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.
Emilia Joy
The most important thing about my identity is that I am a Christian. The life that I have in Lord Jesus Christ is my ultimate identity and purpose. As a follower of Jesus there are endless opportunities for finding purpose in this life. The Bible is full of commands that give us purpose. Read More>>
Esther Levy-Bremer
To be honest, finding my purpose was a complete shock, mostly because I used to think acupuncture was voodoo! I had actually planned on becoming a Western physician. In my teens, I was a professional fencer practicing for hours every day, but my body eventually broke down. I developed chronic muscle pain and severe fatigue. Read More>>
Philip Terry
I found my purpose…. the long way, still probably on the journey. It certainly started by building, failing, creating, and learning what actually matters. Early on with D.Y.D. Publishing, my focus was on giving artists a way. Read More>>
Dr. Tanner Simmons
I have always enjoyed helping people. I have been very blessed in my life, and I have always felt called to give back. When I shadowed in physical therapy as a student, I immediately knew it was the field that I wanted to be in. Physical therapy is an extremely rewarding career. Read More>>
Ellen Goncharov
Finding my purpose was easy, it was a issue that needed to be addressed. Every day, countless students walk through campus carrying invisible weights, burdens no syllabus can teach them how to lift. Those burdens were a little too much to carry at 14; leaving me stuck mentally and physically. Read More>>
Adrian Christian
Growing up in the Bronx, New York, my purpose is something I told my mother about when I was six years old. I told her I was on a mission. Read More>>
carrie STORY
I’ve always been drawn to artistic expression, but I didn’t fully understand my purpose until I discovered metal clay. I saw a medium with enormous creative potential that very few people understood or even had access to. That sparked something in me. Read More>>
Misa Greer
I found my purpose through loss and healing. After endometriosis led to a total hysterectomy, I had to redefine my life in ways I never expected. During that time, the unconditional love from my dog, Wrigley, carried me through the trauma and helped me rediscover my strength. Read More>>
Sophie Hustwick
I’ve always been a creative soul – I grew up drawing, painting, and exploring different ways to express myself. I studied fashion design, but I never quite felt like I fit in. It wasn’t until my Father introduced me to photography that everything clicked. Picking up a camera felt natural in a way nothing else had. Read More>>
Abby Bertram
Everything that I am is rooted in my faith, although that wasn’t always true. There was once a time in my life that I found my identity and purpose in what others thought of me. I idolized success through hard things and self discipline. Growing up, my dream was to become a United States Marine. Read More>>
Gena Strung
I built Meridien by paying attention to what I couldn’t find for myself: a place where driven, high-functioning women could genuinely slow down. I know what it’s like to hold everything together, to stay in motion, to give more than you receive. I wanted to create a space that feels beautiful and indulgent – something women genuinely look forward to. Meridien is that vision. Read More>>
Logan Massengale
I had lost myself in depression and self-medication, living wildly and without direction, until the night I almost didn’t and shouldn’t have made it. That moment became my turning point. I found my purpose in becoming the man I needed to be, the one who leads with compassion, radiates hope, and shows the world the love and compassion I had never known. Read More>>
A.J. Serjue
I realized I found my purpose in 2018 when my cousin asked me to film her business event. She handed me her camera, then asked if I could capture the vibe, and I offered to edit the clips with music to make her happy. Read More>>
Alena Mauhs
I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, right outside New Haven. It’s not the wealthiest town by far, and the gap from low to high class was also quite large. I grew up in the lower half of this with my mom. Read More>>
Eric ‘Ton-E’ Vasquez
I found my purpose when I realized the positive impact music had on other people. This was first realized when I DJed at parties and gatherings in my early adult years. The energy and reaction from the people was amazing, and it all was because of the songs I played. Read More>>
Cristhian Cadenas
I did not find my purpose in a moment of clarity. I found it in the ashes of the life I thought I wanted. My purpose was born on the day my old identity collapsed. For years I lived as a warrior who carried more than any human heart should ever hold. My injuries were not only physical. Read More>>
Karen Hutton
My purpose actually found me when I was about eight or nine. I had this vivid vision — totally unexpected — of a huge column of Light pouring down through me while I stood on a theatre stage. The Light washed out over everyone there… healing, elevating, transforming them. It sounds dramatic, but it was actually quiet. Focused. Clear. True. Read More>>
Rande Vick
I found my purpose in a moment that felt, at first, a lot like failure. For most of my life, Fender wasn’t just a company; it was part of my identity. As a musician, I cut my teeth on a Stratocaster – loving the tone of so many of my heroes, it was a natural fit. Read More>>
Dina Morales
I found my purpose through the music community. My entire career has been built inside this industry, first as a producer working on some of the most meaningful events of GRAMMY Week. I spent years creating experiences that raised money, supported artists in crisis, and brought people together through music. At the time, I thought my purpose was simply to produce great events. Read More>>
Martin Pytela
Happiness is found in the pursuit of a worthy goal. My worthy goal found me: when I was 25 I was ‘gifted’ with 12 silver mercury amalgam fillings that caused a catastrophic health decline over the next 10 years. I did not find effective help with the health industry, both mainstream and alternative. Read More>>
Melissa Henderson
Finding purpose in life can be challenging at times. I’ve often thought I was making the best decisions, only to find out later that my choices were wrong. Thankfully, I’ve learned to pray first. On the front of my home computer, I have a sticky note that states in bold letters ‘PRAY FIRST’. My purpose has changed over the years because of life experiences. Read More>>
Julio Rodriguez
Stepping into the world of a marketing agency, I quickly discovered that my true purpose lay not just in creativity, but in the compelling story the numbers tell. It was an unexpected, yet profound, realization: I fell in love with the data—the elegant mathematics of growth. Read More>>
Veronica Lawlor
I don’t find my purpose it finds me, through my process of drawing on location. I get excited and interested when drawing in certain types of spaces – often gritty urban environments or wild places of nature. While I’m drawing on site I intuitively feel the lingering memories of things that occurred there. Read More>>
Jiaming Ju
When people ask me how I found my purpose, I tell them it started with anger. At the time, I was working as a Health Economist, one of the very few women in a field dominated mostly by men. I was deeply invested in longevity research, and shifting into Traditional Chinese Medicine was the last thing on my mind. Read More>>
Anastasia Fox
I didn’t “find” my purpose! My purpose found me in the moments that broke me open. It came in the nights when I felt alone in a new country, when I was rebuilding my life from pieces, when I was a young mother trying to be strong for everyone while quietly searching for myself. Read More>>
Albert Hobson
At the age of Thirteen I had to spend a summer at my Grandmother’s. During this time the Redd Foxx sitcom Sanford and son came on weekly. While watching an episode Redd Foxx performed a skit with a wash bucket bass; made out of a wash bucket a string and broom handle. Read More>>
Amber Paresa
I was always a martial arts/action movie fan. The quick moves of Jackie Chan disarming the bad guy always thrilled me. One day I saw an ad for Krav Maga. More martial than art, I thought oh yeah, that’s for me. I started training and fell in love with it. The physical and mental challenges were exactly what I needed. Read More>>
Niurka Castaneda
Finding my purpose was a journey shaped by every chapter of my life — from transitioning out of the military to building AMOR Umbrella. What began as a simple class project — a heart-shaped red umbrella — quickly became a life-changing endeavor. Read More>>
Cam Belino
I believe your purpose finds you. It’s that thing that you find yourself doing no matter what your situation is – and I find it to be more broad than any single career title can describe. Since I was young I knew I was an artist. I was always singing, drawing, dancing, reading, writing …It was an itch that simply never went away. Read More>>
Denika LaShae
Let’s be honest. Most people don’t start taking their mental health seriously until something shakes their world and leaves them no choice. This was certainly the case for me. For nearly two decades, I poured myself into different careers and business ideas, only to watch them fall short of what I hoped they’d become. Read More>>
Anna Harper
I found my purpose by trying things and saying yes to opportunities, even when I didn’t think they would lead anywhere. I’m a big believer that you don’t have to fully know your purpose in order to move forward in the world. Read More>>
Warren Feld
Have you found your passion? I used to get so sick and tired of this question. I got perplexed. What did it really mean? What were people really telling me when they said I should follow my passion? I tortured myself in reflection. What job or career or avocation should I pursue? Do I have an intense interest in anything? Does anything drive me? Read More>>
