Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?

We have had the good fortunate of connecting with Nobel Laureates, titans of industry, rockstars and rising stars across dozens of industries and we have always found their stories about who they were early on to be most fascinating. Below, you’ll find members of the community sharing their responses to this key aspect of their stories.

Victoria Sirakova

Just a kid with big dreams and bold goals, open-armed and ready to welcome everything amazing that’s coming my way. Read more>>

Jaime G. Raygoza

Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a sensitive, ambitious kid who believed hard work could solve everything. I grew up in a Hispanic household where hustle was the default, and I started working young, first in my grandfather’s carpentry shop and later as a lifeguard. Read more>>

Dan Schiz

I was diagnosed with ADHD in the early 90’s at the age of five. I was always distrupting things, running around, jumping, and being a general nuisance. However, the world eventually sunk it’s claws in me and calmed this wild child down. Read more>>

DJ Oggy

I originally started as a dancer, recording rented CDs onto cassette tapes so I could practice my routines. I eventually began giving those tapes to friends as birthday gifts, and seeing how much they enjoyed the songs I selected made me realize how happy it made me to share music. Read more>>