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.
Julia Ahrens
Weird! I think the world tries to streamline us and I’ve always been a little different. I like to beat to my own drum and create what I feel is needed in my heart. Miakoda allows me to do that. And I recently started designing and doing art again outside of Miakoda which has been so rewarding. Read more>>
Simona Rodano
Before the world tried to define me, I was a curious scientist, a biologist fascinated by how life works. At the same time, I was a singer who couldn’t resist the call of music and performance whenever I had the chance. Read more>>
Amin Darabi
Since childhood, I’ve been good at drawing, and even then, I dreamed of becoming a great painter one day. Of course, there’s still a long way to go before I reach the goals and dreams I had as a child. But along the way, I realized one important thing—I truly love art. Read more>>
Rebecca Heidt-Stitt
I was a child who at dry cereal without milk, thought a piggy bank of pennies were enough to live off of, and when I was bored I’d cut grass with scissors or make a bow and arrow out of twigs. Read more>>
icon303
The truth is that I have always been myself. It was the world that kept trying to convince me that I was not allowed to be. I grew up in a family that did not understand art or creativity, where the idea of being expressive was seen as weakness. Read more>>
Cheryl A. Patella, M.S., Medical Fitness Specialist, Master Health Coach and Published Author
I’ll be honest — I started out being exactly who the world told me to be. But today, I’m free to be who God created me to be. A few experiences when I was younger chipped away at my confidence, and for a long time, I tried to live up to everyone else’s expectations. Read more>>
Nick Heyward
I want to spin that and tell you who I became after the world told me who I had to be. The world told me I should be ashamed of my failed relationships and the numerous times I shared my life only to fall short of my dreams. The world said I was a failure and should commit suicide because I never get it right. Read more>>
Lisa Chastain
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a barefoot, big-dreaming girl who believed life was supposed to feel joyful, safe, and full of possibility. I trusted myself. I played. I created. Read more>>
Devon Settembrini
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a kid dragging my friends into made-up productions — setting the scene, directing the chaos, making sure everyone had a role and the vibe was just right. I didn’t know it was “event planning”; I just knew I loved creating experiences that made people feel something. Read more>>
Leah Forney
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was fearless. Little girl Leah was a risk-taker who dreamed big and refused to play it safe. She would jump off swings at high speed, leap from monkey bars, and embrace experiences that built her courage and boldness. Read more>>
Eppie Bailey
That’s an interesting question to me, in that the phrase “before the world told you who you had to be” makes me wonder, was the world wrong? As a child I was an observer. I am still more apt to watch from a safe distance, the things happening in the world. Due to the way my mind works, I tend to feel a perpetual disconnect. Read more>>
Dina Perlasca
I was always a wild child. I deeply enjoyed nature, logic, and being connected to my humanity and spiritual connection with the natural world. I was born an artist, and I was always translating the world and recreating it through drawings, paintings, little sculptures, poems, and songs. I was born with very different beliefs and values from the rest of my very traditional Mexican family. Read more>>
Felicia Keller Boyle
I knew I wanted to be a therapist since age 13. I was keenly aware of how much suffering there was in the world and thought if people could be helped and supported sooner rather than later, the world would be a better place. I started out working in non profits and with folks dealing with substance addiction. Read more>>
BÉBÉ
I was born and raised in Haiti, and for a long time, dreaming didn’t feel like an option — survival did. Life wasn’t easy, but I learned early how to find light even in hard places. I didn’t have much, but I had faith, imagination, and a quiet knowing that there was more waiting for me. Read more>>
Eri Maeda
Before the world told me who to be, I was a quiet observer, fascinated by the odd and imperfect. I tried to be a good girl, following every expectation placed on me, but I was secretly drawn to those who lived against the rules. I admired people who shaped their own paths and created their own boundaries. Read more>>
Yo Beez (Off Gucci) (Big Gucci El Chapo)
I was and still’ am, my true authentic self. A true stand out from the rest, I’ve always been this way. And me trying to fit in, literally never worked out, It was always very uncomfortable to me, I’am a rare well dressed individual, as you can see in my photos. And the best thing about is that, I really don’t care what other’s think. Read more>>
Ixchel Valiente
At the core, I still am what I was, which is a person with an overactive imagination. I try to be that, uninhibited, as much as I can. Everything I do is work towards being and preserving that. Read more>>
Lisa Kay Kovilic
I’m an artist. School never came easy to me, but art class was where I thrived. I loved everything about it. I was told at a young age that art is a ‘nice hobby’ and not a profession. After years in the corporate world I finally found a career that is creative, artistic, helps others and pays my bills – it’s a dream come true! Read more>>
Dilayla Mena Adriano
I was going to school to be a nurse and that ended up not working out . I finished most of my prerequisites but I decided it was personally to hard for me to work and go to school full time on top of taking really hard classes ! Read more>>
Dion’e Ka’eo
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a barefoot island child who believed love could heal anything. I was curious, creative, and deeply connected to spirit, nature, and rhythm, dancing Hula before I could even speak in full sentences, singing to the ocean like it was my first audience. Read more>>
Olivia Garretson
I was messy and loud in the best way. I had no fear of what anyone thought. I would talk to every person who was within 10 feet of me. and for those 20ft away? Well, that’s why I had feet that moved. Read more>>
Tona Michelle
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was this fearless creative who just made things happen. I was the kid who put together dance groups in the neighborhood, strutted down makeshift runways, performed in talent shows, cheered on the sidelines, and spent hours designing outfits for my dolls. I didn’t need permission to create—I just did it. Read more>>
Adam Peters
I joined the military young, so for most of my life I was exactly who the world told me to be. The uniform defined everything—how I talked, thought, and moved. My challenge came after the military, when there was no longer a script. That’s when I had to figure out who I actually was without the rank, the mission, or the external structure.+ Read more>>
Alycia Ripley
‘
The world and my external environment had very little say in anything I did. I’m not sure if that’s normal, or even a good thing or a strange one. I’ve always been the same person. I heard the same inner voice and mind and it was echoing within a very small child’s body. Read more>>
Whit Devereaux
Before – creative, inquisitive, comical, an independent thinker, with a bold imagination as a younger person. Afterwards there was a period where I shrank and conformed to the expectations of others. Now I’m back to me – the woman God created me to be. Read more>>
