Right now I'm on a work exchange at an amazing socially conscious co-working space in London called Innovation Works. I help manage the front desk, interact with various co-tenants, and serve on a council to help ensure that our values are being lived out well. My personal mission while I work there is to learn and experience as much from my fellow humans as I possibly can. I also do freelance artwork (particularly hand lettering and watercolour painting) and a bit of catering on the side. My friends mean the world to me, and despite the fact that I'm an introvert, I love going to various events in my city and making meaningful connections with new people.

At the heart of what I do is a mission to simply love the person in front of me. My core values are authenticity, community, responsibility, compassion, and humour, and I'm doing my best to live a life that allows those to be my drivers. Ultimately, I just want to live with my whole heart.

I don't know where life will take me next, but I'm doing my part to hold an attitude of excitement and wonder while I'm on this mission of discovery.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is appealing to me for two major reasons: finances, and community.

Travelling is an amazing and exciting way to learn about the world, but the cost of taking a trip can quickly add up. I'd love for that to be a little more offset, and Couchsurfing is a great way to facilitate that.

With community as one of my core values, Couchsurfing is so appealing to me because instead of just getting to know the places you visit, you have an awesome opportunity to get to know the people too. Not only does that take the whole learning experience of travel to the next level, but it also is a great way to find out more about the cities you visit from the people who actually live there.

Interests

• cooking
• wine
• beer
• music
• guitar
• calligraphy
• food
• nature
• sustainability
• friendship
• watercolour
• authenticity
• smiling
• mental health
• community
• discovery

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC: Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Leon Bridges, Fleetwood Mac, Carole King, Hey Rosetta, Gregory Porter, and k.d. lang are some of my favourites, but depending on the mood I'm in, I can listen to just about anything. I particularly love Motown, jazz, and folk.

MOVIES: Anything but horror.

BOOKS: Brené Brown, Elaine Aron, Liz Gilbert, Glennon Doyle, and Jenny Lawson are some of my favourite authors. I only recently fell in love with reading, and I'm a huge fan of work that pertains to emotional intelligence, personality psychology, or social justice.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The year after I finished university (mechatronic systems engineering) I embarked on a daring adventure to start up my own business in the food service industry. I was a passionate food hobbyist who knew two people about to open a brewery, and they wanted someone to run a food operation there. At the time of graduation I had no plans and only knew that I didn't want to be an engineer, so I chose to dive right in.

It took me about six months to learn that the restaurant industry is not one I can flourish in. While the experience was difficult in many ways, I'm coming to see it also as a gift. I got to experience and learn some pretty spectacular things, all first hand. I will always carry those lessons with me gratefully.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'd love to learn anything about how and where you live! I'm always trying to push the boundaries of my comfort zone, engage in new experiences, and learn more about others and myself. Trying to improve my French or getting over major stage fright when it comes to guitar and singing (even casually) would be amazing. I have a banjo but rarely play it, so if anyone has some tips, I'll take them! Learning to sew is high up on my list of things to do. Also I love to eat new things.

As someone who loves to cook and worked in the food industry for some time, I'd be happy to share meals or teach some cooking skills. I'm no expert, but I am good and whipping up a meal with a random collection of ingredients that need to be used up. I also do a fair bit of hand lettering and calligraphy. I'd be happy to share my supplies and teach anyone who wants to learn! I've also got a guitar and a basic working knowledge there, which I'd be happy to pass on to the best of my ability.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a very low-maintenance house guest. I'm comfortable anywhere, will eat just about anything (I'll even happily cook!) and tend to be very neat and tidy. I'll happily help out with any chores or cleaning tasks. I live alone now, but spent three years living with four roommates (seven different women, all together), and we all still like each other! I'm generally easy-going and tend to build bridges over burning them. I'd love to meet and get to know hosts and their favourite spots in their cities, and while I love a great conversation I'm very respectful of boundaries and am happy to keep to myself too.

Countries I’ve Visited

Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada