I grew up in the country, where life moved at the pace of the seasons. We grew our own food, played outside until the sun went down, climbed trees, and got our hands dirty in the garden. Nature was not something we visited. It was where we lived. It was the backdrop to everything.
My mom was an art teacher and a creative, and she had a way of making you see the world a little differently. I specifically remember a pin she used to wear when I was a child. It said “Nature Can’t Be Restocked,” with an image of a barcode with animals woven in between the lines. Something about that image stuck with me. I still have that pin to this day, and looking back, I believe it planted the seed for who I am now. My mom and that pin. That was the beginning.
When it came time for college, I was ready for something new. I moved to Hawai’i to attend the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and the islands changed me. Nature there is not separate from daily life. It is woven into everything. I learned about the ahupua’a, the Hawaiian system of caring for the land from mauka to makai, from the mountain to the sea, where each part is connected to and responsible for the whole. Hiking the mountains, boogie boarding in the ocean, I could see it in action. The land, the water, the food we eat, and the way we treat one another are all part of one living system.
That awareness led me to permaculture, and with it came a deepening interest in health, wellness, and sustainability. I started eating less meat and more plants. I started growing my own food again, the way I had as a kid, but this time with intention. That shift opened the door to a twenty-year journey into veganism. And even before that, I had found yoga. The philosophy of doing no harm, of living with awareness and compassion, resonated with something I had always felt but had not yet put into words. As I trained to become a yoga teacher, it all started to come together. The food, the philosophy, the connection to the earth. It was not a collection of separate interests. It was a way of living.
That passion for nourishing the body and the planet led me to become a certified health coach and study nutrition. I wanted to understand the science behind what I was already feeling in my own life, that what we put into our bodies matters, not just for us, but for the world around us.
That way of living eventually found its way into my work. I began educating students in the California State University system about health, wellness, and nutrition, helping them understand how what we eat shapes how we think, how we behave, and how we treat the planet. It was powerful to watch young people start making those connections for themselves, to see them realize that their choices mattered.
From there, I moved into communications at an environmental nonprofit, where I built out research and developed resources to bring climate awareness to broader audiences. That work was a huge eye-opener. Researching the facts, knowing the numbers, understanding the real impact that human activity is having on this planet. It changed me. It made the work feel urgent in a way it had not before.
And it instilled something in me that I carry every day: We all must do our part. We owe it to the next generation to do better, to teach them, to support them, to help them evolve. Within that space, I had the opportunity to help build a youth nonprofit that supported climate advocacy and uplifted amazing young leaders who were already doing incredible things in their communities. These young people were not waiting for permission. They were protecting the planet, supporting their neighbors, and bringing a whole-systems approach to the challenges we face today.
I am a big believer that Mother Earth will get the healing she needs. My hope is that humanity can bring more awareness to these topics as we witness ever-evolving weather patterns and changes in lives for all species. My purpose is to spread awareness, share my light, and inspire young people everywhere to dream. To stand up for what is right. To stand up for nature. To stand up for all living beings. Because we all deserve to be here. That pin my mom wore all those years ago was right. Nature cannot be restocked. But it can be protected, honored, and loved. And that is the work I am here to do.
