{"id":391203,"date":"2026-09-05T08:28:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/391203\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T08:28:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:28:16","slug":"jacksonvilles-most-inspiring-stories-voyage-jacksonville-magazine-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/391203\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville\u2019s Most Inspiring Stories \u2013 Voyage Jacksonville Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we\u2019ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can\u2019t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.<\/p>\n

Charnae Wynn
<\/p>\n

Looking back, both creativity and entrepreneurship were part of my life long before I ever knew they would become my career. I grew up immersed in the arts. I attended Pine Forest School of the Arts for elementary school, LaVilla School of the Arts for middle school and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for high school. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Jessie Miller
<\/p>\n

My story really began with a lifelong love for animals and a deep belief that kindness can change the world. Animals were always a safe place for me, especially during some of the hardest seasons of my own life. I am a recovering alcoholic and also spent many years struggling with an eating disorder. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Rebecca Day
<\/p>\n

As a journalist and songwriter, my job really comes down to storytelling. I began my career as a musician and performed and toured regularly for quite awhile\u2014more than a decade. But after all that time performing hours on end, I had to restructure in order to allow my body (and mind) to keep creating. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Cynthia meadows
<\/p>\n

I started braiding hair at 14 years old in my mother\u2019s kitchen. What began as a hobby quickly became my calling. I fell in love with helping people feel confident, and I knew I wanted to turn that passion into something bigger. I did all the girls in my neighborhood as that provided income for me to buy school supplies, clothing and my first car. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Kurt Lanham<\/p>\n

I grew up in Lake Worth Florida and started playing guitar around 12 years old. I formed a band in high school that played backyard parties and social events. I moved to Atlanta in the early 90s. and formed an original band called Theatrics and recorded 10 of my songs for our debut album with the same name. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Leslie Diaz
<\/p>\n

My story began in 2021 when I started Luxe Picnics by Les as a luxury pop up picnic business. What began with creating beautiful, intimate experiences quickly grew into charcuterie, grazing tables, catering, and eventually our mobile grazing cart. As the business grew, so did my vision. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

James Ramsey
<\/p>\n

It all started with my passion for music. Music has always been something I could turn to during hard times. It helped take my mind off what was happening around me and gave me an outlet. Because of that, I\u2019ve always naturally gravitated toward music and comedy. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Jaeo Draftpick
<\/p>\n

I grew up a fan of music like most kids but what was suppose to be a school trip to a record company is what led to me taking an interest to the music business. At that point in time I wasn\u2019t sure if I wanted to be an artist but definitely knew at that moment I wanted business. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Stephanie Jackson
<\/p>\n

Our journey to becoming KidsPark franchisees is really a story about family, education, entrepreneurship, and recognizing an opportunity to serve families in our community. Both of us have spent much of our careers working with children and families, and education has always been a major part of our lives. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Margaret Juul
<\/p>\n

With a background in Fine Art and Interior Design, I\u2019ve spent my life immersed in the visual arts\u2014from curating spaces and designing textiles to painting and custom commissions. After years of working as an art buyer, interior designer, and gallery manager, I took a leap of faith in 2014 to follow my heart and create independently full-time. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Zamirah Towns
<\/p>\n

Honeyz Plates is deeply personal to me because the name and the vision behind the business are rooted in my grandmother, who was one of the biggest inspirations in my life. We shared a dream of one day opening a restaurant together. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Greg Johnston
<\/p>\n

Primarily a content creator, the Florida based shooter is currently in Bali, Indonesia photographing ocean landscapes, marine life and travel for a variety of advertising, tourism and editorial clients. His images have graced the pages of major travel publications, from advertising to editorial, and stock photography. Specializing in hotel, hospitality and lifestyle and former contributing editor to Caribbean Travel & life Magazine and Islands Magazine. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Bryson Hendricks
<\/p>\n

My book, Don\u2019t Miss! tells my story of growing up in a small town where at the age of six I had an accident with a machine which removed four fingers from my hand. I tell of the love and support my family gave me. This support came in a number of different ways. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Capri Joelle Artis
<\/p>\n

My story really started with tennis. I began playing at a young age, and over time, what started as something I enjoyed became something I wanted to take seriously. Tennis has taught me a lot about discipline, consistency, confidence, and learning how to keep going even when things don\u2019t go my way. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Delilah Beall, PT, DPT
<\/p>\n

Physical therapy is my second career. I originally went to the University of Florida to pursue Architecture, but found that wasn\u2019t for me. I ended up choosing an alternative major and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and went on to pursue a Master\u2019s in International Business. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Victoria Merrick
<\/p>\n

My passion for wine all started when I studied abroad in Italy during my time at university. My first experience with wine was some of the BEST \u2013 how could I not fall in love? When I returned home, I immediately applied to work at a local wine bar in Texas. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Shauntell Bettis
<\/p>\n

I started in Jacksonville, Florida at a brand new shop under the guidance of Leticia Bomtempo. I apprenticed under her for 2 years, learning everything I could from her and building up my portfolio one piece at a time. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Christopher Polidoro
<\/p>\n

Grew up in one of the most culturally diverse counties in the country exposed me to worldy cuisines at a very young age. Worked in notable Hampton and Manhattan restaurants after graduating the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY in 1993. Took off from the industry in the summer of 97 to work hands on an 8 acre organic farm in Amagansett, NY. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Nicolette Stewart
<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been in creativity growing up. At one point I thought I would do hair and makeup when I grow up. However, college came\u2026but while in college (FAMU) I was in a modeling troupe (FACES) and some of that love for makeup and hair came up again. Later in college, I needed community service hours. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Shonique Jackson
<\/p>\n

My journey started with a passion for people, entertainment, and creating experiences. I began working in the nightlife industry, where I learned the ins and outs of bartending, promotions, events, and the business behind the scenes. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Barbara (aka Babs) Colaciello
<\/p>\n

My career has always lived at the intersection of art, communication, and human connection. I am an artist, creative strategist, entrepreneur, actor, storyteller, and educator, and I\u2019ve never believed those practices needed to exist in separate compartments. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Skylar Clemmons
<\/p>\n

My love affair with photography really took off in high school where I got to shoot and process my own film in my art teacher\u2019s darkroom. From there, I acquired my own enlarger and chemicals and would shoot film and take over my family\u2019s office and transform it into my own darkroom. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Jessica Wick
<\/p>\n

Finding a Path Forward I think a lot of my life has been about helping people find a path forward. I just didn\u2019t always know that\u2019s what I was doing. It started with our son. He was hyper, emotional and struggled with focus. Personal space and social boundaries were difficult for him. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Katt Hanneman
<\/p>\n

Growing up, I was the type of person who would get bored with a job within two years. However, I always found myself in jobs where I was helping people. It was because of this that I decided to pursue massage therapy as a career. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391204,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-391203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}