how i started

I grew up in the Southern U.S. (Arkansas), where I first learned the true meaning of hospitality: making people feel genuinely welcomed, cared for, and seen. That foundation shapes everything I do.

But my professional journey didn’t start at home. After university, I went abroad to teach English and explore the world. I spent years living and working across Peru, China, Austria, and eventually the UK where I am now. It's been 15+ years total living internationally.

Travel and living abroad changed me. It taught me cultural agility, adaptability, and how to thrive in unfamiliar environments. After teaching for a couple of years, I started my "real job" in pharmaceuticals. That's right, I am originally a scientist. An environment very different from creative agencies, stadiums and red carpets. 

But inside that company, I kept gravitating toward the events we participated in and hosted. I gladly volunteered to run them internally with the help of an event agency. After a few years, I did something risky - I left and joined that agency.  That first year felt like I’d found it. My place. My purpose. My people.

Then, when the agency made cuts and I lost my job while living in Shanghai, I couldn't find another full time role fast enough so I did what many event professionals eventually do — I went freelance.

My Journey Began Abroad

Freelancing in Asia shaped me as an event professional. It is a very different market, with different expectations and pace. In many ways, you get opportunities faster than back at home because of growing demand, so you learn a lot upfront. The people I worked with were incredibly talented, and I was exposed to a lot of global brands and global event agencies.

When I moved to the UK in 2021, I had to start again. The overlap between the two markets exists, but not enough to make it easy. Yet that first year in the UK was one of my most successful. I built relationships quickly, delivered events really well and was really loving the work.

Fun fact: I actually came full circle with my UK move. I moved to the UK knowing that I’d volunteered at my very first major event a decade prior at the 2012 Olympics and during that event, I dreamt of living here. I could picture it vividly. A decade later, I was back, but this time as a freelance professional working at some of the world’s biggest events.

Building an Event Career as a Freelancer

What I  Believe About Event Delivery

Over 14 years in this industry, I’ve learned something important: freelancers aren’t temporary contractors. We’re team members who happen to work by the project. When event agencies and organisers adopt that mindset — when they bring freelancers in as true collaborators rather than vendors to fill gaps — something shifts, and the work gets better, the team feels better, and the event feels different.

I lean in harder when I’m treated as part of the team. I stay loyal. I anticipate needs. I care about the outcome like it’s my own. And organisations that invest in that relationship — seeing freelancers as partners, not placeholders — benefit far more than those who just cycle through popular agencies.

My Two Philosophies