Below you’ll find the stories and lessons of some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs, artists and creatives in the community and how they found their purpose.

Kionna Meishon

I found my purpose through my own self discovery. I realized that my purpose wasn’t something that could be imposed on me from the outside. It wasn’t a job title, or a social status, or a set of expectations. Rather, it was something that came from within, something that was specifically mine. Read more>>

Oliver Poser

My love to film developed very early on . Watching all the movies I still love today . Growing up in the peek of the 80s, my special interest was in all the effects of the horror and Sci-fi movies and how they got made . Growing up in Germany I didn’t peruse a movie career in the first place because all the movies I loved so much are from the US . But the fire still burned inside of me . By coincidence I got a role as an extra in a zombie movie. Read more>>

Katie Ocana

I was home-schooled and raised in an extremely religious household, but never really felt connected to God. As a result, I just did my daily motivations and school work and left home right at 18. I had my rebellious stage as many young folks do, but for the most part I’ve always lived a very structured and responsible life by going through the motions of what we’re told to do to be successful in today’s society. Read more>>

Kerlin Sabogal

Growing up in humble circumstances often brings with it a unique set of challenges and opportunities. In such an environment, values are cultivated not just through words, but through lived experiences and the resilience required to navigate life’s hurdles. My purpose is, in part, a reflection of the values instilled in me during my upbringing. The emphasis on education, in particular, stands out as a guiding force. Read more>>

Anita Connerty

I was born with music in my soul! My father was a musician and my mother was a beautiful dancer. There was always music in my home as well as lots of love and joy. I grew up in Medford, MA and we lived in my grandmother’s house on the 2nd floor. In those days we spent a lot of time visiting relatives and whenever I went to my Aunt Phyllis & Uncle Al’s house, I would go downstairs in their basement and play my cousin Peter’s drum set to the albums that they had.  Read more>>

Shavonn Richardson

I am the fourth generation of women in my family committed to helping the community. My maternal great-grandmother was a member and secretary of the Negro Actor’s Guild and fought for racial and gender equality in film, theater, and music during the Harlem Renaissance. My paternal great-grandmother broke barriers for women in leadership at that time. She was the only woman invited as part of the US delegation to Jamaica to participate in the unveiling of the bust of Marcus Garvey in 1956. She then went on to become the first woman President of the Marcus Garvey Cultural Club in Harlem, NY. Read more>>

Aarushi Kalra

I don’t know if one ever stops finding their purpose! It’s been an interesting journey for me to get where I am. The one thing I knew about myself from a younger age was my pull towards design and stories. I wasn’t particularly passionate about any one field of design. My decision to study architecture was rather a practical one – if I could design on a larger scale then I could zoom into anything else. Read more>>

Moses Ndubuzo

“Growing up, I never imagined myself as an artist. It was a favorable encounter in a bank during my teenage years that changed the course of my life. While depositing money, I laid eyes on a mesmerizing painting that ignited a passion within me. That day marked the beginning of my journey as a visual artist. Read more>>

Alana Johnson

I definitely believe that I am walking in my purpose, and I didn’t always feel that way. For the majority of my life so far, I thought my purpose was to follow the rules and check all the boxes. I thought that it was doing whatever I had to do to make other people happy. I was self-less, not in the admirable sense, but in the sense that I didn’t know who I was. My identity and actions were dictated by the ideas and opinions of others. Read more>>

Anthony Mullins

Discovering my purpose in founding a skincare business was a deeply personal journey rooted in my passion for inclusivity, self-care, and celebrating diverse beauty. Growing up, I witnessed a lack of representation in the beauty industry, particularly for people with darker skin tones. This inspired me to create a brand that not only addresses the unique skincare needs of individuals with melanin-rich skin but also fosters a sense of empowerment and self-love.  Read more>>

Dr. Dawnette Banks

The genesis of my commitment to advancing equitable educational opportunities and outcomes for marginalized populations can be traced back to my childhood. My lifelong dedication to uplifting and empowering marginalized communities, and championing their voices, is deeply rooted in an exponential gratitude I have for my now, deceased parents. They never had the chance to complete high school, yet they made extraordinary sacrifices, often with meager wages, to nurture and educate their six children. As a result, my siblings and I all graduated from high school and had the opportunity to pursue higher education. Read more>>

Shannon LeBlanc

As a college graduate, I had always thought that my destiny was to just find a job I liked and work hard to move up into roles that were presented to me. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would one day be a business owner myself. When we were pregnant with our first child – a daughter – we moved for my husband’s job. This was pre-remote working so I had to make the tough decision to leave my job. I was excited to start fresh in a new city and to take on the incredible role of stay-at-home mom. Read more>>

Erynn M.

I’ve always been an exceedingly existential person, even when I was extremely young, and the purpose of life is something I’ve pondered a lot. I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school for a temporary time. However, I couldn’t find a purpose within it. As a young child, I vividly remember swearing off of Catholicism after reading about Moses at Meribah. I decided I could not find purpose through such a harsh God and found the story incredibly offensive.  Read more>>

Justine Parker

Navigating on the profound journey of discovering our true purpose is an ongoing and beautiful exploration. In my experience, this revelation dawned when Lupus altered the course of my life in 2020. Stripped of mobility and faced with medical appointments, I felt like an 80-year-old in a 23-year-old body. This pivotal moment prompted a radical shift — adopting a vegan, plant-based lifestyle and embarking on a holistic journey. Read more>>

Lisa D’Amico

Every year, nature puts on an incredible display of beauty as the seasons change. From the lush greens of summer to the icy blues of winter, the changing of the seasons has always provided me with an ever-shifting landscape to explore through drawing and painting. Read more>>

Eleni Bennett

I guess the first thing to get clear on is that I am still trying to figure out what my “purpose” is. From my experience it is very rare for individuals to be so in tune and aligned with themselves that they immediately know what they are “supposed” to or “meant to do”. Finding your purpose is, in my opinion, a lifelong journey that evolves as you learn and discover more about yourself – what makes you tick, the world around you, and your unique place in it. Read more>>

Marily Acevedo

I believe I found my purpose by seeing my parents generation and how they were not able to do much. Now I see myself having better opportunities. Being able to provide not only for myself as well as my family. Read more>>

El Jay’Em

How did I find my purpose? This question hits on several levels for me. The first being a reminder of a conversation I had not to long ago with a few community activist and one pf the premises of the topics at hand is the world is lost because people do not know their purpose. Granted I intervened with my premise being my lived experience. I spoke about how there was a time I didn’t know what my purpose was.  Read more>>

Janet Gold

I was always meant to be a creative. I rarely follow the rules. If there was a choice of A or B, I would pick C. When you had to submit a paper in school, I would submit a painting.
I have been an artist, writer, playwright, curator, and photographer. I have worked in fiber, acrylic, watercolor, soft pastel, oil pastel, and collage. If I wasn’t an artist and art professor I do not know what I would be. Read more>>

Anne Watson

I feel as if I should have discovered my purpose long before I did. The clues were all there, but it took me longer than I would’ve liked to put the pieces together and figure out that my head for business and my leadership skills made me an excellent coach. For years, I had offered insight and marketing tips to women starting a business or communicating a message. Quite a few people told me I should get paid for what I do, but I brushed them off because I (incorrectly) assumed that anyone could do what I do.  Read more>>

Lou Hollis

Hey there y’all! I’m Luvenia Marie Wilkeson, but known to most as Lou Hollis, and I’m the founder of Lou Hollis Talent Management, also known as LHTM. For over a quarter of a century, I’ve been working in the entertainment industry as a model, actor, and talent, managing not only myself but also my three children. Alongside my work in the industry, I’ve been deeply involved in my community as a youth advocate, spearheading programs through churches, nonprofit organizations, high school programs, and community workshops. I’ve also served as a personal coach, helping aspiring talent break into the industry, manage themselves, and refine their skills. Read more>>

Dawn Foster

Finding and knowing my purpose wasn’t really something that was on my radar until 2018, the year I was baptized. I spent the year really thinking about what my purpose is – the gift that I have, what was I good at, and what I could share with others. I was searching for ‘that thing’, and remember being at work one day, and shedding a few unexpected tears as a coworker nonchalantly told me about his Sunday School encounter with a child and his parent, where my colleague was able to say and do something that I felt would impact that child’s life for years to come.  Read more>>

Halie Behr

I would call it divine intervention. Man, did I ever get oh so lucky! At 15 years old, my Grandpa encouraged my younger sister and I to go to auction school. My uncle was an auctioneer, and he owned the World Wide College of Auctioneering at the time. Many family members had already went through the school, and he thought it would be good for us to go too. It was beyond scary at first and very intimidating, but after a few days, I really started to get into a rhythm and fell in love with it. It felt natural and like everything clicked for me.  Read more>>

Alexander Cobb

Purpose is something I’ve definitely found recently. I spent so much of my younger years going wherever the wind blew me and doing things that intrigued me, purpose wasn’t really on my mind. It wasnt until I wanted to tell the stories and paint the picture of my millennial experience that I begin to notice that the were two perspectives, there was the internet perspective and there was a perspective of those who were outside. I wanted to bridge the gap. Read more>>