This is my why

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Port Townsend, WA is on the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula.  Our front yard is the entrance to Puget Sound - blue waters, orcas, islands, and wooden sailboats.  Our back yard is Olympic National Park - snow-capped mountains, lush forests, alpine lakes, and ocean beaches.

It's a small town - 10,000 in town and another 20,000 in the county.  And the pace of life here is very different.  My commute to work is about six minutes.  If I pause for a "traffic jam," it's for a family of deer crossing the street.  It's the kind of place where it takes half an hour to pick up one thing at the grocery store because I end up chatting with three different people I know.  It's the kind of place where I bring my morning baristas little souvenirs when I return from vacation.  It's the kind of place where, for better or worse, people really know me.  Where an "I'm good" might be followed by, "No, you're not.  What's really going on?"

There is less here.  Less traffic, less stress, less money and opportunity.  But there is far more here too.  More time with family, more living with intent, more connecting.

Often times, when I'm talking with tourists, they'll exclaim, "Oh, you live here?  You're so lucky!"  And I reply, "It doesn't have anything to do with luck.  I made a decision to live here and you could too."

This is the meaning behind "Leave the rat race.  Join the human race."

I encourage professionals to leave the city, the grind, the competition.  And work less, relax more, and breathe deeper.  There's no need to keep up with the Jones' when you're headed down to the beach with friends, a thermos of coffee, and a couple dogs.

I inspire renters to get off the merry-go-round of increasing rents and frequent moves.  And instead, own a home they can afford, that they can make their own, and where they can stay as long as their hearts' desire.

I invite my business partners to work smarter, nurture relationships, and enjoy more success than they ever imagined.  I lead a team who love their jobs and celebrate families over transactions.

I help people leave the rat race and join the human race.

This is my "why."