Everyday we meet business owners, professionals, artists and creatives. Photographers, florists, realtors and more. They might come from different backgrounds, work in different industries, have varying personalities, and have vastly different income and educational profiles, but the one thing we’ve seen over and over again is that most people have a unique and special reason for why they do what they do. From a realtor helping families afford the first home he always wished for as a kid to a photographer using her skills to give a voice and face to victims who feel voiceless, we have been blown away by what happens when you just ask people a simple question – why do you do what you do?

Craig Gundlach

My mission is: to build a culture and environment that creates strong bodies, minds, friendships and community. Anyone who has spent time at Manic Training Fort Collins will attest that the community here is special. I created this mission when I opened in 2017 because I believe deeply that we are social animals that need connection and support. The fabric of the real life social networks has slowly been eroded from society. The success of my mission has, in my estimation, been largely due to putting culture first. I have been committed to creating this culture through dedication and adherence to my TRAIN RIGHT core values: Read more>>

Tellie Floydd

Born in Dominican Republic grew up in the heart of Uptown and pulsing with that Dyckman DNA, my mission is simple: turn real stories into cultural moments. I’m a Dominican creative and hip-hop artist who sees the world in rhythm — where every frame hits like a bar and every beat paints a picture. From gritty visuals to clean edits, I fuse high-level production with raw truth to amplify voices that deserve the spotlight. Style, sound, soul — I’m here to help others get seen, heard, and remembered in a world that moves fast and forgets easy. Read more>>

Siddharth Raval

It all began with a woman’s quiet compassion began making a big difference. Her name? Malki De Silva (Founder @ Shawarma Paradise) — my mother with a deep sense of purpose and a heart tuned to the struggles of students trying to build their future on tight budgets. She had watched students juggling classes, jobs, and responsibilities, often forced to choose between textbooks and a healthy affordable meal. To her, no one chasing an education should have to skip meals or settle for unhealthy options. So, she stepped in with what she knew best: kindness, food, and unwavering generosity. Read more>>

Tom Gray

Only a small percentage of people possess the diverse skill set needed to transform a raw idea into a product ready for store shelves. Make48 empowers the next generation to change the world, one idea at a time, by teaching them the essential steps of prototyping through collaboration. Read more>>

Svetlana Chernienko

For Us TV was born because I got tired of watching us ask permission to exist in spaces that were never built for us. My mission is to flip the script to take back our stories from the hands of people who water them down, profit off our pain, and never walk a mile in our shoes. This isn’t just another streaming platform ; it’s cultural reclamation. For Us TV is proof that when we own the narrative, we own the future. We’re not waiting for a seat , we’re blueprinting the whole damn house. We’re not here to fit someone else’s mold of diversity; we’re here to protect our truths, pay our people what they’re worth, and make sure our brilliance can’t be boxed in or erased. Read more>>

Shea Michals

Absolutely—I’d say the core of my mission is about accessibility, creativity, and community. Through Chicago Art Locker, I’ve created a space where anyone—regardless of background, experience, or resources—can engage with art. It’s a public, ever-changing micro-gallery and art supply hub that lives right on the sidewalk. You can take art, leave art, or simply be inspired by what others have contributed. It’s free, it’s weird, and it’s alive. Read more>>

Larry Ortega

I was trained to see with my eyes, but I’ve always created from what I sense in the unseen. As a classically trained painter and self-taught sculptor, my hands have spent decades shaping the physical. But over time, I began to feel called to map something more profound—something spiritual, intangible, yet deeply real. This is the heart of my artistic mission. Read more>>

Alisha Freeman

I’m a visual storyteller at heart, working primarily in photography and film. My background is uniquely multifaceted, I spent years in front of the camera, which gave me a deep appreciation for visual composition and emotion. Eventually, I transitioned behind the lens, where I truly found my voice. Read more>>

Kate Rapier

My name is Kate, and I’m the founder of Good Shift Marketing, a social media consulting and coaching company built on one simple belief: the right post, the right message, or the right story can change someone’s life.And I know that’s true because it happened to me. Years ago, I was scrolling Instagram when I came across a post. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t part of a campaign. It was simply someone sharing their honest experience with foster care. That one post shifted something in me. Read more>>

Rocquel Carpenter

The mission of Non Niché is to create a community/network that helps elevate small business, entrepreneurs, artists, etc to be seen and supported. From creating traffic to their brand like content, website design, portfolio reviews, and brand strategy. Additionally, we go live on instagram to spread knowledge in whatever industry is represented that week. Sharing and listening to authentic conversations to help expand the mindset of creative individuals and expanding everyone’s network. I wanted to have people comfortable enough to reach out to one another to maybe collaborate, help when they feel stuck, or just bond. Read more>>

Joëlle Reyes

I co-own Beyond The Weights with my wife, Alysa. At Beyond The Weights, we help burnt-out yo-yo dieters break free from the all-or-nothing cycle. We work with high-achieving women who’ve checked all the boxes but still feel disconnected from their bodies—constantly chasing energy, confidence, and consistency, but never quite landing. They’re done with extremes and ready for a grounded, feel-good approach that actually lasts. Read more>>

Justin Roberts

My favorite stories do more than just make people feel something. They lead to action.

Back in 2009, I was an Army Captain with one of the most suicidal battalions in the military. We were losing more to suicide than combat. So I helped build a program where soldiers could open up, connect, and look out for each other. It worked—but what really stuck with me was how powerful it was when someone shared their story and another soldier realized they weren’t alone. Read more>>

Maya Freites

Our mission began as a personal goal, almost like a reward we promised ourselves. We were both working in demanding careers, feeling the weight of a life that didn’t quite align with the kind of freedom and purpose we were dreaming of. Photography started as our middle ground, something we both loved, and it slowly became our bridge toward a different life.. one filled with creativity, connection, and the hope of eventually building a new beginning in Hawaii. Read more>>

Scott Gutentag

My background and professional life helped me develop my mission for photography. I’ve been a licensed educational psychologist for over 30 years working with individuals with disabilities including intellectual disabilities, autism, genetic syndromes, and physical challenges. The goals were to assess their can-do abilities and challenges, while developing supports and strategies relative to their individual profile in order to help create as meaningful lives for them. The goals have always involved inclusion and individualizing life goals to who they are as people. I picked up my first camera when I was 10 years old and enjoyed observing the many things in our environments that tended to go unnoticed, and then captured them in photos. Read more>>

Ivy Les Vixens

When I first came out and started going to gay bars, the main type of the entertainment was mostly drag or like, go-go boys. And I love drag queens – I was raised by a wild pack of drag queens – but there was nothing specifically for women. It felt like everything was catered to gay men, even if we, as queer women, also enjoyed drag. But it still didn’t feel like queer women were represented or catered to or even considered. So I wanted to change that. I started creating shows that were for queer women, by queer women, and I haven’t stopped creating spaces, shows, and community for sapphic women since. Representation is so powerful, so needed, and I’ve dedicated my entire life to making it a reality for queer women. Read more>>

Kimi Ceridon

Life Love Cheese’s mission is to build a supportive and inclusive community centered around our passion for cheese. This mission starts with a core value – focus on American Artisanal Cheese and products and services from other small batch artisan businesses.. Read more>>

Nicole Marie

When I was 23, I was medically discharged from the Navy—eight surgeries, two rare diagnoses, and a body that was no longer able to meet the demands of a system that expected me to push through. I left with a 100% disability rating and no clear path forward. But what felt like a breaking point became a doorway. Read more>>

Jan Espersen

That is our mission statement. People come to us for flower arrangements, but it is the reason why they
need a flower arrangement that is part of our purpose. Many Reasons: anniversary, birthday, new baby, wedding, sympathy, love, sorrow, just because. We come along-side our friends and customers to celebrate the everyday Joys and also to hold hands and give a hug to those who have lost a little joy in their lives. Read more>>

Tamara Dzialo

Project PACK is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting survivors of sexual assault throughout Massachusetts with our Post-Assault Comfort Kits. Back in 2006 I was working at the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and attended a Sexual Assault Response Team meeting with other service providers. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) mentioned she wished she could provider her patients with a toothbrush and toothpaste to use after she completed the oral swab portion of the evidence collection process. Read more>>

Yamil Martinez

Thoughts and feelings don’t always have a correct way to be articulated in speech or writing. Opening the world to expression in the arts is a fundamental belief that I’ve held as a native son of Puerto Rico and raised by all the cultures and flavors of Florida. Read more>>

Carmell Clark

I didn’t set out to “have a mission.” I found it deep inside me when the life I’d spent two decades building suddenly dissolved beneath my feet. In the wreckage—no home, no income, no clear next step—I discovered an unshakable question pulsing inside me: What if raising our own self-awareness is the lever that lifts everything else? Read more>>

Tess Millhollon

After spending time solo backpacking Australia, I was deeply inspired by my life changing season of solo traveling. I found confidence and healing through that time and I’m is determined to help more women have life changing solo adventures of their own.

While I was overseas, I spent a lot of time staying with locals. Not only did this save me a LOT of money, but it also gave me authentic experiences while abroad. When seeing the safety challenges in many current accommodation services, I set out to create a whole new platform where women can connect, stay with each other, and have unforgettable experiences together. Read more>>

Ishitha Arekapudi

Ever since the sixth grade, I knew I wanted to be an astronaut, but while going through these experiences, I always felt a lack of guidance in finding opportunities and at times I felt like everyone knew the fundamentals of aviation while I was still trying to finding out that you could fly by yourself at the young age of 14. Then, during one of my conversations with my mentor in the Experimental Aircraft Association, he showed me a chart with ages & licenses you could get. This moment stands as one of my most fond memories — the moment I realized I could begin gliders at 14. Two weeks later, sitting in the cockpit of a glider, I began flight training. Learning that gliders were accessible at my age was like unlocking a door I never knew existed. Read more>>

Mariela Vazquez Mata

The mission behind Eclart Designs was born from a deep desire to help small businesses — especially those led by women and immigrants — stand out through strategic and aesthetic branding. When I started my business, I saw many talented entrepreneurs with great products or services, but without the visual identity or online presence to match their potential. Read more>>

Kristen Bear

When I decided to get sober in February of 2020, I went looking for a modern approach to the sober lifestyle. I wanted to feel empowered by my choice to prioritize my wellness and creative ambitions, not be forced to say I was powerless. While traditional recovery rhetoric works for many people I found it to be rigid and lacking room for nuance. I decided to start sharing my experiences with alcohol and my newfound sobriety on social media, opting for the name @creativesobriety to acknowledge that I was a creative artist, something that for a long time I thought meant I needed to imbibe. Read more>>

Marina Sakimoto

Since rummaging through my aunt’s vinyl records and uncle’s VHS collection as a kid, I’ve always had a soft spot for physical media. Last year, I started attending more film repertoire screenings and fell in love with the physical format presentations. As Angelenos, we’re so incredibly lucky to have access to these kinds of screenings and the theaters that host them, so I wanted to be a part of that magic in some small way. It reminded me of being a teenage girl starting her first band and wanting to be a part of a DIY community hosting my own shows. That element of community is what drives me to put on screenings the way we want to. Read more>>

Morgan Raum

My safta (grandmother in Hebrew) loved bringing people together around her dining room table. She was my window into Jewish culture—teaching me that friends and family are forever, music is life, and joy is everywhere if you look. Without her, there would be no Shabbat Club. Read more>>

Alicia McPhillips

Since I was a little girl, I’ve been in love with all things beauty! Makeup, skincare, fashion, glitter, gloss you name it. I grew up learning that no matter what was going on, I needed to show up looking my best. It became a part of me. My brows stayed done, my lip gloss was poppin’, and my skin always had a glow. But what most people didn’t see was that behind all the glam, I was using beauty to hide. Makeup became my shield a way to mask all the hurt, the stress, and the pain I was going through in life. It made me feel safe and in control when everything else felt heavy. Read more>>

Haishan Yang

I am an education researcher, a recent doctoral graduate, and a career student affairs professional. My mission has always been “make an impact, be the change, serve a purpose”. I think as an educator, this is the most noble thing you can do in the education field. Humans are capable of achieving so much, yet all human advancements begin with a student stepping into the classroom and getting educated. Read more>>

Sue Kirby

When having coffee one morning with my husband, I said “I really want to create a safe place where women can recover their true selves”. My husband replied “you need to write that down, I think you just said your mission statement.“ I wrote that down and put it up on my computer screen and looked up at God and said “OK God, I don’t know what this means but I know you do!“ Read more>>