When I found my purpose by being repurposed…

I have spent a bulk of time trying to promote myself — as a long time entrepreneur and a Type A (reformed) personality, there was a lot of promotion in my life. “Call me, I am really good at X.” “Hi, I am Lisa and I am experienced at ….” And more. There was also the constant pivot to figure out how to monetize my skills to help keep my life afloat with a high cost of living, a higher mortgage and a fixed income.

Recently, I got enlightened in my heart — and my heart and soul have become united in the front to be a servant to others, to help others, instead of trying to figure out how to become a successful <insert here>.

During my recent trip to Italy and before that meeting the leader of Compassion That Compels, Kristianne Stewart, helped me slowly chip away at my veneer of the “humble brag” or the “vanity” of being seen as a wonder and instead to help others without looking for anything in return.

We are ALL wonders, we are all wonderfully and beautifully made and the first time Kristianne prayed over me, via cell phone and during the end of my radiation, was a small seed, a beginning that has sprouted into the most amazing of things.

Kristianne is a leader and a giver and it is ALL ABOUT HELPING OTHERS. Her nonprofit, Compassion That Compels, started with a letter and an idea to provide support to women facing life changing diagnoses around cancer. Since launching, her group has given out over 7,000 Compassion Bags and have built communities of women, relationships and breadcrumbs from God to us to them and back again. Things that just CANNOT be coincidences happen all of the time with this group and by extension to me.

When I first got my notification that my nonprofit was approved, I sat in my backyard and looked around at the wonderful trees and started to talk to my Saint, Padre Pio. I prayed and said, “So I am ready to help others but I do not know how to let anyone KNOW that I am here, that this nonprofit even exists…” When my phone rang and it was Kristianne calling to ask me to partner with her organization to help with the On Your Feet program.

And from that call, we began to create a program that could help women get back their confidence and their PLAN B after cancer. This weekend, I was lucky enough to be a part of the life changing Repurpose Conference in Tennessee with the giving, selfless and loving team from Compassion from Kristianne to the Board to the volunteers and beyond. Each one of them are a powerhouse of relationship building, prayer and openness to embrace and help others.

My life is forever changed by being a part of the Compassion That Compels family — but you can also be a part of their family — you can sign up on their website to be a volunteer, to ask for a prayer or to be involved with the On Your Feet program.

The crux of my trip to Europe showed me, through my faith, that I could let go and move and also that my purpose in this life is to help others. With my upcoming move, I can focus on my nonprofit and continue to provide free survivorship resources and tools for life after cancer. The relationship I have with Compassion That Compels just proves to me how blessed and lucky I am to know the team and to help them help women.

I repurposed my pain and my cancer diagnosis to go from helping myself, promoting myself to helping others and promoting THEM — they are amazing and just a few of them spoke at this weekend’s event and their words about how my nonprofit was able to help them brought me to happiest of tears and made my soul so so happy.
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I was honored to have the chance to speak and to me, it was the best time of my life — all fun and laughter and I hope the true explanation that I want to serve — who is next to have my help?

Thank you Kristianne, team and the fellow speakers and volunteers — I am honored to know you.