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.
Dr. Amie Dougherty
I was in my final semester graduate school in 2012, just a few months away from graduating with my Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. It was then that I decided I wanted to pursue the field of pediatric physical therapy. My last clinical was a 12 weeklong pediatric rotation and a few weeks in I knew the field of pediatrics was where I was supposed to be. Read more>>
Julio Brionez
I applied for several jobs as a post-doc psychologist and eventually earned a position at the University of Wyoming. Before coming to Wyoming, earning a position was taxing as once one finishes graduate school, the loan repayment kicked in, and it is imperative to earn a job quickly. So, each rejection letter I got was another level of stress. At the same time, I knew I didn’t want to take any job because I wanted to be in a position where I could provide therapy and outreach to students and also prevent suicide. Read more>>
Ashley Asberry
Honestly-I made my first job in this space. As long as I can remember, even as a child, I have been very aware of what food is fuel and what is harmful. We didn’t ever have prepackaged food growing up and I was very active from a young age. I was a gymnast, dancer, and runner and I feel like because of all these things, I had an awareness and knowledge of healthy food and movement that maybe others had to learn as an adult. Read more>>
Dr. Will Carpenter
Dr. Will Carpenter grew up in the Chesterfield area, always leading an active lifestyle and playing many sports. This kickstarted his passion for human performance, nutrition and wellness. After graduating from Marquette High School, where he was an honors student and basketball, volleyball and football player, he attended the University of Missouri Columbia. There, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and spent time as a student athletic trainer and personal trainer. Read more>>
Claudia Trevithick
I had been working in a local museum in Lafayette, LA, when I lost my job due to supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. (This was Louisiana in the early 80’s.) I was then offered a job though Louisiana State University/ Eunice, to teach art to Senior citizens in outlying communities. In one community my students were elder grandchildren of slaves. I told them they did not have to call me “ma’am”. Read more>>
Allison King
The path to my current position at the Department of Veteran Heath Affairs was quite a journey. Before even knowing Chiropractic would be my career path, I lucked into an internship as an adaptive fitness trainer for the Wounded Warriors Unit on Fort Knox (no, I didn’t see the gold :P) Through my internship I grew to love the military population and dreamed of working in the field one day. Read more>>
Brent Laffoon
I was fresh out of teacher training. The only experience I had was a handful of classes I’d offered to friends and family in my driveway. There were probably thousands of yoga teachers in Los Angeles who were more qualified than I was. But I was determined, and I believed in myself. So after taking a class one night at a studio in Santa Monica, I asked the teacher if she had any recommendations for how I might start teaching at a studio and making a living as a yoga teacher. “You should start at gyms,” she said. Read more>>
Monifa Ellis-Addie
Being a therapist is actually my second career. My first career was as a professional dancer. I moved to Los Angeles, CA from New Jersey for dance. As a dancer, I picked up many odd jobs on the side to pay the bills. One of these jobs was as a phone sex operator. This job led to me working at an adult boutique teaching workshops on sexual issues, such as toys and bondage. Through these jobs, I realized that I had a talent to hear unique stories with a nonjudgemental ear. Read more>>