Inspiring Stories from West LA

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 West LA’s rising stars below.

Kery Jackson

I often say my journey started long before I realized it would become a business. I grew up surrounded by women in my family who knew how to create beautiful, welcoming spaces. Hosting wasn’t about perfection, it was about love, intention, and bringing our family together. Those early experiences stayed with me, even as I built a career in education. Read more>>

Elinor Bawnik

I started my career with a deep interest in understanding human behavior and relationships, which led me to pursue my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Alliant International University. Early on, I worked in a range of clinical settings with individuals and couples in crisis, where I saw how patterns like anxiety, relational conflict, and personality dynamics can deeply impact people’s lives. Read more>>

Max Noce

I was born in Milan, Italy, played bass in some rock bands there and put a record out and moved to London where I had to work to earn so I started working in fashion since I’m Italian from Milan. Found a job at Valentino and moved up to assistant manager of the dolce & gabbana store on Sloane st, still played in rock bands. Read more>>

Baaba Onyejiji, LMFT

In college, I was an English major and fully convinced I was going to become the Black J.K. Rowling. Writing was my first love, and I always imagined building a career through storytelling. I was curious about psychology, even though I had never really been exposed to therapy growing up. Read more>>

Jania Sanders

Hi! My name is Jania Sanders. I’m a faith based indie filmmaker and videographer based in New York City. Thank you so much for speaking with me. I remember the day my mother and I went to the library to see talented actors put on a little play. What I saw was very captivating. Read more>>

Eric R. Williams

My story begins at A. Philip Randolph Elementary School in Atlanta, GA when I was tasked with the responsibility of leading my 1st grade class’s production of Hansel & Gretel as ‘Hansel’ in the famous duo. Read more>>

Maryann Murray

Growing up as a CODA (child of Deaf Adult) , people might have expected the house to be quiet, but I was always singing. Making noise freely in any space, without being told to quiet down, felt like freedom, and I slowly realized that wasn’t something everyone had. Read more>>

Omar Zhumashev

My story with music started at the age of four. I still vividly remember sitting at our family’s piano for the first time and picking out the melody of ‘Lily Was Here’ by ear. Seeing this potential, my father—a musician himself—enrolled me in a music school. By age five, I was already immersed in the world of classical piano. Read more>>

Brynn Smith

Brynn Smith has worked in the hospitality industry for over fifteen plus years, during which time she developed a voracious passion for concocting libations. In 2011, at the height of the craft cocktail renaissance, that passion became a full-time career — and I’ve since been working with many different brands creating specialty cocktails and cocktail videos . Read more>>

Leslie Lluvet

I was born in Cuban television, film, and voice-over actress recognized for her versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles. Born on January 22, 1990, in Havana, Cuba, Lluvet later grew up in Miami before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. Read more>>

Toneata Morgan

I began my career in entertainment as an actress, model, and host, earning titles including Miss Malibu Teen USA 2014, Miss Oregon USA 2018, and placing Top 15 at Miss USA 2018. I studied Communications with an emphasis in Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University, while also expanding into production and screenwriting through Toneata Entertainment LLC alongside my mother. Read more>>

DES PEREZ

I started tufting in 2021, right after the pandemic, as a way to pour my energy into something positive and build a side hustle. I’ve always been creative, and I also work in the cannabis industry, so I wanted to find a way to merge both worlds. That’s really how my brand came to life. Read more>>

Lacey Welker

After graduating from college, I moved to Los Angeles from Chico, CA. and began working as a behavioral therapist for children with Autism. Read more>>

Tessa Santarpia

My journey started in the traditional healthcare world. I worked in physician offices and later pursued my Master’s in Healthcare Administration and Strategy at Columbia University because I genuinely wanted to help improve the system and make healthcare more human-centered, preventative, and connected. Read more>>

Taek Oh

Redraw began in 2013 in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, on the grounds of an old foundry on Mateo Street. It started with me, my older brother, and three younger friends who had been close to us for years. At the time, it was never meant to become a serious company. Read more>>

Lucian Smith

I grew up in a musical family, we had a beat-up upright grand with minimal ivories on the keys — I remember I knew the notes by their distinct rivets in each wooden piece. I have a core memory of being at church inside the pipe room while the organist was playing. Read more>>

Patrick Gallagher

Open Court Athletic Association started with a simple observation in our own family. My daughters, Emerson and Genevieve, both love volleyball and were always looking for more time in the gym outside of regular practices and games. Read more>>

Maria Caruso

I started dancing at a very young age and truly never remember a time when movement was not part of my life. I trained intensely in ballet, theatre, and performance while also developing a deep fascination with storytelling, psychology, human connection, and creative entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Lyf Gildersleeve

I’m a 2nd generation fishmonger, 15 year business owner, sustainable seafood advocate, and father of two kids. I started selling fish at farmers markets, then evolved to trucks, shacks, grocery stores, and now brick and mortar location in SE portland with 25 employees Read more>>

Jesse J Collections

Jesse J Collections Celebrity wardrobe stylist and designer Jesse dresses celebrities, styles magazine editorials & designs for tv shows & films. He now owns LA’s top fashion rentals showroom, TrendHaus (@thetrendhaus) and is a teacher at FCI Fashion School in Los Angeles. Read more>>

Jasmine Denise

I started PSOM in 2016 as a way to highlight beautiful Black women and women of color in a positive light because I felt like we deserved more visibility and representation. What started as a simple platform to celebrate us eventually turned into something much bigger than I imagined. Deep down, I always knew I wanted to help my community in some way. Read more>>

Gunn Pankum

My culinary journey began in Thailand, moving frequently as a military child. This nomadic life allowed me to experience the diverse culinary regions of my home country, shaping my palate from a young age. By 12, my life changed: out of necessity, my family moved in with an Auntie, and I became the family cook. Read more>>

Alexandra Ribeiro

I come from a very culturally rich background that has deeply shaped both my music and modeling career. My mother immigrated from Brazil to New York when she was young, making me a first-generation American, and creativity has always been part of my family. Read more>>

Jenny Kahen

The Story of RSD Interiors My journey into interior design actually began with a choice to step away. After having my three daughters, I left the workforce to focus on raising them. However, that creative spark never truly dimmed. As my youngest turned six, I knew it was time to reclaim that passion. Read more>>

Amy Garcia

My journey in permanent makeup began in 2017 when I, Amy Garcia, first entered the world of Microblading with a passion for beauty, artistry, and helping people feel more confident in their own skin. What started as a deep interest in aesthetics quickly turned into a career after I saw how transformative permanent makeup could be—not just physically, but emotionally for clients as well. Read more>>

Kaitlynn Harold

Music has always been a part of my life. I’ve always been a singer, and over time I enjoyed getting to a beginner level on every instrument I could. Originally from Portland Oregon, at 16 I sang in a cover band, and did that until I turned 20. Read more>>

Parker Ainsworth

I started where most kids start, in my bedroom, writing songs nobody asked for, and most of them weren’t very good. Austin in the 90s was a hell of a training ground though, and I went from playing in bands to deeply immersing myself in the underground rave scene. Read more>>

O’Mara Allen

I actually started my career in web design, which is funny considering where my path eventually led me. At the time, I was working at a vase shop in LA’s Flower District. I was originally hired to create a website that reflected the products in the store, but I quickly became obsessed with something much bigger than the website itself. Read more>>

Louis Thomass

Born and raised in Munich, Germany, I have always had a desire to become a musician. I started playing guitar when I was 5 years old. After playing on a professional level for almost 10 years, I moved to LA in my mid-20s. Read more>>

Paola Ceriani

HI! I was raised in Milan Italy, both my parents are Italians. I am a Leo sun and Cancer moon. I moved to New York city in my late twenties to pursue my carrier as a fashion make up artist and in beauty. I landed in La just after Covid which now i call my home with my daughter. Read more>>

Craig Carter

I embarked on my artistic journey as a teenager, and through dedicated effort and passion, I’ve unlocked a profound level of creative expression and continue to evolve and grow. Read more>>

David Capuano

Born and raised in Mexico City to an immigrant family, I grew up in between a diverse group of ways of thought, primarily a mix of European (Turkish, Italian), Mexican and due to going to an American School. I was always immersed in an array of stories and people. Read more>>

Cat Lottie

I was born and raised in Sacramento, California. I started being interested in modeling when I was 15 and have been working towards my career every since. I had gotten accepted into a modeling academy at 17 which I feel really helped prepare me before jumping into the deep end of the industry. I graduated early from high school with the focus towards my career. Read more>>

Marina Babigian

I think a lot of branding is really about translation. Most people already know who they are, but translating that into something visual, cohesive, and trustworthy is much harder. Especially in people-centered industries, where clients are often deciding whether they feel comfortable enough to let someone into their lives. Read more>>

Yuliia Bahinska

I’m of Korean descent. I was born in Uzbekistan, but I grew up in Ukraine from the age of five, so my background is very multicultural. My native languages are Russian and Ukrainian. Now, briefly about my hairdressing journey — it started in 2016 when I met my future husband. He, along with the company he worked for, inspired me to pursue hairdressing. Read more>>

Marney Sobel

I graduated from McGill University with degrees in Education and Special Education, and began my career as a teacher working in both special education and gifted education. Teaching always came very naturally to me because I genuinely loved connecting with students and understanding how each child learned best. Read more>>

Lizzy BLAKE

In 2010 I lost my significant other to death in a camping accident. I had suicidal ideation I wanted to go with him and my grief was so overwhelming. I didn’t know how to process it. This was my spiritual awakening because I could still feel his unseen presence as if he was in the next room. It activated my psychic capabilities. Read more>>

Melissa Walsh

I started out as a makeup artist in London and got my first break with a well known music photographer called Peter Anderson. My first job was with a band called The Quireboys who were managed at that time by Sharon Osbourne! Read more>>

Shari Berkowitz

I was a professional dancer, singer, actress with a remarkable musical theater career in NYC. However, one night during a performance of GREASE, the man playing ‘Danny Zuko’ violently whipped me in a turn rather than gently guiding me. His violence left me with a massive brachial plexus pull and multiple herniated discs pressing into the nerves of my left arm and my spinal canal. Read more>>

Gabriella Grant

I grew up in a very artsy household – both my parents are two of the most creative people I know, so growing up my sister and I were surrounded by art and color. Studying graphic design in school allowed for even more experimentation and self-expression. I would say that was really when I found my groove – drawing more abstractly with saturated colors. Read more>>

Deepshika Verma

I feel like my path has been a mix of curiosity, community, and just being open to learning as I go, since this wasn’t where I initially thought I would end up. Read more>>

Nina Pham

I come from a long lineage of beauty providers. I was born into the beauty industry. My parents ran a salon offering nails, waxing, and lash services, and I started working and providing services there the moment I became of age. I began as their receptionist, then as a nail/eyelash/waxing provider, trained by the best in my own family. Read more>>

Chris Artabasy

Art has always been the central focus of my life. From a young age, I was drawn to visual language, atmosphere, and storytelling, and over time that became a serious commitment to building a career as an artist. What began as a personal obsession gradually developed into a disciplined practice centered on creating a distinct body of work and a long-term vision. Read more>>

Jeremy Brown

I didn’t find the ocean, the ocean found me. From New Zealand heritage and raised in Australia, where coastline is never more than a short drive from anywhere we lived, I grew up with salt water woven into my sense of self. It was only a matter of time before that connection made its way in front of a lens. Read more>>

Mirjam Aru

From a young age, creativity was always at the center of my life. I began my professional singing journey at 12 years old after being selected for one of Estonia’s biggest televised talent competitions. The format paired young talents with well-known mentors in music and entertainment, and my team ended up winning the very first season of the show. Read more>>

Robin Gaur

I started my career in engineering, driven by a fascination with solving complex problems and building systems that operate at a very high level of precision and reliability. I spent about 20 years in the aerospace industry, where I grew into senior management roles leading teams, managing large-scale programs, and working at the intersection of technology, operations, and strategy. Read more>>

Afton McNatt

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a burning desire to somehow show other people what goes on in my imagination. That first started with LEGOs, as a kid growing up in the Gig Harbor/Seattle area. I’d build working LEGO candy machines, castles from The Hobbit, and even stop motion LEGO short films. Read more>>

Jasmine Okafor

My path has been a journey of learning how to honor myself fully while creating space for others to do the same. I’ve always been drawn to wellness, storytelling, human connection, and understanding how people move through life emotionally, physically, and spiritually. What began as a path in therapeutic care naturally evolved into creating intentional experiences centered around presence, awareness, and aligned living. Read more>>

Nancy Ho

Crispy Ho was founded in Venice Beach in 2024, but my culinary journey started in my grandmother’s kitchen when I was five years old. I’m a first-generation Vietnamese American, and because my parents worked constantly, my grandmother largely raised me. She grew up in the countryside of Vietnam and brought that way of life with her to America. Everything she made was from scratch. Read more>>

Kostantinos Kovanis

My journey began over 30 years ago with the founding of Kovanis Services. At the time, the goal was simple but ambitious: to provide a level of service and technical reliability that was missing in the market. As the business grew, so did my vision for what we could achieve across different sectors. Read more>>

Jennifer San Juan

“My journey into real estate began in a very unexpected way. At the time, I was working full-time in the medical field while raising my children as a single mother. I was in the process of purchasing my very first home and, honestly, I knew very little about real estate. A friend of mine, who was a Realtor, was helping me through the process. Read more>>

Zuzana Szokeova

I think my journey has always been about trying to understand both beauty and human connection. I started painting when I was around three years old, and creativity became part of my identity very early on. Read more>>

Oluwadara Olaoluwa

I was introduced to music at a very young age through church, growing up as a pastor’s kid in Nigeria. Music was always around me, and I became fascinated with instruments early on; especially the drums. I was the kid constantly trying to learn rhythms, play in church, and understand how music made people feel. Read more>>

Jay Hewlett

I’m Jay Hewlett. My artist name is The Gifted Pen. I started writing at a young age. I’m a real estate investor but in 2016, I wanted to take my writing and creative artistry more serious, so I started writing more. I published my first book, ‘Gifted Beyond Measure’ in 2016. I currently have 13 published books. I’m a 5 times Bestselling author. Read more>>

Keala Asher

There has always been a part of me that wanted to create in every way shape or form. I loved photography, painting, mixed media, writing, sewing, basically anything that you can create with your hands or capture visually. Read more>>

Lyssa Lough

Our aesthetic is rooted in the belief that luxury should be comfortable and style should be effortless. Read more>>

Meredith Pegula

My journey as an artist is deeply rooted in the belief that music and creativity can heal. Growing up with an artistic mother, I was inspired to explore various forms of creative expression—singing, dancing, writing, poetry and art—all of which have become integral to who I am. Read more>>

Neev Kugel

I grew up in Tiberias, Israel, around construction sites and conversations about building long before I understood that it would eventually shape my life. My grandfather was a builder who developed two hotels in the city, and while I didn’t fully grasp it at the time, being around that world left a lasting impression on me. Read more>>

Peyman Raoofi

My journey began with a deep curiosity about people, psychology, and the human capacity for resilience and growth. As an Iranian-American immigrant, I learned early on how culture, adversity, and community shape identity and mental health. Read more>>

Kimberly Berger

In late August 2024, a wonderful family friend, Paul Jones, was running for State Assembly in District 62, and he kindly invited me to join him on a visit to the West Los Angeles VA home to check in on some veterans. While there, I had the pleasure of meeting a service dog named ‘Tank’ and his human, George. Read more>>

Victor Manzano

When people ask me where my journey in music started, I always go back to one moment when I was about five or six years old. I was in El Salvador visiting family with my mom and grandmother when my dad shipped me a Michael Jackson “Thriller” costume for a family block party. At that time, Michael Jackson was everything. Read more>>

Yael Lichaa

The Story of RAZ Land: From Hidden Identity to Bold Creation The ‘good times’ in life are easy to appreciate, but I have learned that our hardest moments are the true seeds of manifestation. The struggle, when we hit our lowest points, is actually the raw, unexpressed energy that leads us toward spiritual growth and a clearer path for our dreams. Read more>>

Marc Martinez

I started out with a love for movies and a need to create. I did not come from the traditional studio path, so a lot of my early journey was built on learning by doing. I taught myself the process from the ground up: writing, directing, producing, shooting, editing, and figuring out how to get projects finished when resources were limited. Read more>>

Cameron Miles

Oh gosh, where to begin. I had a tough childhood. Family, money, etc wise. It wasn’t easy… and with that, my affinity for music began at a young age. Music was always a backbone for me – something to rely on when the rest of my world seemed to be falling apart. Read more>>

Gregory Starke

I got my start in film in Tallahassee Fl while I was attending FSU for Nursing. I remember sitting in class and feeling displaced amongst the other nursing students. I left class early that day and sat myself in the front of my mirror and asked myself: What do you like to do? Read more>>

Nicco Denton

SHAMS Gold beer was inspired by a real piece of history. Before the Islamic Revolution, there was an original SHAMS beer in Iran—it was part of everyday social life, remembered today through stories, photographs, and memories passed down across generations. After the revolution, that world changed abruptly, and millions of Iranians were forced to leave and rebuild their lives elsewhere, particularly in the United States. Read more>>

Janaline Smalman

I was born and raised in South Africa and spent my childhood on a smallholding surrounded by animals, art, books, and nature. I had a very creative upbringing — my mother encouraged painting afternoons, ceramics, collage-making, and finding different ways to express ourselves. Creativity was always part of my life long before I understood how deeply healing it could be. Read more>>

Deana Concilio-Lenz

Deana Concilio-Lenz has forged an illustrious career spanning over two decades as an accomplished executive producer, director, and creative visionary. With an innate ability to seamlessly intertwine ideas, substance, and artistic flair, she has continually elevated the realms of visual storytelling. Read more>>

Josh Henry-Hicks

I’m an Australian who moved to LA in 2016. I was the 6th employee at digital marketing agency MuteSix. 5 Years later we were a company of 450. I managed a team of 120 and we sold to Dentsu one of the largest Digital Marketing agencies in the world. Read more>>

Dr. Jennifer Strong

I started as a little girl from a small village in Seldovia, Alaska, with a big dream and a front row seat to real service. My parents opened a tiny medical practice where my father was the only doctor in town. They were everything at once: clinicians, intake, billing, emergency response, and community anchors. When families could not pay, they bartered. Read more>>

Hannah Newman

I’m a full-time wood burning and tattoo artist in Los Angeles. That still feels a little surreal to say, since I never set out to become a visual artist. I originally worked in the medical field and did social work. Read more>>