My story

Growing up in Charlotte, NC. I graduated high school early, moved into a van, and began exploring the world with no real plan except to see what was out there. Every new place, every new person I met, made life feel bigger.

That time taught me how much there was to discover beyond the familiar. I learned to be comfortable with uncertainty, to follow curiosity, and to appreciate the simple moments that come from being on the road. Occasionally, I would settle down in a place for a few months. Some of those places included Moab, UT; Tucson, AZ; Austin, TX; and Bend, OR.

Eventually that same curiosity took me even further. I bought a one-way ticket to Spain with nothing more than a backpack and the same mindset that had guided me up to that point: say yes to adventure and see where it leads.

For a while, it felt like the world was wide open.

Then everything changed.

While living in Spain, I became extremely sick and was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. What followed were years of navigating autoimmune disease and learning how to live with a body that suddenly worked very differently than before.

I was very familiar with the unknown. In fact, it was what I craved in life. But when I got sick, the unknown suddenly became something to fear.