Parents teach us many things including how to be a parent. We can learn from their mistakes, sure, but we can also learn a lot from the things they got right. We asked successful entrepreneurs and creatives to open up to us about their parents and what they felt their parents got right.

REENA TOLENTINO

My Father married my Mother and had me. My parents divorced when I was 2 and I learned the important value of a male role in my life as it was void until my step father married my Mother. I now consider my step father my real father. How the nuclear family creates stability and balance within the family sphere. Read more>>

Ella Walker

Work ethic. If there’s anything I was taught growing up it was building a work ethic that I could support myself in. From a very young age my mom would say I had it instilled in me to be an entrepreneur. I remember playing “office” with my siblings or even pretending that I owned a store. I just knew I wanted to run my own business and follow my dreams. Read more>>

Nicole Garcia

I gotta speak from the heart. My parents emigrated to the U.S with english as their second language and gave me and my brothers a wonderful life. Times weren’t always easy, and money was often scarce but through it all they pushed us to dream, and dream BIG. When my oldest brother wanted to play soccer, my parents went BIG and started a soccer club for me and my siblings to play on. Read more>>

Ife Adebowale

As a child/teenager, I couldn’t have imagined being able to answer this question in a positive light. Today, as a parent of 5 myself, the very 1st thing I would say that they got right was bringing my siblings and I up in a loving, 2 parent home. The strength and generational bond that is strong within my family is something that should be applauded and modeled for by others. Read more>>

Heaven Williams

My mom raised me as a single parent. I would say she did the right thing by letting me have a voice. She would always let me express myself and my feelings. My mom is the best at giving advice and whenever I need her she would and still will always be there for me. Which helps me on my journey so much it gives me the inspiration i need to keep going. Read more>>

Christian Kearson

Having supportive parents allowed me the freedom to exercise my creativity growing up. They never stifled my style or way of being. My parents allowed me to speak freely and stand up for myself against misconceptions of who others thought I was. I was timid and somewhat passive as a child but with my parent’s support, I found MY voice. As a motivational speaker and podcaster, Read more>>

Vanessa Sidara Garcia

I come from an immigrant family; I am a first generation here in America. My family including my grandparents fled from communism in Laos & started their lives over for my family to have better opportunities. I have watched my parents adapt, have an impeccable work ethic and in turn, poured that motivation & determination into me. I can’t thank them enough for being positive role models even in the hardest of times. Read more>>

Corrie Myers

Growing up, my parents loved to have people over for dinner. We had an open-door policy — literally — where the front door was always open. Neighborhood kids and friends driving by would stop by and pop their heads in and, every single time, my dad would say, “Hey! Want to come over for dinner?” Then they’d come in, my mom would figure out how to double the dinner recipe, and our visitors would sit and eat. And stay. Read more>>

Sarah Seidelmann

My dad always encouraged me to go for it! At age 10 he suggested that I drive us home from my friends house in the family station wagon. I had zero drivers trainjng education. I was 10. I made it about 2 blocks before I drive up over a curve (turned too hard). You didn’t need to be qualified at my house, just willing to learn and fail! Read more>>

Manfred Delgado

Growing up I remember thinking my parents were tough with me. They we strict with things that seem normal to us as adults but were stressful for a a kid. Since I could remember (and I can clearly remember some of my earliest childhood memories, like learning to walk on our front terrace and learning to ride a bicycle with my dad. Table etiquette, waking up on time, learning to use a watch (learn the time), being punctual, learning that if we started a task or a hobby, we stick to it until completion, were things that were enforced by my parents and they were a great deal to me at that young age. Read more>>

Chelle Winn

After my parents divorced and my father passed away my mother did everything in her power to make sure when she raised me I would get everything I wanted and needed. She didn’t have a full-time career or a diploma because back then you didn’t need one. You got married, had kids and your children were your job. She loves taking care of her kids and was absolutely okay with that being her full-time job. She is a master at it! She still dedicates her every day to her kids and now grandkids. Read more>>

Anna Capra

What did my parents do right? It truly would have to be my work ethic. I started working when I was 11 years old! My parents owned a bar + restaurant, so they “made” me wait tables every single day. Ever since I was 11 I’ve had a job. I knew if I wanted something, I had to go out and work for it. I would not be where I am today, or as successful as I am today without working for it. You either have work ethic or you don’t, so I’m thankful my parents enforced it! Read more>>

Amy Harris

This question is very timely for me as I’ve been thinking a lot about my parents lately. My mom passed away recently after 15 or more years of Alzheimer’s. As my dad passed in 2009, my siblings and I moved my mom from her home in Savannah, GA to live in my neighborhood in a residential long term facility. This was perfect as she was close by my children and grandchildren. Perfect until Covid that is when we could no longer see her. Read more>>

TWO32

When I decided to pursue music as a career my parents were on the fence like the parents of most creatives but they never made me feel like my dream was absolutely worthless. Though they didn’t agree with the uncertainty of my path they still supported me as my #1 fans truly and that’s something I’ll never forget. Read more>>

Aishwarya Subramanian

I don’t think I would have come this far in my career without the support of my parents. My parents have always been my backbone throughout my life and encouraged me to follow my dream. It wasn’t always like that though. I am the rebel child in my family and always do what I want for myself, be it regarding my meal for the night or my choice of career. Read more>>

Debbie Fitzgerald & Regan Petersen

We were lucky enough to have parents that had similar work ethics and values, which contributed to our success in a huge way! Our fathers were both leaders in their industry and we are their only daughters. Our personalities mirrored both of our dads in many ways, so in the early days of starting our business we bounced ideas off them regularly. Read more>>

Timisha Jefferson

From the time I was born to now my parents has always been there for me through any and everything I”ve wanted to do. As a child I was always a creative kid, whether it was dancing, painting, baking or just anything that sparked my interest they would let me go for it. They instilled in me that success does not come overnight and that if you really want something you have to go for it even if it seems impossible. Read more>>

Brandi Aguilar

I think my parents did everything right. They were upfront with me that being an actor is very, very tough and although were always my biggest cheerleaders and super encouraging, they also enforced that getting an education was super important and persuaded me to pursue a degree. I have my B.A. in Communication and Speech Rhetoric from Concordia University Irvine. It’s come in handy for finding a day job to have in-between my acting jobs. Read more>>

Kartika Luky

One of the best things my parents did is investing in the best education for me by allowing me to go to Berklee College of Music and pursue what I’m passionate about. It really laid the foundation for my life and career that I have right now because I found my passion for video game sound design when I was halfway through college. Read more>>

Jennifer Buck

My parents gave me a solid foundation! I was blessed to have hard working parent’s that taught me grit and perseverance through example! I was blessed to work for them in this Industry that I love, and I learned so much from their example and teachings. I have been so excited to open my own medical spa and now Aesthetic school. The grit I watched is now the example I hope to be for my own children. Read more>>

Terrance Murphy

They raised all 11 of us to work hard and to be happy with what you do, no matter what it is. No job is too big or too small, and they always wanted us to be happy. Even though we may have not had a lot of material things growing up, our house was always filled with a lot of love, and we always looked out for each other. Growing up, our best friends were the ones we shared a house with. Read more>>

Quinn O’Donnell

My parents were always very accepting of me and my desires. They always taught me that if something felt right, to go for it. But also the reverse; if something feels wrong, that’s because it is. Though I realized that college was not for me, my parents were very encouraging of me to find a new dream to pursue. Read more>>

Andre Madatian

I feel privileged to have the opportunity to even consider the venture of pursuing music as an occupation, as I am aware that many are not awarded this luxury. In fact, I am motivated by this privilege as it has disheartened me since a young age to learn that my mother abandoned her dream of attending a conservatory, with hopes of one day becoming a concert pianist, while escaping the Iranian Revolution in the 1970s, Read more>>

Mercedes Ani

What parents did right was to trust my process of following my intuition. Although my job and life is unconventional, they fully supported my desire to move through my own journey. I think at first they would have liked me to do something more traditional as they thought it would provide more security. After proving to them that I could make a living by sharing my dharma (purpose), Read more>>

Soumaya Bayoud

Parents are very important in every child’s life, in our case, growing up we lost our dad at a very young age so our mom had to play the role of both parents hers as a mom and my dad’s role as well. Especially that she was left with ten kids to raise on her own, she did her best providing a stable and loving environment for all the ten of us, showing affection, spending quality time together, and providing financial and emotional support. Read more>>

Bella Gotti

My mother never gave me the impression I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do in life. She still tells me “If that’s what you want to do, then figure it out.” I’ve always kept that mindset working in the entertainment industry. I’ve hosted events, performed at events and curated them as well. Her words remind me to never limit myself as just a “performing artist”. Read more>>

David Martinez

I know we don’t get to choose family, but I ended up with two of the best parents any young aspiring artist could have. They always nurtured my love of art, through supplies, trips to the museums and constant support and encouragement. When I was 9 years old my father enrolled me and my older sister in an art class at the local cultural center. Read more>>

Ariel Jean

My sisters and I have been singing together since we were kids. Amber, Aubrey, and Ariel, Growing up, we would pretend to be the spice girls, sign “CD’s & Posters” and sing with our parents bed frame mantel that would pop out on each corner of bed frame tower and pretend they were microphones. Read more>>

Dylan Sherry

It’s challenging to land on things they did wrong, I’m grateful there are so few. One thing my parents did especially right was encouraging me to play instruments without forcing me to. They noticed my interest in music from an early age, being awestruck by seeing people on stage, always looking through my father’s record collection, and loving Hawaiian slack key music that I was exposed to from my Mother’s side of the family. I understand my privilege of having supportive but not overbearing parents. Read more>>

Samyuktha Variyam

My parents are two incredible human beings. Despite all the hardships they’ve faced in their efforts to reach where they are today, they’ve managed to provide me with a dreamlike, wonderful childhood. They’ve also instilled some very important lessons in me, without which I would never have achieved the clarity of thought to reach where I am today. My parents, from when I was very young, Read more>>

Jo Anne Johnson

Like the book, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” I would suggest my parents taught me everything I need to know about life. I don’t mean that they taught me answers to nuclear physics equations, global economic conflicts… No. What they rooted in me was humility, a work ethic, problem-solving skills, standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, and valuable lessons in faith. Read more>>

Erica Giovinazzo

I consider myself super fortunate because my parents did a lot right, but one of the main things they did that let me grow was they encouraged and supported me to pursue whatever I wanted to try. When I was 11 I wanted to try martial arts because my younger brother was going, and they let me do that. It turned out to be one of the most defining moments of my life and set me on a path of discipline, respect, health, and kindness. Read more>>

Ricco Cooper

Growing up, my father and grandparents made sure that I had proper manners, and spoke well. They insisted that I never end a sentence with out saying “please” or “thank you”. My father also made sure I always replied to adults by saying “yes ma’am” or “no ma’am”, “yes sir” or “no sir”. Read more>>

Siddhant Vig

My name is Siddhant Vig and I work as a freelance film producer based out of Los Angeles. I graduated towards the end of last year from the New York Film Academy with my Masters in Film Production. I’m roughly two years old in the city of Angels but if it wasn’t for or because of my parents then I do not have the slightest of clue as to where would I end up in life. Read more>>

Michell’la Dukes

When I think of my mother and grandmother, I picture Superwoman. My grandmother assisted my mother in raising her three children as my father was not present. I still don’t know how they did it. Raising children, pursuing your passions, and attempting to put food on the table are all difficult tasks. She had my grandmother to help her navigate the highs and lows of parenting, and I’m extremely grateful for that. Read more>>

Kim Nguyen

My parents are my heroes. I know many people say that about theirs, but just the other day a friend from kindergarten commented on a photo of my mom that I posted “literal legend” – but what’s funny is that she has no idea. Both my parents came to this country with nothing – like many immigrants – and built an amazing life for themselves and our family. Read more>>

Tha J-Squad

Our parents are the reason why we’re music enthusiast. They started an Independent Production company called “Messenger Productions” back in the 90’s. Their sole purpose was to spread peace & positivity during the Drug & Gang Epidemic in los angeles. We witnessed many late night recording sessions in professional studios, stage performances & even their song “Go Lakers” being played on LA’s number one radio station, 92.3 The Beat. Read more>>

Ashley Thompson

Growing up in a single parent home was a blessing. It really shaped and built my character. My mom instilled so many lessons for me to apply throughout my life and for that I’m so grateful for her. Read more>>

Sabella Bella” Reyes”

“How did you overcome imposter syndrome?” Ah, imposter syndrome, I’ve definitely been there! As an executive producer of music with a background in behavior health modification and as a clinical therapist utilizing music medicine techniques, overcoming imposter syndrome has been quite the journey for me. Let me share a few strategies that have helped me conquer those nagging feelings of self-doubt. Read more>>