An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Work can feel like play when we tap into the creative process. Yes there are tasks that need to be done, but if done within an atmosphere of enjoyment, work never feels like work. I try to model and instill this in my company as much as possible. We all value the importance of deadlines and results, however when we tune into the WHY behind what we’re doing and celebrate the people we are working with and the powerful work we are supporting clients with, as cheesy as it sounds, our hearts are fully in it. This makes work fun and satisfying and creates a culture that our “top-talent” thrives in and wants to be a part of.
Purpose has baecome the new currency of success in today’s workplace, and leaders who prioritize mission-driven cultures are standing out in the war for talent. To explore this important topic, we are interviewing Meghan Lee
Meghan Lee is the founder and creative force behind Presence Media, a digital marketing agency that evolved from her early work as a wellness blogger into a business that supports purpose-driven entrepreneurs. A lifelong creative entrepreneur, Lee began her career in marketing, drawn to its ability to bring ideas to life, and eventually launched a blog that became a platform for women in the personal growth space. As demand grew, she transitioned the blog into a community and ultimately into a full-service agency focused on helping female healers, coaches, and spiritual leaders develop and scale their businesses. Her leadership style emphasizes clarity of vision, resilience, and the importance of presence — principles that guide her team’s culture and client relationships. Lee continues to shape a niche-driven agency that prioritizes alignment, mission, and meaningful collaboration over conventional growth strategies.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
My nature as a creative entrepreneur brought me down the career path I am on. I have been creating businesses (to varying degrees of success!) as early as I can remember. This is what drew me to marketing, which is what I studied at University and many of the first positions I found myself in after graduation. Marketing to me is taking a creative concept and making it a living, viable, valuable solution packaged as a product or service. I began seeing marketing opportunities all around me. And slowly my creative ideas turned into viable brands and businesses. My creative digital agency, Presence Media, is the current iteration of my creative work.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working in leadership, culture building, or purpose-driven organizations?
I would say the evolution of my business has been the most interesting. When it started in 2016, it was a lifestyle blog, just me writing about topics I was passionate about (in the wellness & spirituality space) with the desire to connect women who were feeling alone in their personal growth journey. As I poured my heart and soul into this, I became obsessed with “monetizing” this passion project, and began applying everything I knew about search engine optimization, content marketing & paid ads to my growing blog. About a year in I felt there was an opportunity to feature other voices on my site, and I began publishing articles from other women, sharing their stories on personal empowerment, healing and spirituality.
With the help of a few virtual assistants at the time I evolved this blog into a membership style community where I was able to support these women in growing their businesses; I started a podcast to interview them, and created resources and events to help guide their business growth. We were starting to do in-person meetups across North America & Australia when COVID hit. I had to pivot the model. I tuned into what these women really needed, they weren’t marketers but needed help, and we began offering done-for-you marketing services.
My agency was born from this place. Offering services to a very niche segment of the market — female healers, teachers, guides and coaches with some passionate VAs alongside me. We helped them build and promote their programs and services. We built sales funnels, ran ad campaigns, advised on branding, business systems and scaling.
I have personally evolved and changed so much during this business journey, entrepreneurship is like personal development on steroids, I have refined and pivoted, clarified my purpose and who I work with, and created a team alongside me who are just as passionate and devoted to the work as I am.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Vision- Without a clear vision, we are leading in darkness. A vision enables us to see a zoomed out picture of what and a felt sense of WHY. Leaders are visionaries by design. They see what doesn’t yet exist, and can guide others in taking the steps to align with the vision to make it manifest. We never know all the steps between a future vision and the present moment. A strong vision guides even in the unknown spaces in between. Executing on a vision is an intuitive and strategic process. For my company Presence Media, we have a strong vision of the impact our mission has in the world; elevating the voices of visionary leaders and helping brands cultivate a deeper sense of presence while amplifying their online presence. When I see this, it feels real. This feeling fuels all of the action and strategic decisions I make in my company. It creates the standard of our work and the integrity we hold every person to from team members to clients. A vision is a powerful tool for creation.
Resilience- The path to success is never smooth. Entrepreneurship is hard. Business is problem solving. Responding to challenges and always striving for improvement is a core practice of any successful leader. This takes resilience. It is so much easier to quit than lead a successful movement or company. This is why most people opt for the “safe” or “comfortable” alternative (which usually looks like a predictable paycheque or playing small in their industry). Resilience is the ability to stay connected to the vision and navigate challenges and uncertainty while staying the course of the mission. I have wanted to throw in the towel on numerous occasions. When a launch has been unsuccessful, when a client has moved on, when profitability has been challenging; these have all been opportunities to cultivate resilience, learn from and powerfully decide what is next.
Presence- Leaders who cultivate Presence as a state of being have a far greater advantage than ones whose minds are cluttered with the chaos from the internal and external world. There is no surprise that mindfulness and wellbeing are so popular in the leadership space. It takes cultivating a certain level of mindfulness, body-awareness and nervous system regulation to powerfully respond to challenges and opportunities. The present moment is where we access creativity and intuition. In today’s world where artificial intelligence is replacing human productivity the ability to offer unique creativity and innovation is key, this starts with Presence. It is always apparent when I lead from a place of busyness, overwhelm and reaction instead of stillness, clarity and response. The “results” from these two places are completely different. A present leader is always able to respond to the environment and make conscious, powerful decisions.
Let’s now jump into the focus of our interview. What does a “purpose-driven culture” mean to you personally, and why do you think it’s critical for attracting top talent?
Purpose driven culture is an environment that is connected to a unifying purpose. This is a shared value and ethos that is embodied by individuals, creating an atmosphere within an organization that is felt by anyone who comes in contact with the brand or business. From the marketing materials, to the communication channels, to the service delivery; a purpose-driven culture trickles down to every interaction. For me, attracting team members that share an aligned purpose is a prerequisite. We need to connect on values, speak the same language and be fueled by the same creative WHY. I believe purpose-driven people are the ones whose hearts are in the game. They are the ones who value service and excellence and having people like this on your team is key to becoming any industry-leading brand or business..
How did you identify and define the mission or purpose for your organization? Was it inspired by a particular event, challenge, or insight?
As a creative entrepreneur, my mission and purpose feels more like an “assignment” than something I’ve manufactured. It was definitely inspired by an insight after seeing how the digital marketing space traditionally functions, understanding the core human needs of my ideal client and providing a solution that supports them in reaching their goals and fulfilling their purpose, while focusing on what truly matters to them. “Presence” is the name of my agency and the core value is what guides our culture, our decision making and all of our service offerings, it is deeply ingrained in our mission as an organization and as my personal mission as a leader, Mother, wife and member of planet earth.
What are the key steps leaders can take to embed purpose into the day-to-day operations and decision-making of their companies?
It starts with the leader embedding purpose into their way of being. Purpose driven leaders will naturally evoke this in the people around them. The thing is leaders can get so busy and overwhelmed that they forget and simply don’t have time to remember the purpose behind what they do. Some steps they can take to avoid this “forgetting” is blocking one work day off a week as a creative day.
For me I use these days to get outside and connect to nature, to write and create content, to sit with any big decisions that have been weighing on me. These “creative” days tend to be the most productive day of the week for me as I’m able to channel my energy and focus on the bigger picture things that move the needle. They allow me to make sure my decisions and actions are aligned. They give my nervous system a moment to decompress, and by getting outside in nature, they help orient me to what really matters.
From here I believe it’s working with key team members and bringing them into higher level conversations around purpose, mission and values. Top down hierarchical leadership is expiring as the main model. Valuing the genius of everyone on a team, and letting them express and bring their perspective to operating a purpose-driven organization is key. When team members feel connected and valued as members of a greater mission, everyone thrives.
What role does leadership play in championing and modeling a purpose-driven culture? Can you share an example of how you or another leader helped reinforce your organization’s purpose?
On my team, we are always reminding each other of our purpose and maintaining our standards as an organization. Because my organization and culture is deeply rooted in the value of “Presence”, and because we work in a fast-paced digital landscape with clients who have complex business needs and high standards of service, it can be easy to forget the importance of Presence. So we remind each other when we forget. Having a solid leadership team who are deeply aligned with the company mission and values is key. Ensuring everyone feels like they have a voice and responsibility to uphold the company mission as champions of the culture helps keep everyone on track. In some cases we will drop into a meeting weighed down by tasks, sometimes it’s as easy as taking a breath or having a laugh to remember to stay light, and even though we take our work seriously, it also gets to be enjoyable.
How do you handle skepticism or resistance from team members or stakeholders who may not immediately understand the value of focusing on purpose?
I am in a position in my business where we only work and hire people who are deeply aligned to our values and mission. We’ve had instances where contractors haven’t performed to our standards after clear communication of what we value, and they haven’t lasted past their trial. Any team member who stays is deeply committed to the work we are doing in the world, that is our standard. We also realize we are not the best agency fit for the majority of businesses and brands, and we are content with that. Our company is about delivering an exceptional service to a very select niche audience, the ones who resonate with Presence. If potential clients don’t understand the value of this immediately, they will find someone else. There are plenty of digital agencies out there, and we are not here to compete for clients. We have a strong belief the people who are meant to work with us will find us and they do. Our referral and retention rate is much higher than industry standards.
Ok, let’s talk strategy. Based on your experience, can you share “5 Steps to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent”? If possible, please include examples or stories for each.
- As a leader, make sure you are embodied in your purpose (it’s not just a fancy statement, it’s who you are). I have a regular practice of connecting to my personal WHY, which informs the purpose of my organization. This WHY guides all of my decisions, it keeps me focused when distraction is everywhere, it keeps me going when things feel hard and I’m ready to give up.
- Attract team leaders who naturally value the same purpose, allow their voice and genius to shine within the organization. Empower them to fully develop their gifts and talents within your organization. My core team are passionate, creative and devoted to our work in the world. They have chosen my organization (Presence Media) as the vehicle to do their work. It is so much more than a job, it is a shared mission and a co-creative process.
- Understand the core needs of humans (safety, connection, belonging, purpose, freedom & recognition), make sure you are honouring these needs in your people to ensure optimal health and vitality for all. My team is in complete control of their schedule, they are involved in shaping their role, they are able to speak their mind. Many of my team members have families and other creative passions, these priorities are encouraged and enhance productivity and commitment to the organization. Because of this, my people will be with me for years to come. We feel like a family, and the same is to be said with our clients. It is a level of connection and belonging that is unprecedented in a traditional workplace.
- Clear direction is key to building a purpose-driven culture. Having a shared vision, top priorities and clear goals and steps. Sometimes the in-between (the How) is unclear, but always coming back to the vision of where we’re going and key strategic priorities is instrumental. An example of this would be an offer we are currently developing. Although all the micro details have not yet been decided, we all understand the value we want to deliver to our clients with this offer and what the final product will be. Having clarity on these higher level pieces guides us as we flesh out the moving parts and details through the creative process.
- Work can feel like play when we tap into the creative process. Yes there are tasks that need to be done, but if done within an atmosphere of enjoyment, work never feels like work. I try to model and instill this in my company as much as possible. We all value the importance of deadlines and results, however when we tune into the WHY behind what we’re doing and celebrate the people we are working with and the powerful work we are supporting clients with, as cheesy as it sounds, our hearts are fully in it. This makes work fun and satisfying and creates a culture that our “top-talent” thrives in and wants to be a part of.
Can you share a specific example of how embracing a purpose-driven culture helped your company attract exceptional talent or achieve a significant business goal?
I like to see business as an amalgamation of top talent working towards a shared purpose. We have recently attracted a visual director whose work is stand-out in our industry. This talent wasn’t recruited the “traditional” way. It was a natural series of events, meeting, connecting, building a relationship and deciding to combine our brilliance and create an industry-leading service. This collaboration never would have happened if I posted a job application. I could have interviewed a thousand people who “looked good on paper” but this connection was “divinely orchestrated” and was the result of two people, embodied in their purpose, passionate about their work in the world, deciding their gifts together are stronger than by themselves. This is the story with all my top team members. Working together has been a process of coming together to offer our talents for a united purpose, stronger together than alone.
What advice would you give to leaders of smaller companies or startups who want to build a purpose-driven culture but don’t know where to start?
Find your purpose as an individual, live and breathe it. Let it initiate you into bigger things. Tap into your creativity and build something the world needs with your unique gifts and talents. Find other passionate and gifted humans and combine forces, network and collaboration is everything. Stay connected to your purpose and committed to a bigger WHY. Offer real value to the world in a way you are uniquely positioned to. Be of service.
What are some common mistakes leaders make when trying to create a purpose-driven culture, and how can they avoid them?
Some common mistakes include creating a purpose or a mission, and then forgetting about it and lowering standards. Settling for less. Saying Yes when really it’s a No. Taking on a client that ultimately isn’t aligned. Releasing a product that isn’t ready. These are common mistakes most leaders will make and to some degree, they can’t be avoided. They are the initiatory steps of building a purpose-led business. Ultimately the leader/ founder needs to take care of themselves, their nervous system and when they can be present with that (and not caught up in the chaos and complexity around them) they can make clear, powerful, purpose-aligned decisions.
How do you ensure that your organization’s purpose evolves and remains relevant as your company grows and the world changes?
This is where creating space is important. It’s hard to attune to the next step needs of an industry or organization when we are constantly full of tasks and to-dos. The act of Listening (listening to the true needs of a client and an industry) requires space and stillness; presence. This is why I suggest one workday a week unplugged and offline, where we can access a more creative space and make the big decisions and refinements that meet the evolving needs of the market as the world changes.
As a leader or founder since your individual purpose is intertwined with that of the organization, filtering the evolving landscape around you through your experience, applying your wisdom and expertise, will inform the next steps for your leadership and personal body of work, and in turn the organization and what the evolving needs of your team and clients are.
What trends or shifts are you seeing in the workplace regarding purpose, and how do you think these will shape the future of business?
Purpose is a “buzzword” right now, and this is a good thing. Companies are realizing the importance of having purpose, something that people can connect with, as key to thriving organizations. I feel this trend is a natural extension of people doing the deeper soul/ personal growth work. We are in a time where people are no longer willing to trade their time for money and are beginning to honour their unique value, creativity and expertise. With AI automating millions of jobs I think it’s key for people to ask, “what is my purpose and how can I contribute my unique gifts and skills to the world?” This is something AI will never replace.
Because so many people are asking these deeper questions, and because the barrier to entry to start passion-led business is nearly non-existent, organizations that want to attract top talent need to ensure they are creating a purpose-led environment where individuals feel valued. Ultimately this will shape a culture of businesses based on human thriving. Where individuals can contribute their unique expertise in collaboration with others, for the greater good of the whole. When this becomes the standard, we are operating in a completely different world (and it’s already here for many of us).
In your opinion, how does having a purpose-driven culture impact not just employees, but customers, clients, and the broader community?
Everyone feels it. Customers and clients feel like actual humans, their work valued and not just like another retainer or paycheque. We move from a transactional world to one where we relate as real humans, offering our gifts and expertise. This creates an entirely new dynamic, atmosphere and economy. When this becomes the new standard communities will change. What it means to “work” will be different.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people by building purpose-driven workplaces, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
This question turns me on. I would channel resources from thriving profitable companies to the places in the world that need them most. I recognize my absolute place of privilege in this world, and desire to use my position to create thriving for all. In particular, I am passionate about empowering young girls and women. We live in a culture where women have been conditioned out of their power. Our planet is suffering because of this. When women remember their power, communities thrive. This all starts with coming back to establishing safety in the environment, body and nervous system, and connecting these girls and women with resources, support and opportunities for healing, growth and empowerment. I am in the process of creating this. I would love to see aligned organizations committing resources to this cause. It feels like such a big piece of my legacy and why I have walked the path that I have.
How can our readers further follow you online?
www.instagram.com/thegroundedvisionary
https://themarketingmystic.substack.com/
The Turned On & Tuned Up Podcast coming soon!
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur and Thought Leader with over 25 years of business experience. He has founded, operated, and exited multiple companies and now builds into a handful of high impact CEOs. Chad has launched multiple online communities, including a recent leadership development platform, and also serves as a strategic advisor for Authority Magazine’s thought-leader incubator program.
To learn more and connect with Chad visit: chadsilverstein.io
Meghan Lee Of Presence Media On How to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.