Over the years we’ve had the good fortunate of speaking with thousands of successful entrepreneurs, artists and creatives. Some are happy, some are not. The happy ones almost always had a strong sense of purpose and so we are very focused on trying to help our community members and audience find their purpose. This series is our attempt to create more dialogue around finding your purpose.
Mogli Maureal
I kinda figured out my purpose just by trying things. Learning new stuff, picking up different skills, and honestly just getting more life experience. It wasn’t so much about adding things in, but more about subtracting what I knew I didn’t want to do. I did always have a North Star, though: staying somewhere in the arts and entertainment world. Read More>>
Amit Ojha
I found my purpose by paying attention to the moments that genuinely energized me. Early in my career I worked hard to grow, taking on bigger roles and responsibilities, but over time I started noticing the work that actually made me feel alive. For me, that was building things that mattered, solving hard problems with smart people, and helping teams grow into their potential. Read More>>
Yash Kapoor
I didn’t find my purpose in a well-lit studio or during a polished recording session. I found it in a crowded Mumbai living room, surrounded by rappers I didn’t belong to — but whose sound I was asked to help build. In 2022, I was brought in as an independent producer and engineer to work with Citimall, one of Mumbai’s most fearless young hip-hop collectives. Read More>>
Ana Ruiz and Karla Rugamas
We talked about our experiences while in PA school and shared how having grown up in medically underserved communities ourselves, we witnessed firsthand how limited access to care can profoundly affect health outcomes. Our shared experiences ignited a passion to serve those who face similar barriers and we found purpose in wanting to change healthcare Read More>>
Ilya Altshteyn
I discovered my purpose when we adopted our dog, Lluvia, and witnessed first-hand how a home-cooked diet transformed her health (her skin cleared up, her digestion improved, her joy for life grew). At that moment, I realized that what we were doing for one dog could become a mission for many: to give dogs the kind of food they deserve: nutritious, human-grade, responsibly sourced. Read More>>
Natalie Poindexter
Finding my purpose has been something that has taken time, it was not something that I can say I woke up one day and it appeared. My journey of finding purpose meant that I first had to deconstruct the version of myself that wasn’t fulfilling or helping me live in my purpose. Read More>>
Chase Grant
This took me a while to figure out, what my purpose was. I was felt like I was kind of a background character, even in my own life when I started singing and performing back in 2021 it was a very new thing I had never performed or saying in front of anyone before. Read More>>
Christina Navarro
Purpose can look different for everyone. For me, purpose is the reason I am who I am, the foundation behind what I do for my personal growth, my family, my career, and why I show up for others. But I didn’t always understand that. Read More>>
Debbie Meritsky
How did I find my purpose? By finally asking myself a harder question: What’s the point of a life lived on autopilot? Purpose didn’t arrive wrapped in clarity. It came through years of watching people struggle with their health, their food, their environment, and realizing that most of the suffering was preventable. Read More>>
Joey Carvello
There was a roadmap to my purpose. It started in East Cambridge, Ma. where I was the only person that I knew in the twenty square blocks of my neighborhood who had records by black artists in their collection. It was the middle of the 1960’s and Motown artists were everywhere. Read More>>
Keyshawn Gilbert
I found my purpose through trial and error…. or so I thought….. In life we are presented with many things, so much so that it can confuse things. You may be doing one thing but something happens or things change to the point you have to pivot into a new direction. Read More>>
Hilary Kearney
I picked up a beekeeping book by chance and became fascinated with honey bees. The way they organize the hive, with different jobs for every bee, their intelligence and even the way they make honey amazed me. I had no idea how complex they were. I never intended to become a beekeeper, but I followed that fascination. Read More>>
Meredith Stalnaker
Finding my purpose as an esthetician has been a journey of discovery, both professionally and personally. I’ve always been passionate about skincare and wellness, but it wasn’t until I started working hands-on with clients that I realized just how much of an impact my work could have on people’s lives. Read More>>
Quan The Poet
I didn’t find my purpose in some pretty, inspirational way. My purpose found me while I was fighting for my life. Growing up, I struggled with deep, low self-esteem. I spent years feeling like I wasn’t enough for anyone, not my family, not the world, and definitely not myself. Read More>>
Olivia Jeanne Autry
My purpose was born from a long period of hiding. Because I was neurodivergent and carried trauma, I faced a lot of bullying. My survival strategy was to become invisible—to tone myself down and never claim my own power, because that felt too dangerous. The relief was temporary, but the self-betrayal was a heavy price to pay. Read More>>
Cash Earls
I found my purpose through the very struggles that once felt overwhelming and insurmountable. For years, I faced complex health challenges that left me feeling powerless and disconnected from my own body. But, through that journey, I realized that my pain could become a pathway—not just for my own healing, but for helping others navigate theirs. Read More>>
Nicole Silvester
Since childhood, I believed I had a clear understanding of my purpose, but time has shown me that purpose is far more fluid than I once imagined. Life teaches us through change- through the seasons we outgrow, the challenges we face, and the people who shape us. What I once viewed as fixed has evolved into something living, something that grows as I do. Read More>>
Moniqueca Sims
I didn’t find my purpose in a single moment; it wasn’t a perfect plan, or a dream that came with instructions. My purpose revealed itself piece by piece, every time life put me in a situation where I had to choose between breaking down or breaking through. Read More>>
Nicole Mölders
As far as I can look back, there were two things I was particularly passionate about: Art and the sciences. In kindergarten, a group project required painting a street scene on a wall-sized paper with crayons. One of the kids had painted a tree with a twig wider than the stem. Read More>>
Alicia McIntosh
I believe purpose is something you choose to see and feel in the everyday. It’s found in the quiet details, meaningful connections, and the moments that shift how we see life or how we choose to live it. Purpose lives in every moment. That’s how I found the purpose to create EmpowerHER. Read More>>
Edna Navarro
For me, finding my purpose didn’t happen in one single moment — it unfolded through layers of self-discovery, healing, and honest reflection. It started with a simple but powerful realization: I wanted something deeper and more meaningful for my life. That desire became the spark. From there, I began asking myself harder questions — What am I meant to do? What is my calling? Read More>>
Javis Gibson
I found my purpose when me and and old friend got off the school bus one day and he told me he wish he could go get his hair cut. We both came from poor families so trips to the barbershop were a luxury. Read More>>
Pam Harlow
I didn’t have one single moment where the heavens opened and my purpose appeared. It came together slowly, through healing, a little rage, motherhood, and realizing how much the beauty industry needed someone willing to tell the truth. When I was rebuilding my life after leaving an abusive marriage, everything I thought I knew about myself had been stripped away. Read More>>
Robin Litrenta
I appreciate a good story especially as it relates to people and their history. As a kid, I loved when extended family members visited. We sat around the kitchen table while my parents and relatives reminisced about their childhoods. I hung onto every word. Read More>>
Robert Roth
Honestly, I think purpose is something that comes from inside. For me, it’s always been art — making it, sharing it, getting lost in it. As a visual artist, I’m constantly playing with new ideas and just trying to stay curious and open to the things that interest me, excite me, or spark some kind of joy. Read More>>
Rozhina Rajabloo
For a long time, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. Music always felt like the obvious choice. Even though I studied math and science throughout high school, I always found myself returning to music. I believed my purpose was to make an impact, to create something meaningful, and it all seemed straightforward. Read More>>
Makenna Callaway
I have always had a passion for people. Growing up I was told that I was a good friend and loved hard. I find those strengths led me to learn the floral industry is all about being a good friend and loving those around you. I value highly my relationships with others, as it is a way for me to connect with my creator. Read More>>
Sarah Siegel-Kolodziejski
My purpose didn’t arrive in a lightning bolt moment—it became clear through my own messy, non-linear journey to sobriety over 4 years ago. I was a high-functioning Mum, Professional, Entrenpreneur, who had built a good life. From the outside, everything looked pretty great.. But I was using alcohol to manage stress and anxiety, celebrate life, socialize, and quietly fill in the times alone. Read More>>
Mami Matsuura
When I entered music college, I started thinking deeply about why I make music. I had always loved it and never doubted that it was my path, but when I thought about pursuing it as a profession, I wasn’t sure what that really meant for me. After moving to the U.S., I had an experience that changed everything. Read More>>
Elaine Mou
I’ve always seen myself as someone who sets a goal and then works steadily toward it. When I don’t have a clear destination, I get stuck, confused, and basically spin in circles. But over the past few years, that started to shift. My goals kept changing, and I had to change with them. Read More>>
April Overholt
I found my purpose by starting my adult life over, completely and unapologetically. For ten years, I lived inside a version of myself that didn’t quite fit. I was married to a man, raising our daughter, pouring everything I had into being a wife and a mother. Somewhere along the way, without even noticing, I disappeared. Read More>>
Michelle Steiner
From the very beginning, I knew that I wanted to go to college, work with children, and become an author. I wondered how I could do this with a learning disability. I was not alone in my doubting. Read More>>
Sherry Steine
My purpose revealed itself gradually, through the intersection of personal experience, professional curiosity, and deep compassion for others walking through their own healing journeys. I have been practicing yoga off and on for nearly 20 years before I decided to take a yoga teacher training. Early in my yoga teaching, I worked with women who were navigating stress, burnout, and emotional overwhelm. Read More>>
Meg Bradyhouse
Honestly, I wish I could say I found my purpose in some big cinematic moment… but I didn’t. It happened in the middle of real life – newborn chaos with our second baby, sleep deprivation, and me realizing I’d been on autopilot for way too long. Read More>>
Emily Malec
My mission manifested rather early in life, though it took years of trial and error to find the best way of pursuing it. My passion is reaching others where they feel most alone, and after years in the helping professions, I finally decided to branch out on my own. Read More>>
Godhuli Chatterjee Gupta
In a beautiful way, becoming a mother helped me find my way back to my true purpose of writing, sharing untold stories, and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. Prior to motherhood, I was stuck in the corporate grind seeking endless validation in meaningless (to me) measures like promotions, raises, and glowing performance evaluations. Read More>>
Dr. Angela Claffey
I often say ‘What didn’t kill me better run.’ Under the floor boards of my counseling center I put pages that I took out of my journal that I had as a little girl who was struggling with an eating disorder and prayers to God to heal me. Read More>>
Norah Utley
Trial and error with a dose of luck- I’ve always loved music, always been involved myself in music. Read More>>
Mandy Edwards
I am strong in my faith and I know helping others is one of my purposes. I am a big proponent of servant leadership. To lead you must serve others. I find my purpose through doing that – serving and helping others. I joke I would do my job for free but I have two daughters (haha). Read More>>
Jackie DiMaggio
My purpose wasn’t something I chased…it was something God gently led me into -to share my voice, to encourage, and to pour light into places that need it. Not just to sing, but to reach people’s hearts in a way only music can. Piece by piece. Moment by moment. Read More>>
