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.

Angelique Whaley

My connection to this mission started simply—I just wanted to help. I started off as an advocate, supporting people who were unhoused or in shelters, helping them navigate broken systems, speak up when something wasn’t right, and get basic needs met. But the deeper I got, the more I realized how bad things really were. Over time, my clients started trusting me with more—real-time updates, text messages, photos of unsafe conditions, proof of retaliation or abuse. And it became horrifying. I wasn’t just hearing about one or two incidents—I was seeing a pattern, a system designed to keep people silent, dependent, and afraid. Read more>>

Anquinette Robinson

The mission behind Only Captured By AQ came from a mix of personal experience and deep reflection. After earning my degrees, building a career, and doing what I thought I was supposed to do, I realized I still didn’t feel fulfilled. When I picked up my camera again, something shifted. Photography wasn’t just something I enjoyed. It became a way to honor people exactly as they are. That realization changed everything and became the heart of my work. Read more>>

Kassha Bro

As a publicist with a background in cognitive behavior and a deep understanding of human dynamics, I bring a unique lens to media representation and brand storytelling. Our agency recognizes the intricate behaviors that shape each client’s journey, allowing us to craft authentic narratives and guide brands with strategic clarity. Read more>>

Chantel Francis

Hello Beauty was born out of my own experience as a college student as a young Black woman navigating a predominantly white campus, in a rural area I constantly found myself without access to the beauty and personal care products that made me feel like me. The closest beauty supply store was often miles away, and campus options didn’t carry the products I needed for my hair, skin, or self-care. Read more>>

Pierce Westbrook

I started out posting during the COVID 19 pandemic as a way to pass the time during quarantine. When a random video of mine blew up I immediately saw how many people enjoyed my video and how happy and seen they felt watching something they can all relate to. That’s when I decided that I wanted to continue spreading joy through my videos and creating a space where I can share my love for movies, music, and dance through my posts and being a source of happiness through such a dark time. Read more>>

Josh Rodewald

When I was 15 years old I started racing dirt track cars through-out Northern WI. One day while working on my racecar in my dads shop, I heard a terrifying yell from outside the shop. When I rushed out of the shop I had found my dad pinned under the ford explorer he had ben working on outside on the apron of the shop. The hydraulic floor jack had failed while he was working under the vehicle, pinning my dad under the vehicle. I had to rescue him from under the vehicle by using another jack that we had in our shop. Luckily his injuries were only minor. I could’ve lost my father that day. Read more>>

Evelyn Williams

Absolutely! At Command Staging and Design, our mission is simple: to create beautiful, functional spaces that inspire confidence and help homes sell faster or feel more like home. Whether we’re staging for a quick sale or redesigning a lived-in space, our goal is to elevate how people experience their environment. Read more>>

Elsa Boutaric

My mission is to empower my clients to feel completely aligned with their personal brand, identity, and style—inside and out.

Through years of working internationally and living across cultures, I’ve developed a deep expertise in building wardrobes that aren’t just beautiful, but truly functional, versatile, and reflective of a client’s lifestyle—whether they’re traveling the world, leading a business, or stepping into a new chapter. Read more>>

Daniele Lanzarotta

I’m lucky to own a company where passion for art is the driving force. In my industry, I had seen companies take advantage of clients, so when I started my company, I vowed to put passion first. I’m personally involved with every step of the process in one way or another to ensure that my clients get their dreams turned into reality. I started out as an author first, then as a sound engineer and at times, producer – other authors are my client base. My background helps me see things from both sides of the business, really understanding the hard work authors put into their books and what a dream it is to turn those stories into audiobooks. Read more>>

Elizabeth Anderson

My mission is deeply personal—it was born from survival, struggle, and purpose. I’m not just telling stories to be heard; I’m telling stories that need to be felt. I grew up as a military brat, traveling the world and being exposed to a wide range of people, cultures, and perspectives. That shaped how I see the world, and more importantly, how I connect with it. Read more>>

Brandon Cox

At Crookd Crown Clothier, our mission is to redefine what royalty looks like—one story, one stitch at a time. We exist to empower those who’ve been counted out, overlooked, or underestimated. Our brand speaks directly to the resilient—the people who wear their scars like medals and their experiences like armor. The tagline “Redefining Royalty” isn’t just catchy—it’s personal. Read more>>

Tessa And Alex Hall And Barnes

Friend of a Friend (FOAF) was born from a simple truth: we’re all craving real connection. Not just more friends — but the kind of shared moments that make you feel seen.

It started in Alex’s backyard with 30 of us — friends and friends-of-friends — just wanting to hang out and actually connect. That first night sparked something special, and it hasn’t stopped since. What began as a backyard gathering turned into wine tastings, matcha collabs, and events with over 100 people — all designed to feel intentional, effortless, and fun. Read more>>

Maxine Bryant

My company, Bryant Educational Seminars & Training Global Enterprise, LLC, is committed to delivering the BEST quality and accurate training experiences across various domains, promoting diversity, personal enhancement, and social justice. This requires a commitment to holistic, accurate truth. That’s where my newest brand, GriotSpeaks comes in. It became clear to me in the classroom and through BEST, that people do not know or recognize Black greatness and genius. I became committed to making sure that all people know of the genius of Black people. Read more>>

Dr. Nicole Gates-Golden

I started Golden Key Entrepreneur Training Academy to provide essential support to startup businesses and those seeking to pivot and grow. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many programs aimed at supporting entrepreneurs disappeared as the world reopened, leaving a gap for those still seeking knowledge and education, particularly around entrepreneurship. My goal is to equip these individuals with the necessary elements to create sustainable business enterprises. By offering training, resources, and guidance, I aim to empower entrepreneurs on their journey toward success. Read more>>

Phillip Hodge

I grew up in San Antonio Texas born with Drugs in my system I was immediately placed in the hands of Child Protective Services as a ward of the state. I was moved from the hospital to the Emergency Children’s Shelter and then to the Baptist Children’s Home long term program where I lived until a foster home was found for my 3 sisters and I. We lived in a foster home together for years before being split up and separated. I lived in over 25 shelter’s and group homes before enrolling into a trade school Gary Job Corps in San Marcos, Texas. I obtained my highschool diploma and trade as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) I was told that I needed to finish school in order to get Free college in the state of Texas. Read more>>

Erin Kelley

House of Muses is a non-profit street ministry out of Cleveland, Ohio. We focus on art and media to help us accomplish our goal. Our main mission is to act out God’s Word and become “Fishers of Men” by offering bible based teachings and resources. Here, we aren’t building a following, but we are building an army. Read more>>

Pooja Bansal

Our mission at Swift Running is to make high-performance running shoes more accessible, and the story behind that mission started with my own life.

I got into running almost a decade ago, during a time when life was full, work, parenting, responsibilities, and barely a minute to myself. Running became my outlet. It gave me clarity, strength, and a way to reconnect with myself. Even now, I don’t run with music or Air Pods, I like to listen to my breath, my steps, the world around me. It’s how I slow down. Read more>>

DaShay Carter

My mission is to aid in the elevation of others. I do this by offering resources, making meaningful connections, and using every skill I possess—whether it’s my background in therapy, my ability to coordinate and organize, or simply my gift for truly seeing people for who they are and recognizing their unique talents. I believe in helping others step into their power and rise to their potential. Read more>>

Carson Zuck

My mission as a composer is to craft scores that aren’t just supportive or decorative for a film, but born from the very pregnancy of the narrative itself: imperative, integral, and non-dispensable. Too often, film music defaults to background filler or cultural tropes; I strive to write what I call an “internal score,” one that contributes original, authentic narrative information which creates a sense of inevitability rather than dispensable interchangeability. Read more>>

Mo King

The story behind HerTestimony’s mission is really my own. I was a girl raised on the east side of Greensboro in a single-parent household, growing up in the projects with a praying mother and a broken understanding of my worth. I experienced pain early—abuse, chronic illness, heartbreak, rejection, and the feeling of being unseen. But God saw me. Even when I strayed, He never stopped pursuing me. Read more>>

Deborah Land

I was trained as a visual artist and earned a BFA and MFA in fine art. I later became a fine art photographer and have had many exhibitions of my work.
I am creator and Executive Director of the Jeremiah Photo Project, a non-profit heirloom photography project, gifting printed photo portraits to persons unable to afford them. Read more>>

Meredith DeSantos

The real story behind my mission? It’s about redefining success—and completely rewriting what we’ve been told “hard work” should look like.

Growing up, I was trained to chase gold stars. External validation was the currency—and I was rich in it. Straight A’s, top of my class, Dean’s List, high honors from one of the best communications schools in the country. I was the good girl who did everything “right.” But once I got into the real world, especially the entertainment industry, I realized none of it mattered. The rules changed—and success became about how much you could tolerate, how fast you could hustle, and how well you could pretend it wasn’t breaking you. Read more>>

Massiel Villanueva

Absolutely — here’s a meaningful and heartfelt response you can use:

Our mission at YÜJ is to make clean, nourishing food accessible to real families , especially those often left out of the wellness conversation. But this mission didn’t come from a trend. It came from desperation, love, and a mother’s instinct to heal. Read more>>

Megan Murphy

My mission at Mystic Studio is to provide a safe place where people from all walks of life can express their individuality through their hair.

I view hairstyling as sacred spiritual work, a way of deepening our connection with ourselves and embodying our internal truths in the physical realm. When we feel connected with our physical selves, we are able to walk through the world with confidence and energetic alignment. Read more>>

Ameera May

The Near-death institute is driven by spiritual purpose. Our mission is to amplify the voices of those who are vessels for the divine and in service to others. We strive to serve humanity by publishing spiritually transformative literature that amplifies and empowers humanity, as well as contributes to the spiritual evolution of humanity. Read more>>

Scott Buss

I would love to seak to someone But her it goes. I have thing stories about adversity in life I share and how I started my business after some hardship in 2018-2019 that I have built a global company with NO pr or paid marketing and wanted to share those adversity personal things. Read more>>

Manoj

To provide a good and wide variety of state of the art, old and new school equipment for all levels of fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongman and Strongwomen. Read more>>

Tim Stanton

Reclamation was born out of shared hunger… for more meaning, more beauty, and more courage in the built environment. We looked around and saw a world full of spaces that looked polished but felt hollow. So we started asking: What would it look like to design spaces with souls? Read more>>

Jam Alker

Honestly, HEAL came out of a very personal journey. After spending years in the music industry and then doing a lot of advocacy work in recovery and mental health, I hit a point where I knew I needed to evolve again — not just for myself, but for my family and for the people I was trying to help. Read more>>

Roshi Shafaie

I was born in Iran, and when I was 12 years old, my mom, my brothers, and I fled to Germany as refugees during the Iran-Iraq war. We had to start over—new language, new culture, and an entirely new life. I went to school, earned a degree in computer science, and eventually moved to the United States in my 30s, believing in the idea that this was the land of opportunity. I built a life here, started a career in my field, got married, and became a mom. Read more>>

Ruta Swanson

People often assume my name is Amber. Well, it’s Ruta. A Lithuanian name that’s not especially hard, but easy to forget. When I started my business here in the U.S., I knew I needed a name that felt warm, meaningful and easy to hold onto. That’s how Amber Shore Pictures came to life. Read more>>

Crista Rose Ellis

My mission is to support others in uncovering what matters most—in their lives, their work, and their inner worlds—through practices rooted in presence, self-inquiry, and meaningful connection. This work blends yoga, meditation, somatic awareness, soulful conversation, and community care. Read more>>

Ryne Thunderhawk

I guess you could say my mission has always been rooted in community. I exist to connect and uplift the voices around me that need just a little nudge to make it over the hill. Even at my marketing agency, Thunderhawk Creative, I consider my work with my clients less as a transactional experiences, but more about building relationships. Most of the businesses I partner with are in design, art, tech, or wellness fields, and each of them is building a future that’s more beautiful, inclusive, and equitable. Read more>>

GINGER DINUNZIO

As a portrait photographer, many assume that I just enjoy photographing people and it is as simple as that. But there is a history to my profession choice. My childhood growing up in England was quite different to the classic American standard of Holiday cards every year with a family picture. I can count on one hand the number of family pictures we have, and I myself took all of those with a self-timer on a tripod! I often long for family pictures that we simply don’t have. Especially as my mother died young, it seems even more important that we should have had those memories captured. Read more>>

Davila Jackley

BeadedUpByDavi was never just about putting beads on a string. It started from a personal place — I was looking for something that made me feel beautiful, grounded, and confident again. Something that reminded me I was still me, even as my body changed. Read more>>

Dee Wagner

I launched my wedding planning company in January of 2020—just weeks before the world came to a screeching halt. When COVID hit in March, every event was canceled or indefinitely postponed, and like so many others in the industry, I found myself staring at an empty calendar wondering what came next. Read more>>

Deja Richardson

The mission behind Neon Paint Place was born from my journey as a painter and mixed media artist, and my belief in the healing, connective power of art. For years, I explored abstraction as a way to process emotion, embrace chaos, and make sense of the world around me. But over time, I realized that the transformative experience I was having in the studio wasn’t something that should be limited to trained artists or gallery spaces; it was something everyone deserved access to. Read more>>

Coaco Taylor

My mission is to walk in my purpose. Make money in my sleep. I want to run successful & lucrative companies. Read more>>

Tamara Greer

I started I AM THE BFP while walking through my own infertility journey. After feeling isolated, I knew other women needed a safe space to find hope, support, and sisterhood. “BFP” stands for Big Fat Positive—but for me, it also means Big Faith & Purpose. This mission is personal. Through events, grants, and community, we uplift women navigating infertility and remind them they are not alone—they are BFP strong. Read more>>

Mo Berry

My purpose in this life is to be of service to humanity. Killa Cam Photography is rooted in a deep connection to people because my passion for service carries over into my photography. Everyone deserves to preserve memories and milestones that last a lifetime. Everyone deserves to preserve their history. To be seen. To be remembered. To have proof that they were here. That they lived. That they loved. My mission is to make that possible (and more accessible) for people, for those of us here now and for the generations that come after us. Read more>>

Yorhely Garabito

2023 was a pivotal year in my life. I ended a long-term relationship, my online fitness business began to crash, and I went into a deep depression. I had been chasing fulfillment in all the wrong places, and it left me broken. I cried out to God, and He met me in the pits of despair. He didn’t just comfort me, He called me deeper. He began to heal my heart, renew my mind, and reorder every area of my life, including how I viewed fitness. Read more>>

Yury Escobar

The inspiration behind my mission was to establish a beauty salon dedicated to empowering women and enhancing their confidence. My vision is inclusive, ensuring that every woman feels beautiful both inside and out. I aim for each client to leave feeling more self-assured than ever after their services. Read more>>

Shereve Smith

At The French Chateau of Odessa, our mission is to provide a uniquely elegant and welcoming space where lasting memories are made. As both an event venue and luxury vacation rental, we are dedicated to hosting unforgettable experiences—whether it’s a wedding, business mixer, wellness retreat, or relaxing getaway. We strive to foster connection, celebration, and personal growth by offering a charming setting, exceptional service, and a sense of peaceful escape on our picturesque two-acre property. Read more>>

Charlie Walker

Since the age of 9, I have been fascinated with cinema. Going to the theaters and seeing films at a young age piqued my curiosity and sparked my love for telling stories. I read a bit, and I wrote as well, but nothing compared to watching a film series like Star Wars on a home television. I had convinced myself that I wanted to act because that is who I saw on the screen as a kid. So, I participated in drama classes in middle school, but I never connected with those activities as much as I did when I shot films using a GoPro or an iPod. I even helped operate the curtains of the school play and found that more intriguing than being on stage myself. Read more>>

Maria Tkacz

Harbor Thermaculture was created through my own healing journey. I grew up in a world that often looks for quick fixes instead of asking what’s really going on underneath. As a first-generation Polish-American with close to no family in the states, I spent every summer in Poland as a kid. I saw how differently people live there—more connected to the land, ancestors’ traditions, natural remedies, and always talking about their physical health with one another. The feeling of being between two worlds stuck with me even when back in Chicago.

Anthuni Rivera

Earth To Skin is my vessel to spiritual and ancestral connection, self expansion and a lifestyle that’s sustainable. Read more>>

Debbie Liaw

At Aquafuzion, our mission is to bring our clients’ visions to life. Beautifully, intentionally, and seamlessly. From floral design to décor, timelines to final execution, every detail is thoughtfully curated to reflect each client’s unique story. But beyond aesthetics, our purpose runs deeper: we strive to create lasting joy. We believe that happiness is in the details. The kind that lingers in hearts and memories long after the event is over. It’s this commitment to heartfelt experiences that fuels our passion and drives everything we do. Read more>>

Gerrard Roberts

At Zenco Solutions, our mission is to make wellness a more holistic and accessible journey—mind, body, and career. But for me, it’s more than a mission statement—it’s personal.

Zenco was born out of my own experience navigating high-performance environments while quietly dealing with burnout, self-doubt, and the pressure to always keep it together. I realized how often we talk about wellness in theory, but not in the context of real life—where work stress, imposter syndrome, and the need to show up don’t leave much room for rest. Read more>>

Shannon Stiggins

Long before my encounter with Jesus, I was already trying to open all the doors I have open now.

I worked hard to build a life around creativity—DJing, photography, storytelling. I tried to create spaces where people felt something real. But no matter how much I chased success or how hard I pushed, everything I built eventually fell short. Nothing truly satisfied. Nothing lasted. Read more>>