We asked some very talented folks to tell us about the most innovative thing they’ve done in their career.

Ana Gabriela Avila Acosta

Believe in me. That´s the kindest thing that someone done to me, my family, my mother, sister and lover Carlos. Besides all the teachers, friends, students and in general the persons who believe in what i do, despite what this implies, breaking all the paradigms and stereotypes that we have, so i think that´s the best thing that someone can have in this life. Read more>>

Andrea Smith

I was diagnosed with cancer when I was only 24. Having got the devastating news one month before my wedding, I had just gotten into the groove of young adulthood—working hard, making big life decisions, and planning for the future with my then-fiancé, now husband. Read more>>

Corkie Bolton

After I graduated from college with my jewelry degree I had hit a rock bottom with my alcoholism, giving away and selling most of my jewelry making equipment. Thankfully I got sober in 2010 and through sobriety made a friend, Lisa. Lisa invited me to her place one Saturday and told me about her grandmother Mary whom she was extremely close to who had recently passed away . Read more>>

Sara Campbell

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me has been repeated multiple times in many different situations. The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me (and that we can do for one another) has been sharing hope. Read more>>

Rachelle Klein

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me is to believe in me. Let’s face it – being a creative or an artist in any area is daunting on a good day. One minute you are soaring high on inspiration and the next minute you’re stumbling over self-doubt and can’t see past your shortcomings. Read more>>

Paul Gonzalez-Mangual

Back in 2011 in one of my first business ventures, a Coffee & Chocolate Expo, my partners and I decided to put our home country (Puerto Rico) and our event on the global map and decided to create a Guinness World Record. The result was the Biggest Cup of Coffee which consisted of an 11’ foot tall and 8’ foot in diameter stainless steel tank in cup form filled with 2,900+ gallons of black coffee. Read more>>

Aisha Childers

The most innovative thing I’ve done was created 4 different businesses to collectively work together to build our community, enrich our youth, and create jobs. I established the Let’s Make A Change Enrichment Center (LMAC) to provide quality childcare services to families in need. Through LMAC, we partner with Cleveland Metropolitan School District to provide programming and services for teens and mothers. Read more>>

Jarrell Green

So I’ve started several businesses prior to my most recent entrepreneurial venture. But so far, this one is the most innovative, because it’s a VR/AR niche dating app. Not only that but my Co-Founder (Rex Gatling) and I decided to gamify the VR/AR dating experience. Read more>>

Kelsi Cummins

The most innovative thing I’ve done with my career is turn my social media presence into my business model, While most people use social media as a marketing tool, and there’s no shortage of fitness influencers online, I think what set me apart personally was making my training…personal. When I set out as an independent trainer, I named my business after my Instagram handle (“@dogsanddumbbelsl”) because I’d become better known by it. Read more>>

Nile Flame

It’s 2016 And I’m a year into my contemplation of giving up on being an artist after me and my brother group split up. I had decided that the last thing I could do before giving up completely was change my environment. So I had decided to move to Florida. One day after work I meet a guy on the Marta train rail system. He had a camera around his neck which sparked creative conversation. Read more>>

Lindsey Carter

When I was a teen attending college for the first time, I really struggled to fit in and make friends. At the time I had undiagnosed depression and anxiety, and it caused me to retreat into myself, and not be outgoing enough to make good connections. My first-year literature professor noticed me retreating more and more as the first semester wore on, and assigned a project to the class to complete a “day in the life” journal, to discuss what our daily lives were like. In it, I wrote out how I was feeling – the stress, Read more>>

Nicole Hanhan

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me is believing in me. Dating back to when I was a less developed version of myself, I wasn’t as tapped into my purpose, nor was I immersed in an environment for the transformation I was seeking and craving. I felt like I needed more so I left my comfort zone to grow. When I moved to Arizona where I attended graduate school, my life changed. Read more>>

Emily Hartstone

I am so thankful to have this opportunity to publicly give credit where it’s due. My business partner, Chaunsea Keller, who is really like my angel sent from heaven above, has done so many things for me I don’t even know where to begin. To skip ahead with my backstory, I was diagnosed with leukemia and I am still currently battling it. Read more>>