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.

Ja’teera Crawley

From learning to style hair in 6th grade as the oldest of four while supporting my mother in pursuing her GNA, my passion for beauty, creativity, and empowering others to feel confident has evolved into a purposeful journey that has shaped both my thriving hair business and my long-term vision. Read more>>

Jonah Simmonds

I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, especially the kind that lets you build an entire world from scratch. I’m a teacher, performer, writer, and lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy, so creating stories has always been one of the ways I make sense of the world and connect with other people. *Felix: Space Pirate* really grew out of that love. Read more>>

Robyn Blake

As a child I was surrounded by beauty. I come from a very attractive family, and people were engulfed in the beauty industry from kitchen beauticians, braiders, barbers, and celebrity hairstylist. However, like most kids raised in the 90’s college was the track that was on until I got dropped from class right before end of semester exams. Read more>>

Ron Schuster

I have been a Plastic surgeon for over 35 years. It all began as a medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. During my surgical rotations, I was introduced to Plastic surgery and became attracted to the detailed nature of the surgery. Read more>>

Josh Bair

First and foremost, I’m a follower of Jesus, a husband, and a father. My journey really started in ministry, where I spent years leading youth and young adults and eventually serving in executive pastoral leadership. Along the way, I started exploring other passions, building a media and branding company, launching a podcast, coaching, and creating spaces centered around purpose, growth, and creativity. Read more>>

Sandra

My journey with Just1PR started with a simple belief: great stories deserve to be seen, heard, and positioned in the right rooms. I’ve always had a natural ability to connect people, recognize opportunities, and see the bigger picture when it comes to how someone or something should be presented. Over time, that instinct grew into Just1PR. Read more>>

Lawrence Harris

I started making music because it was always something that felt natural to me. I’ve always had a lot to say, a lot on my mind, and music became the way I could really put it all somewhere. I started off just experimenting, finding my sound, and recording whenever I could. Read more>>

Jolene Delisle

I was adopted from South Korea and came to the U.S. when I was around 6 years old. I didn’t speak English, so before I really had words, I had art. Drawing became my way of communicating and connecting with people. Read more>>

Joy Young

My story began long before I had the degrees, certifications, or executive titles. I built my career from the ground up, learning how businesses operate by working inside complex organizations and solving the problems that other people often avoided. Read more>>

Brittany McNair

My journey with art and storytelling began long before Cherished Blooms Photography. I studied at Atlantic Cape Community College and Cape May Technical High School, where I nurtured my creativity and began to see the world through both color and light. I’ve always been passionate about painting, photography, and romance—all expressions of beauty that capture emotion in their own way. Read more>>

Edwin Cole

My name Edwin Cole born and raised in PG county Maryland I started taking basketball seriously in the 10th grade. I struggled with confidence and anxiety during games, which didn’t help being that my HS team was not good at all. Read more>>

Angel Stewart

My love for dance began at just 5 years old. My parents encouraged me to explore a variety of sports, visual arts, performing arts and other activities. Once I stepped into my first dance class, I knew I had found my passion. Since then, dance, art and cheerleading have been a constant part of my life. Read more>>

Katara Baskerville

I was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, and I am the CEO and Founder of All Sides of Birth LLC, where I provide birth, postpartum, and fertility doula services and education. Trained by MaternityWise International, I offer personalized, evidence-based support rooted in informed consent and patient rights. My goal is to help families feel safe, confident, informed, and heard throughout their reproductive journey. Read more>>

Edie Nkwelle

My musical journey has been a pretty long one that I believe is still in its beginning stages. I grew up in a household where my siblings and I were all put into instrument classes the entirety of our childhood, so music was just second nature even though I never became proficient at any. Read more>>

Paige Beverly

Hello readers! My name is Paige Beverly, and I’m the founder and tutor for The Tutoring Paige, my tutoring service that supports K – 8 students of all abilities in math, reading and French. I have always been passionate about educating others, and knew that I wanted to teach as early as 8 years old. Read more>>

Caleb Street

Travel Soxiety started with a problem Tiffany experienced herself. She was looking for the perfect tote bag for travel… something stylish and practical, but without a built-in trolley sleeve. After struggling to find the right solution, she decided to create one herself before a work trip to New York. Using supplies she found on Amazon, she made her first removable Trolley Strap. Read more>>

Sa’Miyah Noble

My journey started as early as 6. I loved fashion, braiding, drawing, taking pictures, and everything else I love today. I used to braid my friends and cousins hair and I had at least 2 manikins. Read more>>

Sheria Bolding-Kitchen

My 17-year-old child was murdered in October of 2016. Through the process of grieving I decided to start a nonprofit organization to support at-risk, underserved youth with skills training and financial stability through entrepreneurship to decrease youth street dependability and vulnerability. Read more>>

Lewis School Em

I began making music as a college student at the University of Maryland when my roommate took me to his house where his brother was in a rap group called The Good Ole Boys. I started recording that day and was hooked immediately. After college, it was hard finding a stable job and I continued to make music while working. Read more>>

Kalu Azu

My journey into wine happened pretty organically. I’ve always been interested in business, finance and understanding how things work, and I think that same curiosity is part of what drew me deeper into wine. I started drinking wine in my early twenties, but I definitely didn’t understand it then. Read more>>

Jacquelyne Millender

My story began with what I thought was a simple solution to a problem I was having and assumed others might be having too. I wanted a place to go where I could find all the Black-owned businesses in and around the DMV. Read more>>

Charell Green

My love for travel is really what inspired me to become a travel advisor. I’ve always enjoyed traveling, exploring new destinations, cruising, and creating memories with my family and friends. Over the years, I realized that I enjoyed the planning just as much as I enjoyed the trip itself. I also genuinely love helping others. Read more>>

Ehinomen Danielle Itamah

I often say that Opulent Crowns Atelier was not built overnight. It was built through curiosity, resilience, and a deep love for creating beautiful things. My journey into millinery began in Nigeria in 2016. What started as a creative interest quickly became a lifelong passion as I discovered the art of transforming simple materials into elegant, handcrafted headwear. Read more>>

Iris Hughey

I grew up in Dallas, Texas, which is where I started to find my artistic voice, thanks to the inspiring creatives and makers around me. I have been interested in drawing and making art since I was very young. It has always been important to me to create, in whatever form makes sense at the time. Read more>>

Shamel Hazzard

Hello Voyage Baltimore Readers, Without goijg into too much details but My Name is Shamel Hazzard aka Paperchasin Mel Founder & C.E.O of Success Cartel/ The Success Spot (Founded in 2021 in Baltimore, MD) Well! To start my Story I was Born in Brooklyn New York on October 3rd of 1987. Read more>>

Anya Oleynik

Animals have been an important part of my life for years. I’ve spent years volunteering with and financially supporting animal charities, and through that experience I kept seeing the same problem: these organizations are chronically underfunded. There is rarely enough money to cover everything from veterinary care and food to facilities, staffing and rescue operations. Read more>>

Myia Ionia

I started off as just a girl who loved keeping her hair done. Hair was always something I enjoyed, it was a way for me to express myself, feel confident, and step into rooms feeling my best. What started as a love for doing my own hair eventually grew into something bigger. Read more>>

Naomi Boldon

When asked about my journey with my hair, my memory immediately jogs back to one particular day. My eyes squinted, concentrating on my fingers swirling in my scalp. I was focused on one thing: planting a cornrow in my hair. “Left, scoop, right, scoop, left, scoop, right, scoop…” I repeated in my head—segments from a YouTube hair-braiding tutorial. Read more>>

Sean Collier Myers

The only way I am who I am today is through trial & success/error, discipline, faith and support. From my first audition thinking acting would be cool, to now running a film company with our catalog streaming..I couldn’t have done any of it without the first sentence. Learning filmmaking has brought out more of my passion of the art than I realized. Read more>>