There’s a feeling I’ve learned not to ignore. It’s subtle at first, but unmistakable. Unease.
Whenever I fall out of alignment, I don’t try to overpower it or outwork it or distract myself from it. I let it speak. Because over time, I’ve learned that unease isn’t the problem, it’s the signal. And if I’m willing to listen, it will always lead me back to clarity.
Let me rewind a bit. About six months ago, I left for Paris with a few clear intentions. One was to immerse myself in the culinary world and push myself creatively, the other was something I’d been circling for years, the idea of building my own real estate fund. I’ve been a syndicator for a long time, and a successful one, but this felt like a different question, not can I do it, but is this what I want to devote the next chapter of my life to.
Paris gave me space, Italy gave me perspective, and somewhere between the two, I got my answer, a clear yes.
I came back energized and moved fast, really fast. In less than 60 days I was working with attorneys and tax specialists, entering escrow on new acquisitions, structuring a fund, offering rollovers to existing investors, building what I genuinely believe is the foundation for an incredible run in hospitality real estate.
And then something unexpected happened. Ease. Not the kind that comes from things being simple, but the kind that comes from knowing you’re capable of executing at a high level. No doubt, no friction, just forward motion. But underneath that ease, there it was again, unease.
If you’ve ever cooked at a high level, you know this. A dish can look perfect, the technique can be flawless, every component can be there, and still something’s off. One missing ingredient is all it takes. So how do you know. For me, it’s that feeling, the quiet nudge that says this isn’t complete yet. And if you ignore it, it doesn’t go away, it just gets louder.
Mine revealed itself in a simple moment. I was in Del Mar the morning before a friend’s wedding, looking for a good cup of coffee. I found a small place with great reviews, nothing fancy, but when I got there there were about 50 people waiting for it to open. I was third in line, which told me everything I needed to know. When I finally got my coffee and sat down, it was one of the best cups I’ve had in a long time. As I finished it, I looked down at the cup, and there it was, clear as day, the missing ingredient, Little Joy.
I’ve made this mistake before. I get into build mode and I get very good at it. The truth is, I’m scary good at real estate, I can create success there almost on command. But I’ve learned something the hard way, success without joy is a hollow win. It looks great from the outside, it works on paper, it makes money, but it doesn’t feel the way it should. And over time, that gap becomes impossible to ignore.
What hit me hardest in that moment wasn’t just that joy was missing, it was that I had spent years helping other people rediscover it, and somehow, in the process of building something new, I had left it out of my own equation. Not intentionally, just unconsciously.
So I made a decision, not to change direction, but to complete it. Because the vision I’m building doesn’t need to be replaced, it needs to be enriched, fully expressed, aligned.
Which brings me to what’s next. I’m going to start building something alongside everything else I’m creating, an evolution of what we’ve started here, with more connection, more shared experiences, more real, in person moments with people who actually want to live this way. I’m talking about being around people I respect, people I’m inspired by, people who value both experience and depth, not just through social media, but in real life, face to face, where it actually means something.
I’m calling it The Inspired Way Society. Not as a pitch, not as a program, but as a natural extension of something I know I want more of in my own life.
Because I know where the other path leads. Sitting alone in a beautiful place, with everything working, except the part that actually matters.
So this is me adding the missing ingredient.
P.S. - I have already started to reach out to a few of you I thought this might align with, but I may actually be surprised to learn who it really resonates with, so feel free to DM me if you want to learn more about this. Don’t expect me to have all the answers. This is something that needs to be cultivated over time with thoughtfulness and flexibility. It needs to evolve. It’s not a business with a business plan. It will not be marketed. There will only be invitations. It’s just a vision right now aiming to bring more joy into our lives intentionally.
