We have had the good fortunate of connecting with Nobel Laureates, titans of industry, rockstars and rising stars across dozens of industries and we have always found their stories about who they were early on to be most fascinating. Below, you’ll find members of the community sharing their responses to this key aspect of their stories.
Sarah Hill
I wouldn’t say the world told me who I had to be, I believe God had a plan for me all along. Growing up, I went to school so I could play sports. That was my motivation. I wasn’t interested in what I was learning as much as I was in staying eligible to play basketball and softball. Read More>>
Tiffany Washington
I can still strongly recall the moment in which I first felt so inspired and so awestruck over something that I knew I had to make it a part of my life. I didn’t grow up in a household where the expectation was that I needed to be a doctor or a lawyer. Read More>>
Jônelle
I am the same person, I’ve just learned to love myself better in spite of what others think. my time here is about me and no one else Read More>>
Cat Willett
I was an unapologetic weirdo who would rather make something with my hands than fit in, and I think I’m still that person when you peel the layers back. Read More>>
Jenn Miranda
Funny enough, I was a designer. lol on the computer at that!! I was fortunate enough to have a computer in my room and never a TV. I was always designing on WORD ART? Do you remember Word clip art? lol that was my first design space. Then Roller Coaster Tycoon came out and Sims? Read More>>
Candance Klier
Another beautiful and great question. I was an artist, a dreamer, a creator. As early as I can remember I was always crafting, always outside in nature, always running off into the woods to build a fort or create an image our of leaves on the ground and sticks. I loved film as a child and had so many disposable cameras. Read More>>
Kayla Jones
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a curious, outgoing little girl who loved to entertain, use her imagination, and lift others’ spirits. I was the big sister who wanted to nurture and inspire, the hopeless romantic who believed in love stories, and the creative soul who would spend hours playing with makeup, fashion, and a camera. Read More>>
Darryl Bourgeois
When I was young I always believed in treating others for who they were “inside” & not for who they were on the outside. How they look isn’t what made me like them more it was the inner beauty attracted me to others. Read More>>
James Hunt
I’ve always just been an artist. The world never really told me I had to be anything else, or if it did, I never listened. Read More>>
Carmem Gusmao
I was a very energetic child that believed that I could change the world , I was a dreamer and loved art since my first memories.i was very giving person with hard time to say no. I couldn’t change the world But today I understand that I contribute a lot . Read More>>
Chris Romer
I was (and in many ways still am) a walking contradiction. I recall attending a Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates game as a young child growing up in Chicago; I was wearing a Cubs t-shirt and a Pirates hat, and our seats were directly behind the visitors’ dugout. Read More>>
Chuck Copeland
In high school I thought I wanted to be a pilot. I was in the Royal Canadian Air Cadet’s where I got a glider and private pilot license. 9/11 happened my senior year and the airline industry collapsed. I had glasses, so the military wasn’t an option. Read More>>
Barbara Bullard
When I was little, I’d often find myself tucked away in the den, solo, while my siblings were off doing their thing and my parents were busy around the house. I’d sit in front of the TV—not to be entertained, but to dissect the stories, wondering how they could be told better. Read More>>
Shayna Norwood
I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, paved my own way, and gone against the grain. If the world ever told me who I had to be, I certainly wasn’t listening or paying attention. I’ve always been me, and I’ve never been good at pretending to be anything other than that. Read More>>
Kevin Spencer
I was a child filled with boundless curiosity, someone who saw the world as a place of possibility rather than limitation. My imagination set no boundaries—I dreamed big, asked endless questions, and believed creativity could take me anywhere. But as I grew, the world began to press its mold upon me. Schools, workplaces, and even well-meaning people often valued compliance over curiosity, order over imagination. Read More>>
Jessica Kameko Rooks
Before I started my brand Travel with Meko, I was a young mom at 18, constantly being told that my life was over after having kids. I almost believed it, that the fun was done, that traveling, working, and chasing my goals was no longer possible for me. Read More>>
Wendy Costa
As a kid I was very involved with my imagination and my spiritual center. Read More>>
Christopher Young
I find this question so interesting because I have made it a practice of mine to push back against being who I am and in order to do that, I had to acknowledge that the world was telling me, constantly, who it believed I was/needed me to be. Read More>>
Becca White
I was an embodied, goofy, funky, bold, creative child who played often and was comfortably lost in my own internal world much of the time. I was very good at playing with peers as much as I was good at playing alone. Read More>>
Damien Raye
I was actually always this, a musician! I have been headbanging to heavy metal since I was a baby & I told my parents I wanna be a singer when I was just 2 years old. Read More>>
Tanisha D. Davis
Before the world told me who to be, I was a pure and innocent light…full of dreams, curiosity, and endless aspirations, unshaken by limits or expectations. Read More>>
Ahmaine Canada
I was someone who necessarily wasn’t lost, but was conformed to the world, and I looked up to a lot of brokenness and entertainment, that blinded me to see the beautiful soul that I am. Read More>>
Yayi Dia
Who I was before the world told me who I had to be is exactly who I am ‘re-discovering’ in this present moment. I was frankly just a girl. A girl with flowing streams of consciousness (and therefore, an ever flowing conversationalist). A girl with all the all over the place ideas and a laugh that fills the room. Read More>>
Takiyah Williams
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was curious, fearless, and full of big dreams. I didn’t worry about fitting into boxes or following someone else’s path — I was guided by what lit me up inside. I created just for the joy of it, believed anything was possible, and embraced every part of myself without second-guessing. Read More>>
Amanda Kacperowski
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was shy, a bit of a yes-person, and always trying to be the overachiever. I didn’t handle constructive criticism well and used to feel proud when I was given more work instead of a raise. Fast forward to now, I’ve definitely grown out of my shell. Read More>>
Melissa Maschek
Who was I before the world told me who I had to be? Honestly, not all that different from who I am now—just a little messier and covered in glitter. As a kid, I was always drawn to art and animals. I’d spend hours making crafts from my giant “Barney Bag” (yes, the purple dinosaur one!) and befriending every forest creature I could find. Read More>>
Devonte Cozart
Brave, Motivated and a true born Leader. Leading with integrity has always been who I am at my core. Moving the best to my own drum and most importantly being myself. Read More>>
Daria Konoverska
I was a curious, fearless dreamer — creating, singing, and imagining life without limits, before anyone tried to define me. Read More>>
John Sanders
Before being a serial entrepreneur and a righteous godful person I was doing illegal things that I’m not always proud of . Me constantly getting in trouble with the law and seeing things i didn’t want to see made me say fuck it and change my life around early. Read More>>
Margot Rodriguez
I’ve always considered myself fortunate in that I never felt the need to conform to what the world expected of me. Instead, I’ve consistently chosen to follow my own path, dancing to the beat of my own drum. Read More>>
Varand Toros-Adami
The world, and by that I mean most people I ever interacted with throughout my life at different continents, told me NOT to be a musician. Because there is no future, no income, and the usual negative thoughts and beliefs. Read More>>
Isis Kenney
Before the world tried to define me, I was simply Isis—rooted in the strong identity my parents instilled in me. I was always drawn to art, always creating, but I didn’t yet understand where I belonged within it. I struggled to see how my voice fit into the larger picture. It took time, growth, and challenges to truly find my place. Read More>>
Ceara Lockett
From a young age, I’ve carried an unshakable drive, resiliency, and ambition—I just didn’t always know where it would lead me. I’ve always been headstrong, with a clear mind of my own, rarely swayed by outside influence. When I commit to something, I see it through—quietly, humbly, and with determination. Read More>>
Leanna Price
Before I understood life, it was embedded that I was a struggling teen mother who came from a broken family that had no choice but to work multiple jobs, rely on government assistance to survive, along with no parental support. My father went to prison back in 1994, currently still there, and my mother became completely absent in my adolescent years around age 10. Read More>>
Joseph Aul
I’m still the same person. I stay rooted in my true identity as a son of God. I struggle with it at times, like anyone, but my faith and family are what keep me grounded and that keeps me consistent and happy. Read More>>
Preaundrea Franklin
This is a deep one! Before the world told me who I needed to be, I was a curious, creative kid who loved to sing, tell stories, and dream big. I wasn’t thinking about being the best or being “successful”, I just knew that music moved me and that performing made me feel alive. Read More>>
Dwayne Hewitt
Honestly I was just some random person from the Bronx trying to get my name out there by any means. People told me I should to entertainment so I did YouTube and vine but at a certain point my line changed for me when I started working a clothing store. Read More>>
