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.

Nina Khurtsilava

“My parents played a crucial role in shaping my artistic path, and I owe much of my success to their unwavering support. My father, a remarkably talented artist himself, became my inspiration and mentor from an early age. His guidance and encouragement ignited my passion for art. Equally important was my mother, who stood by his side, supporting his artistic endeavors, and in turn, extended the same unwavering support to me. During the 90s in Georgia, the prospects for artists were indeed challenging, as financial struggles were common in the artistic community. However, my parents’ unwavering belief in my abilities and passion provided me with the strength to pursue my dreams despite the hardships. Read more>>

Nadia Pupa

It all started when I was about five years old. My mom was watching the 1939 movie Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. I remember begging her to turn off “the old boring movie that made no sense.” Without conceding, she gave me an abridged version by periodically pausing the movie to give a brief recap every 15 mins, or until I would ask, “What’s happening now?” Her facial expressions and inflection in her voice created a high-stakes situation that captured my full attention. I ended up watching the whole movie and even had a crush on Heathcliff. For the rest of my life, my mom influenced my deep appreciation for classic literature and old films. Read more>>

David Banks

They planted the seed at an early age to do what makes me happy. There were never any talks of a back up plan or a “just in case” option. Were there struggles along the way? Absolutely. I make it a habit to go and visit my mom and step dad every Sunday. I also tell them thank you for putting up with me as often as I can. I think there is something a bit off about us creative right brainers, especially the ones with ADHD [LAUGHS] There was always support for my decision to break away from the normal 9 to 5 world. Read more>>

Kinda Turner

My parents are very hard-working, southern parents. They believe that you earn what you work for. My parents put me to work in their family business at the age of 13. I worked in every department in the business and was oftentimes the youngest person there. After school and during the summers, it was understood that I was going to work. No question about it. At the time, I did not understand why I needed to work as I was a kid trying to enjoy my years as a teenager. Work was the last thing on my mind. Read more>>

Carrie Lehtonen

I grew up in a small town of about 3,000 people in southwest New Hampshire with my parents, Carl and Debra, and my brother, Keith. My dad worked blue collar jobs, and painted cars on the side to make extra money. Carl is good with his hands and anything mechanical – he has always learned by doing. Carl grew up with four brothers on a farm in rural NH, where they were constantly tinkering with cars – rebuilding them, and then racing them. My dad, with the help of his brothers and some friends, built the house that we moved into when I was around six or seven years old. Everything from the foundation to the finishing touches. Read more>>

Kennedy Marinelli

Throughout my childhood, I went back and forth from my Moms house during the week to my Dads apartment on the weekends. Alternating from one lifestyle to the other every week as a child was challenging. At times I didn’t know how to cope well with constant change. I can now look back and say it gave me a sense of balance. During the week, my mom ensured that I learned discipline. While I may not have liked the way it was taught, that discipline helped shape my character. It instilled in me a strong work ethic, the ability to set goals, and the determination to see them through. Her emphasis on responsibility and structure made me a focused and organized individual, which are essential qualities for running a successful business. Read more>>

Lara Bell

My parents gave me great upbringing! I was taught at home all my life until college, and it really encouraged me to chase after my dreams. I would get all my homework done during the day, which gave me time to do that things I wanted to do in my free time. I remember getting my first guitar at 14, and sitting in my bedroom for hours writing songs (if you pull out an old journal, it’s basically me singing my feelings, that don’t even rhyme, about boys who broke my heart who didn’t know I existed, haha, classic high school stories), it was, and still is, my safe space. Read more>>

Kari Breitigam

I was very lucky to have parents who nurtured and supported my artistic interests despite neither of them having creative backgrounds (my dad was an auto factory worker and my mom was a homemaker). Honestly, they did so many things right. We had a tall “craft cabinet” full of paints, ribbons, fabric, and other craft supplies that was fair game for me as a child to play, experiment, and create. There was never a shortage of art supplies. I am an only child, and I think that craft projects were a way for my mom to keep me occupied. She always encouraged making handmade gifts and would help me when I tackled larger projects. Read more>>

Claudia Segui

The short answer is love. I’ve always been love. Out of all the topics that seemed very interesting to talk about this one specifically stood out for me because it really made me who I am. As a child, born in Cuba, on an island where there isn’t much to give I had it all, my parent’s love. This sounds so cliche but as I got older I didn’t really realize how much that actually meant. It was the difference of never having to sneak out of the house or keep secrets from them. I knew I was their life, their little girl, and they took the time to teach me that. Read more>>

Ashley Lagunas

I’ve heard it once said that the best things you’ll ever teach your kids will be “caught” not “taught”. Meaning, it’s things you do that always speak louder than the things you say. One thing my parents did that I remain grateful for till this day is the way they took risk, and did very hard things. I was eight years old and my mom was just starting her remission to breast cancer when they decided, with four other families, to move to southern Mexico and start a church. The list of why this was a crazy idea was a long one. Read more>>

Erin Engelke

Growing up in a small town in Idaho, I don’t recall my Mom or Dad ever sitting me down on our burgundy and forest green 1980’s couch in the living room to have a conversation about resilience…what it is or how to recover from it after times of stress…or even the value of hard work. I’m not alone in never receiving a formal “education” on how to rise above during the tough times of life. In fact, research has shown that while some people seem to come by resilience naturally, the behaviors can actually be learned. Read more>>

Kathryn Trotter

I have been painting since I could hold a crayon in my little hand. I remember painting murals in my playhouse and decorating for hours by going into the attic and getting leftover fabric and anything I could get my hands on to make my space more beautiful. I painted, made pottery out of the Mississippi mud in the creek nearby, I built a little loft, and I made curtains by the age of 7. This was just the beginning of my art venture. The stage had been set for curiosity, exploration and adventure. If I wasn’t creating in my playhouse I was and crawling up under my big canopy bed to create, dream, and recharge with my creative tools. Read more>>

Rachel Wever

My parents taught me to never give up. A bit cliché, but it’s true. All through grade school they never let me quit a project or a group I started. I wanted to quit sports, band, and dual credit classes, but they refused to allow it. It frustrated me so much at the time! As an adult, when I’m upset about my lack of free time or the demands of my job, they never once say, “Well then, just walk away.” They show their love and support through phone calls for “attitude adjustments,” that lift me up and give me strength to fight through the low moments. They believe in seeing through ones commitments and they have passed that trait on to me. They taught me dedication, perseverance, and loyalty. Read more>>

Hannah Abdoh

It took me a few years of growth to learn to appreciate everything my parents did for me. I often describe my parents as my best friends. Which I know sounds aggressively corny but it’s true. They are two of the most interesting my people I think I’ll ever meet in my life and I feel extremely lucky to say that. My mom has this quote that I try and live by and it’s “Interesting people are interested” and I think that’s one of the first things my parents taught me or perhaps what they nurtured in me and my brother growing up was innate curiosity. Curiosity about the world, people, cultures, languages, customs. Whatever feels unknown or uncertain, to move towards it. I don’t think I would have had half the experiences in my life without embracing that mindset. Read more>>

Marshall Ruffin

I found a guitar in my parents attic when I was a kid that my Mom had bought when she was in college. She hadn’t kept up with playing it, but lucky for me she had kept it around. I wasn’t supposed to be up in the attic at all, and normally didn’t like going there anyway. It was dark and felt kind of spooky, always smelled funny, with hangers full of dead grandparent clothing, stacks of sealed boxes, clusters of weird old furniture. I must have just been looking for a place to be alone, which was hard to find with three brothers that seemed only to want to kill me or get and keep me in trouble, but what I found, this hidden, neglected instrument, was tantamount to discovering a magic wand. Read more>>

Sarah Bowman

My parents taught me self-compassion … accepting our mistakes and giving ourselves grace. They helped me understand that a part of being human is making mistakes, that those mistakes do not make us a bad person and it’s what we do after those mistakes that really matter. I watched them normalize mistakes by acknowledging when they made one, even if it meant admitting that they were wrong. This took away the shame and guilt so that I could acknowledge my own mistakes and try to make them right. I believe that one of the best things a parent can do “right” is to be more accepting of their own mistakes. By giving ourselves grace we can open the door to our children doing the same. We all make mistakes, but this does not mean that we are mistakes. Read more>>

Mac Elliott

As the first professional artist hopeful in the family, the issue of earning a living was always on the forefront of my parents minds. From the age of 12 I was pretty sure I would work in a creative field. My neurodivergent brain and inability to score higher than a B- in math and science just persuaded me even further to go into the arts. A business-owner herself, my mom would tell me, “you don’t really need to know math, that’s what accountants are for” when I expressed concern for my lack of math know how. At the time it was a funny little mantra, but as a biz owner now, I understand what she meant: it takes all kinds of people to make the world go ’round! Read more>>

Cindy Leos

My parents truly understood the importance of granting me the freedom to explore and create my own path, which has had a profound impact on my life and career as a holistic fitness coach. They did encourage me to consider more traditional career paths, but they never stifled my strong passion for movement and healthy living. In fact, they wholeheartedly supported my dance career, which ultimately paved the way for everything I do now. Throughout my dance journey, I not only developed a strong connection with myself but also had to dive into the realm of nutrition to meet the physical demands of my career. When I was 18 years old, I auditioned for the Laker Girls, and although the director saw potential in me, there were two things they wanted me to work on before the next audition: cutting my hair and losing weight. Read more>>

Miranda Hummel

My parents offered very little to me as far as shaping my success in a typical form. I think the root of success is finding a way to cultivate your misfortunes in life. My mother was a source of love and respect, but she struggled with her own demons of self doubt, nonexistent self esteem and anxiety that hindered her every dream. My father was mentally abusive and as shallow and small minded as they come. He tore me down in my youth, but he did own and operate his own business so I guess I likely gained my entrepreneurship interests from him. My brother once told me as I struggled to make sense of it all ” see what they do, and just do the opposite and you likely will end up in the right spot .” Read more>>

Sam Silverstein

I grew up in a family business. My mother and father were entrepreneurs, and I was fortunate to be able to learn so much from them. I saw how a husband and a wife could work together and manage the blend between work like and married life. This has positioned me to be able to work with my wife. My parents always had life lessons and business lessons to share at the dinner table or in other settings. In essence, they shared their journey with me, and I benefitted from all of the insights and advice they provided. Read more>>

WVN

I think there were several things that my parents did right. The first thing they taught me to do is pray. My dad even used to meditate. I think regardless of your beliefs, praying helps to express your thoughts and speak your dreams. It allows you to take a minute and reflect. I still pray now before every show, no matter where I am. Not even because I’m worried, it’s like instantly my soul is calmed, and I can put on the best show possible. My mother always used to teach me to pray for wisdom. I think that’s the best thing she couldve told me to pray for. You can achieve a lot of things in life, but if you don’t have wisdom, you might not know how to handle the success that comes. Read more>>

Sandria Rush

Both of my parents are entrepreneurs. They have always instilled in me to be “My Own Boss”. My mother has operated her dance ministry and dance school, Higher Praise Dance Academy, for over 20+ years. As well as my father owns his own custom t-shirt business, Arrowest Custom T-shirts. This provided me with hands-on experience to see how much work it takes to run and keep a business running–the awards and the pitfalls. Read more>>

Sasha Marie Speer

My parents created an environment that nurtured my high energy and curiosity. They encouraged me travel the world alone from the age of 15 onward, to meet new people, to explore new places, to live fully. They taught by example to be fully in life. To do the things you want now versus waiting until you retire or have the time/money/whatever. They taught me that life is my creation. And as I create that life, to love others, to trust, to fail forward, to enjoy the experience and adventure in all of it. Read more>>

Daniel Ruczko

Every time I dipped my toes into the ocean of creativity, my parents always fully supported me, especially my mother. Even when she didn’t fully understand what I was doing, she saw something special in me or my “talents”. That was a big boost for me. There was this one time, I remember, when I tried earning a living off of my creative skills, and back then it didn’t work out at all. So I told my mother that I’d go get a regular job again, but she told me not to do that, that I wasn’t made for a 9-5. So she pushed me to keep following my path, even when it became hard. And that’s something I’ll never forget. Read more>>

Gwenivere Snyder

I was in a horrible car accident at 17 years old, a junior in high school A women ran a stop sign in a truck and my car went into the side and underneath it. The steering wheel severed my femur in half, the seat belt saved me from being decapitated and jaws of life got my unconscious, mangled body from the car and into the ambulance. Many surgeries, a blood clot in my lung, pain and feeling sorry for myself led my dad to come into my room one night for a heart to heart talk as I was not doing well or feeling hope…He told me that I had every right to be mad and feel sorry for myself, it was not fair and I could choose to feel that OR I could take this as something that could turn into the best but hardest event I have ever endured to teach me things I would never learn without it. Read more>>