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. Katie Eastman

I remember it like yesterday: my mentor and my first boss, Roberta, invited me to a workshop presented by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. We drove down a dirt road, saw the farm animals grazing, and then got a peek at the apple orchards. It was quintessential Maine, a retreat center with simplistic farm-like architecture, big porches with rocking chairs, and a large conference room where we would all meet and share our losses. At 24 years old, I barely had enough years behind me to recognize any significant issues, but I was pursuing my interest in death, dying, and grief work, so who better to learn from than the Death and Dying guru herself? Read more>>

Deborah A Forrest

Between 1966 and 1975, death became a common theme in my life. During that time, I lost my maternal grandfather, my father, an adult half-sister, and my mother. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross MD published her first of many books on Death & Dying. Grieving all of those losses for me was sandwiched in between working, attending undergraduate and graduate school. I limped along trying to cope with the stressors that came with those life altering events. In the early 1990s, as part of my PHD graduate studies, I took a weeklong grief resolution workshop offered by Dr. Kubler-Ross and her team in Arizona. Dr. Ross taught our group of 100 participants about the grieving process. Read more>>

Yume Takeuchi

The defining moment of my professional career came when I worked full-time at a sliding scale clinic during the pandemic. Located in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, the clinic had a small but strong presence within the community. The fast-paced environment provided constant opportunities for learning and allowed me to regularly refine my communication skills with patients. Read more>>

Renata Bobnar Kamnikar

There have been several pivotal moments in my journey, but one of the first major shifts happened while I was still working in a pharmacy. Quite unexpectedly, I felt a deep inner calling, pulling me in a new direction. It was quiet yet undeniable—I just knew that my path was about to change. Within a few months, I transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, thinking I had found a new, more fulfilling space within my field. Read more>>

Samhita Krishnaswamy

An “auspicious” anecdote to begin with: A royal elephant (Airāvata) traversed the road just before I was born—right across from the hospital in Bangalore where I came into the world. In our culture, the elephant is a totem and symbolic of Lord Ganesha.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a seeker of spirituality, profoundly interested in exploring the possibilities that lie in intangible realms. I have always been fascinated by the marvels of planet Earth—grasslands, lakes, sand dunes, stalactites, stalagmites, quaint countryside landscapes, and so on. As a child, I wrote poetry and fiction, dreaming of becoming either a writer or a geographer. Read more>>

Brittany Whitworth

One night in December 2022, the Roll On Movement was born. I was up late journaling, trying to figure out why so many people in our business were quitting and, to be honest why I wanted to quit as well.

A little pill bug—a rolly-polly—showed up. It kept moving forward, undeterred by the obstacles I placed in its path. At first, I was annoyed, but then realized this pill bug was a reminder to roll on and keep going—though the path forward. Read more>>

Tiarra Faulkner

A defining moment in my career was when I decided to go back to school for my masters and began my graduate school program. I was moving from San Diego to Chicago in the middle of winter and still was unsure of what my purpose was and what I was supposed to do career wise. I knew what I wanted to do but was unsure if I could execute it. I had a conversation with someone who encouraged me to take a leap of faith and to just try. To take that next step in my career that I had dreamed about for so long. I applied to grad school and I got to live out my dream. Which was to be a mental health therapist. When I released the doubt and trusted the process I felt aligned with where I was going and knew that this was the path I was supposed to be on. Read more>>

Christianne Jensen

I graduated from nursing school in 2013. My very first job as a nurse was working night shift in the burn intensive care unit (ICU) at a level one trauma center. I was also accepted into my hospitals year long ICU nursing fellowship program, which meant that I would be rotating and training through the surgical and pediatric intensive care units as well. That first year working as a bedside nurse was the hardest year of my life up until that point. There isn’t much that can prepare you for what being around so much sickness, death and human suffering is actually like. I learned very quickly, our health is our greatest asset in life. Nothing else matters if you don’t have your health. Looking back, I burnt out really quickly. Read more>>

Rochell Clay

It all started behind the chair of a hair salon. I’ve always been drawn to people—listening to their stories, understanding their emotions, and helping them feel seen and heard. That natural instinct to care and connect led me to start as a hairstylist. On the surface, it seemed like an unusual choice, but as I spent years behind the salon chair, I realized that this was where I found my calling to finish my education as a mental health counselor. Read more>>

Jonathan Glass

ill as a child, due to unknown allergies to dairy., for many years. on antibiotics until age 18, until i discovered yoga and dietary changes., my whole life changed and i wanted to help others who were suffering
i found out there is so much we can do to improve our wellbeing in body and mind.
I implemented changes and then went on to passionately study. Read more>>

Katori Roussel

In 2021, my husband of 8 years died unexpectedly from heart failure. I was working for a nonprofit organization as one of their program coordinators. When I finally returned to work after an extended bereavement leave, I was immediately promoted to director. I was not mentally or emotionally prepared to take on that role and quickly felt overwhelmed and stuck. During this time, I experienced what we as widows call ” “widows fire.” Widow’s Fire is the phenomenon where widows and widowers can feel an uncontrollable desire for sex following the death of their partner. So, I decided to dive head-first into exploring my sexual desires and intimacy. Read more>>

Ludmilla Wikkeling-scott

A defining moment in my career was when I decided to choose a whole food plant-based lifestyle in 2020. During that year, my husband and I returned from Abu Dhabi in the middle of the CoVID pandemic. I had lost my dear father five years earlier due to what I believe was the result of unnecessary medications that are known to cause side affects detrimental to one’s health. My father was my hero, the man who taught me how to love, walked me down the isle and cheered me on every step of the way, particularly when I was writing my dissertation to earn the Doctor of Public Health. Devastated over the loss of my Dad, I began to explore things I did not learn in school, how what we eat, impacts every part of our life, every aspect of our quality of life and ultimately our longevity. Read more>>

Trevor Smith

In 2018 I weighed 310 pounds and was extremely unhealthy. I had bad knees, horrible cholesterol, severe depression, and was pre-diabetic. I didn’t think losing weight or being healthy was ever going to be possible and had given up.

One day, my dad, a family care physician, came to me and told me I needed to lose weight and change my lifestyle or he’d “end up burying me instead of the other way around.” It was a shock, but it was the shock I needed. After that I decided I needed to have weight loss surgery. It was the only thing I could think of that could help me turn the ship around, so in December of 2018, I underwent the surgery. Read more>>

Maruja Retana

Absolutely. Although at the time, it felt less like a career-defining moment and more like a near-death experience.

In my early days as an artist, I thought success was about perfection. Then, one night on stage, I learned the truth in the most unexpected way.

I was invited to perform at Carré, one of the most iconic venues in my home country The Netherlands. A dream come true. Read more>>

Madelyn Flickinger

I was 12 when I presented to my local hospital in acute liver failure. It was determined that I had Budd Chiari syndrome, meaning I had blood clots in all three of the major veins in my liver. It was an extremely rare presentation for a child. While part of my medical team worked to stabilize my liver, other members looked to try to determine why I had clotted at such a young age. Just a few weeks after my world had come crashing down because of the liver failure, it came crashing down again as a doctor sat my parents and me down to tell us I had blood cancer. Read more>>

Clayton Norman

While pursuing my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, I took a play therapy class that became a defining moment in my career. For one assignment, we were tasked with leading play therapy sessions with children. My professor encouraged us to think outside the box and allowed us to adjust the assignment if we had a creative idea. Read more>>

Domini Anne

“I’ll never forget this moment. I was 16 years old, dancing in a ballet company in Moscow, Russia. Warming up in our morning class, our director, Nikolai Ogryskev gave me an artistic cue before I started a combination across the floor. In my mind, I responded with teenage defiance: ‘Don’t tell me what to do.’ That internal rebellion stopped me in my tracks as I realized something profound – if you don’t like being told what to do, you’re in the wrong career. Read more>>

Nikki Lemon

It was during a conference speech by Jessica Buchanan, a survivor of Somali kidnapping, that I first recognized my own captivity. As she described her despair during her hostage experience, something resonated deep within me. Her words illuminated a truth I had been avoiding: I too was a hostage, though my prison was lined with luxury. Read more>>

Hannah Freeman

I’ve been lucky to have many defining moments in my life, but one that truly transformed me was the moment I realized I would be a solo mother. I hadn’t planned on it. I was living on a sailboat, carried by the wind and the tides, when my son was conceived. It was a life of freedom, adventure, and movement. But when my partner left while I was pregnant, it felt like the wind had been taken from my sails—literally and figuratively. Read more>>

Christine Moore

Amidst teaching dance and practicing yoga, I started attending meditation classes. In these sessions I was able to dissolve the chatter from my mind and find the true meaning of being present.

This could happen for anyone, right? What made it so significant that it shifted my course, was that my son was away serving his last tour as a sailor in the far away, dangerous and remote mountains in Jhagatu Afghanistan. My nights were restless and I could spend hours spinning out about the endless stream of possibilities that left me wide awake and frightened. Through the practice of meditation, I eventually accessed the gift of a calm nervous system. Read more>>

Kathryn Miller

Before having my daughter, I only defined myself as a Veterinarian. With a profession that has a history of being demanding of personal time, I selfishly thought that becoming a Mom would dampen my career. It was my husband pointing out all of the working professional females around me, to realize, “I can do that!” But in true Katie fashion, I thought, “We can do better. Veterinary medicine should do better.” Being a Mom was the most wonderful change I have ever made in my life. It made me realize, I now have the strength and purpose to pave the way for other working professional parents, both men and women. Read more>>

Shanetta Mcdonald

Last year, I attended a writing retreat in Sithonia, Greece. I’ve been an avid reader and writer since I was young girl, so I was excited to deepen my craft and be in community. Attendees were required to submit a writing excerpt prior to the retreat and I wrote about my recovery from an eating disorder. This excerpt was intended to be part of a book of short stories about the healing journeys of women of color. However, the feedback I received for it was overwhelmingly positive and I left feeling inspired to write a memoir about my experience of being a Black woman with an eating disorder, as well as having the drive to become a life coach and help others who’ve faced the same challenges with food, body and trauma. Read more>>

Amanda Theuerkorn

I have a couple of defining moments. It’s hard to just pick one; so I picked two.

When I was a newly graduated Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA). I was hired for a role with a seasoned Physical Therapist. His role was Clinical Director for our clinic and a Program Director for our company. His passion for learning, growth and failure gave me support in continual education. Read more>>

Becky Barnum

My defining moment occurred over 35 years ago when I learned about hair extensions, recognizing their importance for individuals facing hair loss due to conditions like alopecia and trichotillomania. This understanding deepened when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and lost all my hair. As a hairstylist, regaining my confidence was essential, and I sought alternative solutions that would allow me to connect with my clients. Read more>>

Nader Hanna

I am an inventor who by nature, one who despises inefficiency. I have worked in technology to support my dreams and I have a mind that is constantly attracted to enhancing or improving things I see. Some things i have attempted to improve were met with extreme opposition, as crazy sounding as that statement is, including a new type of solar cell that is 4x more efficient (to tuned bandwidths.) I can back this statement with axiomatic proof from the US patent office website, where my name is published. Read more>>

Pamela Tippit

There have been quite a few defining moments in my career, but if I had to choose one that truly changed the trajectory of my professional life, it would be the moment I said yes to signing the lease on my office space. That decision was both thrilling and terrifying because, at the time, I didn’t have a fully mapped-out plan for starting my practice—I just knew I wanted to. Read more>>

Julie Wasmer

Like many people, 2020 was more than a defining moment, it was a defining year. I had been managing a retail store for 14 years, felt unappreciated, and burned out. Then in late February they closed their doors for good. I was happy that I was being forced to make a change that I had been afraid to do. I kept seeing 11:11 on the clock and knew that it was a sign telling me that one door was closing and a new door would open. Little did I know how life changing things would become. Two weeks later, the world went on lock down. My father became ill and went into a nursing home. He celebrated his birthday there in March and 2 months later he caught Covid and passed. Read more>>