David Williams grew up in Bath, England, in a family where weekends were defined by rugby pitches, squash courts, and long days at school followed by even longer evenings of sport. That early love of team environments carried him across the Atlantic to Boston and Vermont, into graduate school, elite ski academies, the AHL, and eventually onto the pitch with the U.S. national rugby team, running out in front of 40,000+ fans in Hong Kong.

From there, his role evolved from player to strength and conditioning coach to national team staff — helping prepare the U.S. squad for a Rugby World Cup, building systems, and pushing athletes to their limits. And then, like so many of us, he hit a crossroads and walked away from the only world he’d ever really known.

Today, David has built a second career in commercial real estate across Colorado — office, industrial, land, investment — bringing the same team-first mindset into boardrooms, site tours, and negotiations. He’s honest about what he misses from sport, what he doesn’t romanticize, and why he’ll always choose values and long-term relationships over chasing the biggest check.

At the heart of this conversation is something simple and rare: the power of having real friends, real conversations, and a real support system while you reinvent yourself — and why being a “good bloke” and maybe even a G.C. still matters more than any title.

www.everettslending.com
720-979-8742
jimmy@everettslending.com
IG: @jimmythesaint5280

Christina Ray’s story is one of grit, faith, and fearless reinvention. Raised on an Air Force base in North Dakota, she grew up surrounded by discipline, loyalty, and community—watching her dad build a military career and her mom dedicate 25 years to Lockheed Martin. Those early lessons carried her from small-town life to Colorado, where she found herself navigating college, chasing purpose, and eventually stumbling into a career in property management.

What started as a leasing job turned into a decade-long climb through every level of the business, all the way to regional director. She met her husband there, learned how to lead people, and discovered just how much she loved helping others find “home.” But everything changed the day she got a call from daycare saying her daughter was sick—and her boss asked, “What’s your plan B?” That moment pushed her to create one of her own.

Eight months pregnant with her second child, Christina decided it was time to bet on herself. She got licensed, joined Live Laugh Denver, and never looked back. Over nine years, she’s built a thriving real estate career while raising two daughters, setting boundaries that protect both her business and her family. Her mindset—rooted in faith, gratitude, and abundance—has carried her through markets that tested even the best agents.

In this episode, Christina shares what it really takes to balance ambition and motherhood, how she’s teaching her daughters the power of hard work, and why she believes success means never having to tell your kids “we can’t afford that dream.” It’s an honest, heartfelt look at a woman who’s built her life around service, family, and the kind of perseverance that can’t be faked.

www.everettslending.com
720-979-8742
jimmy@everettslending.com
IG: @jimmythesaint5280

This week on Mindset Matters I sat down with my friend and fellow Green Mountain grad, Mikelle Adkins Smith of Keller Williams Advantage.

Mikelle grew up an only child who loved books and writing, with a very straightforward plan: become an attorney, make the grades, do the work, check the boxes. She got into DU, worked 40 hours a week while carrying a full class load, and stayed locked in on that path… until real estate and the title world showed her two things at once:

1. She could make more money, faster, without going hundreds of thousands into debt.
2. She could actually build a life she wanted, not just a résumé that looked good.

From there, her story takes a lot of turns - leaving the law-school dream behind and jumping into title, burning out during the refi boom, meeting her now-husband Brian and, within six months, watching him buy a struggling franchise while she quit her stable job and they got married, and eventually her decision to enter real estate and build a life and business simultaneously.

We get into motherhood, too. Having kids during the 2007–08 mess, choosing to be home as much as she could while still selling, and how having three boys (now 18, 16, and 13) completely reframed how she talks to clients about homeownership.

And then there’s hockey.

A random flyer in a kindergarten Friday folder led to roller hockey at Skate City… then ice hockey… and now all three boys are all-in. They shoot pucks every day without being asked, they study film, they battle each other in the driveway, and they make choices most grown adults won’t make to protect their opportunities. Mikelle and Brian don’t try to be their coaches - they just ask good questions, keep them grounded, and let the work ethic be theirs.

What stuck with me most, though, was this:

Mikelle will tell you she’s guarded, that she keeps a small circle because of some of what she lived through growing up. But if you listen to how she talks about her boys, her clients, and even the kids they play with, you can hear the truth - she’s got a massive heart, and her sons have inherited it. They care, they stick up for people, and they don’t let past hurts decide how they show up.

If you’re in real estate, a parent, or just someone trying to figure out how to chase big goals without losing your mind or your family in the process, this episode is worth your time.

And Mikelle's story... starts now!

www.everettslending.com
720-979-8742
jimmy@everettslending.com
IG: @jimmythesaint5280