The Purpose Handbook: A beginner’s guide to figuring out what you’re here to do

Born on an East London council estate, having studied at Cambridge and Oxford, and now an author, teacher, and entrepreneur, Eloise Skinner - over-achieving, formerly purposeless millennial - is well-placed to write on this topic. Over seven years she undertook a personal purpose-finding project, and now, having crafted and tailored her own life to reflect her values, identity and sense of purpose, she shares the lessons she learned in this book.

During her own journey, she trained for a year as a monk, as part of a small community run by the Archbishop of Canterbury, exploring the topic of individual purpose. She also trained in Logotherapy (also known as ‘existential analysis’), the therapeutic approach based on the work of Viktor Frankl that emphasizes the need to find meaning and purpose in life. Eloise incorporates its practical tools and techniques here.

Eloise holds qualifications in meditation and mindfulness, yoga, Pilates, nutrition, massage and ballet (as well as that triple First Class Law degree from Cambridge University). The combination gives her writing a holistic, integrated approach – balancing body, mind and soul.

Her first book, the Junior Lawyers’ Handbook (The Law Society, 2019) was described as a ‘must-have guide for all junior lawyers’, and in 2020 she was named as one of the University of Law’s ‘Pioneers’ for her work advocating for an emphasis on wellbeing and purpose in the legal profession. She has a strong presence on social media and hosts her own podcast.

Above all, she is passionate about living life fully – about intentionally creating and designing everyday life, and doing so with a sense of purpose.