Hello, I’m Aly—and this is the longer version of my story.

If my homepage was the handshake, this is where I tell you why I even built a website in the first place. I’m a wife, a dog mom (to two Mini Aussies, Bruce and Grace), a lifelong civil servant, and a compulsive problem-solver.

I’ve spent more than two decades in local government, and I’ve loved the work since 2002. But now, with retirement on the horizon, I’m preparing to step into what I'm calling my rewirement era—the next chapter where I’ll be rewiring how I spend my energy, what projects I chase, and what community I build for my 50s and beyond.

Why I Do What I Do

I’ve always had a radar for friction. If something feels clunky or inefficient, I can’t rest until I figure out a fix. Most of the time I’m solving problems for myself (and sometimes, yes, I may invent problems just for the thrill of solving them). But sharing those experiments—the creative solutions, the organizational hacks, the little systems that keep me afloat—is what eventually pushed me into content creation.

The Health Chapters That Shaped Me

My life has been shaped by more than a few health curveballs. I lost my mom in 2005 to ALS with frontotemporal dementia. A few years later, I was diagnosed with Stage IIA melanoma, followed by thyroid cancer. Those diagnoses changed how I live: they pushed me to care about longevity science, to learn about skin health, and to dig deeper into everyday practices that keep me strong. A lot of what I share now is rooted in that—because I’ve lived the reality of how quickly health can shift.

The ADHD Lens

In 2024, at 45, I was diagnosed with ADHD. That moment was like flipping on a light switch. Suddenly the way I organize my house, the way I manage my digital files, even the way I hyperfixate on projects—it all made sense. Now, everything I share is filtered through that lens. In the sense that my brain is the throughline: if you’re seeing a system, a workflow, or a creative project from me, you’re seeing how ADHD shows up in my life.

Family, Love, and Everyday Joys

Beyond the work and the projects, I’m a wife and partner. I met my husband in 2013, and we got married on a snowmobile in 2019 (yes, really). Our forever home is a fixer-upper we’ve been shaping since 2016, with plenty of DIY projects along the way. Bruce and Grace, our Mini Aussies, keep things joyful. I feel personally that home, love, and creativity are deeply tied together—and that your environment shapes your energy.

My Story (timeline)

Life has thrown me more than a few plot twists. Here are some of the big ones that have shaped me:

• 1979: Born in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

• 1991: Moved to Aspen, CO

• 1997: Moved to Las Vegas, NV for college

• 2001: Graduated from UNLV

• 2005: Lost my mom to ALS with frontotemporal dementia

• 2009: Diagnosed with Stage IIA melanoma

• 2010: Diagnosed with thyroid cancer, lost my home in the housing crisis, and lost my job (it was… a year)

• 2012: Got my job back 😎

• 2013: Met my future husband

• 2016: Bought our fixer-upper forever home

• 2019: Met my older sister for the first time, turned 40, and got married on a snowmobile

• 2023: Started creating content on YouTube

• 2024: Diagnosed with ADHD at 45, giving me a new lens on everything I’d built so far

• 2025: Started creating content for Substack

Why I’m Here (Digitally)

I started creating content on YouTube in 2023, with zero prior social media experience. YouTube appealed to me because I could just make something and share it—no feed to scroll, no pressure to perform in short bursts. And now, Substack is calling to me too—not for the writing alone, but for the mix of mediums: voice notes, podcasts, video, text. I love that it can flex and bend to how my brain works. Novelty fuels me, and Substack feels like a digital space that can hold the swirls and rabbit holes I live in.

I’ve never been a social media person. No Facebook, no Instagram, no TikTok—none of it ever resonated. Pinterest and YouTube have been the only places I’ve felt at home online, because they feed curiosity and ideas instead of algorithms that try to provoke me. What I’m seeking now is a community that feels real, intentional, and connected—not just noise.

Looking Ahead

As my civil service career winds down, I know I’ll never be someone who sits still. Projects, ideas, and experiments are my oxygen. This website, my YouTube channel (Strategically Helpful), and my Substack (Aly Thinks) are the start of my next era. They’re my way of weaving together creativity, organization, self-care, and my life as a DINK (dual income, no kids)—with a rewirement twist.

If you stick around, you’ll see me share not as an expert, but as a fellow traveler. I’m here to offer up what I try, what works for me, and what doesn’t—so maybe it can be strategically helpful for you too. 💡🌞