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.

Natalya Velky

I spent the majority of my professional career in the advertising field. I worked on the client side and was basically the office punching bag / therapist. A year and a half ago I was getting laid off from my job of three years and I decided it was time to make a huge career shift. I had been unhappy in the industry for a majority of my time in the field. I always felt like I had more to offer and that my skills were never being utilized correctly. When I quit the industry, I truly had no idea what to do, but I had a slight interest in the wellness space. I decided to start exploring some trainings and that led me to working in that space full time. I learned Qigong first, an ancient Chinese practice that combines gentle movement with breath and mindfulness. I learned how to teach it to others and help people with relaxing their nervous systems. I then learned Reiki, an ancient Japanese practice of moving energy throughout the body using my hands. Then I purchased some sound bowls and learned how to do sound bath sessions for people. These modalities have been my main focus, but I’m continuously learning more and adding other skills to my roster. Read more>>

Mrs. Kennetha The Homeless Ceo Patterson

My Defining moment was in 2011 I had my 1st visions of a fully renovated home it was missing the steps it was located primely now right on Meharry Blvd. it was my first sight of fix and flip for 10k I saw this place fully immaculately rehabbed WITH the steps too ! I later found this was was a thing my entire background was medical , mental health , and triage including post mortem tissue evaluator, before my large family of 7 met homelessness 4 separate tragic times , it taught me on the job along the way #thereallivedexpereincedadvocates of Nashville is literally the school of the hard knocks grassroots training life course .  Read more>>

Maria Rendon

Back in 2022, just three months after I moved from Colombia to Boulder, Colorado, I experienced a profound loss—my energy healing mentor of over 20 years passed away. Her guidance had been a constant in my life, and her passing left me at a crossroads. Shortly after, I turned 50, which made me reflect deeply on my life, my purpose, and the years I had left to live the life I truly desired. It felt like the universe was asking me, “If not now, when?” Read more>>

Robyn Brecker

From the time I was a teenager, my dream was to work for Oprah Winfrey. I would have very real dreams of older me sitting in Oprah’s office discussing shows, projects, you name it. At that time, there was no such thing as the Internet which led me to study Radio/TV/Film in college. I applied to work for Oprah at Harpo Studios in Chicago when I was graduating, however there weren’t any positions open…I knew the competition was steep! Read more>>

Sarah Lane

When I was in college, I was a double major in the business school, and minored in psychology. After graduating from college, I worked for various marketing agencies. I learned a lot, but I hated sitting in front of a computer screen all of the time. The computer, the long hours of sitting, the cutthroat environment, the deadlines, was very draining to my Soul that wanted to be out in the world making a difference. I remember thinking, “is this really what I worked my ass off for all these years?!” Read more>>

Roderick “rod” Jeter

Almost twenty years ago I was fortunate enough to meet a very wonderful woman. However, after years of marriage, I convinced myself that I wanted a divorce. My wife and I agreed to try marriage counseling. The first four weeks, the counselor was assessing us to decide if we were suitable for counseling. On the fifth week, we were told, “Yes, you are suitable for counseling and you will receive another 8-12 weeks of counseling.” Well, on that same day, were kicked out of counseling. I admit it was all my fault. I was being stubborn. I refused to participate in an exercise for the counselor. Read more>>