From Survival to Purpose

I was born in Salt Lake City to a world of chaos, addiction, crime, and abuse. My childhood was spent moving from place to place, never knowing where we would be next. I learned early that children don’t get to choose their circumstances, but those circumstances can shape the rest of their lives.

I did everything I could to create a different future. I built a successful career in real estate, helped thousands of people achieve homeownership, raised two incredible children, and created a life of financial success. From the outside, it looked like I had it all. But behind that life, I was trapped in an abusive relationship and felt in a way I didn’t know how to escape. I had spent years helping other people to find their way home, yet somehow, I had lost my own.

To cope with the pain, fear, and emotional turmoil, I began self-medicating. I was trying to escape a reality I no longer knew how to face. The choices I made during that time had serious consequences, and ultimately, I served 30 days in jail.

I take full responsibility for my choices. I’m not sharing this to make excuses, but because I know how easily someone can lose their way when they’re just trying to survive. It was there, in one of the darkest chapters of my life, that I discovered my purpose.

“Jail can be lovely.”

I’ll never forget looking up from my bunk one day and seeing those four words carved into the bed above me. How could there be anything lovely about jail? But looking back, I see it differently. In a place where so many people saw only punishment, I began to see extraordinary potential. I found compassion for women whose stories might never have crossed my path. I found a purpose that would change the direction of my life.

Every day, I walked with a woman who had worked at NASA. I kept telling her, “When I get out of here, I’m going to help these people.” She asked me how. I told her, “I don’t know.” But something inside me knew I would.

When I was released, rebuilding my own life was incredibly difficult, even with the resources, experience, and support I had. I couldn’t stop asking myself one question: If it was this hard for me, how could someone with nothing be expected to succeed?

That question became the foundation of Do Hard Things. I envisioned a program that would begin inside jail, helping people discover their strengths, build confidence, and create real pathways to opportunity. Over the years, I’ve worked with community leaders, government officials, and nonprofit partners. Sheriff Kacey Bates has been a key supporter, helping to open doors for transitional housing, employment opportunities, and real change.

Then, in July 2025, a devastating accident changed my life. Multiple spinal surgeries left me unable to work and dependent on others. But in the middle of that hardest season, something extraordinary happened.

I found Jesus Christ.

Through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I experienced a love I had never known. My church family showed up in ways I never could have imagined — bringing meals, caring for my children, driving me to appointments, and reminding me that I wasn’t alone. They didn’t see my past, my mistakes, or what I could do for them. They simply loved me.

Incredible Earth Angels

Looking back over my life, I realize there are so many incredible earth angels who have helped me along the way. I wouldn’t be here today without them.

Throughout my childhood, my darkest moments, my greatest mistakes, and the years I spent trying to rebuild my life, God placed people in my path who showed me kindness, compassion, and a love when I needed it most. Some stayed for years. Others were part of my life for only a moment. Some probably have no idea how profoundly they changed it.

There were people who believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself. People who reminded me of my worth when I had forgotten it. People who extended grace when judgment would have been easier.

Then, following my accident, I found Jesus Christ and experienced something that touched my heart in ways I can hardly describe. Through my church family, I was surrounded by meals, prayers, rides, help with my children, friendship, and countless acts of Christlike love. It wasn’t just what they did, it was how they made me feel — loved, seen, worthy, and never forgotten.

I call them my earth angels, and I believe with all my heart that I wouldn’t be here without them. Many of those people may never know how much they changed my life, but I know. And I want Do Hard Things to carry that same spirit into the lives of others.

Because sometimes changing someone’s future doesn’t begin with a grand program or a million-dollar donation. Sometimes it begins with one person who cares enough to show up.

I have been blessed by earth angels throughout my life. Now I want to help create a place where thousands of people can find theirs.

I've been told my vision is ambitious. That's a very polite way of saying I might be a little crazy.

I started with a promise to help women leaving jail. A reentry program would have been a perfectly reasonable place to start.

But apparently, I don't know how to think small.

Now we're talking about an entire community campus with transitional housing, a Mall of Dreams, healthcare, education, job training, recovery services, an equestrian center, community gardens, playgrounds, pickleball courts, a dog park, and even a forest with peaceful walking trails.

Because if we're going to change lives, we might as well give the dogs somewhere to run, the horses somewhere to roam, and everyone else a place to play pickleball.

And here's the truth: I'm still rebuilding my own life, too.

I have struggles, setbacks, and days when I wonder how I'm going to get everything done. But I've discovered that one of the best ways to get through your own struggles is to help someone else through theirs.

It doesn't make your problems disappear. It just reminds you that your problems don't have to be the whole story.

This campus will take years to fully build. But I don't believe God gave me this vision so I could spend years waiting for the perfect moment to begin.

The buildings may take years. Changing lives doesn't have to.

And here's the really exciting part: I'm not doing this alone.

People believe in this project. I've met extraordinary individuals who see what this could become, who have opened doors, shared their expertise, offered encouragement, and helped turn what once seemed like an impossible dream into a vision with real possibilities.

I'm also smart enough to know that I'm not the smartest person in every room. That's why I want to fill those rooms with people who know far more than I do!

This is an expert-driven, collaborative vision. I don't need to be the best doctor, teacher, therapist, builder, or horse trainer. I want to bring together the people who are, give them opportunities to do what they do best, and watch what happens when everyone works toward something bigger than themselves.

And I want us to have fun doing it.

Because changing lives is serious work, but that doesn't mean we can't laugh, celebrate, make friends, get a little dirt on our boots, and enjoy the journey.

I want people to walk onto this campus and feel something different. Hope. Joy. Possibility. Belonging.

I want the people who volunteer, donate, teach, mentor, and build alongside us to feel just as much a part of this community as the people we're helping.

This isn't just my dream anymore. It's becoming our dream.

And if you believe people deserve second chances, that communities are stronger when we work together, and that even the biggest dreams are worth pursuing, there's a place for you here.

Bring your ideas. Bring your talents. Bring your friends.

And if you happen to know someone who wants to build a village, plant a forest, or sponsor a dog park, I'd especially love to meet them.