Who taught you the most about work?

Society has its myths about where we learn – internships, books, school, etc. However, in our conversations with some of the most interesting and trailblazing entrepreneurs and creatives we noticed the biggest lessons they learned about work often came from unexpected sources. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Hiro Saito

Growing up in Japan, my father owned several businesses, I saw him working long hours each day. When talking about his business, my Dad seemed so excited. I definitely felt the passion that he appeared to have for what he was doing. Read more>>

Steven Briggs

Lifes taught me the most about work. Lots of learning from failures, mistakes and pies in the face…wait! that sounds wrong. scratch the pies in the face or I guess as the kids say, PAUSE. Read more>>

Alec Puro

That’s a great question because mentorship has been everything to me. Early on, I was fortunate enough to work with some incredible artists, Jackson Browne, Robby Krieger from The Doors, and others who took time to engage with a younger musician figuring out his path. That taught me the real value of community in music. Jackson Browne especially stands out. Read more>>

Yooyeon YY Kim

That’s a difficult question because so many people have taught me important lessons about work, and those influences vary depending on the field or genre. Each area I’ve worked in has come with its own teachers. In film producing, which is where I spend most of my time now, the person who has influenced me the most is a producer named Kealani Kitaura. Read more>>

Beth Volpe

My grandmothers taught me the most about work. Some of my earliest memories are watching them in the kitchen—fat slowly rendering, steaks sizzling in butter, stuffing a breast of veal, and the care they brought to every detail. Those experiences sparked my love of cooking, and I still prepare many of the traditional dishes I grew up with, finding comfort in those flavors and routines. Read more>>

Miguel Lopez de Leon

As a filmmaker, I really have to give credit to all the film festivals, and the indie film community in general, for really teaching me about making films. I remember, before I even made my first short film, that I would go to film festivals and just watch all the films that were screening. It was an amazing education in filmmaking. Read more>>

Elise DeMae

My understanding of work has been shaped throughout my life by many experiences and people. It began with my parents, continued through the 13 years I spent at a professional music high school—Riga Cathedral Choir School—and deepened when I moved to the United States and had to build everything from the ground up. Read more>>

Alison Deyette

It started with my mom. She had her own career, managed our home life, and after my parents divorced, she became the person who taught me how to work hard and be smart with money. She showed me what independence looked like—how to handle your business, advocate for yourself, and never rely on someone else to chart your future. Her example stayed with me. Read more>>

Rebecca Kaasa Belenky

Britta Bushnell has taught me the most about my work. I met Britta at the very beginning of my doula career, when I assisted her in her childbirth education classes in South Pasadena in 2014. I was just trying to figure out what it meant to be a “good” doula. Her approach was really different than my doula trainings had been up to that point. Read more>>

Matt DIBara

My father taught me the most about work, closely followed by my grandfather. I grew up on masonry job sites, starting with whatever needed to be done. That meant sorting rocks, cleaning sites, stacking bricks, and doing the unglamorous work long before I ever laid stone myself. Read more>>