meet me,
ALLY B
just an average gal who decided to stop listening to the path that the world said would lead to success and happiness
I believe life is meant to be lived fully—every moment infused with adventure, purpose, and a little bit of f*ck around and find out. it’s funny how our focus shifts over time... what once felt like the center of our story can later be just a blip, even though, in the moment, that change seems impossible. a friend once told me I was “all over the place.” I kind of took that too literally, as I’ve been all over the country, chasing new experiences, embracing change, and figuring things out as I go. I’ve realized that life feeling “all over the place” isn’t a bad thing. it’s how we grow. it’s how we learn what we love (and hate). and it’s what keeps life interesting. so if you’re wondering how I went from ballet to backcountry, just know that I was letting life take me exactly where it was meant to. whether you believe in God, destiny, or the universe, I think life has a way of working itself out exactly as it’s supposed to
so let’s start with going way back. from a young age, I had an insatiable curiosity about the world, always asking “why” and asserting my independence by constantly saying “me do.” my mom put me in dance class at the age of 2, not knowing it would shape the next 15 years of my life. dance was my passion – the studio became my second home, and the bad days went away when I put my hand on the barre. despite the fact that my life was centered on one thing, I knew I would never be a professional dancer. I didn't have the "look" of a dancer AT ALL, and there was so much more in life I wanted to experience
junior year of high school, I made the hardest decision (maybe in my life)—I walked away from ballet. when I told my Director, she called me a quitter, said I was giving up, and stated that I would fail in life. on june 14, 2014, I stepped off the stage for the last time, shedding an identity I had known forever
ballet shaped me, taught me discipline, instilled my work ethic, and reminded me to always stay humble. ballet will always be a part of me. while I didn't believe it at the time, I think it’s safe to say that I am more than ballet. and I was about to prove it to myself in ways I never expected
life really opened from there… I actually went to prom my senior year and got ready to head off to Penn State where I could experience the fun of a massive football school. I could go on and on about the fun times in Beaver Stadium, the 411 at the Dirty Merdy, and Band Camp at the Phyrst. but most importantly, I was able to have wild adventures and the opportunity to impact the Penn State community. I aimed to (de)construct the (im)possible (stolen from Dr. Natalie Stavas, the coolest person I met in college). I am not sure how much I accomplished that, but I certainly proved to myself that I could make an impact without “losing 1 lb in each butt cheek”, without trying to reshape my “too big of knee caps”, without doing anything to my “jiggly chest”. Penn State taught me the biggest lesson: be who you are, both inside and out, and you will prove to yourself that you are capable of anything you put your mind to
only after graduation did I tell my parents that the three minors were not required but rather my way of extending things to the full four years… and I was off to step into the world of business at my first big girl job in consulting
I had everything that should have made me happy post grad—the salary, the lifestyle, the friends, the historic loft apartment. but something felt off. I spent my evenings in hotel rooms, exhausted, and my weekends trying to relive my college years only to wind up crying on my living room floor with the worst sunday scaries. I had followed the script perfectly… so why did it feel so empty?
in 2020, I went from dancing in the nightclub in my beach town with hand sanitizer clipped to my belt to spray if people got close to living through a pandemic. everything shut down, we stayed home, and life forever changed. one weekend... massive change. every single person reacted to this change in a different way. I moved home with the fam, eventually moving into our beach house, applied for grad school, and picked up biking as that hobby that took up all of my free time. I joked I’d bike 50 miles by the end of it… it turns out that any time I joke about doing something, I end up going all in
one rainy morning in OC, a friend and I were chatting about @vanlife__bestlife and decided to book a van trip out west in desperation for an escape. utah was my first real taste of the west, and it has remained the place that will always find a way to take my breath away. on the plane home, we joked about a fall foliage trip to “VerMaine”—and four days later, I packed my car and set off on a solo cross-country trek. it wasn’t about the travel bug. it was about creating meaningful experiences, accomplishing my new year’s resolution of being more comfortable being alone, and also checking something off the RIDICULOUS bucket list I made in high school
I set off with really no plan to see how far I could get before turning around. I wanted to see what this country had to offer, and learn more about the human experience along the way. while traveling was not at all easy balancing work, school, and activities, doing all the things I wasn't “supposed to be doing” brought so much joy (side note: I didn’t tell work what I was doing until Wyoming). I started to find that spark that I had been missing… and then I met a former drug dealer in Chattanooga who challenged me with the hardest question I had ever been asked - "so tell me, what's your story?" I knew from that moment on that I was here to live a story worth telling... much of the bullshit that I had been SO focused on in my first year post-grad did not matter. my story was in the experiences, the risks, the moments of pure awe, the connections with people I never would have met otherwise
but this isn’t the part where I say I quit my job and ran off into the sunset
life humbled me—knee surgery, 20-hour workdays, and a burnout so deep I was a walking zombie. I had tied my worth to my work, chasing performance reviews and promotions and this idea of unattainable perfection. I thought I wanted to climb the corporate ladder, but that dream wasn’t mine anymore
instead of leaving the corporate world, I decided to redefine my role in it by merging my out of ordinary life with work and finding purpose both IN and WITH the 9-5
this is when I pause to introduce my family, because to know me fully you must know them. my mom brings the entrepreneurial German Catholic side. my grandpa saw an opportunity to form his own company, and that he did with his business partners. he had a thriving electrical contacts company that sold before I went to college. my interest in business stemmed from somewhere, as did my constant “figuring out” how to one day be my own boss. Pops and I can talk for hours about acquisition processes and creating a union free workplace… they’re some of my favorite conversations. no one on that side of the family knows where I came from
my dad brings the adventurous and non traditional side. my Nana took a 28 hour flight to the states from London all by herself, and never went back. her secretarial job came with its own ups and downs, as did her dating life. after many adventures she met my grandpa, who seemed to have brought a little balance to Nana’s sometimes wild ways while still empowering her to be her eclectic self. everyone on that side of the family gets my “let’s adventure” energy
finding purpose both IN and WITH a 9-5 created what may seem like a double life, going from camping in the Tetons to a business meeting in Denver the next day. but it’s not a double life, it’s MY life - heavily inspired by the people most important to me
I found work that mattered, that put people at the center of business transformation, that let me build something real beyond PPT decks. I genuinely love doing anything possible to elevate the employee experience in the workplace. my purpose in my work is to help businesses navigate transformation with the people at the center - it is possible to create a thriving culture where people can reach peak performance. and the best part? I could do all of this while being fully remote to take my work (almost) anywhere I would want to
once I found purpose in the thing that took up the greatest chunk of most of my days, I started to take control of the hours I wasn’t working. if I removed every label, who was I? what was important to me? what was my purpose with a 9-5 that would enable Nana’s spirit to shine through me?
those weren’t easy questions. they took years of trying, failing, hitting rock bottom, and clawing my way back. in 2023, I hit the road again—not for an adventure like I said, but really to escape the weight of my life in OC. what I found instead was the "unbecoming" - I wasn't out on the road finding myself, but was shedding what wasn't me and finding those who would lead me towards living the most authentic and purpose-filled life
I got stuck in a snowstorm in Chama, NM (yeah I still don’t know where that is on a map) and ended up stumbling into Wolf Creek to snowboard because it was just too pretty to not get out on the mountain. this guy hopped on the lift with me - your average CO dude who really liked to ski. he wanted me to join him on the harder runs… I wanted to mind my own business on the greens. trying to convince me to ski with him, he said words that I will never forget - "you don't know what you can't do unless you try". well shit, on to the hard side of the mountain I went where I had to fully send it (because getting down was the only option). we ripped it down that mountain, made snow angels when we were stuck in powder, laughed about how to create the perfect date on the lift, and had the best day ever. mainly, I f*cking crushed it on my snowboard and experienced a “high” that literally lasted months as I continued to find my limit, exceed it often, and do epic shit
(important to note: that guy and I literally just skied and I haven’t seen him since… I do have some crazy cool date stories but that wasn’t one of them!)
doing something out of my comfort zone, challenging myself to do hard things, being around someone who brought out the best in me (even though he was a stranger lol), and doing it all in the BEAUTIFUL setting of the San Juans started this process for me to see what I was capable of... to start to explore my worth. I had to rediscover what makes me tick, what brightens up my day every day, what tools I have to support the highs and lows of life, who my tribe is, how to look in the mirror and show love to myself, and ultimately, how to trust my intuition. I crafted my ‘why’ that drives me in everything I do:
to surrender, letting go of who I was and who I thought I would be, loving myself for all who I am now
to set myself free, living a little out of the ordinary and always in the now, risking it all for the fire in my soul to adventure
to inspire others to just try, and unlock their own potential in ways they never thought possible
everything that I do brings me back to that. let me be clear that this process took a LONG time, and I still go through the shit storm of life. but I can confidently say that I went from an insecure girl questioning my worth daily, to a girl who boldly lives where my feet are at each day as I work towards living a life I never even could have dreamed of
so where am I now?
on the map, you’ll be kept guessing—whether I’m hunkered down at home in ocean city or on a full-blown bender through some stretch of the country (or abroad… stay tuned). I work at a large professional services firm, managing employee integration for acquired businesses and making sure the transition is seamless. M&A comes in waves—and so does my travel schedule to sync with it
I spend as much time as possible outside, chasing nothing but sunsets and learning more about the human experience from the people I meet along the way. my love for adventure led me to launch (un)explore, LLC—a venture built to help others step outside their comfort zones, embrace adventure, and tap into their highest potential through 1:1 coaching and adventHER trips around the country
the most daunting project that lies ahead for me is to finish my Nana’s book, "Daddie Dearest.” to quote her, “in an era where it has become increasingly popular to blame all of one’s failures and areas of misconduct on others, and most often on the actions of their parents, I have come to realize that I [am] truly blessed to have had such wonderfully generous, loving but not overindulgent, eccentric but with the necessary conservative priorities, fun filled parents with an infectious zest for life!” Nana started her book while stuck in a hospital bed after hip surgery, and got too busy adventuring again to finish what she started before ALS took over. it centered around her life growing up, and she conveniently left off writing right at the point of my dad being born so there’s no gaps in the story. people ask if I am ever going to write a book - the answer is no. I don’t have one to write, I have hers to finish. Nana is my rock, and I see more and more how I’m following in her footsteps in more ways than one
I live by the idea that “I am the sum of my training” (stolen from my favorite Under Armour campaign). every experience shapes who we are and how we show up. we are here to live a story worth telling. some seasons are for producing, some are for learning, and some are for play (shoutout to the three boxes of life). I aim to never stop fully living this one, wild life we’ve been given
a life where I can chase the experience, surrender to the now, live a little out of the ordinary, meet people who show me the beauty of humanity and connection, traverse the unknown, and (un)explore who I am
