Defining moments aren’t just exciting – they are thought-provoking and fertile ground for learning. These inflection points often are the result of an illuminating moment where some truth of the universe presents itself in an easier to recognize form. Below, you’ll find talented and successful entrepreneurs and artists sharing the stories of defining moments in their lives.
Dr. Rochelle M. Thompson
A defining moment in my career was really all of the people telling me that I could never do this. I am a single mother of four and also have been divorced, cheated on, talked about, left behind and some more- and along the way of my own healing and fighting to be a CEO, I heard so much negativity. Read more>>
Donna Mazzola
A Defining moment in my career came when I was consulting patients who switch chronic diseases and realized how little they knew about nutrition. It was not ok for a patient with diabetes to not understand what a carbohydrate was. At that moment I realized the gap in medicine, where diet and lifestyle were minimized. Read more>>
Linda Strode
I currently have 38 years experience in health care as an occupational therapist. During that time I became a certified hand therapist and specialized in upper extremity orthopedic rehabilitation working in an outpatient practice. For years I treated injury including post surgical hand to shoulder. Read more>>
Lauren Gardner
A few years ago, my husband, a maintenance welder at the time, was repairing an awning with a coworker. They were carrying the sheet metal when a gust of wind caught it and sliced his wrist severing his tendon almost all the way through. He was lucky, had it severed completely he would have been left with a useless hand. Read more>>
Brittany Williams
There was a defining moment in my previous career as a teacher that made me transition from teaching to school counseling and then to marriage and family therapy. Read more>>
Lauren Fonvielle
I went to the mailbox on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I through the mail on the table, and started to sort through it. There was a large manila envelope addressed to the family. I tore it open. My heart began to beat faster and faster as I read the first sentence. “Preparing your family for deployment…” Read more>>
Keriana Laury
My previous professional career consisted of mortgages and escrow. November of 2020, my then 2 1/2 year old was diagnosed with non-verbal Severe Autism & mixed expressive receptive language disorder. Confused & mixed emotions to say the least, but expected because I knew all along, it was just the reality that sat in when the psychologist gave me the diagnosis. Immediately after, life shifted for the both of us. Read more>>
Jas Bhandal
Yoga and meditation have been a big part of my upbringing, only it wasn’t labelled in that way. Up until 2011, I had never set foot in a commercialized yoga studio, let alone thought about teaching it. I attended my first session in 2011, and very quickly learned that I enjoyed the practice and that I would eventually love to guide others as well. Read more>>
Liam J. Adair, HHP, ACC
Throughout my career there have been many important lessons, however there was one moment that truly defined the trajectory. When I worked in Information Technology for the government, I suffered an injury on the job. Not only was I in constant pain and discomfort, this caused a huge disruption in the flow of my income. Read more>>
Amy Jacobs
I completely lost myself. Movement and connection to my body had always defined me. I spent most of my life dancing, even going so far as to pursue dance performance and education for my undergraduate degree and going on to study in some of the best dance studios while auditioning and performing in NYC. But the life of a dancer is hard, and without any familial support I needed a job. Read more>>
Vivian Wu
In 2016, I wrote in my intentions that by the age of 30, I’d like to become a counsellor to help people while building my own marketing consulting business on the side. Back then I was a full-time digital marketer and had no clue as to how any of this could be possible… Read more>>
Trevor Pentola
I have been a Personal Trainer for about 7 years now and I absolutely love it. Starting out I had hit a couple speed bumps right after graduation, which I am sure any trainers has experienced. This field of work has to come with experiences and from those experiences, you have to learn Read more>>
Cynthia Wood
February 1st, 2004. Superbowl XXXVIII – Panthers and Patriots Read more>>
Kimberly Wilson
One Monday morning in August I sat on my bed signing dozens of papers transferring ownership to a well-known yoga brand after 18 years running a yoga studio that started in my living room in my mid-20s. The studio had defined my professional life and I was letting my baby go. It was a scary and liberating time. Read more>>
Jacob Glassmeyer
I was personal training at a facility and was doing quite well. The caveat though is that I would be there from early AM to late PM helping others take charge of their lives for better health and no time for myself. Read more>>
Nicole Cain
Hitting rock bottom in insomnia and anxiety was a defining moment for me both personally and professionally, I write about that experience more, Read more>>
Lauren Bush
The most defining moment for me came when I was invited to be a speaker for the national negro women’s council. I gave a presentation on me, my business, and why my business is needed. After I gave the presentation there were multiple questions about my services. Read more>>