We asked some fantastic entrepreneurs and creatives to tell us about their first job in their field. Check out their stories below.

Rebekah Roanhorse

My friend had shared a remedy about garlic Mullien for an ear infection. I went to the natural health store called Wildly Natural to purchase the dried herb and left with so much knowledge on how to approach an illness. I, then kept going back for so many other herbs and supplements for many other things. They had a part time open years later, so with the knowledge I gained of the products I was taking for 1-2 years, the store manager at the time hired me! I had 3 kids at the time so part time was perfect and I knew this would benefit our family years later after working under the Naturopathic Doctor. It turned out to be the first door I’d open to natural healing and I am beyond thankful! Read more>>

Ginny Gutman

My first job after graduate school as a therapist was a family therapist position for at risk school-aged children and their families. It was and will always be the hardest type of therapy I’ve ever provided. I had been trying to get a job at the clinic the position was based out of and had seen they were looking for family therapists. I had never done family therapy before then but I did love working with children and teens. And honestly I really just wanted to break into the field in a paid therapist position. I brought up some things I had looked up about the therapy model they used during the interview and I think that it really helped me get the second interview and then the position. They could tell I was very interested in the position and motivated to learn the therapeutic model. I will always be so happy that I did that job for a couple of years. It was so challenging but I learned so much about being a therapist and how important the family system is to clients and what they bring to therapy in general. Read more>>

Paris Heinen

In 1991, I was newly married, and like most newlyweds, my husband and I indulged in plenty of good food and drink. He was naturally thin, but I gained weight easily. As the numbers on the scale crept up, I decided to take action. That March, I joined Weight Watchers and lost 55 pounds in just eight months. Feeling triumphant, I left the program, convinced I had it all figured out—only to gain all the weight back. At the time, I unfairly blamed Weight Watchers for my rebound weight gain. I had interviewed for a job with them, but they told me I was “too spunky” to work there—a rejection that left me feeling bitter and disillusioned. I quit the program entirely. Read more>>

Corinthiah Brown

After my release from prison, The foster mother who had my four sons , started a support group for recovering mothers of recovering children- she asked me to co-facilitate with her – she encouraged me to become an addiction counselor. , and paid for my first Certified addiction counselor class – my trans momma helped me find an organization to obtain the required supervision hours at the organization she worked for , It Takes A Village Read more>>