Photos by Paul Flessland
There’s a well-known TED Talk that author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek gave nearly a decade ago called “Find Your Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” The premise of the 20-minute presentation is simple: People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.
We found the notion so simply profound that we’re now asking everyone we talk to in Fargo INC! the question, “Why do you do what you do?”
“My ‘why’ is simple: I want to make a difference.
“When I look at the faces of children, I can see myself in their faces. The invisible, the lost, the lonely, the scared. I can feel their pain and frustration, and I can feel their joy and excitement.
“I want every child to have the opportunity to be happy. I want every child to have the foundation they need to be successful in whatever it is they are passionate about. I want every child to grow up with a love of learning and to feel confident in themselves. And I want every child to feel creative, goofy, have friends and feel loved.
“I want them to feel like they have inner superpowers.”
-Carrie Leopold
The Catalyst
When Carrie Leopold read an article a few years ago in the Huffington Post titled, “Are You Living Your Eulogy or Your Résumé?,” she knew it was time to make a change.
Carrie Leopold, Inspire Innovation Lab Founder & Executive Director
“Up until that point, I had been living my life in a way that was writing my résumé,” says Leopold, the founder and executive director of Inspire Innovation Lab, a maker space in Moorhead aimed at introducing kids to a variety of innovative learning experiences.
“I did a lot of really great things, worked with a lot of really amazing people and built an incredible résumé. But then I thought, ‘Who cares? Who is going to read my résumé at my funeral? What do I want to be remembered for? What do I really want to do with my life?
“I wanted to make a bigger impact than I felt I was making at the time. So I took a leap, quit my job and opened Inspire Lab!”
