I didn’t go to film school or even know how to turn on a camera when I made my first documentary.

I became a documentary filmmaker at the age of 38, when I started making HER TURF. At the time, I was a VP with a master’s degree, embracing motherhood for the first time, when three amazing female football referees opened their lives to being filmed in one of the most thankless, male-dominated professions you could ever imagine.

I grew up on a small farm in Ogallala, Nebraska, making mud pies and dreaming of a different world. I became an all-star athlete in high school but wasn’t college-bound whatsoever. On my 19th birthday in 1994, with $80 in my pocket, I flew to LaGuardia, where a family picked me up in their minivan, and I became their nanny in Connecticut. I was a nanny for nine years and loved it. I enrolled in community college, fell in love with academics for the first time, and then got a transfer scholarship to a four-year college.

Before I knew it, I had my bachelor’s degree, worked for famous people, traveled the world, and landed a job in the fashion industry in the city. I then moved to Boston, where I worked for non-profits, met my former husband, and received my master’s degree. After 17 years on the East Coast, I packed up my 2001 Honda Accord (I still love and think about that car!) and drove across the country to the Rockies, where I’ve been for the past 15 years.

Over the years, I’ve been exposed to filmmakers, artists, and creators of all kinds, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a documentary filmmaker. It all started with a conversation with my childhood friend that inspired me to make HER TURF. I suppose one could say that things happen for a reason, and I’m one of those people who is highly spiritually driven, so I couldn’t turn away from not trying to make HER TURF.

Ultimately, following that inspiration and embracing my spiritual drive led me to a fulfilling path I never envisioned, proving that sometimes, the most unexpected journeys are the ones that shape our destinies the most.