Girl Power in Property Management
From Loss and Doubt to Triumph: A Journey of Faith, Resilience, and Unstoppable Determination
I was raised in the South in the 1990s, when “Girl Power” was everything and people often called me an “old soul.” I learned the meaning of hard work from my parents, who juggled two to three jobs while also volunteering for local shelters and Masonic lodges. I was a driven child and completed a summer scholars program that earned me a paid two-year college scholarship. However, after graduating from high school early in 2003, I decided college was not the right path for me and went straight to work.
I moved from mortgage title work into assisting criminal defense attorneys in 2006. With three close family members retired from Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office and my mother working at the courthouse, legal work felt familiar, but I still felt unfulfilled.
Everything changed in 2008 when my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She fought a difficult battle until she passed away in March 2009. Hours before she left us, I promised her that I would make something of myself and make her proud.
After going through a dark season while trying to find my way, I reconnected with my faith and family. In 2010, I enrolled at Empire Beauty School. I graduated in 2012 as the class speaker in front of more than 300 people, and one week later, I went straight to work doing what I loved.
In June 2015, I found out I was expecting twins. By July, my joy turned to heartbreak when doctors told me one baby had a blood flow issue and likely would not survive. Still, I held onto hope.
In December 2015, as I was wheeled into the operating room, I looked at my doctor and said, “Just make sure you drink your coffee and have the faith of a mustard seed, because my God has big plans for my babies.”
My nurse, who had stood by my side during my two-month hospital stay, prayed over me and kissed my forehead.
Against all odds, I delivered two healthy but remarkably tiny baby boys — one weighing just over a pound and the other just over three pounds. After spending 47 and 49 days in the NICU, they finally came home.
Two weeks later, life shifted, and it became just the three of us against the world.
While living with family to get back on my feet, I worked two jobs and continued cutting hair to save every penny I could. Eventually, I saved enough money to move my boys into our very own townhouse, relying on the village that loved us to help care for them while I worked.
Everything changed again in the blink of an eye when a client named Scooter walked in for a haircut. During our conversation, he told me, “You have to meet my wife. You would be perfect as her assistant.”
Intrigued, I stopped by her office a few days later. After an interview, a meeting with the district manager, and a background screening, I was officially hired as an Assistant Property Manager at a storage facility.
Only three months later, she handed me the keys to the kingdom and said, “Treat her right, and she will be good to you.”
That is exactly what I did, successfully managing that property for nearly four years.
In 2019, I had my third child, a beautiful baby girl, and married a military veteran. By 2020, I was ready for a new chapter and stepped into affordable housing as an Assistant Property Manager for a senior LIHTC property in Gainesville. I knew absolutely nothing about tax credits, but I was determined to learn.
I was blessed with two wonderful mentors, Mark and Dana. Mark kept things simple, while Dana reminded me to take everything one day at a time. Within months, I was off and running, ultimately spending more than five wonderful years there while serving in two different positions.
After praying for months about my future, a door finally opened.
I met a woman named Kristina in October 2024, and in January 2025, she emailed me at 1:30 a.m. asking me to join her team in Cleveland. I replied by 5:30 that same morning. Later that evening, we spoke on the phone for nearly two hours and connected instantly, like old friends.
In February 2025, I took a massive leap of faith and left Gainesville. I felt a calling in my heart that I was needed elsewhere, driven by the same mustard-seed faith that had carried me through so much before.
I stepped into a property that was struggling and operating without a manager. It desperately needed someone to help turn it around.
Those first few months were frightening, and I found myself questioning my decisions and wondering whether I was truly capable of succeeding in the role. But I pushed past the doubt — of course I was.
A year and a half later, I am successfully managing two thriving properties, while a third is currently making a comeback under my leadership.
If you ever find yourself questioning whether you are the right woman for the job, remember my story.
The answer is always yes.
