My Third Hand is a Talent Development & Learning Platform. Our Playbooks teach the essential skills that are traditionally taught at home, not at school. JoAnna's modern resume shares her lived experiences and her passion for helping others learn how to adult with confidence.
A modern resume doesn't list the tasks I've done or the skills I've mastered. It tells you stories about the lessons I've learned and the experiences that inform my unique thinking patterns.
1999 - 2008
Camp embraces our natural talents and acquaints us with our most authentic selves at a young age. Its diverse programming casts a wide net of opportunities for us to explore our abilities and interests, while simultaneously challenging us with creative outlets of self-expression. At camp we learned to be who we are, not the people the world wanted us to be.
As a camper I learned how to be independent and care for myself. I also learned how to care for others. There's a special bond that forms when everyone accepts the unspoken responsibility to be a contributing member of the space we collectively share.
Get the full scoop on my love of camp here.
2002 - 2007
I was in eighth grade when I got paid to make my first cotton candy. My dad believed it was important for his children to learn the meaning of hard work and entrepreneurship at a young age, so he lead the charge launching a small family business. Together, our family members invested in commercial-grade popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cone machines and named the company Fun Foods.
Throughout high school, in addition to working at a catering hall with my mom, setting up elaborate displays and bussing tables, I worked at school carnivals, street fairs, and festivals, learning invaluable skills along the way. I learned how to think through a process, making sure I have everything I need before we pull out of the driveway. I also learned the importance of presentation, customer service, and being quick on my feet. My dad taught me how to take care of the equipment and to never joke around when it comes to the health and safety rules associated with handling other people's food. Jobs like this are a rite of passage that I think more young people today could benefit from being exposed to.
Learn more about My Third Hand's Entrepreneurial Ventures enrichment programs here.
2007 - 2012
Growing up, I didn't enjoy school. I had learning differences that made school boring and I struggled to feel smart—particularly when it came to reading and retaining information. I remember often feeling overwhelmed trying to understand how the content of state-mandated curriculums had any practical application in my life. But I did what I was "supposed to do" and willed a way by leaning into the things I was curious about.
I was determined to make something of myself. As a motivated overachiever, I double majored in college, graduated cum laude with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (with concentrations in both marketing and operations management) and a Bachelors of Arts in Communication. During my five academic years at Buffalo, I was also elected president of the student government, worked as a community assistant at an American Campus Communities student housing apartment complex, and was selected to be the homecoming queen.
Learn more about my college experience here.
2012 - 2019
In late November 2012, I joined Cerberus Capital Management as a temp-to-perm "floater," providing an extra set of hands where needed or covering for admins who were out of the office. I had no idea what the firm did and researching the website was like reading another language, but over the seven years that I worked there, I underwent a fundamental transformation in the way I view the world.
Although my initial assignment to cover the real estate desk happened by chance, my desire to build a career in real estate stemmed from my newfound knowledge of the industry. The fact is, real estate impacts literally everyone on the planet. It defines where we live, work, shop, eat, play, vacation, learn, worship, give and receive care, explore... everything! Said differently, real estate influences how we live our lives in a very meaningful way, and I loved learning about the art and science of it.
Read the full essay here.
2014 - 2019
I went back to grad school and earned my master's in Real Estate with a concentration in finance and investment from New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate. In June of 2016, I was officially promoted to Real Estate Analyst at Cerberus, where my responsibilities grew exponentially.
The many hats on the real estate investment team I simultaneously wore included asset manager for the real estate portfolio, fund manager of the multi-strategy institutional real estate funds, and real estate product specialist servicing a variety of client services and fundraising initiatives. I did all of this while navigating a handful of my own personal challenges, including a cancer diagnosis at the age of 25 and the ugly aftermath of that experience. While I was getting a world-class education in real estate, I realized what I needed was an adult education in self-care.
Click here for the experiential truth of a twenty-five-year-old woman diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
2019 - PRESENT
In 2017, my mom’s cancer diagnosis forced me to rethink the care needs of individuals at every stage of life. With a background in private equity, I couldn’t help but see the numbers—leading me to the $648 billion care economy and the challenges women will face over the next 40 years.
But I needed hands-on, real-world experience. So, after leaving private equity, I stepped in as a third set of hands for families caring for newborns, preschoolers, and individuals with special needs. I worked remotely as an Executive Assistant for an LA-based Series A baby food startup and taught in both elite and underserved classrooms—from a two-year-old separation program on the Upper East Side to an inner-city K-12 charter school. I also invested in myself by joining the Third Nature community, Morning Brew’s business accelerator, and Draper University’s Hero Training Program.
For the first time in my career, I had the space to heal—and the freedom to explore passions I had long neglected. I traveled, wrote, and pursued creative projects that had taken a backseat in the relentless pace of private equity. Yet my most defining role during this time was that of a daughter. These experiences gave me the flexibility to support several loved ones battling chronic illnesses and diseases—including my father, who died from COVID-19.
And through it all, one truth became undeniable: caregivers aren’t just the backbone of our society—they are the engine of our economy. The future of work, productivity, and economic growth depends on how we value and support them.
Learn more about the chronicles of a caregiver here.
SUMMER 2022
I knew little about the startup world, but as a natural-born solution finder, I was determined to learn. When I asked my former boss and mentor at Cerberus how a group of entrepreneurs he knew had gotten their start, he pointed me toward startup accelerators. A week later, my bunkmate from Third Nature (formerly Startup Island) Adult Summer Camp mentioned Draper University’s Hero Training Program in a newsletter.
Intrigued, I did my research, set up a call, and applied. Soon, I found myself in the heart of Silicon Valley—the birthplace of Apple, Meta, and some of the world’s most transformative companies—immersed in an ecosystem built for innovation. For six weeks, I had the privilege of learning from world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists while collaborating with a global cohort of ambitious, forward-thinking minds. The experience wasn’t just about frameworks and strategy; it was a complete rewiring of how I viewed risk, problem-solving, and possibility. Silicon Valley’s culture of relentless innovation and boundary-pushing became a mindset I carried forward—proof that stepping outside my comfort zone is where real growth happens.
Read the full article here.
2023 - 2024
The caregiving industry couldn’t provide a livable wage, and I faced an uncertain path forward. To bridge the gap, I returned to real estate as a fractional Chief of Staff to one of the most gritty women in the industry—a decision that proved to be a master class in leadership, business development, and execution.
For a year, I operated as the CEO's third hand, helping her get this startup off the ground, driving strategic initiatives and strengthening my ability to lead, problem-solve, and champion others toward ambitious goals. During my tenure, we closed a landmark minority investment and secured a billion-dollar commitment into our product—raising the bar for the C-PACE industry while shattering barriers for women in real estate. I honed my expertise in building scalable systems, managing complex interpersonal dynamics, and anticipating the needs of a rapidly growing business. More than anything, I gained a newfound appreciation for the power of mentorship—learning firsthand what it means to be trusted, challenged, and empowered to make an impact.
Learn more about business development consulting services here.
2020 - Present
My Third Hand is the culmination of everything I have learned in my life—an intersection of my experiences in private equity, caregiving, education, and entrepreneurship—and my unwavering desire to drive positive change. At its core, My Third Hand is a talent development and learning platform that reimagines the way modern adults acquire essential skills for living—skills traditionally taught at home, not at school—so they can move through the world with confidence and stability.
These skills—care tasks, life and safety, community engagement, time and money management, and executive functions—aren’t just about survival; they are the foundation of a functioning society. And yet, they remain one of the most undervalued and overlooked elements of our economy.
I built My Third Hand to change that. By breaking down complex skills into structured, accessible frameworks, we are not just leveling the playing field for learners of all abilities—we are pioneering an innovative workforce model that makes caregiving a sustainable career, not a sacrifice. Through a structured yet dynamic approach, we transform essential life skills into pathways for economic mobility, workforce resilience, and personal growth.
My Third Hand is built on the belief that modern adults think differently about learning—they don’t just need information, they need systems, frameworks, and tools that make learning accessible and meaningful. This is more than education—it’s a future-proof solution to one of the greatest challenges of our time. While we may not single-handedly solve the caregiver crisis, we are laying the groundwork for a workforce that values care as both an economic necessity and a profession worthy of investment.
Learn more about My Third Hand's flagship program Modern Adulting.
Class of 2012
Class of 2019
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