photo by Warne Riker, www.wrikerphoto.com
Whenever I meet someone new in Nashville, we always get to talking about where we are originally from (because let’s face it, it’s not often you meet a native Nashvillian) and how we each ended up in Music City. I love hearing people’s stories of how and why they came here.
Moving to Music City
My own story started about 10 years ago. I came to Nashville on vacation with a friend for the CMA Music Festival. In addition to attending the festival on Lower Broadway and at Nissan Stadium, I got to see some other parts of the city and fell in love with it. I could sense Nashville was on the verge of becoming an “it” city, and I wanted to be a part of that.
So, right after my vacation in June of 2006, I started casually looking around for jobs in Nashville. My job search kicked into high-gear a month later after breaking up with my then-boyfriend. I of course used all the job search tools and skills I teach my clients, and by late September I had two job offers on the table, one in the Vanderbilt Career Center and one in Vandy’s Owen School of Business’s career center.
Luckily, I was able to negotiate a mid-November start-date for my new job in the VCC, giving me enough time to fulfill previous work commitments at my old job, sell my condo in NC and find a place to live in Nashville (boy am I glad I got in on some Nashville real estate when I did!).
Pursuing Your Passions
I can’t explain the foresight I had on what this city was going to become. It was just something I felt deep down to my core, and I had such a desire to be here. Was it a little scary the thought of moving some place where I knew no one? It was A LOT scary! But it was even scarier to me to stay stuck where I was. My story along with so many others’ stories is a testament to listening to your gut and pursuing your passions.
Transplant Nashville
I can’t believe it’s been 10 years! It’s amazing all the changes and growth I’ve witnessed over the past 10 years. One of the things recently taking shape here in Nashville is a movement created just for people who have relocated to Nashville called Transplant Nashville.
“Transplant Nashville is a movement of people seeking to build community and establish roots,” says co-founder Jordan Minton. “We all come from different places, and each of us has a different path. This movement is about finding where those paths intersect.”
Minton believes that when we tell people our stories, amazing things can happen, and I agree! Transplant Nashville is a real-life version of social media. It exists to help people find community in Nashville, whether you’ve been here 10 days or 10 years.
“Your story has the ability to impact other people, and we would love to share it,” says Minton. “We created this company to be a conversation-starter. Our hope is you would invite people to engage with you. So many of us are looking for a place to belong. The purpose of Transplant Nashville is to help people find their place.”
Transplant Nashville’s purpose is to help people find their place, and paNASH is here to help people (including those new to Nashville) find their purpose. It’s only natural for Transplant Nashville and paNASH to come together to create a strategic alliance. I am so impressed with all three founders of this organization and their heart for what they are doing. Check out their own stories at www.transplantnashville.com!
