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.

Nikki Burnett

Reflecting back on my life journey to discovering my passion and purpose allows me to recognize the gifts I received along the way. In 2002 I met my current husband, and we married in 2005. One day in 2003, I got a headache, and that headache lasted two years straight. It never stopped hurting for even a moment, and it was so painful. For two years, I went to bed thinking, “Tomorrow, I won’t have a headache! Tomorrow I will feel normal again!” And I’d wake up feeling hopeful because every morning for the first hour, the headache would be gone. But it always came back. Read more>>

Angel Rose Leal

While studying psychology, I also worked full time. Often my breaks and before and after work time was spent talking to co-workers about their mental health, relationships, spiritual battles or anything they were struggling with at the time. One night on the way home it was pouring rain. I noticed a friend of mine walking home so I pulled over and offered him a ride. I hadn’t fully asked the question ,” are you ok?” Read more>>

Laquesha Ford-Mcquay

𝓐 𝓓𝓮𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓝𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰: One defining moment for me in my Nursing Career was when the call center I worked for at the time was completely full and the only option the department had was to place two employees that could work unsupervised at another location separate from everyone else in order to make room for two new employees. Me and another co worker were chosen to be placed at the other location. Sounds simple, but it gave me the opportunity to prove to myself and to my department Director that I could be trusted to work separate from anyone else and still get all of my work done with excellence and still provide great customer service. Read more>>

Karina Damiani

I think we all had a defining moment in the last 2 years. Covid and the pandemic changed everyone’s lives in one way or another, or plainly is all the ways. There were several defining moments for me, but professionally speaking, once the pandemic hit and gyms started closing, I was let go of my job – a CrossFit Trainer – right away. And that is very nerve-racking, since all the places I could find another job were also closing. Read more>>

Happiness Nwozuzu

I hate to say it, but COVID-19 was the defining moment of my professional career. I graduated from college in May 2020 and started working shortly after in June 2020 as a nurse in the ICU at the height of the pandemic. It was a very confusing, stressful, and sad time. However, going through that tough work experience transformed me in many ways. I learned that the work culture in America is literally meant to suck the life out of you. If you do not set your boundaries to take care of your mental health, it will deteriorate, just trying to work for someone else. Read more>>

Courtney La Marine

For many years I was part of the corporate side of the beauty industry. I was a US educator for multiple different lines over the years, traveling all over the country providing education and training for five star spas and resorts. To say it was a lovely part of my life is an understatement. Meeting all different types of people was the best character building I could’ve asked for. Developing techniques to shape and mold how treatments were done was more rewarding than I could’ve ever dreamed of. I had the opportunity to work with the finest spa directors in the country, my mentors. Read more>>

Helen Plehn

My path to find and live my life purpose with joy and fulfillment took a lot of twists and turns. But the journey is worthwhile. To sum up, my career path is this: Ph.D. Student to interior designer, to Fengshui interior design business owner, to now professional artist, certified crystal healer, spiritual teacher and author. I still remember in 2011, I was a Ph.D. Student in experience design with three academic publications on set to become a professor. From the outside world, I have a stable and reputable career with high-income and long vacations. However, deep inside me, I wasn’t happy. I had serious anxiety and depression and frequented therapist offices. Read more>>

Katie Doyle

The life event that change the trajectory of my career was when my father passed away from cancer. At first this may sound odd to you, but our personal and professional lives are intertwined and so much of what we experience personally influences us professionally and vice versa. I was 36 years old and I had a great job, but I noticed that my passion for wellness and healing was always pulling at me and speaking to me with that little voice in the back of my mind. I had been searching for over a decade for what my true calling was and I often felt frustrated and unclear as to the answer, always second guessing myself and listening to external influences instead of listening to my intuition. Read more>>

Jona Jeffcoat, MT-BC

I founded my company, Infinity Music Therapy Services, in 2010 out of a desire to provide a foundation of support for individuals with disabilities, mental health disorders, and survivors of abuse and neglect. It was, and still is my belief, that the possibilities are endless….we can grow, learn, and change, without limits, regardless of diagnoses, when provided with the support and the tools we need. As a board certified music therapist, I poured myself into everything I did. I was there for someone’s first steps following a stroke using rhythm as their guide. Read more>>

Jennifer Perigord

I had been practicing as a holistic occupational therapist for a little over year when I had the most profound experience. It was something I had never experienced before and it left my mind racing as to what just happened. As a holistic family oriented occupational therapist, my mission has not only been to help children develop naturally and become well adjusted little people. But also to help their parents become more resilient and happy people themselves. Read more>>

Beth Sullivan-Jawitz

In 2007 I graduated from Florida International University with a Masters degree in Nursing to pursue a career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I struggled with addiction many years prior and am so grateful that I reclaimed my life in addiction recovery. It was passion to provide valuable services under the umbrella of addiction, alcoholism, and mental health, and I did so in a formal setting for many years. Read more>>

Dr. Walter Oronsaye

No defining moment for me, but the start of the pandemic made me realize the power and importance of having a platform in order to share positive and true information, especially as a healthcare professional. Lots of disinformation were being shared by unreliable sources that negatively effected people in my community. There is already a disproportionate amount of black health care professions in America and even fewer on social media. Knowing this allowed me to recognize the void that needed to be filled. Read more>>

Gail Gensler

The defining moment in launching my second career as a pro-aging lifestyle model was in 2019 when I saw commercials on TV for “over 55 communities “here in South Florida. All the people depicted were my contemporaries living a very different lifestyle from mine. The activities they were doing included golf, doubles tennis. Leisurely strolls. There was no one still in beast mode boxing or doing HIIT classes. Additionally, all the commercials that included people my age were for medications because we clearly are not healthy in midlife? Read more>>