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.

Kimee Massie

For years I have been into health, especially healthy food – even though I’ve been a starving artist my entire life. Over time, the more I learned, the more I changed the way I ate. When I became a mom almost 17 years ago, I started preparing healthier food, especially since my child was (and still is) a picky eater. I found creative ways to hide veggies and nutrition in his food, replacing oil in recipes with pureed carrots, flax for eggs, etc. When he was three, I was having severe panic attacks, which intensified after becoming a mom because he was born with a rare life-threatening medical condition. Doctors put me on medication and after 30 days, I noticed no improvement so they wanted to up the dosage. Read more>>

Alexis Adams

Becoming a parent has been the most defining moment of my professional career and my life. Motherhood changed not only how I show up for my clients, but also, over time, informed my specialty. In becoming a mom I was faced with re-evaluating how I view my value and work-life balance in ways I had never before done. Read more>>

Allison Poole

The defining moment in my career came unexpectedly, on a day I’ll never forget. I had recently taken a leap of faith, leaving a secure and stable job I truly loved to specialize in pelvic health—a field I felt deeply passionate about. It was a bold move, one that I believed would help me align my skills as a physical therapist with my newfound calling in women’s health. But just four months later, I found myself sitting in a staff meeting, two weeks before Christmas, hearing words I never expected: the clinic was closing. Read more>>

Jeremy Golden

There have been many moments that have defined my professional career. I would say the most defining moment for me was after I left my last position in college athletics and decided to go after something I’ve wanted to do in a long time. For many years, my identity was based around my job. I felt like who I was as a person, how I was viewed was based on my job as a collegiate and professional Strength and Conditioning Coach. When I left my last position, I set out on an adventure, one that was unpredictable and was so foreign to me, that I had to dig deep within myself to find the faith needed to go on this adventure. Read more>>

Danika Frandsen

I was a nurse in the Postpartum unit of a hospital, giving discharge instructions to some new parents. After finishing the instructions, they asked if I could come home with them, because they still didn’t feel ready to take care of the newborn on their own. I told them that I wish I could, but it wasn’t possible. That same week, two MORE couples asked the same thing – if I could come home with them. By the third time, it seemed like there really was a need for help transitioning home with a newborn, and the idea for Baby Steps Concierge Nursing was born! Read more>>

Amanda Sheffield

Some stories don’t start with fairytales. They start in courtrooms, in eviction notices, in classrooms where a child is acting out—silently screaming for help in a system that has already failed them. My journey didn’t begin with a business plan or a polished mission statement. It began in the trenches, fighting for people society had already written off. Read more>>

Dr. Linda Mitchell

My defining moment—the one that changed the trajectory of my career—came when I faced a pivotal decision: remain in corporate America in my six-figure role as a Sales Coach, a position I had worked hard to obtain, or take the leap into full-time entrepreneurship with my business, Sweet Heart Mitchell Collection. Read more>>

Dayhana Pena Santiago

The defining moment in my career was deciding to open Proper Health & Wellness. After years in traditional healthcare, I saw how rushed appointments and corporate constraints left patients feeling unheard. One particular patient had been dismissed by multiple providers, but by truly listening, I was able to make a real difference. That experience solidified my decision to create a practice focused on compassionate, patient-centered care. Since opening in July 2024, we’ve grown rapidly, proving that when you lead with purpose, success follows. Read more>>

Karen Loray

One defining moment that changed the trajectory of my career was the time I decided to embrace my second chance at life after undergoing brain surgery for Moyamoya syndrome. The experience was both terrifying and transformative, forcing me to reflect deeply on how I wanted to live moving forward.

The backstory starts with a life lived behind the chair for over 40 years, where I connected with clients not just through their hair but through their stories, dreams, and struggles. While I loved what I did, I often found myself yearning to have a broader impact. The passion to guide others through reinvention, personal growth, and living with intention was always there, but I put it on the back burner, telling myself there would always be time later. Read more>>

Liv Arcangeli

I don’t believe there was just one defining moment in my career. Rather, it was a gentle accumulation of experiences, culminating in a moment where my nervous system finally said, “Okay, this is it. I’m not holding on any longer.”

When I first started my business I was branded as a creativity coach. If I’m being truly honest, I was operating from a place of ego. I had a specific number of clients I wanted to enrol, a target income, and, most importantly, I wanted to be seen and recognized in my field. At the time, I wasn’t fully aware of it, but I was chasing external validation. As someone with dyslexia and ADHD, my self-esteem had never been particularly strong, and even in adulthood, I was still looking for proof that I was enough. Read more>>

Kevin Russell

Yeah, there have been a few!

But the biggest by far has to be a huge “enlightenment” experience I had that changed everything for me.

It was the fall of 2019, and I was a UI/UX designer at the time. I had been in the digital design field for almost 20 years, and I was living what was for me a fulfilling professional life.

I was also diligently working on myself to heal and release past traumas and faulty beliefs that were getting in the way of my physical and mental health, and that were negatively impacting my marriage. Read more>>

Rutvi Chauhan

Born and raised in a small town in INDIA, I moved to the UNITED STATES with big dreams and an even bigger determination to achieve them. As a PHYSICAL THERAPIST since 2010—first in Michigan and now in Texas since 2014—I’ve balanced my roles as a mother, wife, daughter, and professional with a relentless drive for growth. My journey into pageantry was fueled by a desire to combine the glamour of the stage with a powerful mission: raising awareness about domestic violence being inspired by FOUNDER DR KATHY TATUM of COLLABORATING VOICES ( an NGO for domestic violence survivors) Read more>>

Miho Hatanaka

I had a big epiphany walking down SE Stark street in Portland, Oregon one day in September 2019. I was running my own private practice as a Registered Dietitian seeing patients for weight management through health insurance. I knew there was better way to keep people healthy and conventional health insurance model did not agree with what I envisioned for a healthy and vibrant community. So as I walked down the street, I dreamed about building a comprehensive wellness center where health practitioners are taken care of with integrity and kindness, in return our patients will be taken care of by happy and healthy practitioners. I’ve seen in the conventional health systems where practitioners are always busy and tired, I always questioned how can practitioners give high quality care when they’re burnt out? Read more>>