Currently...

I soon noticed that all of the people that I look up to have one thing in common - they live life on their own terms.

Working with inspiring companies such as Skillshare, The Daily Muse, Family Records and Zaarly, in environments that almost never include cubicles, my current mission is to encourage those sentenced to life on a cubicle farm to think outside the traditional office.

And, for those that have already made a break for it, I'm committed to providing useful content and insight to help people work remotely, and effectively. I'm spreading my belief that choice of environment means more productivity and happiness through my version of Yelp for co-working spaces (http://workingremote.ly/" rel="nofollow">WorkingRemote.ly).

I practice what I preach, too. I'm currently leading digital and community strategies for Digi International and the iDigi Device Cloud (remotely, of course).

When I'm not engaging with communities or innovators and leaders, I'm enjoying life as a New Yorker in Manhattan.

Before I escaped...

Before moving to New York City and launching http://workingremote.ly/" rel="nofollow">WorkingRemote.ly, I lived and worked in Washington, D.C. I had a job that paid me a comfortable salary - some would say a very generous salary for a first job.

I was enjoying life but I knew I lacked a sense of adventure. I wanted to embark on a journey, experience a struggle and see what the universe had in store for me.

My moment of truth...

Three short months after I began what I thought would be my dream job, I watched out the window as my mentor told the owner of the company we were moving on. Smile on her face, mouth moving fluidly - she knew what she wanted. And I had no idea.

In that moment, I became jobless for the first time in my adult life. I had just moved to New York City to take this job. Within 30 days, I left my job at a tech start-up, I left my boyfriend and my beautiful apartment in D.C. My family was worried, they didn’t understand why I felt so strongly about taking a risk. “This is going to work out.” I reassured them time and time again. 

And now, I had no idea how I was going to make it work out when I got back to NYC. That’s where my real journey began.

I was scared and worried about making it in New York, but I knew this was an opportunity to explore, so I began to experiment to find out what I really wanted in life. 

Planning for it...

When I decided to move to NYC for a new opportunity, I didn't have much time to plan. The plan was to trust my gut and make the move. It was a risk.

I moved to New York for a dream job, and that fell through. After my 'dream job' ended, I knew I had finances to last three months in New York. Within those three months, I would do everything in my power to explore and discover what I was meant to do.

I was on a mission to discover a way that I could financially stay in the place that spoke to my heart, in a way that spoke to my heart. It's funny the things that we can make happen under pressure.

The worst and best bits...

I always remind myself that I wanted a struggle. And that's exactly what it is - a constant struggle.

When I wake up in the morning here, it's not beautiful at first. I'm not surrounded by a beautiful interior, a fancy apartment, the comfort of my belongings or even my boyfriend and cat. I experience something totally different. 

When I walk out the door I feel my heart rate go up as I pass Penn station. It skips a beat when I see tourists taking photos in the subway, the same one that I ride every day - it reminds me that this is an experience that some people only get once or twice, and I live here.

I'm constantly amazed by the people I've met and plan on continuing to meet in the new year. I'm floored by the ambition of the people here - they make me want to be better... Not better but the best I can be.

Best advice...

Recently, I heard you can't have wings and roots.

I believe that. And right now, I'll take the wings knowing that the roots one day will be more solid than they ever would have been if I didn't take the time to spread my wings.

Useful resources and information...

The best resources are the people in New York who have all had various journeys. They've struggled too, but now they are bright starts that I can look up to. I've been able to connect with these people through http://www.meetup.com/" rel="nofollow">meetups, events and by using co-working spaces.