my little family

My story

This isn't a story about how I discovered that Real Estate was my path in life. I think I always knew it would be. It is a story about how I grew up in this business, but had to rebuild it after tragedy and loss.

Real Estate isn't just a hobby or a job, it's in my blood. My roots are deep. Madison has always been and will always be my home. I was born and raised here and am following in the footsteps of five generations of Madison REALTORS ahead of me, including my Dad. Many of Madison’s most desirable neighborhoods were developed by my family including: Shorewood Hills, Sunset Village, Westmorland, Orchard Ridge and more that I discover all the time! My Grandmother lived in 37 homes on the Near-West Side growing up! Her Father was an early Madison developer who would develop neighborhoods, build homes on spec and move his wife and 5 kids multiple times a year. When the spec they were living in sold, it was time to build a new one! 

As a kid, I went to the office with my Dad most days and flipped through MLS listings when they were in a binder BEFORE the Internet! I went to open houses, showings and helped him measure his new listings. I could walk you through the process of selling your home at 7 years old. When I was 10 years old, my life was changed forever. My Dad was diagnosed with cancer and rapidly declined in about 9 months time. When he died, so did the family Real Estate business. When he died, so did a part of me.

In rebuilding the family Real Estate business, I was finally able to heal from the loss that shaped my childhood. I have never felt closer to my Dad. 

It wasn't until 2012 when I was miserable in my career, that a spark went off and I was like "what am I doing?" I went to college and changed my majors all the time - nothing ever felt right. I got a job that I dreaded going to everyday. I remember the exact moment when I was sitting at my desk and just got off the phone crying to my husband, that I pulled out my wallet and signed up for the Real Estate Exam. I delivered my two weeks notice THAT DAY and with absolutely no plan, no income and a ton of support from my family - I got my license, joined a Brokerage, got a waitressing job so I could afford the start up costs of my new business... and then I HUSTLED. 

Fast forward to almost a decade later and here I am. In rebuilding the family Real Estate business, I was finally able to heal from the loss that shaped my childhood. In this journey of building my business, I have never felt closer to my Dad. I now have a business that keeps me busy, allows me to impact and add value to my client's lives and has allowed me to revive the family biz - Ryan works for the team now too.