My Story
New Jersey-based with a global reach.
An Irish Jew with Canadian descendants.
Left-brain knack for numbers with a right-brain drive for creative exploration.
When I think about the origin of my own story, it always begins with Oscar. Oscar was my mother's father, who was born in Russia and raised his family in Latvia before fleeing to Israel when my mom was eleven. My Saba (Grandpa) wore many hats — both literally and figuratively — as a textile engineer, professor, and creative polymath with a penchant for collecting (read: hoarding) objets and beautifully made fashions. He was a fastidious man who demanded only the best.
One of my favorite stories about Oscar is from when he and my mom were at a clothing store when she was young. A garment was mislabeled and marked up as a higher-quality fabric. When he pointed it out, the sales associate insisted he was mistaken. They went back and forth until he plucked a loose thread off the garment and lit it on fire. "See how it burns?" he asked. He explained that if it were truly the fine material it claimed to be, it would have burned and smelled differently.
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A glance around his former apartment just outside Tel Aviv offers a glimpse into his mind. (Yes, that is a bust of Mozart.)
Growing up, my bedroom was my canvas. I probably repainted the walls eight or nine times — always by hand with a brush, never a roller — because I loved the tactile, therapeutic rhythm of it. But the walls didn't stay blank for long. I would always end up covering every inch in magazine pages, clothing tags and labels with typography that caught my eye, my Saba's paintings and sculptures, mirrors, and wall lights — anything I could get my hands on and a nail into.
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The furniture layout changed at least twice a year. Each reimagining felt like a new exhibition — and with every completed “installation,” I felt the same rush of fulfillment I do today when finishing a DIY home project or perfecting a client presentation. Every time I hang a newly acquired vintage print, restyle a shelf I already restyled last week, or obsess over the visual composition of an Instagram grid, I smile at his inescapable influence on my personal passions and professional pursuits.​​​​
Oscar's wife, Sarah, my grandmother (Safta), was a celebrated classical composer and pianist. She was awarded the keys to her city by the mayor, and her music has been performed on international stages. That musical gene was passed down to me through my mom, who beamed when I earned seats in advanced and regional bands throughout school. While my performances are now limited to the occasional shower solo, I can still pick up virtually any instrument and play a tune or two — proof that her influence never really fades.
My Grandmother, Sarah, with my Mom, Carmela
​​​Pair art, textiles, and music with my mother's gift for teaching and cooking, a path in the creative field was fated. Enter: the left-brain O'Flaherty's.​
O'Flaherty's business card
Thomas O'Flaherty, Sr. was born and raised in County Kerry, Ireland, and arrived in New York City during the Great Depression. He opened and successfully ran a liquor store in Harlem, where he generously sponsored more than one hundred Irish immigrants — offering housing, employment, and even legal support. My father joined him there, commuting alone from New Jersey as a pre-teen to open the shop before school each morning before later climbing the corporate ladder to become Chief Financial Officer of several reputable corporations.​
​​​Pair art, textiles, and music with my mother's gift for teaching and cooking, a path in the creative field was fated. Enter: the left-brain O'Flaherty's.
Thomas O'Flaherty, Sr. was born and raised in County Kerry, Ireland, and arrived in New York City during the Great Depression. He opened and successfully ran a liquor store in Harlem, where he generously sponsored more than one hundred Irish immigrants — offering housing, employment, and even legal support. My father joined him there, commuting alone from New Jersey as a pre-teen to open the shop before school each morning before later climbing the corporate ladder to become Chief Financial Officer of several reputable corporations.
I get my work ethic from my dad, Thomas O’Flaherty, Jr. His precision with dates, times, and details, his calculator-like quickness with numbers, and his unshakable discipline for planning and consistency have all shaped how I work. He can recall the exact minute I was born and calculate projected interest in his head. A quiet man at times, he’s quick with a joke and would do anything for his family — traits I’m grateful to have inherited.
And then there's my mom, Carmela — the shining North star of my life. When I was a little girl, she asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. "A mommy, a teacher, and a cooker", I said (naturally, because that's what she was).
One of my most vivid childhood memories is sitting at our kitchen table, apron on, and a cookie sheet full of salt. "4 + 4 = 8", "M-A-X" (our dog's name at the time) I wrote in the salt with my little pointer finger, the dark metal beneath revealing the numbers and words. I wasn't even in Kindergarten yet, but she had me learning math and spelling like someone twice my age. She wasn’t some strict, overbearing teacher — she was imaginative. She didn’t sit me in front of the TV or send me off with a nanny; she made learning, creativity, and joy feel like leaves from the same tree. The sensation of the salt under my fingertips, the thrill of making something appear — it felt like a wonderful game that had no rules or limits. No losers, and no ending.
After serving in the Israeli army and touring as a classical pianist, my mom left Oscar and Sarah's home to move to New York at twenty-one — with no money, no English, and no job. Fast forward to today: she holds multiple advanced degrees and certifications, has contributed to prestigious organizations like Prudential, KPMG, The New School, and runs a successful consulting business specializing in empowering non-native English speakers to communicate clearly and confidently in professional settings. Talk about full circle!
It's easy to get caught up in the traditional corporate path — one employer, one title, one trajectory. And while those years in traditional roles helped me tremendously in building my professional toolkit, it was my mom who inspired me to take the leap to create my own brand in 2023 and begin my journey as a freelance consultant.
Ever since I can remember, every Thanksgiving hosted at the O’Flaherty's, in addition to twenty-plus Irish relatives crowded around a table for ten, there has always been an international guest — a student of my mom’s who couldn’t fly home to India, a client from Japan in town for extended business, etc. Those dinners especially taught me the beauty of cross-cultural connection and provided me with a deeper appreciation for other cultures and lifestyles. It’s poetic, really — the the son of Irish-Canadian immigrants and a Latvian-Israeli immigrant opening their home to people who couldn’t be in theirs.
Some say you can't be a big-picture creative and a detail-oriented thinker. But my blended upbringing has taught me otherwise. I've learned to play both sides with a musical ease — to balance artistry with analysis, creativity with structure. With an innovative approach to problem-solving and a deeply rooted entrepreneurial drive, I bring a multidimensional perspective to every challenge and opportunity — and always, a sense of joy in the process.