I spent my childhood in beautiful Southern California, with magical Disneyland at its heart, where I often spent afternoons after school (yearly passes), and sunny beaches down the coast, which is where you’d find me if I wasn’t at Disneyland. 

Despite all this happiness, I was always drawn to foreign lands and cultures – pouring over all of my ancient World Book Encyclopedias never failed to stir my wanderlust. 

When I was 13 , my first dream came true: I visited Washington DC and New York City with my grandmother. That trip showed me just how captivatingly different other places were from mine. Such an experience only made it more difficult not to pursue such life-affirming experiences further down the line! Fast forward ten years – beholden by wanderlust’s embrace – I packed up my things, and moved to New York.  I had secured a job, but other than that, I didn’t know a soul.

During my decade there, I was exposed to countless meaningful moments – 9/11 being the most profound.

Hoping for improvement, I returned to LA at age 34 with my then-spouse who suffered from alcoholism; it did not prove successful as we ultimately divorced seven years later when I turned 41.

Unexpectedly, my online dating journey led me to my soul mate! While neither of us had any intention on tying the knot when we first started chatting, our connection was instant and from there blossomed into something extraordinary. We got married one year exactly after first meeting, on June 2nd 2013. From that day forward nothing has been able to separate us; it’s true love between us all these years later!

In December 2014, my husband Adam and I made the leap to Venice, Italy where we created our very own walking food tour business – Venice Bites. Even more amazingly, within six months of founding it we had already established ourselves as the No.1 food tour in town! Our journey there was filled with unbelievable memories that will stay with us forever.

The pandemic devastated our business, and we had to close down. We decided to move to Ireland in September 2020, where we believed it would offer us safety and serenity while regaining our footing.

Sadly, it seems that there is no rest for the wicked, as I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2020. After enduring three major surgeries in 6 weeks, then chemotherapy and radiation treatment, I have been permanently altered.

 Even though my situation seemed bleak at the time, I am grateful for the silver lining. I gained something invaluable from the experience – insightful realisations that could only come from such an intense ordeal. Cancer has allowed me to learn some priceless knowledge; it’s incredible what life-changing discoveries this path can bring.

Although it can seem like all hope is lost and that there is no possibility of a better life, I’m here (living proof!) to show you otherwise! No matter what your current situation may be or whatever troubles have come before now, know that the chance for something greater resides right around the corner. If you’re feeling especially low and need an extra push in the right direction, I hope my blogs, videos, and stories will give you just enough of a zhuzh.

Let me ask you this: Are you living a life that’s true to who you are? Do you have the courage to leave behind what doesn’t serve you and make room for something new and more fulfilling? It takes a great degree of strength, faith, and determination to create change in our lives. That is why I am here today – to empower you to take a chance on yourself. To be brave enough to follow your heart and reach for your dreams. Together, let us find the courage within ourselves to create meaningful transformation in our lives!

With every step forward, know that I will be by your side cheering you on. You are worth it! Let’s do this together and create a life that makes us proud!

Pax Tibi