I don't know why I wanted to be a journalist, just as I don't know why my little-girl self was obsessed with ballet and the city of Boston. And yet by the eight-grade my friend and I had strong-armed our favorite teacher into helping us start a school newspaper; by high school another teacher had called my mom to tell her I had a knack for reporting; and upon graduation, I enrolled as a print journalism major at Boston University, where I threw myself into my studies and the sleep-deprive, adrenaline-fueled world of running an independent, student-run daily newspaper.

I got my start in newspapers, and I’m glad to have experienced the grit and long hours and daily deadlines. They build character. And speed. And fortitude. (And a potty mouth that I’m still trying to lose.) But I’m happiest in magazines where I am afforded the time and space to explore in depth the people, places and issues that matter to my readers and shape my region. For several years, I served as the senior writer for Gulfshore Life magazine and senior editor for Gulfshore Business magazine. They’re in Southwest Florida, a long way from Beantown, but you can’t beat the Sunshine State for journalistic fodder.

In 2019, the CEO of Naples Botanical Garden asked if I’d transfer my journalistic skills and interest in science to her organization. I love turning technical material into reader-friendly fare—accurate and thought-provoking, but accessible. I accepted and set to work expanding the organization’s presence. I’m learning to see climate change through the lens of botany and discovering that, despite the doom and gloom, there are steps we can take to create more resilient, climate-adapted communities. I continue to freelance write and consult for area publications and businesses as I develop the Garden’s print and web products, media presence, public events, and presentations.

Oh, and the ballet thing? When I’m not writing or parenting or “wife-ing,” you can find me in dance studios, telling stories with movement instead of words

C. S. Lewis