We asked some of the hardest working artists, creatives and entrepreneurs we know to open up to us about where they think they got their work ethic from. Below, you’ll find some of those responses, stories, and advice.
Meghann Hennen
I was a competitive figure skater from the age of six. As I grew older, the commitment deepened—5 a.m. ice time before school, a full school day, then ballet, sometimes baseball practice squeezed in between. My days were long and demanding, and they required focus, stamina, and sacrifice. Read More>>
Lindsay Kenworthy
My work ethic comes from my years as a leukemia nurse. I spent eight years on a hospital floor where 12-14 hour shifts were the norm, breaks were rare, and emotional resilience was essential. Nursing is a career that demands stamina, compassion, and total commitment, even when no one is watching or thanking you. That experience shaped how I approach everything I do today. Read More>>
Tal Vaknine
I started to play the harp when I was 7 years old. So early on in my life I was introduced to the classical music world. I was doing auditions, concerts and competitions. Read More>>
Lexi Beeler
I grew up as the 6th generation to live on my family’s farm, and I think farm life automatically instills a work ethic. To take that a step further, I also showed livestock, where I competed across the country with the pigs that I raised. I quickly learned that without hard work, and most importantly, consistent dedication, success was not possible. Read More>>
Mike Turner
Watching my dad get up and go to work every day, regardless of how he felt, taught me responsibility and dedication. Those lessons became even more meaningful when I worked alongside him in our family’s construction company. Read More>>
Mia Williams
I draw most of my work ethic from my mother. Her tenacity in raising me while maintaining a strong commitment to her own work deeply inspired me to remain disciplined and resilient. Read More>>
Steve Zamarripa
i received my work ethic from my father. He was an alcoholic and created a very dysfunctional family system with his alcohol abuse. However, no matter how intoxicated he was he always got up and went to work the next day. He was a longshoreman for many years and although suffered with alcoholism he provided for his family. Read More>>
Mariya Karchevskaya
My dad is a huge inspiration to me. After I put my son to bed, there’s nothing I want to do more than just fall asleep early too. Instead I think of my dad, a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant who had to study coding books and American phrases for 24 hours or more before job interviews to have any hope of making it. Read More>>
Jose Davila
My work ethic comes from wanting more out of life and constantly working toward self-mastery. A big part of that also comes from my mom, watching her show up with discipline and work hard day in and day out taught me to keep going, even when it’s hard. She’s the hardest-working woman I know, and that really shaped who I am. Read More>>
T Smith
My work ethic was shaped early by responsibility and reinforced over time by results. I learned quickly that progress doesn’t come from intention alone—it comes from consistency, follow-through, and a willingness to do the work long before outcomes are visible. Showing up prepared and executing with care became non-negotiable. As my career evolved, that ethic was refined through seasons of transition and reinvention. Read More>>
Alicia Rinaldi
People ask me about my work ethic a lot, and it’s an interesting question because I know I have one, but I’ve never really stopped to trace where it came from. It wasn’t something that was ever explicitly taught to me or demanded of me. If anything, it was absorbed over time. Read More>>
Joel Cranson
My work ethic comes from a mix of a lot of influences over the years. As a theatre director, I’ve learned so much from directors I worked under as an actor, as well as from theatre teachers in high school and college who showed me what it really means to be prepared, collaborative, and committed to the work. Read More>>
Winnie Nyatome
I get my work ethic from my parents. They worked so hard to get 5 kids plus themselves to the USA and I will forever be inspired by it. Read More>>
Abigail Burt
I got my work ethic from starting early and from watching my parents. I started working when I was 15, and growing up I saw both of them work incredibly hard. My mom was a true go-getter. She never took no for an answer and had to stand up for herself in rooms full of men, which was incredibly inspiring to watch. Read More>>
Sam Buckley
My dad had an incredible work ethic. Growing up on farm, he was always working hard and he was a plummer. He taught me how to show up every day and get it done. He has a ‘whatever it takes’ to get done attitude and always pushed himself to take care of and provide for my family. Read More>>
Joseph – Kyle Martinez
I get it from being in the military. The Navy taught me a lot about discipline, hard work, and loyalty. Especially being on submarines. In the submarine force, you have no choice but to be good at your job. Read More>>
Andrea Santiago
My work ethic was shaped early in life by my family’s circumstances. Growing up with limited financial resources, I regularly helped my parents earn income by working in my mother’s cottage food bakery and assisting with sales at craft shows and local markets. Read More>>
Tami Poortman – Abbiati
My work ethic comes from values from my amazing parents that were instilled in me early on: discipline, responsibility, and pride in doing things the right way. I believe consistency builds trust, and hard work—done with heart—creates lasting results. Read More>>
Calvin Chennault
I would say my work ethic comes from my mom working non stop as a single mother raising two boys the best way she could. Read More>>
Timothy Gipson
I grew up with a father who always expected me to give my best no matter what i was doing. He use to say that no matter what we did we should give it our best and do it right. If you do it right the first time you don’t have to do it again, is what he would always say. Read More>>
Tushonda Boyd
I get my work ethic from my parents, grandparents, and even my great-grandparents. I was fortunate to be in my twenties when three of my great-grandparents passed away, which allowed me to witness firsthand how their values shaped their children—and how those lessons ultimately trickled down to me. Read More>>
Isaac Sanders
wanted to take a moment to share the inspiration that drives my work ethic. Throughout my journey, I have drawn significant motivation from two of my favorite basketball players, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. Their dedication, perseverance, and relentless pursuit of excellence have greatly influenced my approach to both personal and professional challenges. Read More>>
Roger Stolle
When I was 14, my Dad—who was a lifelong educator—asked me if I wanted to interview with a small carpet cleaning company that had a summer contract with the public school system. I wanted to save up to buy a car when I turned 16, so I said yes. Read More>>
Erika Davis
I believe I was just born with my goddess giving talent. Read More>>
Rachel Welland
I come from a long line of entrepreneurs: my grandpa, my parents, my aunt & uncle, my brother and sister-in-law… it’s in my DNA to work hard, work smart, be independent, and use my intrinsic skills to run a business. Read More>>
Jaiden Williams
I would say I get my work ethic from a mix of how I was raised and my own goals. I’ve always been taught to show up, stay consistent, and take pride in what I do, even when no one’s watching. Over time, that mindset stuck with me because I like seeing real results from my effort. Read More>>
Ian Tresselt
I grew up on a goldfish farm. The farm was a small family business in Frederick County, MD, started by my great-grandfather in 1929. It remains in the family today. Growing up, there was an expectation that I would work on the farm. In essence, I wasn’t working for something or someone — I was working inside something that mattered to my family. Read More>>
HEIDI SAUCEDA
I get my work ethic from a combination of my upbringing, my experiences as a mother, and my drive to create meaningful impact. Balancing motherhood, a full-time HR career, pursuing my MBA at Cal Poly Pomona, and running Sip & Grind has taught me discipline, persistence, and the value of showing up every day—even when it’s hard. Read More>>
Ceci Johnson
My work ethic comes directly from my parents. From a very young age, they taught me that if I wanted something, I had to earn it. Nothing was ever simply handed to me. One of my earliest lessons was learning the value of work through small but meaningful systems they created at home. Read More>>
Sahana Karthik
I would say that my work ethic is one of my most admirable qualities. It comes from a clear understanding and a strong dislike of a life I know I do not want to be living. Growing up as a young Indian woman, I saw how easily women like me can be pushed into domestic caregiving roles, often with financial dependence only on a man. Read More>>
Marc Morgan
I grew up in a family that wasn’t poor, but was definitely not handed anything. My grandparents were immigrants and had to work hard to make a lives for themselves. Both my parents worked, my father especially, and asking for things was not something I was accustomed to. Read More>>
Victor Manuel
Since I was young, my mother worked at least two jobs all the time. I watched her teach all ages of school, waitress at restaurants so she could bring her children leftovers, sell life insurance, auto parts, tupperware, and Mary Kay. I saw my mother consistently working every day to support us, and never stop once for a minute. Read More>>
Rugila Jones
I’ve had to rebuild my career more than once personally and professionally, and that taught me that consistency, follow-through, and adaptability aren’t optional. They’re how you move forward. I also grew up around people who worked hard without shortcuts, and that mindset stuck with me. Read More>>
Ally Weiss
I get my work ethic from a mix of my parents, necessity, curiosity, and ultimately motherhood. I grew up in a household where finishing what you start mattered. My parents taught us to follow through, keep our word, and take responsibility for the outcome. That idea was drilled in so deeply that, for a long time, it actually worked against me in some situations. Read More>>
Thomas Slosky
From obedience and discipline. From the belief that work, done faithfully and without complaint, is a form of prayer. From the duty to use one’s gifts fully, to labor with attention, humility, and constancy, and to leave the results to God. Read More>>
Melissa Daniels
I got my work ethic from my parents, which I feel like is a very common answer. But really, having a dad from Cuba, he came to the States to provide a better life for his future kids & that he did. My mom & him created a great childhood for my brother & I; we were spoiled rotten. My dad opened a successful construction business, which my mom helped him build. I began helping him with small tasks, like organizing receipts, at a young age. Read More>>
