Stories of Work & Purpose
Work is more than what we do. It can become deeply connected to how we understand who we are, what we value and what we believe our lives are for.
I am increasingly drawn to stories that explore the intersection of work, identity, purpose and faith: what happens when the work that has given us meaning changes or disappears, when our work carries more of our identity than it was meant to, and when we begin to see new possibilities for what our work could be.
I bring research and human stories together to explore these questions, looking for insights that can deepen our understanding of work and open possibilities for what might come next. Some of these stories explicitly explore Christian faith and vocation. Others explore questions of identity, meaning and purpose across different beliefs and experiences.
WORK · CALLING · IDENTITY
What Survived the Fire
When USAID Was Dismantled, the Calling Endured
When USAID was dismantled, thousands lost not only their jobs, but a professional home and a way of living out work rooted in service.
Through the stories of former USAID staff, What Survived the Fire explores grief, vocation and what happens when a calling outlives the institution that once gave it a home.
FAITH · IDENTITY · WORK
Changing the Lens
When work doesn’t have to prove worth
For photographer Tarah Paul, creativity and ambition had become intertwined with a need to prove her value. As she began to see herself differently through God’s eyes, her relationship with her work began to change too.
Changing the Lens explores faith, identity and what becomes possible when our work is freed from having to prove our worth.
Research. Story. Possibility.
I am interested in working with organizations and communities to explore the larger questions shaping how we experience and understand work.
Through research and human stories, I explore questions of vocation, identity, purpose, faith, change and belonging: how they shape people and their work, what we can learn, and where there may be possibilities for something different.
The result might be a single long-form story or a collection of stories and insights. My aim is the same: to bring research and lived experience together in ways that deepen understanding, open new possibilities and offer grounded hope for how we think about and live out our work.