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.

Sammy Medina

My journey into a career as a Personal Trainer began after my time as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach at Young Harris College. After earning my Bachelor’s in Exercise Science, I landed my dream job as a head strength coach. While I loved the role, I eventually realized the financial compensation wasn’t sufficient. Around that time, my wife, Crystal Gossman, was also seeking to advance her career as a Makeup Artist, and we had our sights set on NYC. Read more>>

Varisha Parikh

My first job in dentistry was during my sophomore year of college. In college I majored in Biomedical Engineering but by my second year I wasn’t doing very well in the program and was really unhappy with engineering as a career path. I felt even more confused because I wasn’t really interested in any of the traditional career paths that engineering offered such as consulting, research and development, or academia. When I went home for the summer after my 2nd year of college, my orthodontist offered me a summer job as a dental receptionist since his was going on maternity leave. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I ended up loving it! I distinctly remember my first morning huddle and being so awed at how this whole team was aligning themselves to take the best possible care of patients all day. I learned so much that summer about patient care, communication, leadership, and entrepreneurship. After that experience, I was sold on becoming a part of the dental field a began taking my pre-requisites and completing my dental school admissions applications. Read more>>

Nadia Mozaffari

I graduated beauty school in 2012 and had the opportunity to get my foot immediately in the door at an established salon where both my uncle and my cousin worked doing hair! I was surrounded by amazing industry professionals and an incredible boss. I started out working the front desk while I slowly built a clientele, and eventually made my way back into the treatment room full time. Two different treatment rooms, and eight years later, I had learned so much at my time working at Carolyne’s Salon. It wasn’t always easy but I consider myself very blessed to have gotten to work there right out of school with not only actual family, but friends who I now consider family. All of this lead to where I am today where I now own my business in my solo suite. Read more>>

Diane Davis

My first job as a dance/movement therapist was at a behavioral healthcare hospital in Las Vegas, and getting that role was a journey that stands out vividly. At the time, I was living in Boston, wrapping up my Master’s program and preparing for a big move back to Las Vegas. While I was searching for positions, I came across an opening on at a behavioral healthcare hospital that immediately resonated with me. I don’t remember the specific job title, but the listing mentioned that they were interested in someone with experience in art, drama, or dance therapy—which felt like the perfect fit for me. I was also excited because there weren’t many jobs specifically for dance/movement therapist in Las Vegas at the time. Read more>>

Susan Hu

I went into my first yoga teacher training wanting to deepen my personal practice, without any intention to become a yoga teacher. At the time, I worked as a full time marketing manager in the tech startup space in NYC. But little did I know how much yoga would have literally changed my life. Shortly after my graduation, I was invited to teach at the studios where I finished my training at. I started with the community classes and taught as a sub teacher, and very soon had my own regular classes on the schedule. I was also invited to mentor the next yoga teacher training and joined the team to manage the yoga studio on a part-time base. I balanced out teaching yoga and working in tech for another few years, even got promoted at the new tech firm to be a Marketing Director. Meanwhile, I continued to teach yoga and assisted 20-30+ yoga teacher trainings, until in 2021, I was asked to launch my own teacher training. I transitioned into working part-time as a marketer and eventually renounced that part of my profession completely and become a full time yoga teacher. I am so grateful how life plays out and I get to live what I love and share it every single day these days! Read more>>

Olivia Marino

I had a friend who knew I was eager to work in plastics or dermatology and she couldn’t stop praising Dr. Diana Ponsky’s expertise in the field. This friend mentioned my name to Dr. Ponsky at her next visit. I sent in my resume, and Dr. Ponsky graciously scheduled a Zoom interview with me. We had a great conversation about my goals and my work ethic, but at that time, Dr. Ponsky wasn’t looking to hire a nurse. She needed a medical assistant instead. Being persistent, I wasn’t ready to take “no” for an answer. After a follow-up conversation with Dr. Ponsky, I requested another Zoom call, during which I asked her to take a chance on me. I was confident I would be a great fit for her practice, and after speaking with her a few more times, I knew we would work well together. Thankfully, she agreed, and I truly believe it was the right decision. Read more>>