How did you find your purpose?

Damon Ho

Finding my purpose was an evolving journey that didn’t start with a well-defined plan or vision. When I first landed in the United States, the English language was a hurdle, and I had to resort to a low-paying factory job. Although I managed to get by, the arrival of my first child served as a wake-up call, pushing me to strive for something more substantial. Read More>>

Charlyne Barkley-Romero

My journey to finding my purpose in real estate and blockchain technology began with an unexpected catalyst – the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world went into lockdown, I, like many, found myself grappling with isolation and uncertainty, which threatened to lead me down a familiar path, depression. Read More>>

Jalen Fauntleroy

I found my purpose by allowing myself to learn from any hardships I’ve faced over the years. I was able to do this by going within my mind, body, and spirit in order to connect to what I truly need versus what I want. This year in particular has been challenging, but rewarding in abundance. One of the main quotes that stayed with from the top of the year was, “What’s for you, is for you”. Read More>>

Tiffany Ocasio

Finding my purpose was like piecing together a puzzle, except the pieces were scattered across different phases of my life. My introduction to fitness actually began at the age of 10 when my dad took me to my first kickboxing class. It was an exhilarating experience, but the true depth of its impact wouldn’t be realized until years later. Read More>>

Dulce Luna

I celebrate two birthdays; one celebration is when I came to this life, and the second is when I discover my purpose in life. How did I find my purpose? It has been a personal talk with myself, asking me questions such as: What makes me happy? What is my gift to life? What is my deepest desire? What do I want in life? What are my talents? How can I learn more about myself? How can I share this with others? Read More>>

Jessica Schuyler

I found purpose from heartbreak (initially). About eight years ago I ended a long term relationship that a home and pet were tied into. I had always been in retail and worked primarily for small businesses ranging from consignment to high end luxury boutiques making up the foundation of what is now Ditto Vintage. Around that time I started heavily channeling my creativity and quirky sense of style into actual styling gigs around the Philadelphia region working with photographers and models who heavily inspired me, helping me to build my portfolio and create content marketing my strengths. Read More>>

Angel Chen

The simplest way to find your purpose is to do what you love to do, care for what you care about and share this knowledge and experience with others. I combined my two loves, art and environment. It was natural that my work as an artist would evolve to land art. Read More>>

Crysta Colmer

Discovering my purpose was like embarking on a profound voyage of self-discovery—a journey rooted in giving, acts of service, and boundless generosity. It all began during my formative years, when I found myself drawn to the notion of making a meaningful impact on the lives of others, not really sure yet of any career trajectory or greater calling. Read More>>

Durale Harper

I found my purpose by almost losing my life. In 2003, I had a major car accident. I was T-boned by an oncoming car that hit my driver side door and knocked me out. I was knocked out long enough for EMT’s, Fire Fighters, and Police Officers to get there and get everything under control. I remember waking up, getting out of the car on my own, and walking up to a Fireman. The look on his face when I walked up to him is something to this day, I can’t explain. The words that followed that look was, “I don’t know how you are walking away from this.” Read More>>

Merri Ellen Kase

I always created art. I can’t even remember when I didn’t. I never thought about what I would do for a living because creating is a part of me. At 5 years old, I would climb on my father’s lap and take a scratch piece of paper and tell him to draw a doodle. Then I would take that doodle and create an elaborate piece of art. I was always coloring in my coloring books or drawing. I could entertain myself as a child all day in my world of creation. Read More>>

Serena Houlihan

The inspiration for Le Wren came from a really unique blend of my own professional experience and a personal tragedy, losing my mom to Glioblastoma in 2009.

I started in the fashion industry right out of college a long time ago. And while I loved retail and more specifically being a buyer, I always had this nagging feeling like what I was putting so much energy into professionally didn’t really mean anything to me personally. Read More>>

Luisa Lyons

Whilst at drama school I saw a cinema screening of Sondheim’s “Company” with the New York Philharmonic starring Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, et al., and in a pre-taped interview the producer Ellen M. Krass said she’d had trouble getting funding to film the musical because no one had heard of filming a live musical. I sat up in my seat feeling confused, as I had grown up obsessed with the VHS recording of “Into the Woods”. I changed my thesis to research the history of filmed live musicals. Read More>>

Keesha Rivers

I am a multi-facet Entrepreneur, meaning, I have been blessed with the gift of having many talents such as: Marketing, Promoting, Branding assistance, Consultations, Showcasing the Up-and-Coming talent in the areas of: Fashion, Music and Art. My Production company ” I AmFlaVore Productions, is a home away from home, for alot of people. Read More>>

Hannah Daniel

In a way I knew my purpose in life ever since I can remember, but I denied it up until the day I started my business. Thanks to my mom, I grew up making and loving art. She taught me so much about pencil drawing, acrylic, watercolor, and more. I loved art classes all throughout school, even branching out to film and photoshop classes too. But when it was time for college, I thought “I need to make money so I’ll major in computer science.”  Read More>>

Tina Hurley

My story led me to my purpose: https://www.lesslegmoreheart.com/a-note-from-our-founder I founded the 501(c)3 nonprofit Less Leg More Heart in 2019 after recognizing unaddressed needs and care gaps within the limb loss community that were leading to negative mental, financial, social, economic and medical outcomes as well as negatively impacting our healthcare systems. My unique experience as both an amputating clinician and an amputee, paired with my comprehensive understanding of limb loss, intrinsic passion to serve and motivation to improve the limb loss continuum of care led to the development of this organization. Read More>>

Charlie Rose

I found my purpose after I discovered the difference between a to-do list and what my purpose is. These are also very distinctly different about how we enjoy our lives by doing what we love while paying the bills. Read More>>

Augusta Wheeler

I found my purpose by always following my intuition. If I’m not being fulfilled in my work day to day I will eventually burn out. Being a creative means always allowing myself to be open and honest whether that means with design, hair, or flowing through a yoga sequence. Listening to your inner voice is huge. If a project feels icky from the start chances are your not doing the right one and it’s no aligned with your end goal. For me that’s just feeling good abs being in a happy state while I work. Read More>>

Ashley Wendt

Purpose was always something that I was searching for, even before I realized it. I always felt a little different than my peers & watching everyone “pick” what they wanted to do with their life always left me confused because I wasn’t sure yet. I tried college & the things that came with that, but it still didn’t feel right. So on a whim I left my hometown and moved to Los Angeles & thats when everything changed, I started to feel that sense of belonging and purpose.  Read More>>

Tequoia Urbina

I’ve always known that I was destined for a higher calling. I remember writing an essay in middle school on my greatest fear. While my classmates wrote about fearing the dark and insects, I wrote about my fear of not reaching my potential. I knew then that I was created to make an impact on the world and the worst thing to me was not completing my life’s mission. Since the age of twelve, I have been learning and working towards my goal.  Read More>>

Pastel Bryant

I feel like I found my purpose through a chain of life events. I found myself often reflecting on my why? I took time to introspect and understand my values, interest, and passions. I needed to understand what made me feel most alive. I explored quite a bit and was open to trying new experiences, different hobbies, and even careers shifts. Through that process I was able to identify strengths, weaknesses, hidden talents and expand my skill set.  Read More>>

D-Love Muzic

Growing up, I was the only child of an only child, in the inner city of Detroit. This left me with a different perspective. Other kids my age saw me as being different or a nerd. I used to always get in trouble in school for beating on the desks. I was not trying to be mischievous. Rhythm and learning were synonymous in my brain. It’s how I processed information. This disruptiveness would later go on to be identified as a gift. Read More>>

Laurence de Valmy

I’ve always felt a strong attraction to the world of visual arts, but it took me some time to make the decision to pursue a career as a full-time artist. Over time, my artistic purpose has become increasingly clear. What initially began as an exploration of aesthetics has evolved into a means for me to convey meaningful messages. Read More>>

Maeby

Growing up I always felt a pull to music. My grandmother taught me piano at a young age, and my mother supported me through countless choir, band, and theatre performances. When applying for colleges I hadn’t even considered music as a viable option, which is why I attended ASU where I obtained a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences. Read More>>

Nova Notoria

Mamoon and I (Nova) met while working as guides at a Wilderness Therapy program. You can think of this place as a rehab in the desert backcountry, where we lived primitively and helped young adults to overcome trauma. The two of us became tired of working in a traumatic environment, living on the bare minimum, and working for people who were not taking care of themselves (and running the business from that place). Together, we decided to leave the desert and put our talents into a joint venture we have named 14 STEP – an evolution of teen recovery programming. Read More>>

Rachelle Carrie

Many friends and family in my social circle possess a profound sense of purpose. Whether they are advocating for racial justice, teaching children to read, creating inspiring art, or gathering donations of masks and face shields for hospitals during the pandemic, they have discovered ways to merge their passion, talents, and concern for the world in a manner that imbues their lives with significance. Read More>>

Genevieve Duvall

Purpose is such an interesting and important concept. I like this question because, unsolicited, I’ve talked about purpose many times in my life in discussions. I think it’s the only thing that keeps us going. By definition it’s the reason why something, we, exist. There’s many, many, many variations of purpose; both big and small. Read More>>

Ron Key

Finding my purpose was a journey, no doubt. Back in the day, life hit me with some tough challenges. I got removed from my home, and I had to hustle hard to make ends meet, you feel me? I wasn’t about to let adversity hold me back. Read More>>

Chef Rima

I discovered my life’s purpose through a blend of introspection and life experiences. In the early stages of my career, I explored different roles and industries, allowing me to recognize my strengths and passions. Concurrently, I actively sought mentorship with NBIC, Score Nashville, and Vision Strategy Management and engaged in personal development to clarify my values and long-term objectives. Throughout this journey, I realized that my true calling centers around my passion for community, nutrition, and mental health. Read More>>

Ulysses Cisneros

Purpose is something that I struggled with my entire life. I have always enjoyed challenging myself and trying different things and found myself to be good at multiple things but never great. My college years came and went, when I found myself several years out of school and didn’t feel fulfilled or excited with the direction my life was headed. It may sound cliche but It took me meeting my wife to find true purpose.  Read More>>

Ebone Tarver

I believe I didn’t find my purpose, my purpose found me. All my experiences brought me to where I am today. I wasn’t searching for my purpose, I was just connecting the dots on what I enjoyed doing and what actually filled me at the end of the day. I would take pieces of every experience, a gain or loss, and reflect. When I got closer and closer to finding out what my purpose was my experiences reflected that. My cup was overflowing and I noticed a hobby turn into a purpose before my eyes. Read More>>

Tiffany Borrego

The quest to find one’s purpose is a deeply personal and transformative journey. For me, the path to discovering my purpose was a tapestry woven with experiences, introspection, and a relentless pursuit of authenticity. Read More>>

Chelsey Morin

Well, to put it simply, I found it through none other than Jesus Christ! He is my everything…if it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t even be alive! Much less have a successful wedding planning business. Gosh, owning a business is hard, but it’s even harder to own one that actually lasts! Haha. I know the statistics are crazy as to the percentage of businesses that fail within the first few years. But because of the Lord, we have been going strong for 10 years now! We are so blessed. Read More>>

Shaquerry Robertson

I found my purpose to start my catering business because growing up I had no idea what I wanted to do . I started branching off doing so many different things and they never fully go through completely. Later in the years moving forward I decided to open a hookah lounge , but like I stated before it didn’t go through completely, so one day I over heard my co worker asking anyone did they no how to make flyers and etc for her niece party so I quickly chimed in the conversation and immediately told her that I would be able to assist her with her needs . Read More>>

Leah DeVon

“My sense of purpose is deeply rooted in pursuing my passions and making a positive impact. As a creative individual, I’ve always found fulfillment in the world of creativity. This drove me to become an entrepreneur. With the creation of my TV show, ‘The Indie Style with Leah DeVon,’ and more recently, my streaming network, I’ve discovered a business that not only fulfills me but also allows me to grow as a businesswoman. It provides me the freedom to build a platform where I can celebrate and showcase talented creatives, entrepreneurs on my TV show, and content creators on the Indie Style with Leah DeVon Network.” Read More>>

Belinda Workman

As we grow up, I think that many of us try to “learn” our purpose or force what our purpose should be in life. When in all actuality, I think that our purpose is something that is developed in us over time and experience. Read More>>

Singa B

Discovering my purpose was a journey that unfolded organically. I didn’t set out with a specific plan to find it; instead, the blues found me.

From a young age, I was soulful melodies, and the raw emotions of music. I started playing the guitar and singing I uncounciously immersed myself in this genre, I realized that this type of music allowed me to express myself in a way that nothing else could. It was as if the blues had chosen me as a vessel to communicate the stories, emotions, and struggles that are an inherent part of the human experience. Read More>>

Kalimba Edwards

My purpose is to not only help others in my community but also to let them know they aren’t alone in whatever they are battling. I found my purpose by living my life authentically and not being ashamed of my past. Doing my ‘job’ as a first responder and captain involves usually meeting people on what may be the worst day of their lives. I can relate because I’ve had a quite a few of those and made it through. Read More>>

Emily Vann

When I was young, I was always the friend that talked my friends through their difficulties. At the age of 7 yrs old, I would take alcohol, matches, a needle, and a band aid and give my younger cousin “shots” under the kitchen table, which of course was my office. When I was 13, my pastor told me that he seen me “speaking to thousands of women”. When I was 15, I became a candy striper in our local hospital. Caring for people came easy to me. Read More>>

James C. Birdsong, Jr.

First and foremost, I am grateful to God for this opportunity to share my story in Bold Journey. I appreciate this very much. During the recent years, I have been asked this similar question on various media platforms from television to podcasts throughout the United States and abroad. As a member of the Gospel music industry and entertainment arena nationally, I learned early in life as a child of the 1980s in Richmond, California to always have God first and foremost in your life. I am grateful for my parents, the late Rev. James C. Birdsong, Sr. and Belinda Germany-Birdsong for installing these foundational principles in me along with my family members, teachers and elders. Read More>>