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.

Talia Fuhrman

I’d say the groundwork for my passion for Eye of Aery, a gourmet healthy desserts edibles company, truly began before I was born. This is because my father, Joel Fuhrman MD, was in residency to finish his medical school program when I entered the world. My father’s specialty as a doctor has always been disease prevention and reversal via a a keen understanding of nutritional science. I grew up watching sick people become well via adhering to his plant-based, nutrient-rich diet lifestyle which he calls the Nutritarian Diet. Therefore, I grew up eating this whole foods, plant-based diet and ended up becoming so passionate about living this lifestyle that decided to get my degree in nutritional sciences from Cornell University. While I didn’t find that program to be the most up to date on nutritional science research, my passionate for using food as medicine never wavered. I decided to write a nutritional science book for young women soon after I graduated called Love Your Body. I also developed a love affair with healthy cooking/baking and making healthy food taste amazing. My second book is a healthy desserts cookbook called Desserts To Live For that is all fruit-sweetened, vegan, oil-free and processed flour-free. I’ve very much enjoyed getting create in the kitchen!  Read more>>

Elnaz Moghangard

3:00AM The Card Game is my first product launch as part of a greater venture called Souly Global, where I intend to share more products and provide experiences that resonate with our soul and inspire us to feel alive. I use the term “soul” very broadly and in the context of our connection with our own mind, heart, body, and energy, and as a result, a deeper connection with others and our environment. I think people by nature thrive off of authentic human connection and a sense of belonging within a community, whether we realize it or not. It doesn’t mean everyone wants a big social circle. It just means people want to feel seen and understood by those closest to them, but there is also a fear of being vulnerable and emotionally intimate. I started to notice throughout my 20s and now in my early 30s how discontent many people feel within themselves and how disconnected with others they feel. Especially in relationships, I still find it odd how not only dating apps, but even dating culture itself, has commodified people into almost a product where everyone swipes past people like they’re shopping. It seems like people have forgotten that each person is a human with a story and there is a value to that which makes how we interact more considerate than if we just saw people as a product. Even in more longterm relationships, romantic and platonic, it seems like communication with self-awareness has been a big challenge that has caused otherwise strong, loving bonds to breakdown.  Read more>>

Holly Winter Huppert

Mission Driven Company All three of my companies – Worthy Skin Care, Winuply Press and Winuply Education have one mission: help others. My teaching salary pays my mortgage; my businesses pay for my humanitarian work. In 2022—just four months after the war on Ukraine began, I was at first unsettled. That feeling grow to fury.  How? Why?  My anger that one country could wage genocide on a neighboring country grew. I felt a calling to help.  I must help. But how? I closed all of my businesses for the summer and traveled to Poland to help the many refugees fleeing the brutality of war. After searching for organizations that offered support, I decided to partner with an organization out of Norway called: A Drop in the Bucket. I worked in a free shop in Krakow, Poland for 7 weeks. I spent my time volunteering in any way they needed. I played with children while the mothers collected needed essentials. I stocked shelves. I swept floors. I bought supplies with donations. Read more>>

Alicia Ybarra

Our mission is to elevate every bride’s special day into an extraordinary celebration of beauty and personal expression. Each custom wedding dress we design is a reflection of the bride’s unique personality and love story. Our commitment to elegance, exclusivity, and bespoke design is deeply embedded in every custom dress we create, making every bride’s experience with us as exceptional as the gown she wears. Early on in the history of my company, I noticed a common theme among my clients, regardless of size, shape, or ethnicity. Every woman would have a tendency to zero in on the one feature she didn’t like about herself. It quickly became my mission to help her overcome those body insecurities with the custom designs I create. My goal was for her to see in the mirror the beautiful woman that her friends and family saw, and realize her own beauty and worth. Read more>>

Max Yawney

I am an artist. The work I do employs diverse media, sculpture installations, paintings, photographic works and drawings. In the 1990’s, I began to understand that I felt that art could offer a more immersive and exciting experience than what I was seeing. The idea of a picture or a single image was limiting to the variations of possible images that can be located within a pictorial space. I also realized that the idea of communicating via art was impractical as so many viewers will have so many interpretations. I decided to dismiss the idea of a subject matter in lieu of an experience for the viewer.. The result has been the project I’ve been working on since 1996, I use two different images or objects that are seemingly unrelated and situate them closely., there is typically an inch or so of space between the paintings and photographic works and typically a about a foot between the sculptures. Read more>>

Relius Johnson

I’m excited to share the heart behind our mission at the Geaux D.R.E.A.M. Foundation. Our mission is all about engaging, educating, and empowering individuals through dynamic programming, workshops, and retreats. But what really drives us is the story behind it all. My own journey was deeply influenced by some incredible educators who believed in me and supported me through my academic path. Their dedication and investment in my future had a huge impact on my life, and I wanted to honor that by giving back in a meaningful way. That’s why I started the Geaux D.R.E.A.M. Foundation—to help other students navigate the challenges of college life and make their dreams a reality. Read more>>

Arlinda Self

The mission behind starting a yoga business is to create a safe, inclusive space where everyone, especially the Black community, can experience the healing and transformative power of yoga. Yoga promotes mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, and it’s more than just poses—it’s a tool for stress relief, self-discovery, and empowerment. In the Black community, where systemic stress and trauma are often more prevalent, yoga serves as a powerful practice for reclaiming peace, building resilience, and fostering self-love. By offering accessible yoga, we aim to promote health and wellness while encouraging a deeper connection to self, community, and culture. Read more>>

Rob Jua

Our mission at Disruptive Label is to become the leading music company that discovers and partners with talent from the African diaspora, developing them sonically, mentally, and business-wise, and bringing their talent to the global stage. This mission is meaningful to me because, as an African American, Afro music brings joy to my spirit. I’ve been on a journey of self-discovery, seeking to understand who I am beyond what I’ve always known. My family’s roots trace back to Brooklyn, New York, and Jamaica, but that’s where the story stopped—until recently. In the past few years, I’ve embarked on a quest to rediscover where my ancestors are from, particularly in Africa. Read more>>

Catherina Gomes

I am the daughter of two Bangladeshi immigrants that came to America with a dream of better opportunity, education, and prospects for their daughters. My father worked three jobs simultaneously to pay for my school tuition and I was among the first women in my family to ever receive my college degree. I got my degree in chemical engineering at NC State University in Raleigh, NC and grew my small Raleigh-based business focused on both my global and local roots. I created 700 Rivers to celebrate my heritage and to create equal opportunities for Bangladeshi women and girls through my business. At 700 Rivers, we work with Bangladeshi artisans who have escaped and overcome human trafficking and employ 22 women to handcraft our all-natural soaps and employ them with fair, living wages, dignified careers, and a safe work environment. We partner with a fair-trade organization in Bangladesh that is World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) certified. We also have a give-back program through our product sales that funds scholarships for Bangladeshi girls to go to school by removing financial barriers.  Read more>>

Vanessa Sanchez

My co-founders and I started this journey because of our love for fashion, but we couldn’t ignore the growing concern about how much it’s harming the planet. Fashion is actually the second biggest polluter worldwide, and with fast fashion and throwaway culture on the rise, the environmental impact was becoming impossible to ignore. For a while, we felt powerless, watching as more and more clothes were produced and discarded, contributing to this cycle. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We created a platform where people can swap clothes instead of buying new ones. It’s not just about making fashion more affordable and accessible — though that’s a huge part of it — it’s also about giving people a way to participate in a more sustainable, eco-friendly fashion ecosystem. Beyond just swapping clothes, we’re building a community that’s connected by shared values: caring for each other and for the planet. Together, we’re working to promote conscious consumption, making it easier for everyone to look good without the guilt of adding to the waste. Read more>>

Ashley Kenny

Heirloom Video Books was born from a need to make it possible for special moments to be shared with family and friends. It’s meant to bridge the emotional gap for families separated by distance and is inspired by our 92-year-old Grandma Fran during the pandemic. We noticed she was feeling lonely and missing out on family events. Heirloom mails your videos and photos in a physical book that automatically plays when opened. As a sister-and-brother team, we combined my experience in documentary filmmaking and my brother’s engineering skills to create a product that delivers the power of connection through visuals, bringing joy to loved ones. Our mission is to solve the deeper issue of isolation by making it easy for friends and families to share memories, and we’ve transformed that mission into a company that serves families nationwide. By reinvesting profits and focusing on our purpose, we’re committed to creating meaningful connections, one video book at a time. Read more>>

Alejandra Pedroza

Growing up, I was surrounded by the rich aromas and vibrant flavors of my family’s kitchen. Mexican cuisine was more than just food it was a way to connect with my heritage, celebrate tradition, and bring people together. As I got older, I created my own unique salsa recipe of Salsa Macha, inspired by my family’s traditions, and discovered it had the ability to bring joy to others as well. That’s why I started Doña Ale Salsas. My mission is simple: to share the authentic, bold flavors of Mexican salsa with the world. Using the best locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, I pour my heart into every jar. Each salsa I make carries the soul of the recipes that i created, blended with my own commitment to quality and passion for great food. Read more>>

Alex Roa

Our mission at Pangea and The Culture Club goes beyond democratizing the creator economy and advancing financial equity—it’s about building products and investing in the future to accelerate humanity and mankind. This mission holds deep personal meaning for me because I’ve seen the barriers that creators and smaller brands face when trying to break into the industry. The traditional influencer marketing space has been dominated by those with the biggest budgets, leaving countless talented creators and businesses on the sidelines. That felt inherently unfair to me, and it drove me to want to create something better. Read more>>

Gary Dusek

We develop and implement neighborhood-scale solutions addressing the plastic waste crisis. We transform plastic waste into usable raw material for art, furniture, design objects, building materials, and products. Waste is as much a socio-economic issue as it is a material problem. Waste disproportionally ends up in lower-income neighborhoods and developing countries. If we can turn this material into a resource, we simultaneously confront the issue while creating sustainable economic development in areas that desperately need it.  Combatting plastic waste from the street level enables us to foster public participation and see direct, meaningful results in our communities. We see waste as a raw material to create beautiful, enduring, and useful objects. Read more>>

Jessica Graham

I am on a mission to empower solopreneurs to share their truth and lean into what makes them truly unique so they can build meaningful and magnetic personal brands that make a real impact. This mission evolved after spending much of my life hiding behind the shame of my experiences and stories. I realized that this shame was not serving me professionally or personally, so I started to reframe the narrative around my story.  Now, I’m determined to help others integrate all the magic, flaws, and messiness that makes them unique, and leverage it as their superpower. It’s time to believe that our stories matter and make an impact. Read more>>

Fay Kimbrell

Our mission is to elevate the status of women in our city and across the world. We believe it will be the inherent ability and power of women that will deliver this planet safely into the 22nd century (the 22 in Salon22) and we are playing the long game. We know that when women are fully tapped in and standing in their own clarity and purpose, there is nothing we cannot do. This world needs the type of leadership women provide – inclusive, empathetic, intuitive, diplomatic, strong. Read more>>

Sergio Gonzalez

The story behind my mission in the real estate industry is one of adaptation and a relentless drive to offer something different in a crowded industry. With over two decades of experience, I’ve worked in various facets of real estate—from residential lending to running one of California’s largest FHA and reverse mortgage companies, to building a top-performing luxury real estate agency. Each phase taught me valuable lessons about the industry, particularly the gaps in service that traditional big-box companies often overlook. The launch of 805escrow in 2018 and 805title in 2023 stemmed from this understanding. We knew there was a need for more tailored, high-end services that prioritized realtors, lenders, and real estate and probate attorneys. As a “challenger brand,” we deliberately set ourselves apart from larger firms by focusing on personalized, dedicated service across California. By staying nimble and customer-centric, we offer an experience that truly supports our clients in ways that set us apart from other firms. This drive to personalized excellence fuels our mission every day. Read more>>