Success is Subjective: Real People. Raw Stories. Embracing a Non-Linear Life!

Finding your path doesn’t require having everything figured out. In fact, you don’t have to be anywhere near having everything figured out. Finding your own path simply requires being open and committed to your progress, allowing yourself to shift and pivot along the way. When you’ve committed to your own progress and sense of purpose, and no one else’s, that’s when you can be certain that you’re...

From the small town success on her way to a softball scholarship, to what seemed like the town degenerate who dropped out of high school as a sophomore due to drugs, Larissa Stone’s story shifted very early on in her young adult years. In hopes to make a better life for herself and get away from her troubled teen years, she joined the military at the age of 18, requiring her to really learn how to...

No one knows exactly how their path to success will go. There’s always this underlying sense of discomfort regarding the future in anyone’s journey. Though, you can’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from exploring. Through trial and error, you allow yourself to find clarity in what makes you feel alive and what you’re willing to devote your life to. Each trial, even the messy, scary and diffi...

Being neurodiverse can often be looked at as a major blocker for many people. Though, it doesn’t have to be that way! What may feel like a challenge to deal with in school could be what successfully sets you apart in the real world, if you learn how to discipline your gift. Brandon Slade, Founder of Untapped Learning, struggled with academics growing up, causing him to have an overwhelming experie...

You don’t need to immediately commit to something for the rest of your life straight out of high school. In fact, this is the perfect time to try anything and everything to see what you do and don’t like. Maybe it takes one random college class that sparks a life-long passion or requires taking a chance on the young adult group your friend keeps inviting you to. You never know what one thing you t...

Where you are, is where you’re at, not who you are. It’s not about performative milestones as much as it is about the development process. The timeline you’re on right now doesn’t define you or the outcome of your life so throw the timeline out! Jason and Debbie Grygla are the owners of TechieForLife, a specialized mentoring program for neurodiverse young adults. Both Jason and Debbie have quite d...

Accept the call to adventure –that’s really all that being a young adult is. A time full of trial and error, exploration and growth. For many, these years are the foundation that transforms you as a person and impacts the trajectory of your life. So, take action and accept the call to adventure! Licensed Social Worker, John Conway, did just that –accepted the call to adventure every chance he got....

Your twenties are some of the MOST formative years of your life and possibly one of the most important decades of your life. From molding your character, to allowing you to explore career options and passions, and discovering the world. These years are full of discovery, exploration and growth.    Herb Crimp, owner of Desert Highlights, found his 20’s to be some of the most impactful years of his...

Your path doesn’t have to be perfectly linear to get to where you’re meant to be. You don't have to get a master’s degree by 25. You can take 10 years to graduate college or even longer, if that’s what happens to work for you.   Josh and Maureen’s young adulthood looked very different from each other yet, they both ended up at the exact same destination. Josh knew exactly what he wanted to do...

You go to college and get a degree for a career that you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. Then, suddenly the one thing you have experience in gets taken away from you and no longer becomes available. What do you do?  Jon Kaiman had this happen to him after years of enjoying his journalism career. So, how did he manage to find a new purpose and new sense of success after his dreams...

What if you were guaranteed immense clarity and direction just from taking a simple year off of school to travel abroad? What if it could propel you way farther than jumping straight into college? Would you do it without hesitation?  Danny Recio, a Director and Founder of The Bridge Gap Program, took a gap year in South Africa after highschool. It was during his time there where he had a “coming o...

What if instead of going to the school your parents went to or doing what you think your parents want you to do, you went after the things that interest you? It could look like trying many different routes before you figure out your purpose but in the end saving you a lifetime of regret and unfulfillment.  Brad Waldo, director of Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services, decided to go after his pa...

We get so caught up in the idea of education and college, but what if someone doesn’t even have the option to go to school or doesn’t think they do because of their upbringing? Is it possible to go to college after growing up in poverty, surrounded by drugs and hopeless people? Chris Howard, the founder of Ethos Recovery and Lifestyle Interventions, knows firsthand the struggle of poverty, addicti...

What if what everyone else expects of you or what you think will make them happy or proud, doesn’t make you happy and proud too in the end?  Tripp Johnson is the co-founder and CEO of Green Hill Recovery, a transitional living program in Raleigh, North Carolina and the founder of AIM: Advaita Integrated Medicine, an interdisciplinary psychiatric and primary care practice also located in Raleigh. T...

It’s not easy to rebuild your life after 7 years of dark battles. It’s not easy to rebuild your life after 7 years on substances and many relapses years after. In fact, it may feel impossible, especially if you started at such a young age where this cycle is all you’ve known for most of your adolescent years/early adulthood. Jordan de Haan, owner of a behavioral health services company called The...

The “fast track”: graduating high school, going to college for 4+ years, and finding a secure and successful job to work until you retire. Though, what may seem like the “fast track” isn’t always. For others the fast track can mean four college years surrounded by peer pressure and mental health challenges, causing them to have to leave the original track all together. For Guy Sutherland, his 20’s...

Whether it be coming out of high school or after a major life event, the process of finding a sense of self and direction at any age can be very challenging. The hardest step is taking the next step. Though, when you do take action, whether it be having a career assessment, getting a life coach, etc, you can then develop the necessary things that will take you to the next chapter in your book call...

It might take 2 tries, 3 tries, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10+ to figure it out. Maybe it’s taking that many breaks from school or making that many efforts at recovering from an addiction. Whatever it may be, it doesn’t matter so much about the amount of ‘attempts, pauses, breaks, or setbacks’ in comparison to the end goal. It matters more about the journey, the lessons along the way, and the growth gained...

After losing a father, getting deep into drugs and alcohol, and finding no hope in school or life, life seemed pointless. Though, after experiencing genuine people and help at a treatment center, there was a sense of hope that began to grow. From a kid who flunked out of college, became an addict, and lost a parent, to someone who is more than their struggles and who can make a better name for the...

A person’s life path isn’t any different to building a structure. You first need to know its specific function before you can successfully build. Yet, we work backwards and try to envision the form of a person’s life and skip over their unique function. How can there be a successful form (life) without first knowing the function? What if instead we first understood their unique purpose and where t...

“I have no idea what my purpose in life is.” “I don’t think I have a purpose.” A common trend with people who feel lost is the question of purpose and a sense of purpose usually strongly correlates with the feeling of success for most people. But, how do you come to identify your purpose and in return feel closer to your own version of success? Andrew Bryan, Educational Consultant, Guide, and Poet...

Getting all A’s, being on the Dean’s list, going to law school, etc, etc. All of these metrics that make it appear that you have it all together and are doing ‘enough’. Though, does it all really mean anything? Sure, they might make your parents content but is that enough to stick with something you hate for the rest of your life?  John Tucker, Academic Director and Admissions Director at Wisdom R...

Your dad thinks you should be an engineer, your neighbor thinks you should study math, your childhood friend thinks you shouldn’t study in the field you’re interested in because it won’t make you good money. What if none of that matters? What if instead, you looked within at what lights you up and went after that?  Career Coach, Kaylyn Blair hopped from job to job during college finding it difficu...

You are not a piece of clay that is meant to be formed into something someone else wants you to be. You are a human being. A human being with dreams, goals, passions, interests, talents...You’re not a drone, a puppet, or a dog on a leash. You are whatever YOU want to be and feel called to be in this world.  Julie Lythcott-Haims, a New York Times bestselling author and a speaker, didn’t always see...

Most young adults aren’t good with money. Throw them into college and student loan debt is sure to pile up VERY high once they graduate. For some students that could look like $300,000 worth of debt! Who wants to deal with that?! Josh Hastings, owner of Money Life Wax, found college to be a time where he really thrived. He was even able to find a job as soon as he graduated as a result of some gre...