Monica Lenches Lifestyle Properties

06/16/2026

In 2008 — at the age of 40 — I was exploring my life’s purpose when I received an unmistakable nudge: enroll at Santa Barbara City College to discover if I was a filmmaker. This made no sense to me because I had zero experience in filmmaking. But it was a message that kept coming up, so I jumped off the proverbial cliff and enrolled. During one of my classes, I asked my instructor about the pervasiveness of violence in media. His answer stopped me in my tracks: “You forget just how desensitized we’ve all become.”

Then a lightbulb went off. I ran to my car, sped home and started researching the effects of media violence on children — and what I found changed everything. It led to an award-winning documentary — A Kinder World.

When I returned to real estate, a question had taken root that I couldn’t shake: what if we consciously chose what we consumed, supported, and built — in media, in business, in our community? That question grew into something new: A Kinder World of Commerce, a movement supporting purpose-driven businesses and nonprofits using their work as a force for good right here in Santa Barbara. 🔗 Links in bio.

I think about that moment a lot these days — especially as I watch the coarsening of our culture and the suffering it’s causing, including here at home: massive federal cuts of $500M to Santa Barbara, $30M of which won’t reach our nonprofits.

Where would that money have gone? Food security. Housing and shelter. Healthcare. Mental health. Youth and education. Senior services. On top of that: a 4–6 month wait to see a doctor or physical therapist, and nurses and teachers who can’t afford to stay. I wonder how much we’ve normalized without realizing it.

We don’t just live in our homes. We live in a community. And what happens to our neighbors — those who’ve contributed to our community, those hit hard by life, and the children who have no say in any of it — impacts all of us.

If you know an individual, nonprofit, or company doing impactful work to address our community’s challenges, please tag or share about them below. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to share— we want to know how we can help. It will take all of us. I’d love to hear from you.

06/11/2026

At a café in Santa Barbara, I witnessed something small that felt big. A mother, fully present with her young son—patient, kind, deeply respectful. It stopped me in my tracks. After a moment of hesitation, I told her how much it meant to see.
That moment turned into a conversation… and the beginning of a connection I didn’t expect.

Meet Jessica McRee Edwards, founder of and a talented graphic designer using her gifts to support organizations creating real, positive impact in the world. And when I explored her website, you can imagine my delight — a kindred spirit who had also designed one of our very own Legacy Brand’s logos: Get Hooked! Swipe to see a few of the brands Wonder and Wit helped shape.

The more we got to know each other, the more apparent it became: Jessica is a natural fit for A Kinder World of Commerce. I think you’ll agree.

Go check out the full interview, link in bio. 🎨⤵️

06/10/2026

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” - Dali Lama

06/02/2026

Kindness Matters: How well do you know your mother? Link in bio to watch the full video.

❤️

05/26/2026

I’ll be honest — for three days in a row I asked myself the same question: What does our community most need right now? And I kept getting the same answer — an honest conversation about what happens when we start outsourcing our inner knowing to AI.

So that’s what we did. Our 10th Legacy Hour. A full house. Real conversations. Deep listening.

Three passionate practitioners helped us go there:
Dr. Jenn Kennedy on EI and the mind-body connection, Barbara Edelston Peterson on EI and our relationships with ourselves  and on EI in leadership and the organizations we build.

The moment that got me most was watching every person go inward during our pod exercise — using their feelings as a GPS to access what they truly want. As Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott, the Mother of Coaching, taught me during my Coach’s Training program over 30 years ago: feelings are the gateway to the higher self. And your higher self holds answers no algorithm can ever retrieve for you.

Our feelings are our GPS. They always have been. Let’s learn to lean into rather than ignore them.

Ten gatherings in, and something keeps deepening — the conversations, the connections, and the reminder that being in community genuinely matters. Thank you to our sponsors Frank Tabar, , and — and to Linda Tappenier, Susie Thomason, , and Barbara and Nicholas Lizarraga for their enthusiastic support. I appreciate each and every one of you! 🙏

EIandAI

05/26/2026

Market Update✨ Swipe to read the latest local market trends from last month
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Monica Lenches | Coast Valley Properties | DRE #: 01081461

05/19/2026

Meet the heart behind the movement. ✨

A huge thank you to for introducing us to Shannon Dante, the founder of . Over the past several months, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of getting to know Shannon both personally and professionally—and let me tell you, she is a true gem in our community. 💎

Shannon embodies kindness and genuine care. What she’s built at Flow Yoga & Wellness isn’t just a studio; it’s a purpose-driven, values-based business in the fullest sense. Swipe through to dive deeper into her story and see how supporting her work creates a beautiful ripple effect that extends far beyond the mat.

Go check out the full interview, link in bio. 🌊👇

04/20/2026