Chips Quinn reporters explore their Passion Profiles with Alaina Love
Posting: Monday, November 17, 2025
On Oct. 30 the cohort of the 2025-2026 Chips Quinn Reporters Fellowship met for a special session with Alaina Love, CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting and creator of the Passion Profiler. The workshop offered a unique opportunity for each reporter to connect their work to what truly drives them.
In her own career Love has spoken about the importance of linking purpose and passion. Prior to founding Purpose Linked Consulting, she served as executive director of human resources at Merck & Co., overseeing HR services for more than 15,000 employees worldwide. She was also a research scientist and a clinical researcher monitoring international drug trials.
Her tool, the Passion Profiler, draws on empirical literature about sociocognitive identity development and offers individuals measurable insights into their work-related passions.
Alaina Love: Builder - Transformer - Healer
In advance of the meeting, Journalism Funding Partners purchased 11 copies of Love's book, Permission to Be You, and distributed one to every reporter and one to myself. Love generously donated her time to the session and provided personalized insights based on each reporter's completed Passion Profiler assessment.
That tool, developed through Purpose Linked Consulting, identifies what Love calls the "passion archetypes" - the core drivers that motivate individuals both personally and professionally.
Photo credit: Alaina Love. The Passion Profiler is a trademark of Purpose Linked Consulting.
During the meeting Love guided participants through their results. She explained how understanding one's dominant archetypes can bring greater fulfillment in a career and in everyday life. The reporters learned how to interpret the strengths and vulnerabilities tied to their three main archetypes, and how to apply that self-knowledge toward their work.
Freelance Reporter, Susan Barnett
Freelance Reporter, Susan Barnett, said, "I resonated with a lot of what Alaina Love said during our session and am very grateful for the opportunity to learn more about myself through the Passion Profiler. The book in itself helped me be more conscious of how much I am leaning into my passions, and set a framework to be mindful about how to live a more fulfilling life. The Passion Profiler results reinforced many of the things I knew about myself, like my self image as someone who is very community-oriented and passionate about change."
The session ended with an open question-and-answer period, which allowed reporters to explore their results in more depth and to discuss how they might use their passion profiles as they continue to build successful journalism careers.
For the Chips Quinn reporters, this was more than a workshop. It was a moment of reflection and alignment.
Culture and Music Reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, Palek Jayswal
"I thought it was cool to see how my three archetypes described me," said Palek Jayswal, Culture and Music Reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, "The descriptions of each archetype stood out to me and reminded me of myself. They were Altruist, Creator and Healer."
In the fast-paced world of local news, it's easy to drift from what really matters. By taking the time to examine what motivates and sustains them, these reporters positioned themselves to engage their stories and work with greater clarity and purpose.
Roanoke Reporter for the Cardinal News Samantha Verrell
Roanoke Reporter for the Cardinal News Samantha Verrelli, whose three archetypes were Teacher, Processor and Altruist, said, "The results really matched up with my values and why I do the work that I do. I wanted to be a teacher growing up, and though I chose to become a journalist, part of this was because of the indirect teaching and informing that we do as reporters. I love learning new things and sharing them with others."
For the reporters, this experience offers a blueprint for how to approach their careers with intention. Instead of waiting for the next assignment or for validation, they have a new framework for asking: What drives me? How can I use that in my work? How can my unique passions contribute to the newsroom, the community and my own growth?
Community Issues and Trending Reporter for Delaware Online/The News Journal, Krys'tal Griffin
Krys'tal Griffin, Community Issues and Trending Reporter for Delaware Online/The News Journal, had this to say: "Alaina Love's guest session was a great exercise in learning how my work "fills my cup" and what actions I can take moving forward to increase that fulfillment. Based on the results of the Passion Profiler, I know which areas I can work on building up within my current role, and the ways my personal strengths and interests not only align with my job, but also how they are best manifested. The insights from my Passion Profiler and Alaina's guest session also reaffirmed some goals I included on my first 100-Day Plan and gave me new objectives to strive for."
For me, the experience was equally valuable. My three archetypes - Creator, Healer and Altruist - resonated deeply with how I approach my work. What made the Passion Profiler particularly useful was that it went beyond a typical personality analysis. It offered practical insight into how I work best in a professional setting, providing a framework I can apply directly to my leadership and decision-making.
“It was a delight to interact with the Chips Quinn reporters, who are doing such important work in the world,” said Love. “Learning about their passion archetypes has hopefully provided them with a language for understanding how they can further contribute to the field of journalism and find fulfillment while doing so. We need their talents now more than ever.”
As these reporters move forward, they carry with them the knowledge that meaningful work is not just about deadlines, page views or awards. It is about aligning what they care about with what they do. Thanks to Love's guidance they are better equipped to chart career paths in which their motivations and their journalism converge.
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Media Contact: Rusty Coats, Executive Director | rusty@jfp-local.org | (813) 277-8959
