From Data to Dreams: My Journey Back to the Stage in "She Loves Me"

When I step back onto the stage as the lead in?She Loves Me, early next month, I will not just be returning to my first love; I will be celebrating the culmination of a lifetime of numbers, notes, and narrative. For those who know me through my work in People Analytics, this announcement might seem like a surprising departure. But in truth, it’s a return to a deeply rooted part of myself, and the connection between these two worlds—data and music—has always been strong.

I began performing at age nine, but my love of music started even earlier when I picked up the violin at age seven. For a young girl with a high IQ and undiagnosed autism, the world often felt chaotic and overwhelming. Social cues were puzzles I couldn’t quite solve, and the sensory overload of daily life was exhausting. But music and the stage gave me something I had never found anywhere else: comfort, belonging, and mental peace.

When I played the violin or stepped into a role onstage, the noise of the outside world faded. Performing had a structure—a rhythm, a flow, and a set of rules I could understand. The notes and measures in music, like the equations and algorithms I later studied, provided clarity and order. The characters I played gave me permission to be fully myself while also exploring facets of humanity I might have struggled to engage with offstage.

By my early 30s, I had built a thriving career in the arts, with an undergraduate degree in Theatre and a Master’s degree in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory. But life has a way of redirecting even the most passionate paths. As a single mom raising a young daughter with no financial safety net, I realized I needed a more stable career. My love of structure and data led me to pursue a PhD in Human Capital Management and a Master’s in HR and Data Science. Leaving the stage was heartbreaking, but I knew it was necessary to provide for my daughter and build a secure future.

It wasn’t an easy road. There were no trust funds or safety nets, just determination, grit, and a belief that hard work and education could create opportunities. For years, I balanced parenting, school, and work, often sacrificing sleep and personal time to make it all happen. But every new milestone—whether it was earning another degree, landing my dream job, or seeing my daughter flourish—reaffirmed that I was building something worthwhile.

Now, with my daughter grown, my student loans finally manageable, and my professional dreams realized, I can finally return to the stage. This time, I bring with me not just the training and experience of my earlier career but also a wealth of personal and professional growth. I’ve spent years analyzing human behavior, exploring the intersection of creativity and data, and advocating for inclusivity in the workplace. All of these experiences have deepened my understanding of what it means to connect with others, whether in the boardroom or under the stage lights.

To my #PeopleAnalytics network, I want to emphasize how interconnected these worlds truly are. Music and numbers may seem like opposites, but both require an intuitive understanding of patterns, relationships, and the interplay of individual components within a larger system. Both are forms of storytelling: one through data points, the other through melodies and dialogue. And both have been profoundly shaped by my neurodivergent mind, which finds beauty in structure and joy in creative expression.

Performing on stage as a young girl with autism wasn’t just a hobby; it was a lifeline. It gave me a sense of belonging when social interactions felt alien, a sense of mastery when the world seemed unpredictable, and a way to connect with others in a language that transcended words. Today, as I prepare to play Amalia in?She Loves Me*, at the PM&L theatre in Antioch, IL, I feel that same sense of belonging, mastery, and connection.

This return to the stage is not just about revisiting an old passion; it’s about integrating every part of who I am—artist, analyst, mother, and autistic woman—into a single, harmonious whole. To my colleagues in People Analytics, I hope this journey inspires you to see the creative threads that run through your own lives and to embrace the intersections that make you unique.

The stage has called me back, and I am ready. Let the music begin.

?*Performing 2/7,2/9,2/14,2/15,2/22 and 2/23.