You have to be in the world to understand what the spiritual is about, and you have to be spiritual to truly be able to accept what the world is about
— Mary Oliver

WELCOME!

about the Spirited Purpose project

Spirited: Lively, full of life, spirit or courage.

Purpose: A result that is desired, an intention.

Project: A planned endeavor, usually with a specific goal & accomplished in several stages.

ABOUT

The Spirited Purpose Project is a place for spirit-fueled, courageous folks to come together in a safe space, with intention (or goals) — whether that be to discover or grow a business, get clear on their deeper purpose, or to connect more deeply & meaningfully with themselves, with life, & with others.

If you wish to bring more good to the world through your spiritual solopreneur work, personal endeavors, or “just” being who are meant to be — then you’re sure to find something here for you.

Together we can make magic happen. The time is now.

Mission Statement

The Spirited Purpose Project is a vibrant & growing online space for spiritual solopreneurs, including interfaith chaplains, healers, & creatives — as well as spiritual seekers.

We empower these spiritual solopreneurs — & spiritual-but-not-religious seekers — to find clarity of purpose, to deepen their connection to themselves and to others, & to unabashedly use their gifts & personal light to bring more good to the world in their own special way.

Our mission is to weave the spiritual & practical.
We do this by:

— Providing out-of-the-box chaplaincy, business/marketing, & intuitive skills;

— Offering practical resources, tools, & support to spiritual solopreneurs & seekers;

— Connecting spiritual solopreneurs with those in need of their services.

May everything we do & all that we are bring good & grace-filled change.

In gratitude

What we offer:

1:1 PRIVATE BUSINESS MENTORING

For spiritual solopreneurs—including interfaith chaplains, healers, & creatives

Discover &/or grow your business — and yourself — from the inside out.

Also Offering:

THE MEET-UP:
A dedicated Online Monthly Membership Community (optional)

Get the gentle accountability & care YOU need, along with baked in marketing support.

THE HUB

A growing online platform to connect spiritual solopreneurs with those seeking these services

Helping you, the spiritual solopreneur, reach the people who need your services.
&
Making it easier for those looking for spiritual, healing, & creative services & products to find what they need.

DEEP DIVE

An online gathering for those longing to join in intentional conversation

For those spiritual-but-not-religious seekers who long to go deep with others of similar-hearts.

Join other thoughtful & curious seekers to go beyond everyday conversational topics.

Learn more

The Mayo Moment: The Catalyst

This moment of clarity came unexpectedly. I was sitting in my home office, working on a freelance feature article for a copywriting client about Duke's mayo & its growing popularity in Latin America.

Mid-keystroke, I froze with the sudden thought: "Who cares?” followed by the deeper question: “Surely I'm meant to do more than this?!"

The Bridge Between Worlds

By 2019, now in midlife, I was longing to connect the spiritual part with my work. I wanted these to be one & the same, woven together with my purpose. I had founded & grown two previous solopreneur ventures that didn’t quite do that.

On a friend's suggestion, I sought guidance from an astrologer — my first reading ever. I thought maybe my birth chart could give me some clues about what I was meant to do & how to do it. During the reading, I asked the age-old question: "What am I here to do?"

The astrologer, without missing a beat, said, "Why don't you put out a shingle saying 'Dana's Listening Service'?"

I laughed then, not knowing the prophecy of her words.

She offered that many people simply need someone to listen — & my natal chart indicated this could be part of my path.

She also helped me understand my intuitive & empathic abilities (also indicated in my chart), offering this practical wisdom: "Think of your intuition like a vacuum cleaner — just put it away in the closet & pull it out when you need it."

Finding Purpose

Around this time, a friend was enrolling in a chaplaincy program at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME). As she shared about her experiences during her two-year study, I couldn’t help but notice how this program taught her how to deepen her ability to be present & listen to others, helping them to find their own answers within themselves — and something clicked for me.
THIS. WAS. IT. Listening to others! Though I had no clue what I'd actually do with this listening-to-others-aspect of chaplaincy training, I knew I had to follow that inner knowing/nudge.

In my second semester of year two at ChIME, a transformative experience unfolded as I interned with three unique women & spiritual solopreneurs. Each one showed me a different facet of bringing soul into business.

Through their mentorship, I discovered beautiful truths: creativity isn't just a nice-to-have—it's our birthright & it shapes how were grow both inside & out. I saw how spirituality naturally weaves into business & can show up in many ways e.g. through sacred ceremony, heart-centered conversations, artistic expressions — &, I discovered, even in business marketing.

But the most powerful revelation?

That our greatest offering is simply showing up as our complete, authentic selves—gifts, quirks, & all — & letting our light shine.

Everything finally came together. The Spirited Purpose Project was born — a perfect blend of everything I am & everything I've learned along the way.

Looking back, it's amazing how it all connects — from that hot restaurant kitchen to spiritual seeking, from writing about mayo to chaplaincy. This journey reveals how purpose often emerges not in a single flash of insight, but through a series of random-seeming pieces that eventually align to show us our path.

About the founder

Dana Watt

path to purpose

You know how sometimes the most meaningful things in life start with the most random combination of events? Well, my path to The Spirited Purpose Project began with a steamy commercial kitchen, a random Sufi flyer, a no-nonsense predictive astrologer — & believe it or not, Duke's mayo. Yes, you read that correctly!

A Spiritual Turn

In 2007, a seemingly ordinary flyer on a friend's coffee table changed everything. It described an upcoming retreat about, among other things, finding your purpose, based on the teachings of the Indian mystic & musician, Hazrat Inayat Khan.

They were describing something called sacred agriculture. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but I knew I was going to be at that retreat. While my head was confused, my soul was already packing!

Since that time I’ve been a student and teacher of Inayatiyya Universal Sufism — my spiritual & practical anchor even as I continue to explore & to learn about other paths and traditions.

Growing Up in the Family Business

At age 12 — the earliest allowed by law & my parents — I begged to & then began working summers over a steaming commercial dishwasher in our family restaurant. As a third-generation business owner, entrepreneurship was practically in my DNA.

Even when I took detours & worked for other people later in life, I always knew deep down that I'd end up doing my own thing. It's where I feel most alive. Most creative. Most me.

  • ~ B.A.. International Studies
    ~ Suluk Academy: A two-year, intensive study of Universal Sufism with the Inayatiyya Movement on the teachings of Indian mystic & classical musician, Hazrat Inayat Khan
    ~ Coordinator Training: A multi-year training within the Inayatiyya’s Inner School leadership training track
    ~ Chaplaincy Institute of Maine: Two-year interfaith education/training & ordination
    ~ Reiki level I & II trainings
    ~ Lee Harris Energy: Mystery School: Energy Mastery
    ~ Astrology: beginner’s study with Bronwyn Simons Astrology & Astrology Hub courses
    ~ Notable, well-respected business training & courses, including: Marie Forleo’s B-School & The Copy Cure; Carol Tice’s The Freelance Writer’s Den Mastermind group/coaching; Mark Silver’s Heart of Business marketing trainings; Stu Mclaren’s The Membership Experience; Coastal Maine Enterprises’s (Brunswick, ME) entrepreneurship advising services

  • Because we’re made of & for many things, I find I’m a contradiction of multitudes.
    Are you?

    “Do I contradict myself? / Very well then, I contradict myself. / I am large, I contain multitudes.”
    ~Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”

    1. I’m an ordained interfaith chaplain, but I’m not the kind most people think. I don’t officiate ceremonies or stand behind a pulpit.
      My form of chaplaincy is creating presence & a safe space for listening, both in everyday life — & uniquely, “in business.”

    2. I’m a mystic but not the kind who lives in an ashram. I find my mystical ways in worldly & otherworldly connections with nature and people — & with myself, by looking inward through the lens of various mystical teachings. Universal Sufism is my foundation.

    3. I like business, in general, & marketing, especially. But not the kind of marketing that suggests you contort yourself into someone you are not in order to follow someone else’s outward-focused “rules“ around how to be successful. To me, being in business & marketing your work starts as an “inside job.” It’s from that place you move outward more purposefully into the world.

    4. I’m a nature lover who is often quite content to commune with the trees & birds outside my window. From my comfy blue floral chair. With a hot beverage in a pretty mug in hand.

    5. I’ve been told I’m a great listener who likes to talk! In my defense, it’s to process what’s going on with me. We don’t need answers; We need others to listen so we can hear ourselves.

    6. I’m a full-blown cat lady with no cat, who shares the couch with a dog. He claimed “my spot” & hasn’t given it back. I bow to these more-than-humans beings.

    7. I’m an introvert with bold extrovert tendencies, & to pull that off, I need lots of contemplative, still, quiet time. That’s my business secret — do “nothing” to do something.

    8. I’m a creative who for decades believed that I wasn’t that at all. Until I realized that creating a business is a grand creative act — as is growing and sustaining it.

    9. I’m spiritual-but-not-religious, though I was raised in, & have since parted ways with, the Catholic Church. I respect those who find their truth in churches, temples, & mosques, even if I do not.

      & last —

    10. I love Mondays. When I worked in a corporate office cubicle {she shudders}, I bucked the norm by taking off Mondays when I could. Mostly because I’ve always liked this day, but also because my co-workers were at their worst on Mondays & most tolerable on Fridays (why take off then?)

      Later, as I casually studied astrology, I learned Monday is the moon’s day: a perfect day for deep reflection, connections, & nurturing.

      Need I say more?

  • What’s with the name?
    Spirited: Lively, full of life, spirit or courage.

    Purpose: A result that is desired, an intention.

    Project: A planned endeavor, usually with a specific goal & accomplished in several stages.

    This is the place for spirit-fueled, courageous folks to meet & grow together in a safe space, with intention (or goals). Whether that be to discover or grow a business, get clear on their deeper purpose, or to connect more deeply & meaningfully with life, with their true selves, & with others.

    How do you define a spiritual solopreneur?
    By our “definition,” a spiritual solopreneur is someone who runs their business independently, bringing their whole heart & soul into every aspect of their work.

    Unlike traditional business owners or even conscious entrepreneurs, they weave spirituality & perhaps even their own spiritual practice seamlessly into their business offerings. They might say there’s little separation between their spiritual life & their work life.

    What makes them unique is that they get to define this spiritual connection in their own authentic way, whether that means incorporating meditation, energy work, intuitive practices, or whatever else resonates with them.

    At the core of their business is a genuine desire to create positive change, knowing that their work, their spirit, & their impact on others are all beautifully interconnected.

    They’re not only building a business; they’re creating a sacred space where their gifts can serve the greater good.

    People doing spiritual work don’t expect to be compensated for their services, do they?
    Ummm, they sure do!

    Spiritual practitioners, like all professionals, deserve fair compensation for their expertise & services. It’s no different than paying a doctor or therapist or any other teacher or guide.

    When you pay for spiritual guidance, ritual or ceremony for your life event, help in writing the book of your heart, or holistic healing work, you're acknowledging both the value of what you receive & the time, training, & dedication required to provide these services.

    And here's something to consider - that money you spend? It creates this amazing ripple effect. The spiritual worker might use it to take more courses, help their kids through school, or support other small businesses in their community. It's like dropping a pebble in a pond - the waves keep spreading outward.

    Who do you primarily work with?
    Many who seek us out are woman in midlife & beyond. We’re of this demographic so we walk the talk. We know that those in their second & third acts have wisdom & gifts to share that are so needed during this time.

    Having said that, no matter your age or how you identify — if you’re in business as a spiritual solopreneur — or you wish be — &/or are a spiritual seeker, please reach out.

    What do you mean by “spiritual-but-not-religious?"
    For our purposes & in our minds, these are people who are not likely part of any organized religion. They define their faith or their spirituality — as well as a “higher power” (for example, be that god, goddess, diety, nature, the beloved, the divine, source, the-all-that-is, etc.) — for themselves. We might say also that they are curious, open-minded seekers.

    I don’t have or want a business. Is this space for me?
    Definitely!

    Do you long for deeper connection & conversation with other similarly-hearted seekers? Then check out DEEP DIVE, our online conversation gatherings, HERE.

    Are you in need of spiritual, spiritually oriented, as well as creative & healing services?
    Check out THE HUB, our provider list. HERE.

    This project is growing & expanding!
    So please get on our list to be notified of added offerings & services.
    CLICK HERE & we can take care of that,

    What’s with “we” when it seems like it’s about you, Dana?
    Excellent question! The Spirited Purpose Project is bigger than one person (aka, me, Dana). This is a blossoming & growing collaborative effort. I will be bringing in others to grow this project & the services/products offered. Though I am the one who initiated what you find here, it is not about me — it’s about all of us bringing ourselves & our gifts into the world to make life better.

    I’ve read enough.
    How do I work with you & your project?
    See the Contact page.

Reflections from others who have studied or collaborated with — & mentored — Dana:

  • “Dana leads and follows with curiosity. Dana embodies humility and courage whether she is stepping forward to reflect, share, and invite or stepping to the side to listen, wonder, and question. Her patient and kind presence shines a gentle light on the truths that are hiding in plain sight. As a student, teacher, companion, and mentor, Dana's honesty, humor, and compassion will support others in finding their own way to shine.”

    Rev. Lisa Steele-Maley, she/her
    Executive Director / Dean
    ChIME, Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

  • “It was my honor and pleasure to serve as Dana’s advisor for her years at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine, leading up to her ordination as an interfaith minister. Our institute attracts many remarkable beings and surely, Dana is right in there with those. She was always thoughtful, dedicated and genuine, and I so looked forward to our meetings. One of the stand-out qualities of Dana’s is the way she shows up in the face of conflict. She is clear and courageous. Multiple times, Dana was the first to give voice to a challenge a group was silently affected by. She did so with respect and honesty - never blaming anyone, while inviting others to join her in moving closer to ‘right relationship’ for all.”

    Craig Werth
    Academic Coordinator
    ChIME, Chaplaincy Institute of Maine

  • “Mentoring and guiding Dana through the last several years has been like working with a flowing river.  A wonderful flow, a constancy of intention and purpose toward the goal, and a bubbling up of life energy combined with keen intuition.”

    Tara Inayat Chishti
    Senior Sufi Teacher / Spiritual Guide

  • “Sitting in the safe and supportive space of Dana’s presence is healing in itself. She is one of those rare human gems who listens more than they speak, and who has the remarkable ability to reflect back and reveal to you the wisdom of your own heart. She walks the path by your side, humbly shining the light of her deep and mystical knowledge.”

    Rev. Kate Dufort
    2024 ChIME Graduate

  • “I met Dana more than a decade ago, when she was living in Pennsylvania and I in Connecticut. Our paths crossed at a Sufi retreat center in the Berkshires, first for a couple of weekend retreats focused on spiritual practices informed by the rhythms of farming and the growth cycle, and later we both committed to a two-year retreat/study program for a deeper dive into Universal Sufism. Still, at that time we were acquainted, but hadn't developed the bond we have now. Now we both live in Maine and she and her family are my Maine family. Besides our Sufi connection and living in Maine, we've both been ordained as interfaith chaplains and have nurtured a deep friendship and spiritual companionship. I've watched her bloom as she's explored and integrated the joyful, fun, serious, deep, loving, beauty-seeking, practical, skillful, irreverent, creative, courageous, intuitive aspects of her being. She's the full package, the real deal.”

    Jan King
    2022 ChIME Graduate

  • “Dana is an excellent communicator. She listens carefully to other people’s ideas, and she’s very insightful at pulling out and helping them to develop these. When she’s involved in a project or group, you can count on her to be enthusiastic and fully committed to a ‘successful outcome’.”

    Karen Pearson
    Spiritual Conversation Co-Creator

  • “I met Dana when we attended a Sufi retreat several years ago. I experienced her to be fast on her feet and a truth seeker with a contagious sense of humor. Over many years of friendship, we collaborated to originate, design, and offer a well-received, successful weekend women’s retreat we called The Heroinne’s Journey.  Dana has a strong backbone and a unique ability to let her Soul lead the way, even when she is called to stretch way beyond her comfort level. She has finely turned listening skills and the capacity to take appropriate and courageous action in a variety of personal and collective situations.”

    Carol Rodrique
    Retreat Collaborator

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Resource Guide

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