Meet Tera Kull

We were lucky to catch up with Tera Kull recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tera, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I’ve always looked to make meaning out of what I pour my energy into– wanting to align who I am with what I get to do everyday.

It’s been non-negotiable for me to feel like my work matters, makes a difference, and leaves a place better than I found it. I have built my career on a foundation of my passion for helping & empowering people’s potential while working for mission driven organizations.

In my corporate work, it began as a recruiter and has evolved into TA & HR leadership roles that empower people in their work to make an impact, build intentional high-performing cultures, and design HR functions that support mastery, autonomy, and purpose.

In my non-profit work, it’s been as a founder of a foundation that funds the support of pediatric oncology patients at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and their families, through treatment and care after a cancer diagnosis– and the grief and bereavement support for families and surviving siblings when the unimaginable happens.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In 2022, I co-founded a non-profit foundation in memory of my nephew.

It all started from a late-night phone call from the pediatrician that wakes my brother. The bloodwork, collected earlier during a routine health check, returned with alarm. He’s instructed to wake everyone up and get immediately to the emergency room.

In that moment, life fractured into ‘before’ and ‘after’ cancer.

The fair skin and bruises, hallmarks of a vivacious two-year-old, turned out to be harbingers of a much more sinister fate. My nephew, Nicholas, was diagnosed with a rare subset of Non-DS AMKL leukemia. He died ten months later, just before his third birthday.

As I mentioned before, my ‘purpose’ has always been in seeking ‘meaning.’ The tricky thing about making ‘meaning’ out of circumstance is that it’s not a destination. It’s all in the process. It’s not what I do, it’s how I do everything.

I’m still at odds with the universe as to how and why this happened to my brother, my family– although I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. A cancer diagnosis doesn’t happen to a patient– it happens, albeit differently, to everyone connected to them.

I will never be able to reconcile what happened in the 10 months Nicholas and his family fought the disease. The bravery, love, resilience, pain, anger, helplessness, and devastation all tangled together in grief and sadness. But in my pursuit of meaning, I can at the same time lead the charge in making the next families darkest hours feel better supported.

In two years, we’ve raised and donated $250K in Nicholas’s memory. We’re building more ways to get involved in our work and opportunities to give. 100% of our proceeds are donated in dollars ear-marked for the treatment and care of pediatric cancer patients at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Grief and Bereavement programs managed through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute of Boston.

www.nrcsf.org

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

passion, grit, and endurance have made all the difference for me.

Be passionate about your work and the ways you understand your purpose. Pursue your goals relentlessly and know that nothing worth anything comes easy. You’ll get knocked down, beat up, shaken loose a few times– it’s all part of it. Keep going. If you’re passionate about your purpose, fearless when knocked down, you’ll have the stamina and endurance to keep going.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’m always curious to explore opportunities to collaborate with people who are looking to build mission driven, impactful outcomes. Whether corporate or non-profit, sharing stories of failure, success, ideas, networks. Feel free to reach out! tera@nrcsf.org

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nrcsf.org
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terakull
• Other: https://www.terakull.com