4235 Hillsboro Pike, Ste 300, Nashville, TN 37215 Phone 615-596-6210 OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM STAFF Publisher: Aequalitas Media, LLC
Group Publisher for Aequalitas Media Bill Gemmill Founder and Publisher Emeritus Jerry Jones Group Editor Aequalitas Media: Merryn Johns merryn@outvoices.us Managing Editor: James Grady jgrady@outandaboutnashville.com Sales & Marketing: Keith Chamlee Keith@outvoices.us Design, Layout and Production: Saul Santos fsdemianhades3@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTORS Writers: DJ Doran, James Grady, Joe Morales Photographers: AJ Ford Cover: Helix Model and Professional Dominatrix, Garrett Kinsley. Photo by AJ Ford, courtesy of Helix Studios. National Advertising Representative: Aequalitas Media 3023 N Clark St #732, Chicago IL 60657 312-600-8823
CORRECTIONS
We regret that the February LGBTQ Business Directory and Travelers’ Guide listed an incorrect phone number for Karuna Therapeutic Solutions. Their correct phone number is 615-669-6621. We apologize for the confusion.
OPPORTUNITIES
Out & About Nashville welcomes volunteer writers, photographers and videographers throughout the year. If you’re interested in contributing to our publication, send an email to editor@outandaboutnashville.com with a resume, contact information and samples of your work if available. Our volunteer staff is unpaid, but contributors do receive credit for their work in our print publication and online. Those seeking an internship in journalism or mass communications are strongly encouraged to apply.
LEGAL
Out & About Nashville strives to be a credible community news organization by engaging and educating our readers. All content of Out & About Nashville is copyrighted 2017 by Out & About Nashville, Inc. and is protected by federal copyright law and shall not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. All photography is licensed stock imagery or has been supplied unless otherwise credited to a photographer and may not be reproduced without permission. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representations does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of the person or persons. Out & About Nashville accepts unsolicited material but cannot take responsibility for its return. The editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit submissions. All rights revert to authors upon publication. The editorial positions of Out & About Nashville are expressed in editorials and in the editor’s notes as determined by the editor. Other opinions are those of writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Out & About Nashville or its staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged but may be edited for clarity and length. There is no guarantee that letters will be published. Out & About Nashville only accepts adult advertising within set guidelines and on a case-by-case basis.
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Publisher’s Letter
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
September Issue
Well, here we are again. Mask mandates are coming back for who knows how long, Covid cases are spiking across the country because many people, especially younger people, are refusing to get vaccinated, and the economic renaissance that we all thought was coming is sputtering. These are uncertain times and many of us, including OUTvoices, are doing our best to weather the rough waters. It has been on my mind of late that in times of crisis we can see how people and communities come together if we just look around us. There will always be purveyors of doom and gloom in every situation, but also there are the helpers, the ones who step up and try to help those in need. Mr. Rogers once said, “In times of need look to the helper”—helpers like non-profits who do wonderful work in local communities for those in need. They can’t stop doing what they do just because there is a crisis, because the people who depend on them need them now more than ever.
Medical research hasn’t always seen you. We’re changing that.
People will remember these organizations that were there for them when they were most needed, and we need to help these organizations—such as Nashville CARES and the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce—continue to operate by supporting them, and their awareness and fundraising events, in whatever ways that we can. I encourage everyone to volunteer, donate or do whatever you can to help these non-profits continue their vital work. I look forward to a time without Covid, without masks and without fear, when we can all gather together for work and pleasure undaunted by the impact of this virus. We are all in this together and we will all get through this together.
Learn more at joinallofus.org/fiftyforward 615-743-3431 September 2021
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The Special Shelf
YOU DESERVE TO BE PAID.
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Miriam’s Promise recognized by HRC for LGBTQ+ inclusion
Today, Miriam’s Promise, a pregnancy counseling, parenting coaching and adoption-related services provider for Middle Tennessee, proudly announced that it is being recognized in 2021 Change-Makers from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The third annual report highlights 119 child welfare agencies across the country who have worked with the HRC Foundation’s All Children - All Families (ACAF) program to improve the services they provide to the LGBTQ+ community. This includes children in foster care and prospective foster and adoptive parents. Miriam’s Promise has been recognized at the Innovative Inclusion tier.
News Texas; and 360 Youth Services in Illinois. The report also features interviews with individuals who have been impacted by LGBTQ+inclusive services, including: Manuel Padilla, a foster parent in Colorado; and Victoria, a former youth in care and now trainer at Lawrence Hall in Illinois. Since 2007, hundreds of child welfare agencies across the U.S. have used ACAF’s resources to enhance their efforts to achieve safety, permanency and well-being for LGBTQ+ youth and families. Read the full report here.
J. Dietz Osborne, Miriam’s Promise president and CEO, stated, “I’m so proud of our staff and board of directors for taking these steps toward inclusion. Being welcoming, affirming, and inclusive has been a long-term goal for Miriam’s Promise. To be recognized as an Innovator by ACAF and the Human Rights Campaign is the result of some difficult conversations, hard work, passion, and endurance.” “The third edition of our Change-Makers report shows that, despite the many hardships of the last year, more organizations than ever before are working alongside the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to make impactful change for the LGBTQ+ youth and families they serve,” said Alison Delpercio, Human Rights Campaign Foundation Director, All Children - All Families. “This year’s participants also demonstrated a growing commitment to intersectionality and ensuring organizational policies and practices do not reinforce the same systems of oppression that put youth and families at risk in the first place. By taking on these challenges, the change-makers featured in our 2021 report are models for youthserving professionals everywhere.” The release comes at a time when many have been sounding the alarm about the particular risks foster youth face due to COVID-19. LGBTQ+ inclusion work in foster care systems could not be more important. Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in foster care. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation believes that the child welfare systems must do more to ensure that the trauma of foster care, where LGBTQ youth already face an increased risk of both negative experiences and outcomes, is never compounded by unsafe and non-affirming foster homes. • Approximately 1 out of every 3 youth in foster care is LGBTQ+ • LGBTQ+ youth report higher rates of mistreatment while in care • LGBTQ+ youth report more frequent placement disruptions • LGBTQ+ youth report a higher likelihood of being placed in congregate care settings
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The agencies featured in this report, like Miriam's Promise, conducted an internal self-assessment, provided professional development to staff and implemented ACAF’s “Benchmarks of LGBTQ Inclusion,” which track policy and practice changes within agencies. The 2021 Change-Makers report features three “Tiers of Recognition,” which celebrate the progress agencies have made toward becoming fully welcoming to their LGBTQ+ clients. With 32 new participants this year, ACAF also expands the program’s reach into six new states—Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico and North Carolina—and the District of Columbia for the first time. 92% of participants met a tier of recognition, and 14 of the returning organizations advanced to a higher tier of recognition. Those tiers include: • Innovative Inclusion: 44 organizations met all 25 applicable criteria and are going beyond to innovate their services for LGBTQ+ youth and families • Solid Foundation for Inclusion: 40 organizations met all 25 applicable policy and practice criteria for LGBTQ+ inclusion • Building Foundation for Inclusion: 25 organizations met foundational criteria, including non-discrimination protections The report features profiles of four child welfare organizations that are setting the bar for LGBTQ+ inclusion while adapting to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to calls for an end to systemic racism—including in child welfare: Vista Del Mar in California; Extraordinary Families in California; Texas Casa in
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Cover Article
Tennessee
Twi
Turned D.C.
A Conversation with Helix Studios’
Garrett Kinsley James Grady Many young LGBTQ+ people in Tennessee grow up with dreams of escaping the rural South for a more free, liberal urban environment— Chicago, New York, D.C., or at least Atlanta or Nashville. College is often the vehicle for that escape, and it’s the vehicle that brought Garrett Kinsley from rural Tennessee to the nation’s capital. But from there, his story departs from the norm. You see, this pretty twink from Tennessee—like the grad student lead in the Netflix show Bonding—found an atypical way to cover those college costs and fund that city life. He became a professional dominatrix (his chosen term) his freshman year, before joining Helix Studios’ stable of twinks his sophomore year. Garrett might not fit the common mold of a gay dom—a big muscle daddy in leather, a la Tom of Finland—which may be why the term dominatrix fits so well. But when it comes to desire fulfillment, he takes his job seriously, having hones skills with blades and in breath control. Read more about how this Tennessee boy has come to dominate some of the nation’s most powerful men and much more below. 8
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Cover Article matter to him because he has his own like values of the importance of things in his mind. My sexuality is not on that scale. James Grady: Your life took a pretty wild turn after high school. How did you get it in your head that you were going to do dominatrix work and porn?
nk
Dominatrix
James Grady: You grew up in rural Tennessee? What was life like there for you as a gay boy? Garrett Kinsley: It was definitely interesting, because I didn't get to grow up with the life and luxuries that some people in other more progressive areas of the world have. But I love where I grew up. It's definitely somewhere that feels like home. It's interesting getting to experience growing up in the south as a gay man. James Grady: Did you did you experience much bullying? Garrett Kinsley: You know, I don't think I I don't think I was ever like super directly bullied. I mean, people did it behind my back and stuff like that. They were so rude ... my school was shady. They would never do to your face. They're all fake. James Grady: I mean, I guess there are worse things than East Tennessee Gossip Girl… Garrett Kinsley: That! Very that! But yeah … I did have this one time in school where one girl had called me gay. I really didn't know what that meant or anything like that. And I told my mom, and my mom was like, "Do not have any idea what that means?" I was just like, "I straight-up have no idea what that is..." James Grady: So definitely a lack of representation there if you managed to get that far without knowing what gay meant! What was coming out like? Garrett Kinsley: I mean, it was one of those things that my mother had to kind of get used to. Because she was like, "Oh, my baby! He hates the Lord!" I was like, "No, I don't hate the Lord, I just don't think he's real... That's not the same thing!" But she definitely got into it. My dad ... I think to him, it just doesn't really
Garrett Kinsley: I think I always kind of knew. I remember reading an interview where Alex Riley was explaining he always had some weird calling. It was just always there. And that's how I kind of feel. And it just kind of just kind of fell into my lap. It was really opportunistic. I mean, I was doing dominatrix work before I started in adult entertainment. But I definitely wasn't too foreign to that realm, but it's definitely not the same thing. James Grady: Yeah, one is very public, and one is very private, and they each have their own specific concerns… So you started working as a dominatrix first. How did you get into that? Garrett Kinsley: Oh, gosh, how did I get into that? Well, it's kind of started small. I was doing like here and there things... People would give me massages on grinders and stuff for money. This was just kind of the next step and I felt okay with it. It was something for me to feel comfortable—I felt okay being in that position of power and having that right. So it wasn't too hard for me to bring that into the sexual sphere. While it is scary for some, I was kind of more okay with it. It made it make more sense to me. James Grady: So I'm interested in the jump. I think a lot of people have made the jump from maybe getting a massage for money on Grindr to being an escort ... which is not what you did. You went into dominatrixing. Did somebody asked you specifically to be dominant? Or is it just your personality and you kind of pushed it in that direction? Garrett Kinsley: I mean, I started off very dom—I think it has a bit to do with my confidence level. It's just kind of easy for me to go with that. That's just a niche I felt most comfortable in... I think I kind of fell into it accidentally, but I found definitely the groove that I feel I'm most able to help others benefit from... James Grady: So you fell into it accidentally, but then you raised your game to a whole ‘nother level. You actually threw yourself into it, leaned... So tell me a little bit about that journey to being a like a professional dominatrix. Garrett Kinsley: It is kind of based on your city. It is a kind of like underground little society. I definitely think it takes a lot more dedication and preparation because. There's a lot of stuff behind the scenes that you don't see, like all the like the paperwork that I have to figure out and have people look at and sign so I'm not responsible for what they do and choose. I want my business to be very professional, and that's how people usually view me as... I really wanted my product to be something that makes the experience worth it... James Grady: How do you educate yourself in the practices of a dominatrix? Garrett Kinsley: I call her the headmistress, because she's the biggest dom that we have around here. She taught me; she kind of picked me up and showed me the ropes and all that kind of stuff. It was really cute, a little like a dominatrix mommy. James Grady: So you know I know at one point you had a dungeon of your own. What 's that environment like and how did you develop that? Garrett Kinsley: Well, I used to have one, and it was like near some boat dogs. It was cute and nice, but it was definitely like a four-byfour that was definitely sketchy going in and out of... So like people were into it, like, "Oh, this is hot. It's like an actual dungeon!" Yeah, it's hot, but it smells bad and there are some dead rats out there, but whatever. It's hot. James Grady: Crazy! Literally down by the docks? Garrett Kinsley: I know! That in it was a vibe. So yeah, it was kinda like a chainlink thing... September 2021
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Cover Article James Grady: What kind of what kind of equipment do you keep in the dungeon? Garrett Kinsley: Oh, I mean, it kind of depends... I actually just have random sex toys and I literally just line them up and am like "What am I feeling today?" And then I see what happens! I do have like that nice utility wall to keep things organized. James Grady: When somebody hires you to be a dom, what does the average session look like? Garrett Kinsley: It looks like they need to figure out a way to explain the bill to their spouse or whatever it may be. Because I definitely have that issue! I don't know... Usually the simple session goes ... like the consultation, someone will come in. I'll put a blindfold on them, so we can just talk about their sexual desires and them not like feel judged... I'll just do like an intake of what I feel like someone will benefit from. Obviously I'll tell you what I think, and then the next time we'll actually start a session. I do like to do a consultation because if I don't trust you and you don't trust me, like, we need to know that immediately. James Grady: Do you have any red lines or hard limits? Garrett Kinsley: My "no go" list is anything that involves putting down another race or religion or like promoting any kind of hate. One time I had a person who basically wanted me to dress up like Hitler. This person was like, "I'm like really into degrading!" And I was like, "Okay, I can do it. How do you like to be degraded?" And he was like, "Well, I'd like if you just acted like you were Hitler and came in and we were in the chamber..." And I was like, "No, that's not hot to me. I can't even think about that!" So I'm not gonna waver on that one and give that fantasy that I don't think should be given... James Grady: I know there are some edgier things you do get into like blade play and breath play. Tell me about that. Garrett Kinsley: Blade play, there is definitely a lot more safety involved, because there's a lot. I mean, the human body is
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interesting—just the depth that you cut someone affects how it can heal. I'm like, "Okay, cool. I'm learning about this stuff anyway ... let's get into and start cutting some things up!" James Grady: What about breath play? How did you first get into that? Garrett Kinsley: Breath play is something that's actually really interesting. And honestly, the only reason I really started doing it was because the girl who's teaching me the ropes told me no one ever does it anymore. And I was like, "Why not?" She was like, "They just don't." And I was like, "Can I? Why not? That sounds really hot!" And she was like, "Okay, cool. I'll teach you how to do it." That's one of those things that it's an unsaid rule that if you've not been taught this properly, you shouldn't practice. If you haven't studied it, it's really dangerous. It's definitely something scary, trusting someone with your life and how much air you're taking in. So it's really important that the dom can trust the sub and the sub can trust the dom in this situation. James Grady: So what kind of people do you tend to have approached you looking for your services? Garrett Kinsley: I'm in Washington, DC. So some are like politically charged. I just won't say anything. I've definitely had some interesting people that I now know are like, "Okay, they're from the Republican Party. Well, they weren't screaming red last night!" But I have paperwork for them to sign that helps keep that anonymity for them. James Grady: I guess they're type A personalities a lot of times, and I guess that's what they're what they're seeking from you is turning that table? Garrett Kinsley: The idea of giving up and letting go and just having someone else be in the driver's seat for a second. The way I like explain it is ... you drive your car so much, and it's your car so you're so used to driving. But it probably feels really good to have someone else drive it, and you sit in the passenger seat. You're just giving up your safety and security to someone else and let them steer you in a different direction. Because you never know where you can go.
Cover Article So most of my clients just like to have the control taken and be spanked around and tapped around a little bit. Some are really into degradation. Most people usually want feel like the sexual desire of just giving up... letting me play around, tickle them, and do all that kind of sensory work. James Grady: How does the work impact your personal sex life? Garrett Kinsley: My personal sex life is kinda really not there sometimes. But it really just depends. I'm thinking about my past week, and like one day I definitely had sex with four people. But the rest of the days, I didn't do anything. And nothing the week before... I mean, I still have a normal sex life. But it doesn't ruin sex for me. So I don't think desensitizes sex for me. I think it more or less makes me appreciate the intimate connection that sex is. James Grady: So on a personal level, are you are you yourself into dom-sub play? Garrett Kinsley: That's definitely something I'm into, on both sides... I play a pretty good switch. So it doesn't really matter to me ... I enjoy it either way, it's fun for me. It gives me like a little bit more to play with, which I always enjoy. I don't like things to be so static.
Photos by AJ Ford, courtesy of Helix Studios.
For more about Garrett’s career with Helix Studios, read the full version online at Nashville.OUTvoices.us next month!
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Joe Eats World Lifestyle
Red On The Runway
Vodka Recipes
Ingredients 1½ ounce Crystal Head Vodka ¼ ounce Campari ¼ ounce St. Germain ½ ounce Tart Cranberry Juice ½ ounce Fresh Lime Juice ½ ounce Simple Syrup Top with Soda Instructions Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass with ice. Top with soda.
6 New Amazing
LGBTQ+ Themed Cocktails I've been a bit focused on cocktails lately. Okay, for a while now. It's been a heck of a year, you know. I've gone through some great canned cocktails, tried some amazing tequila, tasted a lot of rum recently, and I can't even tell you how much wine I've opened. All for the sake of *ahem* research. It seems the only thing I haven't delved deeper into was vodka, until now. I recently obtained a Limited Edition Crystal Head Vodka Pride bottle and I haven't opened it yet. If you've never heard of Crystal Head, then let me tell you! I haven't opened the bottle yet because it's beautiful and shiny and looks like the Crystal Skulls from an ancient legend but without the mystical powers (I think). Who knows, maybe it does have them. I'll let you know when I finally open it. Full disclosure,Crystal Head sent me a sample but only AFTER they told me they weren't doing any marketing or advertising in my area. Which is fine, they were nice enough to send me a sample anyway. Inside the box was the vodka itself and a Made with Pride T-shirt, as well as some literature on their product.
Green Drama Queen
By Joe Morales
Ingredients 1 ½ ounce Crystal Head Vodka 4 ounce Thai Basil Lemonade Instructions
When I was reading the flyer in the box I was surprised to see that they support the LGBTQ+ community year-round. They don't just tout Pride Month support—they have ongoing programs across the country that they are involved in.
What is Crystal Head Vodka Crystal Head Vodka is a premium vodka made from Canadian corn and owned by Dan Aykroyd and John Alexander The vodka is distilled four times and blended with water from Newfoundland, then filtered through Herkimer diamond crystals. The spirits are also free of any additives such as glycerol, citrus oil, or sugar, and their factory is certified kosher. There three varieties of vodka, all available in the United States, Canada, and Europe: 1. The original vodka comes in a clear bottle and is made from Canadian peaches and cream sweet corn. 2. The second vodka is called Aurora and is made from English wheat. The flavor is drier and spicier than the original and the bottle is opalescent to represent the Aurora Borealis. 3. The third vodka is called Crystal Head Onyx and is made from blue agave from the Jalisco Mexico region. Onyx is the first agave-based vodka. 12
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Pineapple In Your Pocket
They work regularly with the Stonewall Sports Program, the Test Positive Awareness Network, Kaleidoscope Trust, and Lurie Children's Hospital Transgender Youth Program. This year they have also partnered with Gay Pride Apparel, which is a Mexican-American and LGBTQ+ owned brand that focuses on empowerment, Pride, and authenticity year-round. For every bottle of Crystal Head Vodka and Gay Pride Apparel T-shirt sold, they donate a portion of the proceeds to the Human Rights Campaign.
Using a blender, add lemonade and 250g Thai basil with the stems removed. Blend together for 1-2 minutes until liquid. Strain basil from the lemonade and discard. Fill a highball glass with ice and add Crystal Head Vodka and Thai basil lemonade. Garnish with a cucumber wheel.
Ingredients 2 ounces Crystal Head Vodka 2 ounces Fresh Pineapple Juice ½ ounce Falernum Syrup ¼ ounce Lime Juice 5-6 Mint Leaves, muddled Instructions Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker, muddle, and shake on ice. Double strain into a highball glass with ice. Garnish with mint crown and dehydrated pineapple ring. Add a colourful yellow straw.
Tropic Like It's Hot
Joe Eats World
Ingredients 1 ½ ounce Crystal Head Vodka ½ ounce Campari ½ ounce Apricot Liqueur ½ ounce Fresh Lime Juice 1 ½ ounce Fresh Pineapple Juice Pinch of Salt ½ ounce Simple Syrup Morello Cherry Instructions
Lady Lavender
Build ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple leaf, cherry, and pineapple slice.
Ingredients 1 ½ ounce Crystal Head Vodka 1 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice ¾ ounce Lavender Syrup Muddled Blueberries Top with Sparkling Wine Instructions
Blued Up
Muddle ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake on ice. Double strain into a wine glass with regular ice. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a blueberry skewer.
Ingredients 1 ½ ounce Crystal Head Vodka ¾ ounce St. Germain ¾ ounce Blue Curacao ½ ounce Lemon Juice ½ ounce Pineapple Juice Instructions Hard shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lemon peel. September 2021
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Books
Lifestyle James Grady
Ivan Estrada is a first-generation college graduate and young entertainer-turned real estate dynamo. His passion has led him to be named on the National Association of Realtors’ “Top 30 Under 30” list and earned him guest appearances on NBC’s Open House, HGTV’s House Hunters, and Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing. He’s also been featured in the LA Times, Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, and Dwell Magazine among others. Now, he's releasing his own book, Brand With Purpose, which reflects on Estrada's journey of growing up Latinx, queer, and working-class, as well as providing expert business advice from leading thinkers and critical lessons on personal growth and self-discovery. The book, which entrepreneur powerhouse, David Meltzer called ‘a must-read,’ serves as a guide on how your own experiences, challenges, and obstacles hold the key to creating a timeless brand that builds loyalty, influence, and trust―a brand with purpose. I spoke with Ivan about how this project came about, why branding with a purpose is different that branding as often practiced, and what it means to live authentically when branding. Excerpt: James Grady: What is the difference between branding as sort of crafting to market and branding with purpose? Ivan Estrada: So the difference between branding to the market versus purpose... with purpose, there's more intention behind it. There's more of that authenticity that people are looking for. I think in a world right now where it's covered by filters, we want the world to see the best of ourselves, right? Our best vacations, we just, you know our best bodies or where we live, and we kind of live in this world where we've kind of lost that humanity. And branding with a purpose is not just showing people your wins, but also your challenges, your obstacles. I too was guilty of just putting the awards and all everything that was amazing on my Instagram and social media and wanting people to just see one side of me. Being able to brand with purpose is having intention and showing all aspects of your journey because I think we all want someone to root for… James Grady: So if somebody is wondering, 'How do I figure out what my purpose is so that I can work from that place?'—How would you suggest people get started with that? Ivan Estrada: Finding your purpose, it's a journey. I'll give you my example. For me, it was trial and error, trial and error, trial and error, right? My parents did not want me to go into the music industry at all. That was not a thing: you go to college. As immigrant parents from Mexico you go to college, you work your way up the ladder. My dad wanted to be an accountant. So, of course, he said, 'You should be an accountant.' And so I lived my dreams for someone else. I knew I loved music. I knew I loved being in front of the camera, I knew I loved making people smile. And although music wasn't the end all be all for me, the training that I got, being in front of an audience, being able to speak and connect with people through music ... that is how I feel like I can connect and speak through this book.
Ivan Estrada: Brand With Purpose for True Success
So finding a purpose is figuring out what you love doing. For me, it's helping people, it's being able to be creative. Like with my real estate career, I do my Real Estate Minutes on camera, I do them every week. I get to do these crazy stunts… Finding your purpose is allowing yourself to do what you love doing no matter what the outside sources say… For me, it was just a bunch of trial and error, trying new things, reading books. When I got into real estate, I read 23, 24 books before even making the jump to figure out if that's something that I wanted to do. And when I made a list of all the things that I love to do—real estate, that was it for me. And I love it, I'm living my purpose. But also now I'm gearing up with this book, Brand With Purpose, to explore new avenues of myself. And so that's very exciting for me. Check out more of the interview at Nashville.OUTvoices.us! September 2021
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