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.

 

Tj Rumler

As a young social worker at Project Care, a Greenville nonprofit, I encountered a defining moment in my career. My role as a case manager involved helping individuals experiencing chronic homelessness transition into stable housing. I’d often spend days navigating them through a maze of appointments, from mental health clinics to social services offices. One day, I was tasked with assisting a new client, who we’ll call John. We spent hours visiting various agencies to get him established (e.g. mental health, health clinic, SNAP benefits), and I believed everything had gone smoothly. However, my executive director later revealed a shocking truth: John had been using drugs during our appointments, unnoticed by me. Read more>>

Casey Finch

I feel like one of the major defining moments in my career is when i made the shift from luxury Aesthetics and Educating into the Medical Asethetics field. I quickly learned how transformative the results could be for my patients when i merged holistic touch with advanced medical modalities. The synergy i felt from blending all of my backgrounds together felt like puzzle pieces connecting! it helped push me from my comfort zone of being less aggressive with treatments, but the holistic approach still lingering in the back of my head keeps me from over treating the skin as well! Most Aestheticians typically fall on one side or the other. i think bringing them together in practice is a secret weapon! Read more>>

Lacy Duffett

I did not have one single “defining moment” that changed the trajectory of my career, but instead a brief period of time in my nursing career that opened my eyes to a new possibility and passion. The bulk of my time as a RN has been spent caring for pediatric and post-surgical patients, but during nursing school I always knew that I wanted the chance to work on an OB unit. About 8 months after having my first daughter I was offered a position on a Mother-Baby unit in a local hospital. While working there, a good portion of my time as a bedside nurse was spent assisting new mothers with breastfeeding. The first few days after giving birth are a vulnerable and beautiful whirlwind for new mothers, it always felt like such a blessing to be a part of it! Working alongside the lactation consultants at the hospital brought me to realization that things could have gone differently with my own breastfeeding experience, if I had just had better support. Shortly after taking on this new role I was on my way to earning the extra education and seeking out the 500 hour internship that is required to sit for the IBCLC exam. Read more>>

Hana Miller

My path as an entrepreneur has been a winding one. For many years I felt lost and overwhelmed by the internal and external pressures of what I thought success should look like. I constantly compared myself to others and struggled with feeling like nothing I ever accomplished was good enough. In my undergraduate I studied western medicine because I liked science and had always been interested in health but I felt intimidated by my peers who had such clear career goals. When it came time to apply to medical school I knew that my heart just wasn’t in it and for the first time ever I gave myself permission to not have it all figured out. Read more>>

Adrienne Walker

this is the one I typically share :) In 2018, I was working 2 jobs 16 hour days, living in Columbus, Ohio with my boyfriend at the time and our one year old daughter. Previously, I was working as a Domestic Violence Group Therapist, but to be honest, I had been going through the motions for quite a while. I resigned from that job and started working as a residential therapist for youth and a manager at a fish spa. I know what you’re thinking, “Fish spa?! Where is this going…?!” But hold on tight, it’s going to be a fun ride. :) Read more>>

Marjorie Rose Uy De Ong Luzuriaga

Growing up in a Filipino household, I took notice of how prevalent Type II Diabetes is in my family on both my mom and dad’s side. Although many generations of my family have been through complications due to diabetes, it seemed like it became a recurring problem that was seen in every generation. After seeing family members go through amputation processes and this recurring cycle of diabetes, this was an issue that was always there but was never addressed. After talking with many of my family members, I was able to come to a consensus that this recurring health issue is because the managing & preventing diabetes resources are not culturally tailored leading to the major gaps in cultural understanding that has led to my relatives turning away from solving this issue. Read more>>

Meg Ferrigno

A defining moment for me came when I truly understood how period poverty is a crosscutting issue that affects health, education, economic stability, and social equity. Working in nonprofits, I often encountered the barriers people face due to lack of access to menstrual products, and I began to see how solving this one issue could improve so many areas of life. I realized that to tackle period poverty at scale, I needed a broader platform—one where the reach and impact could extend beyond what we were achieving in nonprofit circles. Read more>>

Emily Mcgill

For as long as I can remember, I wanted a life in the theatre. The only thing that mattered in my life was doing what I loved in community. Working on Broadway was my only goal, and I was fortunate to achieve it early on, as a publicist, communications consultant, and event producer. But I got burned out. When the pandemic hit and live entertainment shut down, I had an opportunity to reconsider where I was in life and what I actually wanted. An intuitive hit to go back to grad school was strong enough to share with my therapist, who suggested I explore the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Columbia University. I began following the ‘yes’es and earned my Master’s in Spiritual Psychology with a thesis on tarot as an effective tool for self-reflection.  Read more>>

Rev. Dr. Xenia Barnes

In the field of social and behavioral sciences, we often speak of “turning points” – those pivotal moments that fundamentally alter our life’s trajectory. Yet, rarely do we discuss how these moments shape us as researchers, practitioners, and advocates. My defining moment came through a profound personal scare. While pursuing my doctoral studies in behavioral science, focusing on community violence prevention, I received the call that changed both my personal and professional path: my son had been robbed at gunpoint becoming a victim of the very phenomenon I was studying. Read more>>

Bahar Malekzadeh

After completing Medical School, it wasn’t clear to me whether or not I wanted to pursue the career I had spent 4-years and many sleepless nights studying for. I was torn not only between the different medical specialties but also whether I wanted to be in medicine long term. Coming from a family of physicians who were all clinical, I struggled tremendously. I finally decided to take some time, explore my options and in the interim work/do research at a private Dermatology Clinic in NYC (which is where I was living at the time completing my clinical rotations). Read more>>

Sandra Vercellono

Returning to school for my Master’s Degree in New Media Journalism. I was responding to a random email about school and I love learning. I spoke to the admissions counselor, Jonathan, and the next thing I knew I was enrolled. I saw everything I wanted to do wrapped up in this. I would help others in my writing and photos with encouragement from God’s word. Simultaneous with retirement, this kept me focused and helped me through some medical challenges (a stroke, major surgery, and Type II diabetes). You have challenges. They don’t have to have you. Through prayer and commitment, I moved forward. Read more>>

Madison Strong

A defining moment for me was about 6 almost 7 years ago when my mom got very sick and unexpectedly was going into liver failure. It was slowly shutting down her body. The doctors told us there was a less than 10% chance she will survive this. Those moments in the hospital seem to be a blur having to relive them. After having her transferred to Scripps Green Hospital she had an amazing team of doctors who truly saved her life. My mom was the sickest person in San Diego at the time which bumped her up to being number 1 on the donors list. The same day we found out she was going to be needing a transplant to save her life was the same day an incredible human was able to give my mother a second chance. I’m happy to say that after a successful surgery my mother is here with us still to this day. She’s been able to watch two of her children get married, become a grandma two times, and have a second chance at life. Become a donor because you can save a family. Read more>>

Liat Philipson

In retrospect, one of the defining moments in my journey occurred once I was introduced to Yoga in 2001, shortly after giving birth to my second child. The first 20 years of my life evolved around dancing until i was injured. Yoga initially appeared to be a physical exercise that I could enjoy. But almost immediately, I began to feel its impact on my entire being. i learnt that you work with the body and not against it, that the breath is a major part and breathign thru the nose is the way to go, that slow movement didn;t mean less susbstanital or boring. Read more>>

Terri Lipton

Well, after a lifetime of manipulation, emotional abuse, being discarded a thousand times by my covert narcissistic mother, and having my dad tell me that I was dead to him. I legit had to rebrand. I thought to myself, these relationships are crushing my soul. If anyone else treated me or my children this way, I would stay as far away from them as possible! Why should toxic, emotionally abusive family members get a pass? But, that choice to preserve my peace left me feeling like a villain in society. I mean, what kind of person walks away from their family? This girl… Read more>>

Kerry Lett

A defining moment in my career was during my time as a pre-med student at NC State University. My goal was to become a pediatrician until I took a nutrition class that completely changed my perspective. It was a light bulb moment—I realized I could help prevent diseases rather than just treat them. This insight led me to shift my focus to nutrition, where I could make a proactive difference in the health of mothers and children. It’s a decision that continues to fuel my passion every day. Read more>>

Lisann Valentin

A moment that pops out for me is when I realized I’d been playing small. I’ve been highly intuitive my whole life and when I finally became a Certified Spiritual Coach I thought I’d finally allowed myself to show up in my gifts. But I was wrong. I was hiding, staying “palatable,” meekly giving away sessions that didn’t allow me to be available to the soul-aligned clients I knew I was here to help.  Then one day, I had an experience with a person who was out of alignment as a coach; from my perspective, they weren’t behaving with integrity nor were they honoring the shamanic path. That experience lit a fire under me. Read more>>