What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
Well, at this point any challenge I may have had has been dwarfed in the face of the effects COVID-19 is having, not only on my business but the travel industry as a whole. The positive side is that the stillness has allowed me to spend more time connecting with my destination operators and supplier partners to really bond and expand our relationships, which is almost worth the slowdown because the better my industry relationships are, the better experience my clients will have on their travels. There’s simply nothing more rewarding than having a client return home absolutely raving about the incredible time they had and how they can’t wait to go on another trip.
Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
I would not be where I am right now without the friendship, support, and advice of Mary Zinn, Sandra Daniel, or Sydney Lindner. They each have amazing careers filled with success and are generous and enthusiastic mentors for me. We started by meeting over occasional networking lunches years ago, and now I’m grateful to call them friends.
What has been the high point of your career so far?
I have been so lucky in that I’ve had such a great professional life full of fun, incredible people, twists and turns, and a couple of nice successes. But I think the high point is right now. Due to the level of business I was bringing to the industry and the relationships I was making with local suppliers, in 2019 I was invited to travel to Israel, Jamaica, and India. Those experiences and the industry people I met convinced me that I was ready to launch my own business: Live LARGE Travel. As cliche as it sounds, it’s really a labor of love and a culmination of my life experience. Even COVID-19 hasn’t been able to infect my excitement to launch, it has only forced me to be slower and more deliberate and to build an even stronger foundation of industry relationships.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
I’m one of those people who started working young. I detasseled corn and sold popcorn at the Badger games before I needed a work permit, then it was mall retail and finally State Street in college. By the time I was 21, I had had so many jobs, I felt completely seasoned. One such job was tending bar at Lundeen’s off the Square. Among other fun things, David Lundeen used to say, “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean,” which I eventually learned came from Ray Croc of McDonald’s, and “If you hate your job, quit your job.” Both of those pieces of advice have served me well over the years. I can’t really improve on the wit and wisdom of David Lundeen.
What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
I grew up in Madison and even though I left for a number of decades, I have always been pulled back. I love the lakes, to be sure, but as much as things have changed, I find much has stayed the same. It used to be said that Madison had the most educated cab drivers in the world, and with so many new businesses thriving here now it’s still a place you can be surrounded by so much inspiration, innovation, and creativity. The energy is fantastic, and I love how festivals and live music are still important.
Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I definitely have more secret wishes for talents and abilities than I have actual secret talents or abilities. In my mind, I’m a great singer, a skill I honed while living in Japan, but I suspect we would have to be in a karaoke bar in Tokyo close to closing time before anyone else would agree — which, by the way, is something I can arrange for you. Also, I can juggle. Really.
What are your guilty pleasures?
I have so many. Guilty pleasures seem easier to have in these days of enlightenment on what’s bad for you or socially acceptable. It’s actually a great time for having guilty pleasures because you don’t have to get too crazy with them. My favorite guilty pleasure is a long afternoon lunch with my girlfriends in one of Madison’s old-school taverns. Not much beats a great burger and banter with good friends.
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