Building My Cathedral

Building a life of purpose, one brick at a time.

In 2018, I attended the WTS International Mid-Career Leadership Program, and although I learned countless leadership concepts that week, one exercise changed me permanently: the Cathedral Exercise.

The story is simple.

Three people are working on a construction site.The first says, “I’m laying bricks.”The second says, “I’m building a wall.”The third looks up proudly and says, “I’m building a cathedral.”

At the time, I didn’t fully realize what I was missing professionally and personally, but that exercise gave me language for it. I needed a cathedral. A north star. A deeper purpose behind the work.

Long before I ever heard Simon Sinek talk about finding your “why,” I was sitting in that leadership training trying to define mine.

And suddenly, everything clicked.

At that point in my career, I was already deeply invested in growth and leadership. Even years earlier, I had written about my desire to mentor others, inspire innovation, and help people realize their potential. But the

Cathedral Exercise forced me to simplify it into something much more personal and meaningful.

My cathedral became clear:

My purpose is to motivate and mentor others to achieve greatness.

Not perfection.

Not status.

Not titles.

Greatness.

Sometimes that looks like mentoring a young professional trying to find confidence in their voice. Sometimes it looks like encouraging a colleague who feels stuck. Sometimes it looks like helping women navigate infertility, chronic illness, leadership, motherhood, or self-doubt. Sometimes it looks like creating space for emerging leaders to realize they are capable of far more than they believe.

And honestly? Sometimes it is simply reminding people they matter.

That purpose has become my filter for life decisions.

As long as what I am doing personally and professionally is in service of that cathedral, I know I am on the right path.

That realization changed how I lead teams. How I mentor.How I network.How I show up online.How I define success.

It even changed how I handle difficult seasons.

Because when your work is tied to purpose instead of ego, setbacks feel different. Promotions matter less. Titles matter less. Validation matters less. The mission becomes bigger than the moment.

Ironically, the older I get, the less interested I am in building walls.

I want to build cathedrals.

And the beautiful thing about cathedrals is they are never built alone.