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.

Sasha Carrion

My defining moment is connected to the repetitive trauma that I experienced. As a trauma survivor, I had experienced physical and sexual abuse and the disappearance of both of my parents. Even with all of that, I had persevered as best I could in life. Given everything I had experienced, I thought I was doing ok.  With time, I found my father. He explained that my mother had turned her back on her family to be with another man. While I didn’t care for what he told me, I focused on the fact that at least, I now had one parent. For 10 years, I cherished my newfound relationship with my father. It felt good to at last feel like I belonged. I even forgave him for the things that others could not forgive. Read more>>

Kathryn Sarpong Dvm Dabvp

In school and post graduation training, I learned to be a good veterinarian in terms of understanding medicine and surgery and how to connect the data to help animals recover from disease. A dog from a rescue group taught me how to be patient when applying those skills as a medical team, dog, and prayers all come together to heal. A few years after opening Metro Paws Animal Hospital on Skillman, a rescue group (Animal Allies of Texas) called me on a warm October Sunday. They had received a starving dumped dog with a coffee can on her neck that had to be cut away. She was septic and in very poor condition. I met them at the clinic and that dog needed multiple surgeries and transfusions, but eventually recovered. The dog, newly named Olivia, was adopted, unadopted and returned to rescue and a couple of years later, she joined my family. Olivia is now 16ish and a fantastic dog. Read more>>

Wendy Jones

If you are appealing to everyone, you are appealing to no one. For the longest time, that was my challenge. I had the experience, the heart, and the drive to help people, but I was casting too wide a net. I knew I had the potential to impact lives, yet my message wasn’t clear enough to truly resonate with anyone. Deep down, I realized that my hesitation to be specific wasn’t about strategy—it was about fear. A fear of sharing my own story. A fear of upsetting or hurting people along the way, and that fear kept me from stepping into my power and serving and creating more healing in the world. Read more>>

Hannah Monteiro & Annmarie Martinez

A defining moment in the professional journey of Hannah and AnnMarie came when they both had to make bold decisions that changed the course of their careers and the future of their company, Prosperum. Hannah decided to quit her job and move to another country, freeing herself from financial burdens so she could focus full-time on Prosperum. At the same time, AnnMarie, balancing her responsibilities to her teenage son and family, began a program to become a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS). During this time, they had to step back, reassess their business plan, and decide if Prosperum was truly aligned with their vision and goals. It was a deeply reflective process, forcing them to return to their roots and ask themselves if they were fully committed to the path ahead. This turning point was defining because it solidified their confidence in Prosperum’s mission and their ability to see it through. Read more>>

Regg Evans

A Journey of Sensitivity: Shaping My Path From my earliest days, sensitivity has been an integral part of my being. As a child, I navigated the world with heightened awareness and empathy, a quality that continued to shape my experiences throughout my adolescence, young adulthood, and into maturity. This innate sensitivity has profoundly influenced my choices, both personally and professionally, and has ultimately led me to embrace my role as a psychic, spiritual healing medium, empath, and intuitive messenger. As a child, I often felt like a misfit, unable to connect deeply with those around me. To cope, I developed a habit of masking my true self, presenting a carefully curated persona in every situation. This constant performance was emotionally draining, a heavy weight that eventually pushed me to strive for excellence. I hoped that by proving my worth, I could overcome my feelings of isolation and find a sense of belonging. This deep-seated isolation fueled a relentless drive for perfection. Seeking solace and meaning, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, exploring spirituality, stargazing, extracurricular activities, and anything that could prove my worth. Read more>>

Dr. Supatra Tovar

One of the most transformative moments in my professional journey occurred during a seemingly ordinary Pilates session, which unexpectedly shifted the entire course of my career. As I guided my client through her exercises, she began to share her struggles with relentless dieting and her profound sense of defeat with each cycle of weight loss and gain. Her story deeply resonated with me, reflecting not only my own challenges but those of countless others I had encountered. This conversation marked a critical turning point for me. I realized in that moment that while I was equipped to assist with physical fitness, I lacked the tools to address the deeper, more pervasive issues of psychological and emotional well-being that so fundamentally affected health and fitness outcomes. It highlighted a glaring gap in my ability to fully support my clients, underscoring the need for a more integrated approach to wellness that encompassed mental and nutritional health alongside physical fitness. Read more>>

Nichole Parmley

As a fitness professional, it is easy to get caught up in the science of physical adaptation. Your clients tell you they want to get stronger, you write them a resistance training program, usually that involves the gym. You think everything is going along fine and then BAM, all of a sudden, they stop checking in, they start missing workouts, and before you know it, they’re gone. So what happened? As a trainer that’s always the big question. How do we meet the needs of our clients and what are those needs? So often, they aren’t what we, or even they, think they are. “I, I just don’t feel like I belong here,” Susan said, tugging at the athletic wear she’d probably spent a good deal of money on, hoping it would give her the confidence she’d lacked for the last 20 years. Unsurprisingly, it hadn’t. I nodded, patted her knee and said, “I completely understand. They gym is an intimidating space. I tell you what, I can also do house calls if you have the space and are willing to buy some equipment.” She brightened up. “Really?! That’s amazing! I, I mean, I know I’ll have to get into the gym eventually if I want to get strong, but, I just, I’m so uncomfortable. It’d be really nice just to gradually work my way in.” And there it was. The answer to why so many clients struggle to work out without their trainer. Read more>>

Sparkle Lindsay

One of the most defining moments, in my professional career, was when I made the pivot from working around the clock in corporate America, to turning down 125,000 dollar promotion to get sober and take my life back. That moment was the moment that changed my life forever and changed the beginning of who i am becoming along with the beginning of building a business from the ground up. Read more>>

Anna Resende

I got a Chemical Engineering degree back in 1995 and worked in the manufacturing industry for the following 27 years, most of the time with continuous improvement. My husband is also a chemical engineer and during his career ascendance in a multinational company, we were invited to move many times. I was always able to find myself a position during all the many moves except one time. During my job search before our most recent move to Tennessee, I couldn’t find a job as an Engineer. Looking back now, I consider that as a defining moment. I was frustrated and couldn’t understand why that was possible considering my good reputation and recommendations from former managers. It was when I was expressing my feelings to a former colleague of mine that the whole career path completely changed for me. Read more>>

Taylor Knese

My journey into holistic health began from a place of frustration. As a nurse practitioner practicing in traditional medicine, I felt limited, unable to offer the personalized guidance and support that I knew my patients needed. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t actually healing anyone. Just putting a bandage on my patient’s symptoms. Every day felt like a struggle, leaving me feeling.. unfulfilled and questioning my purpose. I was also struggling with my own debilitating symptoms – chronic fatigue, digestive issues, joint pain, scalp psoriasis and overwhelming anxiety and depression. Medication after medication seemed to only worsen the situation, leaving me feeling trapped. Here I was, a medical provider that couldn’t heal herself. Read more>>

Carlos Del Rio

The defining moment in my career came during a particularly overwhelming time when I was working as a clinician with special education children while simultaneously pursuing my master’s degree. The demands of both roles began to take a toll on my mental and physical health. I was passionate about my work and committed to my education, but the constant pressure left me completely burnt out. It wasn’t just the workload; it was the lack of space to breathe, to reflect, or to care for my own well-being. That period of burnout forced me to confront the reality that “pushing through” wasn’t sustainable. I realized that to be my best self—for the children I worked with, for my education, and for my own life—I had to learn how to balance ambition with self-care. This insight became the foundation of my journey into burnout prevention and mental wellness, not just for myself, but for others working in high-demand fields like ABA therapy. Read more>>