Finding & Living with Purpose

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.

Chloe Owens

I am not formally trained as an artist. Being the “smart one” from a single-parent, working-poor household, I was told early on that art wasn’t a career option. That wasn’t because I wasn’t talented or supported but because my mom wanted to ensure I had a better life and wasn’t struggling the way she did.  Read more>>

Jennifer Braly

When I first started Braly Studios 15 years ago, I found my purpose in my children. Back then I had 4 young kids and I was up my elbows in raising a family. I wanted to be a good example for them. Lean into my fear and create a Studio and a life for myself. Show my children that you can follow your dreams.  Read more>>

Samantha Martin

Slowly. I always had a plan when I was a teenager, even early twenties. I knew exactly how I wanted my life to go. But my “plan” had no depth, and did not account for life changing events. Becoming a mom made rethink my whole plan. I was in law school and what I thought I’d do after graduation was no longer what I wanted. Read more>>

Ivan Estrella

I remember having a very difficult time in school. I was a student at UCLA, and I was actively loosing my vision and my ability to walk. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I had to decide for myself, like the students around me, what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I figured, if I lose my vision, if I lose my ability to walk, what do I have left…? It’s my voice! I would go on to use my voice, to make the world a better place. Read more>>

Ashley Webb

I found my purpose just by looking around and seeing what needed to be done. Sometimes when you grow up in a space, you are so used to “this is just how it is”, you forget that it doesn’t have to be this way. When I moved to New Orleans, I wasn’t used to how things were in that neighborhood and I said, something needs to be done. Then one day you realize, you need to be that someone to do something about it. Read more>>

Zach Chin

Ever since I was a little kid, I have watched more YouTube than television. Back in 2012-2013, I would sit and consistently watch some of the biggest names on the platform like Casey Neistat and Dude Perfect. They inspired me to do video creation and upload to YouTube.  Read more>>

Ana Raquel Aquino

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been really into observing human behaviors and understanding why we decide to do what we do – you know, the whole free will thing. I also enjoy diving into the origins of the Universe and life itself. That’s what made it my life’s mission to help others, but in practical ways, actually SEE the change happening. For me, face-to-face, direct interaction with people and seeing my impact is crucial. Read more>>

Delia Folk

I thought about my interests, strengths & skills. I paid attention to the activities where I was able to achieve a state of flow. I thought about what gave me energy and brought me joy versus what made me feel tried. I kept my eyes open to opportunities that came my way. Lots of self-reflection about how my personal experience can be used to help/better others. Read more>>

Natalie Elisha Goldberg

August 20, 2004. I was a pedestrian hit by a drag racing car going 60 mph. The driver did not step on the brake. I survived. The need for justice in the world was handed to me on a silver platter that day. Purpose and a second chance at life. I knew then, that I was gifted life. I had to make the most out of it. So my purpose? Read more>>

Lee Zimmerman

As with every amazing thing that has happened to me over the last four decades, a series of opportunities revealed themselves to me. I had little more than a sketch of what my life could be one day which I held like a blur in the back of my imagination, a vague impression of my potential when I entered art school in Philadelphia. In the back of my mind, I suspected that it was entertaining people.  Read more>>

Teresa Ferreira

A tough question to get me started – I guess I’ve always been an idealist and being Portuguese with parents that went through a revolution to get rid of a totalitarian dictatorship, this was always part of my DNA and my way of being. Read more>>

Chas Evans

I teach guitar at a small school here in Mississippi. Been teaching there for about 10 years now, back when Covid hit us we basically stopped school, stopped teaching, stopped everything. When I came back the next year, my guitar students had dwindled to almost nothing which was alarming in itself. Read more>>

Emily Frank

As corny as it sounds, my sense of purpose comes from seeing the light of hope come on in my clients’ eyes. Those moments when the people I’m working with realize that they aren’t terrible and unemployable, but are people who have been in ill-fitting jobs or situations really fuel me. I love when we can start seeing that piece of hope, and then start working on the practical steps so each person can find something that feels good and pays what they need. Read more>>

LaTia Holley

Finding my purpose happened when I least expected it. I was awakened to it through introducing my closest loved ones to a plant-based lifestyle, which I had been living and benefitting from for a few years at the time. I invited everyone over to try my home cooked vegan soul food which the spread also included 3 beverages to compliment the meal. Those beverages became the gateway and were the star of the party. Read more>>

Nona Djavid

I started my professional career as a chiropractor in the Bay Area. That 8-month experience taught me everything not to do as a practitioner. After I opened my own office, I discovered that countless practices are being managed the same way – one-size-fits-all treatment and identical patient scripts. Read more>>

Hope Reger

I lost my 19-year-old son on 11/17/16 to murder. That day changed my life, who I was, and my purpose. I always thought being a successful mom, wife, nana, and corporate employee was who I was created to be. After losing my son my entire world changed.  Read more>>

Amy Senn

I found my purpose in the forest. Finding it was simple, the hard part was letting go of everything in my life keeping me from being in alignment with it. Once I became aligned with it, the truth of what it was flooded in, and then I knew. Read more>>

Djuana Ross

I found my purpose because I was looking for it. I kept asking God to reveal it to me. Life has not been a crystal stair for me and I would sometimes have to fight through feelings of inadequacy and invisibility. Even at a very young age, I battled with thinking that it had been better if I had never been born. Read more>>

Kareemah Scurry

I found my purpose when I decided to take a step back from art in 2016. I used to create all types of female characters, all different races and cultural backgrounds. I realized that my audience was beginning to fade and people weren’t as moved or interested in my POC characters. So I made it my mission to put those characters in the forefront and focus on the beauty of the “unseen and looked over”. Read more>>

Kendara Laurel

I have to say that finding my purpose has been an organic, natural process. I feel this involves learning more about, things I am interested in learning more about, as well as my desire to share (What I have learned and discovered) about these subjects. Read more>>

Jasmine Edwards

I first found my purpose by not wanting to go to others to do what I felt like I could do myself. I always had a passion for doing hair, but I was so young at the time, so I didn’t really take it to serious back then. I also didn’t know that it would be something that I could create a business from. So about five years ago I decided that I was going to start betting on me.  Read more>>

Jason Johnson

After serving in the military, civilian police, and federal government stateside and overseas, I noticed that our nation’s retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs weren’t getting any help in retirement. I wanted to start an organization that addressed these issues specifically with medical treatments, rehabilitation, and rehoming. Read more>>

Sebrina Brown

1 Corinthians 13:11 states: When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. That is it. When we identify with God, He will show us our purpose. I did not initially own that purpose; however, God will keep pulling our coat tail until we get it. Read more>>

Jasmine Lewis

My journey to discovering my purpose has been deeply rooted in my faith. I wholeheartedly believe in the guiding principles of the Word of God, particularly finding solace in the verse from Romans 8:28, which says, ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.’ Read more>>

Shalelia Dillard

I remember having a vision or dream when I was 19 years old of running a nonprofit for students. The dream was very vivid and occasionally popped in my head as I continued to teach complacently. I have always been a very reflective person, analyzing events and trends within my surrounding. I think this really helped as I began to teach and had an inside view of education and how students with varying needs navigated their academics.  Read more>>

Shekira Farrell

My journey to finding my purpose has been a deeply personal and special one. It all started when my amazing son, Jaiden, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2014 when he was around 2 ½ years old. At that time, I didn’t know anything about Autism, and it was also my first time being a mother, but I also knew that there was a list of things his pediatrician and therapists told me he would never be able to do. Read more>>

Kelly Dobroski

I think the key to finding your purpose is two-fold: 1) a LOT of trial and error, and 2) checking in with how you feel. I’ve loved being near the water since I was a kid – I was always the last to want to leave the beach on family vacations, and was hard to pull out of the neighbor’s pool in the summer. This love led me to Washington College and Duke University to study how we manage our ocean’s resources. Read more>>

Yi Fu

My journey to finding my purpose in drawing began with a deep desire to express my innermost feelings and emotions. Drawing became my chosen medium, a language through which I could communicate with the world. However, I didn’t limit myself to just one form of expression; instead, I embraced a diverse range of mediums, including hand-made clay, wood-felt, and traditional pencil drawing. Read more>>

Serena Nour

I’ve discovered my purpose through the simple joy of putting smiles on others’ faces. Whether it’s through acts of kindness, lending a helping hand, or just sharing a moment of laughter, I find immense fulfillment in brightening someone else’s day. This purpose is deeply personal to me, as I believe that fostering positive connections and spreading happiness not only enriches the lives of others but also brings a profound sense of meaning to my own journey, which lead me to Dipped With Love TX. Read more>>

Katie Arabie

This is a great question! I find my purpose in serving others; and I am able to get through even my hardest days knowing that I am working to fulfill a specific purpose. That is to help someone help accomplish a small portion of their business goals. This helps them to do a multitude of things; feed their family, take a trip, put gas in their car, have a date night with their spouse. Read more>>

Stephanie Heidel

I found myself in a place so dark that I contemplated ending my own life. I felt that I had no purpose on the earth and that my loved ones would be better off without me. I checked myself into a mental health clinic where I spent 40 days learning how to overcome the horrible lies that I was believing.  Read more>>

Marcia Marshall

I believe that we have more than one purpose. For some it might be a combination of a purpose driven marriage, parenting or career. For others, like myself, my purpose has always been community driven. Yes, I have the purposeful drive to create family and help my family thrive, but I do not limit myself to that focus alone. Read more>>

Hava Schultz

For the past couple years I’ve been producing video and social content about experiences in New York City. But in the fall, making this content had gotten to a point of feeling like a slog. As in, I was going through the motions, not following inspiration. Read more>>

Johana Quesada

You know that cliche line everyone says “Your mess is your medicine”. It’s cheesy, yes but it is just so spot-on for my journey. When i reflect back on all of my life experiences, the hurt I felt, the betrayal and abuse I endured, and the self-neglect I put myself through, I smile. I smile because of what I know now that I didn’t know then. Read more>>

Abner Cardona

My purpose comes from the reflection of my history and culture. The interest of how our celebrations and folklore came to be. Being intimately connected to it helps me create a narrative in my work and vision in which I can ultimately influence or spark interest to a broader public about my Caribbean heritage. Read more>>

Seda Anbarci

It was a challenging journey to discover my purpose, especially considering that many people around me didn’t view being a writer or an artist as a legitimate profession. I’ve been crafting stories since childhood, and my diaries have always been filled with stories and illustrations. Read more>>

Tracie Vlaun

I would say finding your purpose is a LIFE JOURNEY. I would never be able to just pin the exact moment I found my life’s purpose as it is ever so evolving and a continuous journey. I knew my hearts desire to help people, to teach, and to creatively make an impact on this planet would somehow bring me to the perfect career and lifestyle that would make me feel fullfilled.Read more>>

Mark Certonio

I have been in the industry for more than 40 years. I have served as the director of catering for the New York Marriott Marquis from 1995 to 2000 as the youngest director to ever serve in his position. I have subsequently taught at the Centre De Management Hôtelier International in France, was an international director of sales in Brussels, Belgium, for a hospitality software company through which I sold hotel software to major European hotels for ballrooms and catering spaces, and was a fine dining general manager in the U.S. at Café Marquesa and Latitudes on Sunset Key. Read more>>