Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly, but so often folks live life without thinking about their purpose. We believe that thinking about your purpose and trying to identify what it might be is one of the most impactful things you can do to level up your life, career, and general level of happiness and fulfillment. Having a sense of what your why is will help you become a better decision maker which inevitably will improve your life. Below, you’ll find some interesting discussions, stories and perspectives around find your purpose.

Catalina Margulis

What a great question!

I’d say it wasn’t that I found my purpose – rather, purpose found me. I was always a reader and lover of books and languages. And I was always told that I was a writer. So between my love of books and the gift of writing that others saw in me, I knew words and communication would be my path forward. But the question for me back then was, but what do I write about? Read More>> 

Tricia Sticca And Christine Spiak

We like to say… we didn’t find our purpose—it found us!

We started as two solopreneurs interested in sharing office space, pooling resources and swapping ideas over coffee. But soon, we realized there was a much bigger need right here in our own backyard—the Mohawk Valley is brimming with entrepreneurial women who crave connection, support, and a safe place to dream bigger. Read More>> 

Elsha Kim

Honestly, I didn’t wake up one day with a huge “aha moment.” It’s been a lot of little moments, experiences, and even mishaps along the way that have led me here. I’ve always loved being in the sun, from my childhood summers to working on film sets outdoors. However, I also knew the struggle of wanting that golden glow without wrecking my skin or health in the process. Read More>> 

Isabella Osborne

For much of my early life, I battled self-esteem issues that left me feeling disconnected from my potential. I knew what it was like to look in the mirror and not feel proud of who I saw. But through those struggles, I discovered a powerful truth: pain can be a compass, guiding you toward your purpose. My empathetic nature made it natural for me to connect with others, and over time, I realized that my experiences could be used to uplift, support, and empower people who felt the way I once did.  Read More>> 

Devon Montgomery Pasha

There was a moment a few years ago that changed everything for me. I was in a training when someone said, “If you’re not working on your own goals, you’re by default working on the goals of others.” It hit me hard. At the time, I was pouring my energy into other people’s missions, goals, and dreams. That moment made me pause and ask: What do I really want to build? What’s the impact I want to make? What does wild success look like for me? Read More>> 

Jill Swanstrom

I actually originally went to school for chemistry and physics. I was a huge science nerd, and was in a great college on scholarship, but being in a lab was draining, and I wasn’t happy. I started doing hair and makeup for my roommate before she would go out, and then her friends started asking me to do their hair and makeup. I absolutely fell in love with making people feel beautiful. With my science background, I also found a huge passion in looking into ingredients in cosmetics and knowing what their purpose is in each product. Read More>> 

Ariadna Sánchez Hernández

I found my purpose the moment I realized that education could be both an act of resistance and a path to healing. I was born and raised in Ejutla de Crespo, a rural community in Oaxaca, Mexico, where many women—especially after marriage—put their dreams on hold. When I immigrated to Los Angeles 20 years ago, I believed my path was already set: to be a housewife, a mother, the angel of the house. But everything shifted one afternoon at the local library, when a librarian mentioned there was an adult school nearby where I could learn English. Read More>> 

Brianna Skumlien

I found my purpose with tattooing just as anyone finds purpose, learning and learning and learning. Once I graduated my apprenticeship I knew the learning would never stop. I feel in love with tattoos and tattooing the minute I saw an amazing tattoo and the minute I picked up a machine. I knew it’s what I wanted to do as soon as I held one in my hands and started it up. Read More>> 

Jacqueline Kirby

I stumbled into my purpose the moment I realized “event planning” was more than just a skill — it was an actual career. That discovery opened a door to a world I didn’t even know existed, but somehow felt like home right away. I’ve always been drawn to the power of bringing people together, and in this industry — whether it’s weddings, corporate retreats, or immersive brand experiences — I get to create the backdrop for memories that will be retold for years. It’s more than logistics and timelines; it’s about designing a space where people feel seen, celebrated, and connected. Knowing that I get to shape moments that matter — that’s what gives my work real purpose. Read More>> 

Brennen Johnson

I think my purpose found me at birth. Purpose chooses us before we’re even born it’s the first thing we’re given after our name. Somehow, that sensation travels to the mind, and then the heart begins to entertain it.

If you dig deep into the meaning of your name even the first syllableyou’ll often uncover pieces of your ‘why.’ And once you find that, God will speak to confirm it. Read More>> 

Olivia Schenkel

Finding My Purpose
1. Personal Journey & Practices
I discovered my purpose through a blend of reflective practices: journaling, reading inspiring books, and heartfelt conversations with friends and family. These tools helped me uncover my deeper values, emotions, and aspirations. Read More>> 

Phyllis King

My purpose found me. I realized fairly early in life that going against my instincts or how I feel deeply was always a mistake. If I was to make a mistake or a “wrong” choice that was okay with me. I wanted it to be my choice. There were times I listened to other people’s counsel and things didn’t work out. Then I felt mad that I hadn’t listened to myself. Read More>> 

Greg Kapitan

To be honest, it often feels like purpose finds me. Life has a way of placing the right opportunities and experiences in front of us—almost as if the universe is guiding us, one step at a time. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to recognize these moments more clearly. They arrive like quiet signals or gentle waves, and when you’re open and willing, you naturally move with them. Then something shifts—you commit, you engage, and suddenly you’re being carried by a powerful, positive momentum that moves you forward with clarity and intention. Read More>> 

Melissa Davey

It certainly took time. At age 75 I have enough time behind me to be able to look back and seriously ponder this question.

My answer is that I have found different “purposes” throughout the decades. Maybe that is a starting point to discuss my feeling that we may not have one purpose in life but rather a series of purposes driven by time and experience. Read More>> 

Christopher Bevans

Purpose is one of my favorite topics because it fuels everything it gives life meaning, direction, and drive. I found my purpose by realizing I was becoming someone I never allowed myself to be. And by “allow,” I mean stepping into something greater than the comfort I was settling for.

Purpose often requires you to be selfish in the beginning isolating yourself to find yourself. It’s not glamorous. It’s found in the crawling before the walking, in the lessons buried in your lowest moments. That’s where I discovered mine. Read More>> 

Angela Jurgensen

Finding My Dharma (Purpose) Through Yoga

Becoming a yoga instructor came at a time when I needed it most—a season of uncertainty, self-reflection, and searching for meaning. What began as a physical practice quickly unfolded into a journey of healing and transformation. Read More>> 

Catherine B. Roy

My journey to purpose began in the shadows of war. Surviving the bombing in the former Yugoslavia, I made a promise to myself—to be the light in the world, no matter how dark it gets. Years later, when I faced a deadly virus and found healing in the stillness of a monastery, that promise deepened. I embarked on a profound personal growth journey, completing nearly 50 transformational programs, and discovered through reconnecting with my inner child and my higher self that I am enough—that I am the creative force of my own life.  Read More>> 

Owen Hunt

Trial and error. I firmly believe everyone has a purpose, we weren’t put here for no reason. The exciting part is finding your purpose and that comes through expanding your comfort zone and trying new things. Some of the things I thought would be my purpose, I hated. Other things surprised me. As an example, I thought I would love scuba diving. I romanticized it and thought if I tried it, I’d end up being a scuba instructor for the rest of my life.  Read More>>

KingKai

Not to sound overly cliche, but I swear it found me. I’ve never not been making things, I recently found a newspaper I made when I was in 3rd grade I believe? It’s been in my bones from a child. The gratification I feel from taking an idea that only exists in my head and making it something tangible has not been matched anywhere. Nothing feels anywhere as good. Except the first sip of a green juice. Maybe. My purpose has always been abundantly clear to me, it was just up to me to shed the fear of failure. Read More>> 

Julio Cesar

My purpose in this industry is to be of service — to inspire, to teach, to mentor, and to lead with heart. I aim to use dance as a tool to uplift voices, to bring communities together, and to remind people of their inner strength and worth. Whether I’m performing, choreographing, or guiding the next generation of dancers, I move with intention, knowing that every step I take has the power to inspire others to move, to grow, and to believe in themselves. Read More>> 

Derek Alford

some people take years before they feel like they have found their purpose. I think your purpose is more then just what you like doing when you feel like doing it or when you feel motivated to do it. you know when you have found your purpose because everything you do revolves around it, you wake up and go to sleep thinking about your purpose. me personally I kept running away from what I felt like was my purpose and always found myself coming back to it in some way. that’s how I knew what my purpose was and that was to impact people and spread the message positively, music allows me to do that freely Read More>>

Zahra Rahimi

I believe my purpose was shaped by two childhoods: my mother’s and my own. Growing up, she often shared stories about her girlhood in Afghanistan. She was only in fifth grade when the Taliban first took control and banned girls from school, and her parents took the risk of teaching her at home, turning their living room into a secret classroom. After years of secret homeschooling, and once the Taliban were gone, she was able to earn her high school diploma. However, she couldn’t attend college until many years later, when we arrived in the U.S., where she finally fulfilled her dream of earning a college degree. Read More>> 

Sean Eriksen

I found my purpose through spending spending lots of time in nature and reflecting on my relation to the species around me. I had to get out of the city, figure out what I truly needed to survive, and then figure out how one goes about acquiring what they need from their immediate surroundings.
As I learned more about where food comes from, where building materials come from, where clothing, and machines, and tools, and water, and medicine all comes from, it became quite clear that we are doing it so wrong.  Read More>> 

Landry Major

On Christmas Day 2023 my beloved son Cash died. He was 29 years old and my only child.

This collaboration came out of the need to honor the relationship between my son and I.
To show how even after he left the physical world we are still connected.

In the early days of my grief a friend reached out and asked if I would be interested in speaking to my son through a true medium and I said yes. Read More>>

Lexxus Carter

I like to think my purpose found me in a beautiful yet inexplicable way. Back in 2017 I graduated from GVSU with my bachelor’s degree in public health, was engaged to a man I had been dating for 5 years (I’m openly queer now), packed up with no job and no where to live and moved to San Diego. You wouldn’t know this by looking at me but it was one of the darkest times of my life, yet San Diego offered liberation in ways I was yet to understand.  Read More>> 

Jessica Rodriguez

I found my purpose by listening to what gives my heart joy and for me that’s connecting with others through music, art and creative expression. I learned to weave my pain into purpose throughout my own personal healing journey via music, art and self expression. Once you learn to harness that energy it allows you to help empower others to do the same, like passing on a flame that keeps on burning, it’s a beautiful gift to share. Read More>> 

NextBridge Advisory

I found my purpose when I realized that the world doesn’t lack talent—it lacks access.

When I started high school, I began connecting with students globally through virtual communities, and I noticed a pattern: young people everywhere were passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation, but lacked mentors, startup guidance, or even someone to say “you can do this.” At the same time, I had begun helping a few friends launch their ideas, from pitch decks to prototypes.. What started as casual advice grew into a movement. Read More>> 

Scottie Jeanette Madden

Creativity has always been my shield. And traveling through the cosmos at warp speed has been my anchor. The power of intention to hold aloft my focus and the belief that the journey will pay off has driven my through various mediums , film, television, painting, sculpture, graphic arts and cooking. Read More>> 

Ana Isabel Ortega

To be honest, I didn’t find my purpose, it revealed itself as I found myself. For me, purpose isn’t something you chase out there, it’s something you align with by getting really honest about who you are, what you value, and what lights you up. That meant getting clear on what felt expansive, what brought me joy, and letting those things guide me. Read More>> 

Krystal Lindsay

I found my purpose by Finding Meaning in God’s Plan for my life.

Finding Purpose Through Pain: A Journey Back to God

“Many plans are in a man’s mind, But it is the LORD’S purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).” – Proverbs 19:21 Read More>> 

Orly Klein

My path to purpose was born from compassion, shaped by personal experience, and driven by an unwavering dedication to family. Over the years, through volunteer work in the family-building field, I witnessed the overwhelming challenges – both emotional and logistical that Intended Parents often face. It was in those tender, vulnerable moments that I learned the power of genuine empathy, clear guidance, and a listening ear. Read More>> 

Hilary Griffin

I grew up in small town Oklahoma as a bi-racial girl who was an only child of parents with a broken marriage. I was fairly young when anger, hate, and confusion became normal to me. That environment at home and at school made me put on a metaphorical mask every day. If I talked, dressed, performed, etc. a certain way that meant I was safe and accepted. Read More>> 

Cheryl Samson Ramirez

The Pilipinx in Wellness podcast was launched from a desire to address the specific health and wellness needs of the global Filipino/Pilipinx diaspora and our allies in April 2021. There were various reasons for launching this platform initially on the Clubhouse application in collaboration with co-founder, Riann De Los Reyes, who was both a Registered Nurse and Health & Wellness Consultant. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and together with Riann, we felt called to respond not only to Asian American hate crimes that were fueled by anti-Asian sentiments and xenophobia associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to support the many Filipino nurses who were working on the frontlines.  Read More>> 

Antonio Garcia

I believe purpose is strongly associated to authenticity & self-discovery as we lean in to what we are interested in. Developing consistency and intimacy with a craft one learns to see beyond the superficial stimulation and really take time to observe its mysterious inner workings.

The same happens as we start to explore who we are and observe our own thoughts, patterns of behavior and actions. I personally started to sense some sort of external power driving this whole experience in a certain direction without forcing anything. Read More>> 

Jose Andre

I discovered my purpose in life through music, finding joy in sharing it with audiences. From an early age, music was a big part of me, an indescribable feeling. At two years old, I began playing percussion using cans and kitchen utensils. My initial intention was to become a drummer, and I received my first drum set at four and a half. Read More>> 

Dr. Elisa Malangone

For me, purpose didn’t arrive like a neatly packaged mission statement—it revealed itself like a mosaic, one piece at a time. I didn’t just find my purpose. I remembered it.

It began with a whisper—an intuitive knowing I carried since childhood, that this life wasn’t just about surviving, but about deeply feeling, connecting, and awakening. But it wasn’t until I was standing in the ashes of everything I thought I had built—a marriage lost to narcissistic abuse, finances stripped, left with only two dollars and a Charms Blow Pop in my name—that my real initiation began. Read More>> 

Kaminer Haislip

Originally from Aiken, South Carolina, I grew up in my family’s hardware and appliance business. This experience directly influenced my interest in creating three-dimensional objects and working with my hands. During high school I became enthusiastic about sculpture and jewelry, so I enrolled in the industrial tech class and learned to weld. Read More>>