Getting to do what you love? Providing for your loved ones? What does success mean to you? Below you’ll find perspectives from some of the city’s best and brightest.

Antoine Jamal | CEO of Avenue Black Apparel

Unlike the surface level outlook of “success”, to me it is more so measured by the mere fact of being able to believe in yourself enough to complete or start a thing. For me, i measure success by the ability to be able to actually start something. We live around so many influences of depression that have and do impact so many lives on a daily basis and it’s important to not take the little things like just having the energy to start, for granted. Success, is a lot of things but one thing it isn’t, is something that should be measured by anybody’s expectations other than the ones you have for yourself. Read more>>

Finichia Hoskins | Digital Creator & Speech Language Pathologist

I define success by having your purpose and passion in alignment. I don’t think one can exist without another. If they are in alignment not only will you be fulfilled, you will have joy in what you are doing, drive to keep doing it and the blessing from God covering you while you do it. Read more>>

Abigail Loggins | Graphic Tee Designer & Brand Owner

The definition of success, for me, is pretty simple. Success is when you’re seriously happy. Success looks different for everyone. For me, being seriously happy is being able to create and do on my own time, balancing work with family time, and taking lots and lots of trips to Disney World. Read more>>

Brie Elise Turner, MPH | Wife, Mom, Author, YouVersion Devotional Content Writer & Public Health Expert

Many people define success as a certain amount of money or obtaining certain titles in their personal and professional life. I used to believe those things as well. I believed all of this until I had all the titles, I deserved. I’m a mother, a wife, an author, a business owner and I have a nice title in my professional career. The truth is, all of that could be taken away at any moment. I’ll always be a mother, but one day my children will grow up and have families of their own. If my husband wanted to, he could wake up and decide not to choose me. My books and business could magically fail and I could stop selling and my job could fire me at any moment. I’ve realized, I can’t depend on things, people or titles to make me happy or make me feel success. All of those things are nice and they can add to my feeling of success, but feelings are fleeting. Feelings change. I am driven by my love of God. I am not defined by what people think of me, because if I was, I would honestly be overwhelmed with anxiety. My definition of success is fulfilling my purpose, believing, trusting and obeying God. Read more>>

Johnny Draco | Visual Artist & Designer

I think personally success if being able to live out a very specific lifestyle. Success is never really measured to me by how much money I can make off a project or my art, but rather have the opportunity and time to create in an environment of my own making. Read more>>

Ashley Huynh | Earring Maker & Software Engineer

Success feels very personal; I don’t define it as seeing someone with a ton of awards or accomplishments or a lot of fame and acclaim. To me, success is being able to take pride and feel empowered in various parts of your life. Different areas of life inevitably experience ups and downs, and I feel that placing the idea of success on just one area of life (like work, family, etc.) will never feel completely fulfilling – there will always feel like there’s another goal to overcome to continuously top the idea of success in that area. However, to be able to take pride and feel joy towards different areas of life, and distribute efforts across different parts of life to form something that you are happy about generally – that seems like true success to me, and is something I aim for daily. The main parts of my life that I try to use to define success are how joyful and proud I feel towards my creative pursuits, how fulfilled I am from personal relationships, how much I feel like I can contribute and am valued at work, and how I feel towards myself. Read more>>

Kidd Kreme | DJ, Engineer, Producer

I think success is relative to your desires and what you want for your life and you’re lineage. Success to me is being financially free, having generational wealth, and most importantly, being happy. I think all of these things go hand in hand. The ultimate goal is happiness, but in order to have that, you have to be financially free, otherwise you’ll just be working until you die. If you have generational wealth, you’ll be content in knowing that your family is taken care of, and that’s one less thing to worry about (and one step closer to true happiness). I recently quit my job to focus on my own career, and since then things have been going great. I’m making money on my own time by doing what a I love, and it doesn’t feel like work. It’s liberating, and it’s brought me one step closer to success. Read more>>

Melissa Wilson | Educator & Mixologist

Success to me is achieving and conquering ALL of ‘your’ goals and dreams. Read more>>

Dr. Dionne Bates | Licensed Psychotherapist

For me, success is tied to having an understanding of my value system. What do I value? For me, in every dimension of my identity, I value stability and peace of mind. When those two things are present, I feel successful. Read more>>

Elise Michaux | Educator. Creative. Speaker

I have actually been thinking about this quite a bit lately and because I mostly think in song lyrics, The Carters line in their song “Boss” comes to mind: Over here we measure success by how many people successful next to you Here we say you broke if everybody gets broke except for you
Boss! I love this because we are who we surround ourselves with and that is beyond important. Therefore, if whatever you are doing has with other people who are winning at life too, well then you are doing something right. Read more>>

Alexis Jewelle | Spa Owner, Content Creator, & Intimate Skin Care Creator

Success isn’t just about “being rich”. Success is waking up every morning comfortably and being able to take care of your family that supported you through the hard days. Success is about doing your passion everyday that can make you money in your sleep. Success is about being HAPPY of how you’re successful. Why be successful off something you’re not even happy with doing?. Read more>>

Selena Wilson | Entrepreneur

Success to me, are the measures taken to complete a task or to reach a goal, and when given the opportunity you create more great moments, from mere thoughts written down and manifested into reality. More of the substantial things that have true value to who you are as a person. My success is defined by how accomplished I feel and if I happen to influence others is even more reassuring that God has blessed me. Read more>>