An "epiphany" can bring about a major turning point in your life.
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Editor's note: "Epiphany moments" can bring about a major transformation in your life. What do a former professional soccer player, an elementary school social worker, and a bartender have in common?They both had a moment of clarity that prompted them to make a major turning point in their careers. There are things you can learn from them that will motivate you to make a change. **Compilation, I hope it enlightens you.
In the hospital, in the bar, in an elementary school in the Bronx: for these founders who made a major career change, this is where the "epiphany moment" takes place.
The delivery room was the backdrop for my epiphany moment. "When I look down at the vibrating iPhone, just inches away from the drip, I wonder, why am I still working now?Can't I live at this important moment in my life?”
It became clear to me that I wanted to quit my job as a digital executive and start my own strategic company. Although the destination is clear, the road to the destination is an overgrown jungle. Over the next few years, I did a lot of research, did some experiments, and did a lot of social marketing to finally break my way.
Since that "epiphany moment" in the delivery room, I've won six awards and spoken across the U.S., teaching entrepreneurs and professionals how to be thought leaders through ** and podcasts. I also host a podcast called "Mom's Exit Interview," which focuses on how people can build a career that fits their lives, often including major transitions or entrepreneurship. Following this unknown path, with an unknown destination, I inadvertently found my goal: to help other entrepreneurs find and make their voices heard.
Here are three other founders recounting the moments that led to a major shift in their careers.
After recovering from injury: From professional footballer to broadcaster and beauty entrepreneur.
In 2008, professional soccer player Leslie Osborne tore her anterior cruciate ligament and ankle ligament as soon as she was named to the Olympic team. She underwent surgery and was told by doctors that she would never be able to play professional football again. Osborne said the 18-month recovery period was a "dark and difficult time," but it also forced her to figure out what else she was passionate about. She started working in sports broadcasting and explored different corporate and non-profit approaches. Eventually, she played football for another five years before retiring. She said that while retirement can lead to a very real "identity crisis" for many athletes, she avoids it, "and in fact, I'm looking forward to taking the next step in my second career." Osborne has been working in sports broadcasting and has become an Uppababy brand ambassador, co-founder of Gulf Football Club and Hustle Beauty.
Osborne now also mentors other athletes on their career paths. To overcome the identity crisis that comes with retiring or changing careers, she encourages people to ask themselves, "What would you do if money wasn't an issue?"She recommends finding multiple passions** and creating a "backup plan" if interests or plans change. Although her examination started in the hospital, we were all able to take the initiative at our own pace.
Seeing the same problem repeated: the shift from school social workers to funding underrepresented entrepreneurs.
An elementary school in the Bronx, New York, is where Himalaya Rao-Potlapally learns a life lesson. As a social worker, she realizes that every year "different students have the same problems over and over again" and is incredibly frustrated when she feels like "on a hamster wheel".
She asked herself, "What can I change?".and turned her first self-proclaimed "little pivot" to nonprofit work. After being rejected for a management consulting job, she decided to go for an MBA and landed a job in the venture capital industry. There, she asked, "What can we do to ensure that more people, especially diverse and underrepresented, are able to start businesses in a space where they can scale their businesses?"Now, she is the Managing Director and Sole Proprietorship GP of BFM**, a seed-stage** diversified company focused on a wide range of industries in the United States.
"It's scary because no one tells you what to do, no one tells you how to succeed," Rao Potapali said, but she felt driven by a goal and said, "We're making a huge impact." ”
Sometimes, finding your purpose is as simple as asking yourself, what kind of changes would you like to see in the world?
Working as a bartender: From odd jobs to canned cocktail entrepreneurs.
Bronya Shilo was working as a bartender at a homestay bar at the Pequot Inn on Fishers Island, New York, a few miles off the coast of Connecticut, when her mouth suddenly popped up. They offer a drink called "Fischer Island Lemonade", which is a blend of whiskey, vodka, lemon, and honey. Over the years, Shiloh spent the summer working in bars, working as a mason and librarian, and also did marketing work at Under Armour.
Shiloh had been thinking about their cocktails and noticing, "The lemonade often runs out. With her family's entrepreneurial spirit, she thought, "I don't know if I should try to do this." ”
Shiloh felt there was a gap in the market, and it would be a few years before canned cocktails appeared. After two full years of development, Bronya launched the "Fischer Island Lemonade" in 2014, pioneering ready-to-drink craft cocktails. The company was acquired by Spirit of Gallo in 2023.
Shiloh said she was "absolutely confident" to launch the product because she felt she knew the user well and believed in the product.
Find your moment of epiphany.
Leslie Osborne used an unplanned pause in her athletic career as an opportunity to dive into the next phase of her career. Himalaya Rao-Potlapally jumped out of an unsatisfactory career cycle and began working purposefully (and influently). Bronya Shilo realized that there was a recipe for success in her family's bar.
For me, my faith must have wavered, my path must have been hesitant, I certainly could not see all the steps on the road, but a clear goal guided me. As much as I was worried about what the business would look like and how I would be able to find customers, I knew that the life I wanted was not compatible with my current career in the company. I didn't know how to get there, but I knew I had the ability and determination to find my way through the bushes. I use my "genius zone" as a compass. Most of the time, I see the light of day, get the job I want, and live the life I want.
Whether influence, passion, or entrepreneurship drive you, moments of epiphany can come when you least expect them, and the secret is to listen to yourself.
Translator: teresachen