allergies, and we could never go out for ice cream or desserts as a family. It was this and wanting to feed our kids more nourishing treats than what’s out there, that got my wife, Jessica, making fun healthy juices and smoothies at home. Read more>>

Jewell Gideon

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit since as far back as I can remember. Growing up having two artists as parents has definitely introduced me to a world of unlimited possibilities and potential for making a living by sharing my artwork and artistry with the world. Before I birthed Jewell Gideon Collective, I started off doing freelance makeup gigs. Read more>>

Katie Checkosky

I graduated in 2022 as a Division I collegiate student athlete with a degree in Finance and Computer Information Systems. After school, I moved back home to the DC area and began my career in tech consulting. Read more>>

Delany McCarthy

My journey in music began at just 3 years old, captivated by the sound of my mother’s voice. Growing up in Jamaica, I was deeply immersed in the vibrant cultural traditions that ignited my passion for performance and the arts. Read more>>

Miles Adams

I’m originally from Horsham, Pennsylvania, a close knit suburb of Philadelphia. I grew up in a household shaped by both empathy and creativity. My parents were psychotherapists, so some days at home felt like therapy sessions. That environment taught me the value of understanding people and helping others. Music was also a big part of my upbringing. Read more>>

Adrian Garcia

My name is Adrian Garcia, and I’m the founder of [Digital Cityscape LLC](https://digitalcityscapeagency.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com), a Baltimore-based digital marketing agency focused on helping local businesses grow through social media, branding, content creation, websites, and paid advertising. Ironically, my story began during one of the most uncertain times in modern history: the pandemic. Read more>>

Tia Norris

Naturally Musical Music Studio began with a lifelong love of music, community, and teaching. I started playing the violin in 1999, and by 2007/2008, I had already begun teaching violin lessons. Music quickly became more than just a passion for me — it became a way to connect with people and create meaningful experiences. Read more>>

Robert Turner

Robert N. Turner, Jr. is a multi-industry entrepreneur, author, and strategic operator known as “The Business Sherpa,” a leader who not only builds companies, but guides others in navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship, ownership, and long-term wealth creation. His work spans technology, infrastructure, media, real estate, and intellectual property, all unified by a single mission: transforming adversity into scalable economic leverage and generational impact. Read more>>

Nyleena Aiken

I usually describe myself as someone who loves building things that bring people together. Right now my main focus is Phictly, the platform I founded for readers and writers who want a more personal and meaningful experience with books and with each other. Read more>>

Abdallah Alabaddi

My journey in this industry , marketing and distribution actually started on the distribution side. We spent years working with major global brands like OKF, Ülker, and Bonart, helping them enter into and expand within new markets. Read more>>

Morgan Swersey

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, my journey as a photographer started in high school where I first learned how to use a camera, develop my own film, and do basic photo editing. I quickly began using my friends as models for posed shoots and even partook in a multi-school photography trip to Spain. Read more>>

Nesha Jackson

My journey into filmmaking has been far from conventional, but I’ve learned that many creative paths rarely are. As cliché as it sounds, I’ve always been a writer. Ever since I was young, storytelling has been a huge part of my life. To this day, I still have notebooks from grade school filled with stories, ideas, and characters from my imagination. Read more>>

Dasia Kabia

Ice Queens: A Baltimore Classic with a New Orleans Twist Ice Queens was established in 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland, by Dasia Kabia during her second year of college. Like many young people, she was searching for direction but always knew one thing for certain: she wanted to build her own business. Read more>>

Carrae Green

After nearly 28 years of federal service, I reached a point where I wanted more freedom, flexibility, and purpose. Throughout my career, I managed large-scale projects, analyzed complex data, and worked in high-pressure environments that required professionalism, organization, and attention to detail. Those same skills eventually became the foundation for entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Vaishnavi Tallury

Vaishnavi ‘Vaishi’ Tallury, MA, OTR/L is a licensed Occupational Therapist with 15 years of experience in pediatric, school-based OT, and a certified yoga instructor. Read more>>

Cat Orsini

I began my career over a decade ago in corporate roles focused on solving complex financial and operational challenges. I worked on stabilizing distressed companies through cash flow strategy and cost restructuring, helped secure $5M in venture funding and a technology sale for a startup, and contributed to process improvements that increased efficiency in government systems. In 2013, I launched my business as a coach. Read more>>

Jennifer Taylor

I began my journey into mind/body awareness and the potential of movement and art to facilitate healing in my undergraduate study at both Wake Forest and Hollins Universities. I created an interdisciplinary major combining visual art and dance as therapeutic tools in the community. After graduation I continued my study and became a Certified Massage Therapist. Read more>>

Ayana Everett

I was at a point in my career where I knew I needed a change. I had been working as an international event manager, and while I learned a lot, I wanted something that felt more aligned with what I actually enjoyed. So I took a step back and made a simple list of what I loved most about my past roles. Read more>>

Isabelle Alysia

From a very young age, I watched my mom follow her dreams to become an entrepreneur. Inspired by her life journey, I decided to take a leap of faith to do the same. I created Promised Land Pathways to help people connect with one another as they navigate their walk with God and discover their own pathway. Read more>>

Legend Dan Hoffman

Canton Games started back in 2006, as a way for the original owner to sell off his comic book collection. He hired me on as a part time help, quickly promoted me to manager, and after some time, he got too busy with his other jobs and his children and made me a very nice offer to take over, which I graciously accepted. Read more>>

Ann Marie Hensel

As a kid, I was pretty average at sports, I played them, I enjoyed them – but it was never my niche. I was very good at school, and ended up going to Georgia Tech for a degree in biomedical engineering. Read more>>

MJ Roark

We are KidsCare Home Health. We started in Texas in 2003 as an in-home provider of Speech, Occupational, Physical, and Feeding Therapy. We expanded into Maryland in 2022 and into Northern Virginia in 2023 and in to DC in 2025. We treat patients from birth up to age 18. We accept both Medicaid and Commercial Insurance. Our mission is simple C.A.R.E. Commitment, Accountability, Results, Ethics. Read more>>

Brenda Velez-Jimenez

I started ten years ago in childcare. I opened the business due to my son being on the spectrum. I knew nothing about how to open and business or childcare regulations. Ten years later, I’m level 5 excels, nationally accredited, pre-K teacher with the aspire program. It’s been a tough road but it was well worth it. Read more>>

Sabrina Peterson

When I first started playing percussion in my middle school band, I thought I was just following in the footsteps of the female percussionists in the high school program who inspired me. What I didn’t know was that music would become something I couldn’t live without. Read more>>

David Graham

Back in 2023, I had been working for a marketing agency ever since I graduated with my Bachelors in Communications in summer of2019. While i liked digital marketing, it was increasingly challenging to pursue that field when working for law firms and medical practices as clients. I looked for a way to use my professional skills to further something I believed in. Read more>>

Linda Sanderville

My journey to becoming a therapist wasn’t just an academic decision, but a very personal one. Read more>>

Emily Iannuzzelli

I’m an improviser, facilitator, and project manager based around Baltimore. I created Embodied Comedy, which is the heart of my work. It brings together improv, nervous system awareness, and embodiment to help people feel more present, more connected, and more like themselves. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager and over time became addicted to Ritalin. Read more>>