From Hollywood Contract to Failure to Creating My Own Damn Destiny

When the Marvel magic fades ⚡️

I'm watching two men fight in an abandoned train yard warehouse, surrounded by barbed wire fences and a bustling film crew. Next to me stands Tom Cruise's former stunt double (who has me help him with his pull-ups weekly) and we're both watching Daredevil rehearse his scene for the show Echo.

This isn't a made up scene.

This was my life at Marvel Studios two and half years ago.

But here's the thing - that Hollywood fairytale isn't even the most interesting part of my story.

What happened after Marvel taught me something far more valuable than that fancy Hollywood contract: How to pick myself.

Last week, I sold out my retreat in Costa Rica. At my own damn making.

Me - a Deaf personal trainer who once thought the universe would keep granting me success when the Marvel contract ended because I finally earned it (spoiler alert: the universe did not). ✨ 🫶

The same person who had to completely rebuild herself after the pandemic, with no job, only five clients, and a fresh commitment to sobriety.

I recently shared this story at the Failure Ball - a powerful evening where entrepreneurs bare their souls about failure, all while raising money for To Write Love on Her Arms.

Because sometimes our biggest failures lead to our greatest victories.

It all started with an email I couldn't believe was real - an address ending in "@ marvelstudios dot com." Summer 2021, walking around my family's neighborhood in Denver, coffee in hand, I thought it had to be spam. Until LinkedIn confirmed it wasn't.

This is a story about what happened when the Marvel magic faded after production ended, and reality sets in. When those @ marvelstudios dot com emails stop coming, and you realize the only person who needs to choose you... is you.

Welcome to my failure story.

May you be inspired to align your own freakin’ stars. ✨ 🫶