They say life isn’t about the things that happen to you, but about the decisions you make. There’s a ton of coverage about the best decisions people have made, but not nearly enough conversation about the tough decisions. We asked folks we admire to tell us about the most difficult decision they’ve ever had to make and have shared some of those responses below.

Jonathan Thomas Maiocco | Music producer, film composer, and recording artist

The most difficult decision I ever made was coming out publicly as gay. For me, it was a two-step process: first, admitting to myself that I’m gay, and second, sharing that with those around me. Read more>>

Justice Hall | Salon Owner – Master Braid Stylist & Loctician

Standing on Business.
Being a Salon owner & Stylist there have been many of times I’ve compromised my rules, regulations, standards, principles & values to accommodate others. The challenge that I’ve faced have been seriously sticking to the regulations I’ve set for professionalism. Doing business and being professional goes both ways between client and stylist and as I always say stylist pick their clients just as much as clients pick their stylist. Read more>>

Samantha Red | Singer-Songwriter

Leaving my loved ones behind to chase my musical dreams in Los Angeles was one of the hardest choices I’ve ever made. I grew up in a small tight-knit community, a border town called Brownsville, Texas. My whole support sytem is there – my partner, my siblings, my mom and dad. However, all my life I’ve only ever wanted to share my songs with people and I felt deeply that there was more for me out there. As painful as it was to uproot my life, I knew in my heart it was necessary whether something came out of it or not. Read more>>

Petrie Willink | Actor, Writer, Director

When we completed Krispr, our sci/fi, thriller film, we had a distribution offer that would have recouped our entire budget with just the minimum guarantee. They were also offering a limited theatrical release. It was a good deal up front, however in the long run the terms were not in our favour.  Read more>>