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.

Polan Cabrera

I am the middle brother of three boys. We lost our mother when I was 10 yrs old. My father was always a hard-working person trying to make enough for our family to live a good life. When our mother passsed, we started spending more quality time with our father which lead to him talking to us more about music. Read more>>

Jasmine Kuo

My childhood was different from most. I grew up completely media free through eighth grade, and I am very grateful. As a result I was able to preserve the rich landscape of imagination I had as a child and allow it to evolve without much outside interference. Read more>>

Tanisha Ferguson

My dad’s financial wisdom has been a cornerstone of my life and career. One of the most impactful lessons he imparted on me was the principle of paying myself first. From a young age, he instilled in me the importance of prioritizing personal financial growth and security. This simple yet powerful advice has profoundly shaped my approach to both business and personal finances. Read more>>

Alicia Enstrom

I am very thankful for parents that gave and allowed me copious opportunities as a child. My sisters and I were involved in music, dance, numerous sports and in various academic activities. These days, there’s a desire to hyper focus kids on one thing to make them a master and I understand that ideal. Read more>>

Katie Bean

I’m extremely lucky as both my parents role-modeled a healthy, loving, and balanced relationship with each other throughout my life. To this day, they still hold hands while driving and are each other’s best friend. Read more>>

Yvey Valcin

My parents were always kind and friendly, They had a lot of friends, so I learned the value of friendship very early. As a business owner, having humility intellectually when dealing with clients is something I thank my parents for everyday. Read more>>

Lauren Ross

My parents have four kids, and they always focused on supporting us in the things we loved or had natural talent for, instead of dwelling on the things we weren’t good at or interested in mastering. Read more>>

Dr. Sam Sukkar

Being the son of a first-generation immigrant to the U.S. played an integral role in my upbringing. In a way we had the best of both worlds: a very Anglo maternal side, as well as a different, foreign paternal side. Read more>>

Matthew Dormus

My parents, Lesly and Ruth Dormus, instilled in me the importance of faith and education. As immigrants from Haiti and Antigua respectively, they understood that America takes more from Black people than it provides. So, they wanted us to be rooted in Jesus Christ and empowered by the opportunities that focusing on school brings. Read more>>

Daniel Weidlein

I often get asked, “how did you get your start in music?” And I always immediately am called to credit my parents. They are not professional musicians, and both of them only briefly studied instruments as kids. Read more>>

Katie Connolly

Recognizing I was highly sensitive and experienced anxiety, my Mam gave me the gift of breathwork and meditation. She also helped me work holistically with my highly active nature (undiagnosed ADHD), ensuring I had food high in fats, low in sugar, limited screen time and instead focusing on creative, intellectual, athletic, and outdoor endeavours. Read more>>

Joseph Wendrich

If I think about it, there really aren’t many things in my life that I can’t give my parents credit for. As well as being my literal teachers, as I was homeschooled, they taught me how to be independent, a free thinker, a leader, and a gentleman, all of which are qualities that have helped me immensely in my life. Read more>>

Frankie Endo Ondo

Growing up, my parents instilled in me the values of work ethic and presentation, emphasizing that it’s not just about completing a task but also about how it’s done and the efficiency of the process. They taught me that doing it right the first time saves money and time in the long run. Read more>>

Dani La Barrie

As a child, it felt like my parents were too strict. I thought they didn’t ‘get it’ because they’re from the islands (Trinidad). Little did I know, WHY they had their rules. There were a lot of things that my friends got to do that I, as a kid and teenager, didn’t get to do. Don’t get me wrong – I still got to enjoy life and go on things like field trips. Read more>>

Kaylen Stanley

My parents instilled in me from an early age the importance of self-accountability—a trait that sets me apart in a world where many shy away from taking responsibility for their actions, the bad as well as the good. Read more>>

Tebreena Hall

My younger sister, Breneesha, and I were raised in a two parent household in Metcalfe, MS. For over half of my childhood, my parents, Terry and Brendolyn Washington, were entrepreneurs in Greenville, MS. Read more>>

Maxim Jago

From my earliest memories, I know that I could ask my parents anything and I would generally get a reasonable response. By that I mean I would not be spoken down to – an explanation or answer would be given that helped to expand my undertanding. Read more>>

Maki Saruwatari

My parents have been the best supporters and my number one fans for my whole life. My mom being a former cultural dancer and my dad an art teacher, they introduced me to all kinds of arts in my early childhood, and always pushed me to be better at what I do. Read more>>

Uma Anderson Chopra

I grew up on a small island in the Salish Sea. Tucked away from the mainland, I spent a lot of time outside or doing projects. Growing up in such a wild and remote place I have always felt a deep connection to the land and water that I come from. Read more>>

Jeremy Johnson

Growing up on our family farm, eight miles west of a mapdot town of 500 people, we learned a lifetime of lessons and countless practical skills. As kids, we started helping on the farm as soon as we could walk, and as a result helping others and learning as you go along was our way of life. Read more>>

Dawn Rix

My parents made me their priority and loved me and one another unconditionally. They supported me in everything I chose to do whether it was extra curricular activities in school, pageantry, joining the Air Force, opening a salon or pursuing a music career. Read more>>

McKenzie Kapsner

My parents where very hard working people. They instilled in me a strong work ethic and a strength and resilience to work hard and make things happen. When life got difficult I could get through whatever came my way. My father was a man who could talk to anyone. Read more>>

Quionne Scott Matchett

I was raised by a single mother. I get my work ethic from her, I watched her go to work at a manufacturing plant, working long hours to provide for me and my brother. Being the oldest, I had a lot of responsibility to help her run the household–having chores, watching my brother, helping him with homework–this taught me organizational and leadership skills. Read more>>

Eliza Squibb

My parents always let me choose my own educational journey. I considered myself to be an artist since as far back as I can remember, it was part of my identity. I think there are plenty of parents who don’t want their children to study in the arts, whether that’s performing arts, visual arts or literary arts. Read more>>

Dean Sibinski

My partner doesn’t like talking about what my parents did right because of the differences I have with them. But I think it’s important because I am their child. I’m happy they gave me piano lessons and an education. Read more>>

Abby Rose Chenard

I have to admit, my parents did a lot of things right. They have always allowed me to be myself and never pressured me to pursue something that did not align with my personal interests. Read more>>

Garrett Moore

My passion for electronic music actually comes from my Dad. My Dad started listening to electronic music during the 90’s and when I was a baby, he would always play these CDs with late 90’s/ early 2000’s Trance and Progressive House in the car which is what exposed me to these amazing sounds at an early age which I would subconsciously stored in my memory. Read more>>

Nomi Spain-Levy

My parents are one of a kind. They adopted me and my biological brother when I was four and a half years old, and my brother was three and a half. We had just spent two years living with a foster family after my mother’s death. I remember the day that we arrived at my parent’s home. Read more>>

Jacob Alexander

Raised by a single mother, I learned early on that I was capable of anything. She instilled in me a belief in my own potential, often telling me I was a genius and encouraging me to immerse myself in the arts. Read more>>