Occupation: I am the owner of the Newtown Salt Spa, which opened June 13. I was inspired to open it after my mom and I had taken a trip to Poland and went to the salt mine that is outside of Krakow. While we were there I felt a big difference with my physical health. When we came back to the states I visited different salt rooms and salt caves. I thought this was something I could do and provide to Newtown, and hopefully give back to the community in a way I could never have done before.

My husband Alex and I have been married for five years. He works for Trumpf, a high-tech company that provides manufacturing solutions. My parents live in Pennsylvania and are retired. Now they are finally getting to do all the traveling and experiences that they put on hold when they had kids. My mom even hand makes the Sierra Scrubs & Soaps that I sell at the salt spa. Also, I have a brother, Stephen, who lives in Maine.Family:

Pets: I have an orange cat named Mango. He's 2 years old. We adopted him when my mom's friend found a litter of kittens in her yard and was looking for homes for them. It just so happened to be two weeks after my cat had died. We also have a 6-year-old dog, Colette, that we adopted from the pound when we lived in North Carolina. I'm big on adopting animals when you can.

How long have you lived in Newtown? Four years. For my husband's old job, he worked in Bethel and I was working at a forensic lab in Meriden, so we were trying to find something in the middle. But as soon as we drove down Main Street and saw the General Store, the flagpole, and all that cuteness we knew we wanted to live in Newtown.

What do you like to do in your free time? We really like to go to wineries and breweries, and we've been to just about all of them. My favorites are Benmarl Winery in New York and Half Full Brewery in Stamford.

Do you have a favorite book? The Nightingale. I really like World War II. I think it's interesting and a time in history people need to be reminded of, especially now.

What is your favorite travel destination? I'm up for traveling anywhere when an opportunity presents itself. I studied abroad in Spain for a year and that was really cool. My husband and I went on our honeymoon in Costa Rica, and it was gorgeous. I'd like to go back there, too - sooner rather than later.

What is the best part about Newtown? I really like the small town feel. I grew up where Penn State is, so when the students weren't there it did have that small town feel, but with all the exciting things the university brings. I feel like in this area there's a lot of that too; a lot of education, a lot of culture, and you can always go into the city.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My parents. They both have raised me to be a strong, independent woman with my own thoughts and ideas. They have always supported me. Even though we don't always agree, we are able to agree to disagree. They have always stood by me to push me to be more than I thought I could be.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? My grandma, who died this year. She was the type of person that didn't sugarcoat things. I think it would be really cool to sit with her and share the salt spa with her.

Who is your favorite musical artist? Imagine Dragons. I've seen them live, and they're fantastic.

What is your favorite food? Ferris Acres ice cream. My favorite is Cow Trax.

What is your favorite quote? One is from Shawshank Redemption and it's "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." The other is from Lao Tzu who said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."