My Story
So, You Want the Whole Story?
Curiosity, creativity, a whole lot of gusto, and a little chutzpah. That's how I've always approached life.
Meet the Alchemist Turned Redesigner
I have a knack for walking into something complicated, connecting seemingly unrelated dots, and seeing what it could become: a brand, a business, or a space. Strategy is my foundation, but design is my passion.
As hard as it was to leave California, I wanted to be closer to my roots, with more space, creative freedom, and an affordable coastal life to design, teach, surf, and host a sustainable Airbnb. So I packed up, drove cross-country to North Carolina, and set out to build that vision.
Well... that wasn’t how the story went. Hidden mold quietly unraveled my health until getting out of bed became a monumental effort. I didn’t know what was happening at the time, but with no roadmap, I connected the dots—only this time, I was redesigning my own life.
I Redesigned My Way Out.
There was no straight road back to vibrant health. Out East, when people doubted what I was experiencing, I had to trust my intuition, keep asking hard questions, and recognize that I needed to return west to a drier climate.
I immersed myself in healthier materials and sustainable design at Parsons in New York, diving deep into indoor air quality, healthy materials + circular systems. I began looking at my entire world through a new lens: where I slept, what I wore, the air I breathed, the spaces I inhabited, the thoughts in my mind and how I worked.
Eventually, I realized: Mold is Old. I couldn’t build a vibrant new life while clinging to old environments, possessions, and stagnant stories. That realization gave me the courage to let go and take a leap of faith. Redesign isn’t about restriction or sacrifice—it’s about pure expansion.
A full, healthy life is an ecosystem.
The Waves of Change
It took all the strength I had to drive back west to the vast Pacific. Here, the right combination of health care, clean ocean air + time in nature supported my recovery. Life slowed me down long enough to notice nature differently. One wave flows into another, continuously moving forward. Catching sunrise and sunset has become the rhythm of my healing—a daily reminder that light returns and tomorrow brings another chance to begin.
Everything in nature is connected and circular by design. That helped me understand why regenerative thinking resonates so deeply. It isn’t about doing less harm; it’s about creating the conditions for life and creativity to thrive.
As my strength returned, so did my curiosity and creative spark. Art, materials, furnishings, and places came back into my world, and I began to see creativity as an ecosystem too. One idea leads to another. SolShines came back into my world too, redesigned right along with me.
The Redesigner.
My ability to see the big picture never changed. What changed was the lens I brought to it. Now I understand systems with health in mind: how strategy and space intersect, how our surroundings shape the way we live and work, and how businesses, developments, and communities can support greater health, vitality, and belonging.
Today, whether I’m looking at a life, a business, a home, a development, or a community, I ask:
• What’s working? What’s stagnant?
• Where are the opportunities for greater health, abundance, and vitality?
• What needs to change?
And my favorite question:
What could this become?
Redesign with Health in Mind!
Redesign isn’t simply about fixing what’s broken or making something look better. It’s about seeing possibility in the whole picture and creating a clear path toward something healthier, more vital, and designed to thrive. It’s about letting your SolShine!
