Where you grew up and your background can often have surprising effects on our lives and careers. We’ve asked folks from the community to tell us about how their background has affected them.

David Beahm | Founder, David Beahm Experiences, designing and producing events around the globe.

I come from the little mountain town of Luray, VA, the headquarters of the Shenandoah National Park. I think that’s why I’m drawn to Colorado. Your mountains are a lot bigger, but all mountains exude power on to your soul. There are constant teaching moments living amongst them. My godfather lived next door and was, not only an amazing florist (he helped decorate the White House for the holidays when I was a kid, and happily, I later got to do the same, for the Clintons and twice for the Obamas), but he taught me the most special gift – how to make people feel special and heard. Read more>>

Kate Satten | Personal Trainer For The Heart And Spirit

I am from the perfectly manicured suburbs of Chicago. As a young child (and beyond), I instinctively saw the invisible-to-the-outside-world dysfunction and abuse inside many of the households of the meticulously dressed, well fed families (very much including my own) and KNEW that this information .. these experiences .. were going to inform my purpose as an adult. When I was 12 years old, I remember thinking, as I walked down the main street of my village, “I know things other people don’t seem to know” .. it always felt like I was studying, more than living an enjoyable life .. and studying I was. Read more>>

George San Miguel | Director of Hospitality & Operations

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both parents born in Juarez, Mexico and their drive and work ethic has made me who i am today. They taught me to be respectful of what i had at the moment, but that it was okay to want more, as long as i worked for it! Read more>>

Andrea Brinkley | Textile & Embroidery Artist

Looking back, it’s no surprise I became a textile artist who specializes in depicting flowers in wools. As a young child, growing up on my family’s farm in the wool and mohair region of South Africa, I loved to watch my father and brother shearing our merino sheep and angora goats. I would play on bales of wool and mohair and can still recall the distinctive smell of lanolin in the shed! My family also propagated plants for their retail nursery, so I was immersed in picturesque gardens from an early age. Read more>>