CURRENT MISSION

To fulfill my wanderlust and enjoy meeting FABULOUS people along the way. To love the moment- right here, right now. And with passion.

ABOUT ME

I was born and raised in a small town in northern Indiana (USA). I played in closets, and alleyways, and forts made of blankets. I traveled the world amongst the dusty trunks of clothes and old picture albums in my grandparents’ attic. I knew all the wonderful characters that made up the neighborhood homeowners and apartment dwellers. They were the same people who watched over me when I set up my own version of the street corner lemonade stand. Best of all, my mother, with little resistance, would let me paint on the pressboard walls of the laundry room with water. Life was good.

Like most, my life has taken many turns. I long ago left the small town for the big city. As a Fashion Design major in college, I tested the waters of many mediums and crafts. I was exposed to and influenced by many different types of people and the backgrounds they brought into their art. Since college I have lived and worked everywhere from NYC to Shanghai, China, and traveled to many places in between. Life has been an eclectic mix of big and small, bright days and scary moments, great candlelit dinners and hurried microwave meals. And my mother still lets me paint on the walls, but now I can use paint. A life full of adventure and experiences that conjure up stories even greater than I can imagine, and a grand collection of friends and family from whom I learned humor and from me they learned whimsy.

I run a non-profit organization called Creative Women of the World (www.goCWOW.org). I help train women to create sustainable businesses. I primarily work with women who have been trafficked, who are in extreme poverty, or who have experienced a major disaster. I also have a heart for girls and opportunities for education and work throughout the world doing girl empowerment programs.

PHILOSOPHY

"‎Love should be like breathing. It should be just a quality in you, wherever you are, with whomsoever you are, or even if you are alone, Love goes on overflowing from you. It is not a question of being in Love with someone, it is a question of being Love."
Osho

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My friend Jon and I just spent 11 days couch surfing through Germany and Austria. And my friend Stephanie and I Couch Surfed through Peru. We met so many wonderful people. It was, by far, the highlight of my trips! It is now really the only way to travel and experience the world!

Interests

I live the life I love, I love the life I live!

• arts
• design
• fashion
• education
• running
• crafts
• clothing
• traveling
• painting
• fishing
• hiking
• surfing
• teaching

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Pirahna fishing inthe Amazon jungle. Hiking Machu Picchu. Moving to China on my own when i was 24. And I just completed my lifelong dream of giving a TED talk.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Kenya, United States

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