My story…
“No man ever steps in the same river twice,
for it’s not the same river,
and he’s not the same man”
-Heraclitus
My childhood took me all over, living in Torrance, Long Beach, and Mammoth Lakes, CA. My family, originally from Fremont in the Bay Area, owned a cabin in Pinecrest (Stanislaus National Forest), which is in the Western Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is where my love for all things wild and natural was born. As a child, I would disappear into the woods alone all day, searching for cool things like insects, birds, animals, flowers, reptiles, and obviously mushrooms. After collecting everything that sparked my interest, I would try to identify and then learn everything I could about whatever it was. My growing understanding of the forest ecosystem made me realize how interconnected everything actually is, as each organism, both large and small, have a purpose and role to play in the larger picture.
I’ve always loved the feeling of being a small aspect of something much larger than myself when alone in nature. It simultaneously makes me realize that I’m both significant and insignificant at the same time. Upon my return home from trips to our cabin, I would passionately share stories and pictures with my “flatlander” friends, explaining to them how awesome true nature is, and that it always felt like it was “recharging” my human battery every time I was there.
In my 20’s and early 30’s, trying to be society’s version of “successful” took me down a path of chasing money and career achievements. Even though I reached a high level at those things, something was always missing. I would still visit Pinecrest a few times a year to snowboard in the winter, and fish in the summer, but my childlike amazement with nature had taken a back seat to the proverbial rat race.
During my mid 30’s, a friend introduced me to “magic” (psilocybin containing) mushrooms in the middle of the woods on a beautiful day. That single experience significantly changed my life in countless ways. It immediately re-kindled my dormant love for the natural world, as I now saw with new eyes all the vast beauty and details that I was previously oblivious to and took for granted. It also instilled in me the realization that this journey called life is extremely short, and that each day is a gift, causing me to treasure the people and experiences that actually matter as much as I can before this wild and beautiful ride comes to an end.
In 2020, when Covid hit, I was living in L.A. but had the ability to work remotely. After a few days of observing how quickly public panic was setting in, I decided to relocate to our cabin in Pinecrest. This turned out to be a life changing decision. Not only did it further remind me how much I loved the beauty and peace of nature, but it also planted the seed (or in this case, spore) for my love affair with the fungal kingdom. My mom mentioned a local college class on mushrooms being taught over the summer, and I decided to join and see what all the fuss was about. The class was focused on the local morel season, and after finding some of these delicious and elusive fungi, I cooked and ate them. They were so delicious that I became hopelessly infected with a terminal case of fungi fever. After purchasing some local field guides, I found myself once again wandering around in the woods all day. I wanted to see what was popping up, and tried to identify whatever came across my path. As it turns out “mushroom hunting” is a very apropos phrase as sometimes fungi can be quite hard to find if you don’t know where to look. It’s like an adult scavenger hunt for knowledge and food, and extremely addictive in the best way.
Growing tired of the rat race in the life insurance industry, and with the real estate market at an all-time high, I decided to sell my L.A. condo in 2022, and moved to the Western Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. I knew deep down that my life’s purpose lied in something other than life insurance, and with so much to figure out, I decided to have another psilocybin mushroom experience. One of the common occurrences in a psychedelic journey is the ability to look at all of the different sides of a situation simultaneously. With a complete change of my location, and trying to decide on a new career I was passionate about, I had a lot to process. After carefully analyzing myself and my skillsets, passions, and goals during that voyage, I came out with the realization that my highest purpose was natural photography. I’d been taking amazing pictures on my cell phone for years, and for some reason had never considered doing it professionally. I quickly purchased my first camera, and then decided to dedicate my life to capturing and sharing the beauty of the fungal kingdom and the natural world with the rest of humanity.
I want to take a moment to thank all of the amazing people who took the time to help me along this journey, and played a significant role in its progress to this point. First and foremost, my friend Albert Ohanian, who forced me to register the Say Hi to Fungi website domain immediately after sharing my idea with him, and whose support and encouragement has been pivotal to my new purpose. My mushroom teacher and all-around nature mentor, Tom Hofstra, who’s deep knowledge of the local ecosystem was the spark that turned my love for all things fungi into a raging inferno. My friends, Amber Crago and Mina Lee, both amazing photographers and artists, for all their insight and guidance on the business. My photography mentor Jeff Luhn, who’s vast experience and advice has supercharged my growth in countless ways and still continues to. My editing and graphic design professor Kath Christensen, for all her encouragement and help with everything on that side of the equation. And last, but definitely not least, my amazing little forest ninja sidekick Foxy, a border collie/rat terrier mix who makes every day better with her undying love, affection, and feistiness. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! This couldn’t have been done without you, and I owe each and every one of you an infinite debt of gratitude.
I can’t wait to see where this all leads…