I Thought I Was Starting Over. Turns Out, I Was Building on Everything That Came Before.

A few years ago, my family packed up our life in Arizona and moved across the country to Charlotte, North Carolina.

My husband had been presented with a career opportunity that would bring us to the Carolinas, and somehow, despite everything involved in moving a family across the country, we knew we were supposed to go.

So we went all in.

We sold our house. We packed up our kids. We lived in a hotel for a month. We started figuring out schools, neighborhoods, churches, doctors, activities, friendships — and all of the little things you don't fully appreciate until you suddenly have to rebuild them somewhere new.

And professionally, I was starting over too.

Except looking back, I realize I wasn't really starting over.

My Career Has Always Been About People

Before real estate, I spent years in hospitality, events and marketing.

I founded Vino & Canvas and spent a decade building the company. During that time, we produced more than 3,700 events and served more than 40,000 customers.

Running that business taught me things no textbook ever could.

How to build a brand. How to market. How to create an experience people remember. How to solve problems when things don't go according to plan. And, most importantly, how to take care of people.

COVID dramatically changed the events industry and ultimately changed the trajectory of my career.

Real estate became my next chapter.

Then came another reinvention: Charlotte.

Starting Over in a New City Is Humbling

When you're new somewhere, nobody knows your history.

Your network doesn't move with you.

You have to show up. Introduce yourself. Attend the event where you don't know anyone. Follow up. Get involved. Build relationships. And then keep showing up.

It takes time.

Today, Charlotte feels like home. We have a school community we love, a church community, friendships and professional relationships that didn't exist when we first arrived.

That experience fundamentally changed the way I approach real estate.

Relocation Isn't a Niche I Chose. I Lived It.

When someone tells me they're moving to Charlotte from California, New York, Arizona or somewhere else across the country, I understand that finding a house is only one small part of what they're actually experiencing.

They're trying to build a life.

Where will their kids go to school? What community feels like them? How long will the commute really take? Where will they go to church? Where do people grocery shop? Where will their kids play sports? Will they find friends?

And sometimes the right answer isn't buying a house immediately.

Sometimes it's renting, learning the area and making a more permanent decision later.

That's okay.

My goal isn't simply to get someone to closing. It's to become a resource they can continue calling long after the keys are handed over.

And I've had the privilege of watching those relationships grow.

I've helped families relocate from across the country. One California relocation relationship ultimately led to another family member trusting me with their move to North Carolina. I've helped a New York family relocating here purchase my own home. And I've been a resource for families who moved here because of the same career opportunity that originally brought our family to Charlotte.

Those experiences mean more to me than a transaction count.

It All Connects

Hospitality taught me service.

Entrepreneurship taught me ownership.

Events taught me experience.

Marketing taught me storytelling.

Relocation taught me empathy.

Real estate gives me the opportunity to bring all of those things together.

For a while, I thought I had started over.

Now I realize I was simply bringing everything I'd learned into the next chapter.

And maybe that's why helping other people begin their next chapter feels so natural.

I don't just help people move. I understand what it means to start over — and I want to help them feel at home when they get here.