Finding My Purpose in Health-Centered Design
On a spring day in 2021, I sat with my dad on his back porch, eager to share that I was about to finish my MBA finals. But before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted me with words that changed everything:
"That’s all fine, but what’s really important is your health. You need to figure out what changes you can make to prevent this from happening to you and your daughter."
He gestured toward his throat and shoulder—the places where, for the past two years, he had been battling a cancer that no one, not even his doctors, thought he could survive. My family and I had watched as he faded from our real-life superhero into a man who could barely eat, sleep, or breathe. And yet, despite the pain and all the odds stacked against him, he refused to let go. He was recovering. He was rebuilding. And now, he wanted to make sure that the suffering stopped with him.
In that moment, I felt a profound shift. My focus turned toward health—not just in terms of personal habits but in the broader, more systemic ways it could be nurtured and protected.
I dove deep into research, consuming every study and meta-analysis I could find on cancer prevention and health optimization. Small changes became major transformations. I refined my diet and felt the immediate impact. Strength training and movement became a priority. But beyond avoiding harm, I became obsessed with actively seeking out things that could support and enhance well-being.
And then I saw it.
The same principles I was applying to my body and daily life could be translated into the spaces we live and work in. Why should architecture be just about form and function when it could also be a tool for healing?
As an architect and designer since 2013, I had already worked within frameworks like WELL, FitWel, and LEED. But I wanted to go beyond checklists. I found creative joy in treating every project as a puzzle—one where beauty, practicality, and regenerative health were equally weighted.
Looking back, I can see how every step of my journey led me here.
As a high school student, I had the rare opportunity to conduct an independent study on Neuroscience and Architecture, exploring the work of environmental psychology pioneers like Roger Ulrich. Years later, in my final year at the University of Kansas, I dedicated my Master of Architecture studies to health and wellness design, culminating in an internship with one of the top firms contributing to a holistic health center designs. In my post-graduate Master of Science degree, I deepened my understanding of how research methodologies could integrate with creative design. As I built my career in architecture, I worked with hospital systems, doctors, and professional athletics teams to design buildings where their staff, athletes, and visitors sought one thing - optimal health.
This path—shaped by personal experience, academic exploration, and professional practice—led me to establish Bonhomme, where health-centered design is not just a consideration but the foundation of everything we create.
Because at the end of the day, the spaces we inhabit shape our well-being just as much as the choices we make. And if design has the power to help people breathe easier and live well—why would we settle for anything less?
