Ideas aren’t everything, execution matters greatly, but starting often requires an idea and so we asked folks to think back and tell us the story of how they came up with the idea for their businesses. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite stories below.

Ali Kates | Certified Trauma Coach & Somatic Experience Practitioner (In-Training)

My husband and I lost 7 people close to us within a 2 year time span from cancer, an overdose, suicide and more. Each time I went to these funerals, I saw the difference between those that had the tools to cope with grief and trauma vs those that did not. I remember thinking, “there has to be more resources for people to cope and heal.” Fast-forward four years and my own physical health had crashed and burned. I sat in an IV room for 9.5 months, Read more>>

Michael Derry | Graphic Artist

I was in a bit of a career slump. I wanted to do something different. Something unique that could be a signature style and get me a bit of attention. I had been working as a corporate graphic designer and art director on other peoples’ projects for a long time so my portfolio was a big mix of a lot of things. Read more>>

Jess McDonald | Co-Founder of The Fertility Collective

I was experiencing unexplained infertility when trying for my first child and sought out Julia for energetic support. I think I was just hoping for some stress reduction or maybe I was willing to try anything because I had the feeling that nothing was working. Read more>>

Jennifer Morgan | Clinical Psychologist

As a mental health professional, I recognized a need of more children’s mental health books that are diverse in nature and fun to read. I’ve always enjoyed writing poems or short stories that rhyme since I was younger; so after completing graduate school, I decided to use my interest in writing to create stories that focus on teaching kids about mental health and coping skills. Read more>>