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.
Bil Brown
After awhile, humans collect experiences. When you start to notice that those experiences stack up to make you who you are then its a point to offer what you have discovered to others. In my case, it was simply noticing what I notice. Beyond that, some sort of informed noticing that follows the three rules of my two main art forms: poetry and photography. First rule, be there. Second rule, watch and listen. Third rule, accept something for what it is. Read more>>
Jake Reny
Yeah! So I find purpose and even parts of my inspiration for my music in my relationship with God. I definitely believe we go beyond who we are as humans. I’ve come to realize through experiences that have happened in my life good and bad, that if I didn’t have my relationship with God I would very much not have a purpose. Read more>>
Veronica Lichter
From a very young age I always felt the need to draw or create. I wouldn’t even necessarily say that I liked it, more that it’s when I felt most like myself. I didn’t decide to pursue art academically until I was in my late 20’s. Read more>>
Lena Jennings
I found my purpose through a journey of discovery. Taking inspiration from Shonda Rhimes, I said yes to new experiences that allowed me to uncover my passions. In college, I joined diverse clubs to try new things. I reached out to people for informational interviews to learn about different careers. I studied abroad to see the world from a new perspective. Read more>>
Greg LeGette
I really don’t feel like I’ve really found my purpose yet (I know I know, not what anybody ever expects to hear). That being said, when I think of what I should be doing in life It would be music. It’s something I can’t seem to get away from. I don’t know how or why, I just know it’s what I need to do, and in some ways it doesn’t make sense, but it doesn’t need to. Read more>>
Shauna Stephanchick
When I was in second grade I had an innate feeling that I should be a teacher I loved children and being in charge, so it seemed natural to my given abilities. As I grew and pursued teaching in college, I had clarity that teaching was my calling. Through my years in serving public education, I was able to observe systemic barriers in the field. Read more>>
Liz Herman
Growing up, I dreamed of working with animals but the only pet career I knew of what’s being a veterinarian. I shortly decided was not going to be the route I would take as I learned more about the field. My other passion was in the arts but could never pin point a medium. Straight out of school, I went to work at a tattoo shop to help out and submerge myself into an artistic community. Read more>>
STACY BEST-NERVIS
For some people, they find their purpose early in life and for others it can be a longer process. I found that my purpose was not tied to one type of profession but learned there was a commonality of tasks and jobs I had completed that provided me a since of joy and fulfillment. I have worked hard to create opportunities for myself that fulfill me and provide joy for myself and others. It all came full circle for me while taking some self-care time for myself enjoying a facial. Read more>>
Dani Leggett
Finding my purpose has been a long and windy road. I really didn’t know or find my purpose until this last year or so. I’ve been searching for it for so long. There is so much pressure on young people to know “what they want to BE when they grow up.” Our society puts a lot of identity in what we do with our lives by asking who are you going to be? Read more>>
Francesca Delisle
I started my journey as a chef, delighting in crafting meals for families. Yet, a sense of something bigger beckoned me forward, awakening me in the night. I explored network marketing, hoping to find my path there, but it wasn’t the fit I’d hoped for. Then, tragedy struck with the sudden loss of my brother to an aneurysm at just 36 years old. Read more>>
Rev. Rob Jerger
I don’t know if I found my purpose so much as it found me. I was working as a corporate salon manager when a job promotion to run a larger salon took me back to the rural East Texas town I grew up in. I thought moving back to Tyler was probably a bad idea, but considering my parents weren’t getting any younger, I decided to make the move anyway. Read more>>
Deidre Wilton
Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to be. I knew I loved to write, and I knew I wanted to help people to understand things, but that was about it. I was always drawn to Psychic Readings and crystals and all things Spiritual, and I used to think to myself “how cool to be able to do THAT for a living!”. Read more>>
Renee Ifagbaye Esubola Ayelaagbe Smith
Many have asked how did you begin doing this work? And I honestly respond this is a calling for me that is bigger than me… I have had many careers and I like to say I am in the 5th or 6th iteration of that but this one was very different because it feels more like a calling. Read more>>
Danielle Green
I found my purpose as Bob Ross used to say, “A happy accident.” As a teacher in pre-school, we covered a weekly unit on healthy habits. I worked with our class identifying healthy foods, exercise and mindful breathing. In addition to slow, deep breathing I taught a simple mantra (meaningful phrase for the mind), for the kids to say while touching their thumbs to each finger per word. (Peace begins with me). Read more>>
Zoe Brenn
To discover one’s purpose, I think it’s first important to discover what purpose is not. For me, It took dropping out of college, multiple jobs in different fields, failed relationships, etc, to realize what my purpose was not. It was not a degree, or a job, or a person. It was not an end goal or a destination. My purpose has a direct correlation to what I believe to be true about this life. Read more>>
Mohammad Solei
Finding my purpose has been a journey marked by different seasons of my life. At first, I confused my changing goals—like education and immigration—with my purpose, seeing them as my guiding light. It took me years to realize that purpose is less about specific goals and more about a direction that gives meaning to all phases of life. Read more>>
Cynthia Asije
Personal connection, witnessing the challenges faced by African artisans and brands. I saw firsthand the difficulties artisans face in accessing fair compensation and global markets. In my former company, I had retailers at trade shows ask me how they could purchase my products, and there was nothing that supported trade between African and global markets. It took me 7 years to be able to scale my products to 40 countries. Read more>>
Freddie Muneaux
I only ever wanted to be two things an athlete or a musician. I was naturally talented at both but ultimately I found my way towards music. Finding my way in the music real was a little different however. When I started music around 13 years old I basically tried to emulate what I had grown up listening to. It took quite a few years of trial and error to find a sound and subject matter that was consistent and authentic to myself. Read more>>
Kati Aartoila
I grew up without diverse media representation, and it had a big impact but also it was one of reason why I forgot my childhood dream and thought that I could never be a model. I believe that what was built for us even before we were born, will find us when the time is right. Read more>>
Asha Dahya
even divisive issues, and present them in a way that shifts our thinking? I believe personal storytelling is the magical ingredient to enabling people from all different backgrounds to understand one another and find empathy. Read more>>
Jalen McNish
I don’t think it was ever a matter of finding my purpose. I realized that I have always in a way lived through my purpose. It went till I was a little older and a little more mature that I realized this. I think coming to this realization though has allowed me grow and continue to not only live through my purpose but It has allowed me to be able to understand why this purpose is so important to me. Read more>>
Tami Goulet
I always knew I was meant for more in life than what I was living – wife, mom, daughter, sister, career professional, friend, lover, etc. But I had no idea how I even went about figuring it out as life kept getting “in the way”. Read more>>
Aaron Lepley
When I was 12 years old, I saw David Bowie on a Pepsi commercial performing “Modern Love”. At that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I immediately gobbled up every Bowie album I could get my hands on. I saved my allowance and bought an acoustic guitar and a Bowie songbook, and spent every free moment learning chords and practicing. Read more>>
Kingservant
Purpose has always been a big thing for me. I think I like a lot of people have always had a sense that “there’s more to life”. Definitely a foundational aspect of purpose for me has been knowing that I was made on purpose, with and for a purpose. That I didn’t just happen, but God was totally deliberate in making me, forming me, designing me so that I could fulfill particular things and execute a particular mission. Read more>>
Jaime Meyer
I was traveling solo in Malmö, Sweden when I had my true sauna experience. It was cold and windy and I was jet-lagged and exhausted. The heat of the sauna and the cold of the Baltic were unlike anything I had ever felt before. I watched teenagers and grandmas and everyone in between relaxing and socializing. I could sense how much it was all a regular part of their lives. Read more>>
Jessica Davila
I’ve always been a creative soul, graduating in marketing and even taking a course in New York to reinforce my passion for branding. After my kids were old enough, I delved into my creative side, starting with dessert tables and pinatas. But I wanted something more unforgettable. Read more>>
Melody Myers
I started getting an inkling of my purpose at a young age. I always had a love for reading, writing and creativity. I remember always looking forward to reading my grandma’s daily print of the Chicago Sun-Times and discussing the latest headlines with her. My grandma, along with my parents, were the biggest influences when it came to me knowing the importance of being informed about what’s happening in my community and listening and learning from others’ stories. Read more>>
Sam Ramirez
My definition of purpose is defined by the people around me. I get life, through them. Without the community I have, I don’t think I would be able to continue – my wife, my friends, mentors, family. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have that. For a long time, I didn’t either; at least I refused to accept the fact that I had support. Read more>>
Vanessa Gabriela Naumann
I believe that purpose is a byproduct of living life and taking decisions that are aligned with your curiosity and inner compass of what feels genuinely true or good within you. I remember a time in my life where I wanted to find “my thing” so badly and what I did was just exploring everything that felt exciting to me. Read more>>
Tamica Hughes
Finding my purpose so natural. Ever since I was a young girl, I had the heart to give to others. I always wanted to do things to help inspire others if I could help them in anyway I would lend helping hand or whatever it was that I had that they could have to make them feel better, I am a true giver. Read more>>
Monique Morman
First I had to allow myself the opportunity to release the pain I felt within. Trauma is like a slow leak in your car’s tire. You can drive around for quite some time, but eventually the air runs out. The stress levels rise, the feelings of being lost creep in, and if you’re not physically up to the task, you become overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, and sometimes you can become frozen because the reality while you’re in this struggle, is just too much to deal with. Read more>>
Annie Bowles
Finding my purpose was a bumpy road. It began from having a crisis point in my life, where I got fired from my first “big girl job,” had a breakup, and got sick in the years following. Being sick, I had to really dig deep and ask myself what it is I REALLY wanted out of life. Read more>>
Kianna Wilson
The moment I started receiving messages from random followers and meeting people who would come up to me and tell me how they admire my work, I knew this was what my purpose was. To share art and bring life and happiness to others. Read more>>
Andy Morales
When it comes to Unraveled Influence, so many things inspired me that led to this platform being created. If I can say one major thing that inspired this was when my father passed away back in 2018, three months after I got married. My father was a writer of poetry and it was always seeing him in his bedroom, and he was always writing, singing, and creating and this is what always gained my curiosity. Read more>>
Derrick Green
Having grown up experiencing 17 of the 18 total acknowledged Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) that lead to many co-morbidities in adulthood, I set about to do deep internal work to release myself from the poisons of my childhood. On that journey I found there are many adults suffering from the remnants of toxic stress as they never fully process their traumas and, in many cases, are held hostage by them which prevents them from ascending to their greatness. Read more>>
Malika Pistolese
I found my purpose through some unexpected medical challenges that came up during the pandemic. I have anxiety and for some people it can come up in many ways. Some people may get hives, others may hide from the world, and some may get sick. For me it showed up in my heart. Read more>>
Lynne Fuller
How did I find my purpose is a question that hits the heart of what is my motivation, reason, and intention behind everything I do. I wish I could share a grand plan of what that looks like but I can point to three ways in which my purpose has become enriched: through continuing education, building new/fostering established connections, and trusting my instincts. Read more>>
Tatyana Figueiredo
I found my purpose back in Brazil at 15 years old when I started acting. In my first play I realized that what was a “hobby” became everything in my life. I was always very shy, but when I was acting it was a way to express myself to the world in a way that people would want to see or hear. Read more>>
Travis Holp
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Oliver Marcelle
To be honest, my purpose found me. Had you told me 20 years ago that I’d discover an innate desire and passion to see relationships thrive, I would’ve laughed in your face! Yet, here we are. What started in 2012 as casual conversations where we shared our perspective on marriage based on our experience up to that point, blossomed over time into being an author, creating a coaching and consulting business with my wife, and speaking on several stages about building and maintaining your dream relationship. Read more>>
Milk The Mermaid
Growing up I always knew I was different. My sense of style, my bold hair colors and especially how creative I was I stood out. I knew I wasn’t alone even though sometimes it felt like that living in a religious home. When I got older, I moved to Floridia where I hung around like minded individuals that pushed me closer to my dreams. Read more>>
DeVogue Johnson
I was able to find my purpose from personal experiences, I went to a group meet and the way I was received. It was an eye-opener. It’s perceived that African Americans are artwork and things like that, but when we are more clothed, it’s harder to get appreciated. That is a lot of my lighter skin counterparts. Photographers would ask them to just shoot, however, with me. They would always ask me to do sexual things. Read more>>
Tai Young
When I asked myself what could I happily do to bless others regardless of pay, I found my purpose. Everything that I’ve done in my journey, has led me to where I am today in my career. Being a celebrity makeup artist for 17 years, and recently starting my real estate business, I’ve always been in the business of service. Read more>>
Brittany Wild
In the tapestry of my life, the thread of purpose was woven through diverse experiences, each revealing a unique facet of my journey toward fulfillment. The realization dawned upon me that purpose is not just a personal desire; it’s an essential anchor for all beings. Without it, we risk feeling adrift, lost, and even sinking into the depths of despair. Read more>>
Sam Solino Mazahery
I guess I was one of the lucky ones who knew what they enjoyed doing from very early in life. I was about 11 years old when I decided to become a storyteller, back then I was particularly interested into making animation. I also played the piano since I was 7 and started composing melodies and scores from the age of 12. Read more>>
Antonio Saucedo Azpe
My journey towards finding my purpose began at a very young age, influenced by the vibrant cultural environment of my upbringing in Mexico City and the encouragement of my always supportive family. Engaging in theater and visual arts workshops early on sparked a passion within me, but it was during my high school years that I rediscovered theater and realized the potential of my design skills within this field. Read more>>
Adriana Leos, and Hannah Polan N/A
pandemic in 2020, we yearned to create something meaningful and impactful. Witnessing the challenges faced by many small businesses in a corporate-dominated world resonated deeply, particularly as daughters of entrepreneurial mothers. Read more>>
