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.

Chen Zhang

I’ve loved drawing and animation since I was a kid. Like many children, I grew up watching cartoons and anime, and I dreamed of creating those kinds of stories myself someday. But growing up in China, pursuing art as a career wasn’t encouraged. Many parents—including mine—worried that a creative path wouldn’t lead to a stable future or financial independence. So I followed a more traditional academic route and majored in English during college. Read More>>

Wes James

For most of my life, I thought purpose had to come from something external—like a title, a badge, or a job description. But after years of serving as a law enforcement deputy and carrying the weight of trauma, I realized that real purpose is found when you begin to heal yourself and then help others heal through what you’ve learned. Read More>>

Eric Ducharme

I didn’t so much find my purpose as I followed it—like a current pulling me deeper into who I’ve always been.
From the time I was a kid, the ocean felt like home. The myth of the mermaid wasn’t just fantasy—it was freedom. It gave me language before I had words, identity before I had a name for it. I didn’t fit into the molds around me, so I made my own. I stitched together fabric and imagination, and over time, those creations became a worldwide brand. They became symbols—for transformation and for resilience. Read More>>

Kevin Corral

As I was growing up, everyone around me always wanted to tell me what my purpose should be or what I should be doing. From a very young age, I began working. My family wasn’t the wealthiest, as my parents were immigrants from Mexico. I thought my purpose was to work to help my parents out, grow up, and get a good job with money so we could all live comfortably, so we never had to worry anymore. funny thing is, is what i thought was my purpose to get a good-paying job was shut down by the very people i was doing it for, my parents told me that wasn’t my purpose, they told me that i needed to find my purpose, what i really want to live for, fight for.  Read More>>

Darla Bishop

For a long time, I believed I had to choose between taking care of the people I loved and building the life I wanted. That belief came from growing up in Detroit, where money was always tight and family came first—no matter the cost. When a family situation led to me living with my aunt during high school, I saw up close what it meant to stretch every dollar and still fall short of what we needed. By the time I got to college, I knew how to survive—but I hadn’t yet learned how to build. Read More>>

Vanessa

As La Biohacker Latina, I found mine when I got closer to God. In that stillness, in that sacred connection, I gained clarity—clarity about who I am and what I’m here to do.

My purpose is to help women transform their health and deepen their inner connection. I believe that true healing happens when we align the body, mind, and spirit. That’s where the magic begins. That’s where we rise. Read More>>

Kevin Livingston

I discovered my purpose through a combination of faith, life experience, and a genuine desire to serve others. As I grew in my walk with God, it became clear that I wasn’t just called to sell insurance—I was called to honor God by inspiring, impacting, and influencing people in a way that helps them become better versions of themselves. My goal is to leave every person I encounter stronger, wiser, and more confident in who they are and where they’re going.  Read More>>

Courtney Sprechini

Throughout my entire life, I have found joy in helping others. As a teen, I began to expand helping others beyond my community by volunteering for various large scale charities and participating in many fundraising events. During this time, my uncle was also diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. That devastating news motivated me to host a fundraiser to raise money for a charity (the International Myeloma Foundation) dedicated to research for that particular type of cancer. After that successful event, I saw the true difference I could make not just for my community but the world. Read More>>

Heidi Fedore

There was something powerful and terrifying about being one of three finalists for a marketing position for a local credit union, back in 1988. I was out gardening at my parents’ house and was running through my most meaningful experiences: tutoring a disabled college student, serving as an adult with a teen advisory committee, and substituting as a para-educator. Like a flash of light, I realized that I didn’t want to work in the corporate setting and, instead, wanted to work with adolescents. I walked into the house, called the credit union, and withdrew my name from the finalist list. Read More>>

Sooa Lim

My purpose wasn’t something I found. It was something I slowly uncovered, like a photograph developing in a darkroom. It emerged not in a single moment but through a series of quiet recognitions, shaped by longing and hope.

It began while working at the Seoul Children’s Museum, where I was immersed in the poetics of early imagination. There, I witnessed how visual language could shape how we learn, feel, and remember across generations. It taught me to think deeply about accessibility, intergenerational memory, and the aesthetics of care. Read More>>

 Sharon Eitany

To me, it was always there. Growing up, I loved watching movies and TV shows — but not like any other kid. There was something so special to me about it. I knew I wanted to be part of that world. I found my dream at a very young age and followed it. Now that I’ve reached many milestones as an actress, I know that the child in me is happy. Read More>>

 Pearl Minor

It took me 40 years to commit to following my Purpose, but I discovered it during my senior year of High School. I had always loved painting and drawing, my whole life. My mom still tells me stories of how, when I was a toddler, we would sit at a restaurant and draw for hours together, drawing all the customers and things we saw. Back to my Senior project, we had to pick something that served the community, and also something we were passionate about. I chose to paint a bus stop mural. Read More>>

Amy Norman

I found my purpose through the power of transformation. I’ve always been drawn to creativity, but it wasn’t until I saw how makeup could completely shift someone’s confidence and energy that I realized this was more than just a skill—it was a way to help people feel seen, celebrated, and strong. Over time, I discovered that my purpose isn’t just about applying makeup; it’s about making people feel empowered, whether it’s for a special moment or just to remind them of their worth. Read More>>

Michaela Magor

My purpose found me long before I turned it into a business. Since childhood, I’ve had a natural instinct for organizing. While other kids played with toys, I was rearranging closets, drawers, and shelves — not because I had to, but because I genuinely enjoyed it. Over the years, organizing became something I did for family and friends during moves, renovations, or just everyday life transitions. It was always more than tidying up — it was about creating calm, efficient, and livable spaces that made people feel better in their own homes. Read More>>

Melisa Estrada Bustamante

I found my purpose by tuning into what truly lights me up: storytelling, creativity, and the way food connects people. What started as a passion for trying new flavors evolved into a deeper calling, helping brands in the culinary world communicate with heart and authenticity. The more I shared stories through Meli Tastes, the more I realized that my purpose is to create content that not only looks beautiful but also resonates, inspires, and brings people together. It’s a blend of intuition, curiosity, and a lot of learning along the way. Read More>>

Daisy Amanda Jones

Finding purpose is a funny thing sometimes. I always knew I wanted to be an educator of some kind, so I went to college and majored in Bioloy and Secondary Education. Out of college I taught high school biology for 4 years. I then worked in places like Sylvan Learning Center, Head Start and other afterschool programs. When I moved to the west coast, I truly thought I was on my path as an marine educator/manager as I loved it. Not until we had a professional development day away from that did I realize I was in the wrong field. Read More>>

Betty Brandt Passick

I have thought of myself as a wannabe author since I was a young girl, when I realized that I saw my world in stories. In my first book, We Are Eight, a Memoiriam (2015), this is how I described an ‘awakening’ of sorts that happened to me one day, after attending the country school, as my brothers and I walked the mile-long dirt road to our home, a rented farm near Westgate, Iowa: “Sometimes we raced part of the way home, our books and papers and lunch cans banging against our sides with each stride Read More>>

Susan Phelan

Finding my purpose came to me in bits and pieces. Sometimes I wish I had a fantastic vision of my purpose at a young age. Perhaps then I would have twenty or more published books, or starred in a television series or a movie opposite whatever heartthrob was big at the time.

But instead, I had time to learn about life and about myself to give me the grounding I needed for a fuller life and more meaningful work. Read More>>

Adam Lillhannus

The world has changed over the last few decades. Digital interaction has become more and more an integral part of our lives, with most humans being connected up to the internet through computers and cellular devices around the clock.
Today, most people own a smartphone, and through a smartphone very many tasks can be completed. People barely buy clocks, calculators, cameras or other electronic devices nowadays, thanks to the continual development of technology. Read More>>

Peter Trinh

I believe that if you listen to The Universe, life brings you opportunities and experiences that inform you on what your purpose is. Always wanting to be an actor, I spent much of my life around creative environments. From my first theatrical production of The Laramie Project in college, to writing and performing a play about my parent’s escape from Viet Nam, I came to understand it was my purpose to tell stories. Not just any story, but particularly stories of those you don’t always hear from. Read More>>

Tamara Herl

Finding my life purpose has definitely been a journey.

Initially, I knew that I wanted to do something that I enjoyed, and that helped other people at the same time. So, I got the training and qualifications to become an art therapist.

As I worked with my clients, I noticed that many of them struggled with issues related to spirituality. After I received the training to become a licensed professional counselor and a life coach, I began studying spirituality. I discovered that being in nature is healing on both the physical and spiritual levels. Read More>>

 Jonatta Harmon

I didn’t find my purpose, it found me, through the good, the challenging, the highs and lows of life.

Growing up, I was always that child who was quiet, creative, very observant, and a compassionate person at heart. I wasn’t the “it girl” or the loudest in the room, but there was something about me that others recognized: a calming presence, a helping hand, a girl who saw people and made them feel seen in return. While some people craved attention, I cultivated connection, even as a child. And that followed me into everything I did. Read More>>

Maryna Volotovska

I will answer that in context of how I figured that I want to be a dog trainer. I think it is about qualities like self-reflection and being in tune with your body, recognize and actually HEAR your own thoughts

I always worked corporate jobs. I never liked the work itself, but I stayed in it because it seemed like the most promising option. What else could I do? Did I have any other skills I could monetize? No—or at least that’s what I believed at the time. Read More>>

Rachèle DeMeo

Finding my purpose has been a beautiful blend of passion, personal experience, and a deep desire to serve others. I’ve always loved helping people—it’s at the core of who I am. Teaching, for me, is more than a profession; it’s a calling that prepares you for everything in life. It teaches patience, creativity, adaptability, and most importantly, how to connect with others. Growing up bilingual in a richly multicultural family, I was constantly immersed in different ways of seeing and experiencing the world. This sparked my love for languages and cultures very early on and led me to believe that communication is the heart of understanding others—and ourselves. Read More>>

Xavier

For me, it came down to saying yes to life’s opportunities and going for it. Not letting fear, outside opinions, or doubt steer me away from the things I’m either curious about or wanting to give a try. I started off in music as a kid and eventually transitioned to theatre when I was 17 up until the pandemic hit. In 2020, I blew through a fair amount of savings on film equipment that I’d originally saved up for a trip to study abroad for acting in Ireland that got cancelled due Covid. There weren’t acting opportunities so I wanted to create them and that’s when I started making short films. Read More>>

Danielle Kulp

I believe our purpose evolves over time as we gain new insights about the world and ourselves. Sometimes, it’s not just about discovering something new—it’s about re-finding ourselves, reclaiming the parts of us that we may have pushed aside for various reasons.

For me, finding my purpose has been about coming home to myself. I spent nearly a decade working for a company I truly loved, doing work that felt meaningful. But like many organizations, they underwent structural reorganizations to increase efficiency. Over the course of four years, I experienced three of these restructures—and each time, my position was eliminated. Read More>>

 CRISTINA MCINNES

How I Found My Purpose Through Cristina’s Closet

For as long as I can remember, I’ve believed in the power of kindness and the strength of community. I’ve always felt a deep responsibility to help others, especially those facing hard times. But like many people, I spent years searching for what that would look like for me. I didn’t know then that my purpose wasn’t something I would stumble upon — it was something that would grow from my own experiences, struggles, and a simple act of giving. Read More>>