The Decision Makers Series is one of our staff’s favorite because decision making is a topic that so many of us have studied deeply.

Gelsandra Guzman | Fashion Creator & Community Leader

Other than working for myself and betting on my dream the single most important decision that I have made which has contributed to my success was to become a mother. That title holds so much power. I repeat it daily to myself. The fact that I have a boy and girl, that as part of my destiny here in this world I want to lead as an example of a woman who built an empire, a woman who showed her little girl she too can reach for the stars and make it happen, for my boy, he can hold that space for woman to shine, to be heard and to be treated as royalty. Read more>>

Brianna Cuiffo | Professional Gut Health Coach & owner of Baked By Brie Cookie Company

The single most important decision I made that contributed to my success was deciding to take control of my health and happiness. If I never did that I wouldn’t be as good a coach, daughter, sister, or girlfriend. The way I see it is I had to help myself before I could help others so that is just what I did! I worked hard to put my autoimmune diseases into remission and to become more mindful of the type of way I spoke to myself and others. Read more>>

Beryl Oduor | Gemstone Jewelry Designer

Getting a mentor who has been there and done that. I have always had the drive to want to create something I could be proud of. Before Beryl Oduor Designs, I attempted several different entrepreneurial ventures with little to no success. To be honest, I ended up losing money, time and mental bandwidth. I can’t tell you how many courses I bought, books I read & podcasts I listened to, to help me become a successful entrepreneur. They were helpful but I was missing a critical piece of the puzzle: having the right mentor. There’s a lot of information floating around the internet and it was overwhelming. My mentor helped me declutter my life, streamline my thinking and focus on income producing activity. Getting the right mentor changed the game for me. It saved me time by avoiding unnecessary pitfalls, and I was also able to truly look at where I was at in life, accept it and finally start building. Authentically. Read more>>

Rudi Goblen | Writer/Dancer/Actor

Deciding to proactively work for myself WAS the single most important decision I made as an independent artist. When I decided to quit the last “job-job” I worked, I had to figure it all out. I had nothing to fall back on, and/or support me, which naturally forced me to diligently pursue my career as a freelance artist/teacher in a different manner; with a persistent rigidity of sorts that had yet to catch fire inside me I believe. Read more>>

Joel DaSilva | Professional Musician

Believing in myself and not caring what certain people think about you or your music. You can’t please everyone so stop trying to. If you strongly believe in what you are doing and in your message, the tides can sometimes turn in your favor. You just have to keep hustling and try and stay positive. Read more>>

Jessica Shraybman | Attorney to Tech Startups and Creative Professionals

Before starting Shraybman Law, I made a promise to myself that I would build work around life, not life around work. Especially as a business attorney, it can be difficult to maintain boundaries with clients, but I knew from observing colleagues that once you let down your guard, it’s nearly impossible to reestablish. So I set a few rules for myself: communicate with clients only during regular business hours, schedule the gym like you’d schedule your most important meeting, and be there for family when they need you because they are always number one. Of course this means we’ve turned away a few potential clients here and there, but overall it has helped me maintain my strength so I can show up for my clients at 100%. Read more>>