Who or what is responsible for your work ethic?
Being a competitive athlete during childhood and adolescence taught me how to set big goals and work hard to achieve them.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Dog videos on Instagram and TikTok (I consume hundreds per week) and a good dad joke.
What is the best book you would recommend?
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.
Now that you are (or are close to) entering your forties, what goals have you set for yourself?
To have Ace and Riley featured in Wired magazine as a key contributor to closing the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) gender gap by levelling up girls’ toys and bringing more attention and education to the negative social messaging and cognitive conditioning that girls’ toys have instilled for decades.
What was your childhood career dream?
As a child, I never had a strong pull towards any particular career, however I always knew without a doubt that I would work for myself and run my own company. I just didn’t know what type of company it would be.
Name your happiest place.
Paris. The first time I visited Paris (and every time since) it has felt like home.
What was your toughest business or professional decision?
Walking away from a comfortable corporate job (twice) in order to pursue an autonomous life and career, which was far more aligned with the life I had always imagined living.
What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
To journal more often and more in-depth. To write down all the big and small things that happened in my week, my thoughts about it and the impact it had on my life.
What is your best habit?
Goal setting. I completely geek out on goal setting and make my friends goal workbooks.
Tell us one improbable fact about yourself.
I really hate being cold and I always feel cold, but I also love doing dips in frozen glacier lakes all year round.
Best piece of advice ever received?
“The magic happens in the pursuit. You become who you’re meant to be in the pursuit of something.” — Rachel Hollis.
Biggest learning (about life or business) during the pandemic?
Adversity brings great opportunity. Those who were committed to their vision but flexible were in the best position to capitalize on this massive global disruption and come out ahead. Invest in your relationships. Strong connections are built in turbulent times.
What career highlight are you most proud of?
I am most proud of presenting research at conferences all around the world, in Kyoto, Athens, Paris, Sicily, Stockholm, the U.K. and more.
