From a Heartbeat of Second Chances to a Life of Purpose – Exclusive Interview With Ava Kaufman
Updated: Feb 21, 2025
Ava Kaufman is a heart transplant recipient and founder of the non-profit Ava’s Heart, which supports and advocates for transplant patients. She lives a life of purpose and is now helping others Live with Purpose.
Ava Kaufman, Nonprofit Founder / Inspirational Speaker
What is a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today?
Sixteen years ago, in a fragile moment between life and death, I saw a radiant light. The light. I stood on the cusp of eternity, deciding whether to go or stay, and the scent of my daughter’s hair tugged me back.
A new heartbeat pulsed within me from my emergency heart transplant.
At that moment, between staying or going, I promised that if I could return to be my daughter’s parent again, I would spend the rest of my life giving others a second chance, as I received. This pledge is the heartbeat of Ava’s Heart, a non-profit fueled by my determination to make organ transplants fair and accessible to everyone by alleviating the financial barriers that many people face.
What drives/inspires you?
My female friends inspire and lift me up. Having a solid group of women friends is like a support group to get through all the challenges that life has thrown my way. Having a core group of women friends keeps me inspired and feeling loved and supported.
What drives me is helping people, and for the last 16 years, I have focused on helping other transplant patients through my non-profit. Selfishly, it makes me feel good to help others. Providing a patient with a free, safe, and beautiful room near their transplant center is an incredible feeling.
Most people don’t know that you have to be able to afford housing near your center in order to get on the transplant list. Every day, people call and email me, desperate for help because they have to travel to expensive Los Angeles for a chance at life. Waiting for a transplant is a scary process, and I have been through it, so I help patients and caregivers understand the journey they are on and listen to their struggles. I know the work I do saves and changes lives, and I am so glad that I have been able to fulfill my promise.
You’re launching a new project focused on helping people connect to purpose. What inspired you to focus on Purpose?
I want to help more people. I have helped a lot of people through Ava’s Heart, but the transplant community is very small, and at our Ava’s Heart Houses, I am only able to help eight families at a time. I have so much more to give than just to those eight people, so I was looking for a new way to expand my reach and help people tap into their passion and purpose.
One of my close female friends, Tenaya, helped me start Ava’s Heart and has always inspired me. She and I started talking about Purpose a few years ago, and once we decided to join forces, our vision of helping people connect to Purpose expanded and became really exciting.
We see so many people who want to live a life of Purpose, and we know that getting the most out of life comes from finding ways to make the world a better place. When we help people Live with Purpose and Work with Purpose, Tenaya and I are making a difference for individuals and society at large.
How can people Live with Purpose?
Tenaya and I (we call ourselves T&A!) have created an inspiring and impactful Purpose Workshop. We start by telling our stories of triumph over adversity, second chances, and getting to a place of purpose. Then, we define “Purpose” and guide people through a process so that people emerge with a clear purpose plan.
There are four ways to bring a T&A Purpose Workshop into your life and work:
Bring us into your company or other group for an hour-long workshop
Join us in person in Los Angeles, we have workshops twice a year
Be part of our monthly virtual workshops
Become an individual client to receive personalized coaching. Reach out to us, and let’s bring Purpose to your life and work!
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