We’ve always believed that forming a strategy is impossible until you’re clear on what your values and principles are. Without values and principles to guide you, making decisions can seem impossibly difficult. Given how important setting values and principles is to decision making we asked folks we admire to tell us about the values or principles that matter most to them.

Monica Ramil | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Owner of Monica Ramil Therapy, Inc.

Honesty is one of my top values. I grew up in a Filipino household where it was an unspoken agreement that we did not talk about certain things, including things that so desperately needed to be talked about in order to be healed. On the one hand, I can understand the desire to keep the peace, especially in a collectivist culture. However, I’ve also seen firsthand that holding back one’s true feelings and not addressing important things can and does lead to unmet needs, resentment, contention, and even conflict, which in turn, makes being in relationship to each other that much harder. Read more>>

Kate Talcott | Artist & Business Owner

Community is the driving force in all that I do. I’ve worn a lot of hats throughout my life–teacher, librarian, mom, and now artist and business owner. In each of those ventures, creating a sense of community is what lights me on fire. I was always the kid who was trying to get clubs together on our neighborhood block, or hosting a friendship bracelet seminar under the slides at recess so we could all more fully celebrate our friendships. Read more>>

Abby Fenwick | Artist & Dancer

Staying true to your morals and what you believe in. I was born and raised in Indiana which is the total opposite of Los Angeles, California, when I first moved here I felt like I was thrown into an entirely different world, which I was. The way people dress, talk, act was something I hadn’t really seen before. I’m all for people doing whatever they want to do as long it makes them happy, but that doesn’t change the fact that it can be taken too far too fast. It’s very easy to get swept up with the wrong crowd so it’s very important for me to stay true to who I am. Read more>>

Jazmine Rose Antico | Dancer & Owner of The Feel

Helping people. I’m healing from an injury so I took a break from teaching dance, however I love that I am able to help people feel and look their best, or find that perfect gift for someone through my store. I’m also proud to say that The Feel is able to donate to the Innocence Project and Last Prisoner Project, in an effort to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. Last but not least, I always go to my friends first. I’m blessed to have such incredible artists, models, photographers, etc. in my life, so working with them is a dream come true. When everyone is able to do what they love, we all win. Every decision is always rooted in love and being mindful of how much good can be done. Read more>>

Nicolás Saltos | Visual Development Artist

A principle that matters the most to me is turning the negative into something positive. I often try to apply this on a daily basis by using whatever is bringing me down (such as anxiety or depression) to create something new. Doing so helps a lot as I use my art mostly as a venting method for my feelings. Read more>>

Call me 4 | 4THEWOLVES

I think Healing is the greatest tool, I heard once; Grief is only a reflection of love and I couldn’t hurt this much if I didn’t love this much and everyday I set an intention for every step I make which is in love. Whether its in music or going to the store I do it with love and an open mind. Read more>>