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.

Patricia Tomlinson

I was a professional art historian and art museum curator when I was invited to take part in a one-day seminar on integrating veterans’ programming into a museum setting, taught by Jill Sonke of Arts in Health at the University of Florida. I was inspired by the ideas and the Arts in Health discipline, and immediately began integrating arts interventions into my museum work. In addition, I kept reading all I could on the discipline in general. Fast forward a few years, and I left the museum world for my current position as Executive Director of Arts in Health Ocala Metro. Read more>>

Alexandra Mackey

It was the final semester of my undergraduate program, and I found myself sitting in a Conflict Management class—ironically, at the very moment my parents were navigating the painful end of their 26-year marriage. As I absorbed tools for healthy communication and emotional regulation, I remember thinking: “If only they had known these things… would they still be divorcing?” Read more>>

Helene Zupanc

Overcoming the Grip of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: My Journey from Struggle to Strength

My struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) began early in childhood and continued into my young adult years. Let me tell you, OCD is no joke. My mind was constantly hijacked by fears—fears that something terrible would happen, fears of losing my connections with others, fears of being misunderstood, and fears of not measuring up. These thoughts felt like life-or-death matters. Every time the cycle began, I’d experience sweaty palms, a racing heart, and shallow breaths—even though, in reality, they were just thoughts. It felt like a gun was aimed right at my face, even when there was no real threat. Read more>>

Judy Elias

I had two defining moments in my life that came together to bring me where I am today.

My father was a proud WWII veteran. He landed second day Normandy, fought in the battle of the bulge, liberated a concentration camp, and, emotionally, never came home. I have one memory of a smile and a laugh. Mostly, he worked hard and lived with his demons.

Life was a challenge for me. My family was extremely dysfunctional and I felt alone. As a teen, I reacted by leaving my home, spending time with friends, skipping school, and getting involved with recreational drugs and alcohol. I was on a path to self-destruction. Read more>>

Laura Ulyate

A defining moment in my professional career came when I made the difficult decision to step back and close my physical therapy practice after my son, Kyle, was diagnosed with autism. At the time, I was running a small practice—En Pointe Physical Therapy—where I specialized in physical therapy and wellness for dancers. I had left my role in an outpatient orthopedic setting to follow my passion: combining my background in dance with my passion in physical therapy. Read more>>

Dulce Figueroa

I would probably call this moment a grounding moment during my career as a mental health professional. Hearing a client share the level of comfort and trust we have established in the therapy space reminded me about how important it is to continue to foster a safe space, even when clients already feel safe. My client is a long term client and knowing that I still provide the same level of comfort in our sessions is a meaningful reminder of the stability and support I strive to offer in every session. Read more>>

Tarla Makaeff

As a seven-figure creative founder, I understood success. But when I transitioned into high performance hypnotherapy, I found myself rebuilding from the ground up. A new industry, a new business model, and an entirely different approach to growth. I quickly found myself stuck at a plateau in a cycle of constant output and exhaustion, unable to break through to the next level. The clarity, confidence, and certainty I once had felt out of reach, and I knew something had to shift. Read more>>

Sabrina Cosentino

My background is in the medical industry with over 15 years of experience working with physicians and medical staff. I specialized in pharmaceuticals, specifically areas in Dermatology, Oncology and Psychiatry. During my time learning how the medical industry treats ailments, I knew there had to be more than one option. I felt this pull in my heart to explore more natural ways to treat patients but also to discover what their root causes were instead of just treating symptoms. I knew then I needed to be a part of something different. My belief is that a healthy lifestyle incorporating whole foods and exploring primary foods such as relationships, career and spirituality are key to identifying imbalances and by making shifts in your daily routine will infuse joy and satisfaction into your life. Read more>>

Hala Khouri

In 2006, I was starting to burn out in my private therapy practice. I was seeing six to eight clients a day, and I knew I needed to diversify how I was working. Then I was invited in to work on a project with 2 other women developing a leadership training curriculum based in yoga and somatics. I respected these women tremendously and as honored that I was to be invited to work with them, yet I hesitated to say yes. When I reflected on my hesitation, I realized I had this inner voice that told me that if I collaborated with them, they would discover that I was a fraud. I was afraid that I wasn’t good enough, and working closely with others would reveal that. Up until this point, most of my work- as a yoga teacher and therapist, I did on my own. Collaboration brought up other layers of fears for me. Read more>>

Estefânia Barsante

A big defining moment in my career was when I moved from Brazil (my country of origin) to Silicon Valley, USA, at the age of 33. It was a move motivated not by my career, but by my husband’s—who works in tech.

I had already gone through a career transition two years prior—leaving HR in the corporate world and starting my own coaching practice in Brazil. My business was finally stable when we took the leap to move to Silicon Valley. Starting over and expanding my practice in a place where I didn’t know anyone was very challenging. I had to start from scratch on so many levels—rethinking the focus of my business, building a network, coaching in other languages, etc. All of this while also setting up my personal life in a new country. Read more>>

Ross McCreery

I had spent 10-15yrs working my way up with a large corporate company. When I finally got a promotion into a senior management position with that company I was diagnosed with a rare disease called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This is a disease that I would wish on nobody as it leaves a person in constant chronic pain. This diagnosis would flip my world upside down. I had spent so much time and energy in getting myself to a place where I could be the sole provider for my family. My wife had always dreamt of being a stay at home mom and we had just adopted our first child. Now all of those plans had to be sidelined and my wife not only had to go back to nursing but had to become my caregiver. Read more>>

 Amanda Furbee

In 2011, I made a life-changing decision to leave the design world in North Carolina and move to Oregon to work for The Herb Shoppe. But it was during a three-month retreat in the Mountains of New Mexico that I encountered a moment that would truly shape the course of my life. I walked into a small herb shop in Ruidoso, uncertain about where my life was heading and seeking a deeper sense of purpose. At that moment, a kind person at the shop introduced me to passionflower—a remedy that calmed my nerves and cleared the fog in my mind. That night, I had a vivid vision of a wellness space, something I had never even considered before, but it felt like the path I was meant to follow. Read more>>

Aleena Kanner

There was a defining moment that shifted everything for me.

I was a student athletic trainer working in the SEC, getting hands-on experience with top-level athletes. From the outside, it looked like I was on the ideal path—working with high-performers, surrounded by the best of the best in sports medicine. But behind the scenes, I started to feel a disconnect. Read more>>

Tay Lee

A defining moment in my career came when I transitioned from working in traditional counseling roles to becoming the DEI Program Coordinator at the Ruth Ellis Center. It wasn’t just a job—it was a calling. That role placed me right at the intersection of advocacy, equity, healing, and real-time community impact. Read more>>

Darlaina Rose

I am the living diary of the Mad black women, except I am not mad. Tyler Perry wrote the story but i lived that life for real. It was my defining moment. Why would God send me to care for a man that said he no longer wanted to be married to me? It was the hardest thing i ever had to do. However, it was the catalyst for me becoming a holistic healer. I learned so much saving him. It saved me too! I learned how to cure dis-ease! I learned the emotional causes of disease. Even though i had saved myself from congestive heart failure, it wasnt until my ex-husband was deemed cancer free from stage 4 nose and throat cancer that my life was changed. People trusted me with their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Read more>>

Heather Maroudas

My Journey speaks to both deep resilience and purpose, how my practice grew out of both personal healing and the desire to create a different kind of healthcare experience for others. Its no small thing to turn trauma into a mission of healing for others. That’s how Med Spa Bar + Wellness center came to life. Read more>>

Devon DuBois

I plan to take a slightly unconventional approach in answering this question- I’m going rogue. While society often emphasizes the importance of singular, life-altering events, (aka, the “defining moments” on our journey- whether it be a professional one or personal one), I believe the experiences that shape us are found in both the subtle, everyday moments, and in aftermath of distressing events. Read more>>

Laura Johnson

As an esthetic instructor I had the opportunity to guide and mold young adults. I thrived in educating not just about skin care and business but also the whole person. Once my students graduated our relationship did not end there. I became the one they came to for life events, business decisions, and guidance. I underestimated the power of kindness, genuine care, and compassion. Each day, 11 hours a day, my teaching were not just steps to graduate but a foundation of how to keep life, true LIFE, the essence of your future. Read more>>

Julie Ann Yoga

In 2018 after 17 years in education, I graduated with my second masters in educational administration. I also switched grade levels after teaching kindergarten for 16 years I transitioned into teaching second grade. My second grade class included several students with severe emotional outbursts as well as they had suffered from various trauma in their lives. I had started using yoga with my kindergarten students and continued it with the second grade students. With the maturity of the second grade students I was able to add more mindfulness and yoga practices, especially before taking tests or any other stressful situations that could possibly induce anxiety or emotional outbursts. Read more>>

Shermell. (Coco) Martin

Since I was young, exercise was something I loved to do. I ran track, cheered, and played volleyball. Later, as I got older, walking and keeping fit were things I enjoyed. While living in Charlotte, North Carolina, I was a part of a group called Funky Fit. We worked out as a group 3 or 4 times a week. I noticed that I wasn’t sweating like the other ladies, even though I was really working hard. This made me begin doing research to figure out why I didn’t sweat like they did and how to fix it naturally. At the same time, I was introduced to essential oils. I then started mixing carrier and essential oils to make what I call today my CoCo’s Oils and Creams. Read more>>

Jessica Thompson

The defining moment of my career came wrapped in a hospital blanket and placed in my arms with a soft, bewildering cry. When I had my first daughter, I went in with the glossy expectations many of us are handed: you get pregnant, you go to the hospital, the doctor delivers the baby, and then—cue the happy music—you go home and live out the joyful chaos of new motherhood. I thought that’s just how it went. Read more>>

MICHAEL FINE

IAM a recovering attorney by profession, a Transformation Facilitator/Original Hot Yoga Instructor by passion & circumstance.

On April 14, 2010, while driving to work on a beautiful spring sunny day in Chicago, I was struck head on by a large, red concrete truck at approximately 50 miles per hour. The truck drove up my hood, through my windshield, and ripped off my left arm cleanly from my shoulder. Since that day, I have been living a life in chronic, dehabilitating, residual limb pain. You may find it hard to believe, but I still feel the left arm that was torn from my body as if it was still attached to me. However, what I feel is a phantom arm, encased in a block of ice and being continuously squeezed as if it were in a vise. Read more>>

Nicole Bird

Ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to be a veterinarian! I love animals and it just made sense that after high school I would move to Saskatoon and go to the University of Saskatchewan to pursue my education of becoming a vet.

But after my first year of undergrad, I learned that another 6-8 years of school was not for me. So, I made a bold decision not to return and instead took a job as a professional horse show jumping groom in Florida. It was an incredible experience—I got to travel, work with horses every day, and be immersed in a world I loved. But just before the circuit ended in Florida, I broke my thumb and had to return home for surgery. That injury, though frustrating at the time, turned out to be a pivotal moment in my life. Read more>>

Kenny Fontan

Yes, there was a defining moment that completely changed the trajectory of my coaching career. When I first started coaching, I had already been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), but I didn’t fully embrace that part of my identity. At the time, I focused on helping people get physically active in ways they truly enjoyed—something that resonated with me as a lifelong hobbyist always eager to try new things. However, I soon realized that while I was passionate about movement, I wasn’t solving a specific problem, and more importantly, I wasn’t aligned with my deeper purpose. Read more>>

Dr. Sandra Harrell

During my collegiate years, I was a 5X-NCAA All-American swimmer who suffered from a slew of injuries. Many of these injuries were repetitive stress injuries that led to surgical intervention and rehabilitation after college. Due to my history of injuries and desire to maintain an active lifestyle after collegiate athletics, I naturally sought a profession that would provide me with the expertise so I could stay active and train while equipping myself with the knowledge and skills to self-rehabilitate should I injure myself. Read more>>

Angenae Parker-Wiley

A defining moment thus far in my career was solidifying my career in itself, being apart of the Wellness industry. Especially as a yoga teacher. Making that choice really changed my life, changed how I interact with others, and eventually led me down my path of what Wellness looks like to and through me. Thus from there The Peace Corner was born, a Wellness Collective that emphasizes the importance of Community + Connectedness in the wellness space, and how wellness is NOT one size fits all, but something we all create for our unique lifestyles. Read more>>