Defining moments aren’t just exciting – they are thought-provoking and fertile ground for learning. These inflection points often are the result of an illuminating moment where some truth of the universe presents itself in an easier to recognize form. Below, you’ll find talented and successful entrepreneurs and artists sharing the stories of defining moments in their lives.

Alexzandra Swindle

During a performance review at the last company I worked out they told me I was their most consistent when it came to performance and that they wanted to see me take initiative . At the moment I didn’t really know what they meant . For the next week the thought never left my mind ” what can I do to show initiative ” ? I knew i didn’t want to fake the approach rather take it as an opportunity for personal growth while being beneficial to the growth of my company and my time there . Read more>>

Alicia Hurtt

One of the most defining moments in my professional career came during a deeply personal and challenging time. I was in the midst of writing my book, I See My Baby, when my mother going through stage 4 lung cancer and passed away. Her passing was a profound loss, but it also convicted me to truly follow my dreams and honor the legacy she left behind. It was during this period of reflection and grief that I realized how fleeting life is, and I knew I needed to pursue my passion for supporting women on their journeys. Read more>>

Andrew Stahelin

I think knowing the difference between expectations and intentions really is what changed everything for my trajectory in my career. In 2022, after working in the film industry for roughly 11 years, I reached point in my life where expecting fulfillment from entertainment had finally been broken. In the best way possible I had my entire life flipped on its head and was placed in the hands of a “Top Gun”- loving heart surgeon. My intention from that point forward, as I was rolled into the O.R. was to survive this ordeal, knowing that my expectations were low. Read more>>

Ashley Burns

From a young age, I realized the importance of seeking guidance and mentorship outside of my immediate environment. My professional journey began when I was just 14 years old, working at TLC TNT in Portland, Oregon. It was a life-changing experience that not only provided me with my first job but also introduced me to lifetime mentors who instilled in me the values and principles I live by today. Read more>>

Aza Rose

My career has been an ever-evolving journey, and I’m constantly working on new ways to bring my performances to life. But if I had to pinpoint a defining moment, it would definitely be my very first hypnosis show. I was first introduced to hypnosis in 2019 through self-hypnosis audios on YouTube. They helped me meditate and navigate some personal struggles during my transition and relationships at the time. That experience led me to get certified in hypnosis, but it wasn’t until 2021 that I began hypnotizing others. Read more>>

Chamile Rosa

A defining moment in my professional career: The defining moment in my career was when I realized I wanted to give back to the community where I grew up, Miami Gardens. I moved to the U.S. at the age of 10, and this community has been my home ever since. Partnering with Maria C. Mauricio, MS CCC-SLP, the co-founder of SmarTherapy and a dedicated Speech/Language Pathologist, we founded SmarTherapy. Read more>>

Faith Broussard Cade

On January 9, 2018, life came crashing into me out of nowhere and rocked me to my core. I was hit from behind in a motor vehicle accident on my way to work that morning, and I sustained a concussion, and a traumatic brain injury, conditions that continue to challenge me on a daily basis. Shortly after the accident, I began to struggle with migraines, sensitivity to light and sound, chronic physical pain, insomnia, sensory issues, and distractibility. I was unable to return to my career of school counseling that I had been in forover 10 years and forced to resign. I felt broken and lost, confused as to how I was going to continue my career as a helper, since that was how I had always defined myself. What was I going to do without the occupation that I felt gave me purpose in life? Read more>>

Janette Moreno

In April 2017, my organization, Stanford Health Care supported me to join the Caritas Coach Education Program (CCEP) by Dr Jean Watson, a nurse theorist who created the Theory of Caring Science. The intention was for me to integrate the Theory of Caring Science into the professional development programs I oversee for nurses. Well, I said “that’s easy peasy – I am an excellent program manager, just give me the facts, and I can easily implement it.” Read more>>

Jessica Joseph

I began my career in an office environment, cultivating a strong work ethic and a positive attitude. I accumulated valuable knowledge and experience at each career stage, throughout my professional journey. After years of supporting C-suite executives and other leaders within the healthcare and nonprofit sectors, I recognized my potential to contribute more significantly and assist others more directly. Read more>>

Kelcie Jimenez

What led me to become a therapist in the first place was based on a few defining moments in my life. I grew up in a household with a single mom raising her three children. My father has been absent for most of my life and my mom did her best to provide for us but struggled to make ends meet. My mom battled breast cancer on and off for 13 years on top of raising three children and her cancer came back more aggressively when I was 11. On July 17th, 2013 I unexpectedly lost my mom to her battle with cancer. Read more>>

Lilianne Cooper

Growing up in NJ, i was diagnosed with allergies, asthma, and eczema as a toddler The standard treatment for these conditions has always been some form of steroids, either inhaled for the asthma or topical creams/ointments for the eczema. For my skin, symptoms would get worse in the colder months, but resolve in they Spring and Summer months. Read more>>

Lori Jean Glass

When I was working in the field of mental health at a treatment center, a young adult woman came to us because her family was concerned about her behavior. She had previously been to another treatment center for substance use and was now at our center due to her desperate need for a relationship, labeled as a love addict and codependent, and to manage her anxiety. When I asked her to tell me about herself, she looked at me with vacant eyes and listed her various diagnoses from her medical journey.

Miriam E. Cameron

In 1997, when I was a postdoctoral fellow in nursing and bioethics at the University of Minnesota, my husband Michael Ormond and I traveled to Tibet. The Himalayas were spectacular and challenging! While visiting Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical Institute in Lhasa, I met Tibetan medicine doctors who explained Tibetan Healing. They said that the purpose of life is to be happy and that well-being is a lifelong process of living in harmony with self, others, and our planet. I was eager to learn more about this profound understanding of mind and body. Read more>>

Ouida Patten

Before venturing out to establish my own business, I worked in Law Enforcement for twenty-two years. In 2021, a young man came and shot up the building I was working in. No one was hurt, thank God. And because I was not a sworn officer (started in Forensics and was in Administration for the Chief at the time of the shooting) and never signed up to be shot at, I had to sit with all the feelings that were coming up. The job did not align with the person I was at that time. I had been studying different healing traditions and trying to work them into training for the police department. I was able to bring in yoga Read more>>

Sam Saldivar

The first Restorative Yoga class I took changed my life. It was the summer before my final semester of college and I was living in NYC, where I moved after graduating school in Texas. During this time of change and evolution, I felt uncertain, overwhelmed, stressed, unmoored. In my search for grounding and peace, I decided to try a nearby yoga studio. I was nervous to jump into a challenging class, so I chose the one that seemed the most relaxing – a 90 min Sunday evening Restorative practice. Read more>>

Samantha Lesan

While overseeing part of a recovery program for survivors of s*x trade, I witnessed clients using visual ART materials to process their stories. This was INTRIGUING to me and I knew I must learn more. I spoke with their art teacher, I listened to YouTube videos, I read books -anything I could get my hands on to learn about art as therapy. This was 6 years ago. I now own my own business creating Art myself and Facilitating Therapeutic Art for others. How did all this happen? And why was it significant to witness that first art session in the recovery center? Read more>>

Sondra Dubas

I had a hidden secret that I lived with for 17 years. I have an autoimmune condition called Alopecia which progressed over those years to the point of complete hair loss about 7 years ago. I was always very private and embarrassed about my condition and worked hard to conceal it underneath hair pieces, wigs, hats, and scarves. I had just come off of a downsizing in a corporate job in which only 2 people over 2 1/2 years knew about my hair loss. I found myself on a yoga retreat in Greece with 25 other women. Read more>>

Tessa Pagel

Throughout my life, I’ve always been passionate about health and wellness, constantly seeking knowledge to improve not only my life but also the lives of others. As a business owner, wife and mother of 4, I was determined not to let the demands of life slow me down. My focus on maintaining my youth and vitality drove me to explore ways to prevent fatigue, mood swings, and other signs of aging, which many women face. Read more>>