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.

Donna Frasca

There wasn’t one defining moment but a series of events that would soon dictate the rest of my life: the lucid dreaming, the visions of angels and passed loved ones, the insights, and the overall knowing of things before they unfolded. Read more>>

Jason Massiatte

As a board member for the organization, I saw firsthand what pediatric cancer does, not just to the patient, but to the entire family. Watching parents, siblings, and caregivers carry that emotional and financial weight changed me. It was a defining moment in my life. Read more>>

Emelia Thygesen

When I started my being a professional counselor on my own I knew that I wanted to work with people I felt passionate about. I had worked with children, teens, and families for years. I knew that once I was on my own that I wanted to be a voice and support for those struggling within many systems. Read more>>

Vivian Torres

That’s a great question. Looking back, there truly was a defining moment in my career—but to understand it, I need to rewind a bit. I would have to start when I first began playing music. I fell in love with the viola at twelve years old. It was all I wanted to do. I didn’t join clubs or sports; I just played music. Read more>>

Dr. Quanesha Johnson

When I was a teenager, I unfortunately feel into the statistics of my neighborhood of becoming a teen mother, to a now 14 year old boy. Read more>>

Theresa Widmann

There have been a few monumental life experiences which have helped to shape my journey and who I am today. All of them forced me to confront something that wasn’t working in my life. Each of them involving a loss of something that I was deeply connected to, and yet each has brought me closer to living and expressing as my most authentic self. Read more>>

Nicola Navon

For a large part of my life, up until my early 30s, I would jump from one unfulfilling relationship to the next. I gravitated towards partners who didn’t value me or treat me in ways that felt supportive. I was too afraid of upsetting the ‘harmony’, and so I shied away from conflict and shoved down any darker emotions and frustrations I carried. Read more>>

Dr. Desirie Sykes

One defining moment in my professional career wasn’t a single event, but rather a series of challenges I faced while managing administrative staff and balancing the growth of my businesses, NESS Cares and NESS Behavior Consulting. Early on, I struggled with delegation, learning to trust my team while also wanting to stay intimately involved in every aspect of the business. Read more>>

Derri Parker

My defining moment came when I realized my career had come full circle. I started at Anna’s Place as a young student, never imagining that 16 years later I would return as the Administrative Assistant, supporting the same program that once poured into me. That experience taught me the power of community and how early guidance can shape your entire path. Read more>>

Bethany Kleinhans

After undergrad, I left with an Anthropology degree and little idea of what to do with it. So, I went to Austin Texas to join up with a police academy. It was the worst choice for me professionally and yet, I know that I would not be where I am today without that choice. While in the academy, I started to notice that I was losing parts of myself in favor of becoming someone I was not proud of. After multiple months, I made the extremely difficult decision to leave a commitment. This was an incredibly challenging step for me as I was always taught that if you say you are going to do something, you must see it through. Read more>>

Dr. Whitney Donohue

Most definitely! I am a Naturopathic Doctor but I also use a few modalities that are different than most. Naturopathic Medicine already makes you different, but using modalities like Applied Kinesiology, Neuro Emotional Technique & Muscle Testing make you really different. The way I understand the body and healing as a whole is different, my approach to medicine is different and I was not always sure where I fit in, in the healing world.  Read more>>

Rebecca Stuart

This defining moment hit me hard and fast—like the ultimate “aha” in the eye of a storm of observations. I’d just launched my private Nutritional Therapy Practice, called Liberty Wellness and Co. thrilled to work one-on-one with clients and discover my niche in the health world. But then an event unfolded that changed everything. Read more>>