Below you’ll find the stories and lessons of some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs, artists and creatives in the community and how they found their purpose.
Neetu Rishi
Discovering my purpose within the realm of fashion came amidst criticisms regarding my height, age, and size. It dawned on me that countless individuals like myself often succumb to self-doubt. This realization fueled my drive to establish a platform called FLY—a yearly event tailored for novices, revolving around a central theme. Read more>>
Maria Alkhalil
Discovering my purpose as a personal stylist for female leaders has been a journey rooted in individuality and a passion for helping others. Inspired by my mother’s teachings to embrace my uniqueness, I found joy in assisting friends in uncovering unique pieces and styling them for various occasions. Read more>>
Kate French
I have always been successful. I started working very young and had a hard work ethic. I always wanted to grow and challenge myself. This led to working every position in bars and restaurants until I opened my first one at 27. Read more>>
Dale Cooper
I lost my first wife to breast cancer in 2007. She fought her personal battle for almost seven years. She passed at the age of 42… just a couple of months short of our 20th wedding anniversary. Over the seven years of her fight, she taught me more about humility than I had learned my entire life. She embraced her family, friends and faith as the most precious things in life. To her, nothing else mattered. Read more>>
Jill McLaughlin Grunewald
As they say, your mess is your message. About 30 years ago, I was in my 20s, seemingly healthy and living an exciting life. But something was off; I was fatigued, had some brain fog, and was getting less enthusiastic about going to the gym. Although I’d been raised on healthy food (my mom cooked nearly everything), I was largely eating what the media told us was healthy at the time…low fat-this, low-fat that. But I didn’t feel great. Read more>>
Myriam Gillis
I found my purpose through my journey of self-exploration, trying new experiences and reflecting on what brings me joy and fulfillment. That started with me identifying what I’m passionate about and what skills/talents that I have. From there, I found a new love of working with children, which started in my church. Read more>>
Roslyn Ellerbee
Discovering my purpose has been an incredible journey that has profoundly shaped my career and the founding of Dream Team Digital Marketing. It all started with a deep curiosity about efficiency and a burning desire to make a meaningful difference in the digital marketing landscape. Read more>>
Jenna Bradshaw
I spent years trying to figure out the right career path that would fulfill me and give me a sense of purpose. No matter what other ‘practical’ route I explored, I always came back to the one thing that always been a constant in my life: dance. I started dancing at the age of 4 and danced competitively for several years before taking a break in high school because it simply didn’t feel worth the emotional and physical stress I was putting myself through anymore. Read more>>
Gino Choi
Among the things I am best at is pursuing and completing something original that others have not done. Read more>>
Mishka Sibert
The purpose found me and started unfolding the older I was with each challenge we faced together as a family. It wasn’t really about autism being the challenge but the challenges that come from lack of support and understanding for autistic people and their family members. Read more>>
Ruoxi Hua
I have always been interested in art, and when I told my parents that I wanted to go to an art school for college, they both gave me a hard “No.” So I ended up in college majoring in biology. But apart from biology, I was free to choose any other classes I am interested, and so I go to as many art classes as possible, as well as some philosophy classes. During my sophomore year, I was in a figure drawing class. Read more>>
Ray Vincent
Through composing music. I was writing my fourth album and had an idea for a unique instrument that I could play on it, but I had to build it myself. So I created a few versions before I finally got close to what I wanted. I finished the album and continued to play the instrument in live situations. Read more>>
Jason McCobb
My purpose found me. I set out to become a farmer because I realized our food system is broken. I wanted to localize our food and build a local food system for my community. The fact that our daily staples are being shipped from sometimes thousands of miles away is not right. Read more>>
LaQuintta Miller
Like many people I found my purpose as a Doula, while going through different situations personally in life. Motherhood was what brought me to the realization that being a Doula was what I was called to be. My first pregnancy made me love everything about motherhood and my second gave me a passion for it. Read more>>
Christine Soza
How does one find their purpose? I believe that it is part of our human nature to ask this deep and thought provoking question, one I have been asking most of my adult life. It truly wasn’t until I started working with people at the end of life did I finally find my life purpose. It had been a quiet, subtle nudge for many years that began to get louder and louder as time went on. Read more>>
Maria Alexandra Pinto
In life, our purpose often undergoes frequent changes. When I embarked on my career journey as a fashion consultant, my focus was on conveying emotions through visuals. However, as I transitioned into the role of a fashion and beauty content strategist, my approach evolved. Read more>>
Jessena Waldo & Michael Waldo
Finding our purpose was a journey of self-discovery that was shaped by both personal experiences and professional growth. We have always been passionate about wine and the process of making wine which made a profound impact on us and led us to create our wine brand Divinely Elegant Vines, It wasn’t until we learned how to properly taste wine that we started to understand the grape and its varietals, terroirs and the science of it all. Read more>>
Angela Crawford
I believe God has shown me my heart from a very young age. I’ve never questioned my desire to help and loves others. it has always felt right, For me nursing was the only answer. It was a career that would allow me to give back to others and to comfort those who needed it most. Read more>>
Yaniel Paulino
The concept of purpose can vary greatly from one person to another, but for me, it holds a deeply personal significance. Purpose is God’s intention and plan for each individual’s life. It’s about understanding that we were created with unique gifts, talents, and abilities, and that God has a specific role for us to fulfill in His greater plan. Read more>>
Adrianna MacGregor
I believe the only purpose in life is to be in service to others. Now, I say that and people are going to ask me how certain things I do in my life are connected to that as they would seem unrelated, but I think that everything I do to make my life better will someday be of use to someone else. Read more>>
Sarah Hampton
Discovering my purpose in the realm of the beauty industry, hairstyling was akin to uncovering my “ikigai,” a Japanese concept that represents the intersection of what one loves, what one is good at, what the world needs, and what one can be paid for. Read more>>
Heidi Rendina
Finding my purpose has been a profound journey, deeply intertwined with my roles as a mother to three wonderful children and a wife for 24 years. These roles have defined my life’s primary purpose and shaped my approach to health and wellness. We cultivated a family life centered around activities that bond and strengthen us both physically and emotionally—hiking, skiing, biking, boating, and camping. Read more>>
Christopher MacLellan
I got my care gene from my four older sisters. I watched how they loved and cared for their children, and it was the model I used when caring for my partner Richard when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2011. Most of my professional career had always been surrounded by some form of care, whether social service or nonordained ministry. Read more>>
Ernesto Ueman
Certainly finding a purpose in life is not the easiest task. We develop. different interests throughout our lifespan and they all seem to direct us to what we believe our purpose is but as we go along, we find ourselves in a path where obstacles seem to be plain bad luck instead of perceiving them as a lesson to be learned. Read more>>
Michelle Booth
It took me a long time and a lot of searching to find my current purpose. I worked in marketing and PR for years before getting into ghostwriting and editing manuscripts and launching a tech startup. The common thread between my work as a ghostwriter and a tech founder is using the power of voice to build human connections. Read more>>
Jess Bray
In today’s world, we get so caught in survival mode that we forget our natural state is to thrive. In my life, I’ve found that passion leads to purpose, but few of us afford ourselves the pleasure. The things that light us up and pull at our heartstrings to take action are seeds planted in us for a reason. Read more>>
Brandy Waller
So it all started back in Houston, Texas. Yes, I’m a country girl, born and raised! Ever since I could remember, I have been a creative person. I cut, painted, and designed clothing pieces as a side hustle all through middle and high school. Read more>>
Whitney Frost
My purpose comes from my own interpersonal experience with these very struggles that our clients face. I gave birth to my first child in 2015 and found myself, a trained clinician, navigating Postpartum Depression with great difficulty and very limited resources to turn to. Read more>>
Ayushi Acharya
For me, it began with a quest to understand the threads that connected my passions, skills, and values. I delved into various activities, always excelling in reading, writing, and had a growing interest in human behavior. I did attempt to immerse myself in different fields of study. Read more>>
Chastity Corbett
Chastity R. Corbett is a Suma Cum Laude graduate of Norfolk State University. She earned a B.A in Political Science and her M.A in Criminal Justice. While at Norfolk State University, she founded the Graduate Student Association mobilizing graduate students to let their voices be heard. Read more>>
Aanchal Gupta
Panky Doodle is built on the concept that it’s called a birth-DAY because celebrations should start as soon as the DAY starts. Behind Panky Doodle is a mom-daughter duo – Aanchal and Ivanka. I bring the love, warmth, and flavors that make a good meal, and our 10-year-old manager IVANKA brings the smile and excitement that started it all. Read more>>
Shawn Bagley Jr.
Finding my purpose was an interesting journey and process that started at 18 and took more than ten years to complete itself. I always knew that my purpose was to inspire others but I was afraid to lean into that gift. The part of myself that wanted to be in the spotlight was ego-driven and not very self-aware. Read more>>
Maggie Hassinger
For as long as I can remember, I always knew when I grew up I wanted to help people. I also LOVED playing beauty shop. As a small child my grandpa would always place with me and let me practice styling his hair or putting a little makeup on him. How that looked as I grew up, graduated high school, and eventually college changed dramatically. After high school I worked as a nurse assistant while in college. Read more>>
Mikiko Arias
I unexpectedly lost my hearing in my left ear and then a year later lost the capacity to hear on my right ear. This is when I began to find my purpose. This life-changing experience impaired my balance and tremendously affected my emotional and mental state. I had two choices, to start my healing journey, either rely on medication or take the natural path of yoga. Read more>>
Sean Applebee
My purpose comes from the need to heal. Beyond was cultivated from a calling to connect people with their humanity. The greatest gift in life is to witness the power that music has to bring people together. Every performance creates a space where people bond over their appreciation for beauty, diverse perspectives, and desire to explore. Read more>>
Jarron Webster
Finding my purpose in life wasn’t something I was necessarily searching for. It’s something that has been cultivated and nourished over time. Something that has unfolded more and more as I’ve evolved. Through the many experiences I’ve had, I’ve learned more about myself each time. Read more>>
Kenlon Clark
I’ve loved storytelling in one form or another my entire life. Even as a small child I have little books that I drew, as I was just learning to read and write that are the equivalent to action films on paper in an embryonic state. Growing up, I loved comic books, science fiction novels, and drawing. When I became a teenager I loved making my own films with my parent’s VHS camera and managed to win a scholarship to film school for an animation I drew on a whiteboard. Read more>>
Melanie Roberge
Ever since I was a child I have been creating art. Surrounded by other artists in my family, my mother, sister, grandmother and great grandmother, I enjoyed learning new techniques and expressing my emotions through artwork. When I graduated high school I lost touch with my creative side and was working multiple jobs, supporting and raising 2 young boys alone. Read more>>
Naomie Raymond-Ngah
Thinking deeply right now about this question. I found my purpose when I first started working with the youth at my local congregation. I was a youth leader at my father’s church when I was 16 years old. Though I was very young at the time I felt I could handle the role. I loved talking and sharing many stories with the young adults on multiple topics such as mental health, self-care and self-esteem. Read more>>
