Documentary. national movement. living in purpose
What Pain Left Behind
A Documentary & National Movement
Helping people turn pain into purpose — and giving at-risk youth a real path forward.
This isn't just a film. It's a response to a crisis.
Up to 9X
More likely to Develop Major Depression
People who experience unprocessed trauma or chronic stress are 2.5 to 9.4 times more likely to develop major depression. The pain isn't going anywhere on its own — it needs a pathway.
Source: National Mental Health Research on Trauma & Depression Risk
The Mental Health Crisis is Real
40%
of High School Students
Report persistent sadness or hopelessness — a generation in pain and searching for answers.
CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2023
#2
Cause of Death (Ages 10-24)
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in the United States.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
49,000+
Lives Lost in 2023
In a single year, more than 49,000 people died by suicide in the United States alone.
CDC 2023 National Data
Behind every statistic is a story. A person questioning their value. A family searching for hope.
A generation looking for identity.
This film was created to meet that moment.
Purpose
Why We Made This Film
This documentary was created to shift how we see suffering. We do not see pain as something to survive — but as something that can shape calling, strengthen faith, and unlock purpose.
It confronts trauma, fatherlessness, grief, and hopelessness, and offers a practical path forward rooted in real testimony.
"This is not just entertainment. It is testimony-driven impact, inspiration, and intervention."
"Pain is not the end of the story.
It is the beginning of purpose. "
Faith & Identity
Fatherlessness
Transformation
Youth at risk
Trauma and healing
Whether you're a parent, educator, pastor, or someone who has walked through your own dark season — this film was made with you in mind.
A Personal Message
Hear Directly From Yannik
Before you read another word, Yannik wants to speak to you directly. This 2-minute message is the clearest window into his mission, his heart, and why he does what he does.
Whether you're navigating loss, searching for meaning, or leading a team through uncertainty — this message was made for you.
Original Story
From Devastation to National Platform
Age 11: Yannik discovered that both of his parents had been diagnosed with HIV. A child navigating an incomprehensible reality — carrying a weight no child should bear, mostly alone.
Age 15: He lost both parents to AIDS. In the space where most people would break permanently, Yannik found something: purpose isn't found in the absence of pain — it emerges because of it.
The Discovery: "Purpose is not lost in pressure — it is found there." This revelation became his life's mission: equipping leaders, communities, and individuals to transform their heaviest moments into their most powerful ones.
Today: Yannik stands on national stages, leads a thriving church, coaches high-level executives, and produces film that changes lives — all fueled by what he calls "Purpose Under Pressure."
Get to know him
Who is Yannik?
Executive coach: purpose fueled leader.
Pastor: CHOSEN Church.
Nonprofit Leader: Living in Purpose
Film Producer & Author
500 +
Engagements
1
Film Produced
10+
Years of Speaking
4
Media Features
Purpose Under Pressure
"When the weight gets heaviest, the calling gets clearest."
This is not a motivational speech. It is a transformation experience — drawn from Yannik's own extraordinary story and refined through hundreds of engagements with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, universities, churches, and community organizations.
Audiences don't just walk away inspired. They walk away equipped — with a framework for finding purpose in their most difficult seasons.
Reframe the Pressure: Understand why your hardest moments are your most formative
Locate Your Purpose: Move from surviving circumstances to leading through them.
Lead with Fuel, Not Fear: Build teams and cultures that transform adversity into momentum.
"He didn't give us a talk. He gave us a turning point. "
Best suited for leadership summits, corporate events, university commencements, faith communities, and any audience navigating change, loss, or uncertainty.
corporate
Faith
Universities
Nonprofits
Healthcare
Government
Living in Purpose
Turning Pain into Pathways
Mentorship & Leadership Development
Structured mentoring programs guiding young men and women toward discipline, identity, and purpose — the things no statistic can give them alone.
Workforce & Life Skills Training
Financial literacy, career exposure, entrepreneurship, and personal development initiatives that build the next generation of purpose-driven leaders.
Faith-Based Discipleship & Healing
Spiritual growth, community accountability, and healing-centered programming that addresses trauma at its root and points toward lasting transformation.
Serving youth and families through partnerships with churches, schools, and community organizations nationwide.
Social Proof
What People Are Saying
Before Living in Purpose, I didn't believe my life had direction. Now I'm leading others. This movement didn't just give me hope — it gave me tools.
Program Director
Living in Purpose Graduate
This movement is giving our youth something real — structure, faith, and accountability. In a world full of noise, Living in Purpose offers a genuine signal.
Community Partner
Faith & Youth Organization
The film didn't just inspire me. It challenged me to act. I left the screening knowing I needed to do something — and I did. I hosted a showing for 200 people the following month.
Screening Attendee
Atlanta, GA
Living in Purpose is not hype. It's transformation. I've watched my son go from lost to leading — and it started with one mentorship session with this team.
Parent
Living in Purpose Family
Yannik walked into a room of skeptical executives and left every single one of them in tears — not from sadness, but from recognition. He has a gift for making people see their pain as purpose.
Marcus T.
VP of Culture, Corporate Partner
We brought Yannik in after our organization went through a devastating season. He helped us find the story inside it. Our team has never been more aligned or more motivated.
James W.
Senior Pastor, Church Partner
How to Connect
Choose Your Next Step
Every path forward starts with one decision. Which one is yours?
Book Speaking
Bring Yannik's "Purpose Under Pressure" keynote to your conference, summit, university or corporate event.
Host a Showing
Bring the Living in Purpose film to your city, church, school, or community organization for a private screening.
Support the Mission
Partner with the Living in Purpose nonprofit and help fund programs that empower undeserved communities nationawide.
Get Coaching
Work directly with Yannik through purpose fueled executive coaching. Built for leaders navigating pivotal seasons.
Read the Book
Yannik's book delivers the complete "Purpose Under Pressure" framework in print, a guide you'll return for years.
Stay Connected
Join Yannik's community for speaking updates, film showings and weekly insights on leading with purpose.
Stay connected
Join the Movement
Get updates on screenings, impact stories, and practical ways to support the next generation. We believe in collective action — and it starts with staying connected.
Copyright Yannik Mckie. 2026. Living in Purpose. All Rights Reserved.