I’m a California based, elder-millennial who thinks and writes about the intersection of death and daily life. I live in Ventura, CA (aka "the 805") with my husband and kids — Lucy, 4 & Arlo, 2. My mom died in June of 2017 and my dad died in August 2019. In the process of planning my mom's memorial, I realized the funeral industry, as it exists today, is broken, both culturally (adding to the stress and confusion of grieving families) and structurally (woefully unprepared for the future). So I quit my job to join it.
With a background in behavioral economics and sales psychology, I naturally look for gaps and opportunities. Learning that the funeral industry, at $17 billion per year, was only one piece of the end-of-life continuum — and knowing of the massive wave of Baby Boomers that will rapidly be utilizing the services of this dysfunctional industry — I decided this was a professional risk worth taking.
Prior to death upending my life, I managed sales strategy projects in the wealth management division of a major bank and also led the communications department for a chemistry company in Pasadena, CA. I hold a BA in Development Economics from the University of San Francisco (2004).