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.

Dr. Lawanne’ S. Grant

For me, purpose starts with passion. I truly believe that passion and inspiration are gifts from God (Philippians 2:13). He created each of us with intention, and when I feel that fire inside me, I know it is part of something bigger. Leaning into passion naturally guides me toward my purpose. This has been true in every chapter of my life, from the wide-eyed curiosity of childhood to the more focused drive of adulthood. One thing I have learned is that passion is not fixed. It grows, shifts, and evolves with each season. The key for me has been staying open and being willing to adapt, adopt, and adjust as my passions lead me in new directions. Read More>>

Veselina Hristova Jones

In my case it was an English tutor in high school who helped me move past a family history of domestic violence and substance use. She helped me see that I had it in me to pack up 2 bags and $200, get on an airplane for the first time and fly halfway across the world to land in a small town in Southern Missouri to pursue a liberal arts education.

And the rest is history… Read More>>

Mike Foster

My purpose comes from the identification that many of the positive moments in my life came from when I was helped, supported, championed. Not from when I was used or stabbed in the back!
The help started from an early age when my dad used to help me complete 3 paper rounds a week!
After damaging my knee playing football, I threw myself into my voluntary work and saw the impact I could make by helping others either in a group or as an individual. In my own businesses I always saw the impact of being supported by a business coach. Read More>>

Cecily Elmas

I didn’t find my purpose all at once—it unfolded over time, through moments of discovery, redirection, and deep connection.

As a child, dance was my greatest source of freedom and joy. I dreamed of becoming a professional dancer, and for years, that dream guided me. In grade 12, everything shifted. I quit ballet, lost my way, and questioned what was next. Then, my mother introduced me to modern dance, and it felt like a revelation—dancing to drums instead of a piano, moving freely without rigid rules, and expressing myself in a whole new way. Read More>>

Ashley Freeman

Every morning on the way to school, my mom would play songs by Sade, Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Toni Braxton, Ciara, Michael Jackson and more. Their voices were just so soulful and without even realizing it, I was studying them by feeling every single lyric. My mom is a huge music lover and she’s always had great taste in music. By the time I was eight I knew I wanted to be a singer. I remember standing in the kitchen saying to myself “I’m going to be a singer someday’’. Read More>>

Bianca Coats

My journey to finding my purpose has always been deeply rooted in my faith and driven by prayer and my relationship with God. My journey in purpose began during my college years when I decided to major in Dietetics. The path was challenging, but my faith kept me grounded and motivated to persevere through demanding practical experiences.

After graduating, my path was rerouted out of the world of Dietetics, but 10 years later I felt a calling back to where I first began. To reach a broader audience, I started a wellness and nutrition blog called Eating God’s Way. Sharing my knowledge and experiences through writing was incredibly fulfilling, and it allowed me to connect with people who were seeking guidance on their health journeys. This blog eventually evolved into a cookbook and into a monthly news segment, where I could share healthy recipes and tips with even more people. Read More>> 

Laurie Ann Doyle

After yet another disagreement with the physician who had hired me at a large healthcare firm, I thought, that’s it, I’ve had it. Becoming a full-time writer had been calling to me for years and now, in my mid-forties, I started to consider it seriously. I had a few pieces published in the local weekly but felt stymied when it came to crafting a good short story, much less a novel. Driving home that night, I asked myself if I don’t become a writer now, then when would I? The thought of going to my grave without having at least tried began to haunt me.  Read More>>

Caroline Dyess

For me, photography is about delicately holding and telling the stories of the clients we represent. Everything that influences who I am as a photographer and individual is the desire to preserve memories and capture the “feeling” of the moment. The best part about each session I photograph is that it is an opportunity to authentically tell someone else’s story. Read More>>

Lisa Snyder

If someone had told me as a young engineering student in Iowa that in 35 years, I’d be a medical intuitive, channeling ancient loving energy through my voice; I would have thought they were nuts! My purpose did not unfold overnight. This has been a lifelong journey full of ups and downs, fear and joy, and knowing when to stay or move on. It has shaped me into who I am today and the work that I do with the incredible people I have met on my path. Read More>>

L.M. Rhys

I feel like finding one’s purpose is probably one of the biggest journeys any creative person can go on. I discovered my passion for writing when I was younger, simply by writing short stories in my free time just for the fun of it. Not for anyone else to read, but just for myself. During my angsty teenage years, I experimented with songwriting, but I realized that I’m too introverted to openly bare my soul that way. Not to mention, the ideas I wanted to convey seemed a bit too long-winded for a three-minute and thirty-second song. Read More>>

Ramiro Gutierrez

It was a mix of blessings and overcoming trauma which led me to find my purpose. I was born and raised in Bluefields, Nicaragua, a small Caribbean port town, which had a rich multi-cultural tradition, reflected in the music, the food, and the laid-back, community-oriented way of life. Bluefields was part Afro-Caribbean, part Miskito indigenous, and part Latin/hispanic. As a child, my parents would take me and my siblings to a local indoor/outdoor dinner club, owned by their friends, where bands would perform live, playing Caribbean soca, and Latin dance music like salsa and merengue. Read More>>

Daniela

For me, purpose wasn’t something I arrived at all at once — it was something that revealed itself through experience, discomfort, and the quiet pull toward something deeper.

I’ve always been drawn to stories — not just the ones we watch, but the ones we carry inside us. Growing up with a multicultural background — Peruvian, Spanish, and Japanese — I never quite fit neatly into a single box. And for a long time, I didn’t know where I belonged. But acting gave me a space to explore that in-between place — to turn questions into characters, and displacement into connection. Read More>>

Caitlin Stolley

My clothing company is called Lily Guilder. It is named after my Granma Lillie who taught me to sew and lived through the Depression. She lived the maxim “Waste not, want not.” The fabrics I use took a lot of energy from the planet to be created and to get into my studio. I save every off cut and turn what would be waste in another studio into beautiful one of a kind garments. Lily Guilder also speaks to “gilding the lily,” which is to take that which is already beautiful and smear some glitter on it.  Read More>>

 Bernardo Lopez Santos

I found my purpose during my first year of college, although, in hindsight, I had been fulfilling my calling long before that—I just didn’t realize it at the time.
This is often much easier said than done, but bear with me—because when I actively live my purpose, I truly become my best self.

My purpose is to empower people to reach their fullest potential, even when they can’t yet see it themselves.  Read More>>

Grace Wagenveld

For a long time I thought that a person’s purpose was defined by the job they had or a massively good deed they did in their life. As a child and even a young adult, I didn’t realize that just living life to the fullest was a purpose in itself. I constantly felt like I was still chasing something, almost unattainable. Was I truly going to go through life without finding my dream career or making an impact in some way? What was my purpose? Read More>>

Honey Priestess

Finding my purpose has been an evolving journey rather than a single moment of realization. It started with self-reflection—understanding what truly excites and motivates me. I paid close attention to the activities that energized me and the problems I felt compelled to solve. Along the way, I sought experiences that aligned with my strengths and values, whether through work, volunteering, or personal projects. Read More>>

Karla Welch

I found my purpose when I was 5 years old, when my parents worked at a fashion designing studio in Los Angele, CA. I had access to materials, paints, textiles, sewing machines, scissors, and cloth. The day was my canvas and my imagination ran free. My purpose was to be a creative woman.
I am now a mother of 4, and a wife. I live a life full of creativity, even in the short minutes, and I still see the world the same way I did when I was 5 years old. Read More>>

Kaitlin Johnson

Hi!

We are Kaitlin and Kenzie, we are sisters and co-owners of K & Company Boutique and Gift. In the Spring of 2023, we were both feeling burnt out from our health care related jobs, and we felt we needed something more lighthearted and uplifting! That is when the idea for K & Co. was born. Both of us are plus size women ourselves, and we felt the need to offer boutique style clothing to women of all sizes. We knew all too well the challenges that come with being plus size and looking for cute clothes. Read More>>

 Deonte Staats

Finding my purpose was a journey. I know it sounds cliche, but I was on one path for most of my life and then realized that I was not using a large part of my talents. My parents supported me in most things I pursued, and when I chose to pursue a degree in Computer Science at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, they knew they had sown the right seeds for me to be successful. It was in college that I learned that my creative skills would be utilized and celebrated from the moment I set foot on campus. Read More>>

Karlie Morton

Growing up, especially through middle and high school, I didn’t have a clear vision of what I wanted to do with my life—but I always had this deep conviction that I was meant for something big. I was often the odd one out, whether it was in friend groups, sports teams, or class projects. At the time, it felt isolating, but looking back, I realize it’s because my mind just worked differently. I saw things through a different lens. Read More>>

Hanna Marie Gambrellz

I found my purpose by accident I suppose you could say. In a previous interview, I had explained that my interest in makeup was a result of being badly bullied. Sure, I had a passion for makeup but at any given moment I was giving my time to acts of service. My grandmother had ALS, and I helped my mother take care of her. My principle was sad after her husband’s passing, and I drew her a picture to cheer her up.. Read More>>

 Josie Fares

Purpose isn’t something we find, it’s something we remember. My journey began in my early teens, struggling with severe cystic acne. At 13, I turned to herbal remedies and natural healing, unknowingly laying the foundation for my future.

But my deeper awakening to purpose was shaped by the experiences of my childhood. I was born in Beirut, Lebanon, during a time of war, where the sound of bombings and nights spent in shelters were a part of my early reality. That experience instilled in me both deep resilience and an innate knowing that life is precious. At 17, my family and I immigrated to the U.S. Read More>>

Matt Chan

Thanks so much for having me today. Well first: the better I got at what I do–animal welfare and training & behavior– the better and clearer I have cultivated my purpose. That purpose has continually become more defined and strategic over the course of decades.

My purpose is to continually elevate how we logically, knowledgeably, and compassionately integrate domestic animals and people together. The way it currently occurs results in many unwanted, mistreated, and euthanized animals across the US. I want us to elevate beyond that. Read More>>

Dr. Danelle Devi Hollenbeck

There are many ways I found my purpose. Traveling the world and helping in countries. There’s something transformative about experiencing different cultures while also contributing to communities. The perspective you gain from seeing diverse ways of life, combined with the fulfillment of helping others, creates a rich and purposeful existence. Combining international travel with service to others represents a profound and impactful purpose. This path allows you to expand your worldview while making meaningful contributions to communities facing various challenges. Read More>>

Amalia Camateros

In order to gain my sanity from a very large extended “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” family, that communicated through shouting, and revelry along with very difficult family dynamics. I would slink and wander away from the raucousness into nature, into the land of quiet to rest my mind, feel the beauty, trace the leaves with my fingers, press on the emerald green moss under my fingers. speak to the plants, flowers and trees. Make pretend floral perfumes and medicine with grass and soil and flowers and administer the potions to my family members to help them relax and feel better all round. Read More>>