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.

Karl Green Jr

Karl Green Jr. began his career in mental health in Harford County, Maryland, serving as an operations specialist for the Drug Court and probation system. Though his role was administrative, he quickly became a trusted confidant for clients, who often shared their daily struggles and emotional burdens with him. It was during these early experiences that Karl discovered his deep calling to support people beyond paperwork—through empathy, advocacy, and connection. Read more>>

Rachel Wood

In my 20’s, living in NYC during the late 1990’s, friends and strangers alike would notice my body-type (thin, athletic) and ask if I did Yoga. I did not do yoga in fact, I was just predisposed to a thin frame and my youthful activities of running and tennis and swimming had kept me fit. But in NYC during the 90’s, Yoga was all the rage! It was everywhere and everyone was doing it. I finally succumbed after a year of the “do you do yoga” onslaught and took a class. I hated it. It was too slow. It felt boring. It didn’t make any sense to me. I felt I could successfully cross of “Yoga” on my bucket list and go back to my real life as a theatre director and continue on my way. A full 5-years later, I was embarking on a 16-month trip around the world. Read more>>

Daphne Dike Hart

A defining moment in my career was the day I decided to start Black Pride YYC. At the time, the city didn’t have a space that centered Black 2SLGBTQ+ voices and I knew that if I waited for someone else to create it, it might never happen. Read more>>

Dr. Desiree Barrionuevo

One defining moment in my professional journey happened early in my doctoral studies. Until that point, I often struggled with impostor syndrome, wondering if I could do the meaningful work I envisioned. Through my doctoral program, especially during clinical training, I realized I was not alone in those self-doubts. Some of my colleagues shared the same struggles, and hearing their honesty made me feel seen and less isolated. Read more>>

Misty Lucas

I had spent almost two decades in the legal world, hustling in a system built on logic, deadlines, and emotional disconnection none of which left room for my own intuitive power, let alone a powerful nervous system. I was trained to override my body’s signals. Trained to keep going. Trained to succeed in spite of the pain. And so, like many high-achieving women, I did. Read more>>

Muhammad Raza Aftab

During my third year of medical school, my father suffered a heart attack. At the time, I didn’t fully grasp how common—and how preventable—such events could be. Later, during my residency, I began to see a pattern: heart disease, strokes, and many other chronic conditions often gave us warning signs well in advance. With the right screening, early intervention, and lifestyle changes, much of this suffering could be avoided. Read more>>

Kim Fawcett

As a professional in my mid-50’s I have now journeyed through several career resets. Each building on the other and ultimately building into a passion driven leadership role at a non-profit in Connecticut. (2015-2021) I think I was always heart centered and passion driven, always wanting to find work that was meaningful and “made a difference”. I did it the traditional and society expected way, a 9-5 office job, long hours, sacrifice of me and my time and effort…. so much effort to work longer and smarter and harder to make that difference. Read more>>

Catherine Peterson

One of the most defining moments in my career didn’t happen in a clinic — it happened in a hospital room when I was a patient myself. My first child was born prematurely after a traumatic labor and scary delivery. He was whisked away to the NICU, and suddenly, I found myself in a place that should have felt safe, but instead felt isolating and overwhelming. Read more>>

Rachel Moore

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a doctor. The kind of Dr changed over the years but I always knew I wanted to help care for others. My dad had gone to a chiropractor for years but ultimately had to have back surgery. He was never the same after that. Becoming a chiropractor had been in the back of my mind but didn’t become a true possibility until my dad ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Once he came out, he was on more meds than he went in on and I decided that I didn’t want to do that to people. I wanted to work in a profession that took a deeper look and found ways to treat the body and allow the body to do what God made it capable of and heal itself. Once I made that realization there was no going back. I was going to become a chiropractor! Read more>>

Kaye Brundidge

While I had been happy and fulfilled as an anesthesiologist caring for my patients, I had a vague impression that my true gifts lay outside the operating room. After extensive study and training in anesthesiology, I also had a feeling that I was only getting part of the healing and pain management story. I immersed myself in my yoga practice as a way of finding both balance and solace in my life. I went from intensive yoga practice to taking the 200-hour yoga teacher training, and teaching yoga classes before starting my workday as an anesthesiologist two days a week. It was during this time that I became aware of the power and effectiveness of non-western healing modalities and practices. Read more>>

Danielle Watson Murray

A defining moment in my life is having children. Pregnancy and the labor and delivery process can be terrifying for many families. It is sometimes isolating and the lack of awareness to what can happen is not often talked about enough. My first pregnancy journey, I was hospitalized in month eight and have never heard of the term preeclampsia, which I was diagnosed with at the time. Besides the provider and nurses, there was no one to break down the situation, the terminology and the procedures that could happen to me. Going into my next pregnancy, I researched what a doula does and realized this person is necessary and what I needed. All families should have the access to one. Read more>>

Sara Marby

Absolutely — I was sitting in my car in the driveway after a long day. From the outside, my life looked put together: I had a career I loved, was showing up for everyone else, ticking the boxes of what a “successful woman” should look like. But inside, I felt disconnected. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Like I was living a life that had outgrown me — or maybe one I had outgrown. Read more>>

Alicia Justice

As I was completing my Masters education in public health, my thesis was on commercial tobacco industry predatory marketing practices and to support the completion of my essay I integrated local tobacco prevention advocacy strategies based on my practical application internship with a local tobacco prevention coalition. This same coalition was primarily funded by the city-county health department. After graduation, I applied and was offered a full-time position at the same city-county health department to continue work with the group, now as the coalition coordinator. Read more>>

Shannon Santerelli-Freeman

Absolutely. One of the most defining and transformative moments of my professional journey came after I completed my Womb Wisdom Practitioner training through the Sacred Woman School, led by Malieokalani Urrita. I had already been deeply rooted in energy healing, but I felt called to expand my work in the divine feminine space—supporting women through challenges like painful periods, toxic relationships, generational trauma, and even infertility. Read more>>

Camille Sacco

I’ve been a banker at a large financial institution for the last 25 years. I’ve received numerous awards both in profitability as well as customer and employee experience. I have always led by love instead of fear, and my employees have been promoted in record time. I infuse mindfulness into all my meetings and daily coaching sessions with my employees. My coworkers have had to listen to me talk about “getting still and listening to the wisdom of your soul” for the last decade. Read more>>

Jeanette Coates

This season… It was sacred. God has been gently (and sometimes not so gently) walking me through a journey of healing, surrender, and undeniable transformation. The late-night cries, the silent battles, the whispered prayers—He heard every single one. And now, I’m standing in the beauty of answered prayers I once only dreamed of. Read more>>