From Challenges To Change

Welcome to From Challenges to Change, a space where I share my personal and professional experiences to inspire change and advocate for affordable housing.

Join me as I delve into the importance of secure housing, the ongoing fight for equal access, and the transformative power of a safe home.

Subscribe to stay updated on the latest insights, stories, and strategies for creating safer, more inclusive communities.

Katie Goar Katie Goar

The Work Behind Stability

Everyone is talking about AI and innovation in housing.
Few want to talk about recertifications.
Or inspections.
Or Requests for Tenancy.
Or the daily, repeatable work.

Read More
Katie Goar Katie Goar

Sustainable Legacy Work

A colleague asked me recently, โ€œ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ?โ€

And I knew right away because two of my five vision board themes were staring right back at me: ๐‹๐ž๐ ๐š๐œ๐ฒ + ๐„๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐ซ๐ฏ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.

Legacy.
Not the one I inherited, but the one Iโ€™m choosing to create.
- I get to define what I carry forward.
- Not everything in my trauma backpack has to come with me.
- Housing instability shaped me but now I work to create housing ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ for others.

Energy Preservation.
What worked ten years ago doesnโ€™t work now.
- Living on caffeine isnโ€™t a long-term strategy.
- Time off is not a luxury, itโ€™s a necessity.
- When you see collisions coming, make a plan. Donโ€™t hit snooze.
- Creativity needs calm. Be purposeful about scheduling time to manifest it.

To my fellow housers:
We have so much more to do.
But we canโ€™t outrun burnout and still do the deep, mission work this industry requires.

Protect your energy.
Shape your legacy.

Read More
Katie Goar Katie Goar

Voice Over Fear

They used to say, โ€œNever let them see you sweat.โ€
Turns out โ€ฆ sometimes theyโ€™re going to see it anyway.

No one tells you that public speaking is part preparation, part courage, and part trying not to visibly sweat.

Read More
Katie Goar Katie Goar

The 20s Yes Moments

Thereโ€™s a meme trend that says: ๐˜๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ 20๐˜ด, ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฌ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ___, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜บ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด.

I laugh every time I see it.

Read More
Katie Goar Katie Goar

Designing Our Best Work

Before racing into whatโ€™s next, I recently paused with my team to creatively vision cast and brainstorm.

Not - what are our goals?
Not - what is the stretch growth target?

Read More
Katie Goar Katie Goar

Progress Rarely Looks Big

This season has been such a reminder that overcomer stories donโ€™t happen overnight. Theyโ€™re built in the rebuilding years, tough losses, leadership, and choosing to stay the course.

Read More
Katie Goar Katie Goar

Beyond Quitterโ€™s Day

Apparently today is known as Quitterโ€™s Day - when many people abandon their New Yearโ€™s resolutions. Statistically speaking, only about 6% see them through the year.

Read More
ANNIE Reid ANNIE Reid

Design With Empathy

We design and implement systems โ€ฆ but how often do we walk through them ourselves? One afternoon, I sat in a coffee shop watching a barista staff meeting. Listening to them discuss how to greet people.

Read More