Connecting the Dots
My career trajectory and road to location independence has been anything but linear. This is what I make of all the curves.
“I am a human being, meant to be in perpetual becoming. If I am living bravely, my entire life will become a million deaths and rebirths. My life is not meant to remain the same but to live in such a way that each day, year, moment, relationship, conversation, and crisis is the material I use to become a truer, more beautiful version of myself.”
I’ve always been fascinated by people’s stories, particularly how they discovered their professional calling. For me, a career is something that shape-shifts and evolves with the person who inhabits it, and we are most fulfilled when our values, mission, talents and impact converge. To understand where we want to go, it helps to look at where we’ve been.
I’ll never forget a quote I once heard on a podcast: “The best way to get to know yourself is to be an entrepreneur.” I can’t remember now who said it, but I couldn’t agree with her more.
When I grow up…
I used to tell everyone that when I grew up I was going to be a computer programmer like my Dad. Or an artist like my Mom. Working as a creative online isn’t far off, though my career path to this point has been anything but linear. It has twisted and turned and looped around the globe. More than once, it slipped through the door and vanished.
As an undergrad at UC Berkeley, I thrived in creative writing and art history and never even ventured into computer science. But what I loved most was being on stage, captivating my audience, and taking them on a journey. Thus, I graduated from one of the nation’s finest academic institutions with a degree in the performing arts.
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I then did what most dancers do: I packed my bags and went to New York. It was exhilarating. I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be. While studying dance technique and performing, I landed a job at Blue Man Group, before they took Boston and Chicago and earned worldwide fame. A year later, I was offered a full-time production role at an influential performing arts presenting organization in Chelsea.
Working as the Associate Director of Inter/National Programs at Dance Theater Workshop showed me what building community was all about. I was part of a vibrant NYC dance scene, and we were developing local, national and international exchange programs to support performing artists in their growth. We joined forces with other presenters, to create a robust network of artists, venues and funders, so there would always be a place to teach, perform and gain audience exposure. Little did I know back then that this would be the seed that sprouted FERN.
Then September 11th happened.
The more exposure I gained to other cultures through my work, the itchier my feet became. By my mid-20’s, I longed to experience living and working abroad. I applied for a Fulbright Scholarship in Spain, combed “Teach English in Japan” websites, and devoured Lonely Planet guides from Lombok to Namibia. When a friend of mine suggested I meet her in India for a week, I went for four months.
Ironically, India taught me what it means to be home. That home is not a physical place in the world, but a deep connection to ourselves. It taught me what it means to be truly present. To pay attention, and notice things — like the smell of incense and spice and something always burning; or the gleaming white and genuine smiles of so many strangers on a train. In a frenzied world, India taught me to slow down.
Coming back to New York was jolting. The city no longer aligned with who I had become. Then September 11th happened and the US went to war. And my country was no longer a place I wanted to be. Even though I was already home in myself, my heart now belonged to Asia.
With Himalayan school children, Nepal (2001)
At Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico (2003)
I was a professional nomad before it became a trend.
I spent the next six months studying, volunteering, exploring, and writing about my travels in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, India and China. Around this time, I was discovering my own creative voice. I published my first short story in a Traveler’s Tales “Best Of” Anthology. I nearly accepted a teaching post at a university in Beijing, but shipped off to Southern France instead with Backroads. I spent the off-seasons skiing in New Mexico, where I worked for the film commission, scouting locations for Hollywood directors and managing film festivals.
One of the documentary festivals we produced focused on adventure, mountain cultures and the environment. Filmmakers from National Geographic came to present their work. I was blown away by their stories, images, and the impact they were having in the world. I ached for another adventure, and decided then to pursue my EU citizenship. I packed my bags, again.
What it means to “bring a brand to life”.
Three years later, I am Head of Content for National Geographic’s worldwide concept stores, headquartered in Barcelona. I remember feeling that no job in the world could have suited me better. It was my first time in a fast-paced, startup environment — which jived with my boundless energy — and we were on an ambitious track to launch in London and Singapore within six months. I booked world-famous explorers for lecture events, produced eye-popping photo exhibitions; and collaborated with Nat Geo’s Image Collection and Channel to curate mesmerizing still and video content for in-store screens. I researched and wrote the origin stories behind the products we sold, many of them hand-crafted by indigenous communities. In a nutshell, I experienced what it means to bring a brand to life.
Over the next seven years, I would work with National Geographic in many capacities — an opportunity I often attribute to having a foothold in Europe. I collaborated with NG Magazine photographers and editors on stories about Borneo’s tribal elders, China’s giant pandas, and tropical life-saving venom. We produced exhibits for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Rio+20 Earth Summit, and Nobel Laureate Symposium. We collaborated with global leaders from Tony Blair and Bill Clinton to the Royal Family of Sweden. As an international agent for the NG Speakers Bureau, I represented my living heroines Sylvia Earle and Jane Goodall, and managed appearances by daredevils like Felix Baumgartner, the first to skydive from outer space.
Regardless of the medium, we were using well-constructed visual narratives to shift mindsets and inspire people to care about our planet. I was proud to be making a difference. My experience with National Geographic not only convinced me of the persuasive power of images and what makes a presentation have real impact, but also, what it means to be driven by a deeper sense of purpose in my work.
Opening the first National Geographic Flagship Store in London (2008)
Outdoor Exhibit for COP15 UN Conference on Climate Change (2009)
Parenthood changes everything.
I thought I would go on doing what I did right through having two children, but life had other plans. My career grounded to a halt when I became a mother for the first time. We Americans have a tendency to define ourselves by what we do for a living. Once I was out of the market, I lost my connection to that fast-paced world, and more importantly, to myself.
I was headhunted for a job in the travel industry when my second child was just six months old. An expert by now at packing up, I moved my family to Sitges, and went back to work full-time. But long hours with two toddlers and a partner frequently on the road threw me off balance. I wasn’t performing well as a parent or professional. It was time to reassess my skills, priorities and limitations, and ask myself what kind of work would allow me to take care of myself, be present as a mom, and fulfill my potential in my career?
Reinventing myself at 40. A community is born.
We live in a small resort town, so the idea of starting a business from home rang loud in my mind. I reached out to a group of international women to see if anyone else was re-navigating their careers following a move abroad, a major life event, or because it was time to evolve. It turned out I was far from alone. FERN quickly blossomed into a caring, safe and supportive space, where enterprising women could connect through shared experiences, get feedback on our ideas, swap knowledge and skills, gain visibility, and grow into who we were meant to become.
Around this time, I also started collaborating with a Pitch Coach who has helped thousands of startups raise billions in investment through rigorous training in key messaging, presentation design and delivery. Working with Beth Susanne and producing events for FERN gave me insight into the common challenges entrepreneurs face, and how to focus our ideas and communicate our value with impact.
Connecting the dots that launched Connectary.
Connectary is the next chapter in my story. It ties together the milestones and lessons learned along the way that have shaped who I am today. It fulfills my purpose to utilize my talent to help others step into theirs and make a difference. And it enables me to work flexibly, from anywhere I choose to live. Finding clarity and conveying your value is harder to do for yourself than it is for someone else — I am my toughest experiment. But as the whole world goes remote, once again, I feel like I am exactly where I am meant to be.
At Connectary, we nurture meaningful connections on and offline. We help entrepreneurs and small businesses find the right images and words to effectively convey who you are, what you care about, and the value you bring to the world. We also design workshops and retreats for those working remotely, to connect IRL and take a break from the screen. Curious to know more? Reach out :)