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.

Marcel Steward

I found my purpose through my passion and what I was naturally good at, right between the both was my purpose and it was to inspire others to pursue their own passions and dreams. God gifted me through music, writing and creativity to serve people who are on the same path as me. Read More>>

Quinn Quinnell

How did I find my purpose? This is a loaded question, so I’d have to return to the beginning, hoping to have an answer for the end…

I must have been about seven or eight years old. My mother had a mixed cassette tape full of old 50s classics that she’d always play in her red Neon while driving. Read More>>

Olivia Page Kami Smith

Our work is our worship. We attended a class, hosted by Destiny School of Ministry, called Work is worship in November of 2023. During that class, we were asked to participate in a surrendering of our career tools. Read More>>

Wole Ajagbe

A lot of trial and error.

I am so grateful to everyone who has brought me onto their project, asked me to document an important life event or embraced my creative whims in front of the lens. Through each of these experiences, I’ve found what I resonate with most, what I find draining and what I find most fulfilling. Read More>>

Amy Carter

My purpose came slowly and only after a huge uphill battle with looking for purpose (or rather identity) in many wrong places. I grew up in a good Christian home, but I had an emotionally unavailable father. I never had a relationship with him, although he technically lived in the home, I felt like a stranger to him all my life. Read More>>

Catherine Hawksworth

I think this is such a complex question with so many layers of answers, right? I think “purpose” is an interesting word choice because it can come across so singular, but when it comes to my business I supposed my purpose in it all stemmed from all of the things in life that I’ve loved most every step of the way. For me – what that looks like – is music, community, humor, creativity, and family.  Read More>>

Joane Torres

I found my purpose a few years ago (2010) to be exact….After an unforeseen medical diagnosis of a life changing illness called Multiple Sclerosis.

This diagnosis left me with no other choice but to find strength within. At the time of this discovery, I had just delivered my first and only child. Unbeknownst to me what the wrath of this horrific, debilitating and incurable illness would bring, it left me no choice but to dig deep within myself and find strength, resilience and most importantly, a positive attitude. Read More>>

Trace Bodin

You know, growing up, my friends and I were always filming. Skating, wakeboarding, goofy skits, just capturing whatever we were doing. We didn’t think of it as storytelling, we just wanted to relive those moments and have something to look back on.

Looking back now, I realize a big influence was my high school English teacher, who is also my best friend’s dad, Peter Philebar. Pete sees the world in stories. He studied film at the University of New Orleans. Read More>>

Rae Queen

I found my purpose in making dairy-free chocolates and confections more accessible to the local community and beyond through my deep passion for creating positive change in the world. My journey began with a growing awareness of the impact that traditional dairy production has on the environment, animal welfare and my health.  Read More>>

Monica Caimano

Greetings! I found my purpose by translating God’s Words into American Sign Language (ASL) and opening a Christian Business, Judah Wellness & Crafts with my family.

Right after high school I went to Gallaudet University, an all Deaf college. This was when I first learned ASL. I dropped out of college and went to a dental trade school and graduated as a Denture Lab Technician with a certificate a few years later. I worked in this field for about 13 – 15 years. Read More>>

Jessica Ragland

I always knew since I was little, I wanted to be something big when I grew up. My family always encouraged me to shoot for the stars and always shoot for the extra 10 miles. I was always entrepreneurially driven in some way or another. I always thought of unique ways to make money and create solutions. I come form a family of artists. We all paint. I thought for sure this is what my career was going to be. Read More>>

Rev. Sara Luna

For over 20 years, I dedicated myself to the service industry, drawn to the deep connections that hospitality creates. I loved the energy, the storytelling, the way a well-crafted experience could make people feel seen and cared for. But service work is intense with long hours, emotional labor, and the constant demand to give of yourself. Burnout is real, and after years of pouring into others, I found myself searching for something more sustainable, something that aligned with my deepest values. Read More>>

Jenny Groberg

My purpose has evolved over time, but it has always been about allowing women to follow their own path––starting with mine.

When I was young and my husband was finishing his medical training, we were struggling financially, and I found myself in a position where I needed to use my skills to support our family while juggling the demands of motherhood. Read More>>

James Dismond

I’ve found my purpose by paying forward the compassion and opportunities I’ve been fortunate to receive throughout my life. Being adopted as a child taught me the impact of being chosen and loved by others, shaping my belief in the power of care and community. This foundation inspired a lifelong commitment to ensuring others experience the same sense of supportiveness that has defined my own story. Read More>> 

Barbara Tosto

I was 7 years old when I decided I wanted to be a ballet dancer. I have always been an active kid, I used to play tennis, soccer, swim. When I was at my grandparents house, my grandpa was always playing classical music and I was always dancing around, so one day my mom decided to bring me to a creative movement class.  Read More>>

Valentina Alvarez

Finding purpose has been a constant journey. As a freedom seeker and dreamer, my life has always been a continuous search. Shaping my identity has been a beautiful process, deeply influenced by growing up in a country where the political situation was tense, social inequality was stark, and traditional beliefs dictated what it meant to be “successful.” These circumstances pushed me to search deeply for my own purpose. Read More>>

Will Brady

Really deep question. I love it because I realized my purpose from a young age but contextualized it as I was receiving my degree in college. I found myself looking back at my childhood, remembering what I loved to do to discover my purpose. Growing up, I loved to entertain people and make everyone laugh. I attended film camp from age 11 through 18 and pursued a BFA in Film and Television from SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). I always knew I wanted to create movies and television.  Read More>>

Marte Siebenhar

My purpose is to guide transformation — and it found me. People have always looked to me for guidance, even in childhood. Professionally, I provided guidance through business strategy consulting, fundraising and executive coaching. The whole time I was growing through my spiritual practice, which is centered on energy healing.  Read More>>

Tori Morrison

I think we’re all “looking for our purpose” or as the Japanese call it, your Ikigai or reason for living. I think we all have many purposes or passions in our lifetime, and it’s our choice to determine how we want to shape our lives with that knowledge.

My current purpose is to help women navigate heartbreak and find love through dating, relationship, and intimacy coaching. I focus on energetics and somatic work using tools I learned in therapy and trainings as well as while working through a tough season of heartbreak myself. Life experience is often the best teacher. Read More>>

Kelly Reyna

It is difficult to pinpoint the moment of discovery, and I feel that my purpose has evolved according to my resources and personal capabilities at certain points in time. I do know that I found my purpose through what I lacked as an artist. Whether that be support, exhibit opportunities, material access, learning strategies, I realized I needed to find these things for myself. I had the advantage of education and, over time, experience, that helped me problem solve these areas. Read More>>

Laurie Forehand

Ever since I can remember, creativity has been my compass – a way to express my ideas, connect with others, and see the world through a lens of possibility. Growing up, I discovered that my talent for communication and design wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was about telling stories that matter. Over time, I learned that behind every powerful visual and every well-chosen word lies a deeper narrative – one that brings people together. Read More>>

Katherine Gressel

I grew up always doing art, especially painting, and always knew I’d be an artist of some kind. In college and grad school, I also developed a love of sharing my art with others, pursuing internships and summer jobs involving teaching and public art, including organizing and painting community murals. I realized I enjoy making art with and for other people in public more than making art by myself in a studio. Read More>>

Trina Felber

I found my purpose through a painful but life-changing moment—one that forced me to wake up to the reality of what I was putting in and on my body.

I was newly married and seven weeks pregnant when I miscarried. It was devastating, but in that moment of loss, I made a promise—to search for meaning and to create something good out of my pain. I thought I had already detoxed my life, eliminating harmful chemicals from my home, food, and environment. But I hadn’t looked at my skincare. Read More>>

Kyle Mendes

We’ve always felt that our purpose was clear pursuing music in all its forms: writing, performing, producing. But after going through the motions time and again, we’ve come to realize that our purpose is shifting. It’s no longer just about creating and performing for the sake of it. Now, it’s about forging a deeper connection with our audience. We like to think of it as waiting tables, providing a musical service. Read More>>

Meghan Kohler

I love this question because I think a lot of us tend to have such a constricted view of what it means to find, or to have, a “purpose”. At different times in my life I felt like I had lost my purpose or was confused about what my purpose was. In those times I would feel stuck and not know how to move forward or I would feel like I was inadequate because I didn’t think I was contributing to anything. Read More>>

Ashley Dougherty

During Covid is when I started to paint. I always was into art, but never took it to seriously. Covid forced me to stay inside and to reflect an awul lot. I needed something new, a hobby, to get me through the days. So I started painting portraits of random people that would catch my eye on Instagram. One of my first portraits, was of a man by the name of Soho George from SOHO London. A few days after sharing and tagging my portrait on Instagram, George’s personal tailor contacted me and asked if he could purchase the portrait to give to George. Read More>>

Mary, Andrew Marshall

For us, purpose has always been deeply tied to the Japanese concept of ikigai, the idea of having a reason for being, something that gives life meaning. We both discovered our ikigai long ago when we left the paths we were previously on and began searching for solutions to the immense environmental challenges we saw in the world. Read More>>

Alexis Renaè

I found my purpose as a model, coach, and mentor through my own journey of learning and growth. When I first entered the industry, I had no idea where to start, but I was fortunate to have a small handful of mentors who guided me out of the kindness of their hearts. Their advice and support helped me develop my career, and I’ve always remembered something one of them told me: If you ever have the chance, give back.  Read More>>

Taiylor Kriss

I’ve always felt like I was meant to be part of something bigger than myself. Even as a child, I trusted my intuition and followed my heart, but it wasn’t until I fully surrendered to my genetic condition that I realized my purpose had been inside me all along. My journey with Alport Syndrome, kidney failure, and transplant wasn’t just about survival; it was an initiation into something deeper.  Read More>>

Lana Marshall

I found my professional purpose through a combination of my own experiences working on account teams in PR firms in California and New York along with having the very fortunate privilege of working alongside many fantastic mentors. These experiences taught me what I loved (and didn’t) about the traditional agency structure and company culture.  Read More>>

A.g. Howard

Throughout my childhood, my family bounced around the U.S. as dictated by my fatherʼs Air Force career, making it difficult to forge lasting friendships. I filled the void with books and a vivid imagination. Having these as my constant companions inspired a thirst for storytelling. My earliest attempts were tales about little girls and talking horses.  Read More>>

Armando Emanuelle

Since I was a child I always made art. I loved to paint and try to make exact copies of the cartoons I used to watch growing up like Dragon Ball Z, or Pokémon. I got the opportunity to study in an art school in my city and fast forward I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. Read More>>