I've always been a curious, driven New York City girl — and somewhere along the way, that energy found its truest home in the natural world. This is turning out to be my best decade yet. What a journey unfolds when we reflect on the choices that shaped us, the aha moments that cracked us open, and the values and passions that keep pulling us forward. 

I grew up in Manhattan, influenced strongly by our family retail business my immigrant grandparents started and a deep commitment to education, lifelong learning, and analytical thinking. My curiosity about why people do what they do started early while working in my parents' stores. That curiosity carried me to a little-known college social science major focused on the impact of science and technology on society. I lobbied for NYPIRG in Albany on science-related issues like the statute of limitations on asbestos and Superfund sites holding companies accountable for the ecosystems they damaged. A summer in Washington DC researching integrated pest management for Ralph Nader rounded out those early experiences. These were science and policy issues to me at the time. I wasn't thinking about nature. Looking back, though, something was quietly taking root. 

The pull of a big career and a big city was strong, and I followed it with intention — into banking, then an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and an extraordinary role as a futurist at NCR/AT&T exploring how innovative global companies were using technology for business advantage. That work sharpened my thinking about systems and human behavior in ways I've carried forward. From there I moved into strategic identity consulting, including a project I still hold close: helping Cargill reimagine the identity of their agricultural business. I sat at farmers' kitchen tables and listened to their stories. Seeds I didn't yet recognize were continuing to grow beneath the surface. 

My priorities shifted to my young family, life in the suburbs, and contributing to my community. I became active in leading local and Jewish organizations and dug into a learning path about Judaism and ethics. Although nature was present all around me, I wasn't deeply connected to it, contemplating it, or drawing wisdom from it. Like so many of us, I was living largely in a human-made world. 

I dove deep into the study of Mussar — an ancient Jewish curriculum focused on ethical behavior and balance — and felt a pull toward teaching that led me to a life-changing master's at Harvard, studying the social impact of religion and social justice. After graduating in 2019, I found myself increasingly drawn to challenge the intense and ever-growing societal focus on the 'me' rather than the 'we.' In response, I founded Golden Rule Mussar, then Golden Rule Mindset, teaching behavior change workshops and writing through the lens of our impact on each other and how a shared focus on wellbeing lifts everyone. 

The pandemic arrived. I began writing more and took my workshops online. I dove into certifications in positive psychology and resilience coaching and consulting at the Flourishing Center, recognizing that much of my work had this strong scientific basis. 

In the fall of 2020, a single question changed everything. It appeared in one of my classes: what would you do if you had two weeks left to live, you were healthy, and there was no Covid? After class, I chatted with my husband Larry about this inspiring thought. I realized I wanted to watch sunrises and sunsets every day, and Larry said he wanted to live at the beach. We went online that night, bought a condo on a barrier island beach in Florida, and put our family home up for sale. And for the first time in decades, the natural world came rushing to the surface — and with it, everything those dormant seeds had been holding. 

In my new life, I was surrounded by powerful aha moments that opened my eyes to the sentience and resilience of living systems. The sea turtle became my first great more-than-human teacher. Continued studies opened my mind to ideas that became central to my thinking, including one that changed how I see everything: we cannot actually make a mistake, because in every moment we make intentional decisions and do the best we can with what we have. 

I began volunteering at Loggerhead Marinelife Center down the beach and turned my learning attention to the natural world around me. I became completely captivated by the millions of years of evolved adaptations that give every species on Earth its unique resilience edge — and by how much those examples can teach us about building our own. The parrotfish and her magical sleep bubble became my second great teacher, and the Resilience Gone Wild model was born: a true, science-based nature story leads to the question that changes everything — what do they know? — and the answer becomes a resilience practice you can actually use. 

The WinWinWin Mindset, emerging from my studies in systemic team coaching and the belief that there need not be any losers, became foundational. You, those you care about, and the wild world we all share can all win together. I started offering Retreats on the Beach, launched the Resilience Gone Wild podcast, and began finding every path I could to share this joyful way of living and thinking. Today I work with purpose-driven organizations, communities, and individuals through workshops and speaking engagements, and I'm developing educational curriculum, children's books, games, and more. The sea turtle and the parrotfish are still close to my heart. 

When I'm not at my desk looking out at the ocean, you'll find me following where my inspiration comes from. My husband Larry and I love staying close to our grown kids — Ben and Michelle, who visit often and pull us back north every summer. My days are filled with the things that light me up most: volunteering at Loggerhead, walking along the beach and water's edge and hiking through forests, dragonboating, pickleball and golf, and nature-focused travel that puts me inside the ecosystems I learn from. My endless, joyful study and sharing of nature's astonishing resilience leaves me deeply fulfilled — and hopefully contributes to a more positive world.