People ask me all the time how Sam and I do it. How do we build a business together and have family, home, and work so intertwined, and still see it as a marriage strengthener?

My answer might surprise you. Using your strengths to help your number one person, and watching him use his to help you, builds a deep appreciation that I never had when we had separate careers. We are also evolving and growing together, stepping outside our comfort zones side by side, rather than apart.

But to have a business partnership strengthen your marriage rather than strain it takes something much deeper. And it starts with you.

I spent years teaching leadership development to college students. One of the most important things I tried to give them was this: before you can lead others well, you have to learn to lead yourself. The same is true in partnership. Before you can have a great partner in business or in life, you have to become one.

I’ve been sitting with a question lately that I can’t shake.

I recently read a feature in The Pennsylvania Gazette, the University of Pennsylvania’s alumni magazine, about how one of the world’s top universities is incorporating AI in multiple classes. ICSC, the national association for shopping centers, hosted an entire day of professional development at its national conference in Vegas to showcase new technologies fueled by AI. I just got invited to join a group of commercial real estate investors who teach cutting edge ways to use AI in our own businesses.

I love all the exciting possibilities AI brings and I use it every day. It has made me faster, sharper, and more productive than I’ve ever been.

But somewhere in the middle of all of it, something made me pause.

When success takes time, focusing on daily small wins helps you feel like you’re making progress - even though your results can take months or even years to come to fruition.

In my previous career working on college campuses, success felt easy. I could execute, check things off my list, and see results compound quickly. Commercial real estate is different. The big wins like signing a lease, buying a building, selling an asset, can take months or even years. It can feel painfully slow. And then all of a sudden, success arrives all at once.

That gap in between is where most people get discouraged - and some even give up entirely. After transitioning into commercial real estate, I had to learn to think differently about progress so I could reduce my frustrations and stay committed to our long-term vision.

Your purpose gets revealed to you daily. It is the thread that’s connecting the dots of who you are.”

— Oprah Winfrey, Colorado College Commencement Address, 2019

I didn’t become a real estate investor because I had some great vision or a carefully laid plan.

I became one because my organization had restructured and my executive position was suddenly eliminated. My husband Sam knew his job at BlackRock had an expiration date. And when he told me he wanted to start buying commercial buildings — to build something new for himself — he asked for my help.

Sam is my number one person. Of course I said yes.

That’s the real origin story. Not a polished pivot. Not a strategic career move. Just two people deciding to build something together when their back was to the wall.

What I didn’t see coming was what it would become.

We are currently under contract on a deal that has some firsts for us.

It’s a medtail building in Pennsylvania — a hybrid medical and retail property — and we’re doing things we’ve never done before. First joint venture with two incredibly talented operators who bring leasing and construction expertise.

I have a lot of excitement and nervous energy. Because the stakes are always high when we buy — and this one is our biggest yet. I’m deeply motivated to rise to the occasion, make disciplined decisions, and not let the pressure get the best of me or our team.

That’s exactly why I keep coming back to emotional intelligence.

If you’re like me, you’re working hard toward big goals — but sometimes things don’t go according to plan.

Deals fall through. Projects hit delays. Plans look perfect on paper and still fall apart in real life.

I’ve learned that how you respond in those moments matters far more than what actually went wrong.

Failure isn’t final — it’s feedback to help you grow.

In her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dr. Carol Dweck writes, “When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world.” Her research shows that the beliefs we hold about our abilities — what she calls our mindset — shape how we handle challenges, mistakes, and growth.

As part of my journey to grow Champion Investment Properties, our commercial real estate investing business, I’ve realized that mindset is just as important as strategy. One practice that’s shaped how I lead and build relationships is gratitude—something I return to every morning.

Every morning, as I drink my coffee, I take a few minutes to write in my gratitude journal. It’s a simple practice, but it has been a keystone habit in my life for nearly six years.

Over time, I’ve learned that gratitude is the perfect antidote to negative emotions. Whenever I feel stress, frustration, or worry, shifting into a grateful state resets everything.

Gratitude changes my psychology - it grounds me, opens me up to possibilities, and helps me build stronger relationships.