Just as most epic tales, mine begins in Portland, where I was born. Raised in the shadow of Reed College, a block from my grandparents, and BMX-distance from ten cousins, my childhood was like a Norman Rockwell and John Hughes collaboration. When the time came to leave the nest, I flew south to Silicon Valley for college. The day after graduating from Santa Clara University with a degree in Marketing, I moved in with my family friend, long-term boyfriend, and future husband (all the same person). I actually proposed down the street from that place on a nerve-wracking after dinner walk where John accidentally walked away from me while I fumbled in my pocket for the ring. In a classic story of finding what you’re looking for was right under your nose, our paternal grandfathers were best friends. Every year, I would see John at big multifamily gatherings, not knowing we would spend our lives together. Thankfully, much kept our two families tied together; at the heart of it all is The Blanchet House of Hospitality, a non-profit addressing housing and food insecurity in the heart of Portland. Founded in 1952 by a group including both our grandfathers, John currently sits on the board of directors while I’m a member of the young professionals board. Blanchet is a big part of my story. I was inspired to serve at a young age by my dad taking the family every Christmas day to work in the Blanchet dining room. If you get nothing else from this page on a local construction & design company’s website, take away an appreciation for the razor thin line between those of us lucky enough to be looking for help improving our property and those struggling to find comfort and sustenance. There’s a story behind every person you see struggling on the street; a story that deserves to be heard, and a person that deserves compassion.

A few years before I got to know my husband as an adult, I did a couple demolition and gofer jobs for my uncle who was flipping and rehabbing properties in the pre-HGTV era before it was cool. I always intrigued and excited by my uncle’s story of leaving a successful career in the athletic apparel industry to work for himself, with his hands. Twenty years later, in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was laid off from my job of ten years at a world-renowned ad agency. When I surveyed my life, finally at a point to be able to follow my dreams rather than a paycheck, design and construction was really my only choice. Pro tip: if you want to know what you should be doing with your life, look at your bookmarks and browser history. All of my bookmarks, tabs, and searches were for design and construction sites. So, with the proceeds from the sale of our first home and two decades of experience rehabbing, flipping, renovating, and renting on the side, I started Storyteller Construction.

My family gave me the foundation and privilege to understand and leverage the value of homes. That’s my story. What’s yours?