My story

I grew up in Romania in a communist environment, and learned that at the most basic level, we are happy when we are part of a connected, supportive community. After the 1989 revolution, when the country borders opened up, I learned that we are happiest when we can be who we are to carve our own path. These learnings shaped my thinking and my life choices.

When I later read Joseph Campbell, I came across this quote that deeply resonated - "The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are". It truly is a privilege to be who we are at the core.

I began to create my own unbeaten path. I moved to the US after college for a year-long internship in NYC, fell in love with the high energy of the city, went to business school, met a Californian artist whom I married 9 months after meeting him, moved to San Francisco while 8 months pregnant with our first baby.

I built a career in Consumer Insights Research I worked with visionary, inspiring, level-headed leaders, and also with leaders who were overstressed, and unfulfilled. I felt compelled to support the latter, having experienced personally what it’s like to feel stretched out too thin, feeling insecure about my skills and my future.

Personal growth through grieving

After losing my only sister to a car accident, I took a year off to reset. I reconnected with my Romanian roots, homeschooled our girls, worked remotely part time, journaled a lot, and got my first life coach.

As we traveled through Europe and homeschooled, I became passionate to understand what makes a meaningful life. What might create a feeling of sustainable, rather than fleeting, happiness? That was the impetus to start studying Positive Psychology, Happiness Science, and Leadership.  As a researcher, I was already versed on how to find the undercurrent of what we feel even when we don’t know how to express it. I was pulled to support those who are ready to put in the deep inner work I too had benefited from.