as told to

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 35-year-old Shruti Mangawa from New Mexico. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I grew up and studied in India. In 2018, I joined Hindustan Unilever, a subsidiary of Unilever, where I became an area sales and customer manager.In 2021, I took a sabbatical…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mindy Rouse, owner of Moo Moo's Farm. It has been edited for length and clarity.When my dad set me up on a blind date, I had no idea I was about to meet my life partner. I was only 21 and still in college. My dad…

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 34-year-old Miles Schwartz, CEO and founder of the fintech company Zūm Rails. The following has been edited for length and clarity.My business started at a kitchen table in my parents' house in Montreal.My cofounder and I publicly launched Zūm Rails — a payments company that…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Erik Boquist, 27, who lives in Sutton, New Hampshire, and travels the US and beyond working as a house-sitter with his girlfriend. Boquist also does video editing. His latest side gig is showing people, many of whom are older, how to level up their tech skills.…

I'm from Pennsylvania and studied interior design before moving to LA for work. My husband, Justin, is from Chicago and studied architecture before making the same move.We met in 2010 at Walt Disney Imagineering, a segment of The Walt Disney Company that focuses on theme park design.Fifteen years later, we're based in Thailand and run…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ameenah Thobani. It has been edited for length and clarity.Before my dad died last year, I remember him flicking through my wedding photos from 23 years prior and commenting on how young he looked — how he used to be so healthy and energetic. He had…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Salim Elhila, cofounder of Decentralized Masters. It has been edited for length and clarity.I run a multimillion-dollar crypto business with my co-founder and best friend, Tan Gera. Last year, we generated more than $30 million in revenue worldwide. To run a company of that magnitude efficiently,…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Regina Lawless, author of "Do You." It has been edited for length and clarity.My husband Al and I were pioneers in online dating. We met in a Yahoo chat room back in 1999. My username included the word "heaven," and Al sent me a chat saying,…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a mom of two in South Carolina. She asked to remain anonymous to protect the privacy of her children and parents. It has been edited for length and clarity.When I was an infant, I had a bad reaction to a vaccine. My mom couldn't wake me…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tejas Vijh, an employee at a venture capital firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment and visa history.After I completed my bachelor's in computer science in India, a series of internships and connections led…