We were fortunate to catch up with some brilliant artists, creatives and entrepreneurs from throughout the Atlanta area and they share the wisdom with us below.

Andujar Brutus | Model, Creative Director, and Computer Scientist

Every great accomplishment in my life has come with a leap of faith—a moment when I chose to embrace risk instead of staying in my comfort zone. While risk often carries a somewhat negative connotation, I see it as a gateway to growth and transformation. Many of the most rewarding moments in life are deeply intertwined with stepping into the unknown. Personally, I’ve learned to embrace taking calculated risks, even when it felt daunting or uncomfortable. Since turning 18, I’ve lived in various cities on my own, navigating the excitement and challenges of new beginnings. Along the way, I’ve held a wide range of jobs, each of which has left its mark on me—teaching me resilience, adaptability, and self-discovery. Read more>>

Steven Sutherland | Actor

I believe it’s very rare for anyone to achieve success in life without taking risks. It’s important to step outside your comfort zone to grow and progress. Success often requires getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Just like diamonds are created under extreme pressure, most people in positions of success got there by enduring immense pressure and taking bold risks. Read more>>

Myron Feltner | Film Composer & Music Producer

The most difficult decision I’ve ever made was leaving South Florida to move to Atlanta. Aside from a year in Daytona Beach, my entire life had been rooted in the Fort Lauderdale-Miami area. Choosing to leave my family, friends, and everything familiar was incredibly risky and challenging. But I made the leap with the hope of building a name for myself in a new city—a city with a thriving entertainment scene, a booming film industry, and a rich cultural legacy as the Black Mecca. Read more>>

Joni Elaine | Filmmaker & Dancer

The most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make was to fully give over my dreams, plans, and failures to God. As a human being living in such a fast world, it’s so easy to believe you have the possibility of controlling the challenges you may encounter. It’s so easy to think you can figure it all out, but all that ever does is stress you out in the end. When I decided to hand over my business and overall creative career to God, I was finally able to feel content with whatever challenges may come my way as a creative in this world. Read more>>

Mike G | Management & Media Relations

Stay committed to your path, no matter the obstacles that may arise. Keep pushing forward and remain focused on your ultimate goal. Read more>>

Dimitra Lioliou | Head of Content at The Working Gal | Head of Marketing at EDL Services

When I started working immediately after high school, I had never thought about work-life balance. I didn’t even know what this was all about as I worked full-time while at college.

When I started my companies (yes, I own two businesses!), I was so used to working indefinite hours, early morning to late nights, usually during the weekend. I didn’t have the time to question anything regarding work-life balance and why it was essential to achieve it. I was so fulfilled by the everyday hustle that I thought I was just a workaholic who highly valued their work — “workaholic” used to be my pet name as well. Read more>>

Tanya Momi | Visual Artist

For me, achieving work-life balance was not just about managing time—it was a constant negotiation between survival, responsibility, and maintaining a sense of normalcy for my children. Landing in the Bay Area at 22, I found myself at the heart of Silicon Valley’s rapid growth. By 1989, I started my own small beauty salon, which expanded into a full-service salon in 1994. Running a business while navigating life as a single mother with no financial or emotional support from my community was incredibly challenging, but I persevered.
The isolation I faced from my own Indian community was particularly painful. As a single mother, I was ostracized—people avoided me, and my children were discouraged from associating with us. Rather than letting this rejection define me, I chose to fight back with resilience. Read more>>

Missy Goss-coln | Jamaican American Yoga Teacher

Prioritizing healing has been one of the most significant things I’ve done for my little one. There’s an Indigenous belief that when we heal, we heal 7 generations before and 7 generations after us.

Before I even met my husband, I wanted to look within myself with curiosity and nonjudgment to learn what has caused me to be the way I am. To process my pain and trauma—big “T” and little “t,” intergenerational and personal. Not only for myself, but also for my future partner and any children we’d have. Read more>>

Terry Brown | Musician & Graphic Designer

Apart From Setting A Solid Foundation By Providing A Firm Education For My Children The Most Important Thing I Have Done Was To Provide Them With Official Travel Documents Such As Passports And Visas To The U.S.A. Read more>>