Erica Allaby’s wanderlust first began in middle school, venturing out into the world as a pilot’s daughter experiencing the highs and lows of a standby passenger. After graduating from High Point University in North Carolina with a BA in journalism in 2014, she visited a friend in Dallas to scope it out as a prospective new home though she admits, “I had a skewed perception of Texas being from Connecticut. I definitely only pictured tumbleweeds and cowboys. Now I know that Texas has that, but it also has so much more. I fell in love with the city and moved two weeks later.”

It was then that Erica began her career in marketing, pursuing corporate storytelling, with a small investment firm, ROBO Global. She joined as the third employee, overseeing content and product marketing until the firm was acquired in 2023. Erica’s niche expertise in marketing disruptive tech investment strategies led to her current role as Chief Marketing Officer at EMQQ Global.

The New England native never could have never predicted she would marry a Texan, but after meeting now-husband Agustin Esteve, it sealed the deal. Their love story began “the good ole’ fashion way…at a bar in Uptown,” jokes Agustin. If Renfields Corner was the kindling, pizza was the flame. The two went on their first date in 2017 at Cane Rosso, dating six years before marrying in 2023 in Arizona, surrounded by saguaro cactuses.

Growing up on the Mexican border in Brownsville, Texas, Agustin says “We often joke that we came from two very different places.” Agustin first came to Dallas in 2010 to attend SMU, and now works as an event producer for The Event Nerd, where he focuses on bringing events to life, from ideation to execution. Today, he travels the country producing everything from music festivals to conferences. The first six years of his career were spent in experiential marketing at multiple agencies here in Dallas.

Agustin fused his obsession with golf and expertise in events in 2022, co-founding Lone Par Golf & Social Club, a community focused on bringing Dallasites together through the game of golf. 

Erica has been publishing her writing about travel and self-discovery on her blog ‘Tales of Exploration’ since 2012 and most recently, launched her Substack newsletter, ‘The Wild Child Workshop.’ She describes these projects as “an absolute delight to build. I’ve always felt called to tell stories that inspire people to get out of their comfort zones.” 

The couple shares their home with Kora, Agustin’s first love, an Australian Cattle Dog he adopted eleven years ago. You can often spot the trio walking the M Streets admiring the little bungalows and cute Craftsman houses or soaking up golden hour from their front patio surrounded by wildflowers. “Our little abode is truly home to us,” Erica says, “we feel lucky to be building our life together in such a wonderful neighborhood.”

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