I was talking to my mom the other day and she told me I'd be lucky if I could count my reliable, good friends on one hand. Well, I can fill a hand and then some. Not only do I have wonderful people in my life, I'm lucky enough to be inspired by their greatness every day.

My mom
She's always been willing to sacrifice anything for my sister and me. She had to make tough choices that made her life difficult but ensured my sister and I would have tons of great opportunities. She's a strong woman, single parent, loving mother and amazing friend. And she makes incredible bar cookies.

My sister
She is smart, driven, hilarious, loving and fiercely loyal. She's always the one to make it right after an argument no matter how stubborn I am. She knows me better than anyone. She cured me of OCD with her mild forms of torture. Also, she busts my balls.

My dad
He lives a tremendously interesting life. He meets lots of people, travels, has his eyes and ears open to new experiences and has a huge passion for learning. He instilled that same thirst for knowledge in my sister and me. He loves the earth, animals and nature. I think he passed that connectivity on to me. We have fun smelling mountain herbs together.

My cousins
Jamie moved to San Francisco on her own, straight out of college, and built her career from the ground up. She is focused, relentless, funny, generous and reliable. She does everything she can to make sure our family comes together. If it weren't for Jamie, I'd be homeless laying in a ditch somewhere, with a bottle of Old Smuggler in my hand.

Robin is hard working, disciplined, loving, generous and adventurous. She has patience for the people she cares about and will do anything for them. I can always count on sharing a tall glass of wine and spending hours cooking in the kitchen with her.

My aunt
How lucky am I to have so many great female role models?! Staying true to my family's tendency for strong women, my aunt is a powerhouse. Another single parent, she worked tirelessly to put her four children through college and provide them with all their needs. She helped my mom, sister and me when we moved to the States by letting us shack up and providing us with all the Kraft Mac 'n' cheese our adolescent hearts desired.

Rikki Didi
She takes risks, she speaks her mind, she calls it out, she's loving and loyal and extremely reliable.

Katie
AKA Jabberwokkez. She is such a great friend and has the biggest heart out of anyone I know.

James
I feel lucky to witness his passion for art and design. He knows what he wants, he knows what he's doing and he's going straight for it.