My path has been really non-traditional. I moved to New York with an envelope of cash and printed MapQuest directions to an apartment I found on Craigslist. I scored a fashion assistant job at a luxury company I knew nothing about, and worked for a CEO who made The Devil Wears Prada look like preschool. I got fired at least 5 times, once for letting the petal of an orchid wilt. I had long hours and so I started a fashion blog on the side, and eventually got fired for blogging a story about running into the Olsen twins gossiping about Anna Wintour at a very chic fashion week party. My blog got seen by a media guy in my neighborhood and he hired me to be the Editor in Chief of his fashion websites. I figured out how to do that job by stalking every resource I could and doing what I do best - talking relentlessly about everything I observed. We eventually sold the websites to NYLON Media and then I incorporated myself and became what we now call a multi-hyphenate (at the time this didn't exist and people thought I was insane for having multiple jobs). I was an editor/writer, stylist, producer, event planner, and social media strategist and got to work with so many amazing people -- including Madonna, the Kardashians, you name it. After one year, I was working for 13 clients and it was literally 24/7 of pure insanity. 

I eventually went in house again and ran a branded content studio at StyleCaster (saw the beauty of advertising budgets!) and then went full steam ahead to do even bigger branded projects at Milk Studios. While there, we launched Milk Makeup, which was an insane crash course in the power of community in beauty and one day I got a call from queen: Pat McGrath. I joined as her VP of Social and Creative Content and was on the rocketship that led to a billion dollar acquisition, it was absolute luxurious chaos.

When I started to get the itch for sunshine, work-life balance, and mental health, I moved to LA to start my beauty incubator HipDot. We set up a cruelty free, vegan, clean color cosmetics line that has done a slew of influencer brand collaborations.  After designing over 50 products and launching 3 brands, I realized that I love creative ideation and development more than I do the day to day operations of running and growing a business. I felt really burnt out, which was the whole point of leaving New York, so I knew it was time to take a longer breather and follow my gut again (always follow your gut - it never lies!).  I hadn't taken 3 months off in the 13 years I'd been in the industry, but people in LA make a very good case for the leisurely lifestyle. I just didn't know it was going to turn into a pandemic! But entrepreneurism is in your blood, and it wasn't too long before I started figuring out the next thing.  My business partner and I have a joke that our personal hobby is "business". 

I had a few key moments with mega-watt celebrities or insanely successful people who treated me like a human, and needed my knowledge to help them.  These small moments over time made me realize that everyone is just a person, and you can do absolutely anything you want. 

Do more of the most. Every mistake or problem disappears with time, no one remembers anything you did in your 20s once you're in your 30s, so just shoot your shot! I wish I would have caused more of a ruckus or been a bit more daring instead of thinking "this will be so embarassing" or "what if i fail, what will people think".  Failure is a part of life and has made up all the best life stories!