Professional
I'm a product manager with a varied, somewhat unique background that's seen me in a blue-collar career, social services, and finally in the white-collar tech world, where I've been for 13 years now. I've spent most of my career working at startups or small, lean companies, where my focus has mostly been on platform and integrations solutions. I love working in this space because it gets me involved with almost every aspect and every team at an organization. It's a space that can be messy, high stakes, and fraught with unknowns. It is not for the faint of heart, but I love it because when things go right, they tend to have a huge impact. The last few years have found me in more people management and leadership roles, and I've found that I tend to thrive there also. The consistent theme of all my work is that I like working with people to solve hard problems that others shy away from, I roll my sleeves up to dive into the nitty gritty while knowing when to delegate to the right people, I love getting the best out of people, and I like taking ownership of things to allow other people the freedom to take risks.
Backcountry Skier
There's a particular quiet at first light, skins on, breath clouding in the cold, before anyone else has put a track on the slope. Backcountry skiing taught me to read a mountain honestly, because the partners skiing with me are trusting that read as much as I am.
Rock Climber
The first time I stood under a real wall, my hands were shaking before I'd even touched the rock. Somewhere in the years since, the shaking turned into focus. Climbing is still where I go to find out exactly what I'm made of, one move at a time, with someone else holding the other end of the rope.
Mountaineer
I've been roped to a partner on a glacier in a country I'd never set foot in before, trusting them with my life and being trusted right back. That feeling followed me home, and eventually onto Mount Baker, where I've spent seasons guiding other people up the same mountain that once tested me.