Where are you originally from?
I am from Evanston, Illinois which is a suburb right outside of Chicago. I went to college in Miami, FL and then moved out to LA 10 years ago!
Tell us about your littlest workout buddy!
My daughter is Bryce, she's about 8 months old now, and she's the coolest person I've ever met.
How did you choose her name?
We wanted to find something gender neutral, and we found Bryce when using one of those naming apps and loved it. We also took a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park and loved the scenery and the name itself means strength and valor.
How did you meet your husband?
I met my husband Ryan when I was 16 years old, in high school. We made it through 4 years of college long distance (he was in Wisconsin and I was in Florida) and then he decided to move to LA with me even though he had never even visited before! He's truly my partner in life, my best friend and my biggest champion.
What's your favorite thing to do on a "date night?"
Dinner and a movie 1000%. We love talking about where we will go out to eat next and I am huge lover of movies and going out to see movies in the theater. I wish we could do it more, that is the one drawback of this new lifestyle :) But I go any chance I get! Movies inspire and empower me.
Tell us a little about your career...
I am a documentary filmmaker, speaker, and teacher. I make films that can inform, uplift and inspire people to live their best lives, with a special focus on showcasing strong female role models on screen. My first feature is called THE EMPOWERMENT PROJECT and it's about a road trip I took across the US to interview inspirational women from all different careers. I have the pleasure now of showing that film in schools, groups and organizations around the world encouraging conversations and action that surrounds gender equality. You can watch it on iTunes or Amazon. My second feature film is called LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE and it follows the extraordinary story of a team of women who rowed a boat across the Pacific Ocean from America to Australia. It was truly the greatest adventure of my life to make that film and it's now available on Netflix worldwide! My current film is called NEVERTHELESS and it examines the sexual harassment crisis in the American workplace and points towards tools and solutions for change. That one will be done next year.
I also host workshops, seminars, panels, and semester courses on filmmaking - it is such a joy to empower others to get behind the camera and tell their stories. And lately I have been doing more speaking engagements - from a TEDx talk to WE DAY California (16,000 people in the audience!), to Keynotes and more. For me, all of my work falls under the umbrella of creating content that matters and that can empower women to be the best version of themselves.