Where you grew up and your background can often have surprising effects on our lives and careers. We’ve asked folks from the community to tell us about how their background has affected them.

Shane Heath | Founder & CEO of MUD\WTR

I was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. It’s a pretty weird surf town. A lot of hippies and progressive ideas come out of there. Some big brands in tech and action sports are born and raised there, too. Geographically, it’s very unique. It is a place where you can be in the ocean surfing and then go a mile inland and hike or bike in a vast redwood forest. Read more>>

Ashley Berry | Author & Entrepreneur

I am from the very small town Carson, North Dakota. Growing up in a small town had it’s advantages, I mean who doesn’t love being able to get across town in two minutes, feeling safe, the peace and quiet. But with small comes with not very many opportunities, or new places to explore to find out who you really are. It made it challenging to find what I was passionate about. Some of the things I’ve achieved to this day, felt a world away when I was little. Read more>>

Nitya Kirat | Sales Trainer, Coach, & Consultant

People say I have an interesting upbringing, which may be true, but my take is that we really don’t control where/how we’re brought up until we get to college age and move out. But I’m grateful for mine. Read more>>

Rose Galvis | Actress, Model, Fashion designer & Content creator

I was born in Cali, Colombia, a city brimming with colors and culture, dance and tradition, overflowing with passion and flavor. I feel that all of this is etched onto my skin and defines who I am as an artist and as a woman. As an only child, I also carry the blend of individuality and tranquility when I am with myself. Growing up, I immersed myself in all the artistic showcases at school, participating in folkloric dance, where I consistently found the same characteristics of rich flavor and love for life. I believe that all of that is present in who I am today as a person and an artist, and it permeates every one of my performances, each approached from a different perspective, seizing every moment to fully embody the character. Read more>>

April Davis | Creative Director & Producer

I was born and raised in the Philippines. As a kid, I always had a keen interest in style, visual arts, and fashion. I used to save all my allowance just to buy fashion magazines and tear out pages featuring designers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Guess, and Obsession. I would collect them in binders and study them deeply, immersing myself in the images and imagining the backstory behind each photograph. It was an experience that tantalized all my senses. Back then, I was unsure about what I wanted to study in college. I knew I wanted to be involved in fashion, but not as a clothing designer. Eventually, I pursued Fine Arts and majored in industrial design and later switched to visual communications. Looking back, my confusion seems justified because what I do today simply didn’t exist then. Read more>>

Marc Hoberman | Educator, Best-Selling Author and Motivational Speaker / Trainer and Talk Show Host

I am from Yonkers, New York originally. At the age of 16 1/2, when we moved to Florida, I had a grand mal seizure behind the wheel of my 1977 Mustang. I have not become the man I am in spite of my illness; rather, I have become the man that I am BECAUSE of my illness. Read more>>