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.
Raiza Noelia
I found my purpose as I focused on learning, growing, exploring and discovering new things. The book The Alchemist is a beautifully written story that depicts the voyage of someone looking for their purpose and is the perfect example of what I did myself. Read more>>
Dawn Woodring-Mosley
As a 15 year breast cancer survivor, I know the importance of embracing we are wonderfully and beautifully made and this is not the last chapter in our book. We are more than conquerors walking by faith and not by sight of the storm before us. Read more>>
Tangier Wallace
I personally struggled with finding my purpose for a long time. I journaled about it, spoke to people about it and to only become aware that my purpose has always been in me and right in front of me. I’ve always had a passion for helping others, I always envisioned myself writing, and I was always great at giving advice to others. Read more>>
Tong Luo
I have always realized that the prerequisite for finding a purpose is to know what you want deep within yourself. My purpose has been sought through work and practice, constantly evolving. I started in the field of film art, gained experience in various film and television productions, and gradually discovered my unique understanding of visuals. Read more>>
Emily Alderete
When I was younger like many others I struggled with teen acne. I never liked the skin I saw in the mirror. I would go to Sephora and pick up masks that I saw ads for, I used them and nothing seemed to help. Finally I made the decision to see an esthetician and from there I started a customized routine that they recommended. Read more>>
Katrina Noelle
I’ve always found people – and their stories – to be fascinating. And they want to be seen and heard and appreciated for who they are. I feel lucky every day that we are able provide a feedback loop so brands can learn more about the audiences they serve through my work at both KNow Research and Scoot Insights. Read more>>
Shauna Golden
Finding your purpose is hard. It’s not something everyone accomplishes in their life, and there are some who find it at a very early age. I was honestly both. I know they contradict each other but let me explain. From a very young age, I discovered my passion for reading. I was immersed in these fictional worlds and fell in love with made up characters. I knew that I wanted to do something revolving around books. Read more>>
Aubree Mosby
Well, in order to answer that, I have to start with a brief story first. 2015 is a year I will never forget. It was in November of 2014 that I received the best news of my life: that my university would be covering an entire semester for me to study abroad in Rome in the fall of 2015. I was mind blown! But before I received this news, I have to rewind a little. Read more>>
Sarina Siebenaler
Becoming a writer for children’s books is an inner self-reward for my ability to fulfill my creative outlet. Most importantly, it allows me an opportunity to have an impact on young minds by making a positive contribution to a child’s development and cultivating a love of learning and reading. Read more>>
JayyGoinUp
This may sound crazy, but I did NOT know who Michael Jackson was until he died. I was so young, I couldn’t comprehend such talent at like 8 years old. The same night he died, they played the 30th Anniversary Special from 2001. He was performing Billie Jean and that’s when I decided that I wanted to be a performer, not just a vocalist or a dancer but an entertainer. Read more>>
Alicia Mathieu
I found my purpose after receiving my son’s prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, which completely turned my world upside down. Initially unfamiliar with the diagnosis, I delved into extensive research to understand more about it. During this process, I stumbled upon alarming statistics revealing that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) faced a significantly higher risk of sexual abuse, seven times more than those without a disability. Read more>>
Joanna Steidle
My life has been a journey of multiple careers. At the age of 43, I first picked up a drone and took her to the skies. I knew my life would never be the same. I fell in love with flying, then photography. Flying and creating brings me balance; emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. Read more>>
Huining Shi
Before embarking on my journey as a professional concept artist, I explored various design disciplines, including illustration, stage art, digital media design, and more. A few years ago, my career path wasn’t clear, but one thing was certain—I had an unwavering passion for painting and design. Through relentless exploration, diverse course experiences, and navigating through different professional directions, I ultimately made a firm decision—to become a concept designer. Read more>>
Dustin Lyons
A sense of purpose can be a tricky thing to hold on to. Life is a mixed bag. Things shift. Do your laundry, pay your bills, get to work. There’s got to be an overarching spirit of wonder and excitement that fuels you. To know what you’re after, to achieve a sense of direction, you have to be very self-aware, you have to know what holds your attention and gives you a feeling of belonging and peace more than another thing. Read more>>
Mariah Bottomly
There are many intricacies to this answer! I think that I’m on a continuing quest to realize my purpose while simultaneously living my life’s mission/purpose. It has taken a long time to step into my purpose. I started my life’s journey and work very young without having any true focus or guidance. I started approaching my life with a holistic lens in my late teens/early 20’s. Read more>>
Lourdes Lavoy
I believe I found my purpose because I asked God to show me what I needed to do to achieve my life dreams. Once I did that, I was not only doing what I loved as an actress, but I also learned so much about health and being the best you from my own experience with what was 13 years ago, terminal cancer. Read more>>
Vandana Jain
Unveiling my purpose as an artist was a journey of self-discovery, marked by moments of uncertainty and the quest for direction and support. Initially, I contemplated the viability of dedicating myself to art full-time. The pivotal shift occurred when I committed to a more consistent creative practice, leaving behind my engineering career. I first explored resin art and later transitioned to paintings. Read more>>
Melissa Bloom
I have always felt that my purpose is linked to my creativity. Throughout my childhood into young adulthood, this meant creating every chance I got, whether that was making a store-bought craft, writing stories, or developing a skill like drawing. It took many years for that drive to create and my passion for skill-building to come together with a third factor: being of service. Read more>>
Michelle Noland
I’ve always had difficulty expressing myself verbally, struggling with communication in various aspects of my life. In many ways I felt like I had no voice, and even though I would attempt to share my thoughts and feelings with others, I was never taken seriously. This left me feeling isolated and insecure in my relationships with others and heavily influenced what I believed I could and couldn’t do in life. Read more>>
The Hood Doctor
My purpose found me. I’ve always known that I’ve always wanted to help others as a career; it truly makes me happy. I’ve had asthma for about 4 years of my adult life. After countless trips to the ER and many respiratory infections I knew that something needed to change. I started researching herbs and started incorporating them into my lifestyle. A year later I was asthma free. I then knew I had to help other people. Read more>>
Dr. Michele Cho-Dorado
I have always had an affinity towards helping children. Even before going into medicine, I loved being around kids. I babysat in high school & college and taught Sunday School as a medical student. It was no surprise that I chose a Pediatric subspecialty as a profession. Read more>>
Joshua Azali
I’d say it was finding where I wanted to be pursuing the most value in my time and I felt that acting was a great medium for me to pursue. Read more>>
Teresa Yeung
I have a small habit – I enjoy documenting the things I need to do each day, noting down the delicious foods I want to try in the future, collecting recipes, planning future travel destinations, contemplating stories I want to create, and envisioning the characters I want to draw. Over time, this list has grown with numerous aspirations. Read more>>
Rick J. Delanty
My upbringing with my parents was one of loving care, of encouragement and support. I felt that, and early on I wanted to bring that to others. In addition, I realized the value of education, and of self-study. In high school, I was encouraged by my cross country and track coach–in my art class, I was discouraged, and I felt the difference. Read more>>
Lalania Simone
I went to Catholic school for many years and was steeped in Catholic tradition from a young age. Though I loved the spirituality and the ritual and traditional aspects, something was amiss. I couldn’t understand my role as a female within the religion, and I didn’t understand why I was considered a sinner, even though I was very young. Read more>>
Sarah Reinhardt
Well, I owe this to my Past Life self Ava, and this is such a good question! Honestly, I fought myself tooth and nail until I couldn’t deny it anymore haha. I was born with these abilities that I didn’t understand or really want while growing up and I know I’ve spoken about this before, but I want to try to go a bit more in-depth in this article. Read more>>
Yannell Selman
Understanding my purpose came after years of observing myself in both my toughest and most joyful moments. My purpose comes down to building communities. I realized by reflecting on my happiest days. I noticed that when I felt the most fulfilled personally and professionally, it was always when I was intentionally bringing people together around a shared passion or interest. Read more>>
Scarlet Nixon Klein
I think I’m still trying to find it. But I’m getting there! During COVID I truly realized how much I valued having dance as a part of my life. Not being able to take classes and perform made me appreciate it ten times more. So going back into it, I wanted to approach as not just something I do as a hobby, I wanted it to be the focus of my life. To learn and perform just as much as I watch and teach. Read more>>
Phil Witte
You could say I found my purpose as a child—but I was too young to realize it. Beginning around age eight, I drew cartoons—funny stuff, at least funny to me at the time. By age 11, I had a portfolio of cartoons, drawn with a No. 2 pencil on scrap paper. I sold my first cartoon when I was 15. I sold my second cartoon when I was in my 40s, and I didn’t pursue cartooning as a full-time career for another 10 years. My path took many detours, but I wouldn’t call them wrong turns. Read more>>
Pachion Randle
Truly thinking about things that have my best interest at heart. Everything I’ve accomplished, from my career to my business- I’ve always said I wanted to do as a child. Read more>>
Kiki Nikole
I realized my purpose after I started volunteering my time with various organizations, museums, clubs, and other events and charities. I have always been passionate about helping others, so volunteering just made sense. Years ago I moved from Los Angeles, California to the Sacramento area. Being in Sacramento gave me the chance to discover the State Museums, and other fun events. Read more>>
Vanessa Gilbreath
My purpose is to help children in any way I can. I volunteer with juvenile Court with children in foster care. I found this because I remember my mother telling me that one of the big problems for her ,growing up in an orphanage, was that no one ever asked her what she wanted. Read more>>
Trevor Toney
I think this is a really interesting and broad question that can mean different things to different people. For me, the meaning of “finding your purpose” has changed greatly over time and has taken most of my life to “figure out”. I used to think my purpose needed to be some lofty ideal that expressed itself though great change or impact, but this always felt daunting and contrived. As I became older I started to focus on where I wanted to be in life and what I wanted to do with my numbered days. Read more>>
Eric Pacheco
Like many people, purpose has been something I have been in search of for quite some time. The irony, it took me to stop searching for it in order for me to find it. That is to say, about 4 years ago I had a bit of a “spiritual awakening” I guess you could say and started to better understand the “trick” of going with the flow versus trying to fight it or swim upstream all the time. Read more>>
Belle Garcia
I find purpose in the relationships with the people I love—my friends and family—as well as those I encounter along the way. I genuinely enjoy listening to their stories and figuring out how I can make their journeys a bit easier. Read more>>
Elisa Robyn
I have found that life’s purpose is an evolutionary process. Doors open as I stay open to possibility. Often uncertainty leads to a reexamination of our journey. And from that, we become aware of a new path before us. Our purpose when we were young, might, for some people, However, for most of my clients and myself, my understanding of purpose deepens with time. Read more>>
Tara Martell
As a young girl I wanted to be a schoolteacher, a writer and I wanted to help people I loved to learn, I would set my dolls up or make my friends or sister play school for hours with me as the teacher. I won school awards for poetry, and I volunteered as domestic violence shelters, I read to the kids waiting for their parents and I rocked babies who were born to crack addiction. Read more>>
Tamieka “SiStar Mimi” Kent
I found my purpose by simply finding myself. In this life, we are all tasked with finding and returning to the truest version of ourselves. I believe the “true self” is the only path to happiness, fulfillment and purpose. The true self is buried under trauma, opinions of family and friends, social and cultural conditioning. Finding yourself is a transformational journey. Read more>>
Ilgın Simay Koçali
In the summer of 2022, at the tender age of 15, I found myself immersed in the lethargy of endless days spent doing nothing. But one of those days was different than usual because it led me to find my purpose of life and pushed me to become who I am today, a 17 year old small-business owner. My best friend sent me a TikTok edit. Read more>>
Shawn Moore, LMSW
As I look back over my adult life, I am in my 50’s, I have done a lot of different things that I believe set me up in finding my purpose. For me, I had my kids early in my life and really feel like I found my purpose through life events. I found myself with three children and single in my middle 30’s. I didn’t have a job at the time and started selling Mary Kay. Read more>>
Shawn Moore, LMSW
As I look back over my adult life, I am in my 50’s, I have done a lot of different things that I believe set me up in finding my purpose. For me, I had my kids early in my life and really feel like I found my purpose through life events. I found myself with three children and single in my middle 30’s. I didn’t have a job at the time and started selling Mary Kay. Read more>>
