Sometimes a key moment can make a world of difference in our lives. Those moments are deeply underrepresented in our conversations relative to the importance they play in our lives. We hope to begin to remedy that below.
Danielle Thornington
I grew up in a small, close-knit Canadian town where everyone seemed to think and live the same way. From a young age, I felt different—I didn’t quite “fit in,” and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to life than the status quo. Even as a kid, I felt a spark of potential and curiosity that needed space to grow. Read more>>
Nicole Rose
I wouldn’t say it was one defining moment. It was a collection of experiences over time that shaped how I see the world. Little lessons, big realizations, and quiet moments of truth. I became a lover of honesty. When you stop running from what is real and you accept it, even if it is bitter, it becomes powerful. Read more>>
Kimberly Sellars-Bates
A defining moment that shaped how I see the world happened early in my career, when I worked closely with a small community organization that had incredible passion but almost no resources. They had the heart, the vision, and the commitment—but they lacked the structure, support, and funding to bring their ideas to life. Read more>>
naama sarid
Inspired by David Bowie’s thought that ‘There is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time,’ I believe in the power of small, continuous moments to shape my life. This perspective helps me avoid waiting for a single grand event and focus more on the present. Read more>>
Taylor Varble
A moment that truly shaped how I see the world was losing both of my parents within months of each other. My father’s sudden passing was devastating on its own, but just four months later, we learned that my mother had a rare form of cancer. Walking through that level of grief so close together changed me completely. Read more>>
Shannon Pruitt
I’d always been a high-achiever, all-in kind of person—the kind who answered emails at 11 pm and thought rest was something you earned after burnout. But becoming a parent cracked that wide open. Suddenly, my time wasn’t just mine anymore. My energy had to be rationed. And the version of success I’d been chasing stopped making sense. Read more>>
Pia Fajelagutan
I must have been twelve or thirteen, sprawled on the living room carpet in our Abu Dhabi flat, when mom mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that she was meeting someone for coffee the next day. A woman she hadn’t seen in twenty-something years, flying in just for the afternoon. The name meant nothing to me. Read more>>
Shambi Imari Broome
My youngest daughter was about 6 or 7 years old, and she had a panic attack while we were volunteering in our ministry. I remember the chaos of trying to calm her down, stop her from screaming, hoping no one thought something horrible was happening, and possibly calling the police. When we got back inside our vehicle, I remember thinking, ‘Oh my goodness. Read more>>
Jose Vargas Zapata
One moment that really shaped how I see the world is when I realized the impact of kindness and compassion in someone’s life. Through my experiences as a chaplain and life coach, I’ve seen firsthand how a listening ear and a supportive presence can transform someone’s perspective and give them hope. Read more>>
00Luv
One of the moments that truly shaped how I see the world was when I started to recognize the difference between people and systems. I realized that life, business, art, relationships — they all operate through networks. Who you connect with, how you move, and the energy you protect determines everything. Read more>>
Charles West
I would love to share a actual personal story with you to be a kind of testimony of my resilience: On the last week of February 1998, a massive crowd gathered in the heart of Times Square. “FIVE!” screamed the throng. Times Square was blocked off to all traffic, because MTV Studios was on hand to film the unveiling of a huge new billboard. Read more>>
Kayln Bruington
Owning your own business can be challenging because there is no pleasing everyone and everyone has their own opinion of what is the right way to do something. When I first opened my business I fell into the trap of trying to be everything for everyone. But I quickly found that is not achievable. Read more>>
Weston Zimmerman
I grew up in PA, in a rural agricultural community. Hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps were normal to me. In my world view, opportunity was around every corner. I was taught that you got out of life what you put into it. Read more>>
Minami Matsumoto
In 2024, I walked the Ohenro pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan, an ancient Buddhist route connecting 88 temples. I walked about 12 to 18 miles daily for a week, and it became my favourite solo trip. Growing up in Singapore and living in Tokyo, I’d only experienced city life, so getting to see the quieter, countryside areas of Japan was very meaningful to me. Read more>>
Zurlia Servellon
The moment that shaped me the most wasn’t a single event, it was a season of my life. I spent months deep in the Brazilian Amazon, living with shamans and indigenous communities who see the world through an entirely different lens. Out there, surrounded by trees older than countries, listening to people who still hold the ancient memory of the earth, something in me realigned. Read more>>
April Pollock
One of the most defining moments in how I see the world came from the place where I began: growing up with a very real sense of scarcity. Money felt tight. I watched my family stretch every dollar, and I carried with me the belief that resources were limited, opportunities were few, and risk was too high. Read more>>
ILIA aka Leigh-Ann Edrich
When I was fifteen years old, the family got together for my cousin Donna’s birthday party. Donna turned sixteen years old. My Aunt Sue and Uncle Mike just renovated and made their house bigger. And Donna received her very own bedroom as her present!! I went to see Donna’s new room which she happily showed off. Read more>>
