We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Diamond Craig. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Diamond below.

Diamond , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I often say that PurposefullyPretty was started ‘accidently’. In 2012, I (Diamond Craig) had just graduated college and was searching for my place in the world. While I had dreams of working in healthcare, I wasn’t exactly sure of what I wanted to do, or how to go about pursuing such career. My first job post- college was a receptionist at NYU Langone Medical Center Office of Development. As a nonprofit, this office managed all of the operations that go into running a nonprofit organization. While sitting at my desk in development I began a blog to describe my journey from graduating college to finding my place in the real world and pursuing my purpose. Around this time social media platforms such as Instagram started to become popular. I often found myself comparing myself to the highlight reels and facades that people portrayed on social media. I then began to realize that having substance and a purpose is far more substantial than having good looks or material things. This idea inspired the name of the blog ‘PurposefullyPretty’. After a few months of running my blog, it started to pick up a lot of traction. I started to attract other young women in the same boat as me; trying to find themselves in a world that tells them to look or act a certain way. This reassured me that I was not alone. It also inspired me to meet some of the people who were reading and expressing interest in my blog. On November 17, 2012, I held my first PurposefullyPretty meeting. I met with young women of all ages who all had one common goal; to identify their purpose. One meeting turned into two, and two into three. Before I knew it, not only were we meeting monthly to discuss topics that were plaguing young women during that time; but we also began doing community service projects, outings and other things that bonded us.
By 2014, we were consistently doing monthly meetings, community service projects, prom drives, prom makeover contests and providing resources to young women who were on the path of pursuing their purpose. It was in this moment, that I decided to transition PurposefullyPretty from a community-based group to an official nonprofit organization.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

If you were to ask me if I would ever be in the nonprofit industry, I probably would have laughed. I allowed God to use and lead me, and somehow I stumbled into this work. In building this nonprofit, there was a lot to learn. I often say that “Google was my best friend”. I researched how to start a nonprofit, how to become incorporated, how to obtain my 501c3, how to apply for grants. After a lot of trial and error, I figured it out and successfully did everything. In starting PurposefullyPretty, I think what I am most proud of is taking a leap of faith. Although I was apprehensive and uncertain of what starting this organization would bring, I trusted God and myself and went for it. Additionally, in starting PurposefullyPretty, I feel as though I found my purpose. I am no longer the 23 year old girl who is searching for her place in the world. I am not a 30-something year old woman who is helping others figure out their purpose in life. It is truly one of the most fulfilling things. What I would want potential volunteers, members and supporters to know is that you are never too old or even too young to find your purpose. Tap into your passions. Tap into your gifts. Tap into those things that you can’t see yourself not doing. Be confident in yourself. Your purpose lies in that.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn in business is that I cannot to everything. For so long, I maintained this idea that I could do everything. Even in establishing PurposefullyPretty, I was the person to come up with all of the programming, create all of the graphics, manage the budget, upkeep the roster, handle the marketing and the list goes on. It came to a point were I crashed. Running PurposefullyPretty was no longer fun. My passion for the organization slowly began to fade. It wasn’t until realized that it is okay to ask for help, that I started to see the organization flourish. I established a team, found talented graphic designers, admins and even accepted help from my family and close friends in order to see PurposefullyPretty expand and flourish in the way I knew it could. When this year came in I made up in my mind that I would maintain the idea that I don’t have to do it all. It is so easy to get caught up in your goals that you feel that you have to work tirelessly in order to achieve them. In all actuality, I have set a good enough foundation for the organization to be confident that it will work for me. Everything that will come out of the org is already in motion. I will trust myself, I will trust God and I will trust that all of my time, energy and sacrifices will pay off.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think I should be renamed Diamond “Resilience” Craig (lol). I believe that my entire journey has been a true testament of my resilience. Creating and maintaining a nonprofit organization display my level of resilience. Nevertheless, I believe that my biggest example of resilience has nothing to do with the organization. I believe that it has more to do with the pursuit of my purpose. Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a doctor. I remember my kindagarden graduation, being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up; my response was “A Doctor”. I followed the Pre-Med/Pharmaceutical track in my high school. I majored in biology with a Pre-Med track in college. I took my MCAT twice. I applied to medical school at least 3 times. In 2017, I was finally accepted to the Stonybrook University bridge to medicine program. This was my opportunity to finally make my dream, a reality. Two years into the program, my grades began to plummet. By my fourth semester I was dismissed from the program.
Devastated was an understatement. All of the time, energy, money and effort I put into pursuing my dream felt like a waste. I didn’t know which direction to go.
The 2020 pandemic effected many people in different ways. For me, it gave me more time to think, pray and really strategize the next step in my pursuit. During this time, I made the choice to apply to nursing school. By the Fall of 2020, I was beginning my new journey to become a Registered Nurse. Fast forward two years, I have officially completed my nursing studies and am a Registered Nurse and Entrepreneur.
When I was dismissed from medical school, I felt like my life was over. I could have and wanted to give up then. Nevertheless, with my faith and the support of my friends and family, I was able to bounce back. I believe that is a true testament of resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.purposefullyprettyinc.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/PurposefullyPrettyinc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/PurposefullyPretty