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.

Brianne Blazosky

My father was a VP for a major Pittsburgh company for most of my life. He worked 12 hour days, 7 days a week. My mother was devoted to every job she ever had, including being a stay-at-home mom for the first 10 years of my life.  Read more>>

LINDSEY LEAVERTON

What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career? Maybe you can share a story (or stories) that illustrate the things they did right and the impact they had on you and your journey. Read more>>

Hannah Judson

My mother recently died, and I have been reviewing the journey of our family, and where I am now. It’s easy to cast a critical gaze at your own parents, without considering the context of their generation, the pressures they were under, the differences in their education. Read more>>

Alice Pedersen

I come from a lineage dating back 4 generations of chefs. My dad, Chef Tom Pedersen, really showed me the ropes starting from a young age. Read more>>

Laila Matuk

There isn’t a manual on raising a kid, nor does it matter how many siblings have come before you as a sort of test run. I think that, as in life, everyone is doing the best they can. Read more>>

Janel Manente

My parents’ open-mindedness and unwaving support played a pivotal role and gave me the courage I needed to leave college and pursue my passion and a career as a full time yoga teacher. Read more>>

Jada Heroff

My parents absolutely had an impact on my now career, they have always supported me in whatever I wanted to do, even if it felt new to them. When I was a kid, no matter what it was, my parents were always in the audience/on the sidelines. Read more>>

Zach Clark

To me, my parents have always been my go-to people for everything. From a young age, they taught me how to be a good person and treat everyone with respect. Read more>>

Malika Begin

My parents are interesting people, so they gave me an interesting, different childhood. They were married for 10 years before they had me, their first child. Read more>>

Betsy Hammer

My parents gave me as many opportunities as they could, providing me with music and drama lessons. I studied accordion, piano and voice. My Mom and Dad took me to a music store and bought me my first guitar at age 13. Read more>>

Kaci Bradgon

The best gift my parents ever gave me was teaching me about God and His incredible goodness from a very early age. Because of them, I’ve been blessed to go through life with a strong faith and a deep relationship with God. Read more>>

Danylo Fedoryka

My name is Danylo Fedoryka (Danylo is the Ukrainian version of “Daniel”). My brother Alex and I founded SCYTHIAN 20 years ago after a few years of busking to help make rent in the DC Area. Read more>>

Rachel May

My mom and dad are the ones who introduced me to their favorite music that would go on to be some of the greatest influences in my own life and music, and both of my parents always encouraged my singing. Read more>>

Tamara Statz

My Dad was a farmer and my Mom was a nurse. From them I learned about work ethic, consistency (err… perfectionism??), and the value of caring for others. Read more>>

Jennifer Stinson

My parents raised me in nature. I was born in Juneau, Alaska, which is a beautiful, lush, green rainforest. My family moved around quite a bit, so I was able to experience the diversity of Alaska’s wilderness, from tundra to mountains to glaciers to the rugged coastline. Read more>>

Melissa Eudy

My parents taught me the value of hard work. When I was 13, I got my first job. My dad was stationed stateside in Desert Storm, and my mom had me and a six-month-old sibling to care for. Read more>>

Martin Imhof

Growing up in a household filled with artistic expression has had a profound impact on my life and career. Both of my parents were artists who met in art school. They played guitar, painted, drew, and cherished art in every form. Read more>>

Leila Harper

I love this question! It is so important to look back on the positive things in your past and be grateful for those moments. My parents impressed upon my brothers and I a spiritual upbringing. An upbringing inspired by the Baha’i Faith – our Faith. Read more>>

Kelly Paige Standard

I am the oldest of two kids, and unfortunately the only one still walking the planet. Mark has been gone 22 plus years, and if my parents still harbor any part of his untimely death as some kind of failure on their part, they’d be supremely wrong. Read more>>

Esperanza Leon

I was raised by my mother as her only child. While my father provided some assistance, it was primarily her support and encouragement that enabled me to pursue my passions. Read more>>

Emily Guerra

When I was in middle school, my parents got divorced. It honestly wasn’t an amicable separation and, being the youngest kid, I felt like I was always put in the middle of my parents’ disagreements. But they saw that. Read more>>

Becky Wu

To start off, the question should be for me is, what did my mother do right? Unfortunately, my father has been pretty absent since I was 11 years old so hardship started at an early age, however, my mother did the lifting for 2 after he left and it showed me what a strong, independent woman looks like and how to process grief, struggle and fight hard for yourself. Read more>>

Phiona Raffington

My parents instilled in me the courage to be my authentic self. A part of being authentic to yourself is having the ability to express your thoughts, emotions, and perspective. Read more>>

Katherine Katsenis

My parents were fantastic…not perfect, but still fantastic. They provided me with a childhood filled with amazing experiences. Many of them were in the creative arts such as dance, music, writing and more. Read more>>

Larissa Darter

Reflecting on what my parents did right profoundly influences my journey to becoming a strong business owner and leader. Here are four things my parents did to impact my life and career as a business owner: Read more>>

Andre Evsns

Growing up in the house with my mom I learned how to defend and take care of my self early she always made sure me and my brothers where prepared for the world! Read more>>

Johna Rivers

I was placed in the system at nine years old, taken from a great home, and put into a broken system. But even then, my mother was always there. Read more>>

Chelsea Braverman

My parents were and have been 100 percent supportive and all-in my entire life. They took it a step further by not only supporting but being excited and thrilled with every new creative adventure. Instead of leading me, they guided me. Read more>>

Robin Schaefer

I am very grateful to come from an artistic family where various forms of creative expression were practiced and celebrated on a daily basis. Read more>>

Mari Larrea

As divorced parents, they did their best to create inclusion rather than separation. They also worked hard in their jobs but even harder to co-parent. One thing I can always remember is that they didn’t try to hide their failures; Read more>>

Kevin Goodwin

My parents did so many great things for me and my siblings growing up, but one of the most important things they did for me in terms of being a creative human was being supportive and taking my interests seriously. Read more>>

Hannah Nguyen Churchwell

One of the most important lessons my mom instilled in me was, “closed mouths don’t get fed.” I remember on several occasions my mom would ensure that we’d put this mindset to practice. Read more>>

June Carter

My parents did their best to instill a love of adventure in all of us, and particularly in me – their only daughter. (I have 2 younger brothers.) Read more>>

Liam Fox O’Brien

My parents are very liberal, open-minded and humble people. Though there were separated for most of my childhood, they did a wonderful job of co-parenting and teaching me how to navigate life in a way that fostered my creativity. Read more>>

MICAH POWELL

I am not currently in touch with my biological father, but from what I remember of my experiences with him, he was always supportive of me and the goals I had when I was younger. Read more>>