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.

Thomas Garner

Early on my journey after leaving my corporate business world I sold my home, properties and beach house and moved into an economically depressed mobile home park. My neighbor next door struggled with drug addiction and asked me to counsel her. One day after about 3 months of working with her there was a knock on my door. Her ‘boyfriend’ was there to tell me he was leaving her but she was sick if I wanted to check on her. I went next door-the door was open-and I walked into a virtual wasteland of drugs and alcohol abuse. There were planks across the floor as this unit had no flooring. I looked into the room to the right and I saw her face down in the mud (no flooring) with a needle still in her left hand. Read more>>

Stephanie Nowak

I worked as an engineer in the construction industry for 22 years. First as a design engineer, then as a project manager, and finally as a people manager. Despite the longevity of my engineering career, I never enjoyed engineering. It never felt like it was a good fit for me, and I experienced chronic stress as a result. However, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do instead. I had lifetime love of baking, but a series of meetings with a career counselor steered me away from pursuing baking as a career. Eventually, I burned out and could no longer tolerate the mental and emotional stress from being in an unsuitable career. I took the leap to become a solopreneur – starting a small vegan baking business in 2019 and leaving my corporate job in January 2020. Read more>>

Julie Radlauer Doerfler

What I am really passionate about these days is sharing research in an approachable and easy to digest way so that people can make changes to their lives. I believe that for many people, we have the ability to control our level of happiness through our everyday actions. I began my career as a mental health counselor working in non-profit. While I knew that we were helping children and families, I was frustrated that our services and support did not leave lasting benefits. This caused me to go back to school to get my Doctor of Public Health, where I focus more on the prevention of mental health conditions. I have conducted research studies to understand how children and families want to have their needs met, which resulted in my current mission. I work with individuals, organizations, systems, and communities to focus on their social influences of mental health. These are the social aspects of our lives, that we have control over, that can improve our level of happiness. I share this research widely through writing, speaking , research, and program implementation. I am passionate about teaching people actual tools and techniques that they may use to support their own happiness as well as the happiness of those around them. Read more>>

Ashley Mcfarland

A defining moment in my professional journey was the decision to reengage with clinical work and focus on trauma. My career had always been centered around high-risk populations—children and teens with histories of abuse or neglect—but this path was anything but linear. Following graduate school, I began working as a therapist at a detention center. It was challenging, emotionally draining, and profoundly important work. Each day brought me face-to-face with the resilience of youth navigating unimaginable hardships. But just a few months into this role, I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. The knowledge of how stress could impact my developing baby shifted everything. I had to make the difficult decision to leave the position, prioritizing my growing family over a job that, while meaningful, demanded more emotional bandwidth than I could give at that time. Read more>>

Sheila Hernandez

A defining moment in my professional career was when I dedicated my work to helping women heal the wounds that impact their motherhood journey. As someone who grew up balancing the weight of responsibility and personal sacrifice, I saw firsthand how unprocessed trauma can ripple through generations. This realization became even clearer as I worked as a home-school teacher, rediscovering joy and purpose in caregiving. It was then that I recognized my calling: to support mothers in breaking free from patterns shaped by their past, so they could rewrite the narrative for themselves and their children. Read more>>

Barbara Gerhaeuser

I was born into quite a wealthy family where everything revolved about the corporate world and making money. During a serious accident in my childhood, I lost all my memory from birth up till age 10. Subconsciously I decided to step into the footsteps of my mother and make a business career in the corporate world. Apart from that, my mother brought me horseback riding because she thought it would be good exercise. However, this was the start of a lifelong heartfelt passion for me. Even though I started my business career very early, horses were always by my side. As you can certainly imagine both cost me a lot of effort. Looking back, I have to say without horses I wouldn’t have made it. At the age of 30, after my marriage, I stopped working in the corporate world and we moved to another city. Read more>>

Sarai Enriquez

Moms, let’s talk about something that has been creeping into our lives and families—something that most of us don’t realize is slowly damaging our well-being, marriage, and relationship with our children. We take our roles as moms so seriously, often giving everything we have to everyone around us. I know firsthand how draining, overwhelming, and burned out that can make us feel. But what if I told you there’s a way to restore your energy, reclaim your happiness, and find purpose again—without guilt or risking your health and well-being? Read more>>

Maria Capone

I want to start by speaking about the power of faith. As humans, we often carry a vision of how our lives are supposed to unfold, only to be reminded by life’s trials that control is an illusion. The story I want to share is one of profound adversity that changed not only the trajectory of my career but also the essence of who I am. Through faith, courage, and surrender, I discovered how extraordinary life can be, even when it doesn’t go according to plan. Read more>>

Sandra Pearce Rdn, Cd

Specializing in women’s health and fertility nutrition wasn’t something I had originally planned. It’s more of what has grown out of a lifetime of experiences. Of triumph and trial, of learning to cut through the noise of the world and see the uniqueness in each person and the desire to help others see that uniqueness in themselves. Breaking the perceived “rules” when it comes to health and nutrition. Read more>>

William Gipson

I would say that a defining moment in our organization is multi-layered. I say this because we have many people in our organization. Each person has been affected in a different way by kindness. For some it may have been a random act of kindness shown by a stranger. For others it may have been a show of gratitude shown by someone that was helped. We feel that kindness causes a ripple effect. In that we mean that one kind act usually leads to other kind acts and the potential for kindness to spend grows exponentially. Read more>>

Andrés Moskona

There was a defining moment in my professional journey that changed everything: the moment I realized that The AH OK Project had to be more than just an idea. It started as a way to capture the resilience and authenticity I was discovering in myself, a means to share that with others. I threw myself into it with excitement, eager to spread the message far and wide, streamlining every process to make it happen as quickly as possible. But as I moved forward, there came a point where I realized that speed wasn’t enough. I wanted this project to have deeper meaning, to truly connect with people in a way that mattered. That moment of clarity led me to step back and reconsider everything. I began putting more thought and intention into the designs, the materials, and the overall experience. It wasn’t just about the message anymore; it was about how the message was delivered, how it resonated, and how it felt in people’s hands. Read more>>

Tatiana Szulc

I became a Mental Health Counselor in 2016 and entered the world of community mental health as my first job as a therapist. There, I worked with children, adolescents, and occasionally adults who had Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Community mental health work is one of the toughest jobs as a professional in the mental health field and although the job came with many obstacles, I absolutely loved what I did. I worked there for 4 years and I was recognized as a “high achiever” – always working with the highest risk clients, always asking for more work to do, and always needing to stay active. In hindsight, I realize that I was living in a state of survival mode and could not slow down. Read more>>

Anna Nyman

The defining moment in my professional career that stands out the most, in fact, has nothing to do with my career and everything to do with my wellbeing. I graduated Magnum Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in Statistics & Exercise Science from St. Lawrence University. The summer leading into my senior year I experienced an internship as a Data Analyst in Stamford, Connecticut at the Nestle Waters North America headquarters. I was honored to have been chosen for such an esteemed internship. It came with all the excitement you could hope your first internship comes with: a summer of adventure, experience, and what a lot of internships don’t come with – a pay check. Read more>>

William Lynes, Md

I am a physician, author of medically related fiction, and physician burnout advocate, writer, and speaker. After two life-threatening experiences involving lengthy intensive care unit visits which interrupted my clinical urologist practice, I found myself struggling with a black severe depression which progressed into a downward spiral into darkness. Several suicide attempts culminated in my 2003 retirement from clinical practice. My decision to come forward with my struggle with physician burnout, mental illness, and suicide is my defining moment. Read more>>

 

 

Destiny Kallay

Over a decade ago it’s was working for a dishonest doctor as a Esthetician. I went in one day and was told to use a broken machine and tell them it was new technology….this was the straw that broke the camels back for me. I walked out scared and jobless with no personal clients and not able to contact anyone due to a non compete. This was a defining moment for me. I took a deep breath and knew the only way I would be able to avoid this happening agian was to take the leap and go out on my own. So I did and built a fully booked clientele in California and then relocated to Texas and did it agian not knowing a soul! Read more>>

Tam Patel

The defining moment in my career came during my time in corporate healthcare. I found myself pouring many hours into driving meaningful change, only to see progress bogged down by red tape. It was challenging to see talented employees move on , and I started to feel the personal strain as my long hours at work meant less time with my family. It was then I realized I needed to pivot—to find a path where I could make a real impact without sacrificing my personal and professional values. Read more>>

Madeline Almonte

One of the most defining moments in my career came during my transition from being a special education teacher for eight years to becoming a first-grade bilingual teacher in the Department of Education (DOE). That year was one of the most challenging and heartbreaking experiences of my life, second to losing my mother at 19. The school’s administration used fear tactics to push teachers beyond their limits. Experienced educators were often targeted, and the leadership would march into classrooms in groups, critiquing everything as if they were conducting military drills. Nothing was ever good enough. Read more>>

Brother Prater

Early January 2019, my sister Sheila Prater told me that she wanted to create an organization to help victims of Domestic Violence. I told her that I would indeed help her create the organization, write a book & create several Domestic Violence Awareness events to bring others together to discuss such a sensitive topic. 2 months later, Sheila was killed as a result of Domestic Violence. At that moment, I vowed to work extremely hard to make sure that all of Sheila’s desires were fulfilled in her honor . Read more>>