Core to our mission is helping our audience and community reach their full potential and the most important part of reaching your full potential is starting to find your purpose. Below, we’ve shared stories and insights from the community around how various folks found their purpose and we hope it helps you in your journey.
Kamilah Ferrari
In a general sense I view “purpose” as a somewhat ever-changing, constantly evolving variable. Purpose can be sparked by something as simple as sheer interest, inspiration, or a sudden self-awareness. It can magically come to life through feelings of empathy, injustice, and even the briefest moments of empowerment. It can be one thing or a lifetime of things. Purpose is meaningful. It’s intentional. It’s something that you suddenly feel inclined to do because you believe it has to be done. Read more>>
Unique Waikiki
I found my purpose by starting a business a few years ago. I knew once I had kids, that working for someone else wasn’t going to be a option for me. I realized that becoming a business owner, helping others & being able to be there for my kids was something that I enjoyed. So I found my purpose by starting a staffing and recruiting firm. I love helping others find a career in the healthcare and Tech field. It’s such a rewarding feeling placing people in their right field. Read more>>
Andréa Zamora
I always say chase purpose, not success. What can we take with us when we go? Nothing. All that matters is what we leave on this earth. I don’t care about what you do, I care about what you gave. I care about how many people’s lives you touched. I care about what you taught and who you’ve helped. Maya Angelou once said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Chase that. Your purpose is typically your passion. The things that make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Read more>>
Eva Spak
I have found my purpose by spreading joy throughout the world by means of baked goods. My father, an infectious disease physician, was the primary caretaker for every Covid patient that came through Baylor Dallas. Our house was chaotic during the pandemic. When I heard him recount daily the horrors that he saw at the hospital, I wanted to help. I had started my main business, Eva’s Cookies, right before the pandemic began. Read more>>
Kylie Adams
In my culinary journey, I have discovered my purpose through a combination of self-reflection, experience, and a commitment to continuous learning. Early in my journey, I explored various recipes and types of cooking to understand what resonated with me the most. I paid attention to tasks and projects that brought me a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Read more>>
Derrick Snodgrass Jr
I found my purpose by trying a lot of different things and then figuring out what I excelled in. I looked at what I was doing that I was most passionate about. I also had great parents that supported me in everything that I did. I always knew I had a creative mind and I was good at art, solving problems, and I was also good at public speaking. One day when I was sixteen I spoke in front of a crowd at church and I brought a sermon. In that moment I could see how the whole sanctuary was ignited and touched by the words I was speaking. Read more>>
Ivan Flores
I drew bits and pieces from all these distinct influences and have used them to create compositions for the last 20+ years of my artistic life. I have composed over 100 pieces, each one being drawn from a personal life experience or one shared with me by a close friend or family. My process is extremely organic – in other words, melodies & lyrics will materialize at any given moment and I’ll have to find a way to record or otherwise capture the idea before it fades. I am a completely self taught musician and do not read or write music in a formal sense. Read more>>
Nebal Shafi
Honestly, it’s been a challenging question for me. I believe that since childhood, I’ve sensed this odd, creative side within myself. Perhaps the turning point was when my parents enrolled me in dance classes at the age of 6, sparking something significant. Initially, I disliked the weekly dance sessions due to my lack of flexibility or interest. But as I improved and put in more effort, receiving praise for my talent became incredibly rewarding. Read more>>
Dr. Vijay Naik
Becoming a healthcare provider is a noble endeavor that often comes with immense challenges. As a former medical student myself, I understand firsthand the rigorous journey towards becoming a healthcare provider. The long hours of studying, the countless clinical rotations, and the constant worry of performing well on exams can make it all feel unbearable. However, despite the difficulties, I knew from a young age that my purpose was to help people in need, which is why I chose to pursue a career in the medical field. Read more>>
Courtney Pierce
The Henlo Press started as a sole proprietorship in the small town of Ashland, Kentucky. It’s purpose was to help Courtney reconnect with her passion for literature. Five years later, it is a growing cohort of creative minds in Appalachia whose mission is to cultivate the local writing community. When we moved from a sole proprietorship to a LLC, we noticed a need in our area for writers and artists to have a safe and accessible place to submit their work for publication. Read more>>
Denishia Macon
Finding my purpose was a journey that started from my very first experience with artistic expression. I still vividly remember drawing my first picture in kindergarten – that moment was more than just an activity; it was the beginning of a lifelong passion. It was in the simplicity and joy of those early drawings where I discovered not just my love for art, but also my natural inclination towards it. Read more>>
Darius Droyd” Bryant”
Finding my purpose was a combination of Passion, dedication and self discovery for sure. I followed my un-wavering love for music, honed my skill and constantly pushed myself to create an undeniable sound. Along the way I realized my purpose lies in bringing joy to others and inspiration through my music. Read more>>
Olivia Ravasio
I think finding your purpose is a lifelong and ever-evolving journey. The pressure to find your one true passion, your one true purpose, I’ve found to be overwhelming and sometimes distracting in making progress. Instead, I try to look just a few steps ahead – what’s the next best thing I can do that leads me closer to what I want my life and work to look like? Right now, my purpose is to make great work, at a great workplace and to leave the entertainment industry better than I found it. Read more>>
Aiden Ellis
My dad was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA with the U.S. ARMY, but all our family lived in north-central Indiana. Every summer we would go home to Indiana and visit aunts and uncles and grandparents. We would stay with my Grandpa Larry whenever we visited. Grandpa Larry only wore shirts with pockets so he could carry his cigarettes with him easily and had a constant burning cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Read more>>
Dr. Tierra Price
I believe my purpose is to close the gap in representation of Black veterinary professionals, including but not limited to the positions of veterinarians, technicians, assistants, practice managers, public health officers, practice owners, and leadership in governing bodies. As a veterinary student, I often felt isolated from my classmates and colleagues in the profession of veterinary medicine. Read more>>
Cyndi Rodriguez
Discovering my purpose is a journey that often involves introspection, exploration, and adaptability. I start by reflecting on my values, passions, and strengths. I consider what truly matters to me and brings me joy. I set both short-term and long-term goals to give my life direction. I embrace new experiences and engage with a variety of people to broaden my perspectives. I’ve learned from both positive and negative experiences, and I use them as stepping stones toward understanding my preferences and dislikes. Read more>>
The Brince
Music has always been an important part of my life. I started playing violin when I was 5, and then throughout the years, I moved on to piano, guitar, bass and drums. I joined a band in early 2000, and when we went into the studio to record, seeing the engineer transform our songs made me want to become an engineer myself. I studied audio engineering on and off while in college trying to find majors that stuck with me, but nothing sat well for me. Read more>>
Tarious Hill
The way I founded my purpose was honestly praying and putting my trust in Jesus Christ. I just lived my life the best way I could and he led me down a path that inspired me to started playing the guitar. Learning how to play the guitar opened up doors for me to realize that creating and performing music was my purpose and my calling in life. Read more>>
Mitzie Watson
In April of 2011 my mother was having some things happening in her life and health experiences that were of concern for her and us. After one hospitalization she came home to live with my husband and I. We soon learned that she had mild cognitive impairment as evidenced by forgetting to take her medications, knowing what they were for and if she had taken them or not. She also began getting lost when she would drive and she would forget to eat. Read more>>
Angie Evans
Purpose is an interesting thing. I think sometimes it finds you. I was always interested in art, even from childhood, but I didn’t really get too involved with art until high school when I took a photography class. I immediately fell in love with the process of creating something beautiful or that told a story from everyday things I saw. Read more>>
Sarah Clarke
Honestly if I’m lucky it will be an ever evolving process of finding, defining and redefining my purpose. But currently I’d say my purpose as an artist at least is to point to beauty. It sounds obvious and cliche even but I’ve come to realize what a gift I have- not in my artistic ability- but in how I see the world, I get to notice it with artists eyes. Read more>>
Kat Jones
“Purpose” can often be seen as a heavy word. It carries so much weight and extends far beyond a career or job. Therefore, I think it’s safe to say I haven’t yet found my purpose on this little planet we call earth – there’s so much I have yet to discover about the world around me and myself and I’m excited at the prospect of uncovering that with the more experiences I have. Read more>>
Stacy Quinkert
I found my purpose by pivoting. From a very young age, I believed I knew my purpose. I had always been a performer and I believed that to be what I was meant and made to do. All of my decisions and actions were made to meet that expectation of myself. I’m a hard-worker and a glass half-full kind of person, but after many years of blocks and resistance (both internal and external) I started to question said purpose. Read more>>
Erin Tandler
I had just received a camera for my 28th birthday and originally just wanted one to document my sons babyhood but quickly realized there was more to photography than just snapping a quick picture. I started taking pictures of more than just my baby and saw the different kinds of magic I could create with it. I dove in quick..learning all there was to know about photography. Read more>>
Ashley Baylor
Prayer and pain. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. I’ve come to understand Romans 8:28 NKJV which reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” In 2019, my dad was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer and my world shattered into a million pieces. I was already a student of science. I have a degree in biology and in kinesioloy. Read more>>
Ant Sims
I found my purpose through sobriety. When I decided to switch to living a sober lifestyle 1 year ago, I experienced a creative renaissance which lead me to what I know is my true purpose: animation. Sobriety gave me more than just focus and creative direction, it awakened a creative spirit in me that I thought had long passed. Now I make cartoons! Read more>>
Christina Dixon
Finding my purpose has been nothing short of an adventurous journey. A journey that I’m still on today because I know the journey never stops. I went through several obstacles in my life and through it all there is always one thing that brought me absolute joy, fashion. I spent 13 years in the security/law enforcement field because I wanted to be a public service member to help people, inspire people, and save lives. Read more>>
Jerry Cunningham
When it came to creating, my original plan was to become a game developer. I enjoy video games to this day despite the stigma that certain people may share about them. However, during my grade school years transitioning into high school, I realized that I longed to tell a story with my art: to build a world for an audience to enjoy. There were times I was close to throwing in the towel, when I reconsidered what I wanted to pursue. That was until I realized I had a group of people who enjoyed my craft, who wanted me to keep going, and would be disappointed if I gave up after all this time. Read more>>
Juan Ramos
Purpose is something that I don’t think I ever had to search for. While I never had to really search for it, I remember when I became aware of having purpose. It gave me a understanding that I had a reason to get out of bed in the morning. My purpose is rooted in my faith and trust in Jesus. Out of that is birthed my passion to work with youth and young adults and just overall serve people in any way possible. I believe that is where the fire to keep on moving forward even when things feel impossible comes from. Read more>>
Adrian Tailor
A lot of people speak on purpose as this ultimate achievement or discovery and forget that finding your purpose does come with a heaviness that is both awesome and can be discouraging at times. I am in that place right now. I know I am meant to be a creative (more particularly) a producer, musician, content creator even, but everyday there is a struggle with the “how, what, why, when” questions. “How will these bills get taken care of?” “What is the next thing I can do to stay active online or What is the next project I need to release?” “Why does it feel like I can never finish a project when someone hires me?””When will I find stability in an unstable industry?” Read more>>
Jessica Baker
In 2020, like many others, I felt the urge for a fresh and thrilling challenge in my life. Until then, my focus had been primarily on capturing still nature through my lens. However, an opportunity arose for me to enhance my abilities by participating in an individual branding session. That singular experience acted as a catalyst, sparking a deep passion within me for capturing the genuine essence of life, emotions, and the invaluable memories of those around me. Over the course of the past 3 years, I have had the amazing honor of meeting so many beautiful families. I now know that this is my ultimate purpose as a photographer. Read more>>
Michelle Graham
I guess I always knew my purpose, which is to assist others. As a small child, I knew that whatever I did when I grew up, I had to be helping others. Most kids say they want to be doctors, lawyers or someone they have seen. For me, my grandmothers’ were always doing something to help others. They cooked and would feed whoever was hungry. They would give away clothes and there time. They are the ones who inspired me. Read more>>
Naomi Lawrence
After I installed my first large scale mural in 2019 I received an email through my website from a woman I did not know. What she shared with me will forever be my motivation to carry on. Directly across the street from the site is a nursing facility. Here is an excerpt from the email. Read more>>
Christina Gressianu
“Finding your purpose” feels like an awfully heavy pursuit. When I talk with people about where they’re headed, they mention finding their purpose with a bit of sadness. We often feel so lost about finding purpose and it feels really important. Life became more fun for me when I stopped trying to find my purpose and instead just followed by curiosity, or my anger. If something makes me wonder, then I explore. If something makes me mad, then I can look into changing it. Those two pulls have led me into all sorts of interesting and unexpected places! Read more>>
Toya Russell Phillips
Finding my purpose was quite easy once I listened to my heart and reflected on my life and what I love to do. My story began in Detroit, Michigan my beloved city that taught me how to work hard, be resilient and strong. I grew up in the inner city with little to no resources or opportunities to empower girls like me to succeed. No one around me went to college or had professional careers to aspire to. Once I graduated high school I enrolled in a dual enrollment program I heard about at Western Michigan University. Read more>>
Carol Anth
Would it sound pretentious if I said my purpose is finding my purpose? I say this because my life’s journey has involved so many forks in the road leading to a new destination, i.e. raison d’etres, that I have to conclude my purpose must be making what I do on each route meaningful and valuable as a “stand-alone’ experience. I did not come to this realization through some sort of epiphany, spiritual revelation or one-of-a- kind ‘Aha’ moment. Read more>>
Misti Buard
This is a great question! After my divorce I spent a lot of time seeking to learn more about God and myself. I have always loved to inspire and motivate others, so one day I was sitting home and God revealed to me that my purpose was to inspire. It was that simple. A quiet whisper. The irony is that I’d been doing it (unintentionally) for years. Now that God had revealed that to me, I wanted to be sure to do it with intention. Read more>>
Jordan Ashley
I’ve always been very aware of inequalities and disparities in the world and how no action is too small to make a difference. I remember being eight years old when we learned about endangered species at school. That really resonated with me, so I decided to stand outside our local chemist with a “Save the Spider Monkeys” sign, handing out leaflets on ways people could support the cause. Later, during a study abroad program at university in Siem Reap, Cambodia, my focus shifted to girls’ education, which has now been my heart cause for well over a decade. Read more>>
Ashley Freeman
For me, the question of what my purpose was, especially as acted out in my career, was a question that took about 10 years for me to answer. I began by noticing what I was drawn to or away from, and followed those “leads” to see where they went. It was a messy information gathering and sorting process, with several themes I didn’t seem to be able to connect at first. Eventually, through living and trusting the process, I realized my greatest passions centered around teaching/helping others around leadership and interpersonal topics. Read more>>
Terrice Thomas, MPA
I found my purpose later in life. I struggled with my career goals throughout high school and even college. But when I found a mentor to help me learn about other non traditional professions and discover how my gifts and talents can help others; I found my purpose. I now do that for other young professionals, helping them to discover their talents and connect to their purpose filled life. Fortunately for most of us, our purpose and professions can be the same! Read more>>
