I recently had the chance to share my story with Bold Journey, and I wanted to give you a glimpse into our conversation here on my blog.
There’s so much more to explore in the full interview, but I hope this gives you a taste of my path from childhood dreams to mindful entrepreneurship.
Continue reading below to explore what we talked about, or click here to read the full interview instead.
Table of Contents
Morning Rituals
My day begins with intention. My life partner and I start with a reading from our 365-day book focused on peaceful communication called “Peaceful Living: Daily Meditations for Living with Love, Healing, and Compassion.”
After that, I step outside to catch the morning light during my meditation, follow it with sun salutations, and then journal.
My journaling has three parts:
- Free-form writing (Dear Universe)
- Gratitude from the prior day
- Planning the day from a place of gratitude
My Mission
I’m the founder of cityHUNT, a company that brings teams together through fun, interactive scavenger hunts designed to build connection, improve workplace culture, and spark joy. For over two decades, I’ve been combining mindfulness, positive psychology, gamification, and adventure to help individuals and organizations thrive.
In 2019, a retreat in Costa Rica shifted everything for me. That experience led me down a path of self-discovery through India, Ecuador, and deep inner work. I began to shed old patterns like emotional reactivity, codependency, and excess weight, embracing a more intentional, grounded way of living.
Childhood Dreams
One of my earliest, strongest memories was setting up a “circus” in the tiny triangle of grass in front of our row home in Overbrook Park, Philadelphia. Our street was lined with working-class row houses, each one sharing walls with the next.
In our little yard stood a metal jungle gym that took up almost the entire space. To the grown-ups, it was probably just a structure to keep kids busy. But to me, it was a stage. A circus tent. A place where imagination could take over.
I recruited the neighborhood kids and together we put on shows. I printed flyers, charged a quarter for admission, invited every parent on the block, and handed out Dixie cups of orange juice to our “audience.”
That little ringmaster in a chain-link triangle, dreaming big on a tiny patch of grass – that’s who I was before the world tried to shape me into anything else.
Rock Bottom
During COVID, I felt like my world was collapsing. I was in the early stages of my divorce, living alone with my dog on a small farm. The quarantine rules kept me from seeing my two children, friends, or family. I felt completely burnt out and isolated.
At the same time, cityHUNT came to an abrupt and expensive halt. All of my investments dropped dramatically, and I was under intense financial pressure. It felt like everything I had built was crumbling around me.
In that silence and uncertainty, I came dangerously close to giving up. But something inside me shifted. I had to dig deep and learn how to transform loneliness into the power of solitude. It was during that time that I discovered how to find peace in stillness, and how to rebuild not just my business, but myself from the inside out.
Industry Truth
One of the biggest lies I hear in the team-building and personal development space is the promise to fix or heal people and teams, as if that transformation can be done to them. But real growth doesn’t come from an outside expert swooping in with answers. It comes from within each person, within each team.
The real work isn’t about delivering a quick solution. It’s about creating meaningful experiences and offering the right tools so people can do the work themselves, together, in ways that are engaging, empowering, and even fun.
Conclusion
My journey has taught me that inner peace isn’t a destination but a daily practice. Whether I’m meditating, walking barefoot outside, or simply taking a breath before a conversation, those small moments of presence bring me back to center. Through cityHUNT’s Make Awesome for Others initiative, we’ve redirected over half a million dollars in profits toward scholarships for nonprofits, schools, and mission-driven groups.
True transformation begins with reconnecting to ourselves, then extending that connection to others and our environment. I’m committed to my journey for inner peace, regardless of the outer world, and supporting others on their journeys.
