1. won a lifetime pass to the circus at the age of 7
I entered the sweepstakes contest at the Sears department store and 2 years later received an engraved plaque which took me to an unlimited number of Barnum & Bailey performances. That’s probably why I spend my summers spinning aerial hoop and dancing around fire.
2. I MOVED TO THE BAY AREA alone at 17
I left the farmlands of the Central Valley on a quest to become an artist in "the big city". I earned a Graphic Design degree at Cal State East Bay where I learned the art of 'makin things pop'!
3. I LEARNED THE MAGIC OF HAPPY ACCIDENTS
While crafting lattes at my local Starbucks, a friendly regular with a consulting business would grant me an opportunity to design websites and business cards. We made dozens of small-biz-owners look LEGIT & I’m forever grateful for that experience.
4. I LANDED MY FIRST TECH JOB AT 21
I taught myself Flash so I could create dynamic banner ads for big-name clients like GoPro, American Apparel and Urban Outfitters at AdRoll. There I learned the secret to success at startups: Google EVERYTHING and have no fear of what you don’t know.
5. I TOOK A BIG LEAP
After designing my 1,021st banner ad I decided it was time to learn new skills and break into the high-impact world of Product Design. I decided to pack up my desk & sign up General Assembly’s User Experience Design Immersive.
6. I JOINED PIVOTAL LABS TO LEARN THE CRAFT OF PRODUCT DESIGN
I count my lucky stars that I was able to work alongside world-class software engineers and product managers to craft digital experiences for clients. There I learned how to own the design process from user research all the way through in-person coding with developers.
7. I RE-DESIGNED COUCHSURFING’S MOBILE APP
During my time on their product crew, I established a user research practice, interviewed dozens of 'surfers', including one gal who went on a year-long trip ‘round the world (including Dubai) without paying for a single hostel!
8. I DESIGNED ONE OF THE FIRST E-COMMERCE APPS IN CRYPTO
I started receiving salary in Bitcoin back in 2015, before I knew anything about private keys. But thankfully I knew a LOT about online shopping, which made me a great match to help the technical founders evolve the product. Together we helped folks around the world spend $32.8 million in Bitcoin! Ask me about Satoshi & I'll tell you a tale.
9. I SAID YES TO A BIG LEADERSHIP ROLE
Despite the nagging imposter syndrome, I stepped up as VP of Product at PurseIO. I led a cross-functional, global team of badass engineers and designers on a mission to incentivize cryptocurrency adoption. During that time I took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to read tarot for the alleged creator of Bitcoin in Hong Kong, helped Venezuelan teammates escape crushing inflation, and learned precious life lessons in the process.
10. I established a freelance design BUSINESS (THIS ONE!)
My life now is focused on crafting experiences for startup clients (like you?) while mentoring junior designers and making as many colorful messes as possible.
Do you have a bold idea of your own? I’d like to hear it!