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.
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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.
Sustainable Legacy Work
A colleague asked me recently, โ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ?โ
And I knew right away because two of my five vision board themes were staring right back at me: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ + ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
Legacy.
Not the one I inherited, but the one Iโm 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 ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ for others.
Energy Preservation.
What worked ten years ago doesnโt work now.
- Living on caffeine isnโt a long-term strategy.
- Time off is not a luxury, itโs a necessity.
- When you see collisions coming, make a plan. Donโt 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 canโt outrun burnout and still do the deep, mission work this industry requires.
Protect your energy.
Shape your legacy.
Voice Over Fear
They used to say, โNever let them see you sweat.โ
Turns out โฆ sometimes theyโre going to see it anyway.
No one tells you that public speaking is part preparation, part courage, and part trying not to visibly sweat.
The 20s Yes Moments
Thereโs a meme trend that says: ๐๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ 20๐ด, ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ด๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฐ ___, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐บ๐ฆ๐ด.
I laugh every time I see it.
Designing Our Best Work
Before racing into whatโs 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?
Progress Rarely Looks Big
This season has been such a reminder that overcomer stories donโt happen overnight. Theyโre built in the rebuilding years, tough losses, leadership, and choosing to stay the course.
Beyond Quitterโs Day
Apparently today is known as Quitterโs Day - when many people abandon their New Yearโs resolutions. Statistically speaking, only about 6% see them through the year.
Design With Empathy
We design and implement systems โฆ 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.