I was 8 years old on 9/11 and lived a couple blocks away from the Twin Towers. After being evacuated from my 4th grade classroom that day, my family was unable to return to our home, work and school for months. 

Our community was irrevocably changed and left to wrestle with so much sadness and fear. But even more powerful was the sense of resilience and compassion I witnessed. This instilled in me at a very young age a sense of relentless optimism and an appreciation for the power of community (in the wake of 9/11 - we received so much love & support from all around the world that made us feel less alone).

Fast-forward almost twenty years to when COVID first hit NYC - I was working for a refugee & immigrant led catering company, Eat Offbeat. I remember losing almost all of our orders in one day as news of offices and schools around the city closing came flooding in. Similar to NYC post 9/11 - the sadness & fear were there - but once again, there was also empathy and humanity - people from all over coming together and wanting to help. 

Inspired by the resilience of the chefs - now cooking for front-line workers and delivering at-home-care packages for New Yorkers - I decided to get resourceful. Through a cold DM, I was able to connect with @weworewhat, Danielle Bernstein - who offered to share our work with her community. 

I’ll never forget driving away from Danielle’s home and opening the Eat Offbeat Instagram to hundreds of messages from people who had seen her stories and wanted to support. Danielle and I co-founded WeGaveWhat, the philanthropic arm of her business, a few weeks later - planting the seeds for The Bushman Group.

The Bushman Group stemmed from a desire to want to help people see & be the good in the world. To help others’ tap into their hope and capacity for action as well. What is a cause you care most about? What makes your community unique? What makes you feel fulfilled? What do you want your legacy to be? Whether you’re an influencer, a small business, a brand, or a non-profit —

THE VISION: A world with more hope, purpose & connection in the social media realm as well as in real life <3