28 years old • Berthoud
Realtor with Hub by eXp Realty,
co-founder of The Property Wives
What’s your occupation? Explain your career, accomplishments and professional highlights.
I am a Realtor. I like to say that helping people find a home is my career, but helping people find a safe, energetic home for all of them to belong is what really matters. I mentor young adults in a program called Pursuing Purpose, where I help them understand who they are and form a gameplan to take the necessary steps to become who they are meant to be. I genuinely love guiding first-time homebuyers through the roller coaster of emotions that comes with making such a major life investment, both financially and emotionally.
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
I love speaking onstage to inspire people, and I have goals of becoming a motivational speaker. I was once a youth pastor. I have also spoken to my real estate commission on the importance of Pride and having true allies in the process of buying and selling homes. I am committed to creating safe spaces, and I plan to start hosting retreats in Northern Colorado for members of the queer community to feel safe in exploring their sexuality and spirituality. You can hear stories of others going through this journey on our podcast, Brave in Love, coming soon.
Tell us something unique about you.
I was USA National Miss Colorado in 2021. I also published a children’s book that year. My goal was and is to help empower people to move from self-hatred to true self-love. If we can teach children how important and valuable they are from a young age, then we don’t have to change how they feel about themselves once they have grown.
What do you consider the biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
I love who I am and the woman I am becoming. I fully believe that is the greatest accomplishment one can achieve in this lifetime. I was trying to fit the mold given to me to work a 9-5, be with a man and not wear crazy colors, but that’s just not me. Today I am an entrepreneur, married to the woman of my dreams and wear my favorite bright colors and sparkles every day.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
While building my business, I told my mentor about the goals my wife, Riley, and I have to help people build wealth through real estate and empower the LGBTQIA+ community. He said, “You are like the property wives instead of the property brothers.” Riley is studying to get her broker license while working a full-time job for an amazing nonprofit; however, our goal over the next five years is to transition into a small local team under our real estate brand, The Property Wives, so that we can help even more clients find and fund their homes. We also want to own a luxury retreat center in Northern Colorado, where we can help people heal and raise our children on the land.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
Be the truest, most authentic version of yourself. People will disagree and talk about you no matter what, so make sure you’re making every choice you make because it’s the best choice for you, regardless of what anyone else thinks about it. I tried so hard to be the person I thought others would clap for and approve of, but I hated myself because I was living a lie.
How did you discover your true self and get comfortable enough to live authentically?
I finally realized that on my death bed, I would regret living a life to please others instead of enjoying the life I’ve been given. We must all realize that we are the only person we will spend the rest of our lives with, so we need to stop attempting to make choices based on how other people may or may not feel about them. I believe that this world was already beautiful, and yet the creator still believed it needed you, not a fake version of someone else. The world needed, and needs, your unique flavor of humanity.
How have you navigated your faith as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community?
My faith is very important to me. When I realized that I no longer wanted to hide and lie about a part of me, I was removed from churches and communities that I had been a part of for more than a decade. I mourned the loss of those who once told me their love was unconditional, but then I reached for people who existed in both the queer and spiritual spaces and chose to surround myself with those who loved and celebrated me. There is one safe space in the heart of downtown Denver called Denver Community Church. At this church, I realized that I was not only a person who was queer and Christian, but that God did not abandon me and my wife when we fell in love. I have also found a beautiful community outside of organized religion through several local organizations. I am coming to find “church” in conversations around the fire with neighbors and deep soul connections with friends whose love truly makes me feel the love of God.
