After returning from Berlin, Galileo was my first client, where I had previously worked with Omio. I had assembled a scrappy decentralized team, streamlined operations, and successfully transitioned the work to the internal team I had helped establish. Back in New York City, I worked solo again, eager to find a team where I could apply my skills at a foundational level. Coming off an engagement with an established startup, I was determined to be on the ground floor of something new.

My introduction to Galileo came through their current VP of Product, who sought a design partner to collaborate with him, the founder, and the initial engineering team to build their proof of concept. The project demanded agility in absorbing information and making adjustments based on insights from our clinical partners. The founder of One Medical founded it and already staffed with a few engineers. The DNA felt perfect for a successful venture. I'd come in twice weekly to review new flows for the member experience. The work felt foundational and essential. The company's full focus was creating this first version of the app. I remember having the build team over at my apartment in Greenpoint to have working sessions and sitting in their coworking space in Soho to review new designs.

During one of our Zoom calls I received a call. I didn't answer it. I knew if it were improtant, they'd call back. After I got off with Galileo team, they did. It was my oldest brother and i knew before he spoke that my middle brother had passed away. He suffered for many years with bipolar disorder and a deep depression that never lifted. Those experiences with him and my father dealing with mental illness are a hardened fabric of my existence. It's made me who I am, and on Aug 10th, 2018, 3 months before my first son was to be born, my brother passed on and gave me another scar on my heart.

Dazed by the loss, I took two weeks off to handle what needed to be addressed and returned to working with Galileo. I had obligations, and I needed to see it through. I remember standing in an elevator when the founder awkwardly asked me who passed. When I responded, "my brother," we stood silently and glided eight floors to the ground. I walked out onto Broadway and knew the hurt was inevitable and part of life. Something we spend our whole lives wrestling with.

After assisting the team in mapping out the initial user experience and crafting the structure for the backend product, I transitioned out, leaving behind the designs and insights in the capable hands of the growing team.

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