How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
Three girls; Olivia age 8, Isabella age 6, and Emery age 5.
How long have you lived in (your town)? What made you decide to live here?
We have lived in Summit for five years now. When Emi, our youngest, was on her way we decided we had outgrown the 2-bedroom apartment life in Brooklyn. My husband and I are both Northeast transplants but met in Princeton, NJ and felt Summit had many aspects we liked about living in Princeton and also Cobble Hill, Brooklyn; walkable and thriving downtown, great schools, access to mass transit, community activities, etc.
What’s your favorite family activity Chatham, Madison or Summit?
It can really vary depending on the season but if the weather is cooperative we are typically outside park hopping or walking into and around town. During the colder months, we visit the local library and the YMCA for a family swim.
Where’s your favorite place to eat and/or shop Chatham, Madison or Summit?
So many favorites! My husband and I love a date night at Duo 360. During the week I like to meet-up with friends or colleagues at Marigolds, both are in Downtown Summit. We are often on a mission for kids’ birthday party gifts and frequent The Toy Professor, A to Zoom, Sweet Nothings, and The Papery in Summit.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I grew up in the Midwest and played competitive volleyball. I was born into and surrounded by athletics my entire childhood. One of my undergraduate degrees is even in Exercise Science and Physiology. My father was a collegiate football coach and looking back it’s an interesting environment to grow up in, being a “coaches’ kid”. It taught me so many valuable life lessons that now, as a parent, I try to pass along to my girls. Resiliency, teamwork, channeling emotions in positive ways, showing up and giving your best effort, self-discipline and regulation, dedication to whatever you commit to, dealing with stress and disappointment, and overall that failure is part of the learning and improvement process.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
So many people and I’m not sure if I could even find the appropriate words to express my thanks. My parents and family of course top the list, even though they do not live nearby they are still my go-to on advice for just about anything and everything. My mommy friends, our kid’s teachers, and school staff also help make parenthood run a little more smoothly. My startup co-founder has also made a huge impact on our family. My girls and husband call her “Best Friend Kelly”. She adores them like they were her own nieces and has always offered unconditional support both personally and professionally. I’m so grateful for our alignment on priorities as well as shared work ethic. It’s an amazing combo and I thank my lucky stars we have this dynamic and balance.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I am the founder of Beyond Main, a retail tech startup based in Summit. Beyond Main, is an online marketplace for local businesses. Professionally, my background is in working as a consultant to small independent businesses and brands in the fashion, gift, and accessory industry. It was there where I intimately learned the day to day challenges small business owners face and the struggle to keep up with the convenience economy that exists today. Personally, I have always preferred to shop from a trusted local business but doing this online always proved challenging. I would then resort to Amazon, but I always struggled with the lack of transparency on the source of goods, the excessive waste produced, as well as the time it took to sift through the endless sea of options. I created Beyond Main for individuals, who like me, prefer to shop locally to better impact my community and know the business has done the hard work for me by sourcing the best items in that category. Beyond Main’s mission is to make shopping local more convenient by helping small businesses and communities create unique online shopping opportunities for customers nearby. We launched last year and are growing into additional communities now. If you have been looking for a way to make a local impact Beyond Main is a great way to help drive economic growth back into your community while also enjoying the convenience of online discovery and purchasing. I invite you to check it out and if you make a purchase, shoot me a message at [email protected] and I’ll send you a special thank you gift!
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
Summit is so amazing; my husband and I are always saying how lucky we are! It’s really the connective tissue to so many things we value in our life. It’s where we have been able to raise happy kids, make great friends, enjoy community amenities, and give back and contribute to causes we care about, such as our local schools, the business community, and the Summit Parkline Project. Professionally it’s allowed me to see my dream come to life and add value to businesses and customers nearby.
What’s your favorite form of self-care?
I am BEYOND boring and not sure if this qualifies entirely as self-care, but right now I am grateful for any moment I get that allows me to clear my head. Sometimes that is a walk on a nice day, a long drive and listen to a podcast, a good sweat session, coffee with a friend, learning something new through a great book, or simply Netflix and chilling with the hubs. Any of those will do just fine!