Having new or innovative ideas is essential to pushing the world forward and so we asked the community to share stories of the most innovative things they’ve done in their career. Our hope is to inspire folks who think only scientists or tech-wizards can innovate – innovation is possible for everyone, regardless of job title or function, industry or geography.

Alissa Moyse

Starting Casual Carats™ is definitely the most innovative thing I’ve done in my career. I come from a long line of jewelers in Houston and when I decided to leave the family business and venture out on my own it was one of the most incredible and terrifying moments in my life and my career. I had worked in the jewelry industry my entire life, not just my adult or professional life and to do something so different and unique was scary. When I identified the problem in our industry that eventually led me to found Casual Carats™, I didn’t know what people would think but it has been the best risk I could have ever taken. We took a product –silicone rings– that thousands of people wear every day and we made it better. We are constantly trying to find ways to innovate not only our industry but our products so that we’re providing our customers with the best possible rings, bracelets, watch bands, and more. Read more>>

Catherine Kent

The most innovative thing I’ve done for my career was pivot to working with entrepreneurs and brands. While that shift seemed to be status quo- we all have to adapt to the ever-changing market we serve- that shift was what opened the door to my innovative idea- offering Social Media Management as an add on with my branding photography sessions! All the new services I offer are able to connect by the common thread of entrepreneurship, and has increased my company’s marketability, and gave me longevity with my clients. Read more>>

Jordan Tate

I’m excited to be working on one of the most innovative projects I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of in my entire career. It is currently called the “ATL 8IGH DAO”, which is a temporary name for a fan controlled team operating the The Basketball League (TBL). This team is extremely unique and will be the first professional basketball team to utilize blockchain technology and function as a DAO. This will give fans the power to vote on team decisions including the team name, roster, coaching staff, logos, colors, etc. The ATL 8IGH DAO will be participating in the TBL 2023 season. Read more>>

Jasmine Coer

When the pandemic disrupted our lives in 2020, I noticed the children I served were experiencing loneliness at an alarming rate. They were no longer able to attend summer camps, play with friends, go swimming, play tag outdoors, and all the things children enjoy doing during their summer break. The streets were empty and so were the playgrounds. I would see my children on zoom calls every week and one day I asked an honest question, “how do you feel about being inside?” The responses nearly broke my heart. They felt alone, unheard, bored, overlooked, and the list runs long. I reached out to a few corporate giants asking for help to put on a socially distanced outdoor event for the youth and I was faced with many no’s due to risks and liability. Read more>>

Sofia Hudson

I have had many career pivots and look forward to more in my future. I began college, at Parsons School of Design, in the fashion program and moved over to furniture design when I learned of a fashion designer that was turning her fashions into furniture pieces. After working as a furniture designer, in New York, for many years I returned to my hometown of Kansas City to launch a furniture gallery where my mother-in-law made desserts for our monthly gallery openings. She created delicious decorated sugar cookies and people started coming to the gallery just to eat them, so I eventually launched it into a business. Read more>>

Jim Kerns

Go to India to make a documentary. I was working as a web designer and video guy for a large corporate R&D lab in the early 2000s. I had been reading about the growth of outsourcing and often very shallow depictions of the subject matter based on economics seen solely from an American standpoint. I decided to quit my job and make a documentary about Bangalore, India and how the social of outsourcing was changing that city.. I had very little $ for the film as I was still trying to support my y0ung famliy doing freelance work during the preproduction of the film. Read more>>

Meg Harrell

I’ve taken my 13 yrs of nursing experience and created an online space where I can share all of my knowledge with the next generation of nurses. Thats how I created NurseMegRN.com NurseMegRN is a healthcare focused educational brand with an audience of healthcare workers ages 20-35 (mostly nurses & nursing students). Platforms are: * Blog: NurseMegRN.com * @nursemegrn on Instagram
 – 70K followers * @nursemegrn on tiktok
 620k followers * NurseMegRN on FB * NurseMegRN on YouTube * Weekly Newsletter with 30K subscribers Read more>>

Jo’el Steven Rouse

Hahaha, Well that’s VERY easy for me to answer! I launched to my knowledge one of the nation’s Very first comprehensive print sports magazines which was ahead of the curve and trend setting. What I mean by that is we brainstormed our concept for a community sports publication using a coverage strategy that’s increasingly popular now. But wasn’t being done 10, 15 or 20 years ago. I spent nearly 10 years working for big, mainstream sports media outlets across six states. Three coasts. NYC, Chicago, Seattle and Houston, both newspapers and magazines plus internships with APSE and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Read more>>