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.

Aneesh Mazumder

The need for greater representation in healthcare is pressing. This issue extends beyond ethnic and racial diversity to socioeconomic diversity.
Many doctors come from affluent backgrounds, which is unsurprising given the high costs of pursuing a medical career. The expenses of college, textbooks, medical school, and several other necessities can be prohibitive. Moreover, becoming a doctor is a highly demanding and challenging profession. Having the time to dedicate to these challenges and access to experienced mentors can make all the difference in achieving success. Read more>>

Brett Klika

My career as a fitness professional began in the year 2000. Immediately after college I was selected for the opportunity to become a live-in strength and conditioning intern at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego. I went on to find success in the personal training industry, getting the opportunity to speak around the world at industry events. Read more>>

Sherry Reiter

I was seventeen years old and wanted a summer job. My overprotective dad had came to this country as a Viennese refugee, and did not want me to work. But I insisted that I wanted to work and make money. My Dad was then a supervisor of New York City’s senior centers. Read more>>

Sabine James

The defining moment in my career was when I turned my physical limitation into innovation. Having built my life around movement, through dance and teaching, a ski accident in 1987 left me with a devastating diagnosis: advanced osteoarthritis and extreme lack of mobility. Read more>>

Karen Bloch

A defining moment in my career occurred during my college years when I faced skepticism and doubt about my ambitions in athletic training. As a Division I athlete, I was deeply passionate about sports, yet I was told by the curriculum director at Western Illinois that pursuing a career in athletic training would be too difficult. He believed I wouldn’t be able to accumulate enough experience or hours. As a senior captain on the basketball team, I knew firsthand the dedication and resilience required to excel, so when I received that discouraging feedback, it only fueled my determination. Read more>>

Nekohl Johnson

At one point in my career, I was serving as the Laboratory Director at a hospital. I had a strong reputation, the education, and the experience to go wherever I wanted. But I was exhausted—not from the work itself, but from the constant weight of sexism, racism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination that wear down even the strongest professionals. I had made up my mind to leave and offer my talents to another hospital—one that would recognize and respect my value. Read more>>

Jordan Gough

Absolutely. I worked as an ICU nurse at Denver Health for years in medical, surgical, and pediatric ICUs. I loved it. I learned so much about the human body—how all the systems work together, and how nothing can be treated in isolation. I developed a deep understanding that you can’t truly help someone heal unless you’re thinking about the whole picture. Read more>>

Toni Thomas

My first job as a social worker was with Child Protective Services. I learned a lot about working with families and people during that time. I was only 24 years old when I started that job and it completely opened my eyes to the realities of the real world. I’ve worked with a lot of children throughout my career. I’ve mentored teens and also provided trainings to parents to support them in keeping their families together. One of the most defining moments of my career as a social worker was becoming a mentor to one of the teens on my caseload. She grew up in my neighborhood and she was a victim of her family’s unfortunate circumstances. Read more>>

Kim McIntire

It was my third day back on skis after a three-year hiatus. I was flying down the mountain, skiing better than ever. The sun was shining, the snow was perfect, the vibes were immaculate—and then, boom. One small mistake and I was face-to-snow. Read more>>

Erica Mallery

I had been a coach for a few years helping with both career and general life coaching, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that things really took a turn. Like many people, 2020 was a year of drinking. The “2-week lockdown” made it easy to enjoy happy hour every day, but it was several months in that I realized the 2-weeks had quickly become months of daily drinking. Now, I was not a wake up and drink, or drink all day type of person. But it definitely got to a point where I couldn’t remember the last day I hadn’t had at least a glass of wine (or 2) at night. Read more>>

Reagan Rieland

I was a chef as my former career and had a very bad fall in the kitchen. I was in pain for a bout a year and was seeing a chiropractor at least once a week. He finally said I am not helping you and I think you should go see a Rolfer. I found my now mentor and started to see him once a week for 4 treatments and was feeling some much better! I then realized if I wanted a healthy life style I might have to change careers. On the fourth or fifth session I asked Bill my mentor if he thought I could do this? He looked at me and said I have been waiting for you to ask! He knew from the first session my hands were Rolfers hands and not chef hands. Read more>>

Hope Firsel

There’s a moment that forever changed the trajectory of my career—and it didn’t happen in a conference room or during a planned coaching session. It happened in a quiet exchange with a client, a woman unraveling mid-divorce. She came to me unsure of how to speak up in front of her attorney, completely overwhelmed by her financial fears, and barely holding it together for her children. Her self-worth had been chipped away by years of losing herself in a marriage where she had put everyone else first. Read more>>

Quishanda Lee

A defining moment in my professional career was when I finally recognized the powerhouse within me—and decided to stop shrinking to fit into spaces I had outgrown. This awakening happened during one of the most chaotic, yet divinely aligned seasons of my life. I was juggling being a single mother, going back to school to earn my B.S. in Theology, running my own business, launching my life coaching brand, and answering the call to ministry—all at once. On paper, I should’ve been exhausted and discouraged, but something in me said, “This is the moment you rise.” Read more>>

Hertha Lund

My defining moment was when I died and left my body and was allowed to return to my body after ascending in golden tube of light. During childhood I suffered from two sources of trauma — 1. my mom and her unresolved trauma that she placed on to me physically and emotionally; and, 2. sexual abuse by the neighbor teenager when I was five. I developed complex PTSD and one of my best strategies to not allow myself to slow down and feel was that I became an overachiever. I was a state champion in two different sports the same year: basketball and rodeo. Read more>>