In this episode of the Pursue Purpose Podcast, I’m diving into what it really takes to stay motivated in the pursuit of your purpose—especially when distractions are everywhere and progress feels slow. I share how reconnecting with your why can help you move beyond busywork and focus on what truly matters in your business and life. From heartfelt stories of recent client sessions as a Seattle Maternity Photographer to honest reflections on motherhood and ambition, this episode is a gentle reminder that you’re probably already living parts of the dream you’re chasing—and that purpose-driven work is worth every step.

Welcome to the Pursue Purpose Podcast. This podcast is for ambitious women who want to cultivate a meaningful life in the pursuit of their purpose. After achieving the highest level of academic success, yet feeling unfulfilled, I was left wondering what was next. I discovered my purpose in helping women feel seen, understand their self-worth, and live their best lives.

I quit my scientific career path for a life full of freedom and flexibility. And now I want to teach and inspire other women to pursue their purpose. Thank you for being here, and let's get started.

Hey guys. Welcome back to the Pursue Purpose Podcast. Today I want to talk about staying motivated in the pursuit of your purpose. It is really challenging these days to stay focused and motivated when there are so many distractions out there—with social media notifications that pop up, we get on our phone to look for something and suddenly our attention turns to something else because of a popup. And then we forget the thing we actually went on our phone to do.

With that, we have constant focus issues and also just feeling a lack of motivation sometimes to really do the things that are going to move the needle forward in our business. I think we often look for low-hanging fruit—the tasks that just keep us feeling busy. There will always be so many tasks to do, but we need to look for which ones to prioritize that will actually move the needle forward toward your end goal in your business.

For me, editing, for example, is something I need to do. It's an easy task for me and it's fun because I like to watch silly reality shows while I’m editing. But it's not actually going to find me more clients, so it’s not a task that’s really important in that sense. I shouldn’t be doing that first thing in the morning or as the first thing I do that day, because I might end up taking the whole day to edit—and it's fun—but I should be doing the things that will actually help me serve you, help my clients, or find more clients.

That’s where I started thinking more about how we stay focused, how we stay motivated toward the end goal in our businesses. And the key is going to be finding your why, because business is really hard and we need to have a reason for why we’re doing it. It can’t just be to make some money. Of course, in a business you need to make money, but to find your why is really the heart of it all—the reason you’re actually pursuing something. The purpose for why you’re doing what you’re doing. And if you can find that and constantly remind yourself of what it is, it will help you stay motivated to move the needle forward in the tasks that might be harder but are truly more important.

For me, I do the work that I do because I want women to feel seen, to really embody a beautiful life for themselves that they are cultivating—because the day-to-day can feel so mundane sometimes. The women that I work with are so ambitious. They are always striving for the dream life, for the next thing, and I help them see that they are already living it.

I recently had my motherhood event, and the feedback I got from that just helped me solidify that I am pursuing my purpose and following my why. It truly helps me stay motivated and keep going.

One mom said, “It has been a while since I have felt that beautiful as a new mama.” She said, “I have been deep in the new mom struggle, and I am so glad I treated myself to this.” Another mom said, “I am sure all the mamas felt radiant and so special because of you.” And that just made me feel so good because I spent a lot of energy and focus toward making sure these moms felt super seen, felt beautiful—and they haven’t even seen the images yet. They just had that experience of feeling like someone was looking after them and really helping them see who they are in this moment, as someone who’s just living this beautiful life.

And when you’re a mom, it can feel so hard. Yesterday, I had an artwork call with a newborn session client and she was oohing and awing over the photos, which was amazing. And then she said, “I wish I still looked that pretty.” And she kind of laughed, but I think there’s something deeper there, because being a mom is so hard—and when you're in the thick of it, especially in those first six months when you sometimes can’t even leave the house. I think it’s so important to be able to help people feel beautiful again.

I want to help moms feel more like themselves. I want them to see themselves in a way that’s not just the messy bun, spit-up-on-your-shirt, knee-deep-in-diapers version. If you can see the beauty that is motherhood, it brings joy back into your life.

It’s not to say you can’t have joy in the messy, but I think it helps women come back to themselves a little when they’re doing so much for so many other people—their babies, their spouses, whatever. It’s why I insist on getting family photos done every year. It’s why I frame them and put them in our hallway, so I can remind myself on a daily basis: this life is truly beautiful and I am currently living it. And even if I’m being yelled at for picking the wrong color sippy cup, I can look at those photos and say, “This is a beautiful life, and I’m living it.”

So if you are pursuing a purpose for your life—the business you’re setting out to do, whatever it is—I want you to think long and hard about your why. Why do you do what you do? This will forever keep you motivated. Even when things get slow and difficult, it keeps you laser-focused on what you should be working on.

As long as you have that clear understanding of why you do what you do—deep down—it will help you move forward. It will help you stay motivated.

I hope that helps you today. Just a quick little nugget—something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. And I hope you guys have a great rest of your day, and I will talk to you next time.