The Alchemy of Purpose
“To Realize One’s Destiny is a Person’s Only Obligation.”
A few years ago, during a family vacation on Mackinac Island, our oldest, then 13, wanted to explore a bookstore. It felt fitting for Mackinac—a place steeped in nostalgia, where vintage charm reigns, and bicycles and horse-drawn carriages are the only modes of transportation. Sadly, physical bookstores are a rare treat for children these days. In that little shop, our child discovered The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and insisted on reading it. Soon, this beautiful story became a family treasure. My husband read it first, followed by me.
The book tells the tale of a young boy who embarks on a journey to fulfill his “personal legend” and uncover a treasure revealed to him in a dream.
The following year, inspired by the story, I began a quest of my own—to uncover my personal legend. For over 15 years, I had worked in software development and ecommerce, first as a project manager and later as an executive. Early on, I loved my work. Each new client brought fresh challenges and an opportunity to learn what made their company thrive. Every project launch felt like a triumph, and I cherished the camaraderie of teamwork.
As I climbed the corporate ladder, becoming a COO, VP, and President, I began to experience the darker side of success. The responsibilities and pressures of these roles created deep patterns of stress, overshadowing the joy I once felt. Over time, the relentless demands took a toll on my health and well-being. I longed for wellness and became convinced that leaving the digital world was the answer.
In 2021, I made the leap. I left my role at Rightpoint, where I had led six teams and overseen a division responsible for millions in revenue, to open a wellness franchise as a solopreneur. It was a complete departure from my previous career, and I loved it. Coaching people to find balance brought me immense satisfaction. The adventure of running my own business and the creativity it demanded reignited a spark in me.
My hope was encapsulated in this line from The Alchemist:
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
Like Santiago, the boy in The Alchemist, I believed I needed to leave behind everything familiar to find my treasure and fulfill my personal legend. But as the story goes, what I sought was right where I had been all along. Soon, I began to miss the teamwork and the collective joy of building something with others.
I had an epiphany, much like Santiago. My treasure wasn’t in leaving the digital world but in transforming it. I realized my personal legend was to bring wellness and mental health consciousness into the workspace of a digital agency. This realization gave birth to my dream for Aysnd: to create a workspace where love and excitement replace the stress and fear that so often dominate.
At Aysnd, my mission is to share the lessons I’ve learned over 20 years about building efficient digital systems and strategies—infused with the joy I have rediscovered. I want to foster an environment where employees thrive, clients feel less stress, and the work we create together shines brighter than ever.
Because the more light we share, the brighter the world becomes.
“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist