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.
Audrey Salazar
Some are born with an innate sense of purpose, others (like me) have to experience the trials and tribulations of life in order for purpose to be revealed. You see, I never thought I would own my own business. I did, however, always dream really, really big. Read more>>
Howard Lim
My passion for creativity ignited at the tender age of five when I discovered the joy of finger painting and became captivated by the concept of bringing something into existence from nothing. I pursued my education in Applied Art and Design at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and furthered my studies in Advertising and Digital Media at the Art Center of Design in Pasadena. In 1987, I founded HOW CREATIVE®. Read more>>
Aaron Winder
My journey to finding my purpose wasn’t a smooth, paved path—it was a gritty, determined climb. Growing up in Las Vegas, I saw firsthand the struggles and injustices that people in our community face daily. My career started in the healthcare sector, where I witnessed the harsh reality of disparities in access and treatment. Read more>>
JoNine Liu
Finding My Purpose: A Journey Through Music In my journey to find my purpose, I learned that embracing a mindset of not fearing mistakes and staying true to my inner desires were crucial elements. This path led me to discover my passion for music, an unexpected yet profound revelation that shaped my future. Read more>>
Abigail Seabrook
Growing up, I always thought my purpose was to do something really big with my life like becoming a famous actress, a professional athlete, a rockstar, an astronaut, etc.
I thought that if I didn’t do something big and crazy with my life, it wouldn’t have meaning or that I wasn’t important enough. Read more>>
Leah Knauer
At the risk of sounding pretentious, I didn’t find my purpose – my purpose found me. I’ve wanted to sing, act, perform, and make people laugh from age 6 – but it wasn’t until I went to rehab at age 18 after almost dying from alcohol poisoning (twice – go, me!) that I found my purpose. After almost dying, you get a new lease on life. I saw firsthand how precious life is and how easily it can all go away, so live the life YOU want now. Read more>>
David Andre
Since I was a little kid, I knew that one day I would become someone known, but I didn’t know in what career. I grew up in a family where mostly everyone from my parents. Aunts, etc…. were in the business of selling clothes through their stores. Fashion played a huge part in my life. I have to say also, that I had an interest in everything artistic. Read more>>
Alyssa Reynoso-Morris
In truth, I believe my purpose found me. As a child, my grandmother told me it was my responsibility to improve the world. With this in mind, I volunteered a great deal as a teenager. I traveled the world and interned for a microfinance organization to alleviate poverty in Indian communities. I worked for the United Nations to help research the development of a witness protection program for the citizens of Rwanda after they testified in the Tribunal of Rwanda. Read more>>
Markus Kashouh
My purpose comes from the way I am SHAPED. I can look over the course of my life and see how I have been wired to live into a certain purpose. First, throughout my childhood, everything video-related fascinated me. I would use my father’s phone to make short comedic videos with my sisters. I would post some on Youtube and hope a few viewers here and there would find my content impactful. Read more>>
Aaron Kusterer
Finding my purpose has been a long road and I think, in some ways, it’s still in a state of evolution. From the time I was kid, I dreamed of playing guitar professionally. I had no idea what that actually looked like but only how cool it appeared through the lens of a 9 year old. I was fascinated by just about anything related to guitar. Read more>>
Marlon Xavier
Since I was a kid, I knew I always wanted to be an actor. I grew up in a household that loved to watch movies. I was fortunate that my dad would always rent movies on Friday and we would watch them over the weekend. We would go to the movies occasionally, but every weekend he would rent movies and I would be able to watch it with him. Read more>>
Jhada Williams
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset. When I was 18 and in college, I started selling bundles after receiving a refund check. However, I didn’t know much about the hair industry and didn’t enjoy that line of work. Once the hair was sold, I never reinvested. Two years later, I discovered my interest in lashes, it was my 21st birthday, I was gifted a Groupon to get my first lash extension set, and as I lay on the table, I thought, “I wonder if I could do this.” Read more>>
Ryan Buynak
My purpose found me. I always knew I wanted to pursue creativity but I didn’t know what that meant. It wasn’t until college that I finally got honest with my love of writing. And I’ve never looked back! Read more>>
Paige Ashmore
I found my purpose through experiencing disappointment, loss, betrayal and general hardship. When you’re driven to your knees in life you look for what is true. Sometimes that’s a small thing. To overcome a very big loss, you start looking at the little things that bring light and beauty into life. Read more>>
Bhagyesh Patel
Growing up in Ahmedabad, India, we enjoyed a wide variety of delicious and addictive egg dishes every week. After moving to America, we missed the flavors, atmosphere, and especially the late-night street food. While we couldn’t bring Ahmedabad to America, we could recreate its flavors, vibe, and atmosphere. That’s how Eggholic was born. Read more>>
Ruthie Odom
I found my purpose by getting to know myself. If you don’t know who you are, it’s nearly impossible to find your purpose. The easiest way to remain unsure of yourself and your purpose is by avoiding struggle and making decisions based on convenience rather than what truly matters. Read more>>
Pat Murray
I’ve been able to discover what my purpose is by finding out what isn’t my purpose. What are we supposed to do for work? What’s the point? It’s easy to say the purpose of our careers is to make a living, to bring home some money to get by. Read more>>
Kourtney Lampkin
Hello my name is Kourtney J. Lampkin. I have been dancing and teaching classical ballet for over a decade. The world of dance has afforded me many opportunities and blessings. I remember as a little girl at the age of six years old my aunt bought me a ballerina Barbie doll. I just remember staring at it in its box and thinking to myself how beautiful this black ballerina Barbie doll looks. Read more>>
Evian Clutch
I found my purpose through a culmination of personal and professional experiences that have shaped me along my journey. I was profoundly influenced by my parents and their dedication to promoting health and wellness since 1978, which created a lasting impact on me. Read more>>
Gail Siller
The most important thing in my life is being a mom to my two boys. When I became a mother, I developed a love for capturing memories of my time spent with them. This love of taking pictures of my own family’s special moments led to me wanting to be a photographer. Read more>>
Kristen Kim
Born in South Korea, I immigrated to the United States during elementary school. There, an unspoken expectation swirled around me – to transform my identity and become “more American” and “less Korean.” Like many immigrants, I lived a double life – publicly embracing American culture at school while privately cherishing Korean traditions at home and church. Read more>>
Maitry Shah
Finding your purpose is a phrase that has become more mainstream in conversations and people’s mindset. It was not a concept I grew up with. I didn’t realize that most of my life I had been fulfilling my purpose in different ways without understanding what I was doing. It was not until recently when I finally gave myself space to think: Read more>>
John & Michelle Miller
Our purpose was found through working on our self-discipline and increasing our resilience due to our mental health issues and childhood struggles. We both grew up very isolated from our peers, quite aware how different we were from those around us. We both have autism and ADHD as well as struggling with trauma and PTSD from our childhood and abusive relationships we went through in early adulthood. Read more>>
Caroll Lee
I was raised by Asian immigrant parents who taught me the importance of putting my head down, working hard, and getting ahead. While I always did well in school and at my various jobs, I didn’t truly know my purpose until I started listening to my gut instead of what others told me was the right thing to do. Read more>>
Jaclyn Szabo
I found my purpose of being a family and wedding photographer by experimenting with different types of art and turning back to what interested me as a child. Meaning as a kid I loved picking up my parent’s film cameras, and buying disposable cameras from the store to document my friends and family. I have always been an observer and a sentimental person so noticing beautiful details and moments in life is natural for me. Read more>>
Monique Griffin
I found my purpose through my deepening passion for wine, which extends beyond simply enjoying it. Exploring the rich atmosphere and intricate processes of winemaking ignited a profound connection within me. Read more>>
Nathaly Sánchez Angulo
It’s a good question, I have to say that it all started when I was a child, I liked to draw all the time, with different tools, especially with crayons and colors, for me color in my works of art is the main objective, in general all my paintings are colorful and I want to express many feelings throughout the colors meaning, where the people can have many sensations of joy, curiosity, plenty, wellness and more positive things when you see one of my artworks. Read more>>
Fidia Falaschetti
I find my purpose around me. I deeply feel part of this society, and from my fortunate position, I want to make a difference by giving a voice to those who have given up. How can art do that? By making people think. Think about solutions. Think about being united. By uplifting viewers’ lives with charming, funny, and inspiring art, helping them find their purposes and awaken to this beautiful life. People and society are my purpose. Read more>>
Gayathri, Sanjana Vanka, Kavula
Although we were compelled to work in women’s mental health after researching the issue, this was solidified after serving on its frontlines. As a grassroots organization, a lot of our initial work surrounded an emotional wellbeing campaign, informing the public and fostering community discussions. Read more>>
Ben and Noreen Berkowitz
I have always loved dogs. I cannot recall a time in my life when dogs were not a constant source of love and joy, so when my wife and I started WE LOVE DOGS INC we wanted to walk, train, and create playful enrichment opportunities for all the dogs we knew. We felt like there was a need, especially in our neighborhood of Miracle Mile, for a smaller more personal doggy daycare. Read more>>
