We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrienne Santaularia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrienne, what makes you happy? Why?
I’m happiest when I have my family and friends around me. I love sitting at home with my husband, Joe, and our dogs, Goose and Coco, or hanging out with my girlfriends. I am energized by conversation, and I have the absolute best support system. I always feel understood and heard despite what crazy things I may be saying! I’m also really ecstatic with any type of travel. I daydream about places that I want to visit. Next on the list is Provence, France and San Sebastian, Spain.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career path definitely hasn’t been a straight line as I doubt anyone’s has. I graduated from The University of Kansas in 2007 during an extremely tumultuous time in the economy, so I moved to Dallas for more opportunity. I started working in events, where I learned about operations, marketing, sales, and client relationships. Since 2017, I have worked in communications and development for Dallas 24 Hour Club. I continue to push myself to grow and learn more skills. I never want to get to a point in my career where I feel stagnant in my work and creativity. When I moved to Dallas, I received a piece of advice that helped open doors for me. This individual told me to go into my new life in Dallas and always say yes. If someone asks you to go to dinner, say yes. If you are invited to be part of an organization, say yes. Saying yes opened doors and allowed me to experience a variety of opportunities especially ones that I wouldn’t have considered. Now that I’m more established in my career and life, I don’t feel the need to always say yes, but that mindset was beneficial when I was getting started.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Dallas is so spoiled in culinary that I would plan a week-long stay of dining at some of my favorite restaurants. One of our fundraisers for Dallas 24 Hour Club is the Dallas All Star Chef Classic, so through the years I’ve experienced some of the absolute best cuisine and I’ve gotten to know the Chefs. Here are some of my favorites: Monarch (Chef Eric Dreyer), Meridian (Chef Junior Borges), Jose (Chef Anastasia Quinones-Pittman), Beckley 1115 (Chef Sharon Van Meter), and its neighbor Restaurant Beatrice (Chefs Michelle Carpenter and Terance Jenkins), Encina (Chef Matt Balke), and The Charles and Sister Restaurants (Chef J. Chastain). In addition to eating my way around Dallas, I would also do a little staycation in Grapevine by spending the night at Hotel Vin, walking around the town, shopping at the charming boutiques and dining at Bacchus Kitchen + Bar, which is located inside Hotel Vin. Grapevine is such a fun little staycation!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am most inspired when I visit with the Residents of Dallas 24 Hour Club, so they are the ones who deserve the recognition. Dallas 24 Hour Club provides transitional living, support services and essential life skills for homeless alcoholics and addicts, so they can embrace long-term sobriety and become contributing and self-supporting members of the community. I started working for Dallas 24 Hour Club in 2017 and immediately fell in love with its Residents. Their determination to recover from drugs and alcohol, overcome trauma, and live life off the streets inspires me daily to continue to strive to be the best version of myself. The path is not always rainbows and butterflies, but neither is life. There are always obstacles and fears to work through, but our Residents work hard and really push through to earn and achieve their second chance.

Website: www.Dallas24HourClub.org

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennesantaularia/

Image Credits
Eric Carlson – photographer for the image from the Dallas All Star Chef Classic event. Mavericks photo to Dallas Mavericks

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