Create, create, create.

It’s something I’ve been telling myself since I first started honing in on the creative parts of my character. Whether that be creating pictures through photography and design, creating outfits to feed my love for clothes, or creating communities in spaces I find myself in, creating is at my core.

I remember taking my first photography class my freshman year of high school and immediately falling in love with the concept of using visuals as a universal language. From there, I slowly developed my skills in design and entrepreneurship. Eventually creating my personal business and podcast, Searching For Silver Linings. This was a project that I started in spite of feeling alone in my struggles with mental health.

As a competitive swimmer, the sport asks of 80% physical strength and 20% mental strength. I was dedicated to the sport in hopes of swimming at the Division 1 level in college. But at what point does dedication become detrimental?

Throughout the course of my swimming career my mental health took a turn for the worse and my self-confidence was at an all time low. I couldn’t improve my times and I always questioned what was wrong with me. After speaking with a sports psychologist and therapist, I was able to combat my mental health challenges and overcome one of the biggest setbacks I’ve faced.

And so I created Searching For Silver Linings as a way to make other feel seen, but to speak to myself in the way that no one else did. I realized I wasn’t alone. There were other people going through similar situations, and I needed to be the person I never had during this process.

From this experience, I strive to be a bridge builder in any space that I find myself to advocate for diversity and men’s mental health. I want to break the stigma surrounding mental health to create positive change within each individual. This idea of being a bridge builder sparked my love for the space of product and marketing.