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.

Yukai Chen

I look up other artists who make works that I think are great. And then I’d get to know ther thoughts via their interviews and other sources. By doing this I can get inspired by them and learn how to do next at the current stage. Read more>>

Ken Elrod

How did I find my purpose – That is a tough one. It took me 41 years to figure that question out myself. In April of 2011, I had stopped by my brother’s house and my nephew, who was 16 at the time, was there. I had just turned 41 earlier that January of 2011. As I was talking to my nephew, he stopped and stared at me for a moment and said, “Uncle Kenny”, I was like “yeah?”, he said “I am F****** bigger than you.” Read more>>

Jessica Lashae

Every since I can remember, I’ve always been creative. From projects in school to grabbing a pair of kitchen scissors and an old pair of jeans, hand sewing on patches that I made or cutting designs into them, creativity has always played a huge role in my life. As as child, I always wanted to be an pediatrician, well a baby doctor is what I used to call it but as a grew older my passion for that slowly faded away but not my desire to be creative. Once I graduated from school, I took on a few corporate jobs but although I was great at those positions, my heart was never in it. I knew my purpose in life was not to waste my creative skills working for anyone else and not focusing on my strengths. So in 2021, I followed my heart and my passion of starting my business Cut And Pressed, Where Endless Creations Are Made! Read more>>

Haley Aho

I found my purpose through my values, family heritage, and culture. Being a Hmong, Han-Chinese, Finnish, and Austrian queer woman, my identity is tied to how I have encountered my experiences from adolescence to my blossoming adulthood. Being instilled with beliefs of community and connection allowed me to discover my passions of creativity, honoring traditions, and those that have come before us. I want to continue the beauty, construction, learning, and longevity of humankind’s existence and experience. Read more>>

Oriana Lamarca

One of my favorite quotes that single handedly defines my journey. My passion for fashion, travel and tradition all led me to discover so many of the things that make me happy today and I in turn get to share them with my followers. My passion for fashion led me to figure out a way to add color to my style effortlessly through my accessories. While my passion for travel and tradition led me to discover so many of the beautiful sides of my Sicilian culture which I took for granted growing up. My passions have given me purpose and gotten me through some difficult times in my life through a Bell’s Palsy diagnosis and divorce. During those times of darkness, i channeled all of my energy into creating the concept for my brand and building the many sides of the business. Fast forward to today, I get to tell the stories of my expereinces in Sicily through my designs. Whether it’s the handmade ceramics from Sicily or the Sicilian trinacria charm, I always wear my heart on my sleeve, literally. Read more>>

David Tito Rivera

I was always around sports, it was a big influence on my life. Weather I was participating or playing video games or attending games. I learned about the players and stadiums names through video games and the internet. I became more than a fan as I got to know the players and staff. Read more>>

The Gems Home Collection At Douglas Elliman Real Estate

For us, uniting as The Gems was all about blending our diverse strengths to create a truly exceptional team. We each bring something distinct that enhances our approach, making us stronger together. Read more>>

Gabrielle Mika

I discovered my purpose when I became a mother while pursuing my MPH in epidemiology during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve always been passionate about health and disease prevention, but I hadn’t pinpointed the specific area I wanted to focus on. That all changed when I found out I was expecting my first child—it shifted my perspective and priorities completely. Read more>>

Ruth Larbi

Over the years I’ve prayed and asked God to give me direction as an individual on how to find out what my purpose is. I believe anything without purpose is mishandled, misused, trampled upon and looked down on. If you have something like an item in your house that serves no purpose to you, you never really care where you put it or how it’s handled but when something you have serves a daily purpose in your life Read more>>

Amanda Slavin

I discovered my purpose very early in life. From a young age, I knew I had an undeniable passion for helping kids. My first job, when I was just thirteen, was coaching soccer. After that, I babysat for my neighbors and became a camp counselor for nearly ten years. I was captivated by learning from kids—seeing the wonder in their eyes, how deeply connected they are to the world around them. They have so much to teach us with their creativity and openness, but too often, as adults, we try to mold them into something they’re not, instead of nurturing who they truly are. Read more>>

Maddie Kuziak

It definitely was not an easy process. I have always been in love with the arts and knew I could only be a hands-on type of person. Music was always my passion in life so I initially went to college for musical theatre. Long story, short, it was not meant to be. It took a lot of soul searching but one day, an old friend called me to tell me she was getting married. I couldn’t have been happier for her and she mentioned how I was the only person who could ever get her hair to hold a curl and asked if I would style her hair for her wedding. I was honored and as a gift to her, I did her hair and makeup. At the reception, several guests came up to me asking if I had a business card on me wanting to hire me on the spot or pass along my information for others. It was an omen I never knew I needed. When I came home that night, I told my now husband I thought I needed to go to beauty school. As soon as we toured the school, I knew that was where I was meant to be. Fast forward to now, I still gain new clients that touch my heart and hearing how great and beautiful they feel from my work means more to me than they will ever know! Read more>>

Vita Solzberg

Through my life, I’ve believed that to live a better life one should live their purpose. Lately, I’ve come to think that the true purpose of life might actually be finding what is our purpose. Finding ourselves. Almost a grand “Know Thyself,” if you will. Discovering, what I’ve been made for. Now, at 58, I’m confident that I’ve finally understood who I am and what for I’m here. I don’t wish I’d reached this realization sooner; the timing feels just right, and I’m excited to see the open road ahead. I’ve always loved a good drive through life, though flying is a favorite as well. Read more>>

Melissa Rein Lively

In my 23 years as a public relations professional, I’ve poured my heart and soul into building a career that reflects my core values and a deep commitment to giving my clients a strong, authentic voice in today’s competitive media landscape. Through two powerful agencies—The Brand Consortium PR and America First PR—I’ve had the privilege to shape narratives, elevate brands, and champion the voices that deserve to be heard. Read more>>

Shaaree Mccalpine

I believe that purpose found me, I tried so many careers and jobs, from the standpoint of glamarousing a career that unbeknownst to me would need support as well as money of which I had neither. As well as taking positions out of necessity. I needed a job to provide for self and family. I found my purpose, by what seemed to be from lost. I had a breakdown from mental health illness (depression, stress, overwhelm and anxiety). I also lost my full time job and had to find a job quickly, I ended up having an improtu meeting with a man, looking for facilitators to work with schools teaching conflict resolution. This lead me to a love of children and there well being thrusting me into a career in School Counseling and Mental Health Therapy. Read more>>

Rob Joyce

My mother was a lifelong music lover and since I was born, there was always music playing in my house, in the car, and it was something that I was constantly surrounded by. This fact combined with seeing a few life shows as a kid that made quite a profound impact on me, I realized that music made me feel a certain way that nothing else could, and that my purpose was to try and make others feel the same way through music. Read more>>