About Us
Our Mission
To integrate purpose in our lives while building a vibrant community of committed individuals
Our Vision
Be a trusted community discovering, exploring, and joyfully living on purpose.
Our Vision
Be a trusted community discovering, exploring, and joyfully living on purpose.
Our History
Joyce Cohen and Vicki Thomas are classic examples of ‘retirees’ who choose to spend time in ‘purposeful ways.’ They both enjoyed full successful careers, expansive networks and could choose leisurely directions. Instead, both in their 70’s, combined talents, work experience, and wisdom to start My Future Purpose, LLC (MFP).
The three-year old company originally planned to hold conferences bringing together keynote speakers, authors, panelists, and organizations to explore transition either at work or, for those nearing completion of traditional careers, to help discover ‘what’s next.’ COVID intervened causing Cohen and Thomas to pivot like everyone else.
They recognized how individuals were home bound and needed a sense of community. This realization resulted in the creation of the My Future Purpose twice monthly virtual Wednesday afternoon discussion groups called Pause for Purpose that remains an anchor to the organization accessible to all. Today My Future Purpose is a robust organization that conducts a variety of virtual and on-site workshops, retreats, member benefits and one-on-one coaching to assist individuals discover what’s next.
Since many individuals seek to renew purpose and direction in life, MFP team is prepared to explore purpose in broad context or guide you toward a focused plan of action.
My Future Purpose
is a multi-faceted membership organization founded by Joyce Cohen and Vicki Thomas who are committed to growing the Purpose Movement. My Future Purpose helps individuals, professionals and organizations harness the power of purpose by providing weekly featured guests on its popular Pause for Purpose series and Meeting of the Minds, a facilitated gathering of My Future Purpose members which combines Timely Topics and Bring Your Own Idea (BYOI). The new format respects Zoom fatigue
and provides time for idea exchange/collaboration. Members discuss current subjects while continuing to build a collaborative community.
MEET MY FUTURE PURPOSE FOUNDERS
Vicki Thomas
Chief Purpose Officer – Vicki Thomas won a $100,000 Purpose Prize in 2013 from Encore.org. Nearing retirement, she pursued her purpose using her expertise to help two veteran nonprofits get on the map by placing national and local media stories about veterans needing housing solutions.
Vicki always pursued her passion and purpose in life — she is now helping individuals develop their passion to help them develop their purpose.
Today many individuals are searching for purpose — Vicki and colleague Joyce Cohen are helping others find their purpose by coordinating conferences, workshops, on site corporate sessions and one-to-one meetings.
Vicki helped Purple Heart Homes based in Statesville, NC and Homes for Our Troops based in Taunton, MA gain national critical acclaim by getting stories about veterans they were helping placed in national and local news outlets. She also helped create national programs, and brought in sponsors.
Her working career was with the ABC Television Network in New York City developing information about TV show performance using audience ratings to identify demographic advantages and positioning opportunities over competing broadcast networks and cable entities.
She was also a marketing executive with the leading national trade association for the nations credit unions (Credit Union National Association) to help increase interest and awareness in credit union membership.
Vicki produced, packaged, financed and marketed the Dancin’ Grannies exercise videos and promoted the unknown group to national critical acclaim.
Vicki remains an excellent writer and speaker on the ramifications and opportunities an aging society has on business growth and the business bottom line. She also writes and speaks about what is missing in the work place that has so many employees searching for greater job satisfaction.
Vicki has no desire to ever fully retire or sail off into the sunset. She is living her purpose.
Chief Relationship Officer – Joyce Cohen is a career development specialist. She helps people discover future direction as facilitator, life coach, speaker, outplacement counselor, educator, program designer, author.
Joyce was President/Co-President of Life Planning Network from 2015-2020 www.lifeplanningnetwork.org. where she helped to steward non-profit designation, created Paired2Learn (P2L), mentor program and now serves on the National Board, is liaison for Virtual Chapter, and contributes to internal projects.
Joyce facilitated hundreds of workshops at 375 organizations worldwide in career development, outplacement, mid-life transition, retention/engagement, focusing on renewed purpose.
As Director, Veteran Relations, Purple Heart Homes, Joyce created Boots to Backyards®, mentor program helping Veterans find new purpose and trained 32 Military Spouse Fellows as facilitators. She taught job search techniques to Veterans at Entrepreneurial Boot Camp, University of Connecticut and served as adjunct faculty at Keuka College, teaching mid-life transition online.
Joyce co-authored a chapter of Talent Management Handbook, contributed to career development books, blogged for CT Post, published a career trend newsletter, and wrote articles for trade journals/newspapers. She founded Unconventional Wisdom® LLC, focused on discovering what’s next, and is condensing eight life planning guides she wrote into one.
For 16 years, Joyce served as Trustee, Keuka College (NY), now Trustee Emerita. She chaired various committees and was awarded EJ Wilkes Service Award. With Schegg Group, CT outplacement firm, Joyce assists professionals in search of new direction through a weekly networking group, individual coaching, and consulting projects.
With Fairfield Schools, as Career Education Specialist, Joyce designed a Career Education Program designated CT State Model by late Governor William O’Neill.
Joyce resonates with George Bernard Shaw’s words “I want to be all used up when I die…this is a splendid torch I have hold of and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before passing it on to future generations.”
Joyce Cohen
