In a constantly moving world, we often feel pressure to blend in with everyone around us. But amidst that pressure, we sometimes forget that our differences are what make us interesting in the first place. What happens when we stop focusing on uniformity and choose to celebrate individuality instead?
This question lies at the heart of the Inspires Foundation.
The Inspires Foundation explores how embracing our differences and unique stories can not only bring us together, but also transform the communities around us.
Founder Alysia Dempsey was first struck with the idea of creating this movement in 2018.
Growing up, Dempsey often felt as though she wasn’t in control of how her story would unfold. The idea behind Inspires became something she wanted to bring to life not only to inspire young girls, but also to bring together communities of all ages and backgrounds.
“If I had someone like me coming to a school or a local library where I lived, and I heard them tell me that I could be the author of my own story, I think I probably would have dreamed bigger when I was growing up, and not waited until I became an adult to dream big,” Dempsey said.
Although Inspires only officially became a foundation in early 2026, the organization – and Dempsey herself – have been on a journey of growth since the idea first took shape.
“To start the foundation, I realized that I wanted to earlier this year because I saw, just like I did in 2018, so much racial tension and division. I decided to start the foundation because I wanted to take this movement further. I wanted to have more structure around the work that I was doing and to get more people on board.” Dempsey shares.
Starting a foundation is no small undertaking, and Dempsey shared some of the greatest challenges she has faced along the way, such as "learning about funding," navigating creating a website, and so much more. Amidst the difficulties, the experience has allowed her to learn and grow.
Dempsey handles many aspects of the foundation herself, from its website and marketing to the day-to-day details required to keep an organization running.
“I wear a lot of hats,” she said. “I do the website. I do the marketing, and all of that. I do all the details that you would think to make an organization run. I do. “
Despite those challenges, Dempsey said the greatest reward has been watching other people connect with the vision she has carried for years.
“The greatest reward is being able to bring other people into the vision that I have. I've always had this vision, but to actually see other people embracing it and understanding the impact of it makes me feel amazing,” she said.
One of the core components of the Inspires Foundation is the Story Mandala, an exercise inspired by Dempsey’s time in India, where she worked to inspire young girls.
The Story Mandala is a creative and thoughtful exercise in which participants fill different sections of a mandala with traits and experiences that describe who they are. These can include current experiences, aspirations, dreams, or anything else that they feel defines them.
Oftentimes, we are placed into boxes by others. The Story Mandala gives people the chance to put into words how they see themselves. It shifts the focus away from the labels others may place on us and toward the stories we choose to tell about ourselves.
That idea of self-definition is at the center of what Inspires hopes to accomplish: creating space for people to recognize the value of their own experiences while learning from the experiences of others.
Following the opening of her “I Dream America” exhibition at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. – a gallery of stories from people of all walks of life – Dempsey recently released the “Story Library,” a virtual experience where visitors can explore the Story Mandalas of 20 different people and listen to their stories through accompanying audio recordings. With features such as a library card incorporated into the experience, the Story Library offers an immersive way to not only hear the stories of others, but also reflect on your own.
Every person carries a story shaped by their experiences, dreams, struggles, and accomplishments. Those stories may look different from one another, but that difference is precisely what makes them worth sharing.
What is your story?
