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.

Anya Butler

I found my purpose by looking at what I wanted from the world and filling in the gaps!! As a young professional in the animation industry, I felt like there was a lack of guidance for artists that were serious about pursuing this career. As a result, I vowed to support people who are essentially past versions of me!! My YouTube channel has been a place where I offer practical advice to artists, ranging from novice to professional, from the perspective of someone who’s still “figuring it out themselves.” Read more>>

Nina Madzirov

I’ve always known what I wanted to be, even when I was two years old. One of my oldest memories is watching “The Wizard of Oz” and thinking to myself, “I want to be an actress.” Ever since then, the universe has had a funny way of working out for me. I’ve lived in multiple countries in Europe, but I’ve always been in love with Los Angeles and the Film Industry. And here I am, two decades later, still working towards my dreams and goals.  Read more>>

Karen Isabella Set

Uncovering one’s purpose in life doesn’t happen once or twice in life. It can happen a multitude of times and remind you constantly of that purpose; no matter what path you may take. In a way, it’s kind of like your inner voice with hiking boots. Your purpose will find you wherever you go, remind you what you value, and help you refocus. Since I was a kid, I always liked to help people, whether it was the simplest thing from providing notes from lectures or helping with miscellaneous tasks.  Read more>>

Moriah McDaniel

I was raised in an artistic family; visual and performing arts was inevitable. However, when I started college, the majors that were being offered weren’t exactly what I was looking for. As a result, I took this moment to decide I was going to try something new and different. I have always wanted to build my dream home and understand how to create blueprints and I began majoring in architecture. A couple weeks into the major, I realized how unhappy I was; this was not where I wanted to be. Ironically, a new major popped up and it was for Performance & Movement. The program offered dance, theater, and music development. Immediately, I felt a spiritual pull towards the program. Without hesitation I made the switch and never looked back. I was one of the first students to graduate from Arizona State University with a Performance & Movement bachelor’s degree. Read more>>

Andrew Zhang

I’ve really struggled with finding my purpose. Growing up with traditional parents, artistic expression was never something fully supported by my family. However, as I grew older and found my own voice, it was always something that I came back to. As a kid I used to sing in the car for hours on end until I lost my voice, make music videos with my phone and explore all of my interests. Read more>>

Christina Teleaer

I use to think my purpose was to be a performer, and that in itself was a big job with what i do with music and technology and interactive art and elements. But as the years go by, i think my purpose has turned more towards producing records, which leads me to shifting peoples perspectives of themselves and helping them embody self reflection and openness.  Read more>>

Dr. Joi Brown

As a child, I grew up believing in the “I Can” mantra. I could achieve anything that I set my mind to and dreams can come true. I was told by my grandma and later confirmed by others that I am a Joi to this world. I was told I am, ambitious, beautiful, bold, caring, confident, daring, determined, fearless, intelligent, powerful, and strong. Read more>>

Zach Melissas

Finding what makes you happy is essential in discovering your purpose. Most people search search far in wide professionally or recreationally, but as the great saying goes “you never work a day in your life if you love what you’re doing”. I always had a knack for speed on wheels, and when I was growing up that took form in mountain biking or long boarding.  Read more>>

Michelle Edgar

Living a life of service has always been the foundation of my journey. Providing access and opportunities for communities—whether through education or experiences –drives me. At my core, I seek to make a difference on both micro and macro levels and I’m passionate about creating community through the people I serve. My ultimate goal is to leave a legacy behind that represents the rich tapestry which LA has to offer as a cultural epicenter. Read more>>

Tyrone Stewart

From the age of 14, I’ve worked in many different career fields with little to no experience. Ranging from selling fine jewelry to healthcare and even selling high end retail on 5th ave in Manhattan. After years of pretending to be experienced in fields I had no experience in and successfully getting hired to work for company’s I deemed helpful to building my skills in the workforce. I was ultimately unfulfilled which caused me to fall into a deep depression.  Read more>>

Susanna Blok

It was a long journey to find out what was my purpose, All I knew was that I wanted to help others improve their lives (but i didn’t knew how). 4 years ago I was talking to my childhood best friend, and we were talking about our life purpose and how lost I was feeling, until she said “Susanna you’re so good at organizing, don’t you remember you always helped me with my room when we were teenagers?” And that’s when it hit me. Read more>>

Joan Naidorf DO

When I started volunteer work in the hospital, I decided that my purpose was to help people feel better, to try to relieve their suffering. I chose to do that by becoming a physician. As I transitioned out of clinical medicine, I asked myself how I could help the people who were at the bedside healing and support them through mentoring. I chose to write a book and to speak to people in my community about getting more from their doctor’s visits. When another doctor told me that reading my book was already making him a better doctor, I knew I landed on my true purpose. Read more>>

Guo Guo

When I was 6, I was part of a Chinese government experimental class hosting both Muslim and Han kids to test their inclusion policy. Each Han kid like myself was assigned a Muslim deskmate. Mine’s name is Urlev. We never spoke a word to each other in half a year. Until one day, my dad, who was in the US at the time, sent back a VCD disk of FANTASIA. That Sunday, we watched it together. The power of film allowed me to talk to a Muslim boy for the first time in my life, gained a lifelong friend, and planted the seeds for filmmaking. Read more>>

Jill Roig

It’s my happy place: the pottery studio. A space to play in the mud, to get dirty, to be a kid and let my intuition roam freely. I make beautiful pieces of eco-pottery that connect us to the natural world. Clay becomes an access point to the divine. A place to express the beauty and pain of our modern world. I mimic the patterns of nature and recreate their intention through my choice of materials, textures and colors. Read more>>

Charnita Horton

I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur through out my life!!! I knew something was in me and I knew God will make my husband and I rich. I did not know my true purpose until I develop Charnitasworld. (my brand) My brand is where I show the transparency of my life. it shows the how and the why!!! I tell my pain and I tell my healing!!!!
I love to inspire and motivate others to push the button on their dreams. Read more>>

Alexandra Shearer

Finding my purpose has been a whirlwind. I’m not even entirely sure I feel like I have fully found it, but I believe that purpose can shift and grow and transform as you go through life. So right now, I’m living my purpose. I feel fulfilled and excited about what I do and I’m so grateful for that. I’ve done a lot of self-reflection to find my purpose. Read more>>

Dr. Sina McCullough

Today I live a healthy, happy life. I run a business, homeschool my three children, and hike with my dogs on the weekends. You’d never know that 8 years ago I nearly died from an advanced stage of an autoimmune disease. In 2015, while still in my 30’s, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was accompanied by muscle wasting, arsenic poisoning, leaky gut and deficiencies in 15 nutrients. Read more>>

Maria Laura Pilone

Since I was a child I had many incredible energetic experiences starting with the apparition of the Virgin Mary on two occasions. Since I was very young I have been navigating the world of energy, doing workshops, seminars, training, getting to know new worlds and when I graduated as an Interior Designer, I had the privilege of having some Chinese masters come to Buenos Aires to teach ancient arts and I started studying Feng Shui with them and then with other masters. I have always loved harmonious environments and this philosophy allows me not only to harmonize my own spaces but also those of others and generate a change in them. Read more>>

Tasha Christensen

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was little, but I didn’t start taking it seriously as a career path until my senior year of college. I worked at the campus radio station and had a chance to interview the author of my favorite book growing up. (Ella Enchanted, by Gale Carson Levine, for those wondering!) I was so inspired by her that I started writing the first manuscript I would ever finish, a dystopian retelling of “The Little Mermaid.” Read more>>

Lindsey McCoy

For 10 years I lived in The Bahamas doing environment education work, a life-changing experience. In addition to being gorgeous, it also exposed me to truths that are harder to see here in the U.S. On a small island there’s no first world infrastructure to insulate you from the piles of plastic waste we are creating. You see plastic bags in remote areas, bottles and flip flops on the beaches, packaging spilling out of the landfills. There’s even a place so full of plastic its called Junk Beach. The message that plastic lasts forever, no matter how long we use it, is much more obvious living there than it is here. Read more>>

Shaquan Coburn

Wow , great question. This is one I keep in the back of my head daily. I get my purpose from my art and being where I’m from. When I see people smile and love my art it makes me remember what my purpose is, I am going to change my family lives with my art. I can’t forget that, I’m here for a reason, my purpose is to be a Vessel of God thru my God Given Abilities! Read more>>

Curtis Childs

I found my purpose the same way I think a lot of people do: through needing help. When I was eighteen, I had my first bout of major depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I didn’t know to call it those things at the time—all I knew was that I couldn’t control my mind anymore and there was this cascade of negativity coming at me from all sides at all times. Read more>>

Shelby Nicholas

As far back as I can remember, I have always adored animation. I grew up watching Studio Ghibli, classic Disney/Pixar, anime, and countless other animated shows. There was something so magical to me about animation. I knew I needed to be a part of it in some way. As I grew older, I found that I loved both drawing and writing. I never felt satisfied doing just one or the other, and felt that I could express myself best when I combined them into one thing. Read more>>

Goodness Steve

A delightful desire to shine my light in the world and create something beautiful that will benefit others long after my time in this body is complete ignited my purpose. I believe as human beings, we all possess an innate desire to contribute and be a beneficial part of the community. We thirst to make a positive impact on the world. Read more>>

Elle Ebizadeh

I stumbled upon my purpose during a tough time in my relationship. Feeling lost, I decided to take a chance on Katherine Woodward Thomas’s Conscious Uncoupling class. It was a four-day eye-opener based on her book. In those four days, things shifted. I wasn’t just trying to fix my relationship; I was finding my purpose. Taking that class was a game-changer. Read more>>

Maurice Harris

I found my purpose when I woke up every day enjoying my job and realizing I could help people and using my skills to make a living for me and my children. Read more>>

Lee Fountain

Why am I here? Single handedly one of the greatest most mysterious questions of all time. Since the dawn of man, every single person both living and dead have asked themselves this question. For me I quickly discovered that the answer to this question wasn’t going to come objectively, it could only come from me. If I didn’t figure this out on my own, other people were going to figure out for me. Read more>>

Jody McGrath

I don’t think it was a case of finding my purpose. I believe it was always there despite my own efforts to not act on it. It’s to the point where over the last ten years or so that it’s beyond just an obligation to myself. It’s mandatory and habitual. Read more>>

Monet Howard

I found my purpose in this 16 year experience in the beauty industry from really seeking my true happiness. I always knew I wanted to help people but the idea to tap in and make people look and feel there best always moved my soul. My purpose is tapped in with experiences of life and how the mental and the emotional have made me see every move I should take. Read more>>

Kalika Yap

It’s important to take care of your three treasures, your spirit, body and mind. For my spirit, have a meditation practice that I tried incorporate several times during the day. This includes a tea practice, Qi Gong, metta (loving friendliness) practice. I recently returned from a six day, silent retreat. I also have started a mindfulness group and am learning to be a mindfulness teacher. Read more>>

Kimberly Beauchemin

My purpose found me, and then I fought it for several years before I finally said yes to it! I believe that we live in purpose every single day, with every decision that we make and every action that we take. It is all serving our journey in some way and that purpose is ever evolving. However, when it comes to sharing my innate gifts with the world and doing that in purpose, so to speak, the calling of my Soul came in when I was ready – spiritually, but not mentally! Read more>>

Caela Bulzing

Purpose is such an important and valuable word to me. To be truthfully honest, I lived through a very dark time where I believed I had no purpose and that I shouldn’t be in this world. For a very long time I woke up asking myself, why am I here? I didn’t understand why I was just here to feel pain and darkness; sadness and emptiness.  Read more>>

Sneha Patel

Part of finding my purpose was by evaluating my aspirations, defining my values, and accepting my own limitations. Throughout the years I’ve actively spent time on creating self-awareness and unblocking self limiting beliefs. During this journey, I’ve been able to find my purpose and adapt a growth mindset, which in turn has helped shape my journey in joyous ways. Read more>>

Olga Saretsky

My life’s purpose revolves around staying close to joy as much as possible. Ever since my childhood, I recall finding happiness, even amidst the challenges of a difficult upbringing in a struggling family. Despite the evolving circumstances that come with adulthood, my commitment to joy remains steadfast. Challenges may persist, but at the end of the day, I am grateful and joyful, maintaining hope not only for myself but for others as well. Read more>>

Jasmine Brooks, M.Ed.

I found my purpose as an educator long before I got into the field of education. Working with youth started in high school as a cheer coach. It continued on at the University of Michigan where I became an Academic Success Partner helping minority students to be successful in their classes and their transition to college. I also served as a Resident Advisor and Resident Coordinator for West Quad and learned more about working one-on-one with residents and managing a staff of my peers. Read more>>