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.
Q Porschatis
For a long time, I thought my story was only about surviving. I grew up in a culture where I didn’t quite fit in and carried the weight of trying to prove myself in places that didn’t always see or accept me fully. I worked in environments that left me burned out and went through relationships that made me question my worth. Read More>>
Francisco Rodriguez
I had just graduated High School when I started working in the Party Rental industry. I started as a helper, delivering/picking up orders, cleaning supplies, while at the same time going to school and working a full time job. Throughout the years I gained experience and learned the inside and outs of the business. I’ve always been very responsible & dedicated to everything I do. Read More>>
Sinclair Kennally
The hard way! I always knew that I wanted to help heal people, but that was a pretty amorphous desire that only crystallized as I went through my own journey of chronic illness. I’m so grateful for that experience now. Having to heal yourself is a profound initiation into leadership, and one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Read More>>
Colby Takeda
My purpose has always been rooted in community. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by people who believed in me, encouraged me, and reminded me that service matters, but my sense of purpose deepened as I started to see the inequities in our healthcare system firsthand. Read More>>
Omowunmi Elebute
There was a time in my life when everything looked good on the outside the job, the achievements, the routine but inside, I felt a quiet emptiness. Like I was existing, but not truly living. Read More>>
Tara Fjetland
I found my purpose over many years and many different situations. I noticed that I am good at connecting. I connect people who become lifelong friends. I love to connect community with other like minds to let others know they aren’t alone. Read More>>
Mona Amin
For me, purpose isn’t one thing I “found.” It’s something I keep creating and growing into. Being a pediatrician, a mom, and a content creator all connect back to the same thread: growth. My own self-growth, the growth of my kids, and the growth I get to witness in families who feel a little lighter, calmer, or more confident after hearing something I’ve shared. Read More>>
Justin Horn
Well, at first, I didn’t know my purpose. I was just a kid. I forgot what grade was, but when the teacher asked the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, I didn’t know, and I doubt the other kids did either. I just started drawing from a young age and I was also self taught. Read More>>
Angela Chambers
I was looking back at baby videos from when I was a child and it was obvious what my purpose was. Anytime my parents would play a record or the radio, I would be bobbing my head and headbanging to the music all the way down to the floor, and once I got going, I mean I would not stop. Read More>>
Ariel Grinspoon
I didn’t exactly find my purpose; it kind of tripped me, sat on my chest, and refused to move until I paid attention. For a long time, I tried to be who I thought I was supposed to be, but the more I leaned into my messy, imperfect, deeply human self, the more my purpose revealed itself. Read More>>
Gina Ciardi
I think my purpose found me. At the time of creating my first short documentary, I was pretty happy and content with my life in terms of career and my community of friends. Read More>>
Tina & Alice Evans – Peterson
Our purpose came from realizing we share the same values surrounding the performing arts and teaching. We decided that we could collaborate to share it with future performers better than we could on our own. Our deep love for the performing arts and desire to create a space where young people could discover their voices, creativity, and confidence became what Tap into Theater is today. Read More>>
Dianne Boyer
Like many others, my purpose came from loss. The loss of my mom, specifically. But it wasn’t something that happened immediately after she passed. It was more of a slow and steady simmer until it rose to the top and became my purpose. I have always admired my mom and her fashion sense. Read More>>
Chelsea Walblay
I’ve come to believe that purpose isn’t a thing we discover once—it’s something that shifts and grows with us. For me, the purpose of my twenties was about exploring and discovering who I was. Read More>>
Scott Mills
That’s a good question. It really came from a combination of a personal need and a long-standing passion for creating and developing new tools and systems. When my sister was diagnosed with cancer, it hit home for me how important it was for her to have a trustworthy source of medicine. Read More>>
Jay Brown
I come from a long line of addiction and chronic illness—heart disease, diabetes, cancer. But I refused to be just another statistic. Instead of surrendering to my genetics, I chose to rise above them. I’ve dedicated my life to understanding health, fitness, and wellness so I can build a life rooted in longevity, vitality, and strength. Read More>>
Pamela Hernandez
I’ve always felt that my purpose found me long before I had the words to describe it. I grew up in Córdoba, Veracruz, in a family and culture that valued connection, resilience, and community. Those early lessons shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. Read More>>
Chellz
For a long time, I felt stuck. I couldn’t quite figure out why the things I had once poured my energy into no longer lit me up. I was working, creating, and showing up for life, but deep down, I felt drained—like there was something bigger out there for me that I hadn’t tapped into yet. Read More>>
2SIQ .
My whole life, I’ve been really connected with my imagination. When I first saw a Chris brown music video as a child, I thought it was really cool, and inspired me to dance as well. As I grew older and went to highschool, I started experiencing that I was shy with girls and didn’t know how to talk to them. Read More>>
Jeff Bartel
For me, purpose was never a lightning bolt moment—it was something that revealed itself gradually, through seasons of work, service, and reflection. In my earliest roles, I discovered how deeply people’s lives are shaped by decisions made in rooms most never see. That insight made me realize that leadership is not about position, but about responsibility. Read More>>
Paige Bryant
Creating content for businesses, events, and brands is never anything I thought I would be doing professionally. I got my degree in Early Childhood Education and was a teacher for 7 years. I was never truly happy teaching and was teaching a dance fitness class on the side. Read More>>
Kathy Bittinger
For as long as I can remember, I have loved two things: reading and learning about the world. Growing up, I was fascinated by where my ancestors came from, what brought them to the U.S., the cultural traditions they maintained, and the lands they left behind. Read More>>
Delora Green
I didn’t so much find my purpose as much as I had to wake it back up. Ever since I was a little girl, I was “the helper.” Adults came to me for advice when I was barely old enough to tie my shoes, and I’d think, “Wait, ain’t I supposed to stay in a child’s place?” 😂 But it was always there. Read More>>
Marina Nessler
I discovered my purpose during a season of big change in my life. I had spent years working as a dental hygienist, but during COVID, like so many people, I started rethinking what really fulfilled me. I’ve always been passionate about self-care and helping others feel confident in their own skin, so I decided to go back to school and become a licensed esthetician. Read More>>
Wini Wu
In my 20s, I searched endlessly for my purpose, questioning if I was on the right path. Today, I see that God was guiding me all along—the purpose I was meant for found me. Read More>>
Paris Heinen
I remember being 23 and having no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was newly married, a brand-new stepmom, and carrying extra weight—honestly, I felt like I had no real purpose. I was trying to figure out who I was while not getting completely lost in the wife-and-mom life. Read More>>
Sriya Reddy Nallannagari
For the longest time, I didn’t know my purpose. I only knew that I had to study, get a degree, and find a job with stable income. That was how I viewed life, a pragmatic and safer path always seemed like the wiser choice. In school, when art was no longer a compulsory subject after a certain grade, it left a void. Read More>>
Michelle Bast
My purpose was always to create. I’ve always valued creativity above everything else. Growing up, I was curious and inquisitive, and I loved the arts… but I had no talent for them. I couldn’t sing, I had two left feet, I was too shy to act, and my fine motor skills ruled out traditional art. Read More>>
Saya Behnam
My purpose in art is to create a world where I have control over making and sharing what I am capable of. I can choose and spread beauty vs. dark, hope vs. despair, light, energy, and much more. Read More>>
Conley Wessel
I found my purpose in wanting to provide for my family and help others succeed. That is how my company TurfBlox came to be and the mission that still drives it to this day. Read More>>
Christy Woodrow
I still sometimes question whether I’ve fully found my purpose — there are so many things that inspire me and so many directions I want to explore that it’s easy to get distracted or wonder what truly defines my purpose in this life. But now, well into my 40s, I’ve started to notice a pattern in my work that gives me clarity. Read More>>
lady Amb Dr h.c Robbie Motter
How I Found My Purpose By Lady Amb Dr. h.c. Robbie Motter I like to say that my purpose didn’t arrive in one grand epiphany, it was forged in the quiet strength of survival and the joy of service. I grew up in foster homes and was on my own at fourteen. Life demanded that I become resourceful, resilient, and fiercely independent. Read More>>
Maribel Angulo
For most of my life, I lived searching for purpose in all the traditional places. I thought it would come through serving others, improving systems, or climbing the corporate ladder. I kept advancing, chasing titles and achievements, believing that’s where fulfillment lived. But the higher I climbed, the emptier I felt. Something was missing, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what. Read More>>
Katelyn Robinson
Finding my purpose was actually a bit of trial an error for me. I’m not someone who just knew what I wanted to do or be when I grew up, and as a result, I found myself in a profession that was all wrong for me. Read More>>
Dan Ramm
I found my purpose by accident. For most of my young adult life I worked in the trades, a carpenter at first and then a roofing contractor. I did that for over a decade. Then in the late 90’s I met Joe Mantegna. His wife Arlene had called my company for an estimate. Joe and I connected and from that became friends. Read More>>
Evan Raiff
I found my purpose through a long series of ups and downs. As a child, I first stepped on stage at the age of four and fell in love with theatre. This passion would follow me through my entire life, though it never struck me as something to pursue as a career. Read More>>
Dani Margeaux
It was a long journey—one that took a lot of searching, trying new things, leading with my heart, and bringing curiosity to every experience. Since I was a kid, I always felt like there was something bigger out there. Read More>>
Kevin J DeBruin
I was first inspired about space exploration by watching the movie October Sky as a child. That is what drove me to want to work for NASA, but little did I know that NASA was not my purpose. It wasn’t until my 5th grade teacher Ms. Read More>>
Maegan Bereal
GOD is the life giver and HE id everything, if it is HIS will for you to be or be something you will do or be it. GOD gave me the gift of art and I love art, I love doing what GOD gave me to do and I can spread HIS word while doing it. Read More>>
Nuoyan Guan
I found my purpose through my journey in costume design. At first, I was simply fascinated by clothes and how they can transform a person’s appearance. But when I started working as a costume assistant in film and theater productions, I realized costumes are not just about aesthetics—they are a way to build characters, to tell stories, and to connect audiences emotionally. Read More>>
Tony Bichai
How I found my purpose has always been rooted in family, faith, and the example set before me. My father immigrated from Aswan, Egypt, and through hard work and perseverance became a successful pharmacist, opening five independent pharmacies. Read More>>
Diana Mayers
Finding my purpose has been a long and winding journey. For a big part of my life, I didn’t know what I truly wanted to do. At sixteen, I entered a law institute to pursue a higher education, following the advice of my parents. At that time, I had no clear vision for myself. Read More>>
Susie Acheson
I always knew I wanted to be an artist, and have been “making” for as long as I can remember. My grandmother, a painter, taught me to draw, and her art still hangs on my walls at home. A tall, beautiful blonde, she was fifth generation Jamaican – yes, colonialism… :(, and spoke with a broad Rastafarian-like accent. Read More>>
Weizi Huang
I think I found my purpose by first walking down a lot of paths that weren’t quite right. I tried different roles in filmmaking—directing, assisting, even small craft-based jobs—and each one taught me something, but none of them felt like home. It wasn’t until I stepped into production design that I realized I had been searching for a language I didn’t know I spoke. Read More>>
Christine Gangelhoff
What connects the distinct areas of performing, researching, and teaching is a shared curiosity about the artistic process. That connection has guided me from the beginning. As a performer and academic, I’ve always been drawn to exploring the entire process, not just the finished product. Read More>>
Amy Ramsey
I found my purpose through some really hard seasons. I’m a survivor of domestic and violent abuse, and for years I carried the weight of guilt, shame, and unworthiness. That pain could have defined me—but over time I realized I could use it as fuel. Read More>>
Renee Yates
In November of 2019, I completely surrendered my life to the Lord. I had been dealing with fear, anger, bitterness, rejection and shame. Once I truly realized and understood that God wanted a relationship with me, I went from merely surviving to thriving! I began to understand what it means to live an abundant life. Now my days are filled with hope, joy and purpose. Read More>>
Keeli Cornelison
I found my purpose by walking into a restaurant and freshly 21 and I was instantly drawn to the bar and looked at it like a playground I always wanted to create make people happy and do something that brought a smile to someone’s face and after a few months of being a server my boss Kelly at the time asked me if I wanted to learn how bartend I was absolutely thrilled and quick to say yes!! Read More>>
Camille Cooke
While studying in undergrad with the hopes of going to medical school, I took a Public Health class, and learned about hollistic care approaches focused on a mico and macro level and the positive impacts this can have for health outcomes. This class lead me to interning and ultimately working with pregnant and parenting adolescents at a local non-profit for the next five years. Read More>>
Mory Fontanez
My path to purpose wasn’t a straight line. For two decades, I built a successful career in crisis and change management, guiding Fortune 500 CEOs, global brands, and public figures through their most high-stakes moments. I rose quickly into leadership roles and gained a deep understanding of how organizations—and the people within them—truly operate. Read More>>
Flores & Flowers
Two Brazilian friends, brought to the US for the same reason—their husband’s work—joined to pursue a new purpose, as their careers were interrupted when they left their home country. Luciana brought her expertise and passion for floral arrangements, table setting, and interior design, and Érica brought 12 years of experience coordinating events such as weddings, birthdays, and corporate events. Read More>>
Ankhmaa Batchuluun
A cashmere thread pulled me to a valley amongst Khurkh mountain, home of snow leopards in Nomgon, South Gobi. Shaking hands with a nomadic herder, we’d just closed a deal. He wished me luck and told me to return next year. In that moment, I saw that behind every fibre lies not only nature and animals, but people. Read More>>
Gia Civerolo
Here is a poem about finding my purpose:
We both relax once we glide into the water
His body takes shape outside of a wheelchair
I feel the stiffness flow out like an exhaled breath
We both know the moment he becomes Read More>>
Rosemary McGraw
I’m still finding it, though I’m pretty confident that acting is at the center of it all. It’s when I feel the most alive, grounded, joy, and connection. I’ve been on more than a few paths throughout my 32 years, but it always comes back to prioritizing my creative endeavors. Read More>>
Maurice Carroll
Finding my purpose wasn’t the hard part, it showed up naturally. The real challenge was understanding it. I looked at what I was naturally gifted in and the talents I worked to develop. Once I lined those up, it clicked. I know I’m a strong teacher. If I have knowledge and experience in something, I can break it down and teach it effectively. Read More>>
Kimberly King
Visual art functions as an anchor and a guide, and through practicing my art, I return to myself. Art enhances my perception, consciousness, and my way of problem-solving. It’s a process of trial and error fueled by imagination. I visualize what I want and implement it through various solutions. From an early age, I have explored color, mark-making, and construction. Read More>>
