Yinzer by birth, San Diegan by choice. I’ve always been a workaholic, getting my first job on my 15th birthday as a camp counselor. When I wasn’t working, I was dreaming about the future that I would go on to create for myself. One of my dreams was to live at the beach and enjoy the sunsets, warm weather, outdoor adventures, and travel, all while doing something to make the world a better place. Every day I feel blessed to be living a huge part of my dream.

How A Tree Falling On My House Lead Me To This and Became My Biggest Blessing

When I decided to leave the Hospitality Industry after ten years, at the age of 25, it was NOT an easy decision. My first cocktail serving job at a bar was back in high school. I had no clue what I was doing, but it was my Dad’s best friend’s bar and he needed help. I fell in love with the business after one shift on the floor, and anyone who ever knew me after that could tell that Hospitality was my passion. I was LUCKY because I knew what I wanted to do – many high school students have no idea.

I graduated from college in 2008 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where I averaged 80 hours a week as a Director for a local Pub Company, basically overseeing FOH Operations and Guest Service for seven restaurants. On paper, it was my dream job, but there was something big missing in my life. I wasn’t making a difference. I wasn’t helping anyone. And, more than anything, I had always wanted to live at the beach. As a girl in my mid-20s thinking life was passing me by, with no money saved to move, I was stuck.

On May 25, 2010, a Wednesday, I applied for a job in San Diego. I remember it like it was yesterday because it was my best friend’s birthday, and I had switched shifts at work with someone so that I could have Wednesday off and work Thursday instead. The following day, a huge storm blew through Midtown, Atlanta, where I lived with my roommate on the top floor of a duplex. This is what happened:

tree house midtown atlanta monet diamante 1
What Used To Be My House in Midtown, Atlanta

If a tree falling on your house isn’t a sign that it’s time to go, I really don’t know what is. I packed my things, had a moving-out-of-the-treehouse sale, and left Georgia three weeks later with a little over $900 in my pocket on a dream and a really strong prayer. Five days into the trip, as I drove into Arizona, I received a call from my current boss and now employer with a job offer.

Moral of the Story

Don’t ever let anything, not even a tree, get in the way of your dreams. It’s my opinion that one of the best things about life is that we get to design it.

How are you designing your life and your legacy?

Find out about what I help clients with here.