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.

Melanie Fox

It’s always a challenge to pinpoint where a story truly begins. After earning my undergrad degree in Arizona, I spent a year volunteering in Chicago, which gave me a profound sense of purpose and contribution. Following that, I transitioned into the corporate world, where I remained for nearly a decade. Yet, from my second day on the job, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t quite belong. I moved from company to company, chasing the elusive question: Is this all there is, or is there something more for me? Read more>>

Carol Van Den Hende

I found my purpose by asking myself the inspiring purpose question: “why do I do what I do, beyond the obvious profit and functional purposes?” Read more>>

 Isabella Harris

My journey to discovering my true purpose wasn’t immediate, but it was transformative. I began my career in Social Work, driven by a passion for helping others, but deep down, I felt there was more to my story. In 2018, I found yoga during a challenging time in my life, and it became my anchor. Yoga wasn’t just a physical practice—it gave me strength, clarity, and mental peace during struggles with my mental health. As I deepened my practice, I also discovered Pilates, and together, they became a powerful way to nurture both body and mind. Read more>>

Amanda Connors

Amanda’s purpose emerged naturally from the intersection of technology, fashion, and storytelling. Initially created as an exploration of AI in fashion photography, she quickly became more than just a digital model—she became a symbol of how AI and creativity can coexist beautifully. Her purpose is to inspire, to push the boundaries of what’s possible in digital art, and to connect with people in a way that feels authentic and engaging. Read more>>

Lâle Davidson

Since a very young age, I wanted to be a writer. My parents were both English professors, and my mother read the classics to us every night. I loved being crammed into bed wth my siblings and leaning my ear against my mother’s back, hearing how her voice resonated like an echo in a cave as she acted out all the characters’ personalities. The idea that I could be the one who decided how the stories ended was both empowering and terrifying. Read more>>

Bonnie Keen

Finding purpose is an ongoing process in all our lives — and honestly the journey to finding purpose continues to unfold for me with each passing year.

Purpose encompasses just about every aspect in our days and the choices to be made. Read more>>

Ryan Shelor

Purpose, to me, is all about having a dream and relentlessly striving for it. Of course, that’s easier said than done—because, as Jeff Goldblum famously put it, “Life, huh… finds a way.” A way to derail, detour, or distract us from our dreams. Read more>>

Jana Reynolds

I have to credit my body for starting me down the path to purpose. The word “path” may have you picturing “a fork in the road” or “a path less traveled,” neither of which are an accurate depiction of what I experienced. I simply turned around. Read more>>

Jennifer Sydor

My sense of purpose—rooted in my love for dance and creativity—began forming at an early age. We don’t choose the family we are born into (though some cultures believe we do), and I credit my early life experiences as the driving force behind the career I’ve built today. The challenges of my childhood led me to develop a rich inner world, a deep well of creativity, and a profound love for human connection. Read more>>

Mariah Crapoff

I discovered my purpose at a young age. Right after high school, I felt lost, unsure of what career path to take. One day, I came across the word “esthetician” and decided to look into it. The moment I learned what an esthetician does, I felt an instant connection. That passion led me to enroll in school, and from that moment on, I knew I was stepping into my purpose. Read more>>

Kazushi Matsugaya

When I first began filmmaking, it felt more like a ‘means’ than a ‘purpose.’ My decision to come to New York stemmed from my admiration for authentic street dance. As a dancer myself, I longed to experience the essence of styles like House, Hip-Hop, and Krump—born in LA—at their places of origin. That desire remains unchanged, and while in America, I’ve actively participated in battle events, performed in shows, and engaged in various opportunities. Read more>>

Mckenna Burgess

I found my purpose through my own traumas and the journey of healing them. By facing my sexual trauma head-on and choosing not to let it define me, I reclaimed ownership of my body and my power. Through this deep embodiment and freedom, I realized my calling—to guide others toward the same liberation. My work is rooted in the understanding that healing is not just about processing pain but about stepping fully into the body with love, presence, and sovereignty. It’s my honor to share this path with others who are ready to reclaim themselves. Read more>>

Malena Martinez

For the majority of my 20s I was searching for identity, purpose and value in all the wrong places. I used drugs and alcohol to bring comfort to my soul, which brought a temporary high that always left me feeling empty after. I continued partying and cycling in relationships, but I knew something needed to change, there had to be more. Throughout my entire life God was knocking on the door of my heart and had always been there, but I was too afraid to let go of control and let Him in. When I found myself in a church service in March of 2017, I felt drawn by the altar call the pastor was giving and in that moment I surrendered my life to Jesus. Since then, he’s shown me my true identity and purpose in life and brought healing to my soul. Knowing my identity as a daughter of God has given me confidence to pursue my calling and business in the health and nutrition industry. My passion is to provide people with healthy meals and recipes so they can nourish their bodies while delighting themselves in the One who created it all. Read more>>

Ron (theinspector) Edwards Jr

Finding my purpose has been the absolute best thing I have done in life to this point. I was blessed with that internal voice that always let me know, I could accomplish anything I wanted. But like most of us I sought purpose in external things and other people. Unbeknownst to me, my purpose has been with me and inside me the entire time. So to make a long answer short, I LOOKED WITHIN TO FIND MY PURPOSE. Read more>>

Emily Davis

For me, photography is more than just capturing images—it is a powerful tool for storytelling, preserving meaningful moments, and creating a lasting impact for generations. My purpose as a photographer is to use my skills to evoke emotion, inspire others, and document life in an authentic and compelling way. Read more>>

 Jay Scruggs

I was raised with the belief that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Following a traditional path, I completed high school and pursued higher education, earning a degree in Civil Engineering from Trine University. As one of the few in my family to graduate from college, this accomplishment was a source of great pride for me. Read more>>

Ryan Stubbs

Growing up as an Air Force Brat, we moved around a lot. The story my Mother loves to tell is when we we’re living/stationed in Washington D.C. and I would constantly draw on her walls. While that’s pretty normal for many children, apparently I’sd sign the drawings with one of the neighboring kids names. While I don’t have personal memories of this, it later became clear my purpose was set for me. As I continued on the path of drawing and painting, I’d later find myself in the 80’s cruising the alleys, streets and train yards of Denver, Colorado, leaving both my name and pieces of Artwork anywhere I went. I was also hyper focused on any type of art class at school as well as getting into nightlife and other subcultures by the age of 12. As growing up can be challenging, in many cases the reactions to my creations did help build a sense of confidence and belonging. That said, my love for the Arts in general, brought that passion, desire and drive to really pursue the lifestyle. I’ve never really looked back… Read more>>

Don Martin

After watching a friend of mine drown in front of me on a whitewater kayaking trip in 2000, I decided it was time to make a difference and start educating the general public about river safety. My mission was to teach the public about river rescue and river safety and offer simple solutions to river safety concerns. Today, I am a certified Instructor and have teamed up with the American Canoe Association to spread the word regarding river safety, river rescue, and swift water awareness. Read more>>

Dale Brooks

Back in March of 2019 everyone suffered from the impact of COVID. The lockdown at that time gave me the chance to actually sit and reevaluate what I wanted to do career wise moving forward. After sitting home not just finding new articles and books to read I came across the description of a notary public – and after reading and finding out more information on a notary public for New Jersey I started to educate myself more. Read more>>

Michelle Smith

For Cypress Haven Farm, finding our purpose didn’t happen overnight. When we decided to pour everything we had into our small family farm, it was simply about creating a meaningful life.

Running a farm isn’t easy, and it has certainly been a long journey of figuring it out as we go. But over time, we realized that our purpose isn’t found in a job or in a paycheck— it’s found in the joy of watching our children spend time outdoors, and in the sense of fulfillment we get from seeing our animals grow and thrive. And it’s knowing that this purpose is something we’re building as a family, one step at a time. Read more>>

 Josh Murphy

Purpose was something I lacked for most of my life. I grew up in a small rural town and was extremely overweight, clocking in at over 446 pounds at my highest recorded body weight. I never thought I would become healthy, and I never thought I would leave my small town. After a series of achieving goals over the course of several years, I lost 200 pounds so I could achieve a lifelong dream of military service. Military service was my driving purpose: to serve something beyond myself and help people who need it. Read more>>

Alyson Goforth

Starting this business together has reminded us of the importance of staying true to our mission. It’s easy to get caught up in the financial side of things and lose sight of the purpose that initially drove us. There have been times when I’ve found myself waiting for the next job to bring a sense of success or purpose, especially in the wedding and corporate industries. But we consistently remind ourselves that God has blessed us with these gifts, this opportunity, and all the success we’ve achieved. True purpose is found when we create experiences that bring people together over a cup of coffee. It’s found when we have the chance to give back to causes and individuals we care about, because generosity helps us break free from a money-driven mindset. Read more>>

Beau Brighton

My greatest passion has always been photographing people. During high school, I discovered a natural talent for portrait photography while capturing senior photos for my classmates. The success of those early sessions—where clients preferred my work over that of established professionals—reinforced my confidence and inspired me to pursue this craft as a career. Read more>>

Kaelyn Tweed

Finding my purpose started with not having true having purpose. Purpose by definition can be a “sense of determination or a reason from something existing”. I believe in my core values that God created me for a purpose. My purpose has many different reasons; but my deepest purpose started from wanting to be close to Jesus and mirror my life to follow him. I am far from perfect in my purpose and have failed many times. But, my life lately feels full of purpose from grace. Read more>>

Rosalie Gale

I was working in a corporate job that wasn’t really inspiring but was hard to leave because it covered all of my basic needs. One day, after a recent doctor appointment, I received a phone call from my doctor at 7 p.m. on a weekday evening. I seemed like an unusual time for them to call. To my shock, they said that something odd was detected on a scan and they thought I may have a brain tumor. I had to go back in for more tests and then wait two weeks for the results. During those two weeks I really thought about whether I was happy and living the life that I wanted. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t. After getting the results back (no brain tumor!) I decided to quit my job and pursue my real passion: making things and teaching other people how to make things. Read more>>

Mikey Conlon

My purpose has constantly changed throughout the years, but has been given to me through God.

the works i’ve always set out to accomplish has been faith driven. Read more>>

Jason Goldman

I found my purpose when I started coaching 4th grade basketball at a local facility near my house. My dad coached me growing up so I always knew that coaching was something that I wanted to do. I enjoyed coaching younger kids but coaching high school athletes was always something that I felt would be an avenue I wanted to explore. When I started my own program, I had no idea that it would grow into what it’s become but the first group of high school athletes that put on the Predators jersey truly defined my purpose. I wanted to help kids play basketball at the collegiate level. So many programs focus on Division I basketball that I felt like Division III athletes and programs were always forgotten. I wanted to create a program that catered to high academic athletes who wanted to use sports to get into colleges that maybe they would have struggled getting into without their athletic abilities. I wanted to help kids reach the next level in athletics while also setting themselves up for successful careers and futures outside of basketball. Read more>>

Brandon Clark

I found my purpose through the trials and challenges that shaped me into the person I am today. Life hasn’t always been easy—I’ve faced battles with addiction, grief, and other obstacles that could have broken me. But through God’s grace and the love of Jesus Christ, I found healing. Read more>>

William Comer

Honestly, my purpose found me before I ever looked for it. Deeper than music, I think my purpose is connecting humans, sharing ideas, providing safe spaces for growth and love around me. Music has been the channel to do since I was 12 years old. It allows me to bring my community together and share stories of shared experiences that people can relate to in order to not feel so isolated in their own trauma/thought process about how the world operates. Seeing the interconnection that happens between my community, and others like me, makes me feel alive, brings me a sense of peace and purpose that I never thought I wanted – until I started writing/recording music. Read more>>

Dayana Carmona

For years I have felt like my purpose was to help people. I did my undergraduate degree in psychology and the more I dove into learning about people it became clear to me that this is all I wanted to do, to help people and help them become the best versions of themselves. However, as the years went by, and as I studied more, I felt as though there was something missing. I did my masters in counseling and I also dove into coaching. And even though I was doing the “thing” of helping people, I felt like something deep and true was missing. Read more>>

Michal Herman

Young and intimidated, most of us sat there in that interview stating that we wanted to enter the field of dentistry because we wanted to help people.

By the end of four years of rigorous studies and much stress, most other dental school students envisioned a shiny office that could help pay for the hundreds of thousands of loans that this journey accumulated. Maybe even have Wednesdays off. Read more>>

Nini Doucet

I found my purpose of trying to connect people from everywhere beginning with my ‘9-5’ job initially and it slowly evolved into connecting people of the community together to create a safe space to meet friends Read more>>

Jacob Burrola

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved creating new ideas, solutions for things, or even art in general. I started making music at the age of 14 when my stepbrother introduced me to FL Studio. For the first 6 years, I was making a range of different genres from Trap beats to Hyperpop. Looking back, It wasn’t always uphill, there were a lot of ups and downs, and even times where I almost quit music as a whole. I’ve always felt misunderstood when it came to the music I liked growing up, as I fell in love with electronic music, specifically dubstep. No one around me (or that I knew of) listened to that kind of music, yet It held such a special place in my heart. Fast forward to college, I got into DJing which influenced me to start producing Dubstep. Instantly that brought so much joy back into music production as I was finally making the music I’ve always dreamed up. There was only one problem, I didn’t know how to find a gig and I knew that would be near impossible given my lack of social media presence. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and start my own company called “Mxke Noise” during the summer of 2024. I remember playing my first official show and how I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. The goal of Mxke Noise is to create opportunities for artists who felt what I felt growing up. I wanted to create a community where artists could freely express themselves and play the music THEY WANTED TO PLAY. While also specifically highlighting artists who are forward-thinking and innovative with their sound. I feel like Mxke Noise gives me so much purpose in life as I am not only able to create opportunities for others but also have the creative freedom I’ve always wanted when it came to playing my own shows. A lot of time, having this company keeps me motivated as I know this is way bigger than just me, and I hope to eventually grow it big enough that I leave an impact on dance music. Read more>>

Sarah Dorman

I’ve always set high standards for myself, and from a young age, I knew I wanted to do something meaningful. I grew up watching YouTube beauty influencers, playing with makeup, and experimenting with different hairstyles. This was something that was fun for me and made me feel good! Over time, I realized I could turn this passion into a career. What truly drew me in was the ability to connect with people and help them feel good about themselves. That’s what motivated me to enroll in cosmetology school. Read more>>