I wasn’t planning to write this. But after a year that changed everything, I realized I owed it to myself—and maybe to others walking a similar path—to share the truth behind it.
The tipping point? My chapter at RetreatsAndVenues came to an end-quite abruptly may I add. It wasn’t part of my five-year plan, and it definitely wasn’t easy. But sometimes, life redirects you before you’re ready. What feels like an ending can actually be an evolution.
This isn’t about a company or a role—it’s about alignment. About recognizing when the chapter you’re in has taught you what it needed to, and having the courage to turn the page, even if the rest of the book is currently unwritten.
The past year has been transformative—soul-shifting, really. It’s also been a wave of every emotion imaginable. It was an extreme year, so I had extreme highs and lows.
When I set off to join a startup and travel the world while working remotely, I was terrified. I was leaving behind something great. I had just come off a high—receiving the NAIOP Developing Leaders Award—and then life shifted directions. A moment that left a lot of you confused. “Why now?” You all asked. (seriously- I received A LOT of questions haha)
But something inside me whispered that although I loved what I was doing in the furniture world, it didn’t feel like I was living my purpose and truest potential. I was 32, no kids, no pets, and I could feel the clock ticking—not in fear, but in opportunity. I had always been curious about what it would be like to work at a technology company. Having designed many tech offices as an Interior Designer, I had been able to peak behind the curtains into the business and know it was something that intrigued me. I’ve always been one to be a bit edgy and challenge the status quo and, in my mind, the tech sector does that best… so I wanted to learn from the best. When that opportunity presented itself at RetreatsAndVenues, and it came with travelling the world while building my career, I knew I had to take a chance. Not to mention that it was a startup and I LOVE building things from scratch.
Not sure if you’ve got it too… but there’s a fire in me that never stops burning. Sometimes it’s restless, sometimes it’s exhausting—but it’s always there. To wake up every day and feel that pull, that sense that you’re meant for more… do you ever feel that?
So I took a risk. Sixteen months ago I transitioned into a new industry, dove headfirst into the world of startups, packed my bag and found tenants for a 1 year lease, booked my 1-way flight, and gave it everything I had.
What the Photos Don’t Show
From the inside? It looked like 10–12-hour workdays, some weekends included. It looked like a mountain of new software to learn, an alternative marketing MBA to complete, a virtual podcast to run, and Slack messages lighting up at all hours across 14+ time zones around the world. A remote global brand across 14 countries= you are always ON as a leader because its always someone’s core business hours.
I’ve always been a fast learner, but what people don’t see are the nights spent trying to keep up, the quiet doubts, and the grit that fuels growth.
Still, there was magic in it. Over twelve months, I worked and lived across Las Vegas, Riviera Maya, Tulum, Cancún, Huatulco, Puerto Escondido, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Peru, Texas, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece—sometimes circling continents in the most inefficient order possible. Some trips were for work—hotel tours, brand partnerships, conferences. Others were for life itself—three destination weddings, a ski season I’d dreamed of, and world-class surf that healed me in ways I didn’t expect.
Over the course of the year, I packed and unpacked my life every month and learned to be calm in the chaos. I’m an ultra-A type personality, and I own it proudly. I’m your ultimate planner, organizer and structured human being. So, living while constantly ‘on the go’ was the training I needed to learn how to calm down my nervous system in moments of change and uncertainty. My goal was to learn how to be more adaptable, and to go with the flow without plans.
Milestones Beyond the Office
Outside of work, I made a promise to myself: keep growing, in every direction. This year abroad is not just about growth in my career.
- So I lived the ski bum life in Austria for a season. (Although there are no bums in Austria because its outrageously lux and expensive haha) I switched from snowboarding to skiing—starting with figuring out how to carry my skis to confidently skiing black diamonds and backcountry lines. I skied five days a week from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., grabbed a quick schnitzel, and worked Canadian hours: 2pm until midnight. You can sleep when your dead, right? 😛
- I skied ten European mountains and logged forty-four ski days in a ninety-day season.
- I faced a childhood fear and returned to the Peruvian wave that almost drowned me—this time, I rode it like a boss.
- I surfed my first nine-foot face at Mexico’s longest left, La Saladita.
- I learned I’m absolutely a mountain girl, not a city one. My surroundings shape my peace. I should never live in a downtown core.
- I embraced my Latina side while living in Central and South America— a culture I’d never fully identified with, and now wear it proudly. I now feel most myself speaking Spanish.
- I picked up some Portuguese and German, deepened my Spanish, learned bits of Serbian and Albanian, and discovered how much I adore languages.
- Learned that community is everything. I left my business development job partly because I was burned out from networking, only to spend a year doing ‘business development’ for free LOL—traveling is basically endless small talk until you find your people. However, when you travel those people are often transient, so I found myself constantly having to find new people. It made me further appreciate having my community of friends and network in Vancouver that support me.
And I learned something about work styles, which was the biggest thing I was mentally battling in my old furniture job: I’m not a fan of strict Work-from-home or Work-from-office.. Work-From-Abroad (WFA)—is where it’s at!! Why does nobody ever talk about that option? 😛 But it has an expiration date.. at least for me. It’s exhausting, global medical insurance is expensive, and even with a Starlink in tow and obsessive Wi-Fi tests, blackouts are inevitable in many countries (something that never crossed my mind living in Canada), making running a virtual team of 8 quite tricky! Many rooftops and towers were climbed the past year to make the starlink Wi-Fi signal work- challenges that their paid ads don’t showcase.
That being said, I’m so glad I scratched that itch. But I still believe the best relationships are built in person (and no, that doesn’t have to mean an office). It could be an event, coffee shop, boardroom, retreat, you name it. In person meeting > zoom meeting any day for me. Any opportunity to build your social capital by meeting people in person is worth way more money and will give you way more promotions than what your cost savings on your commute to work, ever will.
Fourteen Months in Startup Time
So back to the job. It’s been 16 months—basically three years in startup time I’ve been told haha. Honestly, I was terrified to take it. There were a thousand uncertainties: opportunities, compensation, you name it. But I knew if I didn’t, I’d always wonder what if. And I never want to live with that thought. I’d rather live with a life full of “I’m glad I tried,” “I did it,” and “remember when.” When I’m in my grave, I’m not going to remember being static, I’m going to remember the leaps I took, the memories I built and the experiences I undertook. That’s a life well-lived to me.
So I did it. And when I commit to anything, I give it 250%. I poured every ounce of energy into growing RetreatsAndVenues. I’m proud of what I & the marketing team achieved and of everything I learned: automation, metrics, AI, scaling through people, content creation, brand growth, virtual podcasting. In just one year, we drove 117% QBO growth (vs. ~50% typical for startups), increased average deal size by 160%, launched campaigns unlocking $20M+ in potential bookings, built pipeline and sales enablement systems from scratch, and produced 50 podcast episodes in eight months.
But for reasons I can’t share publicly, I was led to move on. Sooner than I expected, but deep down I know it’s right.
Listening to the Fire Inside
What’s next?
I was born with a burning desire to build something of my own. I’ve tried to quiet it for 12 years. It’s not going away. I need to give myself the chance to try—even if I fail—because every so-called failure has taught me more about what I want and what I don’t. After all, isn’t the purpose of life to figure out who we are and what our needs are to live a fulfilling life? I feel the tension between growth within a company and the deeper growth that comes through change.
At this point I’ve done Interior Design for 12+ years, 7 years in Sales/Marketing, and 1 year as CMO in the tech/travel industry. Some might judge and say I switch too much. But those very people may be the ones that don’t dare to leap and will sit in their chair their whole lives wondering ‘what if?’. I at least know I’ll never suffer from that. If I feel appreciated by companies, challenged and in alignment- I always stay. When those feelings subside, the voice inside of me tells me to jump, but I know that the grass isn’t always greener, but so far I have grown immensely from each jump, and I wouldn’t have changed the process.
The Life I’m Building
I’m grateful to gain further clarity on the life I’m trying to build:
- Purposeful work that blends real estate, design, storytelling, sales, and marketing. Although the tech sector was super cool, I like to touch and feel my product.
- Having a small, tight team—8 to 10 people—where work feels like family. I don’t need to build a company with 1,000 people where people are just numbers. I want to know everyone’s names, their spouses, their passions and meaningfully support their growth & dreams.
- Flexibility: a mix of in-person tours, creative sessions, and remote days (with the occasional long weekend remote working getaway). I don’t need to be 100% remote again.
- Financial ambition without sacrificing health or joy. I want to remain physically and mentally fit because I feel that’s how you make the right business decisions and inspire those around you & motivate your team.
- Content as a key pillar of brand building.
- I want to help businesses reach untapped potential and make their value known to the world. The B2B space is my love.
- I want to serve an industry that I love. Design, Construction & Development isn’t about buildings; it’s about the people in them. Serving the co-creators that shape these spaces is my passion.
- I want to help people uncover the stories behind the spaces they create, and the parts of themselves that shaped those spaces.
- Independence without chasing Venture Capital funding or a forced exit strategy. I understand the financial motive behind exits, but I’ve never understood the incentive behind exiting your dream job? Money is not everything.
Traveling and working around the world gave me the time and space to sit with my thoughts & emotions and to define what truly matters. For that, I’ll always be grateful.
Onward
This is the first time a job has ended for me without the next one lined up. Old me would have had so much anxiety about not having a plan. Its funny because this entire past year I have been intentionally practicing the act of not planning and being able to go with the flow while travelling, perhaps for this very moment. I’ve gotten good at finding the calm in the chaos. My training has paid off!
There’s also something so peaceful about where I’m at in my career, that I can trust my skill set and know I’m exactly where I need to be. Which is crazy to say because for those who’ve gotten to page 5 of this story and may know me more personally, you’ll know that my life has completely blown up on me in every aspect.
Right now feels like the eye of the storm—quiet and full of possibility, however chaos is all around me as I’m hustling to build again. Pain is our greatest teacher. But I’ll come out the other side proud of what I created. I’ve always been told to not waste a good crisis.
So here I go. I’m launching my own business. Always looking for more top talented creators & collaborators. So I’m calling all photographers, videographers, content creators, AI gurus, web designers & brand designers. Lets chat! I’m keen to have a growing roster of top talent! For anyone that’s built something themselves before, I’d love to meet for a coffee and learn about your journey.
For now- following the fire that won’t quit. Not knowing exactly where I’ll land, but feeling more certain than ever that this is the right move.
Here’s to the next chapter—wild, uncharted, and absolutely worth it.
If you’ve made it this far and are interested in what I’m building, subscribe to my newsletter on https://www.spacesuncovered.com/. This site is about to get a serious makeover!! <3