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.

Autumn Kirk-Phillips

My family and I relocated to Texas in October 2014, five months after receiving my Zumba certification. It would be a year from the date that I arrived in Houston that I received my first opportunity to teach. Every year, Zumba hosts “Party in Pink” masterclasses around the country, supporting the Susan G. Komen foundation. Read more>>

Ian Wells

I blew my knee out when I was with the Lions, and my knee was and still a mess. There really isn’t a day where my knee doesn’t bother me. But after rehabbing and attempting to make a comeback, just could never get back to what I was and had to make a business decision. Read more>>

Taylor Berry

It’s crazy how I stumbled into mental health, currently working on being licensed. I was a newly graduate from the University of Oklahoma. In my head, I just knew I was going to land a job centered around player development in collegiate athletics and a mentor of mine had offered me a job. Read more>>

Jessica Eiseman, MS, LPC-S, NCC

My first counseling job out of graduate school was shut down by the FBI within six months. Yep. You read that right. It was and still is really hard to find jobs to get your hours to become a fully licensed counselor. I was networking as much as possible, trying to find anything that would get me my hours. Read more>>