“Your purpose gets revealed to you daily. It is the thread that’s connecting the dots of who you are.”
— Oprah Winfrey, Colorado College Commencement Address, 2019
I didn’t become a real estate investor because I had some great vision or a carefully laid plan.
I became one because my organization had restructured and my executive position was suddenly eliminated. My husband Sam knew his job at BlackRock had an expiration date. And when he told me he wanted to start buying commercial buildings — to build something new for himself — he asked for my help.
Sam is my number one person. Of course I said yes.
That’s the real origin story. Not a polished pivot. Not a strategic career move. Just two people deciding to build something together when their back was to the wall.
What I didn’t see coming was what it would become.
Before Champion, I spent years in higher education helping people grow — and that work lit me up. When I made the leap into real estate, I honestly wasn’t sure if that feeling would follow me.
It did. I just had to be patient enough to see it.
One of our properties is a commercial center in Ohio. When we bought it, the previous owner had run it into the ground and the bank had taken it back. There were weeds everywhere. The building was worn down and tired and half empty — the kind of place people drive past without really seeing.
We spent the summer out there. Seal coating the parking lot. Repainting the exterior. Cleaning the store windows and vacant units. Refurbishing the sign. Improving the landscaping. Taking care of the tenants who had stayed through all of it. It wasn’t glamorous work. But something about it felt right in my heart.
And then something beautiful started happening.
Small business owners started calling. People with a dream, a plan, and a lot of heart. They’d tell me their story — why this building, why this community, why now — and I could see exactly how their business could thrive there.
Those are some of my favorite moments in this business.
Not just because we’re filling vacancies. Because I get to be part of the moment when someone decides to bet on themselves and grow their business in our building. We’re not just leasing space. We’re giving people a place to live their American dream. And we’re making a community better in the process.
That’s when it clicked for me.
My purpose has always been to help. It showed up in a university classroom and workshops I led. It showed up when my husband needed a partner. And it shows up now every time I meet a prospective tenant and they tell me what they’re trying to build.
The vehicle changed. The purpose never did.
That’s what Oprah means when she talks about the thread. It doesn’t care what industry you’re in or what your business card says. It just keeps showing up — in every role, every season, every unexpected chapter — waiting for you to finally recognize it.
And here’s what I’ve come to understand: purpose looks different for everyone — and every version of it is valid. For some people it’s building wealth that creates freedom and security for the people they love. For others it’s teaching, or fixing what’s broken, or connecting people who need to find each other. For some it’s creating something from nothing. For others it’s making sure no one they care about ever goes without. None of it is more noble than the rest. It just has to be yours.
Maybe you’re in a pivot right now. Maybe your work feels disconnected from who you really are. Maybe you’re doing something that looks nothing like what you imagined for yourself.
But here’s what I want to leave you with:
What’s the thing you’ve always done — in every season, every role, every chapter of your life — that made you feel most alive? That’s your thread. You may already be living your purpose. You just might not have named it yet.
For me, I’ve discovered that commercial real estate isn’t just about buying buildings. It’s about helping others flourish by owning buildings.
Never give up. Always be better.
Liz Bapasola, Ed.D. is Partner at Champion Investment Properties LLC. She writes about habits, mindset, and the strategies that help you reach your goals. She can be reached at liz@championinvestcre.com.