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.
Tiffony Coleman
I started out giving back to the community save our community and youth (socay) by doing so I noticed so many kids loved music wich drove me to entertainment from there I’ve been able to help a lot of kids focus on there music career and not the streets it allowed them a outing and I’ve grown from there. Read more>>
Elena Tibbetts
My mission as a documentarian is to preserve and share the stories of culturally significant historic homes—structures that are often overlooked in favor of larger monuments, but hold incredible architectural and human value. This mission is deeply personal. Growing up in Europe, I was immersed in history. It was in everything, from the bakery on the corner to Royal palaces. That early exposure to living history sparked a fascination in both architecture and storytelling that never left me. Read more>>
Ivan Fredette
When I was 17, I lost the closest person in my life to suicide. That shattered me. I spent the next 17 years doing whatever I could to numb the pain, drinking daily, chasing dopamine, pretending I was fine. Even as an addict, I held onto my work ethic and managed to build a small tree service business. But behind the scenes, I was a drunk, an absent father, and a poor husband. Read more>>
Tabitha Nelson
Tabitha Maegan Photography was started to document memories and slow down time. I have the typical story in the sense that I always had a camera with me throughout school – I had a 110 camera some time in elementary school, then continued taking photos in middle school, high school, and got my first digital camera in college! I took my camera with me everywhere and documented everything. I was always (and still am) drawn to people and connection. Read more>>
Marie Rolla
Being autistic has left me always feeling like the black sheep wherever I go and I’m often told I’m too intense or too weird for many spaces. I hold a lot of collective rage for the unjust ways the world operates as I watch systems fail my loved ones every day. Opening Black Sheep has given me a small corner of the world where I can feel normal and get a break from it all. Read more>>
Maurisha Brown
Brown Estates Aviation began with a vision to blend the warmth of family with the refinement of flight. I believe luxury isn’t just about leather seats or champagne. True luxury is care, intention, and being seen. Read more>>
Nima Lama
My mission for now is to be able to showcase and tell stories through photos, visuals, and music. I want to keep that creativity alive, which I believe everyone has. As we get busy with life, we stop working on our creative outlets, but there is still creativity inside you that wants to be explored. Read more>>
Alejandra Cordero
My mission is deeply meaningful because it stems from my identity, cultural heritage, and commitment to social justice. As a first-generation Mexican-American multimedia artist, my work is not only about creativity—it’s a form of resistance and reclamation of space for marginalized voices. Read more>>
Emily/Lisa Somers/Ball
Just over a year ago, we came across a handmade clay bead that completely captivated us. It was beautiful, unique, and felt like it carried a story. We were so drawn to it that we spent hours researching where it came from—and what we discovered changed everything. Read more>>
Melissa Murphy Pavone
At Mindful Divorce Partners, our mission is to bring clarity to the financial aspect of divorce. Divorce is often one of the most emotionally charged and financially complex transitions in a person’s life and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. My goal is to be a financial ally during this time: to help people pause, take a breath, and really consider how the decisions they make today will affect them 10, 15, even 20 years down the line. Read more>>
Nataliah Bannon
My mission began unexpectedly—with a trip to the pet store for cat food and a soft, round, impossibly fluffy rabbit being placed into my arms. He looked more like a Tribble than a bunny, and I was instantly in love. I brought him home and named him Pumpkin Latte. Read more>>
Tiera Hawkins
Absolutely—I am a mission-driven entrepreneur through and through. The mission behind my brand Simple Life Transformations is to empower women to fully embrace their identity, elevate their mindset, and live purposefully—whether through fragrance, coaching, or self-development tools. But this mission didn’t come from a marketing plan—it came from my own life. Read more>>
Tracy Wells
Our mission is to create wines that celebrate family, uplift women, and turn gatherings into charitable moments, but also tell a story of it’s heritage. Each bottle embodies our commitment to quality, authenticity, and the joy of bringing people together. Read more>>
Valeria Rivera
The Binational Race was born from a deep desire to create something that went beyond running , something that could quite literally cross boundaries and build bridges. As co-founder, we launched the race with the mission of uniting two vibrant communities, San Diego and Tijuana, through a shared experience that celebrates culture, endurance, and connection. Read more>>
YunChen Tsai
My mission as a sound designer is to create experiences that make people feel happy, delighted, and emotionally connected. I started out as an Erhu player and spent over 15 years studying traditional performance. During that time, I had the chance to learn both classical pieces and newer styles as music evolved. But eventually, I felt that performing alone wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to create something on my own. Read more>>
Veronica Shanklin
As the CEO and founder of Dementia Care Warriors, this mission isn’t just something I believe in—it’s something I live. For over 11 years, I’ve been the primary caregiver for both my mom and my grandmother, both of whom have lived with Alzheimer’s. That journey changed everything for me. It opened my eyes to the immense emotional, physical, and financial toll caregiving can take—and more importantly, it revealed a glaring gap in resources, representation, and culturally relevant support for caregivers, especially in communities like mine. Read more>>
Miya Brown
In this chapter of my life—and through the Networking Queens Group—my mission is to empower growth, equip success, and evolve brands. I’m excited to continue growing and connecting people from around the world. This year, my main focus is publishing my first memoir. Read more>>
Lacey And Taylor Fickes And Munro
PEAK Academy was born out of a shared vision between educators who saw a gap in the educational landscape—a place where bright, curious, and often neurodiverse learners weren’t just underserved, but misunderstood. We watched as children with extraordinary potential were held back by rigid systems that prioritized standardization over individual growth, creativity, and well-being. We knew there had to be a better way. Read more>>
Greg Copeland
Our mission is to inspire resilience and self-determination in people who feel overlooked or underestimated—and that mission was born out of lived experience, not theory. I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to build a brand around hope and perseverance; I lived through the storm. I’ve faced incarceration, homelessness, and the weight of trying to be a present father while rebuilding my life from scratch. Read more>>
SHANIKA GRAFFEO
At KUSHIE, our mission isn’t just a tagline, it’s personal. We exist to radically shift the conversation around menstrual health, pain relief, and self-care, especially for those of us who’ve been historically overlooked. I created KUSHIE because I am the customer we serve. I live with PCOS and endometriosis, and I know firsthand what it means to be dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left to suffer in silence. Read more>>
Richard Miller
The mission behind Richard Readings LLC is to bridge the gap between therapy and psychological based resources and spirituality with a holistic based understanding of mental health. Although our society tries to tell us that there are just a few ways of feeling and understanding, no one truly fits inside a box. Some resources that are offered by clinical psychologists and therapists are not connected to the belief systems or inner feelings of many people in this world. Especially during a time in the world where there are so many changes and advancement to the way that we understand ourselves and our place within the world, people are looking for answers and pathways to better understand themselves and the world around them. Read more>>
Regine Miranda
Putting Providers First: How Luck of Billing Leads with Compliance, Auditing, and Client Excellence in a Rapidly Changing Industry. In the fast-paced and ever-evolving healthcare landscape, providers face mounting pressure to remain compliant, reduce denials, optimize reimbursement, and stay ahead of industry shifts. At Luck of Billing, we understand that behind every claim is a provider who deserves advocacy, precision, and partnership. That’s why our mission is simple—but powerful: put providers first. Read more>>
Chase Kincer
At The Kincer Group (TKG), our mission is simple: help everyday people build extraordinary wealth through real estate. We blend traditional expertise with modern solutions—whether that’s listing on the MLS, presenting cash offers, or structuring creative finance deals. I built a following of over 140,000 on TikTok by spotting trends early and remixing them with my own twist—adding humor, real insight, and documenting the real hustle behind real estate. It’s not about going viral; it’s about staying valuable. Read more>>
Natasha Cecere
When I tell people what I do for work, I often get asked, “How did you get into coaching? What made you want to do it?” and the story I often tell is this: I was on an airplane in 2019, waiting in the middle of the plane for the bathroom to become available. While I was waiting I struck up a conversation with a flight attendant. A few moments had passed and I found us locked into a deep conversation, where she shared intimate details of her life, her struggles, that she’d undergone a surgery a few years ago and since had struggled with her self-esteem, her body image. She wept as she talked about how much pain she’d experienced, and I did what I often did when that happened- I listened. Read more>>
Corey Frazier
Our story is simple, but also very unique. Our foundation is centered around helping people. My wife and I were tutoring well before we started our business. She was tutoring for a franchise company, while I was tutoring for free. Literacy was and still is a high need for many people. We just wanted to do our part in serving others, but we absolutely have a passion to tutor. Well, after a few years, my wife confronted me one day and informed me that instead of providing free tutoring to “everybody” let’s make it a business. She later had a dream and came up with the name EZ as Pi Tutoring Service. Read more>>
Karen Tefft
My mission as a creator is to inspire others, especially women, who feel like outsiders or are stepping into unfamiliar territory. I came from Brazil 12 years ago, when I was 23 years old. I didn’t speak English, and I didn’t even know what I was good at, so first I had to learn the language. Read more>>
Annie G
I help purpose-driven souls bring their dream business to life with websites that align, attract, and convert.
Many have quieted their calling to fit into a world that rewards hustle over heart. But that inner knowing—the one that whispers you were made for more—never fades. When the time comes to answer it, I’m here to turn my clients soul-mission into a digital a presence that can help them build the empire they were meant to have. Read more>>
Kaila Moseley
The hair and makeup industry is one that often preys on the insecurities of women. My goal has always been to lift up and highlight the individual to help them feel empowered and confident with or without the glam! As someone who grew up with a lot of insecurities around my skin, makeup was a tool (and often a mask), to hide the things I didn’t like to feel more confident in my skin. Looking back, although I am grateful for the avenue makeup gave me to feel better, I wish I had taken the time to do the hard work to love myself regardless. Read more>>
Yessica Cedan
In our spa, located in the heart of Denver, Colorado, we are dedicated to much more than providing beauty and wellness treatments: we create a space where every person, especially our Latin clients, feels beautiful, valued and safe. We know that everyday life can wear us out, so we offer a warm, welcoming and empathetic environment, where each visit becomes a reminder of self-love and inner strength. Read more>>
Tim & Ally Nicholas
Our mission at CodeTech Collective is to open doors in technology for people who have historically been left out-especially Black, Brown, and women professionals. But for us, this isn’t just a business goal or a line in a brochure. It’s deeply personal. Read more>>
Trill T
Being a barber gives me the opportunity to change my clients life one haircut at a time. It’s more than a cut, it’s an experience. A good haircut could give you the confidence that you need. Like for the job interview you have coming up, the wedding you need to attend or that first date you’re going on. As a barber we go through big life events with our clients. Building relationships with clients and watching some of them grow up. Knowing I had just a small influence on them. Makes everyday more worth it. Read more>>
Noella Coursaris Musunka
Malaika is the nonprofit organization I founded in 2007 (along with an incredible team) with a mission to empower girls to reach their full potential through education and local community transformation. We do this by providing clean water, vocational, agricultural, athletic and health programs. Read more>>
Nick Muhlbach
The mission behind “Everyday Dread” is to explore and heighten awareness of the subtle, real-world dangers and anxieties that people face in their daily lives. My goal with this series is not just to entertain, but to encourage viewers to become more vigilant and reflective about the unsettling moments that can occur in ordinary situations. By dramatizing these everyday fears, We hope to foster a sense of caution and mindfulness, potentially helping people recognize and navigate threats in their own lives. Read more>>
Flip Willson
At FWGFX, our mission is to amplify the voices of rap artists through bold, culture-driven marketing strategies that resonate with the streets and the stage. We specialize in authentic storytelling, cutting-edge visuals, and viral campaigns that connect artists with their core audiences — turning music into movements and brands into legacies. Read more>>
Brittany Anderson
B Dot Candle Company’s mission is to create pure, eco-friendly candles free from harmful chemicals. Committed to sustainability and quality, B Dot Candle Company crafts all-natural candles using premium coconut apricot crème wax, known for its clean burn and exceptional scent throw. Each fragrance is carefully blended to create a unique sensory experience, and every candle is hand-poured in small batches using lead-free cotton wicks and phthalate-free, paraben-free, and toxin-free fragrances. With a minimalist design and sophisticated aromas, B Dot Candle Company enhances any space with warmth and elegance. Read more>>
Adriana Munch
Our Mission: To create the peanut butter YOU deserve, by supporting local farmers, and sourcing high-quality – sustainable ingredients while keeping it fun and nutritious, always for the betterment of the community. Read more>>
Oscar Babers
At Transformation Detail, our mission is to make professional vehicle care as convenient and time saving as possible for our clients. We know that people live busy lives, juggling work, family, and countless responsibilities, and keeping their car cleaned often falls to the bottom of the to do list. That’s where we come in. By bringing high quality detailing services directly to our clients, whether they’re at home or work, we eliminate the hassle of driving to a carwash and waiting around or having to do it themselves. Read more>>
Kel Tran
A Queen’s Room was founded in 2021 with a clear mission: to provide a safe and supportive space where individuals can embrace their true selves, build confidence, and connect with a like-minded community. In a world often shaped by judgment and fear, we strive to offer safety, love, and acceptance. While society may encourage us to hide our differences, my goal is to celebrate them. Our community is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, ages, cultures, and body types. A Queen’s Room is a place where healing can happen, where you can rediscover your inner light, and where, regardless of the challenges you face outside, you can find peace and strength. Read more>>