11-12-2025 Dreams, Board Games, and Getting Back on Track

Personal Life: Sunshine, Strategy, and Small-World Moments

This past week, I traded mountain mornings for Florida sunshine and spent time at our Airbnb in Spring Hill before heading to another one in Tampa. Both places had their own charm. Spring Hill felt peaceful and familiar, while Tampa, especially Hyde Park, completely won me over. The neighborhood is full of character with updated historic homes, tree-lined streets, and the kind of local restaurants you can’t stop thinking about once you leave.

I was in Tampa to attend Advance, a business planning clinic hosted by James D. Shaw, and it truly lit a spark in me. I came home with new goals, new friends, and a new mindset about what it means to live and work with purpose. I even had a few of those “small world” moments that make you smile at how connected life can be. I met Mary Beth, who lives half a block from where my mom once had her women’s boutique in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Kathy Cobb from Lexington, South Carolina, who knows the exact area where I lived during middle school. She’s likely going to help one of my college best friends find a home when her fiancé relocates for work at the hydroelectric plant up there. The whole experience reminded me how paths cross in ways that are never random.

One of the speakers, Jon Acuff, talked about the roadmap to success: Dream, Plan, Do, and Review. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. I realized I tend to skip the “dream” part. I go straight to planning and doing. Now I’m learning to start with dreaming first, to make sure my plans actually align with what I really want.

Another big takeaway came from Profit First by Mike Michalowicz and his reference to Parkinson’s Law: we fill the space we’re given. Whether it’s time or money, we use what’s available. So, my new goal is to limit my workweek to 50 hours. I usually start around 5:30 a.m., head to the gym, and work until bedtime, but I’m realizing there’s always more to do. There’s no finish line in real estate, so I’m choosing to create one. My hope is that by setting limits, I’ll be more focused and intentional at work and more present with my family.

I’m especially excited to spend my extra time playing board games with my family. Those moments of laughter around the table are the ones I want to remember most.

Another exercise from the event was creating a “dream statement” by pairing two adjectives and a noun. Mine is a heart-driven and strategic Realtor. It sums up who I want to be perfectly, using compassion to insulate my clients and strategy to guide them to success. I’ve started using the question “What would a heart-driven and strategic Realtor do?” to guide my choices, and honestly, it applies to every part of life. Even as a mom, I’m asking, “What would a present and empowering mom do?”

Real Estate Life: Focus, Heart, and Momentum in the Foothills

Back in the Colorado foothills, I’m diving into this new season with energy and purpose. I currently have nine active listings, five homes and four parcels of land, and showings are finally consistent again. The market feels like it’s waking up, and with the possible introduction of 50-year mortgages, there could be some interesting shifts ahead for both buyers and sellers.

One of my current clients is a couple looking for their forever-before-assisted-living home, and I’ve loved every minute of helping them find the right fit. It’s a process that requires equal parts empathy and precision, making sure they find a space that’s comfortable, safe, and set up for the long term. It’s the kind of search that reminds me why I do this work, to help people find homes that truly serve their lives.

I also came home with a renewed sense of financial focus. One of my big personal goals is to pay off our Florida home within three years. I used to see that purchase as a misstep, but after being there again, I realized how much I love it. It’s warm, it’s ours, and with discipline, it can become a long-term asset.

This week was the perfect blend of reflection and forward motion. I’m excited to bring this new mindset to my work and my clients here in Evergreen, Conifer, Pine, Morrison, Golden, Lakewood, Bailey, Littleton, and Arvada. If you’ve been dreaming of mountain living or thinking about selling your foothills home, maybe now’s the time to dream, plan, do, and review your own roadmap, and I’d love to help guide you through it.