What kind of community did you grow up in?

I grew up in a small hippie town in Northern California. It was so tiny that I’d recognize all the faces at the weekend farmers market. I loved growing up surrounded by astrologers, tarot readers, Buddhists and vegans. There was a yoga studio on every block, and so much loyalty to our local coffee shop that the Starbucks could never stay open. Growing up there taught me the value of open-mindedness and, of course, how to read an astrological chart.

What kind of kid were you?

Well, I grew up outside of town, practically in the forest, and I spent my time trying to make friends with the animals. There were owls that would talk to each other — loudly —between the trees at night, and mama foxes who would hide their babies in hollowed-out logs. Once I helped raise a baby deer whose mother had been hit by a car. I named him Bambi (obviously) and made him a bed out of my old laundry basket. Once he was too big to fit in the basket, my dad made me release him —the next summer I spotted him all grown up with his friends in our backyard.

Amazing! You’ve been known to have baby animals in your Zoom backgrounds as well — specifically kittens?

Ah yes — I started fostering kittens the second I had my own place and could transform it into a nursery. While working at home during the pandemic, I may have gone a bit overboard — I fostered at least 50 kittens. At one point, I had nine kittens and cats in my tiny studio, and my friends finally decided to stage an intervention.

Did it work?

Yes…though they ended up leaving with four kittens of their own!
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On to VMG. How has the company changed over the years?

It’s grown a lot. Since I joined three years ago, we have built out a successful early-stage technology-focused strategy, launched our SPAC, built out our DEI programs and completed two annual ESG reports to highlight our amazing portfolio. As the project manager, I have been lucky enough to play a hand in these exciting developments, and I cannot wait to see what the next three years hold.

Have a favorite VMG brand?

That’s like picking a favorite child! But since I work on our annual ESG reports, I have to say Necessaire really impresses me with their commitment to incorporating ESG in all aspects of their brand building.

So you went from astrological charts to annual reports.

Not bad for a hippie kid!

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