A proud single fur-baby mother, AlexAndria shares her life with two fluffy Ragdoll kittens, Giovanni and Okavango. At just under two years old, these brothers have already been honored with their own baby shower: complete with a (very clean) litter scooper cake server, catnip party favors, and “pin-the-tail-on-the-kitty.” Her love of animals goes way back. At one point in childhood, her family home housed 14 pets and a budding dream of veterinary medicine.

Originally from Evanston, Illinois, AlexAndria comes from a richly woven heritage: her father hails from Anyang, Henan Province, China, the birthplace of Chinese calligraphy, while her mother brings a mix of French, Finnish, Swedish, and Spanish roots from Boston. Her father, a scholar who graduated from Columbia, studied at Harvard, and even worked with Albert Einstein, instilled in her a profound respect for education, a value she honors to this day.

AlexAndria’s life path took a wildly romantic turn in 2008 when she met an Australian on a solo Trans-Manchurian railway adventure. Marriage followed, along with a move to Melbourne and, eventually, a return to the States in 2016. She instantly fell in love with Gates Mills and calls it home to this day. While the marriage is coming to a close, she warmly refers to this new chapter as "Chapter 2", and she’s living it fully.

A woman of deep intellect and many degrees, AlexAndria holds a BA in Speech Communications and Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MPH in Public Health and Tropical Medicine from Tulane, and a PhD in Immunology from Clayton. She now works in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in regulatory processes and global drug approvals. Alongside her formal education, she’s also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and believes in a healing philosophy that blends modern science with ancient wisdom: food, movement, mindfulness, herbs, then pharmaceuticals. Whatever works, in that order.

Though she doesn’t have human children, her life is rich with stories, adventure, and an insatiable curiosity about the world. She’s visited over 126 countries, always seeking the off-the-beaten-path route. Just a few highlights from her incredible journeys: biking Nepal’s Annapurna circuit on a flat tire, trekking monastery-to-monastery in Bhutan, riding longboats past hippos in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, and counting pebbles stolen by penguins in Antarctica. She’s studied medicine in Tibet, danced with the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia, gotten blissfully lost in Petra, and read Rumi's poetry among the gardens of Shiraz. The list, and her passport, goes on.

AlexAndria is also a visual storyteller. She once ran a photography side business while living in Chicago and even partnered with the Chicago Natural History Museum on a program highlighting her global experiences. She continues to document her travels with her camera, and plans to share photos from her most recent adventures with our readers. And if you're wondering what's next—she hints that a Netflix project may be on the horizon in 2026, so stay tuned!

A practicing Nichiren Buddhist who also speaks French and Mandarin, AlexAndria brings this same spirit of learning, inclusiveness, and connection to her life here in Gates Mills. She participates in yoga, art shows, bake sales (the eating part, she jokes), performances by the Gates Mills Players, and the Garden Club. She’s an active community connector, having hosted the "Cleveland Eastside Fun" Meetup group for two years. (You're invited! Check it out here: Meetup Link QR Code)

Her weekends often involve a charming routine: yoga at the Community Center, soup from Sarah’s at Addie’s Cup, plant shopping (and consultation) at the Garden Club, and chats with neighbors at the Post Office. As she puts it: “Imagine Norman Rockwell paintings. Now imagine them as living scenes with a modern twist. That’s Gates Mills.”

When asked what she brings to the community, her answer is simple: connection. “Connecting with people, especially the shy ones, and drawing them out with humor and care is what I love most.”

If you see her (or Giovanni and Okavango) around the village, don’t hesitate to say hello. You might just leave with a travel story, a botanical tip, or an invitation to your next favorite Meetup.