Every once in a while, something happens that really matters. Something that will define at least the next chapter of your journey – perhaps it’s a conversation with a client, a meeting with a visionary or a major event in your personal life. Below, you’ll find some very insightful folks sharing defining moments from their journeys.

Ifé Akano

I remember the moment when I first learned that a scientific career existed as an option for me. I always thought there were just doctors and pharmacists, and I hadn’t realized that it could be an entire career to perform scientific research until I met Sarah, a scientist working in drug discovery at Genentech (GNE). Read more>>

Megan Taylor

When I was in school to become a Nurse Practitioner, I was learning about self breast exams. I had never done one on myself and I decided to do one. When I did, I found a lump. Read more>>

Jacob Schick

It was September 2004 in the Sunni Triangle in Iraq and I was the leader of our REACT. It was early in the morning and we had just bedded down after a standoff with the Iraqi National Guard that lasted hours. Read more>>

Miiko Rowley

Just weeks before starting medical school, I received a life-altering diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Determined to find a solution, I embarked on a quest to explore how a holistic approach could potentially help me avoid developing debilitating symptoms. Read more>>

Penelope Richards

I had a small nutraceutical company with my ex-husband in the 2000’s. After divorce I retained the rights to our product formulation and started my own company, Gaia Goddess LLC, at age 64, during the world wide COVID-19 pandemic. Read more>>

Brittany Wilson

Absolutely, there was a defining moment in my professional journey that significantly altered the trajectory of my career and inspired the creation of my business. Read more>>

Francis Murphy

In 2006, a patient named Pam Hatcher walked into my clinic, her shoulder locked in an invisible vice. She was a referral, sent my way by a colleague who respected my expertise in the nuanced world of soft tissue repair and diagnosis. Read more>>

Adrienne Blackstone

A defining moment in my professional career was the moment I decided to launch my own business. Leveraging the wealth of knowledge and skills I had acquired over the years, I took the leap into entrepreneurship with a blend of excitement, fear and determination. Read more>>

Nautica George

A defining moment in my career began in 2015. I had the opportunity to travel to Spain three weeks after graduating with my bachelor’s degree in psychology. Read more>>

Callan Wall

As a registered dietitian, I was trained in what’s called the “weight-centric” paradigm, which means most of what I was taught in my schooling revolved around body weight being the center of most health problems. Read more>>

Diana Barnett

On April 15th 2018 I walked into the Doctors office to review some blood work. While typing on her computer she said you have Type 1 diabetes and I believe you have pancreatic and spleen cancer. And I want to remove your gallbaldder! Read more>>

Gina Heumann

In the midst of teaching interior design by day, my life at home was volatile and uncertain. For over a decade, I grappled with the chaos and abuse inflicted by my traumatized adopted son. Read more>>

Lauren (Hays) & Megan (Dalton)

In the heart of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where the delicate balance of hope and fear intertwines, I found my calling as a NICU nurse. Day after day, I stood witness to the silent struggles of mothers navigating the tumultuous journey of having their newborns in critical care. Read more>>

Erica Dawkins

When I think of defining moments, I would consider those moments where I had to choose between what I had and what I wanted. Throughout my journey towards starting my practice, I worked a lot of different types of jobs to either get experience or a paycheck to survive. Read more>>

Megan Thorne

In November of 2016, I lost my dad to suicide. It took a toll on me. I slipped into suicidal, alcoholic depression after that. One day, I got really drunk, and I just wanted to end my own life to be honest. Read more>>

Aleece Rose

Not to be too dramatic, but I would say the moment that made me want to completely change everything that I was doing in my life was recovering in a hospital bed after receiving emergency surgery and a blood transfusion to save my life. Read more>>

Stephanie Samolovitch

Some individuals grow up knowing exactly what they want to be while others, like myself, are clueless. I chose Pharmacy as a degree simply out of getting good grades in math and science. Read more>>

Reim Ifrach

I spent many of my childhood and teen years writing poetry, painting, and acting; if it was creative, I wanted to do it. Creativity was a safe space where I felt like myself and yet I couldn’t see myself having creativity at the center of my work. Read more>>