Change (An Introduction)

For some people, embracing change is a scary thing.  

For me, it's the only way to live. 

I can’t imagine a lifestyle where I wake up at the same time to take the same bus to the same office and sit at the same desk every day.  Sure, the routine would be comfortable and easy, but it’s just not for me.

The wanderlust set in during college, when I had the opportunity to spend three summers touring the United States with a competitive Drum & Bugle Corps, while my friends made photocopies and answered telephones at traditional internships.  

About to take the field for a performance in Madison, Wisconsin (Summer, 2002)

I then spent my junior year living in London and discovering Europe (courtesy of a flying bus called Ryanair that provided round-trip airfare for cheaper than a meal).  I still remember the first weekend trip I took from London.  My friend and I found a last-minute flight deal to Stockholm, so we decided to hop on a plane without a map, a hotel reservation, or any clue how to navigate through a country that neither of us had ever visited before.

Ross & I in front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm

Somehow, we discovered a boatel - yes, that’s a hotel in a boat – docked across the river from the Royal Palace.  We couldn’t have planned this better if we had…well…planned anything!  The trip was a blast and it set the tone for another incredible year of new experiences. 

Aerial view of our boatel in Stockholm

During my year abroad, I spent almost every weekend in a new city and returned home with an insatiable appetite for global travel.  Looking back, I probably learned more outside the classroom than I did at the university that afforded me the opportunity to be there in the first place.   

When it was time to graduate, I decided that the hotel industry was a natural fit with my personality, so I got a job at one of the nicest hotels in Boston.  That was, of course, after moving to Southern California and back again in less than a month (long story).  I have many fun memories from working in hotels, but one of my favorites was when I was helping a Japanese tourist plan her vacation.  At the end of the conversation, she thanked me and I responded “Dōitashimashite”.  I will never forget the genuine amazement on this woman’s face when she heard her native language in such an unexpected place.  This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I thought of it as a testament to the value of cultural awareness.




Over the next six years, I had four jobs - each totally different than the others.  The last one was, by far, my favorite because it allowed me to travel around the United States for 3 weeks each month.  Getting paid to travel?  That was something I could get used to...until it was time to embrace change again! 

Just one of many sites I was able to visit as part of my work travels

My next move was to pursue an MBA…in Barcelona.  Many people asked why I didn't just go to school in the United States.  For me, the choice was easy.  My 179 classmates comprised 46 different nationalities and offered a global perspective that is unmatched by any US program.  As if being in Barcelona wasn't enough of a cultural experience, I decided to spend my second year as a guest student (even further abroad) in Shanghai.     

Overlooking Barcelona from the MBA building

When it was time to re-enter the workforce, I had a hard time coming back to reality after so many amazing experiences.  Although I was working for a global company, my new home in the Midwest wasn't exactly a cultural hub.  On the positive side, my job allowed me to see several new countries including India, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.  In the two years I spent in Chicago, these trips were my primary motivation to continue developing in my job.  I felt like I was on the right track, but I wasn’t absolutely certain until just before Christmas, 2012, when I was presented with an opportunity that was too good to pass up.