From Birdy to the Stars: My Journey to Becoming a Space Tourism Consultant 💫🚀

Hi, I'm Nina Bell--just your average girl from the Midwest with a little obsession with space and a story to make you a believer in second chances.

I grew up in a small town where the tallest 'building' was the water tower and the only way to while away the evenings was to go stargazing. But when my life got in the way, let me tell you, the stars felt very far away. While I thought that one day I'd be out there where the stars are, everything changed when my parents died in a car accident when I was sixteen. I was suddenly on my own, buried in bills, and didn't know what to do. I dropped out of school, worked three jobs, and slept on a friend's couch while I was grieving.

Then one evening, while I turned to Youtube to forget my problems, a documentary on space tourism popped up, and I felt like I was getting told to watch something after all. I remember sitting up on the couch and, while crying, thinking to myself, literally "I could turn my pain into rocket fuel". I spent years studying astrophysics online when I could between shifts, saving every penny, and I even sold my precious guitar (Rest In Peace, Betty!). After years of working, I finally got my foot in the door with an internship at a space startup.

So here I am, I get to help the everyday person, like YOU, book their seats to the cosmos. I'm telling you, it doesn't matter how dark your past seems, your future can seriously be stellar!

P.S. I still cry when I see a rocket launch. Zero gravity, zero shame.