This Sweet and Surprising Life

No one was more surprised than I was when I launched Shoo for Good. It seemed so totally random. I was never an entrepreneur or business person and I never imagined owning my own company.

I studied French at UCLA, fashion design at ESMOD in Paris, and then journalism at NYU. I worked in fashion and then in magazines before going freelance while raising my kids. 

And now that my kids are grown, I'm making scarves and shawls that repel mosquitos? So random. Or is it?

Mosquitoes have always played a part in my life. When I was six, my family took off for a year to travel throughout Europe. It was an amazing adventure, filled with all sorts of moments I remember to this day. One recurring event stands out: my father going nuts whenever a mosquito would find its way into the VW van we traveled around in. I come from a "sweet" family. At least that's how we explain why mosquitoes love us. 

So, if you layer onto that familial sweetness factor my experience working in fashion and add to that my time looking for and writing stories for newspapers and magazines and mix in the sad fact that mosquitoes have recently invaded my previously pest-free hometown, it all starts to make sense. 

It seemed random, but really, lots of pieces of my life have come back together: I've put back on my creative hat to collaborate with artisans in making beautiful textiles; we've joined the ever-important malaria conversation with an emphasis on improving people's lives by giving back; and I'm tackling an issue that's bothered not just my sweet family, but everyone who's annoyed by that faint, unmistakable, most ominous buzz.

And, always up for a challenge, I accepted the opportunity to add Entrepreneur, Changemaker, and CEO to my résumé. 

Has your life taken some unexpected turns? Tell me about them. I'd love to hear!