Stories are incredibly powerful – their ability to teach, inspire, and create understanding is why we are so in love with storytelling. Most stories have a defining moment and so we’ve asked some of the most talented, insightful folks across a broad range of industries and markets to tell us about a defining moment in their story.

Sarah Bilinovich

A defining moment in the trajectory of my career and personal growth was when I began studying at the Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies with Duey Freeman and Kimberly Rose. At this training, I learned to work with people and the natural world in a profoundly meaningful way. For me, there has been a remembering of what it means to be human through contact and relationship— relationship not only with humans, but with the larger ecosystem to which we all belong. My journey into becoming a psychotherapist began when I was applying to graduate school during the midst of a significant career change. I spent the previous seven years as a flight attendant for a major airline and felt like something central to my existence was missing, both personally and professionally. Relating to the natural world has always been an essential part of my life, and I wanted to incorporate my love for nature and animals into my work in some capacity. How could I simultaneously advocate for the natural world and help heal humans along the way? That was a tough question to sit with on those long-haul flights across the world. Read more>>

Zoe Vlastos

I vividly recall the moment that I realized I wanted to shift my career trajectory from a path toward physical health to one directed instead toward mental health. I was sitting in the vibrant green grass of my undergraduate university’s campus quad, spread out on a blanket to study in the sunshine. I was only a few years into my own mental health journey and had been finding therapy to be extremely powerful, especially in the ways it was supporting me in peeling back the layers of defenses and pain I held so that I could return home to my most authentic self. I had also recently witnessed multiple friends going through their own mental health struggles. I acutely felt their need for quality support and some of the inadequacy of the systems in place to do so. I found myself wanting to be a part of providing quality mental health care to the communities I cared about. Read more>>

Valerie Prietz

After 16 years in nursing—six of which were spent in a critical care ICU and the last ten as a nurse anesthetist—I have witnessed the full spectrum of human experience. I’ve cared for patients in their darkest hours, shared in moments of joy, and held the hands of strangers facing unimaginable struggles. Each day in medicine has shaped me, but one particular day transformed my life in profound ways. I was called to the operating room, only to find my colleague and friend lying on a stretcher, battling seizures. In that moment, my training kicked in, and I just started doing what I knew needed done. As we stabilized her seizures with medications, I placed a breathing tube to protect her airway and rushed her for a CT scan, I felt a heaviness in my gut—I knew the ailment causing the seizures; and then, as everyone in the dark CT room seemed to gasp in harmony, the grim reality of a massive intracranial bleed was confirmed. Tears threatened to spill, but I held them back; this was not the time for grief. I continued to coordinating her urgent care, knowing that hope was hanging by a thread. Read more>>

Leeyen Anderson

I will share a blog post that I wrote about the day I hit rock bottom. https://www.leeyenanderson.com/post/the-day-i-hit-rock-bottom As a holistic depth psychology practitioner, I integrate various modalities to walk with clients towards self-discovery and spiritual growth. Through the lens of Gene Keys, I guide individuals in understanding their unique energetic blueprint, revealing their strengths, challenges, and evolutionary path. By incorporating Young Living Essential Oils, I facilitate emotional wisdom and energetic balancing, supporting clients in learning from their core emotional wounds. Shamanic practices, guided by the practice of BaGua Shen Gong, further deepen the journey, connecting clients with their higher selves and ancestral wisdom through internal alchemy. Together, these practices empower individuals to embody their divine spark, cultivate intuition, and live a more joyful, authentic and purpose-driven life. By fostering a deeper connection with nature and all beings, clients are invited to remember their innate wisdom and contribute positively to the world. Read more>>

Adriana Wignall

At a very young age, I came to know loss, grief, and PTSD all too well after losing my mother. I remember being around 9/10 years old and having a vision to create a center where grieving kids could go to heal and find community. Throughout my adolescence, I dabbled in the healing arts but it wasn’t until my early 20s that I fully launched into the holistic realm. It felt like an answer to the calling I had put out when I was 10.  Pretty soon, I committed to a consistent yoga practice in addition to receiving regular Reiki treatments and I knew this was my path. In 2017 I received my Reiki Level 1 attunement followed by the completion of my first yoga teacher training in 2021.  By early 2024, I acquired my yoga business and I have dedicated this year to building it to be the community healing center I once envisioned.  Read more>>

Terrye Morgan

In 2018, I traveled to Chennai, India for an educational trip to study the art of “The Beautiful State” which is the practice of being present and living in a peaceful beautiful state at the O & O Academy. This trip was the defining moment which led me back to practice the art of braiding again. And, Ultimately the driving factor in the creation of hairmuse. At the Academy, I was taken through a series of meditation workshops. During one of the workshops, I was asked to think of something I enjoyed doing that I no longer do as often. It was easy for me to identify braiding. Upon my return to the US, I started braiding again. My Panamanian – Costa Rican / Jamaican roots has exposed me to all kinds of cultural expression. I choose to express my creativity through braiding. Growing up, my mother cared deeply about establishing a healthy hair care routine for my sister and I. Saturday was wash day, Sunday my hair was carefully combed in medium twists for church and Sunday evening my hair was braided for the school week. This weekly routine was on repeat for years. I loved this mommy – daughter bonding time and loved every cornrowed style which was a true expression of love. Read more>>

Jessica Jones

My defining moment in the trajectory of my career came during my time as a breast cancer research nurse, but the path leading to that pivotal experience was shaped by my earliest encounters with healthcare. As an adolescent, I watched my vibrant, creative mother face a devastating diagnosis of sarcoidosis at age 34. The disease robbed her of vision in her left eye, and I witnessed her transform from an independent woman into someone struggling to navigate her new reality. During her countless medical appointments, I sat quietly observing as she endured painful procedures. Too often, I saw her treated more like a medical case than a human being grappling with both physical disability and depression. Those moments in the exam rooms, watching my mother’s spirit dim as doctors discussed her case around her rather than with her, ignited something in me. I realized that while I felt powerless then, I could channel that experience into a mission to ensure others wouldn’t face the same journey through the healthcare system. This led me to pursue a degree in Public Health, where I gained a holistic understanding of how physical and mental health intertwine. But I craved more direct patient interaction, which propelled me toward nursing despite significant obstacles. Read more>>

Felicia Howe

The turning point in my journey began right after high school when I was captivated by graphic design and functional art, particularly the way it impacted communities. However, as technology began to reshape the industry, my interest waned. I craved a more tactile, hands-on approach to creativity and soon found myself as a disillusioned artist. It was then that I decided to pursue a license in styling, a decision that ultimately transformed my path. Upon receiving my credentials, I moved to Los Angeles and was quickly absorbed into the vibrant entertainment industry. This career was exactly what I had been seeking—creatively fulfilling, both physically and visually stimulating. As my career progressed, I shifted towards building a personal client base, where I discovered the profound healing power of my work. Helping clients enhance their outward appearances directly influenced their confidence and self-esteem, lifting their energy and transforming lives. Read more>>

Jack Berkenstock Jr.

I would have to say the main connective element would have been the realization that games can be more than just fun and recreational. It started from a conversation about how gamers had been working through some oif their issues like shyness and confidence. This was a story related to us from a colleague of ours about just gamers playing. We started to connect the dots. Here were people enjoying a game and through playing they were working with traumatic histories and obstascles in their life. I immediately thought, these people are getting benefits above and beyond the regular fun of play and without the guidance of a trained professional. This caused us to reassess our own gaming and what it had given us over the years. Some of us worked throuogh trauma at the gaming table and it was all kind of incidental. I hesitate to say accidental – there was a purpose, but it wasn’t really front-facing. One could argue that maybe we came to the understanding after the process. Read more>>

Phil Gallo

At the time I was living in Santa Monica, CA. working as a personal training, with a focus on fat loss, strength and endurance. When I was approached by the Tai Chi instructor teaching at the same gym. While with a client, he approached me and said; “I’ve seen you with your clients, and I like your work ethic. He asked if I ‘d be interested in working with him at his office. When I met with him not really knowing or understanding what he did, he had me sit at his desk, read through some herbal books, read the particular herbs that were on a prescription pad. A patient came in and he began performing acupuncture on her, while she rested he gave me the dosages for the formula he wanted me to create. Then mix it all together, the put that into capsules for her to take. Read more>>