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.

Angelic Garza | Salon Owner & Inventor

This is such a great question. My parents were very traditional. My dad worked and my mom was a homemaker. My dad exemplified integrity. He said what he meant, and meant what he said. They taught us a work ethic. I remember asking for name brand shoes and my dad’s response was always, “when you are old enough to work, you can buy whatever you want.” Or if we asked to hang with friends, we had to fulfill an extra chore. At the time, I hated how strict they were but now I see why they raised us the way that they did. The most valuable thing they gave us, is a reverence for God. My relationship with God is what has sustained me through every life circumstance. Read more>>

Monica Auslander Moreno | Registered Dietitian

My parents are my heroes. They raised me to be philanthropic, compassionate, diligent, scholarly, humorous, humble, kind, playful, and resilient. Above all else, they taught me that all ailments can be treated with unconditional love. I never realized how special they were until I was an adult, and now raising my own child, how salient all their life lessons and infinite love could be. There was always a spare moment for play and hugs, and well into my teens, my mom would crawl into my bed before we went to sleep for pillow talk (+- various dogs). Read more>>

Kate King | Psychotherapist & Art Therapist

My parents allowed my sister and me to make our own mistakes. They didn’t jump in and try to bail us out of every sticky situation, though they always remained available for us when we asked for help. They taught me about trust and responsibility with this behavior, and I try to parent my own children with this inspiration in mind. Of course, there were times when I broke my parents’ trust or ended up in a problematic situation because of making questionable decisions like a typical kid/teen. I was far from perfect. When this happened, my parents didn’t meet me with shame and harsh punishment. Read more>>

Kema Charles | Non Profit Founder and Executive Director

My parents taught me the importance of community. My parents were very big in our community growing up. And showing me that at an early age, I feel that I bring that to the mission and vision of my nonprofit daily. Read more>>

Hilary Opheim | Pilates Mentor/Teacher

I grew up in the 1970s with the Dad who went off to work and the Mom who stayed home for the kids. It was idyllic and I know how lucky I am to have grown up during that time and especially watching my Dad in his job and my Mom who was always there and supportive and showed what a strong, caring woman was like. She loved what she did with us kids and let us know that we could do or be anything we wanted to. My Dad’s work was his passion, he loved every moment of it and it showed. I wanted that for myself and so I naturally I started trying to figure that out at a very young age. Journalist, photographer, singer, actor, painter, novelist the list went on! Read more>>

Loni Peterson, MLS | Wedding Planner

At a young age I was diagnosed with a neurological issue as well as scoliosis. I had a lot of doctors appointments, lots of scans and x-rays, and three major surgeries. My parents always kept it open and honest with me, even as a 11 year old, about what was happening to me. I rarely got special treatment and I was expected to keep up in school and I was determined to get back to ballet class as soon as possible. Working hard through hardships is something I have learned from them and it has done me well as an adult and business owner. Read more>>

Devin Burke | Sleep Coach & Author

I’m super blessed to have amazing parents. They did a lot right. They were always very supportive and I felt loved which is more than any child I think could ask for. My mom taught me to care about other people! She was a stay-at-home mom and I saw her go above and beyond to take care of myself and my three brothers. She was also involved in the church and community and interested in health. She was the one that ignited the spark for me to get into a field helping people improve their sleep and well-being. Read more>>

Heather Hansen | Specialized Sports Coach

Wow! Where do I begin? My parents have always played a significant role in my life and are my biggest cheerleaders. They taught me to go after whatever makes me happy. I remember growing up witnessing my parents having to sacrifice in order to be able to provide opportunities for me that they never had. They’ve influenced my basic values; one being generosity; not only monetary, but time and love. This has poured over into my business model, as I strive to lead from a place of generosity. Read more>>

Darenda Weaver | DJ

As a first generation college student it has been quite a journey completing classes while working full time and still trying to be creative. Not to mention I am now a mom! Graduating with my Masters in 2020 after giving birth to my daughter was one of those things that I never saw for my future. I grew up in a working class family. My father works hard in the Texas sun doing construction for many of the streets and parking lots that Houstonians utilize. We grew up counting pennies for lunch money and spending some weeks without electricity because the bill was too much for a one working parent household with four children. Read more>>

Tiffany Jackson | Web Designer & Developer

Both of my parents are totally different! I adore this because they brought two different sets of character traits for me to observe and embody throughout my youth and beyond. My mom is a preacher’s kid and shared her faith with me, which offers me resilience and unimaginable hope and peace. From her, I was made optimistic. My dad was in the military for twenty years, he taught me the importance of hard work ethic and discipline. From him, I was made ambitious. My parents both impacted my life and career. I am a great blend of the two of them. They did right by giving me the opportunity to live unapologetically. Read more>>

Jeffery Ou | Concert Pianist, Piano Instructor, Writer

So I was raised in a very typical, conservative Asian family. By conservative I don’t mean political. I mean as a lifestyle. They taught me what it meant to save money, to never throw *anything* (and I mean literally ANYTHING) away – we reused just about everything in the house if it could be repurposed or salvaged – to live a life of integrity, to know what you want in life EARLY ON and not still be searching for purpose or direction in your 20s/30s, and most of all to pursue your education to its absolute maximum – that education is the single most critical tool for personal development as well as long-term stability. Read more>>

Sharon Mintz | Wedding and Event Florist

My dad was a small business owner, his dad was a small business owner. There was a time that my dad’s business was almost taken under, as a family we stuffed envelopes with business cards, a letter and a rolodex card, to help restart it with a new client base. He used to remind us as children that there is no added safety to find employment with a big company, that a self employed business owner has more freedom and security. As a result he raised three children, all small business owners. Read more>>

Robin Reed | Co-Founder & Principal – EmFluent, LLC

I come from a family that has 5 kids so my parents couldn’t always provide the materials things we as children wanted, but of course that didn’t stop us from wanting them. But instead of telling us we couldn’t have something or they couldn’t afford something, when I told my parents that I wanted something they would get excited for me having that item and would ask “That sounds amazing, How are you going to get it”. That instilled in me the belief that I could have the things I wanted if I developed and executed a strategy to get them. Read more>>

Brandon Kellum | Vocalist/Singer of American Standards

One of the biggest things I’ve learned from my parents is the value of hard work and persistence. Not only that, but doing so without hesitancy or complaint. Both my mother and father lived fairly hard lives doing whatever they needed to just to get by. Despite any challenges or setbacks including the medical issues they had later in life, I never once heard them complain. It was always “how do we get through this and make it work”. I aspire to have that same mindset. Read more>>

Andrew McCall | Owner operator McCall’s Carpet Cleaning

Both my parents were immigrants and came to America to live the American dream. They became citizens and then had my brother and me three years later. My parents were business owners their whole lives here in America. I started working with them at a very young age. I would work with my dad during my summers off from school and my mom all year. They had three businesses going and I worked all three. Dad started the Carpet Cleaning back in 1981 and I started it with him. We worked together for a few years then mom and brother came into it. I worked with my brother for a few years and then went on my own. Read more>>

Lori Price | Jazzercise Instructor and Owner, Jazzercise Lake Highlands

Many parents may have parting words they say as their children leave the house for school or to hang out with friends or even when they are dropping them off at camp or college. When I was growing up, any time I was leaving the house, my mother said, “Be nice.” She might have started with something like be careful or be safe, but be nice was always the last thing she said to me. If I’m honest, I might have rolled my eyes from time to time upon hearing it. I thought to myself “Why would I have to be reminded to be nice? Doesn’t that just happen?” As I got older, I learned that it doesn’t. For much of life, we live transactionally, moving from one thing or place to the next without processing others in our environment. Read more>>

Paige Davidson | Painter, Potter, Designer

I grew up in a creative household. My mom has always sewn, baked, knitted, and she created stained glass when I was a kid. My dad got a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was a self-employed graphic designer for all my years growing up. I grew up in their studios watching them work, and watching their customer service. Hour upon hour of my pre-school years, after school time, and summers were spent in Dad’s studio watching design logos, screen print, and hand-letter signs with One Shot sign paint. Even as a young kid, I was encouraged to be his helper, and I got free rein of his nice art supplies in his studio to make my drawings and paintings. Read more>>

Edward Aponte | I teach traditional Japanese Martial Arts and Meditation

My mom allowed me to dream big, she allowed her skinny 14 year old to travel from Puerto Rico to Dayton, Ohio in the 80’s to train to become a Ninja….true story! Read more>>

Dr. Farzam Afshar | Physician
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My parents dedicated their entire lives to the nurturing, growth, and well-being of me and my sister. Our journey as a family started when my parents decided to leave everything they had earned and accumulated in their homeland in the middle of a brutal 8-year long war for us to immigrate to the United States in search of stability and better opportunities. My parents are both highly educated and my father was even a high-ranking official in the air force as a U.S. trained fighter pilot. They left everything they knew, family, friends, culture, language, and more so that my sister and I could live in the free world. Read more>>

Courtney Stephens | Energy CEO and Career Launcher

My parents taught me that all people are created equal. They taught me not to judge people or treat them differently because of any physical or financial characteristic. I saw this in the way they treated people, always being kind to everyone, from the servers at McDonalds to the teachers at the school. They treated my friends and I like we were equals, even when we were five years old. My family gave me an equal voice at the table, and I seek to do the same with others. I was taught to have as much respect for the janitor as I would for any CEO. Read more>>

Christie K. Moore | Mansfield Funeral Home

My parents were my first cheerleaders. They placed me in an environment where success and successful people were always within reach. As young parents, they put aside the wants and needs for themselves so that I could have the very best of whatever I wanted or needed. I can recall telling my parents in 1995 that I wanted to graduate from high school and go right into mortuary school. Understanding that my strengths were math and science, my parents insisted I completed my bachelors degree as a foundation and then obtain my Associates in Applied Science for Embalming and Funeral Directing. Read more>>

Claudia Rodriguez | Trucking Business Consultant

Everything my parents have ever done for me has positively impacted my life, especially my professional life. Both my parents raised 10 children together so it was ALL work ethic growing up. There were no shortcuts or excuses; all with a LOT of love. They always believed in me and supported me and my siblings in ways I couldn’t start to describe. I learned there is absolutely no passing the buck here. When it comes to my customers/clients, there should be no unanswered questions. We get from start to finish because there is no other way. Make things right. Read more>>

Brenden Masar | Video Production

My dad, John, has led one of San Diego’s longest-running creative marketing and ad agencies. He supported me when I decided to major in Film Studies in college, despite the unclear career path that lay ahead. After graduating from UC Irvine, I went to work at his agency where we worked together to build out video production capabilities from scratch. He took losses on early projects to enable us to grow our portfolio and even more importantly, he’s always had an unwavering faith in my ability and vision. With his help, I was able to reach a point in which I could form my own successful video production company and continue to collaborate with him on a regular basis. Read more>>

Laura Larkin | Certified Holistic Health Practitioner

Growing up as a teenager in the ’70s was all about women’s empowerment. I can remember the song by Helen Reddy, “I am woman,” playing on the radio. Although I felt I could have the career I wanted, my parents consistently told me; Laura, you can do anything you want to! So give it your all, and discover what is out there. I wanted to try acting; I was scared, shy, and quiet, but my dad said, I know you can do it. So I started taking acting classes and auditioned for my first play. Although I did not get the part, I felt a fantastic sense of ” I did it.” Throughout my journey in the workforce, I never let doubt stop me. I could never have become an entrepreneur without my parent’s encouragement when I was young. Read more>>

Meria Heller | Podcaster/Metaphysician/Tarot Master/Reiki Master

My parents were old school. My dad worked while my mom stayed home. They taught us all about life and the things we needed to know to become independent, self employed women. They weren’t “helicopter” parents, nor were they missing parents. They taught us above life, love, music, integrity, character and how to rely on ourselves to know and do what’s right. They spent a lot of time with myself and my four sisters. Getting good grades wasn’t an option and I remember many nights that my Dad sat down and did homework with us. Read more>>