I started my career on a world-class marketing team for a fashion company with a big budget, high profile, and a level of brand discipline so intense, everything at our desk had to be Pantone-approved. It was the best training ground imaginable for learning how to build a brand that was polished, consistent, and unforgettable. I watched that company grow and eventually get acquired by Gap, Inc., and it made me want to do it all over again—this time, from the very beginning.

I spent the next 12 years as the first marketer, the only marketer, and the one duct-taping it all together at early-stage B2B2C startups. The biggest driver of success for every brand I’ve helped grow has been wildly simple: ask people what they want, then build for that. Great marketing starts with great listening. Always has, always will.

At Bonfire, I apply that same approach to support our founders—listening closely to what they need and helping them cut through the noise. I work behind the scenes, connecting the dots across the portfolio, finding what’s working, sharing it quickly, and making sure no one has to reinvent the wheel. Whether it’s a well-timed intro, some messaging triage, or a leadership circle, I love being the connector between our network of operators, founders, and supporters.

On a personal note, I grew up in Georgia, went to college in Arizona, and spent nearly a decade in New York City honing my hustle and building a network (something I think every college grad should experience). After that, I swapped skyscrapers for surfboards and moved to Bondi Beach, Australia. I went for three months and stayed for six years, embracing the beach lifestyle, adjusting to a radically different pace, and learning to approach marketing and life with more clarity and calm. Today, I share that life with my husband and two little boys—cute, chaotic, and better at negotiating than most seed-stage founders. They’re my favorite (and most demanding) audience yet.