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.
LJ
I find purpose in my pain. I have over gone 16 surgeries in my life and have overcome a lot. I had spine injury in 2013 that changed my life, have survived rare illnesses and grateful to be alive today. I even donated one of my kidneys in 2018. A lot has happened to me but I had to change my mindset and continue to work at it every day. Read more>>
Yoo Lee
I found my purpose in life by listening to my heart and following through with actions. These actions are very basic: working hard at every job I have ever had, admitting failures when I encounter them—both at work and in human relationships—learning to pivot when necessary, being mindful of the time and resources I have, and being open to learning and trying new things, even when logic didn’t seem to apply. Read more>>
Dawn Smith
I don’t know if I found my purpose or fig a purpose found me. When I was a little girl I was always encouraged to draw. I was a very precocious child and I feel that my caregivers liked to encourage me to draw to keep me occupied and quiet. Read more>>
Carol McKibben
I found my purpose along a convoluted path. I got married at age 19 to my University of Georgia college sweetheart. We had a son and a daughter together, and then I went back to finish my education at the University of Kentucky in my late twenties. Read more>>
Liz Dranow
I found my purpose in somewhat circuitous way. When my husband and I got Fiona, the first puppy I had had as an adult, I re-discovered photography. My father had taught me the basics of photography on a Minolta (film) camera when I was a child, but with college and life in general I had drifted away from photography. Read more>>
Jacob Pacheco
How do you find purpose as your body betrays every move? It’s insufferable. Imagine stumbling upon as Viktor Frankel says: meaning in our suffering. There’s beauty in our adversity, manifesting uncertainty. Revealing life-long lessons to winning our wars within. Read more>>
Maya Mitchell
He was standing in the painted cinder block corner, pressing his little body into the wall as if he could will himself inside of it. The other children were playing exuberantly in the foam pit of the gymnastics studio where I coached. Pressing his hands against his ears to block out the other children’s excited squeals, he made perfect sense. He had autism spectrum disorder. Read more>>
Olivia Manfredo
I find my purpose by looking for the people, opportunities and inspiration that set my soul on fire. More specifically, during the pandemic in 2020, is when my purpose truly ignited inside. I decided to expand horizons and foster personal growth by beginning a fashion forward podcast incorporating aspects of lifestyle and beauty. Read more>>
Maryam Morriosn
As a Magazine owner and creator, I found my purpose in life by recognizing the power of storytelling to inspire, educate, and connect people, driving me to foster a platform for meaningful narratives and ideas through The Eden Magazine. The Eden Magazine is all about holistic living, spirituality, environmental sustainability, and love and compassion for all living beings. Read more>>
Wendy Green
Purpose is an interesting thing. I believe our purpose changes and morphs with age. As a young mother, my purpose was to be the best parent I could be for my kids. Cooking healthy meals, helping with homework, cheering on their sporting and performance efforts. I worked at creating a safe place for them to talk to me about their hopes, fears and friends. Read more>>
Kasper Marona
If I may, I would like to slightly adjust the question and instead answer how I have been finding my purpose, or continue searching for it. Like many of us growing up in this constantly changing world, especially amid recent significant events, I found myself continually questioning what I wanted to contribute to the world. Read more>>
Lucy Shapiro and Taylor Smith Giresi
Covvier found its purpose because Taylor and I (and other set costumers & wardrobe departments) struggled every time we had to work on intimacy and sex scenes. There were no standard garments for actors to use. “Modesty garments” existed, but mostly just for a nude shot, not in the capacity we needed them for with simulated sex scenes with lots of movement and physicality. Read more>>
KaTrina Littles
I am KaTrina Littles, a wife, a mom, a teacher, a speaker, and an entrepreneur. Many would describe me as creative, crafty, and great at organizing and hosting events. Yet, despite these roles and titles, I sensed a void. Just before the pandemic, a deep desire stirred within me, a feeling I couldn’t quite articulate. Read more>>
Tegan Carr
I’ve felt my purpose as a healer for as long as I can remember, but the path to actually find my purpose was long and rather difficult. As a child, I had an affinity for working with plants. I naturally recognized the plants in my life as individuals with unique attributes and I thought it was wonderful that some were talented with the ability to help people. Read more>>
Courtney Espinoza
My purpose in life is entertainment. I grew up an MTV kid, watching music videos all day with my mom, then eventually watching on my own and discovering different genres of music that helped form who I am today. Then there was that one movie, Selena. I remember my parents taking me to the theater to see it for the first time. Read more>>
Aimara
Coming from Bolivia, a country where art is not taken very seriously, I used to have a lot of doubt and guilt about the fact that art was my passion, it also isn’t a country that is very recognized. I treated my background as a weakness. So I decided that everything was a strength. My culture, my passion, my character. Read more>>
Rahel Baker
With the grace of God, this journey has been quite extraordinary – I entered college as a first-generation student with the expectation that I had to pursue a career as a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. Coming from a humble background, I understood from an early age that I needed to make something of my life, which is a daunting task for anyone. Read more>>
Ish Galvan
We found our purpose through exploring our identity as Chicano (Mexican-American) artists and storytellers. The mission behind Triple OG Comics was to create a Chicano comic book for people who can relate to our experience. Read more>>
Lana Gruell
My journey to finding my purpose has been deeply influenced by the tragedy of losing my daughter, Cashleigh, to suicide. This heartbreaking experience prompted me to focus on making a difference in the lives of other young people. Read more>>
John Rachlin
This is a question I love because many of us have sense that we need to find our purpose in life and whether that perception is something innate for us or perhaps a product of societal influence, how many people can really say they have “found their purpose”? I spent years trying to figure out what my purpose was. Read more>>
Brianna Pineda
It was the year 2005, and my father and I were lying on our stomachs after consuming two enormous packages of Kid Cuisine. We prepared for another adventure ]aying a few pieces of copy paper on the floor, along with some colored utensils. I would patiently observe how his pencil moved on each curve of the page, anticipating his next move as he drew. Read more>>
Dana Schmalenberg
I could tell you a long, interesting story about the trajectory of my life and how I found my purpose, but I don’t think it will help you. What helps is telling you that what made the difference was not being afraid to take risks or try new things– and I was able to do both those things because I always kept an open mind and stayed curious. Read more>>
Brandy Yeack
When I transitioned from a background as a nurses assistant in end-of-life care to optometry, I was driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Despite lacking experience in eye care, Dr. Hale recognized my potential and took me under his wing, providing me with comprehensive training and mentorship. Read more>>
Yasong Wang
In my career journey, transitioning from a visual designer to a UX/UI designer was a transformative experience. Initially, my focus was primarily on the presentation layer, crafting visually appealing user interfaces. However, as I delved deeper into this field, I began to recognize the significance of truly understanding users’ needs and their pain points. Read more>>
Veronica Munoz
As I look back on my life, I realize that I have endured more trials than I care to have endured. I strongly believe that each trial brought me closer to my faith and in my faith I realized that there was purpose. My life has become a testimony to God’s goodness and unfailing love and a true testament to Romans 8:28, in all things God works for the good of those who live Him. Read more>>
Poser Productions Presents As Many Weirdos As Possible
Poser Productions Presents: As Many Weirdos As Possible is a photo documentary and story telling project focusing on people who supported and made music in the Pacific Northwest between 1985 and 1995. The team consists of multiple creatives who have come together through a deep connection to music from that era. Read more>>
Jessica Huffman
It comes from God first. Knowing what He’s done for me, how could I not live my life in service to others? My father always taught me that if I solve other people’s problems, I will never be without a job! So, I always set out to have fun while solving problems along the way… It turns out, I discovered my strengths, skill set, and so many wonderful opportunities. Read more>>
Cynthia Appiah
As the CEO of Beauty From Within Coaching & Consulting, a training and empowerment agency, I often come across individuals who struggle to identify their purpose. Many ambitious people have approached me with the question: “How do I know or find what my purpose is?” To help answer this question, I have created 7 helpful tips that I share with my clients and other ambitious individuals who struggle with identifying their purpose. Read more>>
Jeannee Sacken
As my father lay dying, he held my hand and said, “Don’t die with regrets. You love writing stories, and you should be doing that.” Those were the last words he said, and they stuck with me especially when I returned to my job as an English professor teaching students how to critique the stories they read. I loved my life in academia, but something was missing. Read more>>
Scarlett Ssu-Chia Chen
I’m Scarlett Chen, a US-based Taiwanese motion designer. Before my artistic journey in the US, I pursued a major in Economics during my undergraduate studies in Taiwan. Around my junior year, I began questioning myself if economics was truly my calling, struggling with uncertainty about my future. Read more>>
Melissa Kim Corter
As a highly empathic, intuitive child, I was fascinated with other people’s basements. Dark, unexplored spaces enthralled me, and my insatiable curiosity toward the hidden dimensions of the mind led to decades of exploring the shadow dynamics within the human psyche and in nature. Read more>>
Laura Roe
My purpose: to uplift, to expand awareness, consciousness, compassion, and understanding in this world. How I found it? It found me. As a sensitive young girl, I wanted to understand others. I died twice and came back from spinal meningitis, I was intuitive, curious about world religions, and shy – didn’t speak much to strangers until I was 11. Read more>>
Tyra George
This is an on going journey for me, but I can confidently say I’m still figuring out my full purpose while still showing up for others and myself. I never thought I would be a life coach or anything in that field until it just showed up. I’ve always been the solution based person that gives suggestions and a different perspective.. it just worked out for me to help others like I helped myself. Read more>>
Tyler Logsdon / “T Log” – Artist Name.
I found my purpose by winning the internal battle I had within myself of trying to figure life out. I won that battle by looking to the cross. Once I realized that I was fleeting where I wasn’t comfortable, and I understood there was a disconnect between my heart and my head… Read more>>
Stacy Beery-Mtshali
Destino. As a young third-generation Italian American with an intense fairytale complex, you can only imagine how much the idea of “destiny” was seared into my mind. It actually flowed through my veins. The thing that kept me up at night, however, was wondering what I might do to screw up this one great destiny for my life. Read more>>
