About
The slightly longer version.
I came to the Eastern Shore every summer as a kid. Now I live here.
My husband David and I are raising our two boys here, with Fitz, our black shepherd, and Kali, the kitten who picked us. I’m figuring out what’s next.
How I got here
Heads up. Part of my story, and my mom's, is hard to read. It's in the Kansas part of the timeline. If today isn't the day, skip to the work.
The start, early ’80s
Hagerstown, Maryland
Born in the 1900s, in Appalachia. My mom met my stepdad while he was in Maryland for work. He was my dad in every way that counts, and he swept her off her feet and straight to the land of Oz.
The ’80s
Kansas
My first stretch in the land of Oz.
Early to mid ’90s
Warner Robins, Georgia
My dad's job moved us to Warner Robins when I was in third grade. I stayed until my freshman year of high school.
Late ’90s
Derby, Kansas
Then we moved back to Kansas. That move was hard. We'd moved a lot when I was younger, but moving in high school was different. I fell in with the wrong crowd. Good people, but they probably partied too much.
Then I met a guy who was violently abusive. He beat me and raped me, and I got pregnant. He was 17 too, and he was raised in the same kind of violence.
My mom had lived a version of this. She was abused while she was pregnant with me, so her story is mine too. What that does to a baby's nervous system has shaped my whole life.
She broke the cycle, and so did I. I chose not to bring a child into that violence. It's why I will always trust women to make their own choices.
I know that's hard to read. Imagine living it. My heart goes out to every woman who has.
I was a 17-year-old kid with few options. If you're living it now, I'm not here to tell you what to do. Reach out. I'll listen.
If you need help right now, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is free and open 24/7: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. thehotline.org
Around 2000
Back home to Hagerstown
In the middle of the night, my parents got me away from him and back to Hagerstown. I stayed a while, went back to Kansas, with a short stint at KU, and eventually got out again.
Early 2000s
Southern California
I lived north of LA, around Oxnard and Port Hueneme. I went to Ventura College and worked in hotels and publishing. Then I took a marketing job at a beach hotel in Oxnard, and marketing stuck. Back then you could barely book a hotel online. I helped one of mine get started, so I was early to that.
Mid-2000s
Arizona
My partner at the time and I moved here. I finished at Arizona State, summa cum laude, in interdisciplinary studies, with minors in environmental geography, anthropology and business. I also spent a summer in London.
Late 2000s to mid-2010s
San Diego
After graduation, we moved here, and I made marketing my career. My partner and I split. Then I met and married my first husband. He's from Kazakhstan, so I learned a little Russian, met great people and ate great food.
Mid-2010s to 2026
Kansas, again
We were married about five years and divorced right after I finished my MBA at Wichita State, where our capstone got the high score. I was convinced I wanted to be single and just have fun. I was kind of over men.
Then I met my husband and fell in love, quickly and deeply, for the first time in my life. I became a co-parent to his son, then had a son of my own. Kansas and I never really clicked.
When I was young, I didn't realize how much time I'd spend with spreadsheets. That and doing laundry and cooking.
I took bigger and bigger roles, and they took more and more of my time. One day I was VP of marketing and ecommerce, looked around, and didn't like where my life was heading. In July 2026 I left a job that was no longer the right place for me.
Now
The Eastern Shore
My husband and I looked at a map for the best place his job could transfer us. As luck would have it, it was the Eastern Shore, where I came every summer as a kid. That’s where I’m figuring out what’s next.
My people
Remembering Rosie and Mimi
Rosie, my grandmother. She called her drives in her little red car “moseying with Rosie.” She liked to take the long way and see what was out there.
Mimi, my grandmother. She spent her lunch breaks in a lawn chair by her car, soaking up the sun.
My Shore crew
I’ve got parents and siblings I love, but this is the crew I come home to.
David, my husband. He writes books, at davidryanwatkins.com, and makes the best gluten-free food anyone has ever had.
Our two boys. One came with David, and one we made together.
Fitz, our black shepherd.
And Kali, a calico kitten. Technically, she picked us.
The journey
And for 25 years, migraines.
I’ve been on a quest to heal my body ever since, all naturally. No medication, no caffeine, no beef, no alcohol, no gluten. That quest led me to the Bible, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, astrology, tarot and plenty more. Now add menopause, or not, depending on which doctor you ask.
The work
I ran ecommerce and marketing. I manage by asking questions. I started testing AI to write copy in 2017, and now I’m building things with AI agents. I will tell you about it whether you ask or not. Everything I’m proud of was teamwork, with people in India, China, Mexico, Europe and the United States.
Leave it better.
Expansion and land conservation can and should work together. It isn’t do or don’t. It’s how to be the best steward. Leave it better than you found it.
Birds
I feed a lot of them. Hawks and blue herons and I have an understanding. None of them have signed anything.
Do say hello.
Anyone is welcome. I’d especially love to hear from more women, because more people should be hearing from them.
Book a call
Thirty minutes. You tell me what you know, I’ll tell you what I know. You go first.
Book a callTikTok
Short videos, mostly unscripted.
WatchNotes
New writing is on its way.
See what’s comingBirds, the beach and whatever catches my eye.
FollowThe professional version.
ConnectIf anything you tell me belongs in print, I’ll ask you first.