We’ve always tried to ask the questions that matter but that are too awkward for people to ask their friends, family and coworkers without seeming dramatic. One of those questions is about mission and purpose – when’s the last time you asked a friend what their mission was? Too often we don’t talk about our own missions and don’t ask those close to us about theirs with the result being that our missions remain secret. Are you just a doctor or are you a doctor who wants to be there for patients in the way you wished your father’s doctor had been? People have incredible and meaningful missions, and we hope our conversations asking folks about their mission can inspire more such conversations in your life.
Debbie Popiel
The first time I did yoga was probably close to 30 years ago. I didn’t understand it. The whole class was in Sanskrit. I felt like I had arrived on the day of a test that everyone had studied for and I didn’t. It held no true meaning for me. I didn’t understand it and I didn’t enjoy it. Needless to say, I didn’t go back. I’ve always been an advent health enthusiast. a runner an athlete and enjoyed working out. Years later, a lovely yoga, teacher, and yoga studio owner was a parent at the school. I was the Director of and she suggested that we do yoga with the children. Even though I didn’t have a positive experience, I knew the benefits of yoga and meditation , I knew that it would help our children learn to self sooth and relax. Read more>>
Qijue Chen
When people ask me what kind of photography I do, I usually say that I shoot editorials and portraits. However, most people don’t know that I identify myself as a vintage photographer who incorporates authentic vintage elements into photography. Photography has always been my way of communicating and expressing myself, ever since I was handed my dad’s old film camera. The eight-year-old me didn’t have the slightest idea of what photography was, and even less of starting a business as a photographer. I just knew that people finally started to understand my world through my photos. And through my photos, I could tell my stories. Read more>>
Leticia Saenz
The idea to open a restaurant started in Mexico and is consolidated here in this beautiful city, Nashville. One of the main reasons is my son since he is allergic to different kinds of food, like eggs and flour, which are sometimes essential components for preparing a lot of dishes. Because of this, I started looking for alternatives without fillers and got an answer through the pandemic. I could make different dishes; instead of thinking of 40 days confined to home, it was 40 days of opportunities to make other dishes and combinations, so I tried something new each day. Read more>>
Laura Criscione
My mission is to help people create more fulfillment and joy in their lives. This mission came to fruition from my own story as a fresh, new college graduate. I got my first full-time job, at 22 years old, and was so excited to start my new journey. Transitioning from college life to working life is quite a change, and after a few months of figuring out what the corporate world actually was, I began to feel that something was missing. Read more>>
Kat Berbari
My mission as a photographer is to make authentic images of people that spark attraction or instill wonder to the viewer. I believe that people are interesting. We don’t have watch movies or read novels to discover that every individual has their own stories and uniqueness to this world. My mission as a photographer is to draw out the core essence of a person and capture luminous, crisp images that have an authentic feel to them. In addition to making images of individuals, I like to document the special relationships between people, whether it is love, friendship, or family. I also find it important to record people engaging in the activities they feel closest to their true being (ie: playing an instrument, interacting with animals, pursuing a hobby, practicing a craft/their job etc.). Read more>>
Kathy Leader
Our mission is to make art as a healing tool accessible to everyone! We have created a highly successful method for wellness and team building art and painting programs for companies and organizations. Creativity for me, is a path to mindful self discovery. Through my own personal journey, I have moved from harsh self criticism (partly due to having a judgmental artist mother!) to nurturing a deeper understanding of what supports my creative growth. I want to share that all with YOU! Read more>>
Kerry Miller
Joyful PR was created and founded to create a space of joy for brands and their consumers with traditional and nontraditional PR. Joyful PR specialty is in the fashion, lifestyle, beauty and sports industries. Joyful PR puts inclusion and diversity at the forefront of everything they do from hiring as the company and the clients that are signed on. Joyful PR is about using their years of experience to create PR and Marketing initiatives that are outside of the box. Diversity and Inclusion is of utmost importance not just for those I know but for everyone nationally and globally. Read more>>
Kathleen Davis
As a retired teacher, children’s book author, and mother of three, my mission as a writer is to remind children that they are not alone in life. Wether they are struggling with nighttime fears, starting new and unfamiliar activities, or facing daily tasks that may not be super enjoyable; remembering that they are not alone in their journey is my goal. Read more>>
Letitia Scott Jackson
Letitia Scott-Jackson’s life has been marked by immense challenges, but her unwavering faith has propelled her towards redemption and the strength to help others. From her upbringing in a Christian home to her involvement in drug dealing and subsequent incarceration, Letitia’s story is the epitome of how past mistakes do not define one’s future. Letitia’s journey began in a Christian home as the daughter of the late Reverend Norvell Scott, an A.M.E. pastor. However, at a young age, the allure of money led her down a destructive path as she became a high-profile drug dealer. Read more>>
Lofton Etheridge
When people hear the name American Girl Meets World, I hope they perceive it as a source of trust and friendship. My primary objective is to distance myself from terms like “best,” “perfect,” and “ultimate” because I understand that personal preferences vary widely. It wouldn’t be fair for me to claim, “This is the best stay because…” My aim is to kindle your curiosity about the world that surrounds us and foster an open-minded perspective. I encourage individuals to explore new experiences, try new things, and seek out fresh horizons. Read more>>
Kathleen Davis
As a retired teacher, children’s book author, and mother of three, my mission as a writer is to remind children that they are not alone in life. Wether they are struggling with nighttime fears, starting new and unfamiliar activities, or facing daily tasks that may not be super enjoyable; remembering that they are not alone in their journey is my goal. Read more>>
Letitia Scott Jackson
Letitia Scott-Jackson’s life has been marked by immense challenges, but her unwavering faith has propelled her towards redemption and the strength to help others. From her upbringing in a Christian home to her involvement in drug dealing and subsequent incarceration, Letitia’s story is the epitome of how past mistakes do not define one’s future. Letitia’s journey began in a Christian home as the daughter of the late Reverend Norvell Scott, an A.M.E. pastor. However, at a young age, the allure of money led her down a destructive path as she became a high-profile drug dealer. Read more>>
Melanie Smith
My mission is simple, I want to help and educate everyone my company reaches about the benefits of honey, natural products and the effects of bees on the environment. All my life, I’ve struggled with skin issues. Mainstream market products would usually make these skin issues worse. To combat these issues I started using products with natural ingredients that contained honey. Eventually i started making my own natural products that contained honey as well. I not only loved them, but I loved making them too. I didn’t know at the time that this hobby of mine would turn into my dream job. Read more>>
Isaias Hernandez
When I was growing up in Los Angeles, I learned about environmental issues and social inequality through the neighborhood I lived in. It wasn’t until later on in life that I could describe them as that. When I began to understand that the pollution, lack of healthy food, and economic disparities were policy decisions, it changed my worldview. Things didn’t have to be this way. I decided I wanted to help everyone learn about the environment and started my platform QueerBrownVegan to make that a reality. Read more>>
Emily Johnson
For the love, LV is a Las Vegas boutique that is all about upgrading wardrobes and bringing love to everyone who walks through our doors. Read more>>
April & Jonathan Sigg
Our mission has always been to provide the most cutting-edge and non-surgical aesthetic treatments, making them accessible to all at affordable prices. Our motto from conception has been, that our clients are beautiful, and beauty doesn’t have to be expensive. Read more>>
LaQuail Johnson
I have a passion for helping women like the one i was 8 years ago. I was 35 felt stuck in my job, wanted more out of life but didn’t know how to get it, and wanted to be in a community of individuals that saw bigger for their lives as well. I embarked on a journey of entrepreneurship through Network Marketing and it took me on such a journey of personal growth and development, helping people transform mind, body, spirit, and financially. Read more>>
Valerie Sercu
My mission is to connect with each and every high school senior that I photograph on a personal level, and really help them to feel comfortable with me, forgetting that I have a camera in my hand. I want to capture their spirit, and show them how organically beautiful they are, and how the world sees them. I love celebrating their personality traits, and all of the things that help tell their story through the perspective of my lens. Read more>>
Kristina Kury
Back in 2018, I sowed the seeds of what would eventually become “Conscious Do Good,” but in those early days, it was simply known as “Operation Rainbow Sprout.” My dream was to make a profound impact on my community by organizing monthly do-good events open to anyone willing to join. I made it a goal to challenge myself and host an event every month during 2018. Each month, we embarked on a fresh philanthropic endeavor, but our guiding principle remained constant: education. Read more>>
Erin Gums
The mission of my business, Tap into your Wellspring, is to support women of color to reclaim the lives their grandmothers would have dreamed of, if only they were truly allowed to dream. Like many of my clients, I come from a long legacy and lineage of hard-working women, who had no choice but to work themselves to the bone, put themselves last, and cast their own dreams aside to support everyone around them. They had to do all this to survive. Read more>>
Miles Johnson
The mission behind ‘Real Talk with MJ’ stems from my deep-seated belief in the power of authentic storytelling and the transformative impact it can have, particularly within the realm of sports. Growing up, I was captivated not just by the games themselves, but by the narratives that unfolded behind the scenes—the personal struggles, triumphs, and untold stories of athletes that often went unnoticed. Read more>>
Alyssa Chavez
My mission is to change the way that women with endometriosis are supported. For too long, women with endo have felt disregarded, undersupported, and not listened to. They are given band-aid solutions for their symptoms that leave them feeling worse in the long run and don’t address their symptoms at their root. I work with women from a functional perspective, digging in with functional testing to uncover what is really going on in their bodies so I can help them to truly heal from the inside out. Read more>>
Aseel El-Baba
Born and raised in Lebanon, I was always a person who asked existential questions. In a troubling and unstable environment, I struggled to make sense of the world and I constantly aimed to find meaning beyond my existence. My first business cards were designed at the innocent age of 10. While I was hiding in my brother’s room, scared from the chaos outside, I wrote my first job title “The Changer”. I knew that I had a deep desire to create a positive impact in our world. Read more>>
John McInerney
As a kid, the I couldn’t focus on school or homework. When I was making something with Lego, I could imagine anything. The joy I felt while building and creating was an amazing experience. When it came time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I figured I would provide others with that same joy. I aspired to work for Lego as a Product Designer, geared my education towards those goals. After graduating college and looking for my dream job all of the doors closed in my face. So I decided to take my skill set and make it meaningful. Read more>>
Magen McLaughlin
The story behind Explore Monroe + Explore Union and it’s mission, is that I wanted to create a space where small locally owned businesses could be showcased and locals could have an easier place to find hidden gems and stay in the loop with local happenings and events. In 2021, during the peak of COVID, I was a new at home mom and looking for things to do, places to eat, locally with the kids. Read more>>
Faith Ellis
The KettleBelle believes in empowering clients to achieve their goals through specialized kettlebell classes and enjoying fitness to improve mental health. I am a big believer and walking testimony that if you can find something you enjoy, fitness is fun and in turn your mental health improves through exercise. I want people to find what they love, to move, for overall improved health. Read more>>
Alexander Lara
My mission: Serving people and connect with people. I serve people with my business and my service. And I connect with people with my Art. I’m passionate person to connect with people and giving the best I can. Read more>>
Karine Lima
After years of experience in front of the camera, we increasingly put our own pride and ego aside. The important thing for me today is to take portraits of different, passionate people who have their own expertise and to highlight them through video portraits. Read more>>
Karl Heine
I entered the market through a happy accident. While teaching and lecturing at design schools, I noticed many students weren’t writing anything down. I strongly believe that writing or sketching during a talk, conference, or event is an important element to keeping that connection between ideas and remembering. So I decided to make journals by hand and give them away at my talks. They were a hit. After receiving numerous requests for more, I crafted larger batches. Read more>>
Ali Conteh
My brand’s mission statement is “Life’s a death race to the $ either you win, or you lose, forever chasing $ I can’t hit snooze.” This means that no matter who you are on this planet, you’re chasing some type of monetary stability, whether that’s on a large scale or a smaller one. It’s all a race to money till the day you die; what REAL R$CH EMPIRE will do and what our “R$CH WRLD” design reflects is the grim reaper (death) dropping money on the globe (death race) and REAL R$CH EMPIRE catching it and using it for our purposes of bettering the world (can’t snooze). Read more>>
Garry Mills
Our mission is to use basketball as a vehicle to change and save lives. The reason why this mission is so meaningful because I have created an organization, Shoot Basketballs NOT People to combat gun violence in the inner city but more importantly created a safe haven for the youth of my city. Read more>>
Farah Laurent
My mission is to empower all nurses globally, to pursue careers that are fulfilling and make a significant impact. Nurses are powerful and are unstoppable! As a Nurse Career Coach and Business Start up Mentor I expand nurses’ mindset and let them see the endless opportunities that exist in the nursing industry! I recently wrote a book entitled ” Nurses Making Money Moves: A Nurse’s Guide to Starting a Business” to empower nurses to start their own business which can be found on my website at Nursefarah.com. I am shattering old nursing narratives and a game changer in the nursing world! Read more>>
Shatoria Christian
Mission for people is so important to me, as people need people. My mission is encouragement, motivational love, and showing what peace can look like. It’s not easy being on a mission where you feel you are alone; however, I have been able to have a team that helps me show others what love and peace is. My mission in life is to encourage through affirmations, social media, being an author, and having summits that allow people to get what is needed in person. If I get to just one, I have done what I was called to do. Read more>>
Norah Shazad
I founded my clothing brand in honor of my late father, who passed away when I was young. It is a heartfelt extension of his legacy, reflecting his commitment to quality and style. Each garment we create is a tribute to his influence, ensuring that his memory lives on through our brand. Read more>>
Bea
How silly outfit boards turned into a business At some point you get consumed by life. Daily tasks, work, chores, appointments.. and in all that chaos you try to automate as many things as you can. You get a rumba to vacuum the house, an egg cooker to save you 10 minutes in the morning… It just feels like a race every day. And that’s something that hit hard me after uni. Amongst other things I stopped putting any effort into what I was wearing. Most of the time it was the same variation of that one decent outfit just a different sweater every day. There was just no time to look for inspiration or scour the internet for that one jacket I saw someone wearing on Instagram. And after a while I realised I’m not the only one with this problem. Read more>>
Katrina Kopeck
The mission at Siren Branding is to help business owners and entrepreneurs find authentic alignment in work and life. Siren Branding was created as a response to common complaints, including corporate culture clashes and the pressure to have “work-life balance.” Read more>>
Morgan Bierbrunner
Our mission statement at Rush Power is to encourage people to “conquer the storm.” Everyone has a “storm” or major problem that they have been struggling to overcome or have even let take control of their lives. Whether that “storm” is health issues, financial concerns or mental health problems, we believe that physical activity can be a healthy outlet to help empower people to take back control of their lives. Studies have shown that fitness not only helps one’s physical health but can also increase energy levels, improve sleep, aid in pain management, boost immune systems and enhance cognitive function. By participating in physical activity, it can positively impact every aspect of an individual’s life and help enable them to conquer their “storm.” Read more>>
Venessa and Nicole
When we initially started our small business we did it as a response to the charcuterie that’s served at restaurants as an appetizer. Small boards with big price points. When we think of going out and sharing a meal with friends, we think of a glass of wine or a cocktail and a small bite to socialize. However, many boards are so small that it might not make it around the table for everyone to enjoy. Read more>>
Rubin Baradi
I think we live in a time when there’s so much pressure on being a hustler, or being an entrepreneur, or constantly trying to make a dollar. Because of these, we forget the creative side of us. As an artist, I hope others see what I do and realize it’s never too late to be on artistic journey. Our imaginations are some of the most important parts of us that we should hold onto no matter what. With the help of my children, I created an Instagram page to share my art with the world with the intention of inspiring artists out there who may feel like there’s no time for them to work on their craft. They may not feel confident enough in their work. I implore them to share their art, whether they’ve been at it for five years or five decades. Read more>>
Tatiana Crespo
My mission with my music and artistic career is to help others connect with their inner child and experience joy. One of my biggest passions is to make people smile–children and adults alike. I like to create an environment where people feel safe enough to express their emotions. Whether it is laughter, pain, sadness, or joy, I hope people feel free and safe enough at my performances to express what is in their hearts. Read more>>
Kathleen Booker
Our Our mission is to help people buy and sell property and provide experiences that are educational and unique for everyone. With having nursing as my first career, I’ve always valued the equal treatment of my patients, their families, and uphold providing the utmost care to everyone I encounter. My parents instilled in me at a young age to love people, respect others, and give back without expecting anything in return. My passion in real estate isn’t business driven, it’s a hobby for me that I truly find happiness in even if it’s just spending a weekend with my mom looking at upcoming new construction homes. Read more>>
Jordan Stone
World Peace Thru Tex-Mex! El Mercado North opened in 1991. I was 9 years old. The Persian Gulf War ended a few months prior. At that time, Austin was still full of aging Hippies. A very well known local artist named John Henry came in and painted all over our walls. We’re bright, colorful, and eccentric. Between our kitchen doors, he painted a globe, and above it he wrote, “World Peace Thru Tex-Mex!” It became our slogan right then and there. Read more>>
Ace 500
My mission as an independent music artist is to use my. creative talents to not only entertain but also inspire and create awareness. With my hit song “Goat Walk” gaining viral traction. Using current momentum to connect with a broad audience. My aim is to use music as a powerful platform for conveying messages, emotions, and stories that resonate with my fans. Through unique blend of artistry, I am committed to pushing the boundaries of urban music while advocating for positivity, self-expression, and social consciousness. Read more>>
Go-go Amy
The mission of my company is to give everybody the opportunity to feel sexy and beautiful. For too long the fashion industry has had a standard of beauty and that has has been harmful to the people who don’t fit into that very small section of humanity. I’m not saying that skinny white people should have their sexiness taken away I’m just saying everyone should be invited to the party. Every person regardless of age, skin color, gender identity, size, or any other trait that just makes humans humans has a unique kind of beauty and I want to use my sewing machine to help highlight that. My goal is to sew clothes and create confidence. Read more>>
James Jones
Our mission if we have one is to promote underground music. The music that might not be heard otherwise is what we are interested in putting out on our label or selling in the shop. That’s not to say we don’t sell popular music as well. Music has a very amazing history and rotten princess is interested in most aspects of that. Read more>>
Ariana Caparelli
In 2019, I tragically lost my brother to suicide. This painful experience inspired me to want to help others who might be going through tough times. That’s why I started Dew Wellness. I want to offer natural ways to manage mental well-being and create a safe place for people to talk about their feelings. My mission is to make it okay to talk about mental health, and we support organizations that work to prevent suicide. Read more>>