When people ask what shapes how I work in real estate, I tell them it starts with everything that came before. I was nineteen when I first stepped into real estate, working for C.A. Stoddard A.I.A. & Associates and learning the business from the ground up. Not long after, the 2008 market shifted everything. Watching that unfold shaped my understanding early—how markets move, how people respond under pressure, and what it really means to guide people through uncertainty. Later, I found myself in a very different role—serving as a firefighter in Santa Barbara County. The stakes were higher, but the principles were the same: stay calm, think ahead, and take care of people when things feel uncertain. That mindset stayed with me when I returned to real estate. Along the way, I spent time teaching in local schools and working with environmental nonprofits across the Carpinteria and Santa Barbara communities. I also built and ran my own natural sunscreen manufacturing business, managing everything from product development to operations. It was another way of learning how to bring structure to complexity and follow through on every detail. All of that carries into the way I work today. I stay steady when things feel uncertain, think ahead so problems don’t become surprises, and pay close attention to the details that matter. It’s a way of working that’s been shaped over time—and one I bring to every client I work with.
