TL;DR:
In undergrad, I was fortunate to be mentored by a professor who changed how I saw myself, my future, and how I learned “hard things”. I knew I wanted to create that kind of impact someday, but the path to get there was anything but linear.
I started my career in Sales, then moved into Product Management, working across industries from animal health to luxury kitchen faucets.
Along the way, I began teaching aspiring and early-career Product Managers, and something clicked. I loved helping others build strategic thinking skills and break into a field that often feels out of reach.
That work inspired me to launch a Product Management career coaching company, which I successfully scaled and sold to Jess Sherlock. From there, I pursued a Ph.D. in Organizational Design and Innovation to deepen my understanding of how people grow as leaders, builders, and decision-makers.
Today, I’m exactly where I always knew I wanted to be: in academia, teaching, researching, and mentoring the next generation.
Through my consulting practice, maturio, I also support womxn-owned, online coaches and consultants who are ready to grow with intention, helping them shift from burnout to structured, scalable operations built to last (or even sell).
My career path might look winding from the outside, but the mission has always been clear: help people grow with clarity, confidence, and strategy that sticks.
Zooming In
I currently serve as an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where I joyfully teach undergraduates the fundamentals of Sales and Product Management.
I believe Product shouldn’t be a mystery that professionals figure out mid-career. Just like Sales, once a niche subject and now a common concentration, Product Management deserves a place in the undergraduate curriculum.
Earlier in my teaching journey, I had the opportunity to teach Product Management to professionals at leading organizations through General Assembly, including McKinsey, Walmart, American Express, Johnson Controls, and EY. Those experiences helped sharpen my ability to translate complex product concepts into engaging, relevant, and inclusive learning for diverse audiences.
I remain excited about opportunities to partner with companies for contract instruction or custom training, especially those looking to bring Product thinking to life across teams or invest in early-career development.
What Grounds Me
At the core of everything I do is a deep belief in the power of critical thinking that can be formed through exposure to the Product discipline, and a desire to democratize who has access to it.
That belief also shapes my emerging research agenda. As a scholar-practitioner, I’m interested in how business education can evolve to reflect the real demands of modern work. I explore questions around Product Management, inclusive career design, and how underrepresented professionals access and apply strategy in entrepreneurial and corporate spaces.
Who I Work With
Academic researchers interested in exploring Product as both a discipline and a tool for inclusive innovation.
Service-based entrepreneurs looking to scale sustainably with stronger systems, sharper positioning, and improved sales and marketing operations.
Product teams and organizations seeking engaging workshops on product thinking, innovation, and career development.
Event organizers in search of an empathetic, professional speaker, moderator, or panelist who keeps audiences thinking long after the session ends.
On a personal note
I live in Knoxville, TN with my husband and our two schnauzers, and I’m a proud stepmom to two incredible college students. At this phase of life, I’m leaning into new joys like women’s basketball, spring gardening, and learning what it means to slow down (well, a little).
While I thrive as a multi-hyphenate, I’m not a fan of multitasking. I much prefer the satisfaction of focused intention, a mindset that’s helped me craft both profitable products and a consistently excellent espresso martini.
My Clifton Strengths: Strategic, Individualization, Achiever, Ideation, Learner
tell me what you're building.
tell me what you're building.
Whether you're an academic, a founder, a Product leader, or adjacent, we probably have something to talk about. Drop me a line to kick off the conversation.
Genuinely, I’d love to hear from you