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.

Benjamin Koch

Several years ago I attended a leadership and entrepreneur retreat in California that included being guided through a process to create a life purpose statement. Up until then, I had generally, if not vaguely, thought about purpose as an important aspect of setting goals and making decisions, but this was the first time I’d done an in-depth dig for something definitive. For that particular retreat, we closed with a ceremony in which every attendee (400+ total) shared their purpose statement with the whole assembly. I got up with great anticipation, declared my life purpose, and if felt….completely FLAT! Read more>>

Andrew Schultz

Getting fired from my corporate job in November 2011. It was the beginning of my downward spiral of addiction which brought me to rock-bottom on April 30, 2015 where I was taking sleep pills and not wanting to wake-up. I had lost all hope and the will to live. The depths of pain, suffering, despair and darkness I’ll never forget. Read more>>

Amanda and Christopher Dahl

In 2013, before we had our healing practice, our family was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. In May of that year, our son had an allergic reaction to one of the treatments, and woke up unable to breathe. As we rushed to the ER, we made a promise to God that if our son made it through that night, we would spend the rest of our lives helping others to heal from the horror of Lyme Disease. At that time we had no idea how we would do this, as we had not been introduced to energy healing or natural medicine. It was truly a defining moment in our lives that changed everything. Read more>>

Andie Lee Gonzalez

One defining moment in my professional career, as a first-generation college student, was being able to serve my community in ways that I didn’t even realize I was doing. Early in my career, I knew in my heart that I wanted to help people, however I didn’t realize the extent of what that meant until 2015. In 2015, after being part of a great upcoming nutrition program and connecting internally with employees and community partners I came to a point where I started to feel like there wasn’t enough time in a day to do the things I loved and also be a great mom, wife and friend. Read more>>

Thaddeus Tolbert

A defining moment in my career was when a group of students that I counsel stated that they had a desire to go to college and join Omega Psi Phi like me. That is when I knew that the work and behavior that I am modeling is making an impact on my community. Read more>>

Lucy Brand

There are several defining moments in my professional career as a business owner, but I feel the biggest was when I pivoted from my previous digital marketing business Lady Digital to becoming a healer and coach. I visited an Angel Therapy healer who supported me in finally clearing trauma from a traumatic burglary I experienced in my twenties which haunted the decisions I made, my behaviour and how I showed up in my life and business. Read more>>

Danielle Gauss

I have so many defining moments in my career that have both challenged and inspired me. I have always believed that in the field of medicine, since science and research is always evolving, that if you are done learning, it is time to get out of the business. There was one instance in particular however that changed the entire trajectory of my career. Tongue ties and lip ties are a controversial topic. It is something that is rather common, but so many healthcare providers are not educated in this field. Read more>>

Marquis Gipson

The most defining moment in my professional career was learning newtons law of motion and applying it to my dreams and aspirations. I somehow knew that if I could just get the motion going, by default if I keep going, I’ll get to my destination. Once an object begins to accelerate-it continues to accelerate-until met by an outside force or friction. Read more>>

Roger Brown

Early in my business career I was working for a company in the healthcare industry and was in the surgical operating room every day. I truly enjoyed the healthcare business with the vibe and comradery of the surgical suite. I was saving my money and looking for opportunities to go into my own business. I waited years for the right opportunity to come along. The opportunity happened in 1986 to go into business. I took the opportunity and that was the last time I actually had a job. I have been in different businesses for the last 36 years, some successful and some not. I have always worked 7 days a week and never considered any of my businesses a job. Read more>>

Lisa Smith

My son had been struggling with Substance Use Disorder for several years and as a mother, I was not having any success in helping him. Not only was I not able to help him, I was hardly surviving my own life. His struggles with addiction, had become my illness too. He had been living in our home in between recovery attempts and left the house one day. As I watched him walk out of our home, I realized that he very likely would not survive this disease. At that moment, my heart broke as his mother realizing that I could do no more to help him choose recovery. Read more>>

Katrina Glenn

I spent seven years as a high school Special Education teacher. I absolutely loved the students I worked with and supporting their growth as they reached for their dreams and goals. When I got out of a toxic relationship and worked on healing myself, I noticed that my career burdens were similarly toxic. I had developed insomnia and my struggles with anxiety and depression were increasing. Read more>>

Suyan Souen

I always knew that I chose the right career as a Physical Education teacher however at one moment in my life when I was going through a very difficult time I decided to give up my passion and follow other paths. My parents went through a very big financial loss and we were 5 siblings. Unfortunately in my country, as a physical educator I could neither support myself nor help my family financially. Read more>>

Eliza Ramos

I have always been curious about what healing means to those I come into relationship with. I’m aware that for me, my definition of healing is constantly changing. And when looking back at these past two years, and the hardships we have all been through, healing has meant coming back to myself, to the things that matter to me, to the way that I most authentically want to be in the world. When the pandemic hit and it brought up a lot of my old fears that I thought I had “dealt with”, but that there was still something to learn from. I by no means think healing is linear, and I think there is a level of growth that happens every time we cycle back to something in a different way. Read more>>

Pamela Baxter

My personal obstacles with my health and wellness are what changed the trajectory of my career. Around 2013, I began to experience some health problems; pain all over my body (joint and muscles), extreme fatigue, dizziness, depression, anxiety, skin problems, digestive issues, the list goes on. I went to every doctor and specialist imaginable, desperately seeking answers. I began to feel so lost because the symptoms were debilitating and real, but I was hitting dead ends with a diagnosis. Read more>>

Krys Lassiter

I’ve had many defining moments but there is one that sticks out… let’s call this one “Affirmation”: It’s 2pm EST, spring semester at Hampton U… I’m asleep in my car for the 15 minutes between classes…up since 6am to dress and feed my 1yo daughter for daycare, pack lunch for my military husband, and make it to 8am classes, then to work at a church daycare. I’m majoring in clinical psych with the sole purpose of making a difference in the lives of those who are suffering from mental illness. I’m 18 years old – bold, determined, unsure of my future except that failure was not an option Read more>>

Venessa Abram

The organization was established in 2018 following the tragic suicide of my brother, Sergeant First Class Randolph Davison in 2016. His passing took a traumatic and heavy toll on our entire family, especially myself. However, amidst the loss, uncertainty, trauma and emotional toll, I identified that there was a need for more intervention in the area of suicide prevention and the factors which contribute to it. As such, not long after his passing, SDP3 was founded and has since impacted tens of thousands across the world. Read more>>