Over the past decade we have had the chance to learn about so many incredible folks from a wide range of industries and backgrounds and our highlighter series is designed to give us an opportunity to go deeper into their stories with to goal of understanding them, their thought process, how their values formed and the foundations of their stories. Check out some incredible folks below – many of whom you may have read about already and a few new names as well.
Thomas Bender
There hasn’t been a single day in the past five years—since my wife passed—that I haven’t thought about giving up. Not in a dramatic way, but in the quiet moments: wanting to throw my hands up, walk away from everything, and slip back under the covers. Read more>>
Austin Whitney
The biggest fear I had was failing Infront of an audience. I remember two instances growing up that I can specifically remember being told that I could not sing. I sang fine in a choir with other people, but when I tried to sing on my own with my guitar, two close friends of mine told me I wasn’t a good singer. Read more>>
Alyssa Ramirez
There was a point where I almost walked away from doing tooth gems. Dealing with rude and disrespectful clients started to take a toll on me, and I questioned whether it was all worth it. Read more>>
EJ Sarà
There are definitely times when I felt like giving up, because I was putting in so much work and not seeing any results, but I don’t think I could have ever truly given up, because God has put so much of a drive inside of me for the last several years, and now that I see the success, I’m definitely not slowing down. Read more>>
Dana Klein
I would tell my younger self that it’s okay to be quiet and different — those are actually your strengths. Being quiet will teach you to listen deeply, to notice details others might miss, and to connect with people in a more meaningful way. Read more>>
Michael Carter
This might be a hot take, but I changed my mind about setting rigid goals. I used to map out highly specific, measurable goals and track my progress closely. But after a year that felt defeating and completely draining, I realized that approach wasn’t working for me. Read more>>
Mariah Maynes
After my college graduation, I made a big, difficult decision to pause my pursuit of a music career. I’d grown severely burnt out trying to function as a one-woman independent record label and knew I couldn’t sustain it forever. Read more>>
Des Loveless
When everything feels heavy, you start to appreciate even the smallest moments of peace and kindness. It also built my work ethic—because pushing through hard times showed me that real growth doesn’t come from things being easy, it comes from showing up, staying disciplined, and refusing to quit. Read more>>
Melanie Webb
When I was a little girl I was shy, loved to read books, run outside, create little businesses while daydreaming in my closet, and collect insects. I was also athletically gifted, so once I started playing coach pitch baseball at 8 years old, there was no turning back from a life in sports. Read more>>
Nate Webb
Like I mentioned before, I got bullied relentlessly as a kid. I got stabbed, beat up, thrown in trash cans, stuffed in lockers, and was even pinned down my my football teammates so the popular bullies could take turns kicking me in the groin. Read more>>
Marcus Chambers
I have never been a fan of losing; in fact, I absolutely hate it. I dislike the feeling of wondering if I could have done more, prepared better, or what went wrong. Each loss teaches me valuable lessons about what to do differently next time. Read more>>
Britt
The fear of not being good enough has held me back the most; in relationships, in my art, and in many other parts of my life. For a long time, I believed my worth was tied to how others perceived me and how they measured my success. Read more>>
Polina Shchennikova
The fear of failing. There were so many times I wouldn’t even start something because I was scared I’d mess it up. I thought failing meant I wasn’t good enough, so instead, I played it safe. But eventually, I realized that failure is just a mindset. Read more>>
Eric Jara
When I was 12, my little brother was born with a heart problem. About a week or two after he was born, he had his first surgery. And bout a week later, he passed away. “Success” could never teach me that life is short, and I should make every second of my life count. Read more>>
Milo Grave
I’ve recently had to face the reality that I will never be a morally perfect being, none of us will. I face a lot of guilt over the fact that I need to participate in a corrupt system in order to survive. Read more>>
Jaxon Dansie
A normal day now I guess would consist of rally cars more then anything. I’ve recently achieved a lifelong dream of working for Block House Racing – the family of Ken Block, and it has completely leveled up my career and what I shoot today. Read more>>
