purpose

The hardest step is the first one

This is the one and only pic I snagged last night from the Girls Night Out.  It was before all the ladies arrived and we got lost in a world of hilarious laughter.  But it’s incredibly special to me because this girl is living her HeartStory at age 24, and it’s a beautiful example for us all.

Meet Savannah.  

Savannah is a brilliant fine art photographer, with a sunny disposition, who captured all the hysterical moments for us last night.  The room was her jungle gym, while she climbed anything necessary to get the angle she wanted.  She was on a mission and nothing was going to get in her way!

I have a very sneaky suspicion we’ll be blown away be the story she’ll tell through her images.  

What you need to know about Savannah’s story is that she’s an insurance underwriter by day, and a talented photographer by night.   …

by Crystal Gornto Love In Action Leave a comment chat
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In your struggle, you find your courage . . . and your story

One of my very favorite things about what I get to do for a living, is the privilege of consistently meeting women who are courageously showing up in the world to make life better for others.  By the nature of being constantly on the lookout for women to share their stories and their talents with us at The Girls Night Out, I get to hear their stories.

Their real stories.  

Of course, we usually start with the obvious, their families, their history and the incredible work they do.  But that story always leads somewhere deeper, because these passionate women who show up bravely to make change happen, don’t get there on accident. They’ve always had to fight for it.

Always. 

And the story of the fight?  It’s usually personal.  They’ve had to personally face hardships and endure struggles that most people know nothing about.  It’s what made them strong.  It’s what gives them …

by Crystal Gornto Girl's Night Out Inspirational Women Love In Action Love in Friendship Loving Yourself Purpose The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Where a better life begins

My teammate Heather is working with me on some “clean-up” projects.  She’s reworked our Sponsorship Packages, she’s redesigned event pages, she’s interviewed new team members to fill new roles.  She’s organized and insanely productive.   It’s been incredible.  Recently some of our conversations have been comical.  She’ll shoot me a text with the words: “Out of an abundance of caution. . .” and I respond with something about “Out of a wha-wha?”  We laugh, then I whisper gratitude for having her in my life.  She sees the vision, and she’ll leap to get there, but she takes calculated leaps.

I tend to dance on the edge.

My comfort zone is usually a little beyond that of others around me.  I’ve always thought, calculations just weren’t my thing.  But it’s funny how life changes you as you get older and a little wiser.   Even if you don’t want it to, your brain jumps in and …

by Crystal Gornto Inspiration Inspirational Words Love In Action Purpose Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Moving forward with the right people

Have you ever interacted with someone and realized instantly that relationship with them would be easy?  Over the years in my previous careers, and with HeartStories, I’ve interviewed a lot of people.  I’ve sat across the table, connected via Skype, Google Hangout, and email.  I’ve heard a lot of stories and listened to a lot of dreams.  There have been moments of hope, that this person would be the perfect fit.  And moments of painful endurance, knowing there was no chance it would work, but we needed to politely proceed.

But this gal, Jackie, she broke the mold.

From our very first interaction via email, she was prompt, professional and kind, all of the things you would expect.  (In fact, I sent an immediate note to Heather saying, “Do we even need to interview her?  Can we hire her already?”)  As soon as we spoke, it was quickly evident that our mission and …

by Crystal Gornto Inspirational Women Love In Action Our Story The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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You were born to stand out

If you’re a mama in Texas, you know it’s May when you feel like you’re at the school more than you are at work or at home.  Right?  Spring concerts, performances, field days, fundraisers, appreciation luncheons, awards presentations and sign ups for end of year parties. . . the flurry of frantic activity reminds you that summer is quickly approaching.

And there’s nothing you can do about it.  

But there’s one activity that stops me in my tracks.  It gets me every single time.  It fills my eyes with tears and my heart with hope, that maybe in middle of the flood of activity, we’re still doing something right.

It’s the class awards ceremony.

For one hour, the parents gather and listen as the teacher calls each student up to the front.  She doesn’t spend time pointing out that their grades are above average or their uniforms are perfectly pressed and tucked in nicely (eh-hum). …

by Crystal Gornto Inspiration Love In Action Loving Yourself Purpose The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Judging me, judging you

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting up with Julian Placino, the host of the Pathways to Success podcast to chat about HeartStories.  (Click here or the image above to watch the fun promo video)

During the podcast, we talk about my journey from employee to business owner, and all the skinny on the mission of HeartStories.

I dive into everything, from how I decided to pursue the purpose of connecting women, to the process behind creating the Girls Night Out.  I share why I’m committed to sharing the stories of women who’re living into their purpose and why I believe so strongly that our life experiences lead us straight into our purpose and passion.  We walk through a typical evening at a GNO and the reason for the different elements and experiences during the night.

It was my first time to describe the GNO in detail on air, so …

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