Our stories are often hard to understand until folks understand our true motivations, our true drivers and the stories behind why our mission or purpose truly matters to us. We’ve asked some inspiring folks from the community to talk to us about why they do what they do and have shared some of our favorite responses below.

Brittanie Muhammad

My mission is simple. The beauty industry doesn’t have to be intimidating or overwhelming. I use my skills and talent to bridge the gap. Whether you’re a stay at home mom who never gets a chance to ever put makeup or a business professional who needs hair and makeup done for multiple occasions. You’re needs are important and can be met without that feeling of not looking like yourself. Read more>>

Terrill Mitchell

I created HTX Connect for exactly what the name represents, to connect! We have such an amazing dance community, one who supported me as I developed my performing career here, and one that continues to support me as a dance educator, choreographer, and consultant. The amount of talent we have access to in Houston is off the chart, which provides limitless resources for our local dance community. HTX Connect was created to strengthen our community by acting as a resource where we connect, share, and celebrate the various organizations, educators, and dancers that contribute to our community. Read more>>

Rhoda Agyeman

Like most aspiring lawyers who apply for enrollment to law school, my reason for pursuing a law degree was “to help people”. I recall once being told by a friend that social workers help people, personal trainers help people; how and who do you want to help? This statement shaped what has now become the foundation of my mission – helping immigrants by empowering them with the knowledge they need to make this land theirs. The saying goes, charity starts at home and at home is where my story begins. I am the daughter of two faith-filled and relentless immigrants. Read more>>

Thomas Barsoe

After 10 years as a solo artist, touring the world and selling over 2 million albums, I met my wife and we bought a house in Orange County. I was ready for a change of pace and to settle down and grow roots but also felt the urge to give back. So I volunteered my time, visiting high schools and talking to students about the music industry, sharing my story and giving advice on how to get started on a career path as a recording artist.  Read more>>

Morgan Kelly

My main mission for Olivia’s Nectar is for women especially women of color to love and embrace their natural hair, without thinking that the natural state of their hair always needs to be hidden, in order for their hair to be considered the most beautiful. I want to show the world that our curls are perfect how they are, and should be worn freely without doubt. It is very important to me that I inspire women to fall back in love with their curls. My main goal is to have everyone who uses Olivia’s Nectar feel like royalty. Read more>>

Sheena Lynne

When I launched my clothing line Kemet Clothing Company the need of resources and assistance that I needed wasn’t easily available. So a lot of mistakes and losses followed. While going though my own journey I realized a need this type of platform and with that I created Charming Creole Consulting Read more>>

Amber Tumminello

Becoming a parent has truly opened our eyes to the extreme importance of cultivating our future leaders. With that said the same mission of cultivation is being birthed at our farm and into our small business. Learning to work with the land that God has provided for us has been an adventure with both good and bad days. Our passion for the honeybee, elder flowers and elderberry plants is growing tremendously, as well as the knowledge of the health benefits. Read more>>

Seth Morrison

My mission is simple, “Documenting the important moments” I’ve always found myself documenting every little thing in my life with photos. Thinking back on influences for this, my family has a large framed photo collection of each family from my mom and dad’s side dating back seven generations. The earliest photos were with horses and buggies, taken with cameras that would take 10-30 minutes to capture the image. From the day I got my first camera I’m always looking for a way to document something for others in my artistic vision. Read more>>

Vanita Brinkley

We moved from Michigan to Texas in 2019. After we were here for a few weeks, my husband and mother in law wanted a good corned beef sandwich-just like they were at home in Michigan. They tried several delis/restaurants however, it was just not the same as what we were accustom too. We ended up finding a store that sold raw corned beef and cooked ourselves. A few people tasted the corned beef and said, “You all need to sell this corned beef! It’s the best sandwich I ever had.” Since a lot of Texans are not to familiar with corned beef, we decided to do a soft launch at our home to see the response. Read more>>

Sena Williams

When I first started my journey it was because I realized as an adult often we are the product of our environment, our social and economical status and our family bloodline. But what I didn’t know was who I actually was or what I wanted to do in life. I realized that not only did I suffer from what I called was Identity crisis that countless others did and it all began from childhood. As children we use our imagination to build what we think at that time as our purpose. As a kid all I heard or saw was women mostly in the field of sales, beauty or healthcare. Read more>>

Essential Anne

Anne is the founder and creator of Essential Anne and Women’s Wellness That Works Holistic. Inspirational. Empowering Anne was disabled as a result of infertility and major digestive problems in 1994. Two ectopic pregnancies and several bowel obstructions required the surgical removal of part of her small intestine and underwent emergency hysterectomy. Some of the health conditions she experienced were dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding), dumping syndrome (chronic diarrhea) and anemia. Read more>>

Crystal Smith

The story behind my mission is that I personally am a single mom who has been faced with a lot of adversity. When I became a single mom in college it wasn’t planned nor expected. I was always a determined scholar who had the drive to succeed, but when I had my daughter I quickly realized that I would have to put some strategic plans into overdrive if I wanted to stay the course. When starting to plan I was having all of these overwhelmingly subconscious feelings of defeat and the loneliness that I had never felt before. I began to slow down, allow myself some grace, and realign my life’s plan. It took about 3 years for me to get past the shock of my situation, but I kept doing the self-work. Read more>>

Jackie Lee

When I was a little girl, I suffered from having chickenpox twice, which is rare. This event left me with dark spots covering my legs. I was very insecure about them and tried everything to get rid of them. Then I got pregnant with my first daughter, and stretch marks became my new insecure issue. I developed a cream for myself that seems to work well. My husband convinced me to make it for others like me. Naturally Unmarked is a body care line catered to improving and treating your skin’s stretch marks, scars, and dark spots for everyday use. Read more>>

Paula Solano

Our brand was built with the ambition of implementing contemporary and timeless design concepts in parts of the home where they would be most appreciated. We curate a broad spectrum of items from all over the world from major design houses to hand-made artisan crafts. There’s nothing that we enjoy more than when a customer has that ‘aha’ moment with one of our products. Read more>>

Tonia Martinez

My career stems from an amazing 22-year background in human resources, corporate America with a focus on the talent acquisition space. I would not be where I am today and able to do what I’m doing if it weren’t for this career. Having an opportunity to support the human resources department for various organizations is extremely rewarding. I’m passionate about serving people so it was a perfect match for me. I have met so many amazing people throughout my career and was always closely connected to working with leaders of teams and divisions, and this exposure helped shape me for my future business. Read more>>

Elizabeth Misner

I have been a ballet dancer and instructor my whole life. Like a lot of people when COVID hit, my primary focus was taken away from me. However, the life change that COVID created made way for new ideas and opportunities. My husband and I have always been passionate about food. In search of a new creative outlet, we started making charcuterie during the pandemic as a fun, social distant friendly way to connect with people and each other. Read more>>

Nicholas Emery

My mission is to offer an alternative way to view and experience the world. Because I do. Today the pedagogies of “nation building”, using predetermined cultural, political, and economic narratives, as well as cartesian philosophical rationality and scientific predictability can be crushing, and deeply unsatisfying. We long for different stories that may help us realize who we are. Read more>>

Cindy Gracely

The story of the Cinergy Works Mission started when I did an exercise with a Brand Specialist. The exercise was called “You are your Brand” using Brand Archetype cars. My personal mission statement after the session was complete is “I have a no limit philosophy and tenacious approach to how I live each day.I live life with passion running through my veins, Guides directing me spiritually, and always optimistic when facing and conquering challenges.I have a relentless belief in the good in humanity and I see the world with wonder.” This translated perfectly in to the overall vision and mission of Cinergy Works. Read more>>

Veaunka Gulley

Unlike most, I did not ever see myself having a baking/cooking business. I am in healthcare two completely different paths. However, I’ve always loved to cook and bake, I learned how to cook watching my grandmother Christell and my mother. I never understood why they went above and beyond cooking and serving others just for fun but as an adult, I know get fulfilled watching others consume my food. This is not a business it’s a family! Each and everyone of my “customers” are really an extension of family. Read more>>

Taylor Deer

My blog name is Brown Eyed Flower Child and my mission is to help people see the world through my eyes. Even though travel is different for everyone, social media has promoted over tourism, traveling to certain destinations for social media clout and not truly experiencing a country’s culture. I am someone who enjoys traveling to get a taste of a culture that is different than mine, to try different foods, to learn about a specific country’s history and to also interact with locals. On my blog, I promote authentic travel in a luxurious and adventurous way. Read more>>

Jenny Bhatt

Desi Books began as a modest pandemic-driven podcast in 2020. For a few years, I’d been seeing how the same kinds of books by writers of South Asian origin were being spotlighted by news media and the publishing ecosystem. Not that there was anything wrong with these books but that they mostly focused on particular versions of South Asia or South Asian cultures instead of the huge diversity and multiplicity of our stories. Read more>>

Yogi Bryan

The yoga and meditation journey transformed my life. It all started as an accident. I created an Instagram page to make fun of yoga then I ended up falling in love with yoga. I became healthier losing weight and felt better mentally. I was going through a really rough time when I found yoga and it truly saved my life. Now my mission is to share my practice of yoga so people can develop a healthy body and peaceful mind. My goal is to help the world release 10 billion f*cks. Read more>>

Michelle Faust

The inception of The Lemonade Stand started with my own self-realization I had a story of learning how to acquire a fearless attitude due to having a severe hearing loss which had impacted my own self-worth and created limiting beliefs. My story is full of vulnerability, courage, and learning how to cope in a world that values perfection by developing my alternative strengths. My mission is to create the largest storytelling distribution network in the world, to give people a voice, share their stories, and elevate them above the conventional noise. Read more>>

Antoyia Fortune

My personal mission is to empower others through proper education on skincare systems and makeup application. I have found a passion for uplifting and empowering women to be their best selves, therefore uplifting from the outside, in, and inside, out. When I started this business, a complete moment of transparency, I didn’t recognize my full potential and value. I’ve always had a level of confidence, but it was shaky at times. I’ve had a crash course in personal development through my Mary Kay business. I’ve been able to find a happy medium of humility and tooting my own horn! I’ve learned to help others recognize the beauty that is inside and how to highlight that on the outside. Read more>>

Raby W. Bah

Raby is the founder of Owl Learning, a local company that offers language programs to children using an interactive and creative curriculum that provides a fun learning experience. Raby studied Electrical Engineering in college and started her career as a Semiconductor Test Engineer, testing high voltage silicon carbide devices. She has always been fascinated with the semiconductor industry. Read more>>

Michele Johnson

Working as a Duke trained Physician Assistant in Family Medicine, I initially believed the connections I made with patients to get to root cause stressors in their lives that resulted in health changes was my mission. Many days 5 or more patients cried with me about the mounting difficulties of managing work, family responsibilities and trying to eat well and exercise. Reading the National Stress Institute statistic that 77% of doctor visits are the result of stress related illness rang true in my everyday professional experience. As a certified professional life coach, I went after impacting more people with the skills and techniques to be resilient against stress effects on the body that worked for me and my patients. Read more>>

J.W. Bella

Embrace Your Truth is my motto, my mission, and my Achilles’ heel. I made it my motto because it’s something I’ve fought to do most of my adult life. I grew up an introverted church girl who lived most of her childhood for everyone else. Now, I write poetry, stories, and news articles because it helps me to accept who I am: faults and all. Read more>>

Beverly Brown

My mission is to provide ongoing consultations and direction with “Dreamers” to ensure they achieve their ultimate goal, dream and vision in life. As a “Dreamsteerer™” I am a person that steers you towards that overall vision. I used to get overly involved with doing everything for the Dreamer in order to achieve their dream until I realized I just needed to steer them in the right direction they needed to proceed toward in order to achieve it. Read more>>

Julie Saad

Most of my life I didn’t think of myself as having a mission or of needing one! Then my teacher and mentor of 25 years, Thomas Keating, died in 2018. Something changes in our lives when those who have gone before us pass. I think it happens when we lose our parents, favorite teachers, heroes, and others we love and admire. What did their life mean to me? What’s the lasting mark they left on me? What did I learn from them? What did they model for me? What do I miss? Read more>>