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.
Karen McGhee
The first few years of my massage career I was exploring and finding my way. Just looking for my passion in the field. I then discovered I had more interest in working with the elderly and more medically involved client. I soon started getting clients as old as 100 as regulars, also clients that were terminally ill. Read more>>
Elizabeth Jennings
In 2014, my life was at a high point. I was married, had two children, and an abundance of family and friends. I worked at a challenging but rewarding job as an occupational therapist. Then in 2015, my life took a drastic turn when I lost my mother, my marriage, my financial stability, and even my health. Read more>>
Katy Troy
My career as a holistic personal development coach was built upon a compilation of a few life-altering experiences that changed the way I relate with myself and the way I relate to the world. Read more>>
Marco Adda
Indeed, a pivotal moment in my journey completely reshaped my career trajectory. In my youth, right after high school, I grappled with many passions and interests that seemed to pull me in multiple directions. I was drawn to animal behavior, theatre, martial arts, mindfulness practices, ecology, and so much more. Read more>>
Dr. Sheniqua Johnson
I have been in the health care profession for over 20 years. I started as a teenager, earning my certification as a Nursing Assistant and continued into adulthood as a professional Registered Nurse. I have earned stellar accolades as a nurse, having trained over 900 health coaches and 2500 of today’s Registered Nurses. Read more>>
Adrianne Goudeau aka Ms G
I was working as a lead cosmetology instructor, suffering with chronic pain. I found myself eventually on 23 medications and a fentanyl patch and knew I had to do something about it. I could no longer form sentences for my students. At this point I stopped working and started infusing foods with cannabis. My process took 5 years to get off all the medications! Read more>>
Krystal Davis
My defining moment in my nursing career was actually last year January 2022. As a traveling critical care nurse of 3 years at the time, I made the decision to take a leap of faith and I took about 8 months off from working and bought a one way ticket to Costa Rica ( I ended up spending 4 months in Costa Rica). I had no set plan or confirmed goal at the time. I utilized this time off by strengthening my spirituality, bonding in nature, pouring into my self-care cup and aligning with my true purpose. Read more>>
Jen Steele
You know that Friends episode where Ross just keeps shouting, “PIVOT!”? Read more>>
Marie Belle Pérez Rivera
I moved to Washington, DC in 2010 for what I thought would be a year (max) of working a soul crushing job for the government sitting in a cubicle writing memos about memos, saving money, and eventually relocating to California to follow my dreams to become a full time yoga teacher. Read more>>
Caryn Pritchett
I love to share about my journey toward Yoga and what led me to where I am today because I feel like all it often takes is a small step forward that can completely shift the direction of your life path. The first class I ever took I didn’t enjoy at all, being inflexible I found the shapes really hard and challenging, I couldn’t sit still and I felt awkward trying to “connect to my breath” and the “fluffy” talk throughout the class. I went back a second time hoping the outcome would be different, and because I really wanted to “like” Yoga, but left feeling the same as I had before. Read more>>
Kalli Hale
I have had the privilege of having people in my life who have taught me incredible life lessons. ‘Discipline’ was ingrained in me as a young child as early as I can remember. My parents are both dentists, my mom had it incredibly hard growing up with difficult parents and had a child young. She worked 3 jobs when she had my sister AND put herself through dental school. Read more>>
Sade Hobson
I have always had interest in wellness. By education, I have a Masters degree in Public Health, so I’ve always been community centered. Meditation was my pathway to wellness. When I turned 30 it felt like everything I had worked so hard for no longer made sense nor was it making me happy. Read more>>
Elisa Robyn
I was a geologist with a major oil company in my first career. Women geologists in this company were talked down to, asked to perform secretarial duties, let out of meetings, called insulting names and otherwise treated in demeaning ways. This was 1986, way before the Me Too movement. Read more>>
Rob Cook
Jodi Stepanek
I have been a doer my whole life! Check lists, high achiever and always on the go from a young age. To give you a little understanding of that- in high school I played 4 sports and started varsity in all of them, I was the class president in student government and I also had a job waiting tables! In college I played two sports, was in a sorority, worked a campus job and also sat participated in student government. Read more>>
Kristi Bogan
There have been so many defining moments in my professional life with many trajectories from Nuclear Medicine technologist to Radiologist specializing in Pediatric Interventional and Diagnostic radiology and now starting a MedSpa. I have always been one to like to combine natural remedies with traditional medicine and this has helped me offer a variety of options that most other traditional physicians may not think about. Read more>>
Andrea Bosbach Largent
here were two defining moments in my professional life. Read more>>
Rachelle Forsberg
I will never forget the first time I literally felt my knees buckle. I was in my second year of medical school and my mom told me she hadn’t been feeling so well. At the time I was in a class focused on lab interpretation so I casually offered to take her lab test results with me to class and see how things lined up with what we were learning at the time. Read more>>
Johnny Tea
A defining moment for me was when my dad got diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. I was still trying to figure things out for myself. Still finishing up undergrad. His last request before he passed was for me to get my Master’s Degree. Read more>>
Jesika The Mind Trainer
In the midst of my Healing career, I had an extended period of illness. During this illness, I used a myriad of practitioners throughout my healing journey to become healthy mentally and physically again. I became acquainted with such a beautiful group of healing practitioners that I decided to form a company sharing the skills of all these amazing people. Read more>>
Dr. Bernadette Hartman
There have been many moments of redirects on my life journey but one of the biggest redefining moments was an arm injury I experienced five months out of Veterinary School. While at work, I accidently severed an artery in my arm and went through emergency surgery, only to come out of surgery unable to use my arm and in excruciating pain. Read more>>
Arin DeGroff
The “American Dream”, a common narrative in America, alluring young minds that anything is possible. That individual success and happiness is achievable despite circumstances of class or race. While aspects of this reality are relatively true, there is also great a disillusionment of it actually being possible. Read more>>
Amanda Curry
I was working in a children’s cancer hospital and looked around at both the vast intensity of hope and pain within the walls of the institution. I watched people’s lives transform minute to minute- from devastating test results to life saving transfusions. The ebb and flow of emotions were high. I felt myself becoming conscious to the realization that I had compartmentalized my work with these children and their families. Read more>>
Alejandra Parsons
As an esthetician there are so many routes that one can take to specialize in a certain service or modality. Since I was in the esthetics program I always wanted to learn a little bit of everything because I was always so fascinated by all the services one can provide like waxing, lashes, makeup, etc. Read more>>
Kelly Sweet
A defining moment in my career was when I realized that the areas I have healed in were areas where I could help other people. Although I will never know someone’s exact experience, I can empathize and provide a unique perspective. After my healing journey, I recognized the power of helping others using my education, training, and personal experience. Read more>>
Pharaoh Nefertem
My life changed when C-19 hit. Just like many others I was down and out and had to be creative. At the time I went through a depression phase because I had asthma and they said that people with asthma and diabetes were at high risk of dying, so I locked myself in my room for three months. I only went out for food. Read more>>
Erin Upchurch
In 2015, I was invited to be a speaker for TEDx ColumbusWomen, organized by executive coach, storytelling authority, and founder of Articulation, Ruth Milligan. I was newish to the TED Talk phenomena and recall feeling very honored to have been invited to participate in such an important opportunity to tell stories and spread ideas. Read more>>
Maritza Bollain y Goytia
I always knew that my role was to support other people through healthcare. At a young age, I claimed that I would become a doctor although at the time I aspired to become a Western Medical Doctor (MD). I completed my pre-med studies and bachelor’s in biology at The University of Chicago where I also began working at a Clinical Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology Research Unit. Read more>>
Jenny Sanchez
My defining moment came because of what didn’t happen… Read more>>
Kate Conwell
There are two defining moments that build on each other. Read more>>
Heather Kuhl
While there have been several defining moments in my career, one stands out. It was 2015, and I was hired by a substance abuse treatment center as a psychologist where my role was to conduct evaluations and provide neurofeedback. I loved my job, co-workers, and the clients. Read more>>
Breanna Naccarato
I had always thought that the defining moment in my career and business pursuits was when I learned that i was pregnant with our first daughter. After giving birth to her I understood vividly that I had to start my own business and that business would center around women during the seasons of pregnancy and postpartum. Read more>>
Amy Ouzoonian
I decided that I had to launch MoodConnect in May of 2021 because I was seeing how much my colleagues were getting burned out. Many employees were quitting their jobs to explore a healthier way of life. I wondered why business owners couldn’t have a healthier workspace instead? Read more>>
Julie Freeman
While I have been on a health and spiritual path for my entire life, beginning with obesity, sugar addition and a deep connection to my faith especially through singing, I completely revamped my practice while convalescing in a hospital from a severe staph injection as a result of a rare leukemia. Read more>>
Mela Marshall
Growing up, if someone asked the famous question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, my answer was always a nurse. It has been my life’s dream to nurse the sick back to health, so naturally, I started nursing school and began pursuing my dream. As I went through the nursing program, however, I began to notice that the passion I thought I had for the career was not there anymore, if it ever really was. Read more>>
Sarah Ford
A defining moment was when I landed in LA and saw how limited the aestheticians were when it came performing treatments. Coming from the North Carolina, estheticians are able to consult and perform invasive treatments such as lasers, micro needling, Co2, etc under a guided physician. Read more>>
Lucas King
Interestingly enough my career defining moment came from a personal crisis. I got divorced in 2012 and vowed never to marry again. In 2021 I changed my mind and asked my then girlfriend to marry me. Sadly, the engagement didn’t go as planned. She changed her mind but we chose to stay together and try to make it work. As you might imagine, that was a horrible idea. Read more>>
Ehi Ade-Mabo
I grew up as a very shy, timid and anxious child, i remember i would never look people in the faces, always run away from crowds, small gatherings or even my own friends who came around, it was very bothersome to my parents who had exhausted all solutions to get me sociable. Later on, i found out that this was a social anxiety disorder and i was not the only one in the world who always wanted to disappear and not be seen. Read more>>
Sam Luu
Before Hurricane Harvery I use to work in Logistics for a whole sale furniture Company that works with Commercial business/Residential business. Read more>>
Kendra Outler
After I finished residency in Family Medicine, my first residency my mentor said to me, “You are in the driver’s seat.” I had finished from a top tier all women’s college, then went on to graduate school, navigated myself into medical school to be the first physician in my family. Now, I was finally told that I was driving. Driving what? Read more>>
Jen Lo
The absolute most illuminating and potent defining moment of my teaching career happened after adopting the functional approach to asana. Steering the language away from the aesthetic towards the functional was a paradigm shift for myself and students. Read more>>