Every once in a while, something happens that really matters. Something that will define at least the next chapter of your journey – perhaps it’s a conversation with a client, a meeting with a visionary or a major event in your personal life. Below, you’ll find some very insightful folks sharing defining moments from their journeys.

Senita Hill

In 2001, Senita received a phone call that would change her life—a blood test revealed a condition called MGUS, a precursor to potentially severe illnesses. Her world was already shaken, but it would be further tested when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer just a few years later. Balancing her own health challenges with caregiving for her mother, Senita discovered firsthand the emotional and mental toll cancer takes not only on those diagnosed but also on their loved ones. After her mother passed, Senita found solace in raising awareness and advocating for women with lung cancer. She raised funds, ran marathons, and became a voice for others. But through it all, she realized that both her mother and her best friend, Annette—who also lost her battle with cancer—yearned for a peaceful place to reflect and rejuvenate. This realization gave birth to Peace on Patuxent. Read more>>

Jennifer Chapple

It was January of 2006 and I went with a group of clinicians that I was working with to hear Marsha Lineman speak about how to become a DBT therapist. I had been curious about DBT from a friend and mentor of mine and she had already begun some training. Dr.Linehan did not mince words..she shared the long, laborious process of forming a consultation team, getting trained, and the dedication it would take (ie client phone coaching 24/7). I knew almost instantly this was the therapy I was going to focus my life’s work on. It made sense to me. I had worked with emotionally dysregulated teens and adults for the 5 years I had been a practicing social worker. The research spoke for itself..suicidal, complex PTSD, borderline personality patients, etc had a therapy that would get them back to functioning again or possibly for the first time.. Read more>>

Trina Wiggins

My health and fitness journey began in the summer of 1972. As I was lacing my tennis shoes, the summer Olympics were on in the background. While looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Russian gymnast Olga Korbut do a no-hand back flip on the balance beam. I was instantaneously memorized! I called my mother to come and watch this new sport I had never seen before. After witnessing all the gymnastics events, I began looking in the Yellow Pages to find a gymnastics club in Oakland, California. Unfortunately, there were no clubs in Oakland, so I asked my mother to take me to the public library, where I checked out 12 phone books in search of a gymnastics club. I finally found Diablo Gymnastics in Walnut Creek, California. After joining Diablo, I progressed quickly in the sport. Eventually, I was fortunate to become the first African American female gymnast to compete at Stanford University. Read more>>

Shani Belgrave

I knew I wanted to become a doctor since high school. I was fascinated by a course I took, “Human Anatomy and Physiology.” After taking that class I knew I would pursue a career in medicine. As a teenager, I spent some time as a candy striper on the labor and delivery ward and thought I would become an obstetrician. It was not until my first clinical rotation in medical school that I contemplated becoming a surgeon. I loved being in the operating and being able to put my hands on a patient’s ailments and see immediate results. After completing my first rotation I had a passion for surgery and was excited to embark on the journey of becoming a surgeon. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing patients for consultation and providing post-operative care. Read more>>

Aideé Granados

One of the defining moments in my professional career was leaving Mexico and moving to the U.S. in 2012. The following year, in 2013, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which inspired me to become a social entrepreneur and found Rosa Es Rojo, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing health and well-being education to Hispanic women and their families across the United States. Our mission is to create Positive Health Communities centered on culturally tailored and accessible chronic disease prevention programs. ROSAesROJO focuses on four pillars to drive equitable whole-health behavioral change: Nutrition, Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Empowered Health. Read more>>

Michelle Sadowitz- Duncan

I had grown up always liking sports and physical activity, I was also a bit of a nerd and liked science and particularly enjoyed anatomy and physiology. Unfortunately, growing up I did struggle with an eating disorder, and had a skewed view of what health and fitness was. I grew up in Japan, and as an American girl living in a society where the beauty standard is to be stick thin, and constantly being aware that I looked different definitely played a role in my behaviors. I also wanted to play sports in high school and college and so from a young age I had the idea that I just needed to loose weight and be able to exercise a lot, the way I went about it was to starve myself and exercise 3-4 hours every single day and over time I had a lot of health issues and frequently got sick. At my lowest I was 17 years old, 5 foot 3 inches and 84 pounds which is very very thin.Fast forward a few years and I slowly was able to work past these issues and I ended up pursuing a degree in Athletic Training and as I learned more and more about the human body, nutrition, and exercise I started to have a mindset shift of what it truly meant to be healthy and fit. That transition that happened in my own life and the physical transformation I had really inspired me to pursue a career that I enjoy learning about constantly but also a career in which I can help people transform their lives through their health. Through Personal Training I have an opportunity to meet people where they are at, help encourage, educate, and motivate them to make changes that will impact their health for the better. Health is wealth and I truly believe that. Read more>>

Mor Yelvington

When i was 9 years old, my dad tragically died in a car accident this moment defined my life for so long after the fact because what I didn’t know at the time was, that this experience was so painful I disconnected from my body. So I could tell you about my dad, and feel nothing. I became numb I wasn’t aware of this until I was 20 years old, in a class learning energy healing when I realized I had the capacity to leave my body when ever I felt unsafe or about to feel something. This was affecting so meny areas of my life yet I had no idea. I realized that even though it felt good not to feel I wasn’t only not feeling the “bad” emotions I was also not feeling the ” good” emotions and I didn’t want to live a life that was half in half out, I decided to live a full life where I can be present in every moment. Read more>>

Rachel E. Humphreys

I have had experience working with, or knowing, many highly successful and highly paid individuals. I’ve watched them show up to their work every day, crush it, and then go home and drown their emotional and mental stress with a a bottle of wine or other substances. I’ve known intelligent and hard working professionals who had to jump through hoops to keep their mental illness a secret from colleagues and superiors. I understand these pains. For many years, I too felt forced to suffer silently, and could count on one hand the number of people within my life who were aware of my psychiatric diagnoses. The defining moment came for me when I realized the only reason I felt so alone in my journey was because so few understand how to transform their mental health, and those who did, were also too afraid to speak up due to societal stigmas. So although I was scared, I knew what I had to do. I felt called to break my silence and to help others transform thier physical and mental health as I did. I started doing so by sharing my story and teaching the methods I used to become psychiatric medication and substance abuse free. In 2022 I published my first book where I provide a step by step guide on how to reduce or eliminate psychiatric medications and become substance abuse free. My vision for my life then changed, and my new mission was to help transform the way mental health and addiction is both viewed by society, and treated by medical professionals. Read more>>

Eda Alp

Healthcare isn’t universal. This was the harsh wake-up call I received in an Ethiopian village when I was sixteen years old. In a settlement of the Hamar tribe, tall acacias stood against vibrant orange African sunset. The wind silently grazed the village huts, and I was merely a tourist—until I wasn’t. I noticed that the babies of the village all had their eyes closed, constantly. Not one baby had their eyes open, and they all cried. I took a closer look into their little faces and understood why these babies could not see—they couldn’t see their mothers’ faces, the orange of the African sunsets, or the stars that filled their night skies. The Hamar tribe has a distinctive hairstyle that involves curling the hair with a mixture of butter and clay. When a mother carries her baby in her arms, this liquid mixture on her hair often drips into the baby’s eyes, causing painful eye infections they cannot voice. My doctor friend Anna and I got to work. We cleaned eyes for hours. We were deep in Africa, in the middle of this dusty terrain, and all we had were our cars—the nearest city was hundreds of kilometers away. With first aid kits gathered, we started treating the babies. Anna selected the proper ointments, gauze, and taught me how to clean the babies’ eyes. It was the first time I had held a child and the first time I had ever cured a human. Read more>>

Joseph Field

A hugely defining moment for me was winning First Place in Facial Massage at The Skin Games International Skincare and Massage Competition in March 2024. The new massage categories were announced and when I heard of the facial massage category, I knew I had to be a part of this revolutionary event. I took a rewarding risk and flew to Atlanta, GA from Oregon with my mom. This win was very important for me for many reasons. 1) Participating in this event created so many valuable networking connections. I have been able to connect with so many like-minded spa professionals looking to hone in their craft. It has also inspired and guided me into creating my business, Joe Glow. It’s true when you hear that you become the people that you’re closest to. Choose to surround yourself with people you want to be like.  Read more>>

Anthea Levi

I began my career in journalism. After college, I thought I wanted to be a magazine writer and by truly right-place-right-time luck, I made it happen. My days were full of interviews with industry experts (doctors, sex therapists, personal trainers, you name it) for stories I was writing. While I loved connecting with all different people, I found myself drawn to the work of the registered dietitians I interviewed. I was taken with the idea that you could fundamentally change someone’s life by tweaking their diet. After all, everyone needs to eat, multiple times per day, every day. If we can optimize our diets for our unique bodies, we can do anything. Read more>>

Haylie Goforth

A defining moment for me in releasing my Mental Health Project was putting my self out there and promoting it on my personal social media accounts. In the beginning of releasing my project I was scared of judgement and other peoples opinion, but I pushed those thoughts aside and started promoting the project and bringing more awareness to Mental Health. Read more>>