Growing up in the south, N.Y.C. always seemed like a destination to visit but not to live in.

It all started when I went to this model search in Charlotte when I was 18. That's when I met all these agents and realized I could do it, and I won! I met a photographer at the competition who persuaded me to sign with a different agency than the one that was offered to me. So, I started with a small agency and eventually moved up to IMG.

The most beautiful destination I've been to was the Seychelles Islands, and the most culturally inspiring place was Mumbai, India.

I try to keep it in a very low impact - I have scoliosis, so exercises can be really hard on my back, whether it's too much running, jumping or boxing. I'll do those things once in a while, but I keep it mostly Pilates, resistance-band based, softer exercises that build strength from inside the muscle.

The national championship for Syracuse in 2003 will always be the high-water mark for me. That was my alma mater, my team, my players, our fans. That remains the top experience of my basketball life.

The mind of a 19-year-old is very different from the mind of a 26-year-old. You grow. You get into better relationships. You experience more, meet more people, better people. But when you're in a dark hole at an earlier point in your life - you write about the mindset you're in at that moment.

There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.

We can get carried away with our heads in books, and although there's so much to be learned from that, I think sitting in a cafe and speaking with someone - whatever it is, their mannerisms, their choices, are just as valuable as any class you can go to.