Bio

Sunny is a free spirit and adventurer.  A Harvard MBA and hard-charging strategy consultant in her twenties, she turned her back on material possessions and career at age 30 in order to live in an Astrovan so she could run and climb full-time instead.  

Sunny's overarching passion is to be active and push her limits in the side- and backcountry, spanning a multitude of sports from big-wall climbs over multi-day paddling trips to 100 milers and everything in between.  Her specialty is the high altitude endurance realm; she holds speed records on Aconcagua and on the Annapurna Circuit and has excelled on high trails in the Colorado Rockies. As a storyteller, Sunny draws on her experiences and adventures as a professional mountain athlete to connect with her audience through captivating visuals and engaging presentations - focusing on topics such as transformation, goal setting, perseverance, women empowerment and systematic decision-making in high risk environments. 

Business

Together with her husband Paul and husky Dasher, Sunny lives in Southern Utah and runs Dreamland Safari Tours which is the area’s premier hiking and backcountry guide service. Sunny also founded and runs AWExpeditions, a mountaineering expedition company for women and by women. In conjunction with her work at AWExpeditions, she serves as the executive director for the AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation 501(c)(3) which works to increase gender equity on and off the mountains. She is an AMGA Apprentice Alpine Guide and an outspoken advocate for women’s participation in the big mountain realm.

Sunny is a photographer for Cavan Images whose images have appeared (among others) in National Geographic, Trailrunner Magazine, Outside Online, Forbes, and print ads for brands like Patagonia, adidas Outdoor and Metolius Climbing. She is a sponsored athlete for LOWA, LEKI and GU Energy Labs; she also proudly serves as an ambassador for Nite Ize and f-stop Gear.

Sunny holds the following professional certificates:  

  • Wilderness First Responder

  • Level 2 AIARE Avalanche Rescue

  • FAA Part 107 Commercial Drone Pilot

  • PADI Divemaster