Inspiring Stories from The Valley

The heart of our mission at VoyageLA is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our city. In recent weeks we’ve had the privilege to connect with some of West LA’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble-rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool.  Check out The Valley’s rising stars below.

Stacy Larsen

I have been a Puppy Raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind for the past 24 yrs, having raised a total of 21 dogs for the blind community. Guide Dogs for the Blind specifically uses Golden Retrievers & Labrador Retrievers. Read more>>

Jordan Held

Originally from Boston, I spent the first 30 years of my life on the East Coast. I grew up highly competitive and deeply connected to athletics, eventually walking onto the Division I rowing team at the University of Connecticut while majoring in Kinesiology. Sports have always been central to who I am, I often say they saved my life. Read more>>

Eurice

I never thought I’d be an actor, model, or even in front of the camera in anyway. I loved the industry, but preferred to be behind the scenes as I loved creating stories and had intense stage fright. I went to CSUN for Film Production and ended up changing my major to Emerging Media due to the pandemic. Read more>>

David Wismer

I would say I am still in the early chapters of my story working as a creative. I began pursuing acting in 2022 with a few jobs as an extra on different sets. That is still where I find myself, as it is a difficult and competitive industry to break into. Read more>>

Ian Blesse

The two of us grew up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Toby and I went to high school together and started jamming regularly after school in Big Creek CA. It’s all we could think about and we would play for hours on end. We’d also play at parties in the mountains and foothills until the sun came up or the local sheriffs were called haha. Read more>>

lashaka7@yahoo.com PLEASANT-DAVIS

Loss and pain forced me to re-write my story from a lil girl moving from Compton to Bakersfield, My life had many challenges as the oldest child of 4 siblings. Not knowing that my mother was suffering from depression. I had to grow up fast and adjust to having a blended family that I would see during the summer or holidays. Read more>>

Pablo Azar

I was born in Mexico and started my career as an actor at a young age, training in the Stanislavski technique at CEFAT in Mexico City before continuing my studies with incredible teachers like Adriana Barraza, Héctor Mendoza, and Raúl Quintanilla. Read more>>

Melissa Nolff

Hi, I’m Melissa Nolff, owner of SoulSpring Oasis. Coaching, mentoring, and holding compassionate space have been in my wheelhouse for over 25 years. After graduating in my twenties with a business degree, I built a successful corporate career while raising my two boys. Then, in 2014, life changed in an instant. My firstborn son was killed, and everything I understood about the world shattered. Read more>>

Matthew Lombardi

Honey Guide Records was started by a couple of best friends who graduated from California State University Northridge in 2025. All being graduates of the music industry program, we decided to start our own record label with the hopes of creating a community based business that brought together some of the best musical talent, incredible artists, and friends from all around. Read more>>

Danielle Nepus

I am born and raised in Los Angeles. I struggled with substance abuse and was in and out of treatment for several years. I had 11 years of sobriety in aa along with working in the substance abuse and mental health field. During Covid I relapsed on substances and I was using for about one year. Read more>>

Tatyana Stark

In 2023 I quit my job at Trader Joes and took a solo trip to Bali to complete my first 200 hour Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. Since then I have completed a 50 hour Sculpt, 100 Hour Mat Pilates, and my second 200 Hour Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. Read more>>

Katrina Cobb

I studied architecture, and not because I knew what I wanted to do with it, but because it was the first discipline that asked me to think in a way that felt true to how my mind actually worked. You cannot design a building from a single angle. Read more>>

Gabrielle Mayfield

Creativity and music have always been a major part of who I am. Before stepping into the world of DJing and music production, I spent 16 years as a trained dancer. Dance was my first introduction to performance and creative expression, and through those years I developed a deep appreciation for how music can influence emotion, energy, and connection between people. Read more>>

mustafa eken

My journey began in Türkiye, where I studied Sports Science and developed a deep interest in human movement, rehabilitation, and performance. From an early age, I was fascinated not only by fitness itself, but by how exercise could completely change a person’s quality of life — physically, mentally, and emotionally. Read more>>

Margie Longwell

My name is Margie Longwell, founder of KunaLuna LLC. My journey into healing and spiritual work was born through personal life experiences, self-discovery, and a deep calling to help others reconnect with their own inner power and healing abilities. Over the years, I have explored many spiritual and holistic practices, including energy healing, tarot reading, mediumship, and teaching natural and spiritual healing methods. Read more>>

Sarah Joy Perez

I’ve wanted to be a fashion designer since I was a little girl. I’d draw dresses in sketch books and sit in the back of the car while my mom was driving and imagine costumes for plays/music videos. My family lineage includes many skilled seamstresses and I feel very connected to my family when I’m creating with fabric. Read more>>

Emily Jones

I always loved performing growing up, but for a long time I didn’t realize it was something you could pursue as a real career. I spent most of my childhood wanting to be a doctor – until high school, when I joined the Glee Club, which also functioned as a Thespians theatre troupe. Read more>>

Tina Moon

I’ve always been infatuated with all things dark, macabre, and gothic. From music to fashion to entertainment, my world has always felt like “one big dark room”. Creating art has always been my outlet, whether through painting, sculpting, or eventually building products and brands of my own. My journey started over 17 years ago making handmade costume jewelry and accessories. Read more>>

Darlene Delro

I was the quiet kid that would doodle in the margins of my notebook paper, find myself getting lost in a book during recess, and be journaling in my diary during class so much so that teachers would have to confiscate said diary. I’ve always been a daydreamer and have had a wild and vivid imagination since childhood. Read more>>

Alyssa Longchamp

I started my journey as an intern in a program called ‘Made in NY’. A PA training program in New York City that teaches on-set etiquette, industry language, and the fundamentals of working in film and television. I knew no one in the industry, but after earning my degree in photography, I knew this world was my next step. Read more>>

Johanna Rodriguez

I have always had a passion for jewelry. I love how jewelry can make even the most basic outfit stand out and feel special. Buying fashion jewelry has always been a normal part of my life, but many times I would come across pieces that felt overpriced. Read more>>

Paul Landry

I was born and raised in Westminster, Massachusetts. The eldest of seven (5 boys and 1 sister). At 12 I picked up my brother’s guitar and taught myself to play by listening to my favorite records and copying what I heard by using a guitar chord chart. Read more>>

frank gonzales

I was born in Mesa, Arizona and grew up in Tempe. I attended Mesa Community College for several before receiving my BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2003. My work is an exploration of noticing the extraordinary of everyday life through familiar, mundane and nostalgic elements. Themes of nature and Chicano culture play a personal significance that has shaped a lifelong passion. Read more>>

Karreno Alexanyan

My love for food started long before Charqute did. As a kid, I spent summers on my grandparents’ farm in Armenia, churning butter, helping in the garden, and learning to make Armenian string cheese under my grandmother’s watchful eye. That early experience planted something in me I didn’t fully understand until decades later. Read more>>

Sophia Hernandez

I started my hair business at 17 because I knew I wanted more than a traditional job. I wanted to be my own boss and build something that gave me creative freedom and self-expression. I specialize in braids, editorial hairstyles, and makeup. I’ve put myself out there through collaborations, networking events, and more! Read more>>

Reilly Fay

I graduated from college and moved to Miami by myself just two weeks later with the goal of building something meaningful. I started by helping businesses market themselves at local markets and events by putting up mini sandwich board advertisements, then eventually I started organizing and hosting markets myself. Read more>>

Alina Vehuni

I came to this country as an adult, a multilingual immigrant who arrived carrying the fullness of one world and the determination to build another. I went back to school while raising a family, moving through classrooms and district offices for nearly three decades, accumulating credentials and experience and a deep, abiding belief that education was the most important work a human being could do. Read more>>

Luis Quijano

It all started with my parents. They were the ones who infused art and culture into my life. Yucatan, my home state in Mexico, is a place that’s very rich in culture, tradition and color. Read more>>

Andrew Coughlin

My path into filmmaking is a bit unconventional compared to the traditional route, but I was first exposed to it when I was 17 years old and spent time on location in the locations department on Ang Lee’s “Ride with the Devil.” Even then, before I fully understood what I was seeing, I remember feeling drawn to the environment and knowing I wanted to pursue filmmaking in some form.  Read more>>

Sasha Feiler & Joe Cabello Shut Up I Love It

SASHA: These days, everyone and their audacious auntie has a podcast. But the genesis of Shut Up I Love It goes back to early 2019, when I met up with a friend from my old improv team. Read more>>