I'm currently an associate director of experience design, which is a role I never anticipated having. But I'm not exactly surprised that I ended up here. Because when you graduate with a degree in magazine journalism right as the entire industry implodes, you quickly learn to get creative.

So I did just that, cutting my teeth as a writer and editor for small businesses before joining a startup that would soon boast the largest editorial department in the country. Groupon was a crash course in thinking fast and moving faster. When asked to pull double duty as an art director, I reflexively said yes—and fell in love with a whole new discipline.

That led to an opportunity at Trunk Club, a men’s styling service that had just been acquired by Nordstrom. They were expanding into women's styling and needed a dedicated team to roll out creative strategy and campaigns. I helped build that team from the ground up, hiring and supporting an exceptional group of writers, designers, stylists, photographers, and producers. In addition to overseeing copy and design deliverables, I directed shoots almost daily, from small projects in our in-house studio to large-scale productions on location around the U.S.

During the pandemic, I freelanced while going to design school. That's how I landed in experience design. While the agency and XD worlds are still relatively new to me, my multi-disciplinary experience gives me the perspective and confidence to make exceptional work for iconic brands.