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.

Sharday Michelle

Through faith in God, my supportive family, and my inspirational teachers. I was always enamored with color since watching Disney’s Fantasia as an infant, which impacted me at an early age. The combination and movement of colors highly impacted my selection of colors I choose to this day.

When I was two years old my beloved Aunt Lisa gave me a paint set. This is where my love for art began. Designing dresses and drawings for my classmates in middle school, having so many orders I could barely keep up. I wanted to be a fashion designer so my parents encouraged me to take art class while attending high school.  Read More>>

Edoardo Miranda

My purpose to pursue acting, writing, and psychology, started from a childhood fascination with cinema. I remember being dawn to my mother’s DVD collection as a child.

One day, I asked her if I could watch Oldboy, and she told me it was forbidden. From then on, movies became hidden treasures filled with mystery. Read More>>

Jessamyn Jones

I’ve always loved to work. I love being productive. I love feeling like a value-add—like I’m contributing in a real way to something that matters. I’ve always taken pride in showing up fully, supporting my team, and helping things grow.

And at the beginning, I usually did feel that spark, especially in a new role or environment. There’s this energy when a team is aligned and moving forward together. But over time, I started noticing that the excitement didn’t last. Not because I lost interest, but because the organization stopped investing in the environment that created that energy in the first place. Read More>>

Sonia Nilsen

Looking back life gives you glimpses of what your authentic purpose is. For instance when I was young and living in Minnesota my mother would be making home made yogurt and talking to me about how sprouts developed . Now this was in the early 60s so not many people loved or knew about sprouts grown in jars like she did. Then in 4 rth grade I remember my health teacher exclaiming what an excited young girl I was always raising my hand about the latest health question and then of course I had a real teepee and wore moccasins and was always healing or creating a safe or sacred space for the birds and other animals that needed refuge . Read More>>

Phimmasone Kym Owens

I’ve been gardening for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my mom and I always had something in the ground—mint, cilantro, green onion and other SE Asian herbs. It was just part of life. Later, I noticed that almost every refugee family I knew gardened too. Even when they did not have a backyard, they grew in the small space of their apartments next to the their parking lot or in small pots on their balcony. They always found a way to grow something that reminded them of home. Read More>>

Emma Shov

For a long time, I was searching for something that would feel deeply fulfilling. I couldn’t always explain it, but I knew something was missing. I just felt this inner pull toward something more…
Finding my purpose wasn’t one big moment, it came through layers… Through healing, unraveling, remembering, and reconnecting with parts of myself I had forgotten or even rejected. It was a journey of following what lit me up inside, even when it didn’t always make logical sense. Read More>>

Bryan Billmire

I found my purpose through learning the person who my addiction taught me I was versus the person I knew who I was were not the same person. Thru the lessons learned during my time at The Other Side Academy and beyond, even to this day being part of an amazing movement (The Other Side Village) I now know that my purpose reaches far beyond the person I thought I was up to 2019 Read More>>

Mirabela Kruger

From Passion to Purpose: The Story Behind Fofia Studio Creation and Villa Mirabela

In a world that often demands conformity, few have the courage to follow their passion, blaze their own trail, and create a legacy from the heart. That’s exactly what I set out to do with Fofia Studio Creation and, most recently, Villa Mirabela — two businesses that not only reflect my love for creativity and storytelling but also embody the resilience and heart behind my journey. Read More>>

Alex Owen

I was introduced to New Orleans style jazz when I was in College. I had been asked to join a “trad band” by our jazz band director who was starting a smaller ensemble. I didn’t know what it was, but since I was a freshman, I just said yes. I realized that the music we were playing was similar to a record that I had been listening to, Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Sevens, and as a trumpet player it inspired me to learn more about the music and practice it. When I moved to New Orleans, I wanted to be around the music but had no intention of being working professional musician. Read More>> 

Alê Moss

I’ve always been a creative soul—drawn to art, books, music, and the outdoors. Growing up, I loved exploring nature, sketching what I saw, diving into stories, learning new instruments, and staying active through sports. But nothing truly clicked—not in the deep, life-shifting way—until I stepped into my first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class at age 22. Read More>>

R.Robert Garcia

Purpose is an interesting question, as it’s the title of our first Chapter in the Retribution series. I think purpose is something I’ve searched for in life. For a good amount of time in my life, my daughters have been my purpose but now I needed to find some of my own. Storytelling would be it. I used to be an avid liar when I was an adolescent and teenager. Not in a harmful way but some of it was to get out of trouble. Most of it was due to trying to create a better world or story around me and who I was at that time. Not to impress others but to help me forget the world I had around me. Read More>> 

Emily Kathryn

I was introduced to yoga in college – I took a class for actual credit! At the time I was studying dietetics, and I remember saying “it seems like I should know about yoga”. After my first class in the basement of the student rec center, I was in love. Fast forward 15 years and I was signing up to become a yoga teacher. It wasn’t long after my yoga teacher’s training that I was introduced to the unique way in which yoga supports trauma healing. Read More>>

Ashley Shearin

If you had told me two years ago that I’d be launching a jewelry brand, I probably would’ve laughed. I’ve spent most of my career in wealth management-where I still work full-time as a Director of Operations. But I started creating content on the side as a creative outlet, and about six months ago, I was approached by a jewelry manufacturer who asked if I’d ever considered starting my own line. Read More>>

Hattie Inese

For a long time, I drifted, alive, but not awakened. The weight of my past wrapped itself around me like fog, softening my vision for a future I wasn’t sure I’d reach. I moved, I worked, I smiled… but I didn’t believe. Survival was my rhythm, not joy. Not purpose.
But one day, the numbness cracked. A small spark—maybe a whisper—reminded me that I had lived through the storm, and that meant I had something sacred to offer. Read More>>

Jackie Tress

I found my purpose helping people out of addiction and homelessness. I struggled with addiction or most of my life, which led to homelessness and cycling in and out of jail. At age 38, I decided to do something different and I was accepted to a 2 1/2 year program called The Other Side Academy. I graduated from the academy and I was offered a position as a coach at The Other Side Village, the sister organization to the academy. We help men and women who are struggling on the streets change their lives by becoming accountable, self reliant, and honest with the support of a community. Read More>>

Fangyuan (or Bella) Han

I first decided that illustration was my reason for living when I was in fifth grade. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends. My parents were busy, so I spent a lot of time alone at the park. No one really taught me how to make friends. Then in second grade, I figured out that if I stuck to people like a puppy, constantly talking to them, they’d start seeing me as a close friend. It worked well actually. I had five best friends by fourth grade. I was so proud and confident, I walked down the street like I was on a runway. Read More>>

Eda Easter

COVID. I’ve been massage therapist since 1998 and then the world shut down. I had to cancel three months worth of clients March 8, 2020. Our entire city shut down, and we were told to stay in our houses. Canceling appointments was disheartening. For my clients it was one ping on their phone; for me it was 20-30 pings. My flesh would twitch every time I heard it. As an independent contractor, I’m free-balling it with no parachute; meaning no work = no MONEY.  Read More>>

Nia Vasquez

I found it in a long Journey of getting to know myself and loving me

Roz Houston

I found my purpose believe it or not, through life’s adversities and a near death experience. We often run through life wondering why are we here and sometimes questioning the very meaning of life.

I almost died having my youngest son. 23 months later he was diagnosed with a deadly blood cancer, leukemia, and 8 years later, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Read More>>

Noah Pyzik

Well, I’ve always wanted to make people smile or laugh. There’s no better feeling than getting a laugh, or having them sob because the play hit them somewhere inside. It’s insanely rewarding that you can affect someone’s life while doing what you love. We had an older woman come to the Our Town stage door on the day after the election results. She was crying, saying she was so depressed and could barely get out of bed.  Read More>>

Lisa Towles

Like many others, I discovered my purpose accidentally. I felt lost, bewildered, and discouraged in the early days of my writing career. I hadn’t yet found my voice or my community of like-minded people. But I had a fire deep within me, something to say and a force compelling me to say it – first through poetry, then later through short fiction, and eventually I wrote my first novel and I’ve never stopped since.  Read More>>

Mona Mengnan Chu

I found it when I realized that storytelling could do more than entertain; it could challenge assumptions, give voice to the unseen, and open up new possibilities for empathy. I began as a political reporter and editor at CCTV. Then I worked as an editor for a political columnist at the Financial Times, where I was constantly drawn to the nuances of human stories. But I was always most drawn to what wasn’t said, the human emotions between the lines. That impulse led me to television, and eventually, to filmmaking. Read More>>

Cynthia

My purpose didn’t arrive all at once—it revealed itself slowly, shaped by quiet moments, meaningful connections, and the satisfaction of helping others and creating things that matter. It’s not a perfect path, but a direction guided by the values I cherish and the lessons I’ve learned. I’ve come to understand that true purpose isn’t something you simply find—it’s something you live, every day, with intention, compassion, and curiosity. Read More>>

Christopher Sims

In the early 80s a genre of music call rap music floated into the urban streets of my home town, Rockford, Illinois. An east coast invention in the West Bronx, it found its way into the Midwest and quickly captured the hearts of minds of young Latino and African American women and men. I was one of them. By the time I reached elementary school my family and I were living on Johnston Street on the west side of Rockford. One day, while outside of our home, the rap lyrics coming from the speakers of my brother’s boom box caught me attention. Read More>>

Jennifer Gregg

If you would’ve asked me years ago what I wanted to do with my life, I might have rattled off a safe answer—something that sounded good or made sense on paper. But finding my purpose wasn’t a moment; it was a series of unfolding experiences, many of them uncomfortable, that pushed me to look inward and upward. Read More>>

Shane Fuentes

I found my purpose by paying close attention to the moments that made me feel most alive — the ones that energized me, challenged me, and made me feel useful. After finishing a very full and structured four years of undergrad, I made an intentional decision to pause the grind and give myself space to listen inward. I moved to Taiwan to teach English — not because it was part of a master plan, but because I promised myself I’d only do things that fed my soul. Read More>>

Ronit Menashe + Vida Delrahim

Vida:
My purpose found me the moment I heard the words, “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat.” Twice. After two pregnancy losses, I was angry, heartbroken, and looking for answers no one seemed to have. The real turning point came when my best friend Ronit miscarried a week apart and uncovered the research that up to 50% of miscarriage risk is linked to male-factor issues—something no doctor had ever mentioned.  Read More>>

Tim Richmond

I found my purpose to start Tru Authenticity, PLLC by combining my personal journey with my passion for helping others show up as their true selves. Throughout my career and life experiences, I noticed how often people — myself included — felt pressured to conform or hide parts of who they are. I wanted to create a space and platform that encourages people, especially entrepreneurs and creatives, to embrace authenticity as their superpower. Read More>>

Dona Gallardo

For most of her life, Donna Gallardo was fighting.

At 12 years old, she put on her first pair of boxing gloves—not because she aimed to win titles, but because she wanted to protect herself. She had been bullied for being overweight and, like many young girls, had started to shrink herself to fit into a world that kept telling her she wasn’t enough. Boxing became her act of rebellion against doubt, a way to defy and silence. Every punch, every round, and every drop of sweat became a statement: I am powerful. Read More>>

Rachel Tice

I find my purpose through offering my help to others. It’s the reason I became a mental health counselor. During graduate school, one of my professors asked our class, “Why do you want to be a counselor? And you can’t say it’s because you want to help people.” I find myself often thinking of this question and how it is impossible to answer. Helping others is not only my purpose but it is part of my life journey, there was no getting around it. Some people might have grander journeys, but I believe the work I do impacts generations to come. Read More>>

Flavia Pereira

I found my purpose by reconnecting with my roots in the Amazon Rainforest.

I was born in the Amazon but raised in the mountains of Brazil, in Belo Horizonte. After years in the corporate world—including an MBA from Yale—I realized I had drifted away from what truly matters. Read More>>

Dr. Pam Denton

My purpose came to me long before I could name it.

As a child, I would sit up in bed—eyes open, breath steady—and receive what I now know was higher guidance. At the time, I didn’t understand it. I only knew I was tuned into something more. A channel. A current. A knowing. Read More>>

Míchelle Annalèise Coles

I found my purpose in the quiet lessons my grandmother taught me—not through lectures, but through how she lived. She was the kind of woman who made everyone feel seen. She gave without keeping score, listened without judgment, and carried herself with grace, even when life wasn’t kind. Growing up under her roof, I watched her pour love into people who felt empty. She made broken feel beautiful and reminded everyone that they mattered. Read More>>

Levina Lye

I found my purpose when I was very young. I discovered it through my creativity, which was singing and songwriting. My songwriting really ignited a light in me, not only through being creative but I found a deeper way to connect to people. Overall I believe my purpose is to change lives for the better. I want to show people what kindness and compassion looks like genuinely. Without force or persuasion I aim to always be the best person I can be.  Read More>>

Amanda Kupniewski

I have found my purpose through prayer. Through the changes, the ups and downs of life, one thing has always been stable in my life, and that is Jesus Christ. I was pregnant with my son, Lucca, during the COVID-19 pandemic. My husband and I were living in Denver, and had just finished a huge home renovation when we learned that my mom’s breast cancer had returned and it had metastasized. My parents and most of our family lived in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the time.  Read More>>