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.

Dr. Tina Carroll-Scott

Growing up in a blue-collar family with my father working on the General Motors assembly line, I witnessed firsthand the health risks of smoking. Despite knowing its dangers, he was a heavy smoker, leading to his diagnosis of laryngeal cancer during my high school years. Witnessing his struggle with addiction and eventual death from lung cancer profoundly impacted me. This experience ignited my passion for entering the medical field and serving underserved communities. It highlighted the importance of health literacy and addressing social determinants of health that hinder access to care. I am driven to support and educate patients, ensuring they receive the healthcare they deserve. Read more>>

Christian Biedrzycki

In 2009, I moved from Phoenix to Tucson. I was a Pre-Med student. Unfortunately, I had to change majors because of my drinking and my drug use. (prescribed Oxycodone and Klonopin) Things progressed, I ended up getting addicted to Heroin/Fentanyl and Methamphetamine. At my worst, I was homeless and suicidal. It took me 10 years to beat alcoholism and addiction. Read more>>

Carly Melchert

In 2019, I was two years into my role as the Executive Director of a small nonprofit. On paper, it was rewarding. In my body, it felt like a burden. I was angry. Resentful. Exhausted. What once felt like a privilege had become a heavy obligation. Read more>>

Constance Fields

There are many moments that I have experienced that I would consider “defining”. However, one stands out as the catalyst for how I began the journey towards my authentic self. That was finding out at 33 that I had colon cancer. After having surgery to remove the stage 1 tumor, I realized that I am here for a greater purpose. I had been given an opportunity that so many others had not received. I wasn’t about to waste it… and I haven’t! Since then, I have acted on tv and on stage, started (and paused for now) a podcast, conquered imposter syndrome, and shown up for my therapy clients in a way that positions me as a guide alongside helping them find their voices. I love it here! Read more>>

Grant Scull

Graduate school never struck me as a path that I would follow. During my undergraduate years at Rutgers University in the Biomedical Engineering program, I was so concerned with keeping my head above water that I hardly had the opportunity to consider 5, 10, or 20 years down the line. My GPA wasn’t amazing, my extracurriculars consisted of club swimming and intramural soccer, and I had one internship in the field. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff that would land you an interview with a top program, nor a top-tier first job. Life was up in the air and I was moving South to the Research Triangle Park with nothing but my family and a determination to figure out where I fit in. Read more>>

Dr. Julie Shaw

My sister died. That is my defining moment. This changed everything and I know for so many others that have experienced loss like this may understand how a loss like this not only changes your career, but most importantly your life. In February of 2020 my life did just that. It took a huge turn that made me reflect and think about how I wanted to move forward, while carrying my grief and still live my life. this led to me reevaluating my job which was a jo I had dreamed about, working in the NBA. When my sister got sick and there were countless drives back and forth to the hospital and when I realized that death was a possibility, I left my job. Read more>>

Julie Hawkes

I was in tears. Sitting on my stone fireplace ledge crying and shaking. It was Alicia’s seventh birthday party and I couldn’t even participate. A family friend had come over and was handling all the games, the presents, the laughter while I sat and cried. Read more>>

Jessie Santiago

Yes, there was a defining moment. It wasn’t flashy or dramatic but more like a quiet, internal reckoning that changed everything.  For over two decades, I was a hairstylist, educator, and salon owner. I had built something I was incredibly proud of—a trauma-informed, queer-centered salon that became a kind of sanctuary for people who never felt quite at home in traditional beauty spaces. I was using my skills and my heart to care for people. Read more>>

Shelley Meche’tte

I have had a couple of defining moments in my career, but I think one of the most defining moments was niching down to work specifically with mompreneurs, vs all women. Like many speakers and coaches, I felt that I had a message beneficial to everyone. And while life-balance and self-care are universal needs, when I decided to narrow in on a specific audience and how that particular audience’s life-balance and self-care are affected due to their specific lifestyle, I was able to connect better; which allowed me to better serve, support, and speak directly to their real, lived experiences. Read more>>

Matthew Pierce

I’ve faced countless turning points; some uplifting, others brutal. More times than I can count, I’ve had to start over: rising from hardship to success and then back again, always finding my way back to calm. Those upheavals reshaped how I view work. I used to see a career simply as a way to earn money, cover bills, and maintain my lifestyle. But when my income dropped from six figures to the low five figures, I had to ask myself what really matters. I learned that when the work sparks and makes me happy, I thrive; the moment it feels like a chore, my energy fades, and I feel the need to move on. Read more>>

Kate Miedreich

The defining moment that changed the trajectory of my career landed in my inbox in January 2022. At the time, I was working for a prominent company as a top sales pro, ranked number five in the nation for lead generation, and most importantly, I loved my job, my team, and my clients. That email let me know that a new corporate mandate clashed with a personal health decision I’d made, and as a result, I was terminated. Read more>>

Bonni Wildesen Hise

There was a defining moment. And while I’d been deep in the world of health and healing for years, the biggest shift happened not in a classroom or on a stage—but in my bathroom. Mine. Let me back up. I started training clients back in 2003, and pretty quickly I realized something: the women coming to me weren’t just trying to “tone up” or lose a few pounds. They were exhausted, inflamed, puffy, stuck, and frustrated that their doctors weren’t offering real solutions. What I now know is that they were knee-deep in gut dysfunction—many of them on the verge of autoimmune illness (or already there without a formal diagnosis). So I did what I do best: I dug in. I researched with them, side by side, and together we started cracking the code on what their bodies were actually asking for. Read more>>

Annette Goitia

If you had asked me last year what my life plan was, I could give you details of what I was doing. I was closing my very busy childcare center, selling my car and all the furniture in my home, and moving across the country to work as a full time nanny for a very nice family. I was basically in the middle of uprooting my entire life and my path forward was clear and defined. I was letting go of the life I had built in Utah and saying goodbye to my dear family to go on this new adventure. Then everything changed. In March, I received the devastating news that my sweet, 17-year-old grandson had lost his life to suicide. As a suicide survivor myself, this news completely rocked me to the core. Read more>>

Zoey Chiasson

I began a 6-month journey with Temple of the Feminine, where I learned the power of feminine sexuality and how to reconnect with my body through a deeper, slower, more intuitive path. That experience sparked a full-on mental, physical, and spiritual awakening—and completely rerouted the direction of my life. Read more>>

Steven Zilberg

The walls of my office in Seward, Alaska, held countless stories of struggle, resilience, and redemption. But on this particular day, one conversation would change the course of my career forever.

Across from me sat a man, his hands clasped together, knuckles white from the pressure. He was an addict in recovery, battling his demons daily. Alcohol had nearly stolen everything from him—his marriage, his future, his sense of self. And now, he was standing on the edge of relapse, staring into the abyss, unsure if he could pull himself back. Read more>>

Onyi Mgbah

During my first year as an ER nurse, I noticed how much time decreased between each patient assessment. There was never enough time to listen ask real questions or even care about anything that wasn’t what “brings you in today”. One particular day, I had a gentleman who was placed in my room terrified his blood pressure was out of control. By the time I got to him, his pressure was normal and he was not sure why. Throughout his visit, his wife sat at his bedside and they looked worried. I MADE the time and asked one question, “Did your doctor tell you how to take your medications?”. Read more>>