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.

Beth Thomas

This might be cliche, but working through the pandemic was a pretty pivotal moment in my career. Prior to Covid, I was working full time in a hospital – which is where I thought I would be for the foreseeable future. When I was laid off from the hospital, I turned to building my own clientele and practice. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I don’t think I would have ventured out as soon as I did to start my own business. Read more>>

Amanda Grilli

Before becoming an oncology Physical Therapist, I worked as a surgical coordinator at a breast cancer clinic in Montreal, Canada. It was during my time there that I came to truly understand the extensive side effects associated with breast cancer and its treatments. Read more>>

Allison Pulaski

When I was newly pregnant with my first child, the OBGYN handed me a list of products and foods that I was not to use during my pregnancy, for the safety of my baby. A lightbulb went off at that time… “Why should I be using these any other time, then?” This led me down a rabbit hole around product ingredients and their affect on the human body including endocrine disruption, birth defects, and more potential risks. Read more>>

Marae Victoria

As a mental health professional, speaker and influence, I work very close with people. After all I am a peoples person and I always said even as a child that the one thing I want people to take away from any experience with me is that “everyone will feel like someone around me”. There are people in this world that chronically feel alone or outcasted and it tugs at my heart strings because we were all made for one another. Read more>>

Johnny Blanford III

As an artist originally from Dallas Tx, I’d been performing for about 5 years locally in the DFW area. I sing, rap, make beats, and do photography. My band and I hosted a Jam session for my entire run in Dallas where we brought other artists to perform and then jammed together with local and touring musicians. Read more>>

LaToya Fernandez

Yes, there was a defining moment in my professional career that significantly changed its trajectory. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I witnessed firsthand how deeply the students, families, and people within my own direct tribe were being impacted by illness and conflict. It was a time of immense struggle, and I felt a profound sense of responsibility to take action and provide support. Read more>>

Tara Manley Rutledge

I was introduced to yoga in 2002 when I was going through my divorce. Yoga helped me find myself by quieting my mind allowing me to reflect on my new reality and how I got there. I felt so much mental peace and clarity. At that moment I decided I want to share this gift of peace, mental clarity, focus, and looking inward with others. Read more>>

Sanjay Das

In one of our first conversations, an industry colleague Jessica Cunningham and I discussed our passion for educating people so they can age well. She introduced me to Judith Naegely and Jason White who have a similar mind frame around using education to assist people make better choices about aging, while running their businesses. Read more>>

Burgundi Herring

Absolutely, there was a pivotal moment that shaped the trajectory of my career. During a holiday season, my job at the time had a policy where you could only choose which holiday to take off every other year. It was a stark reminder of how little control I had over my time. Another significant instance was when my younger son had a special event at school, and I realized I couldn’t attend because my job wouldn’t grant me the time off. Read more>>

Crystal Campbell

In 2017 I was in a financial rut and I lost my health. I was 233lbs with high blood pressure, taking medication for depression and anxiety and I suffered with chronic joint pain and fatigue. I hadn’t taken good care of myself over the years, and the physical demands of my job were becoming too hard. Read more>>

lucia wegner

A defining moment in my career came when I expanded my mission beyond development economics, where I empowered women and youth in Africa and Asia. Though fulfilling, I felt a growing desire to align my career with my spiritual journey, embracing Buddhism and its values of compassion, self-love, and trust in the universe. Read more>>

Amanda Muhammad

Before I started my company full-time, I was an educator. Occasionally, I would leave my campus early and support other organizations as a facilitator for their training and development content. Well, one day, I was subbing for another facilitator and the Principal on that campus stopped me halfway through and said, “I’m sorry, but do you have any idea how good you are at what you do?” Read more>>

Hannah Oreskovich Laut

A Defining Moment in My Career: The Turning Point of Burnout and Transformation There was definitely a defining moment in my professional career that profoundly changed its trajectory. It was a period of intense burnout that reshaped my approach to work and life, ultimately leading me to discover a new purpose and direction. Read more>>

Ashley steen

My passion is addiction and mental health that is why I started to do energy work for Clients. I work with therapists who send me clients that need the energy work so that they can have a breakthrough and they sent me a client who has struggled with anxiety all of his life and during our first session he began to feel a big shift happening in his heart and I knew he was having a heart awakening and when this happens a certain peaceful emotion flows through you and he messaged me a day later and said I have no anxiety and I have had anxiety my entire life. Read more>>

Donna Alexander

My name is Donna and I am an alcoholic and a drug addict. There have been a few defining moments in my life that have changed the trajectory of my career path. The first was making the decision July 1, 2008 to embark on a recovery journey. The statement ‘It’s not the destination but the journey’ had whole new meaning to me. Read more>>

Gabriela Pichardo

Absolutely, here’s a polished and more engaging version of your article: **A Defining Moment in My Medical Career** One of the most pivotal moments in my career was the decision to leave corporate medicine. As the lead physician and medical director of a busy medical practice, I had achieved significant success. The experience came with its challenges, but it undeniably shaped who I am today. Read more>>

Brandon Denison

February 15th, 2014. Perform Better Seminar; Austin, Texas. Nick Winkelman (then Director of Performance Education for EXOS) gave a presentation about speed development for elite athletes, and from there I realized I didn’t just want to be a personal trainer, I wanted to become a strength & conditioning coach. Read more>>

Joey Bachrach

My name is Joey Bachrach, Co-Founder and CEO of Rainbow Hill Sober Living and Rainbow Hill Recovery. To describe the defining moment in my professional career, we have to go back to a time before Rainbow Hill was even an idea. Both my husband, Andrew Fox, and I are in recovery ourselves. Read more>>

Cinthya Williamson

There’s been two defining moments in my professional career so far. The first was during my time in aesthetic school. I realized that this profession could be so much more than just facials. I quickly noticed the potential to create an intentional space for people to relax and receive results-driven treatments. Read more>>

James Sherman

The defining moment when someone realizes they can use their own recovery from substance use to help others often comes with a profound sense of purpose and connection. This moment is marked by a deep understanding that their personal journey, with all its challenges and triumphs, has equipped them with unique insights and tools that can significantly benefit others struggling with similar issues. Read more>>

Julie Stamm

A defining moment in my professional career was my diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2007. This life-changing event not only shaped my personal journey but also set me on a mission to educate, advocate, and support others battling chronic illnesses. Read more>>

Primavera Barron

There was this defining moment during my Neuro-Linguistic Programming class that completely transformed my life. I was in the middle of the session when it hit me: I could no longer pretend to be happy with where I was. At the time, I was a full-time massage therapist working exhausting 10-hour days, feeling completely burned out and miserable. Read more>>

David Gibson

I was a professional Recording Engineer and I saw the magic coming across from different musicians when I was recording them. Often I would get goosebumps and chills. So I thought, “How can we reproduce this at will?” That’s when I setup my Sound Healing Institute. That was over 20 years ago. Read more>>

Mark Lucero

After completing graduate school I worked in the mental health field for about 7 years without feeling like I had quite found my place. Then, in 2012 I attended a day-long series of lectures by Grief Educator Dr. Alan Wolfelt. I was so moved by the depth of his knowledge of grief, and his passion for bereavement care that I decided to commit to earning a Certificate in Death and Grief Studies from The Center for Loss and Life Transition in Fort Collins, Colorado. Read more>>

Dr. Noah H. Kersey

I was born in Tampa, Florida on May 17, 1951 to a poor, illiterate and abusive mother who had been abandoned by her illiterate and abusive husband so her mother was the only one present at my birth and she named me after my father and her maiden name as my middle name. Read more>>

Amanda de la Madriz

My defining moment was actually when I decided to get back into Life Coaching after a hiatus of almost 6 years. I had been solely a stay at home mom for 5 years, Covid was finally winding down, and I was yearning to do something for myself….to have another experience filling my cup besides motherhood. Read more>>