Skip the Repeat

Emily and Brian Kellett first met through friends in Columbus, OH - she was a student studying industrial design and he worked as a freelance designer for a local brewery. Now married, today they’re owners of STUMP, a gorgeous plant shop with locations in four different cities - but they never expected to be here. The real life experience and lessons learned through their many pivots are at work on a daily basis for their newest venture.   

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When Vikram Nayar was working in finance, he had no idea that entrepreneurship in the beverage industry was his future. In fact, he had no idea what hard seltzer was - he just knew he desired the challenge and grind of entrepreneurship. Today, he is one half of the twin brothers behind hard seltzer brand, Two Robbers.

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Ryan Fitzgerald is a man of many many pivots. And through it all, he’s leaned on two things - a sense of adventure and the belief in himself to figure it out. From screen printing to detailing cars to founding Philly’s hottest supper club, he’s taken the lessons from all of his previous businesses to create his newest venture, 1-900-ICE-CREAM.

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DW Burnett had no idea that his epic road trip from Brooklyn to LA in a Mustang GT would literally change his life. Starting his professional career gigging around NYC as a drummer, he’s found that his pivot to becoming an automotive photographer has taken his passion for jazz drumming to new heights. Today, his list of clients include Audi, McLaren, Road & Track, and Top Gear.

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Through her meteoric rise in the world of music, Julia Bullock’s ultimate mission has been to share openly, share transparently, and share clearly. As one of the brightest opera singers today, she has had her periods of struggle since her childhood in a suburb of St. Louis. Issues of identity, anxiety, and depression eventually lead to her going into rehab - but she regards those periods as a direct influence on who she is today, making an impact beyond her job description, for the betterment of society.

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When Jim Walls graduated college, he had no idea that he would one day become a creative director or that he would even work in the advertising industry. He also had no idea that his first job out of school would be as a forklift operator. His career has been a series of pivots rooted in self-belief, eventually becoming Chief Creative Officer at the creative agency, 160over90. Today he is a partner in a new agency, Truth & Consequences.

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BJ Miller attended Princeton with the mindset of learning for learning’s sake, without a specific career in mind. That mindset has served him well through his numerous pivots, including the accident during his sophomore year, when he became a trilateral amputee. Today he is a hospice and palliative care physician, teaching at the UCSF Cancer Center and founding Mettle Health, providing a unique approach to palliative care.

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Yunice Kang has never had a career trajectory that she chased or a dream job. Initially studying business, she dropped out after realizing that it wasn’t for her, eventually discovering photography. She became a photo producer in NY, handling logistics for photo shoots. But a few years into starting her own production company, her dad was diagnosed with cerebellum ataxia, a degenerative disease, and she left her career and NY to come home to LA. The time she spent with him had a profound impact on her, and today, she is a plant designer and owner of the spectacular plant nursery in LA, Sanso.

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Gurcharan Roopra never went to school for photography. He never imagined that it would become a big part of his life, let alone that he would become world famous for wildlife photography. As a young man, his dream was to become a motorsport engineer, earning a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering. But when he couldn’t find a job in that field, he pivoted to construction, finding success. Yes, photography remains a passionate hobby - something that is not his main source of income.

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Tova du Plessis came from South Africa to the United States for an education, pursuing a dream of becoming a doctor. But upon landing in NYC, she quickly found out that life in America wasn’t what she’d imagined it would be. Reconnecting with a past boyfriend studying in Houston, she went to visit him, not realizing that that trip would open the doors to a change of direction, and a whole new life. Today, she is the owner of Essen Bakery in Philadelphia, nominated earlier this year for a James Beard Award, for the fourth year in a row.

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