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.
Ashley Olayinka
I grew up in Sandy Run, South Carolina, a small community that remains racially segregated today. Witnessing racism and inequity early on shaped how I understood power, opportunity, and belonging. Those experiences didn’t just inform my sense of justice, they sharpened my ability to see gaps, imagine alternatives, and build what didn’t yet exist. Read more>>
Marcus Benjamin
From 2015 to 2019, I was mentored by former Wall Street executive and bank Senior Executive, Charlie Williams. This mentorship offered a disruptive global perspective and a level of accountability that significantly contributed to the compounded growth of my consulting company and public speaking company. Read more>>
Ella Richardson
I began my journey as a fine art dealer in October 1997 at 54 Broad Street. I opened my good friend John Doyle’s Art Gallery ran it for four years. It rapidly turned into a huge success story. We were the first thriving gallery on Broad Street. The district had previously catered to the law industry as well as a number of historic churches. Read more>>
Dennis Aliaksandrou
My name is Dennis Aliaksandrou, and I’m the lead photographer and videographer behind Charleston Photo Art, a Charleston wedding photographer and proposal photography studio based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. My journey into photography started with a simple love for storytelling. Read more>>
ROLAND THOMAS
My story really began in 2017 when I first picked up a camera. Born in 1995 and raised in New York City, I grew up alongside my two siblings in an environment that shaped my perspective, creativity, and drive. Today, I’m also a proud father to two amazing sons, which adds even more purpose behind everything I do. Read more>>
Meghan Whitney
Long before shooting weddings & portraits, my career actually began in the surf & action sports industry. Being self taught & motivated, it took years of dedication to my craft. In 2006, Florida based surf mag, Eastern Surf Magazine published my work in their exclusive Media Kit edition. Within a few years, I was recognized as one of 5 East Coast female Senior photographers. Read more>>
Susannah Nivens
We are a family-owned and operated farm in Sharon, SC. Sharon Hill Farm has prioritized back-to-basics farming from its inception in 2016. We will continue these regenerative farming practices through pasture raised chicken, turkey, pork, and beef as well as chicken eggs. Sharon Hill Farm started as a two-family owned farm in 2016. Read more>>
Mel Minitor
I started in radio. I migrated into event management and MC.. I was ask to DJ a wedding for a family member and from there, we expanded into full DJ services. We strive to be the best and continued to grow into one of the top rated in the market. Read more>>
Nicole Figueroa
My path into this work began through my own healing journey. For many years, I lived with the effects of PTSD, chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. My nervous system was constantly in survival mode, and I knew I needed something deeper than just coping I needed a way to truly regulate, reconnect, and feel safe in my own body again. Read more>>
Bradley Shuffler
My journey into filmmaking started with a simple passion for creating and telling stories. I didn’t come from film school or a big production background. I picked up a camera years ago and started teaching myself everything through trial and error, learning as much as I could and constantly practicing. What began as a hobby slowly turned into something more serious. Read more>>
Jilian Daniel
I’ve always loved animals, and solving challenges. After a hugely rewarding and challenging Marine Biology career working aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea, I was looking for something a little warmer! I made my way into the world of dog training and worked with Service Dogs for Veterans with various disabilities. Read more>>
Yume Nay Win
I wanted to be a director before I even knew what that truly meant. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “I wanna be with a camera!” *cue laughter* Since I was five years old, I was drawn to stories — not just watching them, but creating them. I wanted to make films that made people feel something. Read more>>
Andrea Lovegrove
My journey into the wedding and hospitality world was never about simply opening a venue — it was about creating a place where people could gather, celebrate, and mark life’s most meaningful moments in a setting that felt both timeless and deeply personal. I’ve always been drawn to beautiful spaces and the emotional energy they hold. Read more>>
Scott Chiu
Growing up immersed in classical music and dedicating decades to its study, I know the preparation and risks involved in pursuing a music career. With that experience, I founded Portable Recording Studio to help musicians reach their goals by offering professional, yet affordable, on-site recording services. Driven by this vision, Portable Recording Studio has supported artists across the country. Read more>>
Kanoe Leonard
My passion began over 15 years ago, when attending our local Hawaii 4th of July Event, The face painter at the event worked as quickly as she could, and she kiddingly asked do you want to help! I said ‘absolutely’. I enjoyed every part of that 6 hours as the joy of the children after seeing the ‘Mirror Moment’ as we face painters call it. Read more>>
Jayne Kucharski
I am born and raised in Charleston, specifically James Island. In my late teens and early twenties, I traveled the world but India captured me. Macrame was a traveler’s craft there. One day I decided to learn. I spent months sitting beside my teacher, learning every knot by hand. Over and over. Thread through thread. Mistakes and all. That’s where this began. Read more>>
Valentina Mitchell
Dogs have always been more than animals to me—they’ve been teachers, partners, and lifelong companions. My journey didn’t begin with certifications or business plans. It started at a young age spending my days working with neighborhood dogs simply because I felt drawn to them. Even then, I understood something powerful: when a dog is truly understood, everything changes. Read more>>
Denise Day
I started my business as a way to create with my hands. I work full-time as a graphic designer and sit at a computer all day and although I do design material on the computer, I wanted to get back to creating art with my hands. I have won awards from elementary school all the way through college and graphic design awards throughout my career. Read more>>https://southcarolinavoyager.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-denise-day
Devin Stephenson
Two years ago, we started Honest abe Plumbing because we saw a shift happening in the service industry — companies were becoming more focused on sales quotas than actually serving people. That didn’t sit right with us. We’re plumbers. We’re not salesmen. Read more>>
Stephanie Parsons
I started working in restaurants as a means to put myself through college. Once I graduated I spent a bit of time in the 9-5 world and realized that I really loved the hospitality industry, I enjoyed the flexible schedule, the energy, & the fact that no day was the same. My husband & I met at a restaurant in 2005 in Augusta, Georgia. Read more>>
Dr. Antonia “Toni” Counts
I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy, entrepreneur, wife to my husband Cole, and mom to our son Camden. I’m also the founder of Off The Block Physical Therapy, a sports performance and women’s health clinic based in Upstate South Carolina. Read more>>
Solomon Jacobs
As a kid, I was curious about everything! Anything that was something I didn’t know, I would want to become an expert at it. My interest ranged from space to geology but also to humanities, culture, and religion. This curiosity is a large part of what led to my interest in engineering. Read more>>
Roger Schmidt
I started doing landscaping and tree work part-time 25 years ago in between my shifts as a Police Officer. My good friend and roommate at the time owned his own business, so the opportunity worked out seamlessly. Once retired from my career in law enforcement I moved to South Carolina and decided to start my own business. Read more>>
Kevin Watford
After graduating from Clemson University in December 1991, I spent several years working in retail and the propane gas industry, serving in roles that ranged from sales to management and installation supervision. In 1997, I moved back to Sumter—my wife’s hometown—to work for her father, a large commercial general contractor. Read more>>
Jim Bissette
Generations Photography and Video, LLC began over 20 years ago with a simple interest in cameras and a job in the wedding industry at a local print shop in Rexburg, Idaho. Being around wedding photos every day sparked something in Jim — he became fascinated with capturing meaningful moments. Read more>>
Kelly Mason
I went to college for photography at the University of Florida. My dad had a rare illness and we couldn’t afford the equipment so he said ‘pick another major’. I didn’t really know better than to do that. Finally after years of taking photos, I decided it was time to open my business and get serious about doing something that doesn’t feel like work! Read more>>
Charlotte Klaar
When my daughters began their college search processes, I became enamored by all the moving parts of it. We had recently moved from Maryland to Massachusetts with an 11th grader and a 10th grader. To do this, I left my teaching job which gave me a lot of time to learn about the process and the differing elements that went into it. Read more>>
Jonathan Kimball
I always dabbled in art since I was in high school, but art never made me feel electric until I was 19 and working in one of the maintenance departments at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. Read more>>
Griffin/ Leah Cordell/ Odom
906 Art gallery opened October of 2023 in Greer SC. We. began with two studio artists, Griffin and Nicholas, and local writer Leah. Leah was spearheading the creative task of directing the gallery, and we were all hard at work behind the scenes. Read more>>
Sarah Batory
Hollowed Earth Pottery is owned by Mark and I, a husband and wife duo. Mark took a pottery class on a whim in college and fell in love with the medium. Read more>>
Ryley Beckwith-Kirkland
I am third generation; my grandmother and mother are top winning competitive groomers and have been pet grooming their whole lives. I grew up showing, pet/competitive/show grooming, and caring for pets from the minute I could. I started bathing dogs for my mom at the age of six, I have proof! Read more>>
Daniel Gogolevskiy
What sets us apart from most shops is we pride ourselves in the work we do we will triple check ourselves and keep innovating the technical skills and the steps on repairs we don’t jump to conclusions and we don’t just throw parts at it we take our time to find the real problem Read more>>
Daneen Kane
I was born and raised in the Northeastern United States, but life’s twists and turns eventually led me to the Southwest and, finally, to my home in the Southeast. Along this journey of self-discovery and healing, I personally experienced the profound benefits of both Sound Healing and Reiki healing. Read more>>
Amanda McClain
From Legacy to Leadership: How Southern Cuts Was Born For me hair isn’t just a career — it’s heritage. Raised in Columbia in a salon my mother and grandmother owned for 45 years, I quite literally grew up in the beauty industry. While other children played after school, I was taking down roller sets, sweeping floors, and scrubbing hairspray off salon chairs. Read more>>
Michele Lepore
After graduating from the institute of culinary school Armando Perotti in Bari Italy I toured several hotels and restaurants in Italy before moving to NY in 1990. I have worked in manhattan as a chef for 10 years, afterwards I became a partner for a restaurant that I was working with and 8 years later I opened my own restaurant. Read more>>
Justin Falk
I started taking pictures when I was about five years old. My dad was a very good amateur photographer and he let me use his old Canon AE-1. We even had a darkroom in the house, and he taught me how to develop film. I still remember watching an image slowly appear in the tray. There was something really special about that. Read more>>
Michael DeCaro
I have always been interested in health and wellness. I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant after high school while I pursued an EMT-Paramedic degree. While I enjoyed emergency medicine, I quickly realized my passions for preventative care, counseling and the culinary arts. I transferred to Appalachian State University and obtained a Bachelors and Masters degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Read more>>
Flo Ruggeri
Hello, I’m Flo, the owner of MB Picnic Co., a luxury picnic business that was founded during the Covid pandemic. With the closure of restaurants, celebrating important life events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations, became extremely challenging. Read more>>
Ryan Seidl
It was never our intent nor part of our plan to own a business. Read more>>
Houston Llew
I started Houston Llew in 2008 during the Great Recession, working out of a small garage in Atlanta. At the time, I was experimenting with vitreous enamel on copper — a centuries-old technique of firing glass onto metal. I didn’t set out to build a company; I set out to make something meaningful. Read more>>
David LaTorre
I began my journey in theatre at age 14 when I auditioned for my first community theatre show, The Sound of Music at Village Square Theatre. I had done some church plays and sung in choirs when I was younger but never ventured out to our local theatre scene to audition. I saw musicals here and there but didn’t really have the urge to audition. Read more>>
Rebecca Van Dyne
I started working at 15 years old. Corporate environments, customer service roles, sales floors. I learned early how to communicate, how to read people, how to deliver, and how to carry myself with professionalism. I learned how to handle pressure, solve problems quickly, and understand that reputation is everything. Read more>>
Jessica Silva
I grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in a small town called Brewster. I have loved art for as long as I can remember, My stepdad came into my life when I was 7 years old and he used to tattoo as a side job, mostly friends and family, when he wasn’t working full time in his dental lab. Read more>>
Danielle Aymar
Zen Dog Spa began in January 2019 when Danielle Aymar purchased the business formerly known as Coats & Tails Grooming — a location that has been home to a grooming shop for over 20 years. After re-branding to the now known, Zen Dog Spa, the business grew steadily, navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of SBA funding and a resilient team. Read more>>
Sam & Kelli Johnson, Wallace & Danielle Skipper
Seed Slingers was founded by four Coastal Carolina University graduates. We started with landscaping and have grown to specializing in erosion control while also offering clearing, grubbing, silt fence and landscaping services to support full site preparation. Today, Seed Slingers partners with contractors and developers across SC & NC, providing dependable, efficient solutions that keep projects moving and compliant. Our growth has been driven by hands on leadership, strong relationships, and a commitment to doing the job right the first time. Read more>>
Max Gravlee
My name is Max Gravlee and I am currently an attorney with the law firm of Howard, Howard, Francis & Reid (d/b/a “Francis & Reid Trial Lawyers”). I specialize in criminal defense and personal injury litigation in courtrooms throughout the Upstate. I absolutely love what I do, those I work with everyday, and the clients that place their trust in me to achieve the best possible outcome. Read more>>
