My Story.

Life isn’t linear. It’s layered, lived, and learned in moments.

The year was 1990, and I moved to Southern California to play college baseball. I was young, chasing a dream, and while California felt familiar, it also seemed completely foreign. It was the time of my life — one of those formative chapters that shape you before you even realize it.

Eventually, life pulled me back to Calgary. I wasn’t sure what was next. But not long after, I returned to California again — this time to attend a business golf school. A different “bat”, a smaller ball, but still something I could swing at. After graduating, I had a short stint working at a golf course in Surrey, B.C. The early mornings and long days eventually made one thing clear: this wasn’t my path.

So, I pivoted. University was calling, and I enrolled at the University of Calgary to study earth sciences. Which was of course, fueled by my lifelong love of the outdoors. Nature and movement had always grounded me. I started skiing at two, and from there it was gymnastics, soccer, hockey, tennis, baseball, and ski racing. I couldn’t sit still — and I didn’t want to. I played a ton of competitive sports, and when I look back, those lessons learned have served me well. Perseverance, competition, teamwork, discipline, resilience, respect, and leadership. All are valuable in day-to-day life.

The mountains, though, held something deeper. Hiking, backpacking, and backcountry skiing. I was drawn to the solitude and the self-reliance. Those quiet spaces helped me reset. And almost always, I had my camera in hand. I loved freezing fleeting moments in time, framing the beauty that so easily is taken for granted.

But the classroom couldn’t contain me for long. I craved movement. Experience. Travel. I’d always been more of a doer than a classroom learner, and my curiosity kept pushing me outward. So, I took a year off and moved to Japan to teach English. That year and a half, including travels through Southeast Asia, was filled with independence, challenge, and perspective. It lit a fire in me that still hasn’t gone out. 

Eventually, I returned home, finished my degree, and — like many Calgarians — looked toward the oil and gas industry. But after a handful of interviews that didn’t land, I had time to reflect. That pause turned out to be the opening for something else entirely.

A friend working for Salomon, the outdoor company, invited me to help with ski demo events. You know, the ones where you test out skis at resorts. It was a perfect fit — skiing, the outdoors, and people. Soon, I was hired full-time as a ski tech rep, right here in the Canadian Rockies. That gig opened a new chapter in the outdoor industry for me, and before long, I joined The North Face as a sales rep.

That brand meant a lot to me. As a kid, I idolized athletes like Scott Schmidt. Seeing him in Powder Magazine and those annual iconic ski flicks. I would watch films of climbing expeditions to the remote corners of the world, and read National Geographic Magazine, dreaming of one day becoming one of their photographers. That creative thread has always been in me. My camera’s been a quiet companion for decades. Maybe the creativity came from my dad, who studied architecture at university before joining the family building supplies business. His father also carried an adventurous spirit, having come to Canada from Sweden to start anew.

In high school, I even enrolled in drafting class, designing homes and floor plans, while poring over Architectural Digest Magazine, imagining how we shape space and how it shapes us. That visual aesthetich has never left me. The desire to shape a photograph or build a home. And maybe that’s what eventually nudged me into real estate.

In 2007, I left the outdoor industry to join a developer / builder working on projects in Mexico. My background in sales gave me a strong foundation, and soon I was managing both marketing and sales. Then life twisted again — this time taking my wife and me to Huatulco, Mexico, to open a local office for the developer, and eventually become the owners of a real estate brokerage also.

What a whirlwind! And what a learning curve.

Was I fluent in Spanish? Not even close. But we leaned in. That initial 18-month plan turned into several years as we worked on our business, sold homes, navigated a foreign market, and lived deeply within a new culture. It was an adventure that pushed us to grow in every way. 

Then came the housing crisis of 2009. Business slowed, and Huatulco was still an emerging destination. Deals took time. We knew it was time to pivot again, and in 2013, we moved back to Calgary.

At first, nothing clicked. I didn’t want just another job. I’ve never believed in doing something just to stay busy. That’s when another friend reached out — this time from the wine and spirits world. Ironically, I’d already started falling in love with wine thanks to my wife. We had taken a trip to the Okanagan for my birthday, and I was captivated. Every grape told a different story. Different soil, different country, different outcome. It mirrored everything I loved — nuance, discovery, experience.

That self-education paid off. I took the job offer from my friend and found myself in one of the largest wine and spirits companies in the country. Eventually, this led to a territory management position amongst a small group of colleagues across Canada. It was exciting, interesting, and required constant learning. I was working with some of the best retail stores and restaurants in the province.

Then came 2020.

The pandemic hit, restaurants closed, and I lost my job. 

But I didn’t panic, I saw a window. An opportunity. It was time to return to real estate and team up with my wife to form the Calgary Life Real Estate Group. I brought everything I’d learned into something new. The creativity, the storytelling, the business, the visual language of photography and video — it all became part of how I showed up in this work.

Today, I work with a Calgary-area home builder, leading their sales and marketing. I bring every skill I’ve picked up over the years. The creativity, the storytelling, the business skills, Realtor®, marketer, and the visual language of photography and video — and pour it into this next chapter.

It all feels connected now. And, it all fits here.

I’ve never stayed in one lane. I believe in the power of range. Of following your curiosity. Of embracing every twist and turn life throws at you. The world is changing fast, and those who adapt, who stay curious, who integrate across disciplines…they’re the ones who thrive.

I don’t believe in wasted experiences. I believe in showing up. In learning from the hard seasons and leaning into the joyful ones. In creating and capturing what matters, moment by moment.

This is the journey I’m on — and I’m glad you’re here.

Find What Matters. To You.