I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where our family vacation every year was almost always Florida. In fact, I hadn’t even crossed the Mississippi River until I was 17.

Then I met my husband, Russ, at Ohio State University—, and the travel bug really took hold.

I graduated from Ohio State with a degree in Fashion Merchandising, and after college, life eventually brought us to the Lowcountry, where we’ve called home for the past 20 years (with a two-year detour to Colorado). Somewhere along the way, my love of travel grew from an annual trip to Florida into a pretty serious obsession. I’ve now visited 47 states and nearly 25 countries, and I’m always thinking about where we should go next.

My kids haven’t exactly escaped the travel bug either. Our daughter, Meredith, is a junior at the College of Charleston and spent her sophomore year studying abroad in Lille, France, visiting 20 countries along the way. Wonder where she gets that? Our son, Jake, is a high school sophomore and plays varsity football, and his football recruiting journey has us crisscrossing the country for college visits. So, between travel, football and a never-ending list of places I want to see, there’s usually a suitcase somewhere nearby.

So, how did I end up in marketing?

Honestly? By accident.

Marketing was actually one of my least favorite classes at Ohio State. Years later, I found myself selling newspaper advertising and quickly realized it wasn't for me. I didn't want to be the person doing the selling—I wanted to be the person being sold to.

Then a client took a chance on me.

And I discovered I was actually pretty good at it.

More than 15 years later, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the premier private clubs, communities and real estate professionals throughout the Southeast, along with a few wonderfully random clients along the way—including a Florida brewery and a yacht broker.

What started as an unexpected career has become something I genuinely love. I love the strategy, the creativity, the people and, perhaps most of all, the moment when an idea starts taking shape.

Give me an idea and I’ll run with it. You can usually see the wheels turning in my head before I’ve even finished the conversation.

And that's where Passport comes in.

Marketing and travel may seem like two very different things, but to me, they have a lot in common. Both start with an idea, require a good plan, and should ultimately take you somewhere worth going.

That's what I love to do: create the plan, make it happen, and help brands—and people—go places.