My Journey to Purpose
The long road, the bold leap — and the business I was meant to build
Every purpose-driven business has a story.
This is mine.
It’s not a straight line.
It’s not a flashy reinvention.
It’s a real-life, lived-in path that started in the nonprofit world and wound its way toward something more:
a bigger purpose, a bolder vision, and a new way to make impact visible.
Where It All Began
I grew up in Maine, the daughter of a community college sociology professor who taught me to treat everyone—janitor to president—with equal respect. I believed in fairness and community from the beginning.
One summer, I joined the Youth Conservation Corps at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. We cleared trails, built fences, and learned how to care for the land. Our environmental educator that summer? Gary Hirshberg, who later went on to lead Stonyfield Farm and become a pioneer in the socially responsible business movement.
His words stuck with me even as a teenager: “We are all stewards of the planet.”
That summer planted the seed.
It showed me that impact isn’t about talking—it’s about showing up, getting your boots dirty, and doing something that matters.
From Helping Nonprofits to Rethinking What “Doing Good” Really Means
For 30 years, I worked as a performance measurement and evaluation consultant for AmeriCorps and other national and international nonprofits. I trained over 1,000 programs in how to track their impact—and how to make data meaningful, not just bureaucratic.
That work gave me a front-row seat to what was working in the social sector and business-nonprofit partnerships — and what wasn’t.
I started writing about the patterns I saw and the possibilities I imagined. Eventually, those insights turned into a book:
Strategy for Good, my award-winning guide to helping companies give back more effectively and meaningfully.
After publishing the book, I was invited to become the founding executive director of what would become B:CIVIC—Businesses Committed to Investing and Volunteering in the Community. More than just a leadership role, it was an opportunity to help shape a brand-new initiative uniting Denver businesses of all sizes around a shared commitment to giving back and strengthening our communities.
I built the organization from the ground up—designing the strategy, developing the infrastructure, and cultivating a values-aligned community of companies committed to making a meaningful difference beyond the bottom line.
But over time, I noticed something troubling:
Many companies treated their giving as something separate—a PR move or side project—not as part of a deeply integrated, purpose-powered business strategy.
That’s when I started asking bigger questions…
What if we reimagined how purpose shows up in business—not just in nonprofit work, but in the everyday decisions of companies that are already donating, volunteering, and supporting causes they care about?
What if those efforts weren’t just “nice to do,” but directly connected to their goals, their growth, and their values?
What if doing good wasn’t a tradeoff—but a strategic advantage?
When Purpose Got Personal
At 50, I tried to shift careers. I applied for 40 jobs—got one interview—and was told I wasn’t hired because I hadn’t worked in a “normal office” and was older than the team. I started to see the hidden costs of being purpose-driven but unconventional.
I also saw the dark underbelly of business:
- A guy I dated bragged about manipulating a young family into buying a truck they couldn’t use.
- Another asked to list my name as the fake woman-owner of his unqualified environmental firm.
And years earlier, while working on maternal and child nutrition programs in Haiti for USAID, I witnessed the dangers of misguided help:
- A mission group built an aquaculture pond without involving the villagers—only to leave before it was finished. No one had told them the locals wouldn’t eat carp… and they didn’t ask.
- Another outsider came to give away braces to teens—ignoring the fact that these same kids didn’t have clean water or toothbrushes.
Those moments stayed with me.
That’s when I knew: It wasn’t enough to do good.
It had to be done right—with integrity, strategy, and real connection.
Building Big Purpose Big Impact
So I built the business I couldn’t find.
A business rooted in purpose-powered prosperity.
A home for values-aligned entrepreneurs who want to grow—but not at the expense of people, planet, or personal integrity.
Big Purpose Big Impact was born to help leaders connect their values to strategy, their giving to growth, and their purpose to profit—without performative fluff or disconnected CSR.
Now, I work with business owners who know in their gut that doing good is good business.
They just need a path that’s clear, authentic, and built for them.
Where I Am Now
Today, I help companies become BOLD Businesses:
✅ Built on values
✅ Operate with integrity
✅ Leverage impact
✅ Driven by purpose
I’m not here to sell you a formula.
I’m here to walk beside you as you align your business with the difference you want to make—and build something that lasts.
Because doing things right—for people, for the planet, and yes, for profit—isn’t just possible.
It’s how we create a future worth working for.
I still believe in data. I still believe in action.
But more than anything, I believe in courageous business owners who are done separating profit from purpose.
Your Turn
Maybe your journey looks different.
Maybe you’ve been doing good quietly and wondering if it could be more strategic.
Or maybe you’ve hit a wall, and you’re looking for a new way to build—a way that actually feels like you.
If that’s you, welcome. You’re in the right place.
No big pitch. No funnel. Just an open door.
Want to explore what purpose could look like in your business?