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.
Katrina Page
Discovering my purpose has truly been a journey fueled by my passion for branding and my desire to help others. Since my high school years, I have always felt a strong pull towards branding and design, recognizing it not simply as a career choice, but as a calling. Read more>>
DAMIAN GRASS
Regardless of your nature, whether you are introverted or constantly in search of the limelight, the desire to be listened to is universal. Read more>>
Janet Oñate
This past week I was searching for a quote for a business presentation that spoke to, finding your purpose and more importantly holding on to it. I immediately reflected back to a book I read in high school, part of the required reading list we all had to complete. Read more>>
Nyla Lovelock
It seems like my purpose wasn’t something I had to search for, but rather something I gradually realized over time. To me, purpose feels like a full-circle journey, rooted in passions and interests that have always been present, even if they’ve evolved in different forms. Read more>>
Michael J. Morgan
My journey to discovering my purpose was less like a straight line and more like a mosaic—different pieces of my life coming together to form a clear picture. Art, design, music, technology, teaching, philosophy—these weren’t just interests; they were parts of me that resonated with something deeper. Read more>>
Hillary Cortez
Purpose, I absolutely love this topic. I discovered my purpose through a lifelong journey of self-discovery and service. From a young age, I’ve led with a big heart and an open mind, always eager to meet people where they are and be part of their journey. Read more>>
Preet Johal
The short answer is by following the signs, winks and nudges from the universe. The long answer: The first 30 years of my life were meant to be extremely challenging. Growing up as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents and a child of divorce, it forced me to grow up faster than most. I started working at 14 years old. Read more>>
Alicia Hawthorne
On accident Lol! Becoming a seamstress was absolutely not on my radar. But one day in high school my Mom showed me how to use her sewing machine and the rest is history. This why I always encourage people be open to new things and always follow your heart because you just never know. Read more>>
Jason Melhorn
I struggled my whole life with living with fear and insecurities. These struggles lead me to develop a mental toughness like no other and this became my copping mechanism and it worked…..until it didn’t! I remember feeling like I have fallen into a pit of darkness and there was no way out. Read more>>
Lindsay Steinberg
I grew up in an entrepenurial family. I saw the first hand what it means to take a leap to do something you believe in. Following your passions, setting your schedule, long nights working on the business, fixing something that’s broken even if it’s a holiday… I experience through my parents the power of grit and what it could equate to. Read more>>
Rocio Navarro
I feel like purpose is the subtle guiding energy that gives us the fortitude to take our first breathe in this life, the one that wakes us up everyday (even if it’s those first minutes upon waking that give you that renewed sense), what picks you up when life gets challenging, what inspires you to create and also risk in life. Read more>>
Jonathan Rich
The quest for purpose is a journey that unfolds over the span of a lifetime, its path winding and often unpredictable, leading to discoveries both profound and mundane. My own journey to finding purpose has been no less complex, evolving through various stages of life, each bringing its own lessons, challenges, and revelations. Read more>>
Rachel Hudson Bellini
I didn’t embrace my purpose for a long time. I was pursuing what I thought was a more traditional path to filmmaking. Working for other people and working my way up the ladder. But the daydreams were always the same. Read more>>
Dani Weiss
In high school I started taking photography classes and was inspired to do some internships both in advertising and the wedding industry. I studied photography in college and also got to spend time with some very famous and talented photographers. Read more>>
Jean Fallacara
Embarking on my journey to find my purpose, I realized it wasn’t something I discovered overnight. It was a process, a series of events and realizations that led me to where I am today. My path was carved out through a deep passion for understanding the limitless potential of the human body and mind. Read more>>
Zushka Biros
As an artist, I found my purpose through a passion for vibrant colors, textures, graffiti, and multimedia. It’s as if my purpose found me, igniting a creative fire that drives me to express myself through various artistic mediums, allowing me to connect with others and leave a lasting impact through my work. Read more>>
Laura Scheidhauer
Finding my purpose was a journey of discovering and combining my passions and natural abilities. Throughout my life, I have naturally gravitated towards leadership roles, whether amongst friends or within various groups. Read more>>
Jared Nelson
I found my purpose through helping others. Starting at a young age I have always enjoyed helping others in anyway that I can, but I really discovered my purpose when I started helping people with real life issues. Read more>>
Khashana McKenzie
My passion for cooking truly blossomed after becoming a parent. My children inspire me to bridge the gap between generations by keeping our Jamaican heritage alive through traditional dishes. At the same time, they motivate me to create healthy versions of these recipes, ensuring that our family’s culinary journey is both delicious and nourishing. Read more>>
Matthijs Rijsdijk
How I found my purpose is a golden story for me, wrapped in dark black feathers. I make pop music under the name ‘Roi Soleil’ (Sun King) and with this work, I am on a mission to make a large audience love themselves. Read more>>
Dwight Trible
I was thinking about this question yesterday. I am a singer of songs about peace and love for all. Believe it or not, I remember being about 2 years old, sitting the family living room on a burnt orange couch that was by the window in our 2 bedroom Apartment. Read more>>
Rachael Hastings Adair
I was raised to be an activist. I was raised traveling the world and experiencing other cultures. For me, I loved theater, photography, and art which grew into stealing my Dad’s VHS camera and making movies. I had mentors, at first Scientists and environmental activists, who worked to preserve habitats. Read more>>
Olesya Zrezartseva
My first interaction with healing was through my grandmother. She would place her hands on my head and whisper prayers to help me with my fever or a stomach ache. I remember the warmth of her hands and the feeling of peace and surrender. Read more>>
Shawn Morrison
I found my purpose through my faith, my family, and my friends. I engage life from a philosophical perspective with a strong emphasis on living life as a Christian with Biblical values. With that foundation in mind, I look to understand WHY I exist and live which helps to inform WHAT I will do in life which enables me to better discover HOW I will accomplish my intended purpose. Read more>>
Stephanie Karzon Abrams
My career needed to feel like more than just a job; it had to be a calling. I’ve always been drawn to work that sparks my passion, unable to settle for anything that didn’t resonate deeply or pique my curiosity. My quest for purpose has been guided by a blend of innovation, creativity, a drive to serve, and a knack for strategy. I craved a challenge that would engage both the analytical and imaginative sides of my brain. Read more>>
JoMaureen Koko Darpolor
At a very young age, I found two things that brought me unexplainable joy. The first thing was creating and the second was helping other people. Over time, I realized that I felt ultimate joy when doing a combination of both by using my creations to help others. Read more>>
Nafissa Abdallah
Purpose. When I look at this word so many feelings arise as I’ve battled with it’s meaning for so long. I’ve always had a passion for many different things and believed that I had to choose just one to serve as my purpose. Through many trials I’ve come to learn that my purpose is to make people feel good. Read more>>
Stephanie She
Unlike some who discover their passion early on, mine unfolded over time, a slow burn reaching a pivotal point. After college, stability trumped passion. I used my degree in Computer Information Systems to launch a successful career in technology consulting. While I thrived on problem-solving and client connections, a nagging emptiness remained. Waking up excited for each day just wasn’t my reality. Read more>>
Julia Jewelz” Amponsah-Gilder”
Finding my purpose has been a journey shaped by the intersection of personal passion and the pressing needs of our time. In the tumultuous landscape of 2020, amidst the pandemic’s uncertainty and the anguish stemming from the injustices against George Floyd, Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, I found solace and purpose in an unexpected place: building a candle-making community for a small but growing demographic. Read more>>
Shay Speaks Life
For me, finding my purpose has been a journey of self-discovery and exploration. It wasn’t something that happened overnight, but rather a gradual process of understanding myself, my passions, and what truly drives me. Read more>>
Elizabeth Redford
Disability advocacy is my purpose. It partially found me by being a common thread throughout my life in several significant relationships I’ve had. I, in turn, found it right back by seeking out opportunities to learn, grow, and surround myself with the disability community. Read more>>
Will Carey
I discovered in 10th grade that my purpose in life was to create art and to entertain, and I owe that to my lifelong best friend Chris McNamara. He had started doing high school theater freshman year and had been trying to get me to audition as well, but I was too painfully shy to try that year. Read more>>
Kristine Schomaker
I feel like the idea of having or finding a purpose in life is an ever changing, fluid thing. I was always the person who was depressed because I didn’t think I had a purpose. But what does that even mean. When you live in the moment, day to day and stop worrying about the future, your purpose becomes what you do in that day. Read more>>
Charon Darris
When I was 18 years old, I experienced a significant tragedy that profoundly shaped the course of my life. On Friday, November 24, 1994 (the weekend of my freshman year college Thanksgiving break), at approximately 11:00 pm, I exited the 3 train stop at 145th Street and Lenox Avenue, just three blocks from my home. Read more>>
Ja’Lisa Marie Kizzee
I knew I had a love for writing, but I didn’t know it was my purpose until I realized writing was and is all I think about It’s my passion. Every time I see an interesting article or film that that moves me in one way or another, I instantly start taking notes, and by that, a story is formed. Read more>>
