I went to Bhutan without many expectations—just a deep craving for time with my 81-year-old dad and my older brother. I wanted the conversations that happen only when you hike side by side, unhurried. It’s the first trip in 14 years that it’s been just the three of us. Growing up, that was our rhythm: pick a far-flung place, go as “Team Peterson,” make memories.

Walking into the Morgan Stanley Go Red for Women Leadership Event, I felt an immediate sense of power—a room filled with women who are not only building businesses but also shaping industries, leading families, and showing up for their communities. But what struck me most was the shared realization that, despite all we juggle, our health has to come first.

Travel doesn’t just influence the way I design—it changes the way I see the world, and that perspective naturally finds its way into my work. It’s in the unexpected use of color, the thoughtful layering of textures, and the way I think about the flow of a space.

At 37 years old, with two kids, a full-time job, and a busy life, I had run a marathon. I had done something I had dreamed about for years. I had transformed myself, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I proved to myself that if I set my mind to something, I can do it—and so can you.