Building a Life Around Experiences: Community, Culture & Discipline

If you’ve ever set your alarm for something exciting – like a sunrise event, a new restaurant opening or a concert you’ve been counting down to – you know that experiences stay with you. They become stories. They become connection points. They become part of the culture of a place.

Living and working in Reno has allowed me to see how much intention goes into those moments. A large-scale nonprofit event that brings thousands together doesn’t just “happen.” A restaurant that becomes everyone’s favorite didn’t stumble into success. A community celebration that feels effortless is built on months of coordination, relationships, budgeting, creativity and countless behind-the-scenes decisions. The magic people experience publicly is supported by discipline privately.

As someone who works for a nonprofit event organization and is constantly exploring Reno’s food, event and concert scene, I’ve realized that being “in the know” isn’t about exclusivity, it’s about connection and engagement. It’s about showing up. It’s about supporting local businesses, understanding the impact of community events and recognizing the leadership it takes to create spaces where people gather. The experiences we enjoy are often the result of long-term vision and legacy thinking.

Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the balance between ambition and discipline. You can love beautiful spaces, curated dinners and live music AND still care deeply about operational excellence. You can build a lifestyle around experiences while also building systems that make those experiences sustainable. Especially for women navigating leadership and creative industries, that balance is powerful. We don’t have to separate who we are socially from how we lead professionally.

Here, I’ll share what I’m seeing, tasting, building and learning, from community events and nonprofit leadership to the restaurants and cultural moments shaping Reno right now. My perspective is rooted in participation and production. I believe meaningful experiences don’t just fill calendars, they build cities and communities. And I’m committed to being part of creating them.