As an outsider, breaking into an industry can often seem like an impossible challenge and so we reached out to some very generous folks who agreed to share their stories of how they broke into their respective industries.

Jessie Ellertson

When I decided in 2018 that I wanted to become a life coach I knew that I wanted to attend The Life Coach School to receive my certification. That training represents a significant financial investment and time investment, so I really wanted to make sure that coaching was the right thing for me before I enrolled. Read more>>

Rachel Brenowitz

My first job in the fitness industry was when I was about 14 years old. I was an intern for a small athlete training facility where I stayed to work until I went to college and even throughout college during the summers. The owner went by “Sarge,” a homage to his previous status as a sergeant in the Navy. He allowed me to train there with other young athletes in my age group in exchange for my efforts around the gym. Read more>>

Carrie Kass

Healthcare Management is not an area that I had ever considered. I had graduated with a business degree and was living the “corporate life”. In my mid 20’s I was t-boned in a motor vehicle collision. Fortunately, I was not seriously injured but suffered severe whiplash along with a few other musculoskeletal injuries. I sought treatment from a chiropractic clinic and experienced amazing results. Read more>>

Jessica Lenden-Holt

My name is Jessica Lenden-Holt. I am a bilingual, speech-language pathologist living in Johnson City, TN. I have been a speech-language pathologist for 14 years and have experience as a speech-language pathologist in schools, hospitals, home health, teletherapy, and private practice settings. Read more>>

Alexis Long-Daniels

When I first started out in my field, it was difficult to find an agency that was willing to take on a new therapist. Once I completed my internship, I knew that I wanted to work with children and families so I began looking for positions with that as the focus. Connection was also very important in this process. I sought out many people that I knew in the field to determine if some how they could assist me with landing a position. Read more>>

Kate Shipp

When I graduated from my first yoga therapy training in 2012, I was already teaching yoga and seeing private clients at a studio I co-owned with two other women. I was looking to expand my private practice, and was referred by a yoga student of mine to apply for a position as a yoga therapist in the medical field. The position was working with a physical therapy practice on a new project funded by state insurance for people in recovery from chronic pain and addiction to pain medications. Read more>>