We were lucky to catch up with Bridget Winfrey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bridget, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Purpose Found Inc. and Ministry was created in 1998 as a dance and drama business. I taught liturgical dance and drama classes in the local Atlanta, GA area. However, life happened in 2010, and I joined the Army Reserves as a chaplain. I served for eight years and truly enjoyed serving and providing pastoral care and suicide prevention training. I later enrolled at Freed Hardeman University to pursue my Doctor of Mental Health. I desired to learn more about mental health after I left the military. My capstone project was Integrating Spiritual Care Within Mental Health. My first journal publication is now in the Journal of Human Services. In addition, I also published, “Ruach: The Breath of God: A Spiritual Care and Mental Health Guide.”

I never knew this would turn into a business or ministry at the time. However, Purpose Found is now a collaboration of my spiritual gifts as a liturgical dancer, pastoral care counselor and background in mental health field. Purpose Found Inc. and Ministry provides spiritual care and mental health awareness through conferences, art therapy, fitness events, dance/drama and prayer services in the community. We have had five wonderful events and our Teens Spiritual Care and Mental Health Day will be on held on October 15, 2025. We will skate towards wellness at Ready Set Skate with a psychologist as a keynote speaker. I am currently creating a liturgical and ballet curriculum to teach women in recovery.

This endeavor has been driven by prayer and I just stepped out in faith. I held my first spiritual care and mental health event with Dr. Harold Koenig from Duke University as my keynote speaker. He shared the importance of spiritual care being apart of mental health. Later, the spiritual care and mental health events for men and women came to fruition. I received great feedback after the conferences. The men shared how much they loved art therapy and some had never painted before. We also had prostate cancer screenings during the events and this was the highlight for the men’s event. As we prepare for our teens event, parents have approached me sharing how their teens are struggling with mental issues and they look forward to attending the event. I believe partnering with gospel artist and clergy during the conferences and partnering with a skate rink owner to host a mental health event for teens have been unique approaches to show we can have healthier lives using healthy coping tools. We will soon provide spiritual care and mental health awareness for dementia patients. I am so honored and excited to serve the community with valuable resources for such an important cause.

With sincere gratitude,

Bridget Winfrey, DBH

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Bridget Winfrey, took an interest in the mental health field as a chaplain in the military. She provided pastoral care and suicide prevention training to military personnel. After serving in the military, she pursued and completed her Doctor of Behavior Health degree at Freed Hardeman University to advocate for those who struggle with mental illness and the chaos of life.

Purpose Found Inc. and Ministry is a collaboration of Bridget’s gifts of liturgical dance, pastoral care and mental health background. Purpose Found provides spiritual care and mental health awareness in the community. Through research spiritual care can bring about meaning, purpose by utilizing faith and integrating with mental health. We use creative activities such as conferences, art therapy, dance/drama and prayer services. We partner with gospel artist, local clergy and mental health therapist to share valuable information to our community. The problem we strive to solve is enlightening the community about the importance of finding healthy coping tools to maintain mental health. For instance, at our fitness event we provided fitness trainers for adults and youth. There were vendors such as the American Heart Association and they provided screenings. Exercise is a wonderful way to reduce stress and anxiety.

I believe what sets Purpose Found Inc. and Ministry apart is I do most of the work because it is a collaboration of my gifts and talents. It is my purpose and calling. I pour my all into this business and ministry. I provide liturgical dance/drama classes for women in recovery, organize the conferences/events, teach mental health prevention classes, write books, and most importantly partner with the community to make it all happen.

I am most proud of stepping out in faith, and leaping over the fear of failure. This has not been easy but I am learning to use resilience every time. I would like potential clients, particularly sponsors, to know that integration of spiritual care and mental health is important to bring better outcomes for a healthy well-being. Purpose Found Inc. and Ministry desires to expand and bring awareness to other cities outside of Hot Springs and Little Rock, Arkansas.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My business Purpose Found Inc started in the Atlanta, GA area in 1998. I taught dance and drama courses for kids. However, I had to put this business on hold because I enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2010. After such a long break, I did not think I would pick the business back up. After leaving the military in 2018, I went back to school to receive my Doctor of Behavioral Health degree. I later wrote my book Ruach: The Breath of God: A Spiritual Care and Mental Health Guide in 2023. Purpose Found Inc. and Ministry was revived with spiritual care and mental health awareness events. Currently, I am enjoying learning and connecting with wonderful business owners, sponsors, and the community. This truly is my purpose and calling.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Well, my journey has been a story of resilience; that’s my life. I put my business on hold to take care of my family. It entailed a lot of pain but personal growth at the same time. The pain of leaving my son who was about five years old when I left for basic training was the most difficult. I was not prepared for the military so I had to find the resilience within me to survive the difficult first year. I would later become a battalion chaplain leading a unity ministry team. Now, through this business Purpose Found Inc and Ministry I share the importance of integrating faith within mental health. It was my faith that sustained me through the most difficult times and helped me find my purpose and calling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.purposefoundinthemoment.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purposefoundinc/

Image Credits

Images from Purpose Found Inc conferences. Dance ministry photo is from Shutterstock photos.