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.

Lindsaya VanDeusen

As a wellness, health, and beauty advocate, my journey began 18 years ago when I became a mother. Growing up with poor nutrition, chronic illness, and disease + disorder diagnosis that led to struggling with an eating disorder in my teens., I became determined to give my daughter a different experience, I set out to simplify and demystify the abundance of health information available. Through my work with professionals and mentors, I created my own Conscious Consumption Strategies to pay forward what has helped and healed me. Read more>>

Summer Robinson

Silver Bangles Productions (SBP) is a multi-disciplinary storytelling agency that uses books and film to help the everyday person reclaim narratives and take control of the beauty and power in their own story. Basically a publishing + production company combo. Books and film are two of the most powerful tools in the world of storytelling. Read more>>

Kevin Duncan

What is the story behind your mission? I believe that #cleancarsmatter. A car to me is an investment that you care for thoroughly, so they last forever. There is no feeling like sitting in a new car. My mission is to give EACH of my customers that feeling every time they come to my shop. When I was 10 years old my father and I washed cars in our driveway, we lived in Madisonville at that time. Read more>>

Kary Wurth

Wurth Media was born out of necessity and drive. At the time it was launched, there was no business plan, market research or hours spent pouring over the what-ifs and the hows. I was ready to take my future in to my own hands. I recognized a need in the social media space, particularly in real estate, home building and design where most of my experience came from, and I went for it. Read more>>

Boi Carpenter

Inquisitive Leader, LLC was born out of numerous organic conversations inspired by engaging dialog with bright, enthusiastic, talented, diverse professionals. Every month, I try to meet with at least four new professionals to hear their personal stories, discuss their work, learn about their lived experiences in the workplace, and discuss the next steps in their professional journey. Read more>>

Mandy Naglich

I first started studying the senses of taste and smell on my path to become an Advanced Cicerone (a certified beer expert). I knew paying attention to what I tasted could enhance my enjoyment of more than just beer. However, what I wasn’t expecting was how expanding my abilities of taste an smell would improve my whole life. Read more>>

Sophia Richter

Self love and respect is something I live for. I want everyone to feel beautiful when they look in the mirror. Unfortunately, with today’s beauty standards and Instagram filters, many people have developed a damaged self image. Instagram filters completely alter your face, changing things like your facial structure, your eye shape, your lip size, etc. ultimately, making you fit today’s “beauty standard”. Read more>>

Betty Aristide-Augustin

Mission: EdeYouth (EY) is a youth-centered organization that exists to answer the question, “How do we raise tomorrow’s leaders, today?” We enable young people to acquire functional skills through relevant training programs and workshops. We emphasize building self-awareness, self-esteem, as well as self-improvement among youth and young adults ages 13-21 in the United States and Haiti. Read more>>

Jennie Angel

I began writing songs at a young age. Music always fascinated me. Now that I have experienced more challenges in life I believe it is time to bring more light to domestic violence and honesty in relationships. If you listen to my songs, “move on”, “leaving”, and “no one to blame”, you’ll hear an insight in my life story. “Girl next door”, is geared to young women who need to hear that it’s ok to say no and to choose their partners wisely. Read more>>

Alyson Neal

All my life I have loved to help people in any way my talents would allow. During the start of the pandemic I found Virtual Assistance and fell in love. I had already been involved with Pop Up Shops and understand as a frequent shopper what to expect from business owners. I realized there was a need for a virtual assistant in the business world based on small business owners struggles I have seen and experienced. Read more>>

Ankit Malhotra

Have you ever wondered about what’s the top 5 best and unique designer handbags in the market currently ? Or maybe the very next day or even that day itself, you wonder to yourself, what’s a nice house warming gift you can get for your loved ones ? This is the goal behind Top Items List. It is to simply just be a centralized platform where followers can get quick information on recent trending services and products alike. Read more>>

Kiara

My mission is to provide high quality images my clients will love and cherish, all while providing a fun, easy and comfortable experience both in front and behind the camera. Connecting with my clients and getting to know what they want helps me execute my job. I like to really understand the look that they’re going for and using my expertise to do that, or even assisting them if they need help. I make mood boards for them to help visualize what it is that they may want. Read more>>

Pearl Sharpe

So my mission is to help young mothers and women, in general that are struggling and finding a career path, or opening up a business as single mothers, or just women trying to make it in this world. I hope that I can show that no matter the hurdles you have to climb the adversity you have to face that it can be done. Read more>>

Jamie Wojcik

I wanted the give others the ability to consume the culture of all things comics books. Thus stemming from comics themselves to the big screen. I remember looking for an all in one outlet in any form really and no other fit that narrative for me. So I decided to start my own. Read more>>

Yolanda Monahan

My mission is to inspire people of all ages and genders on the positives of wearing headbands with comfort and style. YoBandz® started this business with a deep passion for finding a comfortable fitting headband that everyone could wear. After many years of wearing those uncomfortable headbands, I found myself only wearing them for a few hours because they hurt behind my ears causing headaches. Read more>>

Stefany Mantiply

I’ve been a Family & Senior Photographer for about 11 years, so about 3 years ago I had the urge to go back to school to get a degree in E-Marketing and Social Media. This is how “The Photographer Biz Coach” was formed. I’ve always enjoyed helping others be successful in life, business etc.. Sharing knowledge to help other photographers succeed is so important to me. It’s rough out there in the entrepreneur world. I can remember when I first started in this industry especially as a “momtog” it was scary. Read more>>

Selena Thomas

On my continued mission to live fully in Gods calling I’d be bored if it wasn’t difficult. I thank God for every trial and challenge for it has molded me to be who I am and see what Ive seen this world has to offer. I am Mexican and Black, my mothers family comes from Chihuahua Mexico and my father from Southern Florida. I always found it challenging before I found it beautiful because I grew up in a single household raised by my Mexican mother. Read more>>

Jerrah Henson

Create the Things You Wish Existed. This is what you read when you walk into our studio. This message simply stated embodies it all. We wished we lived in an area that provided a space for people to come and sweat it all out. So, we set out to make that a reality for all. Believing that because we were a small rural down, that fact did not hold any barriers of what we were capable of creating and building. So, as Buster Moon says on Sing…Dream Big Dreams! And, we did just that. Through the ups and down and one big pandemic…Still We Rise Read more>>

Jennifer Gillooly Cahoon

I believe that the act of creating should be accessible and available to all and that I am an ambassador of sorts – an individual who brings art experiences to people who didn’t realize they were capable of tapping into that part of themselves. Read more>>

Rusty Sutton

The Green Monkey was born from the mind of Rusty Sutton. He envisioned a community space that welcomed everyone! A space where you can be you. Yes, we know we are just a gift shop and bar, but it goes beyond that. It’s a community. Many of our MonkeyFans (customers) become friends and significant others, and a few become engaged and married. Our gift shop is filled with small makers, and our bar offers local NC breweries. The Green Monkey is all about community. Read more>>

Lia Cibulish

Our mission is to offer and provide clients consistent, predictable and natural results with every spray tan using the highest premium grade product in the market. To be an exceptional airbrush spray tanning business that educates on the benefits of spray tanning, and offers peace of mind and confidence for every appointment. Also, my mission is to always provide a comfortable, luxury and fun space for my clients. Read more>>

Taylor Rometty

Wow, where to begin when I think about my company mission. I started practicing yoga almost 10 years ago and through that journey it helped me heal through grief, anxiety, and deep depression. Every day I made it to my mat, I knew that whatever my next step in life as scary as things felt, I was going to be okay. I wanted that to be the space I made for people. I wanted to create a space where people could come to yoga with no experience and leave feeling better than when they walked in. Read more>>

Brittany Cruse

We all want to freeze time don’t we? After bringing our first daughter into the world, we finally understood what people meant when they said time flies. We blink and our baby is taking her first steps, saying her first words, tumbling around at her first gymnastics meet. We realized that we wanted to be able to take these big moments and freeze them into images that we could look back on as heirlooms. Read more>>

Laura Scharf

LaLa D&C was created by owner Laura Marie, a stylish and fearless entrepreneur. Starting as a country girl, she made the journey to NYC over 30 years ago to begin her journey as a Fashion Designer working for major brands and retailers. In 2021, with a love of fashion and art, LaLa D&C was born! Read more>>

Jeanette Davila

Once I became a mom, it was all that I wanted and I just wanted to be present. In the process of figuring out motherhood, I lost my drive and purpose on who I was outside of being a mom. I start searching for a community and a support system, and everything I found was always attached to a service, product or business. I didn’t truly find what I was searching for so I decided to create it myself. Read more>>

Jennifer McCall

My family went through a tough time when I was just fifteen. My dad’s health was failing, and my parents’ marriage suffered for a number of reasons. My mom had an affair. My dad went to confront the boyfriend, not knowing his wife was there. My dad took the clip out, but there was a bullet in the chamber. The wife tackled my dad, and the gun went off through her face. The boyfriend grabbed a knife, and after a struggle, my dad stabbed the man. Read more>>

Jose Arce

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community myself, there have been times when I was afraid to be my authentic self because I was unaware of how others would treat me. While working in multiple studios in the Los Angeles area, I experienced and observed numerous inappropriate encounters between staff/clients and female/LBGTQ+ artists in the workplace. Read more>>

lucy Blaylock

My name is Lucy Blaylock and I am 13 years old. When I was 8, I wanted to give my friend a homemade birthday gift, so I asked my mom if she would teach me how to sew a blanket. All my friends at the birthday party loved it so much, so I thought that maybe there were other kids who might like a blanket. I asked my mom to do a giveaway on her Instagram to see if anyone would nominate a child who may need a little extra love. Read more>>

Kasia Krawczyk

Before the pandemic, I discovered my passion for creating handmade soaps using natural and familiar ingredients. I was driven by my curiosity and dissatisfaction with the complex and sometimes questionable ingredients found in many commercial soap brands. As someone who cares about the environment, I also wanted to minimize the impact of my products’ supply chain, avoiding plastic packaging whenever possible. Read more>>