voyagemiami

Your story matters. Your viewpoint and insights matter. In our view, there is far too much coverage of the trends that ivory tower professors and billionaire fund managers are seeing. What's the edge in hearing the billionaire consensus view over and over again? The edge comes from hearing new perspectives and new information like from the wedding planner who has worked with hundreds of couples during the pandemic and has noticed that couples are allocating significantly more of their wedding budgets on "small details" like personalized neon signs or the accountant seeing how there's a huge uptick in ecommerce clients generating revenue from in person popups. The small business owners, artists and creatives in our communities are brilliant and deserve more coverage, more platforms and more opportunities to share their stories and insights and we’re excited to play a small role in getting those insights out into the world through our Inspiring Stories series. We've highlighted a few here. Link to full series in bio. Alanis Guedez | LA VIE Sleepwear & loungewear | @laviebyag Matt LeBris of The Decoding Success Podcast | @decodingsuccess Berenice Bijou | Creative Director | @berenicebijou Genesis Duarte | Influencer | @ heygennyy Aurora Molina | Artist | @Auroramolinaartist Karla Wittkop Rocha | Fashion Designer | @olivacamposhop Stevo’n McGill of TopShelf Performance | Author & Athletic Coach | @topshelf.fit Tessa Levy | Motek Cafe at the Seybold Building | @motekcafe David Bulit | Photographer of abandoned places across florida | @abandonedfl Paola Rendon | Fashion Designer | @paolasees

Within every challenge lies an opportunity. Every setback, heartbreak, or loss has the potential to be just the first page of a beautiful story. Through the Voyage interviews, we've seen over and over again that even the worst of circumstances can be turned around. Be kind to people, you never know what someone is going through. Build people up - it's amazing the impact a kind gesture at just the right moment can have on someone's story. You have the power to impact the world every single day - your choices, words and actions matter and they have ripple effects that extend far beyond our view. The stories we share on Voyage each week feature folks who have overcome incredible odds and we couldn't be more inspired. We've highlighted a few folks here, you can check their stories as well as others on the site. Morgan Rodgers | Apparel & Clothing | @MorganMadonnaTheBrand Michelle and Justin Brown | CrossFit Vice in Coral Springs & HelpMoms.com | @drjustinbrown Berkley Sweetapple | Legal Contract Templates | @berkleysweetapple Wadly and Faith Estel of Estellar Booth | @estellarbooth Audrey Waldron of She Does Official | Swimsuits | @shedoesofficial Federico Uribe | Artist | @federicouribeart Nicole Zelaya | Social Media Marketing | @itsnicolezee,@sociallystellarmarketing Rufus Ogio | Film Director | @princeruuu Joshua Kaufman | Residential & Commercial Real Estate | @thelanddoctor

So excited to announce our new show with @whitley_porter - it’s called heart to heart with Whitley and she’ll be having deep, personal conversations with inspiring folks from the community! Link in bio - please check it out. Special thanks creative director Sam Papers @sampapers and digital producer Jorel Balabala

As a child, I always told myself that I would one day become a doctor and have a side hustle that I enjoyed. From that very moment, the idea of turning that dream into a reality stuck with me forever. I grew up around the era when me and my boys would camp outside of champs and footlocker all night for the latest Jays just so that we could wear them to school that following Monday. That week after every release always felt like a fashion show because people would strategically plan which day of the week they wanted to pull out their best fit for the sneakers. This really comes to show how important getting fly meant to us as kids, especially when going to a non-uniform high school at the time. This is where as teens, we began to express ourselves through our swag and how we dress. I worked at champs for four years, from my junior year of high school to my sophomore year in college which allowed me to constantly be surrounded by the latest kicks and hottest street wear fashion. Before starting my brand, I studied the history of fashion & the industry to get a better understanding of what makes a successful brand. For years, I studied some of my favorite street wear brands & high end fashion labels that inspired me with their stories. I knew that one day I would eventually start my own clothing brand but always kept in mind that timing is everything and that good things don’t come easy. I quickly learned the importance of taking time and enjoying the process every step of the way. My proudest moment right now would have to be my first release date that took place on August 5th, 2020. That day will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first day I got to debut my brand with the world for purchase. The first release of my brand included my Vancol Packs, which were featured in 4 color-ways, the militant green, triple black, out the mud camo, and camel tan. When I got word that the bags sold out by 6:03 pm (in just 3 minutes after my website opened at 6 pm.). - Alex Vancol, The Creative Director & Owner of VANCOL @_stilldoinit @thevancolbrand Read the rest of Alex's story on VoyageMIA.com Image Credits: @vulture.visions @trevonnet

It’s been a wild ride! I would have been happy living and working in my hometown, but now I see my path was to get out there and explore. I grew up in Brazil and during college, I had an internship at the Vatican Radio in Rome, where I worked with people from all over the world and loved it! I finished university and took a marketing job in Bonn, Germany. From there, I moved to New York City, London, and then back to the United States, where I lived in New Jersey for many years before moving to Miami. I love exploring new cultures! That feeling of being “the new kid” in a different place shaped my approach to business. I always ask questions to view things from a different perspective - Isadora Badi of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty @onesir Read the rest of Isadora’s story on VoyageMIA.com Image credit: Karina Cinnante

Since I was a child, I’ve always attended family weddings and loved the meaning of LOVE. The moment when two souls decide to join as one. I was always that one guest that would get up out of their seat and assist the event planners if they needed help. I enjoyed helping. I guess it’s the Social Worker in me. Nonetheless, In 2013 I officially started planning small events and weddings and eventually got married to the love of my life. However, my happiness was short-lived and I lost my husband nine months later in a motor vehicle accident one night. The sparkle and light that I once had was filled with depression and years of hopelessness. As the months and years past me by, I realized that I had to pick myself up by the bootstraps and move forward for my son. I returned to event planning but realized I had found a new passion, which was bridal accessories. Some may say what’s so special about bridal jewelry? I say everything. My role is to enhance a bride’s beauty with our Swarovski crystal that shines so bright you won’t be able to take your eyes off of her. So today I bring you Jewels by Charles. - Jeannie Charles of @Jewels_by_Charles Read the rest of Jeannie's story on VoyageMIA.com Image credits: @k.ameyphotography @imagesbyjulesphotography @zavierdeangelo @stanlophotography

Voyage has always believed that tomorrow will be better than today. We continue to believe this. We started Voyage because we felt the media often ignored stories that didn't fit their agenda. They were quick to headline failing black schools, but overlooking thriving black businesses. Willing to talk about increasing incarceration rates, but failing to show the development and expansion of minority entrepreneurship, thought-leadership and culture. How people are represented inevitably affects how they are viewed and treated. We must shed light on the struggles, but we must also focus on the positive. When the media fails to do so, even if they are well-intentioned, they are painting a false, counterproductive and one-dimensional image of a community that is so much more. Over the past few years, we have had the good fortune of featuring over 50,000 black-owned businesses, black entrepreneurs, creatives and leaders across the Voyage cities. Their stories matter. The images documenting their success matter. Their lives matter. They matter. There is always more to do and it's important to keep amplifying the voices of underserved communities, even when it's no longer fashionable. Together, we will make tomorrow better than today. Christiana Smith of Christo’s Closet a mix of Classy and Sexy but Modest Clothing made in the USA @christocloset Summer Jarvis of Summer Cosmeticz travel-themed cosmetics line @SummerCosmeticz Isaiah Simmons ZaySmash Artist @zaysmash Marsha Chamberlain of Flight33 a Jamaican rum punch brand @Flight33__ Peter Maurice of PSA PRODUCTIONS specializes in creative directing/writing (producing) of commercials, TV shows, photoshoots and short-films @_psa Jasmine Richardson of JR Branding Branding and Web Design Business cater to new and small business wanting to connect their story to an enticing visual brand story @jr_brandingco Rebecca Desir of The Black Health Commission Mission is to take charge of health equity in Black communities through education, research, and advocacy @blackhealthcommission Jerome Nixon CEO Trainer Model @jnixon_6

#blackouttuesday

Love is the most powerful force in the world. It uplifts, inspires, gives strength, spreads happiness and keeps us going. We’ve highlighted some photos that warmed our hearts from photographers we’ve had the honor of featuring on VoyageMIA. The photographers are tagged- Check out their interviews, show them some love, follow your favorites and most importantly – cherish your loved ones. Also, check out Andrea Tamara of @bloomsfully.co in Doral. She's an amazing florist and VoyageMIA sponsor and she is offering some amazing deals for flowers on Valentine's day. Promo code VOYAGEMIA for 10% off all of February.

The future is female. Not because it's anti-male, but because for too long women have been under-represented in the workplace, in government, in the media and elsewhere. Our race, gender-identity, sexual-preferences, faith, shape/size/color, etc should never limit our opportunities. Media plays a role - the stories, narratives and experiences we cover help shape and represent culture and we're proud to play a small part in helping to shape tomorrow’s narrative by highlighting an amazing and diverse set of leaders on our site each week. A few are highlighted here, the full series is online. Link in bio.

Everyday we have a choice. We can build people up or tear them down. Our actions and our words matter. We all have a platform, a voice, and the opportunity to help others thrive. Too often those with platforms focus only on the negative and the result is the we are all bombarded by the negative. We think focusing on the positive is more important. Who cares if two politicians or celebrities or corporate titans are throwing shade at each other - is that worthy of our time or would it be better spent talking about, reading about, writing about and spreading the word about our neighbors and friends who are doing something positive. We are proud to use our platform to bring attention to the incredible amounts of good in our world. We’ve highlighted some of those positive stories here and you can find more online. Link in bio.

You matter. Your story matters. You don’t have to be a billionaire or pop star for your story to matter. We think it’s important to ask our neighbors and friends and people throughout the community to share their stories because if no one asks, far too many stories would go untold. The coffee shop around the corner and the artist next door have stories we can learn from, grow because of and be inspired by and we are so proud to be able to help make sure these stories are told each week. We’ve highlighted a few stories here, you can check out the full Inspiring Stories Series online. Link in bio.