We’ve always believed that forming a strategy is impossible until you’re clear on what your values and principles are. Without values and principles to guide you, making decisions can seem impossibly difficult. Given how important setting values and principles is to decision making we asked folks we admire to tell us about the values or principles that matter most to them.

Jennifer Ettinger | CEO, Pink Dreams Inc. A creative agency specializing in Holistic PR.

What value or principle matters most to you? Why? I believe in the Leadership Principle known as Holistic Ethical Leadership. This is a journey towards authenticity and impact, the importance of doing the “right” thing while investing in yourself and others in the “whole” sense of the word: Body, Mind, and Spirit. My Why: This leadership philosophy is essential because when I began my career, I found myself in my version of”The Devil Wears Prada.” It was a very toxic environment that ultimately led me to become ill from the stress. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Read more>>

Amy Bauman | Owner + Coach, Your Development Resource

Of course a few values come to mind…integrity, authenticity, trust, but the most important and all-encompassing value is trust. I know when I’m looking for someone to work with or in any relationship, I need to have trust in the other person/business. So I feel the same way about showing my clients that they can trust me. That is where those other values of having integrity and being authentic come into play. I mean, how can I possibly expect a client-coach relationship to develop and be beneficial to my clients if they’re holding back because they don’t feel they can trust me? Read more>>

Essence Unique Easley | Author & serial entrepreneur

My core values as an entrepreneur and for both of my businesses are the same Transparency, commitment to living well, always improving , compassion and, knowledge. The most important of those to me is transparency. I couldn’t and wouldn’t want to serve tea or products people couldn’t trust. I couldn’t run Enduring Minds and work as an. Advocate if people couldn’t trust me & that organization. I live my life out loud and that transparency leads to people knowing the things I share in my writing and about our story are true. it’s important for people to trust the things we say and do. Read more>>

Justin Rissmiller | Small Business Owner, Touring Musician & Publisher

The value of ‘pursuing’ is what matters most to me. Throughout my life and like many others out there in the world, I have wanted to accomplish a lot. These include items that I can easily achieve, ones that will require work and ones that seem impossible. Throughout my own life however, I have come to realize that many things are possible, even things that you think aren’t, however it is a matter of pursuing what you want most in life that determines whether you achieve it or not. I have come to see that many things in life aren’t impossible, rather they are actually possible, but it is the drive to pursue that really opens the doors. Read more>>

Rita Abdallah | Yoga Instructor, Intuitive and Wellness Coach

What value or principle matters most to you? Practicing Life is a principle that strongly resonates with my life, on and off the yoga mat. Yoga involves a series of movements that typically starts with the Child’s Pose and quietly brings the body low to the ground. Gradually we lift the body up and stand tall in Mount Pose. Throughout the course of the class, our bodies stretch, lunge, press and rotate into postures designed to make us feel good, aware and open. An integral part of yoga, beyond moving the physical body, is the practice of breathing. Breathwork assists the body in fully expressing a pose and allows the nervous system to step out of flight or flight and into bliss, gratitude and inspiration. Read more>>