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.

Tony Shavers III

Tony Shavers III Consulting was founded with a clear mission: to help people discover the confidence and direction they need to pursue their dreams. I had struggled for years to find my own path in life. I tried different jobs and careers, but nothing seemed to click. At times, I felt lost and directionless, unsure of what I really wanted out of life. Read more>>

Kym Jolstad

August 2019, my mom was diagnosed, out of the blue, with pancreatic cancer. She went in for a scheduled blood pressure/med check. The doctor noticed her eyes were jaundice. That day they found a mass on her pancreas. After googling pancreatic cancer, I knew I needed to make a difference. I was familiar with fundraising. I raised thousands of dollars through the MSWalk after my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 12. Read more>>

Kim Arazi

After many years working at the forefront of tech and innovation, curating and producing large international conferences that featured the most innovative disruptors, I began to notice that technology was, for the most part, being designed to disconnect us – from ourselves and each other. I saw an inverse correlation between the advancement of technology and the demise of human connection. In other words, the more connected we become technologically- speaking, the less connected we are to ourselves and each other (and nature!) Read more>>

Lauren Rome Marks

Romer is a small mission-driven business. This doesn’t just mean supporting causes we care about; it is embedded in every decision throughout our supply chain including all of our relationships. We call our movement Slow Beauty. We craft products the right way, and we’re all about minimalism or skinimalism. How can we get better results with less. Less money. Less products. Less waste. Read more>>

Michele Nosala

Hedone CBD’s mission 1) empowering people to explore self-care, awaken your sexual wellness, and prioritize pleasure 2) make quality hemp products and other natural remedies accessible and affordable. In my personal life as well as the years I spent working as a therapist I see people. I see them uncomfortable, in pain, disconnected, and sometimes hopeless. When you go to school to be a therapist they tell you, “Your job is to affect change.”  Read more>>

Deonica Mckeel

My mission is to inspire & motivate others. On my podcast I talk about different topics that can help you grow as a person and also learn to believe in yourself. Self growth is very important to me and I love to share my personal experiences with others just to let them know that they are not alone. My spiritual journey is very important to me as well. Read more>>

Cashe Honorable

Self love is not a trend, it is a lifestyle. Even though I feel that way, there are millions who look in the mirror and are truly unhappy with what they see. To a lot of people it is very hard to smile. Mental health is a crisis that is reeking havoc around us. People are suffering internally. I want to lift people up. You are gorgeous and special. You are one of a kind and you just being different and unique and raw is what makes you a Gem. Read more>>

Kendra Kae

My mission is to help people cultivate the skills to live a fulfilling and connected by deeply connecting with themselves, fully embracing all that they are and becoming creatively and vulnerably expressive through the body and the voice. I’ve always been an observer or human behavior and the body. Mostly my own. As a singer, I’ve practiced somatic awareness since I was very young. As an adult, I’ve observed how my behavior and the behavior of others prevents us from having healthy connections. Read more>>

Kennedy Jones

Our Mission: At Honey Factory Co., we are dedicated to the correction, enhancement and improvement of treatable skin complications. Our products are handcrafted to perfection for those who need a little extra touch for their skin. We aim to provide not only the best customer service but also the best quality skin care products! Read more>>

Schenika Quattlebaum

I am domestic violence survivor who turned my pain into triumph by creating my cosmetic line Natalia Me-gan Beauty. As a child I always had a love of makeup and would get in trouble when I would play in my mom’s cosmetics. That love continued on throughout my life but then things changed. I went from loving and wearing my makeup as an enhancement to needing it every day just to leave the house. Read more>>

Sarah Doyle

Nature’s playhouse was created by parents, for parents, over 11 years ago. Our story has always been to recognize the value of a “village”. Through our own personal journey and difficulties of parenthood, we wanted to re-image what it means to have support systems for parents and caregivers. To meet families where they are, as experts of their own family and by honoring the unique experiences of parenthood. Read more>>

Gwenlyn Boley

I have been a private music instructor for around nine years and the first five years I taught at a music school where the students would meet me in a studio for lessons. There were perks to teaching in a studio, for me, I could schedule students back to back, I could set up the space how I preferred, and the students had an opportunity to play on a different instrument from their own. Read more>>

Rachel Westfall

The missions behind my digitizing work (Digitizing by Rachel) and my tech startup (name TBD) are one and the same – to help people preserve their precious pieces of personal history so they can re-live, pass down, and share those memories. Everyone has a story; big, small; long, short; adventurous, tame – we all have memories that piece together our life story. Read more>>

Sirrita Rubiano

The Bless Thy Skin mission is to provide an affordable and non-toxic skincare solution that is gentle yet effective with melanin-rich skin in mind. While there are a wide variety of skincare companies, not many focus on ethnic skin. And they certainly do not cater to those who suffer with chronic illness, such as lupus, that can sometimes cause extreme skin sensitivity. Read more>>

Rogdricus Neely

Our Mission: We seek to bridge the gap between HBCU community and fitness by uplifting the physical, mental and spiritual aspect of each and every client. And in everything we do, we strive to operate with integrity, honesty and camaraderie. We are STRONGER TOGETHER! Read more>>

Julie Armbruster

My mission is to encourage and explore curiosity and imagination, and to highlight the strange and bizarre by creating narrative paintings to encourage neurodiversity and creative problem solving. I came to this work after collaborating with my roommate at the time in Brooklyn. Read more>>

Deida Massey

I’ve been doing missions with The Uzima Center through my nonprofit, Reel Beauty, Inc. for 12 years. The name of the mission is called, “Uzuri Wa Kweli” Swahili for Reel Beauty. In 2016 while on my first missions trip there, I traveled across the Indian Ocean to Zanzibar, Tanzania and visited the Spice Farm. While walking through the spice farm, one of the tour guides led me to a plant. He then said, “it’s called the LIPSTICK PLANT.” Read more>>

Sherry Henderson

My brand is “Writing Inspires a Village”. The village is the people that invest in your life and show you much love along the way. The backstory behind the mission that drives my brand is when COVID-19 interrupted my plans to travel the world after retirement in 2020, I asked the question “What do I do now”. My thoughts kept coming back to sharing my story of survival and thriving with my family. Read more>>

Alex J Nakamura

‘Sumiye’ is a Japanese female name that means ‘Bright Mind, Smart Girl’. The name also signifies ‘Pure, Longevity, Beautiful, Blessed’. The inspiration came from my mixed Japanese – Colombian background. I was born in Japan and was raised in Colombia by a Japanese mother and a Colombian father. The name embraces all the amazing women that have made Sumiye Co what it is. Read more>>

Alpa Patel

My life’s purpose I realized at a later stage in life, at age of 40. I had a beautiful dream and these words come to me in a dream when I was 29, penniless and living back with my parents at their motel in Arlington, TX. I woke up with this dream which I quickly went to computer and released out of my dream into a word document. It was a poem that spang outside of me, through my fingers as they were flying off the keyboard. I typed this: Read more>>

Arthur Emma

ByDesign was started by two teachers with a deep passion to help their students succeed. Day in and day out, we see that achieving big goals is not only about ambition, talent or even hard work. It’s about design. Designing your day to get the most out of it. Designing your month to achieve your goals. Designing your year to move you closer to your biggest dreams. Read more>>

Stacy Douglas

Juneteenthsc was envisioned in November 2016, established on 06/17/2017, and registered on 06/11/2020. Juneteenthsc inspires the basics of financial consciousness to realize wealth; through the implementation of mental health, physical health, spiritual health, a support system, and consistency. Read more>>

Terence Townsend

My journey to success was not an easy one. Raised by a single mother, I came from very humble beginnings. However, I credit having faith in God’s plan and my determination to succeed have led me to achieve international recognition for my work in ministry, business and media. Read more>>