We’ve always believed that forming a strategy is impossible until your 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.

Sheryl Boltz | Guide, Intuitive Healer and Energy Worker

The most important value I hold at all times is being of service to those that wish to solicit my assistance in the processing of bringing their best life forward. It is an honor to work with people that wish to better themselves and deepen the quality that they experience in all aspects of their human experience. My focus is upon how I may best support and direct them towards a fulfilled and joyous life. “When one is healed, we are all healed.”, is what I often hear when I am in connection to my higher self and source energy. We are all connected in a beautiful experience of the human condition. Within the healing of one, it is then reflected on all that may come into contact with that now elevated person. We came here to have a collective human experience and what is better than impacting others than in a positive manner. Read more>>

Lauren Grabois Fischer | Children’s Book Author, Elementary Educator

As a mom, teacher, and children’s book author, my values have been a huge part of why I’ve chosen to share my words with the world. I have always been a dreamer. I believe in the good in people and dream for a kind world for everyone. After becoming a mom, I decided that I wanted to combine my passion for writing with my passion for making the world a better place for all children to grow up in. I started my company “The Be Books” in hopes of teaching children (and their parents) to “be kind, be respectful, be accepting, be brave, be grateful, be you.” I currently have seven published books that all empower and inspire children to be the good in the world. I was raised to be kind to every living being. I was raised to respect others and work hard for what you want. I was raised to contribute to the positive energy in this world. Through my books, I am able to contribute in a positive way to our present and our future. What matters most to me? That people are able to be themselves and be happy and welcomed by all. That my children and all children can grow up in a world that welcomes diversity and believes in love. Read more>>

Britney Foster and Dr. Troya L. Ellis: C0-founders of Trajectory of Hope

Legacy. We are our ancestor’s wildest dream because we are Black woman who lead. Our leadership is rooted in the unrealized dreams of the Black women who came before us. We are servant leaders – We give our time, love and spirit freely for the liberation of Black people. As the CEO of Trajectory of Hope, we hold space for our team to collectively grieve the public murder of George Floyd, while propelling the work forward. In the midst of personal and public turmoil, we tapped into the strength of our ancestors and collective power of our team to grow our business from one to five partnerships. Trajectory of Hope was designed by Black women for Black families and we lead in service of them and for the next generation of Black women. Read more>>

Aura E. Martinez Self-Discovery & Empowerment Coach

Although there are many things that I value, there is one above all that I value most and that is my connection with myself. This may seem like a selfish value, but it’s quite the opposite. I know that when I am good, understood, heard and seen by me, everything else around me will be good. Everything else will be good because I am grounded in myself. What this grounding does is that it allows me to connect with my higher self, which knows the way to everything. I am able to listen to the truth of my being rather than the layers that many times cover our true essence. When we fail to have a healthy connection and knowing of ourselves, no relationship can be right, no goal can truly be achieved from a healthy place, no drastic and long-lasting change can truly take place, and there is no magic in our life. Because I know that absolutely everything stems from me, including that which I may not like in my life, I value always my connection with myself and this is why I teach this through my work as a Self-Discovery & Empowerment Coach. Read more>>

Sarah Tromley | Singer/Recording Artist

When I think of what matters most to me, I think of AUTHENTICITY. Being able to express myself in the most vulnerable and transparent way possible really allows me to be the artist and human that I intend to show up as each day. My scars are my stripes, and that’s important to me. I’ve had to learn that openness and being genuine with one’s self isn’t always received by others. It can be taken advantage of or twisted to someone else’s desires. I’m discovering ways to release myself from those chains of shame, guilt and comparison. It hasn’t been easy and I’m still a work in progress, but I do find space to celebrate MYSELF. In an industry where words aren’t always reliable, nor are some people, I’m learning to create a balance and a level of empathy that doesn’t allow me to completely fall apart when someone fails me. Read more>>

Ashley Harris | Producer and Co-host of Loveology Podcast

Showing love to myself and others is one of the most important things to me. Simply put, we all need love. Read more>>

Marcela Tapiero | Founder of Your Dreamwall

At Your Dreamwall our core principle when we first developed this concept was to make sure our foundation was putting God first. That next step was taking massive action with everything that comes with leadership, creativity, and different marketing strategies to develop a global community. We believe when you grow anything in life you must have a strong foundation. With a strong foundation, it can never collapse, be destroyed, or be duplicated. We believe this is one of the main reasons why right now in this season we are being able to reach others not only locally but globally. Read more>>

Devin Roscillo | Founder of Beyond BOLD, Self-Expression & Alignment Coach

Authenticity, hands down. When I was 10 years old, I struggled with mental health and had to start taking daily medication. It made me feel so different from the rest of the kids. “Devin Roscillo, you’re needed in the nurse’s office, Devin Roscillo, to the nurses office,” I’d hear over the school intercom at 11:00 AM every single day. Can you imagine how uncomfortable that is for a 10-year-old (up until the middle of high school) to be pulled from class to go take her midday meds? Talk about feeling weird and different when I’d stand from my desk while all my peers’ heads turned to me with the same looks of judgement. Being “different” bears an entirely opposite meaning to a 10-year-old kid who just wants to feel like “one of the cool kids” than it does to an adult, who can wear that label with pride as a uniqueness. Being my true self became extremely hard for me after those repetitive experiences. Read more>>

Vito Glazers | Media Entrepreneur

Free Speech is the principle I value the most. To paraphrase Voltaire, I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend your right to say it. No society has ever censored itself into prosperity. Free Speech is the driver of challenging conversations that create growth. Read more>

Shasta McBride | Artist

The value and principle that matters most to me is the vulnerable conversation of honesty that humanity is having with itself right now. I see the healing possible with this confession on the individual and collective level and think that it is only through this process that humanity finds peace with itself. When one becomes unarmored and is able to come into balance with themselves–to accept who they are–then there is peace. This may look like writing a story alone in a room, or painting in the woods, or swimming in the ocean enjoying the waves with your family, but the feeling is the feeling of peace within yourself because you’ve looked “it” in the eye, whatever it is, and come to peace with it. Honesty is the deepest form of intimacy. Read more>>

Nisey Rashad | Entertainer

Communication is really important to me. If I can’t talk to you then it’s really just a waste of time. Read more>>

Daria Mason | Fashion Designer

I value showing up as myself authentically in whatever I do regardless of whether it fits the mold of who society wants me to be or not. Showing up as myself authentically to me means not hiding my true identity from the world & choosing to pursue my own personal goals regardless of whether the people around me have the same goals as me or not. It means choosing to wear my hair however feels best to me & not feeling obligated to wear makeup if I don’t want to. It means wearing an outfit because I think it’s cute; not because it’s currently trendy. It means me going after what I desire. I’m all about feeling comfortable in my own skin & I’ve never really been afraid to stand out. I’m also confident in my fashion sense and appearance for the most part. Read more>>

Rachel O’Callaghan | Business Owner and Barista Extraordinaire

What matters most to me is staying true to myself. When I graduated college right before the pandemic hit I began applying for jobs in the environmental science field. I didn’t really have a concrete idea of what I wanted to do beyond that I wanted to be involved some way in fighting climate change and environmental sustainability. As I began really envisioning what that would look like I started to think, “Oh I’ll have to buy some pant suits and probably figure out how to cover up my tattoos” and I felt like I would have to change my mannerisms and be more of the professional I thought would score me the good jobs. After a lifetime in the service industry, twelve years as a barista, and five years running coffee shops, it dawned on me that I didn’t want to change who I was. I didn’t want to act a different way or dress the part of someone who I wasn’t. I decided to do what I knew how to do best. Read more>>

Natalia Ventura | Artist and Activist

Authenticity, honesty, keeping it real, being down-to-earth–these are my guiding principles. If something pulls me away from being my most authentic self, then I don’t want that thing in my life. Seeking authenticity is part of self-liberation–when we can be our most genuine selves in any room. The diversity, equity, and inclusion work I do is rooted in this principle. Liberation cannot happen in the world unless it starts first in our own daily lives. I’ve found that liberation through art, music, fashion, and using this creativity in my activism work. Read more>>

The Haunts | Los Angeles Garage Rock Band

We’d have to say that one of the values that matters the most to us is that without the support of the people around you, you’re not going to get very far. From a band perspective, we love to support the bands and artists we play alongside with. Music can feel like such a competition sometimes; it just feels really nice to know there’s a community of bands who are willing to support you and truly believe in your music, all because there truly is a mutual feeling of “You support me, I support you.” From an audience perspective, we’re all here because we all genuinely love seeing and supporting music, there’s never a valid reason for any sense of superiority or elitism between artist and audience. To boil it down to it’s core principle, I guess we’d have to say “Just be kind to everyone you come into contact with as an artist”. Read more>>

Loser Company | Los Angeles Indie Rock Band

There are several principles that matter to us, but two are particularly important. The first is ‘never lose who you are’; we never want to lose who we are, or who we were when we started this endeavor. The artists we enjoy the most are those who stay down-to-earth no matter what happens – the people we want to have a drink with at the end of a day. The second, but equally important, is the golden rule, or the old adage, ‘treat others as one wants to be treated’. So far, as a small, independent band, this has meant the little things; such as showing up on time, having genuine interactions with our fans on social media, tipping the sound-people, and helping other bands load and unload their gear. We love the semi-confused look on the face of a drummer from another band when we offer to carry their bass drum. We love seeing a sound-person enjoying a cold one after the show with the tip we gave them. We have already seen this principle pay dividends, with an engaged community of fans who truly believe in us, as well as industry folks who are enthusiastic to work with us. Read more>>

Josephine Ting |  Christ Follower & Actor

ALWAYS look at myself as a piece of floating, shapeless matter of a soul, and reflect honestly whether or not I’ve been a good one in the eyes of God, people who loves me, and myself! This means taking away all my belongings, assets, achievements, my vessel of a body, especially my very self-loved muscular dancer legs…Just…The preferably warm and fuzzy soul called Josephine, and ask “Is Josephine a good soul? Is she loving? Is she kind? Is she honest and honorable? Has Josephine’s presence brought truthful and loving benefit to people she came into contact with?” Why? Because the world is NOT about “me”. In the day and age of seemingly endless emphasis on the narcissistic “I”, we often make the mistake of focusing on the external image of ourselves, instead of focusing on building internal character. Read more>>

DJ Miyuki | Music Producer & DJ

Authenticity. I feel the most fulfilled when I act in a way that’s in alignment with who I am inside. I aim to be authentic in the way that I tell my story through music. I aim to be authentic in the way that I represent myself to viewers on stream, and I think that is something that people can easily tell and feel connected to. I can only feel successful if I achieved what I did while staying true to myself. Read more>>

Jim Francis Meza | Actor/Radio Host & Tiktoker

If I had to name one principle I value most, it would have to definitely be loyalty. I find that without loyalty you do not represent anything and therefore you display no character. Loyal individuals are does who live by their word and that is of utmost importance to me. In showbiz loyalty is everything. It is the solid foundation of which longstanding relationships are maintained. Read more>>

Morgan Smith | Events Director & Real Estate Agent

Balance, honest, kindness, openness, and respect. I have done a lot of work on myself to finetune these truths and these five things are who I am to my core and allow me to flow more easily in life. Balance: I work in a fast paced world and taking time to recover by being outside or resting is vital.
Honest: I sleep well knowing I am always honest with myself and others.
Kindness: I am hospitable to my core and want everyone around me to be comfortable and feel welcomed. Openness: Transparency aligns with honesty and I share everything about myself. Respect: Treat others as you want to be treated because we all conquering our challenges. Read more>>