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.
Amber Williams
My journey to uncovering my purpose with ScentsXchange was when I realized I was simply existing rather than living. I was a single mother, overwhelmed and overworked, I knew something had to change. And thus, ScentsXchange was born! Read more>>
Lindsay Sunada
I’ve always been a very curious and open-minded person, and I think that spirit of exploration and experimentation has led me to fall in love with a lot of different things and creative endeavors, ultimately landing on directing. I’m in love with the challenge of creating new worlds, and the process of doing it in collaboration with so many talented friends. Read more>>
Alyssa Foo
The concept of authenticity holds a special place in my heart, as it’s always been a crucial aspect that I value deeply. It’s about living life with the strength and courage to pursue your dreams without any fear of failure or rejection by society. It takes major guts, but the rewards are immeasurable. As an Asian American Pacific Islander woman, it’s sometimes been difficult for me to find my voice. Read more>>
Nora Stefanescu
We all have gifts to share with the world. Ideally, through what we are the most good at is how we serve. I’ve always known that I had a mission on this planet, that I came in with a purpose. It’s been there for me since childhood. I didn’t know exactly then how it would look like or what the purpose was, but the drive was there because the idea of purpose was present. Read more>>
Brandon Carpio
I can narrow it down into three ingredients that helped me find my purpose, and that is essence, passion and pain.
First ingredient: Essence. When I was five years old my mother asked me, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” And I said “I want to be me”, and some might say why listen to a 5 year old? But, til this day I remind myself of this wisdom and truth that I shared that day. Read more>>
Toto Blu
I think there’s a lot going on around that question. People always want to know, “What is my purpose?”. Up until maybe one year ago, I was very much driven by this question and the infinite search for an answer. Read more>>
Matthew Gaston
Ever since I was about 3 years old, all I wanted to make people happy. As a child, I simply said I wanted to “make people happy” as that was the extent of my lexicon. I thought that if I could help make someone smile or laugh for even a moment, then I had helped improve their day by at least a smidgen. So, I wanted to be a comedian. Read more>>
Emely Maria Viscarra
My son Elijah Fa’apito U’u has given me my purpose. With Elijah being non speaking & diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3; it made me have a different perspective on everything in life and appreciate everything so much more. Read more>>
Mahima Mohan
I often say I didn’t find my purpose, and that my purpose found me. For most of my adult life, I looked at the idea of purpose from the lens of what I would gain and only the impact on myself. I also held a more limited view by solely considering purpose from a career standpoint. It has only been in the last few years that I was able to understand purpose as a journey, and to identify my purpose as a healer. Read more>>
Becca Goodall
After graduating from the University of Florida in 2015 with a degree in Creative Photography, I moved to Atlanta and had a series of jobs for the next six years: retail associate at Anthropologie, project manager at two printing companies, and floral designer at two different flower shops. I cared deeply about each job, and I genuinely wanted my clients and customers to be happy. Read more>>
Brittany Franklin
Entering the doors of the Ronald McDonald house in Memphis, Tennessee, was a life changing experience, and I was only in high school. I was suddenly surrounded by children that were battling a life-threatening disease called cancer. I didn’t know much about cancer then, and I certainly didn’t anticipate that’s when God would show me my vocation in life. Read more>>
Debi Mitchell
Hello – I’m Debi Mitchell, President of Mama Bears Fighting Childhood Cancer. I found my purpose in supporting pediatric cancer families through my son’s cancer diagnosis. In January 2021, my son Austin, at the age of 12, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Acute T-Cell Lymphoblastic Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. What turned out to be a doctor’s visit for possibly asthma or pneumonia turned into a life-threatening disease. Read more>>
Carolyn White
I found my purpose in my relationship and faith in God. It did not come easy and I did not always stay the course, but I have always known that my purpose or calling was associated with helping others. Initially it was a huge struggle to find my purpose because I didn’t know who I was and I was afraid of what was inside of me. Read more>>
Greg and Lacy Harris
My wife and I over the years have worked in various industries of the job field. Until one day, I turned down a wrong hallway in college and came across a flyer advertising working with children with special needs. We both interviewed for the job and immediately fell in love with the work! Being in the field of ABA, 12 years later, we thought it bests to help fulfill the academic need ABA doesn’t quite focus on. Read more>>
Jeannie Ferguson
It wasn’t easy, but through self-reflection and following my heart, I discovered what truly fulfills me. I took the time to explored my passion and what brought me joy, And being on the Runway brought me so much Joy. I wasn’t afraid to take risks and pursue my dreams of becoming a Professional Plus Size Model. Read more>>
Henry Kellem
During my childhood, I harbored a profound inclination towards serving humanity, despite encountering numerous challenges. Raised in a single-parent household alongside five siblings, our family grappled with financial strain exacerbated by the tragic loss of a brother to gun violence. Read more>>
Mikhael Yesyurun
When I was little, I wanted to be a scientist, but I loved to draw more than study science. This continued until I graduated from vocational high school and studied visual communication design at the Indonesian Institute of Arts, but due to the economic situation, I stopped studying, throwing away my dream to become an artist. Read more>>
Patranya Bhoolsuwan
I found my purpose in helping others find the confidence and the skills to tell their stories. Before I launched my own business, I was a TV news reporter for over 2 decades. I now use my storytelling and on-air skills to work as a media trainer/coach and that’s where I have found my true joy in helping others discover their unique perspectives and sharpen their communication skills so they can amplify their stories to the world. Read more>>
Dewi Aldrich
My dad was a mechanical engineer and project manager for ExxonMobil, so while I was a child, we moved around a lot and lived in different countries and various states in America. I was born in Indonesia. My mom is a native Indonesian and met my dad, who was a Caucasian Bostonian, on the job, in Indonesia. Read more>>
Sherry Chen
I was very introverted as a young child. Drawing and painting is something I’ve always had a passion for. Although both of my parents are scientists, they encouraged this interest and found teachers for me to work with from a young age. At 12 years old, I got into the attached high school of the renowned Sichuan Fine Arts Academy. Read more>>
Chelsea Best
Ever since I was young, I loved being creative. I grew up with a camera in hand documenting family trips, making music videos for fun with friends and pretending I would be the next big YouTuber. I studied videography seriously starting in junior high and kept with it all the way through high school. It was my passion! Read more>>
Jillian Pohlman
It started when I began my first job working in a restaurant, where I fell in love with hospitality. It brought me so much joy being of service to others and having the ability to make someone’s day through my interactions. After leaving the restaurant industry after 15 years for the corporate world and to start a family, I always felt unfulfilled in my career. Read more>>
Nathaniel Star
For as long as I have memory, music has been a key part of my life. And seeing as how it was here long before me, I would almost have to say I didn’t necessarily find my purpose, but my purpose was waiting for my arrival. Read more>>
Yuqing Sheng
As an illustrator, in the professional field, since drawing has always been my hobby, my purpose has almost been to satisfy and express myself. This is a fortunate thing: I do what I love while studying and working. I wouldn’t say I like to make long-term plans, so my creative expectations have been to explore better expression techniques and to make work that is sincere and reflects my current state of being. Read more>>
Frank Parisi
Being a person in long term recovery, I knew that I wanted to give back and help others the way it was done for me. I now endeavor to do that for others outside of the recovery community as well. Becoming a father also made me want to help other men become the best version of themselves so we can all have an impact on our future generations. Read more>>
Joe Bizelli
It took me until my mid-twenties to find my purpose. Since the day I was brought home from the hospital as a baby, my mom had a radio playing in my room on low volume 24/7 so I’ve always loved music more than most people. I found out why when I went to my first songwriter round at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Read more>>
Diana N. Patterson, M.Ed.
This is a compelling question. I don’t believe we necessarily find our purpose, what I have concluded is that God so intricately designed the universe that the planets will align with circumstances that will ignite our passion and cultivate our purpose. Read more>>
Ngone Mbaye
When I left my family at 19 and moved to New York City, I faced challenges. I struggled without having the right tools to manage my emotions and well-being in a healthy way. My turning point came when I discovered yoga. It started as a simple physical practice but soon evolved into something much deeper. Read more>>
Nancy Allen
My personal motto is “Connections, creativity, and courage in all endeavors,” and I am fortunate to live out my motto on a regular basis. I’ve been working with women business owners and women business executives for more than 30 years, and I have always felt fortunate to see the difference my team and I make in women’s lives. Read more>>
Imran ‘Ali’ Mookhi
My journey to finding my purpose as a chef began with childhood memories of watching my mother and aunt cook at home in Pakistan, igniting a passion for the culinary arts within me at a young age. This passion led me to America, where I embarked on a quest to explore diverse cuisines, experiment with ingredients, and absorb everything I could learn about crafting new dishes. Read more>>
Rebecca Carner
I am not sure I’ve “found my purpose” even today. I hope to grow and expand and evolve perpetually. But the sense of meaning and purpose that I am currently waking up to every day has developed largely through meeting the daily challenge of ‘what needs to get done’ in the most creative way I can imagine. And by ‘creative’ I mean, by listening to the quiet inner call to what inspires me as an individual and applying that call to the practical and utilitarian side of life. Read more>>
Emily Wilkinson
I have had an interest in the arts my entire life. Many days have been spent visiting cultural facilities, as well as participating in music events, history symposiums, cowboy poetry gatherings, and more. I often perform with my father as a singer and have been on several of his albums, with the first being when I was only 14 years old. Read more>>
elham raker
The first step to finding my purpose, was finding out that I actually had a purpose. Many years ago I was at a lecture about our purpose and I cried when I was told I had a purpose, that everyone had a purpose, now I just had to find it. Growing up I don’t think I realized I actually had a purpose. Read more>>
Becca Lustgarten
I think I have always wanted to live a creative life. I am trying to remember if there was one particular moment – one spark or “Ah ha!” – but the truth is, I think I have always known that this was what I was put here to do. I began playing piano when I was 4 years old. I was in many different choirs and acting classes and dance, really anything I could explore that was performing arts related, I tried it. Read more>>
Shomoneik Brown
Growing up, I was constantly plagued by the question, “What is my purpose?” I believed that purpose was a singular job that encapsulated all my gifts and talents. Teaching seemed like the perfect fit. I loved children, teaching, inspiring others, using my creativity, and I thrived on being flexible. For 18 years, I dedicated myself to the profession I thought defined my purpose. Read more>>
Katrina Martinez
I always knew my passion and gift was in helping others and urging them to see their potential, but what brought me to this purposeful journey feels like it’s been divinely orchestrated. I graduated from college with a degree in Political Science, but have now been immersed in the holistic health field for over 10 years. Read more>>
