Intention
Before Wellness, There Was Vietnam
Twenty years ago, I arrived in Vietnam and found a country, culture, and community that would change the course of my life.
What began as an adventure became a lifelong commitment to people, purpose, and service.
Over the following two decades, I built businesses, supported local communities, worked alongside ethnic minority families, and discovered that success means very little unless it creates a positive impact for others.
Building More Than Businesses
When most people hear my story today, they see the wellness educator and coach.
What they don't always see is the entrepreneur behind the scenes.
Over the years I founded and operated multiple businesses throughout Northern Vietnam, including hotels, cafés, restaurants, and social enterprises.
These businesses provided opportunities for local employment, training, and community development while allowing me to pursue something bigger than profit alone.
Sapa Rooms boutique hotel holds a special place in my heart as it was my first property in Vietnam, and it forever transformed me. Over the years, countless guests have stayed at my hotel, and each one left with a sense of change and transformation. Our guiding principle was encapsulated in our catchphrase, "Travel with generosity."
Sapa Rooms went beyond being just a boutique hotel; it was a nurturing and supportive haven for both our guests and our staff team composed of underprivileged youth and ethnic minority individuals. Every member of our team was carefully chosen from disadvantaged households in Vietnam.
During that time, my mission was to provide vocational training, support, and encouragement to our staff, giving them and their families a chance for a better future.
From the early hours of 7 am to the peaceful nights when our last guests retired to their beds, Sapa Rooms buzzed with life and activity. Each evening at 6 pm, our hotel guests were treated to a nourishing meal, prepared straight from our own vegetable gardens. Then, promptly at 8pm, local ethnic minority children would gather outside on the terrace. Many of them had walked all day to sell their homemade trinkets and had not had a meal.
In a heartwarming gesture, every night without fail our hotel guests after finishing their meals became the waiters and waitresses, serving a warm bowl of soup to these shy boys and girls.
This became quite the tradition over many many years in Sapa Rooms. On any given night we would host between 15-40 kids for dinner. There was one simple rule: everyone had to wash their hands before dinner. This practice served as a gentle lesson to the children about the importance of personal hygiene. Then one by one they all took their bowls into the kitchen and greeted me as they left. Cảm ơn Bác rất nhiều - Thank you very much Uncle.
A few of my boutique properties over the past 20 years.
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Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel 2002-2012
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Hmong Mountain Retreat 2008 - 2014
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Maison de Tet decor 2010 - 2021
Falling In Love With Service
One of the greatest gifts Vietnam gave me was perspective.
Living and working alongside local communities taught me that fulfilment rarely comes from what we accumulate.
It comes from what we contribute.
That lesson continues to shape every area of my life today.
Supporting Vulnerable Children
Some of the most meaningful experiences of my life have come through working with vulnerable children and young people throughout Northern Vietnam.
Over the years, I've had the privilege of supporting educational projects, community initiatives, and organisations dedicated to creating brighter futures for children facing difficult circumstances.
One cause particularly close to my heart is Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, whose work helps rescue, support, and empower children and young people in crisis. Witnessing the resilience, courage, and determination of these young people has been both humbling and inspiring.
These experiences reinforced a belief I hold deeply today: every child deserves the chance to grow up feeling safe, supported, valued, and hopeful about their future.
While businesses come and go, the impact we have on another person's life can last for generations.
Supporting Ma Cha School
Ma Cha, a remote village just 7 kilometres from Sapa in Northern Vietnam, was one of the most impoverished communities in the region. Home to more than 1,000 Black H'Mong people, the village faced significant challenges, particularly for its youngest residents.
For over a decade, Sapa Rooms supported the 360 children attending Ma Cha School, from kindergarten through to Grade 5. Our goal was simple: to help create a safer, more comfortable, and more supportive learning environment because we believed education was one of the most powerful tools for breaking the cycle of poverty.
When we first became involved, many children had no shoes. Some lacked basic clothing, and school resources were extremely limited. During the harsh mountain winters, children often walked up to six kilometres across rice fields in temperatures that could fall below -5°C, arriving at unheated cement classrooms with broken windows and little protection from the cold.
In December 2009, after hearing firsthand from the school's teachers about the challenges the children faced, we raised funds to provide a duck-down jacket for every student at the school. The following year, Sapa Rooms raised additional funds to cement the school's playground, helping reduce mud, improve hygiene, and create a healthier environment for the children.
Over the years, we also coordinated the donation of hundreds of kilograms of clothing, shoes, books, and school supplies contributed by guests from around the world. What began as a small effort grew into a long-term commitment that touched the lives of countless children and families within the village.
The experience taught me that meaningful change doesn't always come from grand gestures. Sometimes it begins with listening, showing up consistently, and helping create opportunities that allow children to build brighter futures for themselves and their communities.
Impact Creates Purpose
Living and working in Vietnam taught me lessons that no business school ever could.
Over the years, I learned that success is not measured by what we accumulate, but by the positive impact we leave behind.
Some of my proudest moments have come from helping rebuild a school, supporting a family through difficult times, mentoring young team members, creating employment opportunities, and seeing communities grow stronger because people cared enough to get involved.
Again and again, I found that the greatest sense of fulfilment came when my focus shifted away from myself and toward service.
That simple shift changed everything.
It shaped the way I built businesses, the way I approached leadership, and ultimately the direction of my life and the chapter that I am in now.
Looking back, I can see that every chapter—from hospitality and social enterprise to education and community development—was preparing me for the work I do today.
The common thread was never hotels, restaurants, wellness, or coaching.
The common thread was people.
Helping people live better lives has always been the mission. The way I do that may have evolved over the years, but the purpose remains exactly the same.
An Unexpected Turning Point
While building businesses and supporting others, I was quietly struggling with my own health.
For more than 20 years, I battled eczema, allergies, inflammation, and chronic health challenges.
That personal struggle eventually led me into the world of nutrition, wellness, and health education.
What started as a search for answers became a new chapter of service.
The Next Chapter
Today my work looks different.
I still believe deeply in service, community, and helping people create better lives.
The difference is that today I do that through health education, coaching, and helping people understand the foundations of wellbeing.
If you'd like to learn more about my wellness journey and how I help people improve their health, I'd love to invite you to start with the Vitality Assessment.