Where the soul leads, magic follows.
I’m Crystal. A mother of three, humanitarian, storyteller, photographer, wanderer, and endlessly curious student of this beautiful, complicated world.
I’ve spent much of my life following curiosity into unfamiliar places. From remote villages in the Congo to communities rebuilding through conflict, from the wild beauty of Africa to the jungles and waves of Costa Rica, these experiences have shaped how I see the world—and what I believe matters most.
“I followed a feeling, and it led me into a life I could never have imagined.”
Somewhere between surrender and courage, the extraordinary happens.
There is something extraordinary that happens when we learn to listen to our hearts.
When we quiet the noise, connect deeply with ourselves, and find the courage to follow the invisible pull toward something greater, life begins to unfold in ways we could never have imagined.
I’ve experienced this magic.
In faraway places, unexpected encounters, extraordinary coincidences, and moments of profound connection, I’ve felt the presence of something beyond what we can see or explain.
Call it the universe. Spirit. God. The One.
“I was never able to accept the status quo. I knew there was a better way. And I would live it.”
Feet grounded while kissing the sky.
I believe there is an intelligence, a connectedness, a beautiful mystery woven through everything.
And when we trust it, when we live authentically, move courageously, and surrender to the unknown, we become part of its unfolding.
Dreams become possibilities. Possibilities become realities. And what once seemed impossible begins to manifest before us.
A journey inward and beyond.
A life lived in alignment with the soul.
An invitation to discover just how extraordinary existence can be.
THIS IS ALL THE MAGIC.
The Magic I’ve Seen
Every place holds a little magic. The countries I’ve explored are highlighted in gold. Click to discover the stories I’ve gathered along the way. More stories are still unfolding.
The Journal
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Aid work WORKS.
I hear a lot of negative opinions about aid work, but aid work WORKS. This is a photo of a severely malnourished girl that our nutrition team found six months before this photo was taken (see yesterday’s post). They taught her mother how to make a weaning food recipe out of locally available ingredients and…
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This is Hope
It may not look like it, but this is what hope looks like. Community relays trained by our nutrition team found this young woman, Mado Betu and her malnourished daughter, also named Mado, while I was working in Kasai Central, DRC. The next day I followed them back to her house and filmed them as…
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Cover the Mother
And the children. Cover the mother and the children. That is the strategy for hanging bed nets. Our malaria program gave free bed nets to all pregnant women and children under one in every area we assisted, which covered a population of eight million people. Then we went and hung nets in a few areas.…
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Listen to the Mothers
I took this photo during a focus group we held in Kasai Central as part of our research during the development of our behavior change communications program. Magic 292/365, Listen to the Mothers, Kasai Central, DRC 2015
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My Favorite Thing To See
This little baby brings so much joy to my heart. There is really nothing better than seeing a happy, healthy child in a health center. It is an indicator that we are doing our jobs. We are getting health to the people who need it most. We still have a long way to go, and…
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A Safe House
A young woman poses in a safe house in North Kivu after telling me her story of survival. Magic 287/365, A Safe House, DRC, 2017
Step Into the Magic
A life of adventure, unexpected encounters, extraordinary people, and the beautiful mystery of being alive.
Join me for stories from the road less traveled, reflections on the human experience, and little reminders that magic is everywhere—if we choose to see it.