At the age of 15, I spent three weeks bicycling 990 miles from Seattle to San Francisco. At age 35,  I biked across the state of Maine. I am always motivated to bike long distances for pancakes or ice cream.

I spent 6 months cooking for elderly residents. I was not always the best cook but I was the only one who took the time to build relationships with them. As a result, they never complained if I burned the dessert.

As a result of great coaching and hard work, I was invited to play Division 1 women’s ice hockey at Yale University. Since then I have  “given back what I’ve been given” by coaching girls’ and women’s teams in four states, and founding a women’s team in Maine. 

Playing hockey taught me how to anticipate, make a plan, but also be able to pivot quickly. Being adaptable has served me well in jobs where buses were often late, there could be 20 more students than planned, or I might have to “pinch hit” teaching a workshop.