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.

Antara Dave

One of the most defining moments in my career was when I created “WorkFlow: Period Health is Workplace Health.” This project was born out of a deep desire to challenge the stigma around menstruation in the workplace and advocate for more inclusive policies and support systems. Read more>>

Dayna Cakebread

When I started 30 years ago, I had the technical skills, the passion, and a strong foundation from cosmetology school. But something was missing. My clients weren’t coming back. I could give them great haircuts, but I wasn’t creating lasting connections. I was frustrated, doubting my career, and on the verge of quitting. Read more>>

Elizabeth B. Drady

A defining moment in my professional career was when I decided to start my YouTube channel, Soul Light Meditations. It came during a powerful period of inspiration sparked by the Aquarius alignment—a time when I felt deeply connected to the universe and my soul’s purpose. I had always worked as a Reiki master and tarot reader, helping others heal and grow spiritually, but something shifted. I realized I could reach far more people by creating guided meditations and sharing them online. Read more>>

Kristy Goodwin

The bustling campus hummed with anticipation as I stepped into my new office, the freshly minted nameplate reading “Director of Recruitment & Outreach.” The weight of the challenge ahead settled on my shoulders: transform a longstanding 2-year transfer institution into a thriving 4-year university, starting with recruiting 250 freshmen in just one year. As I surveyed the empty room, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. This was uncharted territory, not just for me, but for the entire university. Read more>>

Vanessa Hutchinson-szekely

After nearly twenty years in public education, I thought I knew my path. Then the pandemic hit—and with it, a defining moment that reshaped everything.

During the 2020-2021 school year at SFUSD, students were forced into isolation as schools remained closed for an entire year. I saw firsthand how this disconnection took a toll—the loneliness, the anxiety, the struggle to engage through a screen. Trying to reach students over Zoom felt like shouting into the void, and I knew: education had to be about more than academics—it had to help kids reconnect with themselves, their bodies, and each other. Read more>>

Courtney A

My journey in developing confidence and self-esteem began during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that timeframe, I was only a freshman in high school when the schools across the states closed, which initially seemed like a dream of a lifetime. Like many others my age, there was nothing but time on my hands to scroll on social media all day. I always created short videos just for fun but always kept my account private. After months of being isolated at home, my health started to take a turn. I turned into what one would call a “couch potato” and just laid around and fell trapped into boredom eating. Not just simple boredom eating but eating all sorts of junk food in the book you name it. I would never exercise anymore and my sleep schedule became poor. I took laziness to the extreme and it quickly caught up to me when I ended up gaining a significant amount of weight. Read more>>

Amanda Tello

There have been several defining moments in my life that forever changed its trajectory and shaped how I move through the world. One significant being the murder of Mike Brown. Which I think I will focus on for this.

I hesitate to frame these moments as shifts in my professional career because the concept of “professionalism” itself warrants scrutiny—who determines what is considered “professional,” and who does it serve? Instead, I define these moments as shifts in my being and my soul. I do not separate the work I do in any part of my life from the work of my soul. It is all connected, all deeply intertwined. Read more>>

Dr. Chelsea Smithback

There have been quite a few defining moments already, which I’m so grateful for. One of the reasons why I love Naturopathic Medicine is that we do further investigative testing and at times have a different approach to treating patients, so i thought I’d share just 2 stories.
The first patient was a mid 20’s female, who had gastro symptoms for years, since she was young girl. She had gone to multiple gastroenterologists, multiple clinics/hospitals throughout the years with no clear answers or relief. She found out about naturopathic medicine and decided to try it. We went through her history, and gave her a different treatment plan than she had ever had before, and she followed up 3 months later, completely symptom free since our visit, for the first time that she could remember. Read more>>

Bridgitte Stuart

Absolutely. The defining moment in my career came when I recognized the deep gap in trauma-informed care and decided to create something to fill it. I had always been passionate about mental health, but the true turning point was when I saw firsthand how many clients—and even clinicians—struggled with navigating trauma in a way that felt structured yet adaptable. Read more>>

Lesley Donne

Many years ago, when I worked as a firefighter in Carroll County, Georgia, our department faced a tragic event that every first responder hopes never to encounter. A commercial passenger plane crashed in a field near a small local airport. More than 200 passengers and crew were on board when the plane went down. This incident was a mass trauma that we often trained for but had never experienced before, and thankfully, we have not faced anything like it since. The number of casualties, the extent of injuries and burns, and the loss of life and property were incredibly difficult to witness, even for those of us trained to handle emergencies daily. Read more>>

Nonia Larsen

Although I have had many defining moments in my life, one of my most powerful life changes came in 2006 after sustaining multiple serious injuries when a truck I was riding in rolled off a very steep mountain. That same month my husband left, I was a single mom with 5 kids still at home, broke and broken. I turned to God in deep prayer and meditation and was shown a vision of something I had never thought about in my entire life…nature’s single cell microbiome. Read more>>

Jacob Daybell

My life has felt like a million defining moments all added up to get me where I am today. If you would’ve told me 5 years ago that I would be living where I live and doing what I do now, there is no way I would have believed you.

I went to school to be a family/relationship therapist, then covid hit. Instead of going back to school to officially graduate, I started my first business running sales teams and planned to build it for the rest of my life. Fast forward 3 years later, I made the decision to separate from my partners and leave that business. Read more>>

Lupe Rodriguez

My most unhealthiest situation gave me clarity six years ago when I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). There is no cure; the only solution to symptoms is managing your hormones by keeping up with a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy, balanced life on its own is already difficult. On top of that, adding hormonal imbalances makes it harder, but finding techniques that work for your lifestyle is what I thrive on. Read more>>

Michael Counts

After a 20 year career as an artist, designer, and director of immersive theater, opera, and large scale events and fashion shows, I had a transformative experience working with a coach – and specifically making that investment in myself, versus having coaching provided by an employer. It helped me in ways that no therapy, wellness, or mental health intervention had done previously. At the same time as I was experiencing that I began to hear many people in my life, all at different stages of their personal and professional development, saying similar things about feeling stuck and wondering what was next for them. Read more>>

Amanda Feldman

I became a therapist with the goal of having my own practice one day. In 2017, I was newly licensed. I had signed up for my licensing exam the moment I was eligible, and I passed at my first attempt. I immediately applied for my license number with the Board of Behavioral Sciences, and was ready to hang my proverbial shingle. I decided to leave community mental health altogether, and upon return from a three month sabbatical abroad, made efforts to start building my clientele through networking, Psychology Today, and word of mouth. Without steady income yet, I was fortunate that my dad offered to invest in me during the infancy stages of my business. But my family’s financial landscape changed, and I was no longer receiving his help, which subsequently altered the trajectory of my career path. Read more>>

Nicole Torgeson

Before becoming a functional health practitioner, I spent nearly 20 years in advertising and corporate marketing. While I had always been interested in food, health, and natural healing, my true turning point came in 2019. I was working in an incredibly stressful job, neglecting my well-being, constantly rushing, and making compromises on my health. My diet, though moderately healthy, was inconsistent; I drank too much alcohol, barely exercised, and rarely got quality sleep. Then, just months after turning 40, I found myself in a GI specialist’s office, blindsided by a diagnosis of pancreatitis and SIBO, along with the urgent need to have my gallbladder removed. Looking back, I now understand that my body had been signaling dysfunction for years, but at the time, it felt like everything was unraveling all at once. Read more>>