We’ve always tried to ask the questions that matter but that are too awkward for people to ask their friends, family and coworkers without seeming dramatic. One of those questions is about mission and purpose – when’s the last time you asked a friend what their mission was? Too often we don’t talk about our own missions and don’t ask those close to us about theirs with the result being that our missions remain secret. Are you just a doctor or are you a doctor who wants to be there for patients in the way you wished your father’s doctor had been? People have incredible and meaningful missions, and we hope our conversations asking folks about their mission can inspire more such conversations in your life.

Shanna Hutcheson

I became a Registered Dietitian in 2015 after completing my degrees at Kansas State University. Although I’ve had an interest in nutrition and health for a long time, I didn’t always have a very healthy relationship with food and my body. Like many others, I had struggles with body image and disordered eating behaviors throughout my teens and early 20s, and after a few years of practicing as an RD, I finally had a realization that something needed to change. Read more>>

Luke Coco

The story behind my mission I would say is somewhat simple, to inspire others no matter where they are in their walk of life. In many circumstances the best moments in my life are when I feel inspired by an external source whether that would be someone’s work or just how beautiful the landscape is around me. There is something that will always amaze me and push me to become an inspiration for others. Read more>>

Neidy Hornsby

Noir IP is a business and trademark law firm exclusively serving women entrepreneurs. I started the firm to bridge the gap in access to bespoke legal services. For far too long, women have been launching incredible businesses without establishing a strong legal foundation. Read more>>

Jessica Love

Growing up, I had a great appreciation for finding the beauty and functionality in all things. I did not grow up wealthy, and I remember my family struggling to get by. I yearned for finer things in life as I grew older, but because we couldn’t afford them, I did my best to beautify our everyday, ordinary things. I was the first in my family to attend college, and I dedicated myself to building inspirational and functional spaces every opportunity I had. Read more>>

Lauren Barrera

Here at Love, Seresa we are all about community. I create unique goods rooted in cultural pride. My small business is named after the person who gave me my Filipino roots, my mother Cherry. “Seresa” in Tagalog translates to the word “cherry” in English. I was always taught to take pride in my roots. I am constantly inspired by my two beautifully diverse ethnicities, being both Filipino & Mexican. Read more>>

Nikita Turner

I started KitaCreatesDesigns in 2020…right at the beginning of the pandemic. As a person who struggles with anxiety and depression, making jewelry became a coping mechanism for me. It was a way for me to relax my mind while also expressing myself creatively. Once I started to wear the jewelry that I was making, I would receive compliments from my family, friends, AND strangers. People eventually started to become interested in purchasing some of my pieces. Read more>>

Sarah Awa

Thinklings Books started out when my friends Deborah Natelson, Jeannie Ingraham, and I got together and formed a writing group. We called ourselves the Thinklings, in honor of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien’s group, the Inklings. We shared a love of fantasy books as well as a drive for great quality. ​ Over time, as we faced rejection after rejection from agents and publishers who declared our books were “great, but not for me,” we found ourselves agonizing about how messed-up the publishing industry had become. Why couldn’t good books get published? Read more>>

Kesha MasonCampbell

My book titled “Not Your Journey To Take” was written for individuals who have loved ones who is or was incarcerated. I had two of my six siblings incarcerated at the same time for a long time. As a Speaker I share my experiences about how not to lose yourself in your loved ones situation. As a Coach I teach individuals that No is a complete sentence, and I show them how to establish healthy boundaries and prepare ready responses while putting their needs first. Read more>>

Dean Nelson

The story behind my mission is to spread the story of what led me to my mission as a artist. The hardships I had to endure and overcome as a child to you d adult! Read more>>

Alexa Rae

My company, Rae Creative Group, specializes in organic digital marketing and small business consulting. When I first started the company in college, it came out of an earnest passion for helping small businesses, because I had been surrounded by them for most of my life. The town I grew up in was full of them (my mom even owned her own little boutique for a time), and I saw the roles they played in our neighborhood. Read more>>

Crystal Geneva Wooten

In 2018, The Journey… Back to Me, was birthed out of the desire to help others identify their purpose and pursue their passion. At this time I was a couple of years fresh out of a divorce and left with 2 small children to raise on my own. My Dad (who battled multiple cancers for 12 long years) had just passed and I watched my mom go from a caretaker to a grieving widow. Read more>>

Jimmie Thomas

I love music and movies. i wanted to be an educator but found out in college I had a disability in math which disqualified me from that profession. I took ended up taking broadcast journalism because my colloquium professor said with one TV show you reach a million people. I was sold because I just wanted to spread light on people that look like me and grew up in similar communities. I served as a behavioral specialist and learned that my scholars didn’t have an opportunity to express themselves. Read more>>

Benin Rubayita

I want to excel in different fields. growing up we are told to pick a career. Not careers. Just one career. I feel like i can make it in more than one career and i would be holding myself back if i only did one thing.I want to be a director, i want to make funny short form content videos, i want to be a youtuber and i would love to create an app one day.My goal is one day someone hears my name and says ” oh you know Benin! Read more>>

Tony (2Ton3) Erhabor

Throughout my whole life, people always told me, “Tony you should be a motivational speaker, you’re so positive, thank you for encouraging me, you should be in a movie.” I wondered how could they be so confident in me when I spend hours, days, and weeks fighting within myself. It wasn’t until I got to college and I fully understood why people always told me that. Read more>>

Yvette Pardo

Actors Youth Academy (AYA) serves youth ages 4-17 and adults. Hollywood had been switching gears and in 2013, when we opened our doors, the U.S. Latino market ranked as the 12th largest economy in the world, and it is well documented that no entertainment outlet can thrive without Hispanics. More and more bilingual roles are being casted for bilingual commercials, TV sitcoms, and films. Read more>>

Ashley Ayanna

I love helping to make women feel and look beautiful. My over all mission is to provide a great experience for each and every client. In my beauty studio I’ve created a comfortable environment for my clients. My studio is always clean, smells great, music is playing, and it’s a space where you can relax. My clients and I have a great time when they’re with me. Read more>>

Obiageri Odoemena

Zikorah was created with the sole purpose f putting the love back into African fashion . We create timeless , affordable, versatile , well tailored afrocentric pieces for the African fashion loving women who are not afraid, of being bold , vibrant and colorful . Read more>>

Tess Markham

Our main goal is to fight the stigma surrounding mental health and neurodiversity. We’re trying to create a community where we can come together to celebrate everyone’s differences, aid in normalizing self-care, and provide guidance straight from the people who’ve been through it themselves. Read more>>

Busola Kalejaiye

Growing up, I’m the one that celebrated my birthday the most among my siblings. I had a way of persuading my mum to throw me a birthday party, I would make sure to be a part of the planning process which includes but not limited to selecting the vendors as well as selecting my outfit and that of my siblings. I was also very fascinated with airplanes and always wondered how these huge birds get up there. Read more>>

Mallorie Williams

It’s no secret that the tech industry lacks diversity. People of color and women are largely underrepresented. As a black woman in tech, I have first hand knowledge of the unique challenges that underrepresented groups face in this field. Many of the challenges revolve around building an effective network, skill development and employment opportunities. Read more>>

Amanda Freeman

Mixie Design Co. is all about harnessing the power of good humans and working together to leave the world a little bit better than how we found it. When it comes down to it, I am a hype girl at heart and live to cheer on the people around me. Watching my clients take big leaps and see the fruits of their labor has been what keeps me motivated every single day. Read more>>

Courtney Roberson

The story behind my mission, I originally started this journey to make ends meet and make some extra money to supper my family. It was the beginning of the pandemic and I had just got laid off from my job and didn’t know what to do next. So one night my husband and I were just talking about our whereabouts in the next year or so. And he just said why don’t you start your own business, people see you as trustworthy and respect you. Read more>>

Lisa Benson

I help overwhelmed Veteran & First Responder entrepreneurs, strategize and leverage their organic growth by creating a strong online presence, increasing their platform size, and attracting their ideal clientele. As a veteran, I know how difficult it can be to make a career change. You’ve spent years honing your skills and helping others in your profession, but now you’re ready to move on and start your own business. Read more>>

Pam Phinney

Right now, the “clean beauty” niche has taken the world by storm which I feel is fueled by a lot of anti-science fear marketing. In the beauty and cosmetic industry, fear marketing is often the tactic used by many brands because it’s frankly extremely effective. It taps into consumer’s emotions to encourage sales, and this is a strategy that I’ve come to find highly deceptive and dishonest. Read more>>

LaShonda Gibson

Lovie’s Ice Cream and Eatery is a seafood, soul food, and ice cream eatery located in the Baden neighborhood of St. Louis. We specialize in homemade, cooked-to-order food that is made with love. We are known for our seafood platters and Soulful Sunday meal deals. Read more>>

Melissa McLaughlin

I feel that in this day and age, our perception of beauty standards is heavily distorted and unrealistic. My mission in my photographic work is to show people regardless of their age, race, gender, physical abilities, etc. that they are worthy of feeling wonderful in their bodies. I think a lot of people haven’t had the opportunity to have a professional photo shoot done, and in a lot of cases if friends and family members have taken photos for them, they don’t know the accurate components of posing to help them look and feel the most confident in their photos. Read more>>

Frank Becker

My Story started in 2012 when I took a Mission trip to Cebu, Philippines, after making a connection with the Children’s Shelter of Cebu. I was drawn to the Philippines after learning that many children were living on the streets without families, and there were very few Shelters to help the overwhelming need. I made a connection with a Pastor in the Philippines to assist me on my first trip and be my guide. Read more>>

KingDemetrius Pendleton

My daughter, Brandy Ann Banks-Sutta, was tragically killed by a drunk driver in 2013. Fighting for justice on her behalf, my voice was often silenced until I began livestreaming and caught people’s attention on social media. Thus began my journalistic journey. I went to college for the first time 28 years after graduating high school. My passion to document social justice issues from a Black perspective led me to spend countless hours behind the lens and give a voice to those not always heard. Read more>>

Cassie OToole

Cassie’s Shop is a sustainable, one of one, brand that focuses on reworking thrifted and vintage clothing into works of art as well as practicing zero waste techniques and using all the textile scraps and waste. As I learned more about textile waste and the damage of fast fashion, it was my mission to create a sustainable brand that continues to be accessible and size inclusive. I also want to show that shopping and styling secondhand clothing is way more fun than shopping fast fashion!! Read more>>

Bailey Freeman

Suspended Gravity began in 2015 as a small collective of friends who shared a love of the circus arts and live music, entering the performance space by performing at concerts and other local events. Since then, we’ve grown – a lot! The pandemic’s effect on the performing arts industry really guided us to look at what we wanted to make, which we realized was an incredibly multifaceted thing. Read more>>

Shantelle Patton

That Brown Bag is a black business directory born in 2018. Its purpose is to serve as a community resource providing consumers, allies, and businesses alike with a one-stop shop to locate black owned businesses and black led organizations in the WNY area. There are close to 500 black owned businesses listed in the directory between Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Rochester NY There are even a couple of listings from our neighbor to the north in Toronto. Read more>>

Dr. Clinton Bullock

Dr. Clinton Bullock is a 5x #1 New Release Author and a 3x Top 10 Amazon Bestselling Author. As a mindset coach and career expert, he significantly invests in elevating and empowering societies so that more people are endowed with the skills to fulfill their greatest potential. Read more>>

Israel and Sunem Tovar

As low-income immigrants who grew up in Tijuana, Los Angeles, and Nashville, we lived in really poor housing conditions and our parents lived to simply survive—our dad worked long hours in different low-paying, challenging, blue collar jobs. At one point, he was supporting a family of eight in Los Angeles with a salary of only $17,500/year. Our mom, on the other hand, was charged with leading a household in a very challenging context. Read more>>

Shenee Woodson

Growing up, my parents ensured we attended multi-cultural churches. Being ministers themselves, they also had a love for outreach. It was nothing for my siblings and I to be in the midst, handing out sandwiches, clothing, soup and Bible Tracs. When I first started His Favor Ministries, it was envisioned to create a platform for all races and cultures that uplifted the name of Jesus. Read more>>

AKera Harvey

My mission is to restore women and men crowns around the world with the proper care. I also provide information on products and tools needed to carry out the goal of healthy hair and scalp. Read more>>