Xaulanda Simmonds-Emmanuel is among the  21 Women To Watch from the US Virgin Islands in 2023. She is also a co-author of the Bestselling book, Passion, and Purpose: 21 Inspiring Stories from Women in the US Virgin Islands on Business, Leadership, and Life

Xaulanda Simmonds-Emmanuel, Chief Passion Officer of The XauSky Group, LLC, provides organizational development, consulting, and training offerings to small businesses. As a Ph.D. candidate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, she researches the prediction of work passion. As co-hosts of “The Entrepreneur’s Trip” videocasts with Chris Majocha (Boston) and Tristian Jones (USVI), they explore the realities of being an entrepreneur in the US, Virgin Islands, and Caribbean diaspora.

My chapter, “The Anthropology of My Purpose & Passion,” explores the questions – “What is your passion? Have you always known ‘it’ or grown to know ‘it’ over time?” The reader takes a journey on how I gained clarity of my passion. To then be asked, “How are your purpose and passion evolving?”

What inspired you to write this story and contribute to the book?

I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, researching work passion among healthcare middle managers who self-identify as people of color, which has expanded my interest in entrepreneurial passions supporting success for micro-entrepreneurs. This book covers both.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading this chapter?

We may still need to figure it out. Some know their passions innately, while for others (like me!), it is a process of exploring their purpose and passions to gain the clarity needed to know what “IT” truly is…and that’s ok.