Community Spotlight: Kristy Sundjaja, Founder of Exceptional Artists Foundation

I’m so impressed with what people in the Being My Purpose community are doing as they boldly explore and express their purpose out in the world.

What drives them is both a commitment to make a positive impact and a recognition that this brings them joy. Whether they are creating a nonprofit, starting a business, doing meaningful work in their job or artistic expression, these people inspire me to keep exploring and being out there as well.

This will be a series of blog posts that spotlight people in this community from around the world. My hope is that you will also be inspired to follow your purpose, face any obstacles along the way with a higher perspective, and keep sharing what you’ve learned so that others may have an easier path.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Kristy Sundjaja, Founder of Exceptional Artists Foundation

Kristy is the founder of the Exceptional Artists Foundation (EAF), which empowers artists with disabilities by providing individuals with the tools, support, and outlet to live an expressive, purposeful, and happy life. To accomplish this goal, EAF creates events and initiatives to draw awareness about the Exceptional Artists' talents, develops a marketplace to sell their artwork to foster independence, and funds arts education, therapy, and training programs. Her brother, who has Down Syndrome, is an accomplished artist. She is also Senior Vice President of People and Operations at Taboola, a tech company in New York City.

1. How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?

I love people and I am an optimist. I believe that everyone has the potential to achieve something exceptional in her or his life. To that end, I enjoy creating opportunities for people to unleash that in different communities, from my own family and friends to in schools and at work. In fact, I realize that throughout my personal and professional journey, I gravitate towards doing that in all different types of settings and organizations. 

I am also grateful that someone(s - more than one) tapped me and supported me, seeing me beyond who I was at different times. My mentors opened up my mind, believed in me, and encouraged me to take more exciting and rewarding challenges in life.

2. What projects, activities or moments give you purpose?

I don’t have specific projects, activities, or moments. Living a full life and doing my best on what I choose to do gives me purpose. My philosophy is that if you are not happy, don’t blame others because you chose to do it.

3. Can you give a quote from your intuitive reading that particularly resonates with you and explain why?

My intuitive purpose reading with Julie mentioned how I love learning and gathering knowledge, and that I have the purpose to share all of this knowledge with the world.  I do feel that I am doing that as a leader on a daily basis with my communities.

Sharing my experience (regardless of whether it is positive or negative) authentically with others often creates positive impacts. This, in turn, alters how I approach different experiences now; I will take any experience and do my best since I know that both myself and others will learn from my experience.

4. What is your favorite way to connect with your intuition?

 Meditation. Giving yourself a moment to quiet down and breathe.

5. What would you say is your biggest life lesson that you want to share with others?

At some points in life, you will realize that life is full of uncertainties. Over-planning will become less relevant than being agile and being present to the opportunities right in front of you. Instead of worrying, take action, and be open-minded. Embrace uncertainties because they can make life more interesting.

6. Can you describe 3 specific things that make up your vision of a better world?  

Love
Faith
Impacts

7. If you received a phone call that would change your life so that you can express your purpose even more, what would this phone call be about? How would you feel? Describe it as if it has already happened! 

I am having a tough time answering this question because I really don’t know what that call will be.  And, whatever I imagine is probably not going to be it.

“My callings” were never expected or imagined by me.  However, these callings are always so beautifully timed and always exceed my expectations. So, I have faith that what I am doing today is exactly where I should be and is the best way to express my purpose. When the time comes for me to expand my impact, the phone will ring. :) 

8. What advice do you have for other people looking to lead fulfilled and purposeful lives?  

Create a space for yourself to get to know who you are and what will truly make you happy.

9. What website or social media would you like to include so that people can learn more about your work?

Exceptional Artists Foundation: https://www.exceptionalartists.org/

10. Does 2020 reshape your purpose differently? Why?

2020 reaffirms to all of us that lives are full of uncertainties!  And when life takes everything away from you, stay in the present, and be open-minded. 

The pandemic shut down all in-person activities for Exceptional Artists. We were wondering what to do for our community! And then we looked around and realized that people were doing more in the virtual world with work from home and school from home.  So we said “let’s do our art experience at home” and we did! In fact, we were able to invite more exceptional artists to join our experience than ever before.

To a certain extent, I feel that 2020 stretched all of our potentials. As an organization, EAF expanded our potential and achieved more than we ever set out to do this year.  We are truly thankful for that possibility.  

***

Kristy Sundjaja was part of our first All Possibilities podcast episode with a live audience panel discussion on intuition, science, and spirituality. Other panelists included a psychiatrist, an entrepreneur, and myself. Listen to that episode here.

In a Relationship Rut? 3 Things You Need to Know to Get Back into Gear

What happens when you're in a committed relationship and things suddenly get rocky? 

One day, you’re in love, and the next, your world is falling apart. You ask yourself, “Was I that oblivious to the problems in my relationship? Am I not trying hard enough?” 

Or, deep inside you just knew something was wrong. You didn’t know how, but there was an underlying worry that kept showing its face whenever things got tough. 

Whether you’re on the verge of, or freshly picking yourself up from, a breakup or divorce, you will regain a sense of understanding and peace of mind with these three points. 

Karen Shares Her Transformation

I've learned a lot after coaching over 100 high-achieving people who want to make an impact on the world. While they may initially come to me for different reasons, like for example feeling stuck in their career, my clients find that relationships come up as a top priority -- both how they relate to other people and also how they treat themselves. 

Today, I'm going to share Karen's story. She’s a journalist who recently found herself in a situation she never anticipated: 

"I had plummeted emotionally after a breakup with someone whom I'd been in a relationship with for years, and friends with for nearly two decades. I couldn't accept nor make sense of the forced separation and deep unentanglement that would have to take place afterwards.

I was a wreck. I couldn't eat or sleep and I experienced constant heightened anxiety, self-doubt and panic attacks. I had incredible support from friends near and far, but I needed something more. 

I wondered if having a purpose reading could somehow help me make better sense of myself and reclaim my me, my core."

Karen and I met and over a few hours, we discussed her purpose -- what it is, how it has manifested over time, how it related to her relationship, what blocks exist and what actions she can take.  

"The purpose reading with Julie resonated right from the start. Almost immediately, I burst into tears because the opening message was something that I'd internally been aware of since I was a child but hadn't exactly had the words to articulate nor the need to tease out and actively realize.

The reading infused me with a strong sense of honest hope."

After the session, I continued coaching Karen, helping her transition back to peace when moments got dark (because the mind chatter comes back!) and offering intuitive guidance to help her connect to her own self again. 

Once she understood her purpose, she was finally able to express herself fully. It's like when you first connect the wires to a new lamp, the light can flicker at first. But over time, it gets used to shining and the connection becomes secure, the light steady. 

“I felt bolder, and I felt more accepting of what was happening. I also felt things more intensely, including pain and loss, but I somehow understood that this was part of it all and part of my process of rightly grieving.

I started seeing signs, or sign posts (including one with a butterfly) that I was in the right place and that there was nowhere else that I could or should be. I started to embody my purpose in ways that I could and can viscerally feel." 

It’s been a few months since, and Karen is exploring what it’s like to express her purpose on a moment-to-moment basis. Aside from experiencing beautiful miracles and moments of joy that she writes to me about enthusiastically, she is on a journey of healing.

The more she is conscious of how her purpose shows up in her life, the more she is learning how to embrace life without judgment. 

So how does this help you to embrace your own relationships or breakups?

1. First, like Karen, know that sometimes things happen for a reason that you cannot even fathom right now. 

As Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

An argument or a breakup may seem like the end of the world or the end of all your dreams to get married, start a family, and spend the rest of your life with this person, but it's all going to be okay. And there's probably something really important that you learned that came out of the whole experience. 

When you know your purpose, the path leads to the kind of inner growth, beauty, and magic that only comes with a strong connection to your own self. You will see greener pastures. 

 

2. Your purpose is not just related to your career. It, in fact, directly impacts your relationships with others and with yourself. 

Knowing your purpose helps you understand what truly motivates you and what you have to live for. It helps you articulate what is missing in your life -- the absence of which affects your ability to be your true self. 

When you’re not being your true self, you feel an underlying tension that impacts your relationship with others. 

For example, if part of your purpose is to express your voice and share your story, and you have not done it to the level that your heart knows you can do, then the underlying tension of not being fully self-expressed causes frustration and stress. You lash out or get snappy at work or blame your significant other for your unhappiness, but it ultimately has to do with your own, sometimes unconscious, choices. 

I’ve seen many clients who, after consciously knowing their purpose or the purpose of their significant other, finally “get" it on a deeper level. They embrace quirks that normally would have caused frustration, and see how two people were meant to learn something from each other. They understand the role they played and are able to accept, as Karen did, what the present moment is. 

So, if you find yourself in relationship patterns or stuck in a rut, it might actually have to do with knowing and expressing your own true self. 

 

3. Your ego mind will try to convince you that you are not worthy of love. When you live your purpose, you naturally exude passion. 

After a breakup, people are quick to judge themselves. Don't let your own ego chatter convince you that you will never meet another person or that you can't be loved. 

When you are expressing your purpose and not paying attention to your ego mind chatter, you actually are in a positive state of mind to take new actions and see the possibilities around you. You become more open-hearted, leading you to creative ways to rekindle an existing relationship or discover a new one that is aligned with wonder and unconditional love. 

Many of my clients find themselves meeting new people -- romantic or otherwise -- that they never expected or imagined existed. They feel called to create a profile on a certain dating platform. They decide to attend a friend’s party when normally they would have stayed home. They reconnect with themselves and finally prioritize doing the things they are passionate about. They even manifest their ideal relationship.

So, when the ego chatter strikes, remember to let your true self shine. Allow yourself to be relaxed, excited and spontaneous. Otherwise, the people you are meant to meet cannot find you in the dark.

***

Are you ready to discover how knowing your purpose can clear the heartache and give you peace of mind?

Learn more about the “Discover Your Purpose” session and get back into gear with a conscious heart, a sense of purpose, and a connection back to your true self. 

Let’s start a new chapter.

If this blog post resonated with you, let me know! I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.