08/28/2026
August, 9 years ago today, I got my real estate license. My sister sent me flowers to celebrate. I had a business card that I was way too proud of. And I took my very first headshot on my iPhone because, honestly, I didn't know any better yet.
There's also a photo of me standing next to the sign in the yard of my very first listing. I remember exactly how that felt, equal parts nervous and thrilled. I was new, but I wasn't unprepared. I had a great coach and a strong support system behind me that made all the difference in showing up ready.
Nine years later, I still have that business card. I still have the flowers pressed somewhere in a box. And I've traded the iPhone headshot for something a little more polished, but that photo, and that sign in the yard, will always mean more to me than any professional shot ever will, because they're proof of where this started.
Here's what I wish someone had told me back then: this job is not always flashy homes and easy, clean closings. For every closing photo you see, there are early mornings, late night contracts, a deal that might fall apart here and there, and a whole lot of showing up for people on what might be the hardest or most exciting day of their year. Running a sustainable business for 9 years takes more grit than glamour. It's a grind most people don't see.
What I didn't expect when I got my license is how much this career would become part of our family's story. It's given Rachael and I the ability to grow our family and build toward the goals we've dreamed about together. It's introduced me to people who became real friends. It's let me be part of some of the biggest moments in other people's lives, over and over again, for almost a decade.
I am so unbelievably grateful. To my clients who trusted me with one of the biggest decisions of their lives. To my friends and family who cheered me on from the very beginning. To my first Real Estate coach and my Keller Williams Elite family who gave me the foundation to build on. To Rachael, who has been my constant through every up and down of building this. And to the version of me standing next to that first yard sign, just getting started.
Here's to 9 years, and to many more ahead. 🩷 🩷
