About Autumn Wohlwend
I build things for people and write things for myself. Sometimes those two overlap.
I built Rule Referee, I'm building Tether, and I wrote the poetry collection Built From What Broke Me. I live in Panama with my boyfriend, Bradley Deal.
Why I build
Tools for real problems, for real people
Right now I'm focused on making tools that solve real problems for real people, the kind of problems I've watched someone I love navigate, or lived through myself.
I'm the fiery one in my family. If something happens to someone I love, I'm usually the first to (figuratively) kick the door down. I'm not sure where that comes from, but that fire is behind a lot of my work.
I left my SEO job in May 2026 to do this full time. I feel like I've been working toward this for a long time. I just didn't know it.
Rule Referee is a good example. It started at my own game night, and now it settles rules questions at other people's tables too.
I never want to be just one thing.
The path here
My background is a little non-linear
Nurse, then Navy, then SEO, then this. Every one of those jobs taught me something about people.
- 1
Licensed Practical Nurse
My first career was nursing: taking care of people on some of their hardest days. I got my LPN in South Dakota and gave it almost a year. I really tried, at a pediatric clinic, then urgent care, then an ENT clinic working under a surgeon. But I never felt like I fit in, and I felt stuck.
- 2
U.S. Navy Mass Communications Specialist
So I started looking for something creative and found the Navy. They were going to pay me to get in shape and teach me photography? I was sold. I joined the Navy Reserve, went through boot camp near Chicago, then spent over six months at Fort Meade, Maryland, training alongside every branch in photography, graphic design, videography, article writing, and public affairs. See photos from those years.
- 3
SEO and marketing
Back home, I wanted to work in marketing, but nobody would hire me without a degree. The military training didn't translate the way I thought it would. I finally landed a job in SEO, which, at the time, I knew nothing about. Two years in, it had stopped feeling meaningful. Most days were just crossing off the same tasks I'd crossed off the day before, so I left. Yes, I organized this site myself 🙂
- 4
Building full time
I registered my company in March 2026, but I count May 2026 as the real start, when Rule Referee launched on iOS. Now it's apps, writing, photography, and crafts, from Panama's Pacific coast. I still care most about the person on the other side of the screen.
Where I've lived
Most of my photo galleries come from places I've called home, even if only for a few months.
South Dakota
I grew up here with four brothers, plus a nephew who's always felt more like a little brother (I became an aunt at about 12). Every year the whole family still takes a trip together.
South Dakota photosChicago
Boot camp is right near Chicago, but I never saw the city while I was there. So after training, I started taking weekend trips on my own.
Chicago photosFort Meade, Maryland
Over six months of training with every branch, with Washington DC, Arlington, and Baltimore close by.
DC and Navy years photosMexico
Six months into the SEO job, I got snowed into my apartment and booked a one-way flight to Cozumel. That's where I met Bradley. We lived in Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Puerto Aventuras.
Mexico photosPanama
After I started my company, Bradley and I were ready for a change. Mexico was great while it lasted, but we didn't think we could really grow there. We wanted to go somewhere with more.
Panama photosWhat I make
Four seasons of work
4Seasons By Autumn is my home on the web. Everything I make fits in one of four seasons.
Apps
Rule Referee is a board game rules app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. It answers rules questions for 65 games, works offline, and doesn't guess. Next up is Tether, a commission management app for independent artists and makers. It isn't out yet, but the waitlist is open.
Writing
Photography
Photos from the places that stayed with me: Panama, Mexico, Italy, El Salvador, Colombia, South Dakota, Chicago, and DC.
Crafts
Crochet came first, mostly for whenever my head needs a break. Pottery and knitting are on the list.
Coming soonQuick answers
Questions people ask about me
Who is Autumn Wohlwend?
Me! I'm an app builder, writer, and photographer living in Panama. I created Rule Referee, a board game rules app, and wrote the poetry collection Built From What Broke Me. Next I'm building Tether, a commission management app for independent artists. It isn't out yet, but the waitlist is open.
What did Autumn do before building apps?
I was a Licensed Practical Nurse in South Dakota, then a U.S. Navy Mass Communications Specialist in the Navy Reserve, then I worked in SEO. In May 2026 I left my SEO job to build full time.
What is 4Seasons By Autumn?
4Seasons By Autumn is my personal studio and website. It holds four kinds of work: apps, writing, photography, and crafts. Each one is a season.
Who made Rule Referee?
I did. Rule Referee is a board game rules app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. It runs on a deterministic NLP retrieval engine, so it answers from the official rules instead of guessing. Meet Rule Referee.
Where is Autumn based?
Panama, on the Pacific coast. I live here with my boyfriend, Bradley Deal. We moved from Mexico after I started my company, looking for somewhere we could really grow.
Where did Autumn grow up?
South Dakota, with four brothers and a nephew who's always felt more like a little brother. The South Dakota gallery has photos from home.
How do I contact Autumn?
Email me at autumn@4seasonsbyautumn.com. I read every message myself. The contact page has the best way to reach me for Rule Referee help, game requests, and publisher questions.
Say hello
Email is the best way to reach me. You can also follow along on Instagram and TikTok at @4seasons.by.autumn.
autumn@4seasonsbyautumn.com