Stories are incredibly powerful – their ability to teach, inspire, and create understanding is why we are so in love with storytelling. Most stories have a defining moment and so we’ve asked some of the most talented, insightful folks across a broad range of industries and markets to tell us about a defining moment in their story.

Kylie Hempy

Originally, I was actually a Product Manager. I worked in tech for a number of years after completing my undergrad education, and very invested in my career growth and “climbing the ladder”. Read more>>

Denise Maple

I had been working in commercial banking for 20 years. I am grateful for my financial services career. I learned a lot, felt proud of the work that I did for my colleagues and clients, and got to do a lot of interesting things. And yet, I was feeling the pull to make a change and do work where I felt more freedom and creativity, while still being of service. Read more>>

Dr. Amanda Tracy

My journey to becoming a holistic expert in hormones, stress and perimenopause began at a young age. In my teens and 20s I had irregular periods that would be on time for months in a row and then disappear for months on end, only to return monthly for no apparent reason! I saw medical doctors, had blood tests and ultrasounds –nothing was found and I was told, “everything looked normal”. Read more>>

Cheryl Kelley-Henderson

I was initially training to run/walk to help better my own health and wellness as I battled with several health related challenges. After sharing my story on social media and completing multiple races (i.e. 5K, 10K and Half marathons) ladies in my community and those who followed me on social media began to inquire and ask if they could join me. Read more>>

Lisa Taitelman

Hi! I am Lisa Taitelman. I am a mother of 2 incredible kids, and a wife of 25 years to an amazing partner and friend. It was after the loss of my mom, over 26 years ago it took all my strength to forge ahead. In that time of unbearable grief, I started on my path of self-discovery and learned how a hike changed the trajectory of my life. Read more>>

Ashley Shears

Having a background and degree in health, I knew I wanted to help others live their healthiest lives. Traditional medical settings weren’t the best fit for me and I eventually stumbled into massage therapy. I fell in love instantly and knew that this avenue was meant for me. Read more>>

Crysta Marshall

Beauty for Ashes…. My 3 year old was sexually abused and it totally devastated my life. The process of her disclosing, court, therapy, and emotional turmoil was too much to handle. Read more>>

Kendra

I believe my defining moment came when I decided to take a risk an move to California. It was there that I had an idea of what I wanted to do which was incorporate my music with my healing practice and that gave me a foundation. However, as I put those things together I realized my calling was bigger than music and using it as a form of healing. Read more>>

Racquel H. Dozier

I am trained as a Social Worker & Teacher with a history of working in the foster care system. A defining moment that changed the trajectory of my career is when I became ill. I was a computer teacher at the time in a private school and became very ill. It was at this time that I was diagnosed with lupus. Read more>>

Darious Baker

talents, the names Issa was born. “Issa” whatever you need it to be. It all started as a youngster, studying preforming arts, being in pageants and cheerleading. Performing arts taught me a lot about the acting world. And how to connect with my audience.. Read more>>

Kelseia Hertzog

Prior to becoming a yoga instructor, I had worked in the health and fitness community close to 10 years as a group exercise instructor and personal trainer. I decided to get my yoga certification to add another form of fitness to my training. I went into this training just wanting to teach the physical side of yoga. Read more>>

Elizabeth Urabe

Unquestionably THE defining moment in my professional AND personal life to date was November 8, 2011, when I was awarded one of three first place honors of the then unprecedented American Batik Design Competition, organized earlier that year by (then) Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal of the Indonesian embassy. Read more>>

Joy Broils

This is such a great question because it ties directly to Hustle & Ground’s mission – the importance of Pausing in the hustle and bustle of life! Hustle is a way of life in our society. It is hard for many of us to take time for ourselves, to do activities that help us relax and unwind from the daily grind. For some of us, it’s a matter of re-prioritizing and making our Pause activity a priority Read more>>

Thomas Claesen

I do! The flip side of the stresses that come with being self-employed is that we’re in control of our own schedule. I can run my business from a laptop and a phone, so I can work from anywhere. And I absolutely do. A better label for that kind of travel is just “trip”, but I also take real vacations. Read more>>

Devynn Lazechko

Yes, I take vacations. I am encouraged to go and in fact am cut off from emails, phone calls and any thought of the business while I am away. In today’s America I feel this is a rare gift, between the mindset here in the U.S and the fact that with todays technology every vacation is a working vacation. Read more>>

Sarah Hall

I always say looking back that my biggest regret was not starting my business sooner. However, I do feel like God puts us on the path that we need to be on at that every moment in time so while I do wish I had started sooner, I know that it’s all in God‘s timing. Read more>>

Eli Crentsil

I 1000% wished I had started my business later. I started my first business when I was 13 with a few friends at the time. I started my second business just before my senior year at 17 and my third right before the pandemic at 20. Now with the business I just started I feel like it’s something that out of all the experiences I’ve had with past businesses, I started this at the right time. Read more>>

Melissa Stonehill-Caiyem, C.A.H.P., R.K.R.M.T.

Wow that’s a lot to answer as there are so many moving parts to how I moved forward. I had come from a great career in the health and fitness industry as well as event production. I have always had entrepreneurial mind set and brought innovation to any position I held, whether working for others or in business for myself. Read more>>

Andrea Kirk

Rosemary + Roots was conceived shortly after our Bernese Mountain Dog, Bernie, passed away unexpectedly from a very aggressive form of cancer. We were heartbroken, grieving, and lost. It was coming up on the 2 year anniversary of my Grandmother’s passing in the midst of this and inspiration kind of came to me. Read more>>

Toni Shelaske

I wish that I had stared my business sooner. It was an existing locally owned business that the owners decided to sell. I purchased the business in October 2008 and at that time I was 40 years old. I have successfully expanded my business to 4 locations in 2 states. Read more>>

Sam Amato

There are times I sit back and think to myself, “why did I wait so long in my life to start my own business?” Then I realize that life events small and big are carefully placed in your life by the graces of GOD to set you up for success, meaning it was planned for me to make that jump at a certian ti.e in my life, Read more>>

Rachel Jeffries

I’ve always been a sprinter – on the HS track team, in work, and in life. I like to throw all of my energy, attention, and focus into my work and then shift gears completely to throw all of my energy, attention, and focus into my rest. Read more>>

Jessica Mitchell

When I decided that I needed to change my life, for the sake of my health, I was in banking and insurance. Up until that point I had tried diet after diet with no success. My cholesterol was high, and my doctor indicated that my infertility was likely due to my weight. That changed everything for me. Read more>>

Theresa Agostinelli

When I was 19 years old I was pregnant and married. When I was 26 years old my husband died suddenly. I was broke and broken. With few skills, no job and little resources I was finding myself anxious, depressed and self sabotaging. I wanted to curl up in a ball and die. Read more>>

Shanna Miller Ghizoni

There were several defining moments in my life that helped me clarify what I wanted to do with my professional career. The biggest one was when I was in my early twenties and going through a ‘quarter life crisis’. I was planning on moving out of start a new job in the environmental field and was really struggling with life direction and what I wanted to do. Read more>>