My dad was a theater professor whose focus was stagecraft. Needless to say, I pretty handily won most Halloween costume contests as a kid. In my formative years, I was encouraged to always say "please" and "thank you" and to exercise my imagination, curiosity, and creativity daily. Habits I still practice today.

That early exposure to the theater gave me a sense of how a story could live in a set or a costume, long before I had the language to explain why it mattered. That thread has stayed with me ever since, whether the "stage" is a theme park or a shelf at the grocery store.

That story-first approach shows up in how I work, too. My superpower, if you call it that, is turning chaos into calm and details into purpose, something that's served me well throughout my years in the design industry, helping organizations figure out who they really are and then bringing that to life in ways people can feel. I tend to come up with my best ideas when I'm balanced between two rolling wheels, so I try to spend as much time in that position as possible.

Over the years, I've worked across industrial design, environments, events, retail, branding, advertising, and more for brands like Disney, Nike, LEGO, Adidas, Li-Ning, Gatorade, and Pepsi. I've designed everything from retail environments to running shoes. I've even designed a parade float or two, which I'd be happy to tell you about over a hot or cold beverage of your choice.