After earning a master’s degree in business administration from Emory University, I delved into the corporate world of management consulting. For a decade, I served some of the largest tech companies in the world, working with hundreds of clients and overseeing thousands of deliverables. I started as a junior business consultant with a Seattle consulting firm and worked my way up through management to become the company’s first female partner. It was the “perfect” career. 

The achievements, though, came at a cost. The perfectionism, endless hours, and stress took their toll, especially on my body. I was in chronic pain and plagued with fatigue – and for what? To help multi-national companies get even bigger? To put money into already full pockets?  I was at the top of my career, but the projects I was overseeing began to feel empty and purposeless, especially considering the personal sacrifices I was making. I decided to take a step back to address my health, and reevaluate how I wanted to use my education, experience, and time. 

First up, I focused on healing. But eventually, my imagination and drive needed an outlet. After years of intangible work in tech, I longed to build something concrete. I kept looking at our back yard, a steep slope that many would consider too wild and treacherous to mess with. My health regime called for fresh produce and I began dreaming of an eat-completely-from-the-yard garden that I could cultivate myself. But how?

Books on pruning led to gardening conventions and a lot of time spent in the yard. But, I felt overwhelmed and unproductive. I kept hearing my former business partner’s voice saying, “you’re in the weeds Hanna.” And often I literally stood in a patch of weeds. Other problems crept up too—lack of clarity about where I was going, revisiting decisions I’d already made, avoiding decisions I ought to make, lack of buy-in from the people around me, wasting time...so much time. 

I realized I wasn’t giving my idea the status it deserved. I knew from my career exactly what it takes to turn an idea into an actual thing—something you can hold, or see, or experience. Certainly, these skills could be applied to getting things growing. So, I began to manage myself the way I used to manage clients. I got clear about WHAT exactly I wanted to build and WHEN I could realistically work on each aspect.  

Today, my backyard is completely transformed into a beautiful oasis that nourishes my husband and I for most of the year, and success in the garden fueled other aspirations My new WHAT was learning to draw.. I set up @sketchyfinds on Instagram and created almost 400 drawings of thrift store finds within a year—my WHEN. I am now a confident artist, able to trust my imagination and creativity. 

Seeing my transformations, friends started asking for help with their own personal or business projects. Using what I learned in the dirt and on a blank page, I helped them find success at achieving their own aspirations. It was clear I wouldn’t be going back to the corporate world. I wanted to make a career helping individuals in my own city, and my own community, turn their ideas into reality. 

It was such a life-changing experience for me to do my WHAT BY WHEN, I’m compelled to support you to do the same.

If you have an idea that’s longing to become real, don’t wait another minute. I can help you clarify what it is and figure out how to make the time to do it. Go to the services page, to learn more about how I can help you and book a free 30-minute consultation.