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.
Dustin Kott
A moment that really shaped my understanding of the world happened on a motorcycle as I was riding across the country in 2006. I decided to ride from Los Angeles to New York City and back. It was a five month journey in total. I learned tremendous resilience in the face of adverse weather, mechanical problems and low monetary funds. Read more>>
Leah Spencer
I wouldn’t say it’s just one moment. But the realizations of knowing you have the power to bring your dreams to waking life. I never thought I would be a jewelry artist. I went to college for something entirely different and ended up meeting creative groups of people along the way that inspired me to take a path less traveled. Read more>>
Christina Liedtke
I don’t think there’s one defining moment—it’s been a layering of many. Each experience, big or small, has shaped how I see the world. The common threads that connect them are creativity, presence, and the power of emotional resonance through storytelling. Read more>>
Jordan Howard
One moment that transformed how I see the world was my move to New York City. Over three years ago, I made the move from California after being back home for a few months after graduating from the University of Virginia. Read more>>
Jolly Gonos
For nearly a decade I was in and out of hospitals and doctors following my return from my second deployment in the military. I experienced chronic severe and debilitating gastrointestinal problems but specialist after specialist couldn’t come up with an answer as to what I was experiencing. Read more>>
Lalit Kumar
A moment that really shaped how I see the world happened on a hike years ago — standing at sunrise over Yosemite Valley. The first light spilled over the granite walls, slow and deliberate, and everything—my breath, the wind, even thought—paused. It was humbling and electric at once. That moment taught me that the world doesn’t need to be conquered or explained, just witnessed. Read more>>
Casey Johnson
The moment my son Thomas was born — and then shortly after, his brother — completely changed how I see the world. From that day forward, I knew I had to step up, be better, and set an example. Read more>>
Tannen Fair
This is a heavy one, I can think of a few instances but for the sake of brevity I will say taking the leap and doing art full time was massive. I’ve always been a nose to the grind wheel/work hard kind of person. Read more>>
Jessica Erin
A great moment for me would be when I was across the world and in a place, I have never been, where many would be scared, unfamiliar, worried, concerned or missing home, where I felt right at home and learning that culture of that place. I never wanted to leave! Read more>>
Mark Ainley
Moving from my hometown of Montreal to Tokyo in September 1992 completely turned my reality upside down. Even though my older sister and a few friends were already living there – which certainly made the transition easier – I wasn’t prepared for how profoundly it would shift not just how I lived, but how I saw the world. Read more>>
Deidra McNish-Brown
The Covid-19 pandemic definitely changed me and how I move through this world. So much happened during this time and each of my worlds collided in ways I never imagined. I was being pulled in so many directions and I was exhausted. My grandfather died (in Jamaica) the day that the lockdowns were announced. Read more>>
Tawd Dorenfeld
Long story, short. As a Junior in high school, I suggested to my Drama class that we do Heathers as a play; 1991. Winona Ryder had gone to our high school for a short time, yet we all knew it very well. The class and teacher Mr. Liroff agreed and we began preparing to put on the show. Read more>>
Gale Jefford
In 2023 I met a great couple Craige And Kimberly LeBreton. They had purchased a puppy from me and named her Rosie. Unfortunately, shortly after that, Craige was diagnosed with stage four cancer. This is what he had to say before he passed away. “Thank you Gale for the gift of time with my new pal Rosie. She is so smart and loving. Read more>>
Francesca Sakai
One moment that really shaped how I see the world was realizing that creativity and healing can come from the same place. When I shifted from being a pastry chef to creating natural skincare, I discovered that the same care and intention that goes into baking something beautiful can also go into crafting something that nurtures the skin and spirit. Read more>>
Karine Gulyamova
Being a refugee, starting over in a new country and culture helped me learnt a few important life lessons. Through travels and while learning and adapting to a new culture in a new country I learned a few important lessons: appreciation of little things, humility, patience, and most importantly the fact that all humans strive to be happy, heard and validated. Read more>>
Michael Shipper
Being diagnosed with a learning disability at the age of five changed the course of my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined at the time. Leaving a mainstream program and attending Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, Connecticut was the turning point. It was there that I began to understand that learning differently didn’t mean learning less — it meant finding new ways to succeed. Read more>>
Rochelle Ratkaj Moser
A few years ago, a client reached out asking if we could help make their materials more accessible. It was one of those moments that stopped me in my tracks — not because we couldn’t do it, but because I realized how rarely that request actually came up. Read more>>
Terrilynn Dubreuil
I started traveling at the age of 17. One week after high school graduation I found myself in the very different country of Ecuador in South America. I went there not speaking the language nor did I have any idea about what the cultural and social norms were. And no one really prepared me for it, either. Read more>>
Chandler McLellan
I cant say that any one moment did this for me. I can say that a collection of similar moments have cemented the way I feel about life from an early stage. Like so many people I came up with very little. Resourcefulness and creativity was how I was going to get what I wanted as a kid and for my entire life. Read more>>
Bill Terry
There are several moments, circumstances, that have shaped my worldview. However, I must name two because they are both definitive of who I am and would become. Early on in my married life my wife made me aware that I had a drinking problem. It was true. Read more>>
Malke Asaad
One of the most defining moments for me was when I first came to the United States to pursue my medical training. Leaving my home country and starting over in a completely different environment was both humbling and transformative. I had to adapt quickly, not just academically, but culturally and personally. I saw firsthand how opportunity and hard work can truly redefine your path. Read more>>
Dan Policar
During one of my first rehearsals in Jamaica, I watched a bandmate take their single portion of food and share it among everyone who was hungry. Coming from a different background, I had never experienced anything like that before, it showed me what true community looks like. Read more>>
Stephanie Metzger
While studying community development, I went to work with missionaries in Costa Rica. I was primarily teaching in a school that was reconstructed after an earthquake, and it was there that I was introduced to a book called ‘When Helping Hurts’. Read more>>
