Perspective

Curiosity is not a soft skill. It is the discipline of staying interested in people, and people are what every brand is built on.

For me, travel is one way I practice this philosophy. Travel has been the constant in my career and my life. It is not a hobby line on a resume. It is how I keep my thinking wide, original, and genuinely curious. And it brings me joy.

A travel desk still life: laptop, espresso, passport, open journal with handwritten notes, brass globe, vintage camera, and books, with a window view of a European street at dusk. Window text reads People, Culture, Stories, Insights. Better brands start here.
01 — The Throughline

My travels have been one of the defining throughlines of my life and career. After college, I backpacked through Europe and discovered the joy of seeing the world through unfamiliar streets, languages, rituals, and perspectives. My first role in Revenue Management and Integrated Marketing at American Airlines turned that curiosity into a professional lens. Living and studying in France deepened it. And years later, leading cross-border travel marketing at Visa brought the story full circle.

Travel has never been just a hobby for me; it has shaped how I observe people, understand culture, and build brands that earn trust across different contexts. A brand problem solved only from inside your own market tends to produce a familiar answer. A wider aperture produces a better question.

It is fitting that this practice is named for the path. Every trip is a reminder that the most interesting routes are rarely the straightest.

02 — What Travel Has Taught Me

Three lenses on every problem.

Lens i

A wider aperture.

Seeing how unfamiliar markets earn loyalty breaks the assumption that your home market's way is the only way.

Lens ii

Varied lenses on one problem.

The more contexts you have lived in, the more angles you can bring to a single challenge, and the less likely you are to settle for the obvious answer.

Lens iii

A source of new ideas.

Design, ritual, hospitality, craft. Inspiration found far from the office tends to be the inspiration no competitor is looking at.

03 — The Field Notes

Inspiration found far from the office.

Three close-up images of Parchin Kari craft from Agra, India: an artisan's hand selecting tiny inlay pieces from a stone surface, a craftsman working at his bench on a rug, and a finished decorative panel with floral and bird motifs inlaid in semi-precious stones.
Field Notes — Parchin Kari (aka Pietra Dura), a craft passed down through families in Agra, India since the 17th century.
A view from a stone pier on Lake Como, Italy: legs in jeans and white sneakers resting on the weathered stones, lake and mountain in the distance with a passing ferry, and a polaroid of a small gelato in a waffle cone branded Bei Mato held in the center of the frame.
Field Notes — Sweet personalization and inspirational views in Lake Como, Italy.
An immersive Starbucks experience in Tokyo: a mirrored, geometric green storefront with a tumbler-shaped installation filled with coffee plants, and an interior staircase lined with potted coffee plants and another tall glass tumbler sculpture.
Field Notes — An immersive, plant-themed Starbucks experience in Tokyo.
04 — Next Step

Let's find time to talk.

If something resonates, I would love to hear what you are working on.