From Chaos to Career Clarity

Growing up, my life was anything but structured. I lost one parent early, had another in the military who was gone for six months at a time, and a grandparent raising us who didn’t particularly want to. Add to that the frequent moves...every three years, like clockwork...and I was surrounded by constant change and upheaval.

Oddly enough, chaos became my comfort zone. I adapted to it, leaned into it. But even then, I craved order. Last week I randomly remember at 8 years old, bringing a hand broom to a playground sandpit just to clean the top platform of the slide because dragging sand down with you hurt. Organizing and creating structure wasn’t just something I wanted, it was something I needed. And wherever I could, I made it happen.

Fast forward to my career, and I’ve realized I’m happiest when I can bring that same sense of structure to messy situations. Lemons to lemonade, baby! I thrive when I can come to the broken table of “How do we prioritize?” “What should we do?” “Why do we need this?” and feel my brain break it all apart and put it back together as a collaborative plan.

What lights me up is working on something that feels new, beautiful, and challenging enough to make me smarter and better equipped. I love the unknown when I’m with a group of people who are all saying, “Alright, let’s figure it out and try not to burn everything down.” Those moments? They create friendships, memories, and a sense of purpose. Those types of productions are priceless.

Of course, not everyone thrives in chaos the same way, and that’s where I’ve learned to be discerning about who I work with. Let me tell you what doesn’t light me up: people who lack a “how can I help” mindset. The ones who think a five-minute phone call counts as a full brief or throw tantrums when things don’t go their way, they’re not just lazy, they’re dangerous. These are the folks who leave no trail and will happily toss you under the bus when they mess up or can’t handle a client. And let’s not forget teammates who treat producers like personal assistants or throw fits because their Lyft was five minutes late. Hard pass. I’ve learned to steer clear of them so I can focus on making awesome things with awesome people.

Looking back, my life taught me how to find order in chaos and build something meaningful alongside the right people. That’s what I bring to every project: the ability to turn a mess into something beautiful, functional, and lasting. Being insanely self-sufficient isn’t just a personality trait, it’s my secret weapon. And when I lean into that, I can create a path and solutions out of even the messiest situations.