Paper TalkEp 203: You Already Know Your Purpose: Finding the Words for It with Catherine Lash
What if your purpose is not something you need to find, but something you already live every day without the words for it? This week, co-host Jessie Chui introduces a guest who changed the way she understands her own work: Catherine Lash, a writer, speaker, and workshop host who helps people reconnect with what genuinely drives them.
Catherine shares the surprisingly simple process behind her Artist Statement of Purpose workshop, why it takes only about ten minutes to reach your purpose, and why she turned a $1,200, eight-week program into a one-hour workshop that anyone can access. She shares her path, from wedding photographer to producing a wedding show for 19 years, nearly losing everything while chasing trends that weren't true to her, and stripping her business back to its foundation. Along the way, she created her own paper flower installation to hold on to who she was.
"Everybody has a purpose. You feel it, you live it, you actually just don't have the words for it." - Catherine Lash
We talk about the difference between an artist statement and a purpose statement, why fulfillment happens only when you put your purpose into the world, how knowing your purpose helps you say no, and how to stop comparing yourself on Instagram. Catherine also challenges the three of us to find a collective purpose for Paper Talk and our Mastermind.
Timestamps:
00:28 Welcome Catherine Lash
00:49 How Jessie discovered Catherine's workshop
03:26 Why your why changes from season to season
04:11 Purpose should be accessible to everyone, and all you need is a pen and paper
07:58 Fulfillment: why purpose must be delivered to someone else
09:23 How Catherine found her own purpose
12:08 Losing herself, nearly going bankrupt, and stripping back to the foundation
13:48 The Paper Flower Project
19:20 A challenge: finding a collective purpose for Paper Talk and the Mastermind
20:13 Why a simple process still needs time and guidance
24:19 Artist statement vs. purpose statement
25:35 Catherine's workshops for artists, individuals, and groups
28:19 Using your purpose to decide when to say no
28:50 Social media, comparison, and coming back to your foundation
31:24 What is in our shopping carts
38:36 Thank you and goodbye
About Catherine Lash:
Catherine supports individuals through her workshops, as a writer and speaker, reconnecting with what genuinely drives them- their purpose- enabling them to create greater meaning, make a positive impact, and maintain their authenticity.
Through her proven methodology, Catherine is able to take her audiences from purpose as something abstract to something human-sized and deeply personal that they can put into action for individual and collective well-being and flourishing.
Her workshops run every month for individuals, and she hosts private workshops for social groups, community organizations, and corporate teams to build deeper connections within the group so they can keep evolving as they work toward a collective purpose.
She also loves making paper flowers!
Learn more about Catherine and her Lead with Purpose workshops here: https://www.catherinelash.com/registration and follow her on Instagram as @catherinelash.
What’s in our Shopping Cart:
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Jessie - Global Datebook Elementary School Planner 2026
Sara - Catherine Lash’s Artist Statement of Purpose Workshop
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