We recently connected with Amanda Voss and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for Yavapai Exploration and Science (YES!) came to me at a pivotal moment in my life. After 15 years of teaching, I had made the emotional decision to step away from the career that had been such a huge part of my identity. It didn’t end the way I had imagined, it was painful and bittersweet, but it also opened the door for me to move forward.

One afternoon, I had plans to meet a good friend for lunch. I was still very much mourning the end of my teaching journey, and as we talked, I found myself reflecting on the highs, the lows, and all the unknowns that lay ahead. Honestly, at that moment, I didn’t know what was next.

It wasn’t until I was driving home from that lunch that everything clicked. I realized I couldn’t completely walk away from teaching, it was too much a part of who I was. But I needed to find a new way to do it, one that felt true to what I believed was best for kids in our community, and for my own daughter, Riley. That’s when the idea hit me: I wanted to teach children the valuable skills they weren’t being taught, or weren’t being taught well, and do it in a way that celebrated curiosity, critical thinking, and innovation.

When I truly decided that this was what I was going to do, I felt a sense of clarity rush over me, like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. For the first time in a long time, I knew without a doubt that I was doing what was right. I felt energized, hopeful, and deeply excited for the future.

I immediately called the friend I had just left to spill the news, then my husband, and from there, I threw myself headfirst into action. I raided my local public library for every book I could find on starting and running a business. I signed up with a business coach to help guide me through this completely new world. I reached out to nonprofit science center CEOs across the country, asked endless questions, and soaked up every piece of information I could.

As I started forming my team, that feeling of certainty only grew stronger. The women I spoke to fully backed my idea and wanted to be part of it. Their belief in the vision gave me even more confidence. I sent out surveys to the community, analyzed the responses, and saw overwhelming support for what I was creating. This wasn’t just a dream, this was something that could truly change our community for the better.

And so, my badass, all-woman board was formed, a powerhouse team of passionate, brilliant moms who believed, just like I did, that kids deserve a place where their curiosity is celebrated and their potential is limitless and we embarked on this momentous journey together!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I didn’t originally know what I wanted to be as an adult. I was the first in my extended family to graduate from college, and back then, I hadn’t fully considered all the possibilities that were out there. It was actually my mom who encouraged me to give teaching a try and it turned out to be exactly where I was meant to be.

After earning my Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, I went back to school to pursue my Master’s in Education, as well as a K–12 Reading Endorsement and a 4–5 Generalist Endorsement in the state of Ohio. I spent most of my career teaching in charter and public schools, working with students in 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade. I also had the opportunity to step into leadership roles, serving as a principal and as a mentor to first- through fourth-year teachers entering the profession. Those years shaped my understanding not just of how kids learn, but also of how important it is to support educators and to create learning environments that truly put children first.

Outside of my career, my family is my everything. My husband, Nathan, and I are high school sweethearts, we actually met on the bowling team, and today we have a daughter, Riley, who has been one of my biggest inspirations. Riley has an incredible love of learning, especially when it comes to hands-on activities, exploring new ideas, and asking a million wonderful “why” questions. Watching her grow and seeing the spark that ignites when learning is playful and meaningful really pushed me to rethink what education could and should look like.

At YES!, we offer educational outreach events, community STEAM activities, school programs, family engagement events, and opportunities specifically designed to support both traditional school families and homeschooling families. We solve a huge need for more hands-on, exploratory, and skill-building education, the kind of learning that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and a lifelong love of discovery.

What sets YES! apart is the heart behind everything we do: we believe deeply that every child deserves the chance to explore, ask questions, and innovate not just memorize facts. Our programs are joyful, inclusive, and designed to empower children to be active participants in their own learning journeys.

I am most proud of the community we are building, a place where children and families feel welcome, excited, and capable. I’m also incredibly proud of the fact that YES! has served 5,000 community members with an all volunteer team that are excited to bring more to the community! And even more amazing is the amazing partnerships we have developed with a system of amazing organizations and work together continually for the betterment of the families in our community.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about me and YES!, it’s this: We are here to inspire curiosity, confidence, and creativity in every child we meet, and we’re just getting started.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

While I don’t have a cofounder or traditional business partners, I am incredibly proud to have built a founding board made up of volunteer women who have been with me since the earliest days of YES!. Every one of them is someone I met through my years in education or through family connections, and our relationships are rooted deeply in shared experiences and a common passion for doing what’s best for kids.

Two of the women on my founding board were parents of students I had the honor of teaching. Over time, we developed strong relationships built on open communication, trust, and a shared commitment to helping their children succeed. It was through these partnerships that I realized how powerful it could be to work alongside families who truly believed in the mission of helping children grow, learn, and thrive.

Another key member of my team, soon to be our Center Director, was once my coworker. We worked together in an extremely toxic environment, where being good at your job often meant being asked to do even more without recognition or support. In that setting, keeping your head down and saying “yes” was what made you invisible and protected, even when it came at the expense of doing what was right for the kids.

That shared, frankly traumatic experience bonded us. We discovered in each other a mutual passion for education, a drive to do better, and the courage to dream bigger. We talked openly about what real change could look like and when the time came to build YES!, I knew she had the heart, the talent, and the vision to help make it a reality.

I’m also lucky to have my mother-in-law on the board. She has been one of my biggest encouragers throughout this journey, answering every phone call, listening to every idea, and giving me the confidence to keep going even when the process felt overwhelming. Her belief in me and in YES! has meant more than I can put into words.

As YES! has grown, we’ve organized subcommittees to help manage different aspects of our programs and outreach. It’s been incredible to see that the same type of passionate, dedicated women continue to answer the call stepping up to volunteer, lead, and help YES! reach its goals. It’s a reminder that when you build something authentic and mission-driven, the right people find their way to it.

Each woman on our team brings a different strength to the table, but what unites us is our belief that children deserve so much more than the bare minimum. Together, we’re working to create a community where kids are seen, supported, and inspired to explore the world around them.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I first started building YES!’s audience on social media, I honestly approached it like a true newbie, I simply created a page and invited all my friends! I had no fancy strategy at the beginning, just a lot of heart and a desire to share what we were doing with the community.

But I quickly realized that if I wanted YES! to grow and reach more families, I needed to be more intentional. I dove into research, reading books, studying other successful pages, and having long sit-down sessions with one of my founding board members, who happens to be a professional marketing strategist. Together, we started building YES!’s social media brand from the ground up.

We worked out a posting plan: what types of content we would share on which days, what the posts would look like, and even carved out specific time blocks in my schedule just for social media planning and posting. I now use a paper calendar to organize everything because it is what works best for me. I start out by adding national holidays, random holidays, special awareness days, and then plan my business posts around those.

For example:

Tuesdays are for Science Fun Facts

Thursdays are for Exploration and Expeditions, where we teach a fun at-home activity for families

Sundays are Scientist Spotlights, where we introduce a new scientist and their contributions each week

From there, we layer in event announcements, fundraising campaigns, volunteer opportunities, and other important updates.

We also made it a priority to make accessing our pages as easy as possible. I use QR codes on everything like flyers, event signs, business cards, linking directly to our social media, website, event signups and donation platforms.

My advice to anyone just starting out:

Don’t overthink it at first. Start by showing up authentically and consistently.

Learn as you go. Invest time in researching and studying what works (and don’t be afraid to ask for help!).

Stay organized. A content calendar has been a game-changer for me.

Make it easy for people to find and connect with you. Use QR codes, links, and clear calls to action.

Most importantly, stay true to your mission and voice. People connect with authenticity.

Building a presence takes time, but little by little, your audience will grow and if you lead with passion and purpose, they’ll stick around and cheer you on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yes-az.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yes_prescott/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YESPrescott/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yavapai-exploration-and-science-yes/