You may have met junior Grayson Pruett in line standing at the dining hall or Holy Grounds. Maybe you have even seen students on campus donned in a “Meant for Big Things” sweatshirt. 

If one has ever met Pruett, they would agree that the one word to describe her would be “joy.” As it is her mother’s favorite word, Pruett has followed the motto to “seek joy in everything” throughout her study abroad experience in Switzerland, at Villanova and ultimately throughout her entire life. 

The Villanovan spoke with Pruett in Feb. 2021. Now, almost a year later, Pruett has found wild success with her podcast “Meant for Big Things” and celebrated the podcast’s one-year anniversary on Jan. 24, 2022. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and with over 450 followers on the podcast Instagram, Pruett is making waves. 

For Pruett, the name of the podcast was based on one of her strongest beliefs. 

“My whole thing is that everyone is meant for big things,” Pruett said. “I wholeheartedly believe that in every single sense.”

Pruett has spent the last year promoting, creating and growing her podcast into a brand. She aimed to make her podcast intimate and meaningful, so she decided to put herself in the position of her audience. 

“If someone approached me with a podcast, how would I want to interact with it?” Pruett asked. “That set the precedent for my marketing plan.”

After the initial episodes of “Meant for Big Things,” Pruett wanted to branch out and foster a community among her listeners and fellow peers. To do so, she began to host meetups on campus for listeners to attend. At the inaugural meetup, Pruett brought in Camille Mormon, a friend and public speaking coach. She had attendees make gratitude cards for their friends and set up pumpkin painting, all while fostering relationships between the listeners of her podcast. 

“It is really focused on building relationships and peer-to-peer learning,” Pruett said.

Additionally, Pruett has hosted meetups highlighting various Villanova students including Jack Palermo, an Electrical Engineering major with a minor in Philosophy who spoke to the group about the importance of journaling. 

“I have been able to pinpoint one thing that makes one of my amazing friends so special and have been able to share that with everyone else,” Pruett said. “It has been really fun to showcase my friends and one of their strong suits.”

Pruett created a GroupMe for listeners to join where she gives them an opportunity to meet each other, go on coffee dates and find a new support group on campus. 

The community of “Meant for Big Things” listeners does not stop at the meetups. Over the past year, Pruett has designed t-shirts and sweatshirts to promote her podcast. Highlighting anyone on campus who is wearing the merchandise on any given day, Pruett uses the merchandise to bring people together. 

“I love connecting people,” Pruett said. “I always feel like you are one connection away from meeting your best friend or someone who could change your life. If I can facilitate that through an article of clothing, it’s amazing.”

Keep your eyes on the lookout as Pruett is planning a new merch drop within the next few weeks with colors perfect for the spring season. 

There are no plans for Pruett to ever stop working on her podcast. 

“I started the podcast because there is a section missing in the market,” Pruett said. “There is a disconnect because of the age gap in the self-improvement podcast market. This podcast seems to fill the gap.”

Along with new merch, Pruett has big plans for the future of “Meant for Big Things.” With the exploding popularity of TikTok, Pruett is expanding onto the app soon. Guiding her is Noel Doherty, who The Villanovan spoke to last semester regarding his success on the platform. Giving Pruett tips and tricks, Doherty has become a friend and mentor.

Furthermore, Pruett’s largest plan for the podcast and the brand is to eventually create an app. Pruett envisions the app as being totally customizable and personalized to each individual’s goals. The users would set their goals or areas to work in, and Pruett’s app would give them challenges, such as “compliment the person in front of you.” 

One of the main goals in Pruett’s life is to connect people. Whether that be strangers, her best friends or her listeners. “Meant for Big Things” has given her a tangible brand to do so. Although, the most inspiring part about Pruett is her attitude towards life. 

“If I just do these things, then I think I will be okay: if I continuously meet new people, if I work hard and have a positive mind,” Pruett said. “I can figure anything out then.”

Constantly updating her followers and posting challenges, one can find Pruett’s business account on Instagram @meantforbigthings.