{"id":402115,"date":"2026-09-17T02:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T02:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/402115\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T02:26:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T02:26:23","slug":"jacksonvilles-most-inspiring-stories-voyage-jacksonville-magazine-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/402115\/","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

Jrock The Gypzie
<\/p>\n

My story really started with music. I\u2019ve always been an artist at heart, and music gave me a way to express myself, connect with people, and tell stories. That eventually led me into tattooing in 2007, and what started as an interest became a lifelong career. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Quartz FreeWater
<\/p>\n

My personal journey began when I decided to give up all my possessions, leave Atlanta and start traveling out of my backpack. I stumbled upon the Appalachian trail where I met what they call trail angels who showed me how to survive in harsh conditions along with there actually are good people in the world if we can just radiate the frequency to find them. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Ronald Episcopo
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At 80 years of age, I am constantly going. And the question I\u2019m asked most often is: \u201cWhy?\u201d My response is simple: \u201cBecause I\u2019m not dead.\u201d A friend once told me there was a better answer. She said, \u201cYou do it because you love it\u2014and because you love life.\u201d She was right. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Ashley Garza
<\/p>\n

In late 2007 my husband and I moved to Kingsland, GA to help his mother with her new business. During that time we saw a sign in front of McDonald\u2019s (lol) for jiu-jitsu. We gave them a call and started our first class on August 1st 2008. In 2013 our instructor was growing tired of running the academy and offered it to us. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Landon Castro
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When I was growing up, I had always been, in some capacity, surrounded by something creative; be it art, music, film, etc. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Tyler Sidders
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Grew up military around lots of my dad and his friends having tattoos,was always given drawing supplies and working on art to cope with child abuse from my beiological mother at a young age,Struggled with finding an apprenticeship through early 20s,finally got one in western New York and achieved title of tattooer just six months before Covid happened.Moved my life to Daytona Beach where my stepmom\/who I consider my mom took me in til I could find a shop and get on my feet,Been a full time tattooer and artist for seven years now . Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Ana Brito
<\/p>\n

Both brands, PrincessTwirl & VSparkles, really began with my daughter. I\u2019m a mom of two, a wife, and I have a background in Psychology and Education. I originally imagined my life going in a different professional direction, but after becoming a mother, my priorities changed. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Laura Martinets
<\/p>\n

I am a Red Cross certified water safety instructor. I have been with the Red Cross teaching swimming since I was 17. I have about 38 years experience teaching swimming to children ages 3 to adult. I teach beginners through advanced students. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Mia O\u2019Brien
<\/p>\n

Mia O\u2019Brien has covered Jacksonville-area sports on both television and radio since 2018, headlined by her award-winning coverage of the NFL and the Jacksonville Jaguars. In July 2026, she signed a multi-year extension with ESPN to continue as a national Radio and digital host covering all sports. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Jack Varnell
<\/p>\n

Trauma in my earl life landed me in jails and institutions. Then came the miracle of change . A dedication to a recovery based lifestyle gave me a tribe and a mission. The requisite need to survive has given me five years of providing \u201cfamily\u201d to those in need. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Shawn Wolf Abrams Limitless Wolf Co.
<\/p>\n

My story really started with sports, art, and a desire to create something bigger than myself. I grew up with a competitive mindset and eventually became a Division I football player at FIU. Being an athlete taught me discipline, consistency, teamwork, and how to keep moving forward even when things don\u2019t go according to plan. At the same time, I\u2019ve always been creative. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Paul Farace
<\/p>\n

I started out as a music producer and touring DJ. As that career progressed I needed promotional photos for events and music releases. I hired a photographer, did the photo shoot and then got the bill! Well it was about the same as a professional camera so I decided why not just get a camera for all the future media we would need. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Hadid Boneta
<\/p>\n

It all started with a similar story to all the greatest to ever do it. I picked up my instrument (drums) and the rest was history. To be more specific, a video game called \u201crock band\u201d sparked my interest in percussion. Later along in my journey my interest for rapping and singing came along inspired by Wiz Khalifas mixtape, \u201cTaylor Allderdice\u201d Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Ki Lewis
<\/p>\n

Wow\u2026 I started DrinkInColor with just $20.00. I had absolutely nothing but a dream, determination, and faith that I could turn that dream into reality. I started in Atlanta, GA, on Peter Street. I would create samples of my signature cocktails, beautifully garnished with fresh melon, pineapple, and strawberries. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Stewart Jr
<\/p>\n

I got my start back in 2004 in Jacksonville, FL, towards the end of that year. I had a close friend who was a part of a performing arts organization that was also geared towards giving the youth a positive outlet. The organization was called \u2018The rising stars of tomorrow.\u2019 I very nervously auditioned, and the rest is history. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Leroy Copeland
<\/p>\n

I started playing guitar and writing my own songs at the age of 12 and started to move onto other instruments like bass and drums at 13 and 14 and keyboards at age 18. I\u2019ve been playing live shows since I was 15 years old and doing professional studio work since I was in my 20s. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Inferna Vesper<\/p>\n

Growing up, I didn\u2019t always feel like I belonged. I didn\u2019t have a lot of friends, I was often the one left out, and for a long time, I struggled with insecurity and finding confidence in who I was. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Karen Fabiola Torres
<\/p>\n

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and got married shortly after graduating from college. I earned a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Social Sciences and, years later, a Master\u2019s degree in School Counseling. Along the way, my husband served 25 years in the U.S. Navy, we raised two wonderful children, volunteered in our communities, and I even spent some time teaching. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Carla Rodrigues
<\/p>\n

My journey into veterinary medicine was driven by a deep belief that our pets deserve the same advanced care that humans rely on. After earning my DVM at Ross University and specializing in integrative therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic care, and rehab therapy, I noticed a massive gap in how we approach chronic pain, mobility issues, geriatric medicine and post-surgical recovery in companion animals. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Nari Jeter<\/p>\n

If you had asked me 28 years ago, when I started college, whether I would become an entrepreneur, I would have laughed. I wanted to help people \u2014 as a medical doctor. My friends took business and marketing classes, which I completely avoided. Instead, I spent long hours in biology, physics, and chemistry labs preparing for medical school. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Ran Vatanavanarat
<\/p>\n

I had worked as graphic designer in Thailand for 15 years. Arts is my passion, I love drawing which benefit my work as a tattoo artist today. When I just arrived to US my English was unproficient So I still do what I love drawing and kept doing it. But I had to work in different field that require less English skill. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Sandra Rebeor
<\/p>\n

I was born and raised in Germany alongside my older sister and my twin, Tina. My journey to the United States began when I met my husband, Rob, while he was stationed there in the Army. After two years of dating in Germany, I decided to give life in the U.S. a try when Rob received orders back to North Carolina. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Roberto Martinez
<\/p>\n

My story with photography began long before it became my profession and a business. I was born and raised in Cuba, where I graduated from the San Alejandro National Academy of Fine Arts and also trained as a visual arts teacher. Art has always been an essential part of my life, and photography already held a very important place in my artistic work. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Neil & Christina Cooper
<\/p>\n

My husband, our boys, and I have always loved being outdoors\u2014whether that\u2019s out on the water, in the woods, hunting, fishing, or simply exploring together. About four years ago, that love for the outdoors slowly turned into a new way of looking at the things we were bringing into our home. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Cat Flo
<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m being honest, my story doesn\u2019t really have a straight line. I\u2019ve always been someone who creates things, connects people, and finds a way to make something happen\u2014even before I had the words for what that meant. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Taylor Stroble
<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always loved taking pictures. I remember being a little girl with an i-Zone camera\u2014one of those weird little silver shoot-and-print cameras\u2014and absolutely blowing through film like it was growing in my backyard. Then I got my hands on a digital camera, and it was game over. I photographed everything. My animals, my friends, whatever was happening around me\u2014but especially my brother playing baseball. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Shana Wise
<\/p>\n

Dr. Shana Wise is an ordained Pastor who founded and oversees Wise Choice Ministries with her husband, Pastor Ron Wise. She is also the CEO and founder of The Well Christian Women\u2019s Network. Dr. Wise is the author of books Acts of Intercession, Chief Women Arise, The Impact of Your Election, The Tamar Collective, and the Basic Ministry Training Manual (all available on Amazon). Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Marletta Thornton-lee
<\/p>\n

I love fashion. I guess it kind of started out when I was in school as a young girl, people used to tell me I used to love to come to school and fix their clothes and do their nails\u2026. I was working at this gas station. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

SAHN HOVA
<\/p>\n

SAHN HOVA began a small pupil to his grown love for his craft of music. SAHN HOVA has a disease that follows his musical style. Lupus continues to bring the heart out of SAHN HOVA. Growing up on the northside of Jacksonville Florida can be tough for any young black child. God continues to guide SAHN HOVA throughout his angel in physical form his Grandmother. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n

Jody Caputo
<\/p>\n

My Real Estate journey started with getting licensed in 1988 in Maryland. I moved on several years later to get my Brokers license in North Carolina and eventually landed in Florida, getting licensed here in 2008. 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":402116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-402115","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\/402115","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=402115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}