E2C_Travel

Not all travel is into the great unknown... some takes you 'home', to your people. I found my roots again after the pandemic with an aluminum love child named Bella and the 50 aunts and uncles who just can't seem to get enough of her. The Airstream community took me completely by surprise, but it's not the campers that create the connection -- it's the love of outdoors and nature, working hard to prepare an obscenely over-the-top family meal "just because", and genuine affinity for the stories that brought each of us here.

Any experience where you have an opportunity to learn the stories of others, try new foods, see how people live differently - each of those moments changes your life just a little. If you're lucky, your worldview becomes a patchwork of all those experiences. Mine has.

#mycuprunnethover

ABOUT ME

Hello Peeps.
This is my Why.

Part journal, part treasure map, part petri dish of thoughts about the future – this website is the synthesis of years of informal (and informed) study of the human condition… coupled with an unyielding need to explore every old tree trunk, breathe in as many back alley spice markets as I can find, admire the monarchs in every protected estuary along the coast, and climb the hillsides on gas-powered mules those few precious days the poppies raise their gorgeous orange faces to the sun. I'll do it all - every single mile - while my hands can still manage the camera.

The more time passes, the more I understand Thoreau's beloved Walden and his need to "live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." With Bella and an increasingly more amazing collection of people in my life... my physical footprint has been smaller these past few pandemic-impacted years, but my "heart-print" has never experienced more reach.  To those who are with me, you are everything to me.  To those who will join our treasure hunt, I promise we're going to see the world... and see it differently, #together.

   

E2C_Connection

So many amazing people come into my life and teach me unexpected things. They make my life fuller and more interesting in more ways than I imagined. These connections are what drive me - they’re my secret sauce, my signature strength. Every success in my life is, quite simply, based on my love of people and bringing people together to do wonderful things.

This summer I joined the Board of a publishing company that enables people to publish their personal stories online (here’s mine if you’re curious: Tonya's Cues & Views). Working with this commitment, I’m even more convinced of the importance of sharing our journey to connect with others. I see firsthand the difference connections make when people recognize how much we are alike… not different. With that as my goal, I look forward to sharing my journey and story - sharing my connections and creating new ones on the way. Exploring2Connect. Join me.

#onwardandupward

E2C_FutureofWork

Courageous Leadership

Openness and Humility Putting 1st Principles First Creating Safe Environments But personally, I think this post got such good traction on LinkedIn because it’s the cutest photo hook I’ve ever seen.

E2C_FutureofWork

Modern-Day Mr. Rogers

Wisdom in spades. Whether you spend your days in corporate America or tending your garden… no matter how you spend your time, Ted Lasso’s Leadership Principles are really LIFE Principles.

E2C_Bella

Friendsgiving 2021

15 Airstreams; 45 humans; 20 furry children… 8,000 acres, countless campfires, Carl playing every stringed instrument on the planet. People driving the back hills exploring every nook and cranny of this beautiful sprawling piece of property. Friendsgiving was a wonderful…

E2C_Travel

Maui: A great place to get lost to find your way

Travel is such a great differentiator in life. You learn so many things — about culture, about the differences in earth’s geography, about the people you’re with. Every opportunity to see all those things in production informs our lives. I…

E2C_Connection

Unity

The experience of The Conjunction on December 21, 2020 is one of the most internally impactful experiences I’ve had in recent history. I’d rank it close to my time at Montserrat, a known vortex, and home to a Benedectine abbey…

E2C_Connection

We are the Silver Lining

In September of 2020, California was burning. Fires ravaged the state in nearly every corner. The air in every city was thick with orange soot and smoke. And then, it cleared. Life is like that sometimes; we just have to…

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