Susan Egan

I grew up listening to Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and Angela Lansbury, so I grew up wanting to sound like Patti and Bernadette. What I realized, though, is that I can't sound like that, and what makes their performances magical is their uniqueness.

The goal isn't to be successful; it's to be happy. And so it doesn't matter if I'm doing things in New York or teaching high school or I drop it altogether and sell coffee. The goal is to be happy, and people and relationships are what makes you happy.

Over the past decade... while many businesses have pursued what I call 'business as usual,' I have been part of a different, smaller business movement, one that tried to put idealism back on the agenda.