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.
Fanny Tristan
Navigating this world myself as a Black Latina immigrant, I quickly realized no amount of hard work was going to help me bust open the ceiling to success and personal fulfillment in life. I’m privileged to have the chance to fulfill my passion as a trauma therapist. But even with all the extra hours, degrees, late night emails, I knew I was destined for more than what others valued me as and I was tired of the lip service. Read more>>
Erik Roadfeldt Caricature Artist
I worked for 15 years as a caricature artist doing the occasional gig at private parties like birthdays, weddings and company picnics. I worked for one agent, and they only had a couple other artists that were all burnt out and sick of the job. I liked the job, but their negative attitudes couldn’t help but rub off on me sometimes. Read more>>
Dawn Markley
My goal in life has always been to make people happy. And you know what makes people really happy? Cake. I really found that making cakes fed my heart, and watching people enjoy them and have so much joy fed my soul. As I’ve transitioned into not making cakes for clients anymore, but only for content online I still find I am bringing people joy, just in a different way. The comments people leave saying how they love it or think it’s beautiful, allow me to feel like I’ve brightened their day in some way. And that really is what it’s about for me. Read more>>
Frank Frascella
This is such an interesting question. What is purpose? Is there even such a thing? I struggle with this idea. Do we assign our own purpose in life? Is it ordained from something greater than us? Perhaps our purpose is just to live and experience the world around us? I’m not sure, but I do find some solace in writer Allen Watts interpretation that “Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself.” Read more>>
Sean And Amber Mccarthy
“Purpose” could be tied into the “why” of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle. There were so many avenues that our life together could take, either together or parallel paths. For us, growing up in this Conejo Valley area, we always yearned for a community space that was 1) open late, 2) if food/drink associated, used clean ingredients, and 3) had a creative component. Those were our WHY’s for opening up Five07. Read more>>
Julio Solorzano
I found my purpose the moment I did that portrait drawing for my now wife, then girlfriend. And she loved it, her family loved the art I created, after that I opened my Instagram page, people started following me, commissions began to come in, and I started making a profit out of my art, I was suddenly in an art bussiness beign a full-time artist and my dreams grow even bigger and I decided to come to the United States to expand my artistic carrer and earned an O-1 Extraordinary Talent Visa to expand my artistic carrer in this great country. In that moment I realized I loved creating art, teaching to other people from all ages and express myself to the world, through brush and paints! Read more>>
Alena Apollonsky
Finding my purpose started with a simple love for creating special moments. From a young age, I was drawn to the idea of making people happy, especially through beautifully arranged experiences. I’ve always believed that the most memorable moments in life are often the simplest, like sharing a meal with loved ones in a beautiful setting. This belief sparked my passion for picnics and eventually led me to start Your Lovely Moments. Read more>>
Shana Romia
I was exploring opportunities outside the traditional 8 – 6 engineering job structure, seeking something that offers more flexibility, enabling me to spend quality time with my kids and family, while still pursuing my professional goals. For now, I have been focused on finding the right clients and work that combines my two passions: food and photography. But who knows what the future holds, right? Read more>>
Danell Black
I have always been interested in doing something meaningful. I was an elementary school teacher for four years in the early 90s. I remember when I started my first teaching job. I was given the keys to a classroom with stacks of books on the desks. I felt overwhelmed and unprepared. I tried different grade levels and schools but never thought I was meant to be in the classroom. Read more>>
Jeffrey Osam-tewiah
Finding my purpose has been a journey of exploration, reflection, and growth. Growing up, I was always loved storytelling and was captivated by the power of it but my words always failed me until I discovered the visual side storytelling through Photography. I believe that every person, place, and moment has a story worth sharing, and that belief fueled my passion for photography. However, it wasn’t until I started Experience JOT that I truly understood my purpose. Read more>>
Rob Jeezz
I believe that sometimes our passion is not always our purpose and our purpose is something we find along the way. I have always been someone who would try something before I could say I don’t like it. High school was like a trial and error chapter; cooking classes, stitching/ sewing, painting, drawling, acting in Christmas plays like the Scrooge. Without a question though, drama class was my favorite with Mrs. Fox. Read more>>
Ric Ross
Finding my purpose was a journey that began in high school, where I had the opportunity to work with kids during two consecutive summers. Those experiences were transformative for me. I found joy in connecting with the kids, teaching them, and watching them grow. It was a feeling that stuck with me, even though I didn’t realize at the time how significant it would become in my life. Read more>>
Rose Cadeau
At the age of six, after participating in an elementary school production of The Lion King, I discovered my passion for acting. Immersed in the vibrant world of theater, I was captivated by the excitement of performing on stage and the joy of bringing characters to life. The experience ignited a deep sense of purpose and direction in me, leading me to realize that acting was not just a pastime, but a calling. This early exposure to the magic of theater set the foundation for my dream of becoming an actor, and that enthusiasm has only grown stronger over the years. Read more>>
Emily Oswald
Finding my purpose has been a journey full of twists and turns, but looking back, I can see how each chapter of my life led me to where I am today. It all began when I moved to Maui and lived on a banana farm. There, I worked as the head baker, selling banana bread every day at our farm stand. That experience taught me about the beauty of nature and the power of simplicity. There’s something grounding about working with your hands, using ingredients from the earth, and creating something that nourishes both the body and soul. It was the first time I truly felt connected to what I was doing, and that connection stayed with me. Read more>>
Ariana Purtee
I’ve always known I wanted to be an animal trainer ever since I was a young child. That passion has been with me my whole life, and I’ve pursued it with dedication. Running my dog training business, A Purtee Pack, has allowed me to live out that dream every day. My purpose has always been rooted in my deep connection with animals and my desire to help them thrive alongside their owners. Read more>>
Promise Abney
I found my purpose by simply doing what I loved to do, hair. And I use “simply” VERY lightly because it wasn’t so simple. I was always told and pushed to do something in the medical field for stability. Yes, it made sense in a lot of ways financially and I flourished so well in the field. However, there was never a personal connection nor satisfaction from it. I went to a health science focused curriculum high school and even studied Occupational Therapy in college and nothing. But doing hair was always near and dear throughout every stage of my life. Read more>>
Tlayra Sims
My journey through childhood molestation, addiction, incarceration, and homelessness has given me unique insights and empathy. By overcoming these obstacles and finding recovery, I’ve not only rebuilt my own life but also positioned myself to help others facing similar struggles. My experiences have equipped me with a deep understanding of pain and resilience, which can inspire and guide others on their own paths to recovery. Read more>>
Shanshan
It took me some time to realize that I want to create, both for myself and for others. Unlike some artists whose creation serves solely for the purpose of self expression, I also want my work to be useful, whether that’s for a promotional purpose, or to express for others, or to make other people feel something. I work with art, animation, writing, etc. all to connect with the world. Read more>>
Dr Kendra Huber
To provide a little insight, I feel as if I have lived two completely separate lives. Today I have a PhD, I am a therapist, a mother and a wife. Prior to November 5, 2012, I wasn’t even dreaming of being any of these things. I am a recovering addict who has transformed her pain into purpose. I uncovered my purpose through my life experiences, where each moment of challenge, growth, and transformation played a vital role. Read more>>
Bewindi Jackson
I have not always known my purpose! I grew up in the Caribbean, many consider St.Lucia paradise, and it is beautiful and it is considered the Helen of the West. While I am grateful for that experience, I did not have the best childhood environment to thrive- I experienced depression, low self esteem, unhappiness, isolation suicidal, unhealthy parenting (my father did the best he could) but I don’t remember being a happy child- my focus was in my books and also was on a quest to search for love and belonging but searched in the wrong directions. It was not until after college and graduate school, I searched for purpose, perspective and joy by truly deciding to follow Jesus, not based what I saw or my parents’ version of faith but for myself. Read more>>
Ashley Manley
I have always been a writer. Writing in notebooks, writing too-long essays through high school and college, writing in blogs when that was a thing. Even when I had a photography business years ago, my website and social media posts leaned heavily on my words. I’ve always written non-fiction and personal essays, but it wasn’t until I felt like there was a whole group of women who were being overlooked in modern romantic fiction stories–the middle aged gals–that I felt my calling as a writer. Now working on my third novel, when I sit down to write, that’s who I do it for. Every word is my love letter to moms and women who still have a hidden fire of a main character burning beneath the surface of their skin. Read more>>
Debbie Bzdyl
My artistic journey began at an early age. My mother would often laughingly tell people that I was born with a box of crayons in my hand. So, in a way, my purpose found me. I can’t remember a time when I did not think of myself as an artist. Even as a child, I was constantly drawing. One vivid memory is of winning an art contest conducted by a local children’s show called “Tim’s Treetop Forest.” The contest was to draw a picture is Brownie the Rabbit. I was only six years old, and the excitement and joy I felt when my name was announced as the winner of that contest helped solidified my belief that art was my calling. Read more>>
Daniel Martin
God has a weird way of making things make sense, and in my life he did. I started out playing baseball and around the age of 13 I made the decision to switch to music and pursue that as full time profession. Through years of playing and networking I found myself writing songs at the highest level for SONY/ATV and Perfect Storm Music Group in Los Angeles, but after connecting with more writers in Nashville, it became obvious that my love for storytelling was calling me East. I am now running a full service production studio in Franklin, TN. just outside of Nashville. Read more>>
Dishi Solanki
I was born and raised in India. Coming from a low-income family, we only celebrated on special occasions like birthdays. I had an extraordinary birthday ritual growing up. It would be buying raw materials at a local garment shop to rough sketch my designs for the neighborhood tailor to bring them to life. My birthday dress was a labor of love! Sadly, shopping malls came to town, and the ritual stopped. Scarcity experiences growing up concerning our buying power as a family discouraged me a lot. Read more>>
Keith
I discovered it, when I realized I could see what most others couldn’t. It became apparent to me when I was a kid when my car models looked better then all my fellow car modeling my buddies. While I was in Highschool, there were only three of us in school each in a different grade that drew great looking cars and consquently all three of us ultimately became car designers. Read more>>
Eboni Williams
I honestly didn’t understand my purpose in life until I became a mother and until i stop running from what God has called me to do which was to encourage people to take the limits of themselves and taking it a step by step in faith, By me being born with cerebral palsy I never question why he choose me to have it I just wanted to understand it because I know everything God does has a purpose. And when I was younger, I didn’t see any one like myself that is differently able because I don’t say disable. Read more>>
Evan Levitt
My personality type has always played a significant role in shaping my purpose and direction in life. Being reflective, empathetic, and motivated to help others, my core values revolve around building meaningful connections and making a positive impact. From a young age, I felt a strong sense of responsibility to protect and support those around me, which naturally influenced my personal and professional choices. It’s not just about what I do but why I do it—making sure others feel safe, understood, and valued. Read more>>
Emerson Sonny Masicampo
I was born and raised in the Philippines. Growing up, it’s been my dream to be in the United States. Not only to seek a better life for me and my family but also because of my fascination with music. I always find myself looking up to the sky on summer nights, counting stars and making that wish…many times. It finally came through when I made it as one of the rare few to be recruited by the U. S. Navy at the Naval Base Subic Bay Philippines. That’s my American Dream! The opportunities the Navy provided was the turning point in my life. Read more>>
Paula Heckenast
I found my purpose in makeup when I realized how much joy it brought me to give makeovers growing up. My real “aha” moment happened in 2012 when I gave a friend a ride to her makeup school orientation. I was only there to help her out, but something clicked for me during that visit. The more I thought about it, the more I realized makeup had been my passion all along. That day, I decided to sign up for classes myself, and shortly after, I quit my insurance job to pursue makeup full-time. It was the best decision I ever made! Read more>>
