We recently connected with W.E. Da’Cruz and have shared our conversation below.
W.E., so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
That’s a great question—but if I may, I’d like to challenge the premise just a bit. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that purpose isn’t something you find—it’s something you create.
Hi, I’m W.E. Da’Cruz.
Ten years ago, I was pursuing my dream at the Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations. I had earned two full-tuition scholarships and completed a Bachelor’s and dual Master’s degree in Diplomacy, International Relations, and Public Administration—all within seven years.
But despite those academic achievements, I found myself exactly where so many people are today: unemployed.
After dozens of rejection letters, I made a decision that changed everything. I said, “If they won’t hire me, I’ll hire myself.”
That decision was the birth of my purpose. Not because I stumbled upon it, but because I chose to create it.
I co-founded The Virtual Global Consultant Group (VGC Group), a global IT firm that helps entrepreneurs and organizations embrace digital strategies to unlock new revenue streams. Through digital tools—web development, e-commerce, email marketing—we’ve helped ministries, nonprofits, and small businesses raise hundreds of thousands of dollars globally.
But that was just the beginning.
Purpose evolved again when I co-founded The Mushroom Angel Company, a food manufacturing business rooted in ethical, plant-based solutions and community impact. What started in tech grew into food. What started with solving my own unemployment grew into helping others find economic agency through digital and agricultural innovation.
What I’ve learned is this:
Humility always precedes honor.
Purpose doesn’t always look like what you expected. I thought my calling to diplomacy would take shape through international institutions. But instead, it came through entrepreneurship—serving communities at the intersection of technology, food, and global engagement.
I now teach others to live not by proximity, but by consciousness. The consciousness you bring to your craft is your most powerful currency. Your ability to navigate people, policies, and processes is your pathway to purpose—and to a life of global impact.
So no, I didn’t find my purpose in a job posting. I created it, one brave step at a time.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Widely recognized as The Digital Diplomat™, Wendy Ekua (W.E.) Da’Cruz promotes the adoption of digitalization to help drive economic development. Awarded the 2021 Minority eCommerce Firm of the Year by the U.S. Department of Commerce MBDA, she is the cofounder of the Virtual Global Consultant (VGC) Group, a global IT company helps entrepreneurs, companies, and organizations adopt digitalization to access new revenue and value-producing opportunities.
Through the use of digital tools and technologies, she and her partner Dr. Naomi Cook are responsible for helping to generate millions of dollars a year in at-will donations and business sales for VGC clients, with focusing on US and African-based companies. As an internationally recognized tech expert & thought leader in her field, she’s been invited to speak at high-level events, such as the US-Africa Business Summit (Mozambique), World Export Development Forum (Ethiopia), Africa Fintech Summit 2019 (Ethiopia), and DHL eCommerce Conference (Ghana). As a U.S. Embassy Speaker, she has led a masterclass for the Academy of African Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and an in-person training for the U.S. Embassy Pretoria, Zimbabwe and Kuwait – to name a few.
Appointed by the White House’s US Secretary of Commercial Services to the District Export Council in eastern Michigan and At-Large Board Member for the national association, she continues to promote global entrepreneurship worldwide. Most recently, she was selected as part of the 2023 U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) Next Generation (Next Gen) Global Leaders Network and is a member of USGLC’s State Advisory Committee; and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture appointed her to serve on the Agriculture Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Processed Foods.
As an International Consultant, she has developed and delivered an online training course on technology and innovation for African businesses in addressing the impact of COVID-19 for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
She launched The Mushroom Angel Company with her husband during the pandemic. They produce whole foods made from mushrooms. Their first product, Cruz Burgers, is currently available in more than 120+ locations across the Midwest region (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Illinois). Her new food-tech experiences will support agribusinesses & consumer packaged goods in the US & Africa.
A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Ghanaian-American New Jersey native is a wife & mother of three currently in Detroit, Michigan.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Consciousness is the first form of currency. Everything—your decisions, your relationships, your resilience, even your income—flows from the level of your awareness and belief.
Conscious Awareness
This is more than mindset—it’s spiritual and strategic intelligence. Early in my journey, I realized that I had to elevate my thinking beyond rejection letters, bank account balances, and even what others thought was possible. That inner alignment became my compass.
Advice: Develop a personal practice that keeps you centered—whether that’s journaling, prayer, meditation, or strategic reflection. Know who you are before the world tries to define you.
Lose the Title and Win the Tests
I went from studying diplomacy to launching a tech company… to running a food manufacturing business. What carried me through wasn’t a title—it was the ability to adapt. I learned to code-switch not just between cultures, but between industries, platforms, and challenges. It was never about holding on to one identity, but about being willing to evolve with purpose.
My advice? Stay in conversation. Conversations are the currency of possibilities. Say yes to learning things that stretch you beyond your degree or your comfort zone—like digital marketing, public speaking, or project management. Those skills become the tools you’ll need to pass the real tests: the pivots, the setbacks, and the new doors that don’t look like the ones you were expecting.
Master How to Navigate People, Policies, and Processes
This is what I now teach under my framework called the Triangular Trade of Transactions™: learning how to navigate people, policies, and processes is key to accessing new levels of purpose-driven impact. Whether in diplomacy, business, or community work—your purpose will require you to move through systems.
Advice: Learn how to read a room, build authentic relationships, understand the “why” behind rules, and know how to structure a strategy that works within or beyond the system.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
The Mushroom Angel Company is on a mission to spread the good gospel of mushrooms. We’re actively seeking food service partners—restaurants, hotels, institutions, and distributors—who are passionate about offering mushroom-first, functional foods that meet a wide range of dietary preferences.
Our products are crafted for all taste palates—from meat lovers to vegetarians to vegans. They cut and bite like meat but taste like vegetables, offering a clean-label, plant-based option that doesn’t compromise on texture or flavor.
If you’re interested in bringing innovative, locally-sourced mushroom products to your menu or shelves, we’d love to connect. You can reach out directly at orders@themushroomangel.com or visit www.themushroomangel.com to learn more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://themushroomangel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themushroomangelcompany
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themushroomangel/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wedacruz/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@themushroomangel
Image Credits
The food images should be listed Chuk Nowak.
The family photo on the stairs Jacinth Arhur.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
