Creating A Joyful Planet: How Kelly Parisi is Helping

Patrice Tanaka, Founder & Chief Joy Officer of Joyful Planet LLC, interviews people who are actively living their purpose and contributing to a more joyful planet. This interview spotlights Kelly Parisi, Head of Communications and Marketing at Leanin.org.PT:  Kelly, what I love and admire about you is how you’re pursuing your passion and living your purpose, in part, through the amazing work you’ve done throughout your communications career at the Ms. Foundation for Women, Girl Scouts of the USA and now at Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In Foundation.  Can you share your life’s purpose with us? I define a life’s purpose as one that leverages your greatest talents, experience and passion in service of people and planet.KP:  Patrice—what I love and admire about you is that you live your life’s purpose and constantly push the people around you to do the same!We spend the majority of our lives at work, and so often people use the wrong criteria—money, job security, status—to evaluate an opportunity. What if our criteria were radically different? What if, instead, these were the questions we asked ourselves:  What do I enjoy more than anything? What motivates me? What am I uniquely good at? What fills my well?So many people fail to ask these questions and then end up in jobs that don’t mesh with their core strengths and values. They often find themselves miserable and get burned out. They may think they need a different field or company—but more often than not, they are not fulfilled because they are not pursuing the work that lies at the powerful intersection of what they are good at and what makes them want to get out of bed in the morning.  PT:  When did you discover your life’s purpose? Was there a triggering incident?KP:  I took my first-ever women’s studies class my freshman year of college. In that class, for the first time in my entire life, the professor provided an explanation for the “that’s not fair” feeling I had experienced my whole life. Why do I have to spend 20 minutes on the dishes and my brothers only have to take out the trash? Why was my curfew earlier than theirs? The answer was always:  You’re a girl. And suddenly, in that class, I had a vocabulary for fighting against that inequality and injustice.It not only opened my eyes to the unfairness of the world, but also allowed me to think about the world that I wanted to see. And, most importantly, it made me think I could change it.PT:  And once you determined your purpose did you find yourself begin to actively live it?  How did you begin? What did you do?KP:  I never knew that you could have a job fulfilling your purpose—I honestly thought my passion for women’s issues would play out on the sidelines as an evangelist and crusader for equality. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the job opening in communications at the Ms. Foundation for Women, the first national women’s foundation, started by Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Gloria Steinem, and Marlo Thomas. I saw it as fate, and much to the chagrin of everyone sane in my life, I only applied to that one job. Obviously it was meant to be!PT:  Did knowing your purpose in life change what you do in your professional life in any way?  And, in your personal life?KP:  My North Star—or purpose in life—is creating a more equal world for women and girls. I never knew that you could make a living doing this, and I am incredibly grateful to the champions who have kept me on my path.The most interesting thing I discovered along the way is that while women and girls were my North Star, what actually got me out of bed in the morning and kept me motivated to do the hard—but important—work was the amazing women and men who fought the good fight alongside me every day.Indeed, while it is a personal passion and a mission of mine to do good work in the world, it’s equally important to do it with good people.I’ve had the great fortune of working with some of the most talented team members—they inspire, motivate and, most importantly, “fill my well.” And doing this work, you often need it re-filled so you don’t feel like Sisyphus constantly pushing that boulder up the hill. The teams I’ve led and learned from have not only helped me push the rock over the hill, but they have also helped me stay on my journey.PT:  What are your greatest hopes and dreams for the life purpose you have chosen?KP:  I have strong faith and conviction that my daughter and son will live in a society that treats women and men more equitably. My friend and mentor Marie C. Wilson always said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” I hope my example of finding my North Star shows them they can find theirs too—that there’s nothing stopping them from searching for and discovering their path and purpose, one that isn’t necessarily celebrated and encouraged as a career option but that is the absolute perfect fit for them.PT:  What do you think you’d be doing now if you hadn’t determined and then actively begun to live your purpose?KP:  It may not be an accident that my initials are KP—otherwise known as Key Purpose. Even if I had taken a more traditional corporate route, I would be living my life’s purpose in my spare time, running a Girl Scout troop, volunteering in my community, muckraking in local politics…fulfilling my purpose part-time.PT:  How important is it for people to discover their life’s purpose? What advice would you give others about discovering their life’s purpose? KP:  I believe that discovering your purpose is the key to living your most meaningful and fulfilling life. A life that makes you excited to get up in the morning! This is what knowing my purpose has done for me and what I know it can do for everyone.[author]About the Author: Patrice Tanaka is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded three award-winning, PR & marketing firms and, most recently, Joyful Planet, a Business & Life Strategy Consultancy.  “Through Joyful Planet, I am doing what I love and what I do best, leveraging my creative, problem-solving talent to help individuals and organizations discover and live their purpose and move forward more successfully and joyfully in business and life,” says Patrice.  This is the subject of Patrice’s new best-selling book, Beat the Curve, co-authored with world renowned management consultant and coach, Brian Tracy, and other business leaders.  Her chapter is entitled, “Live Your Life’s Purpose and Unleash Your Joy.”  Connect with Patrice@JoyfulPlanet.com, via LinkedIn/Patrice Tanaka and Twitter/Patrice Tanaka. [/author]