About
ABOUT
I live on 5 acres near St. Louis, Missouri, and adore Missouri. No matter where I travel, Missouri is home. I have three sons, ages 22 years, 20 years, and 18 years (as of Fall 2025) — an Engineer, a US Marine, and an Entrepreneur.
I start my mornings with either strong coffee with a bit of cream or hot tea with honey. I create — words, graphics, photos, ideas, crafts, experiences.
My husband has 3 kids, and we even have 4 granddaughters and a grandson. My grandma name is “Nana.”
My husband Nat and I
SPEAKING
I am a keynote speaker at summits and conferences, teach workshops, and write ebooks about communication and the guest experience, especially the vacation rental niche. Check my events and travels and see my press.
I’ve spoken on stages all over the world, from Nashville to London to Barcelona to Croatia to Toronto to Las Vegas to Boston and many more. Adding Italy in 2025.
Contact me to speak and inspire at your next event.
I BOUGHT A BANK
It’s part of my 2 boutique brands of curated vacation rental properties.
The Bank Haus has 2 original vaults where you can legally launder in the Ozarks and is now a 4 bedroom vacation rental. I also purchased the little house next door, and it is a 1 bedroom vacation rental.
Located in Marthasville, Missouri, they are across the street from the Katy Trail and the edge of Missouri wine country. These are a part of our collection of vacation rentals in Missouri wine country, both ones that I own and some that I manage. You can see them at Missouri Haus.
The second brand is Branson Family Retreats. We own four vacation homes in Branson, Missouri at Table Rock Lake and manage several as well. You can stay at them with your family or friends for a few days getaway or a week vacation.
We were recently voted Best Vacation Rentals, Best Dog-friendly Lodging, and Best Family-friendly Lodging in Branson.
CONSULTING
Known as the Queen of Guest Experience in the vacation rental industry, I consult for tech suppliers as well as other property managers and hosts.
I invested in and consulted for Touch Stay digital guidebooks for 7 years. Originally created for vacation and short term rentals, but really, the platform can be a guide to anything – tourism guides, event guides, training manuals, wedding apps, playbooks…anything you can dream of that has content you want to beautifully and easily present to your users.
COMMUNITY
I served on the board of directors for our local Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for foster children for the max allowable time, from 2017 to 2023. My role was to bring awareness to the program for children, encourage people to volunteer to be a CASA, and raise funds for the program to serve the children.
I still heavily support CASA without serving on the board, including committing $1 per night of every booking from Branson Family Retreats and Missouri Haus.
I’ve also served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Lodging Professionals, currently serve as President for the Missouri Vacation Home Alliance, and am a new Board of Director for the Vacation Rental Manager’s Association.
ANOTHER BRAND
I created a brand called Natty Media with my husband Nat, a smart and fashionable company that creates websites and marketing content for vacation rentals and small businesses. We take on a limited number of clients and book 2 years in advance.
Nat and I in Stirling Castle, Scotland
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS
I love to read. By the age of 5 years, I had read the entire series of Laura Ingalls Wilder books…twice.
I started writing a series of historical romance novels based on my great-great-great grandparents when they came to Missouri from Germany in the 1860s. One day I will have them finished for you to read.
I started bicycling in 2016. I love that several Missouri wineries have paths from the Katy Trail to their tasting rooms. My goal is to one day ride all 237 miles of the Katy Trail.
Nat and I eloped on the Isle of Skye in 2019. Our story and photo was published in Condé Nast Traveler.
I always thought my heritage was mainly German, but then I found out my maternal grandmother’s line is a direct royal bloodline. Even if the royals are 29+ generations back, it’s still fun to see how many kings and queens of European countries one is related to!
P.S. Curious about my gear? Or my tech stack and resources for vacation rentals? Click the links for more info.