Chapter Nine

Saying Yes... Again

Success has a remarkable way of opening doors you never expect.

Word began spreading throughout the RV industry about the transformation of the Ventura resort. Before long, I received a phone call from one of California's largest RV resort companies asking if I would meet with their executive team.

During our conversation, they shared a vision for the future of their organization. They owned nine RV resorts throughout California and were looking for someone to serve as their Chief Operating Officer.

It was an opportunity I had never imagined for myself.

Once again, someone saw something in me before I saw it in myself.

After many conversations, Christopher and I decided to say yes.

The opportunity wasn't simply about advancing my career. It was about giving our family another adventure. Every move we had made together had introduced us to new people, new communities, and new experiences. We had learned that sometimes the greatest gift you can give your children isn't certainty, it’s showing them that life is meant to be explored.

Leaving Ventura was one of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to make. Over the years we had transformed far more than an RV resort. We had built a family. I watched employees who once doubted themselves become confident leaders. I watched a struggling property become a destination people were proud to visit. Most importantly, I knew the team no longer needed me.

That was the greatest reward of all. True leadership isn't measured by how much people depend on you. It's measured by how well they lead after you're gone.

With grateful hearts, we packed our belongings once again and moved to San Diego. We found a little beach house that immediately felt like home.

Christopher loved being near the ocean, and Savanna and Olivia quickly embraced another new adventure. Looking back, those first few months remain some of our happiest memories. We explored the coastline together, discovered hidden beaches, and dreamed about everything the future might hold.

Then, almost overnight...The world changed. COVID-19 brought life to a standstill. Businesses closed. Travel disappeared. Communities shut down. Families found themselves separated by borders that no one had expected.

Like thousands of others, our company was forced to make incredibly difficult decisions, and eventually, my position was eliminated.

For the first time in many years, I found myself without a clear picture of what came next. In a weird way, it was kind of beautiful. People were not on the streets, neighborhoods were quiet, and people began to reflect on what was really important. 

We paused, we tried to understand and grasp the depth of this unknown issue at the time. And as the news came out, we learned that not only had our community shut down, but so had much of the world. Australia had effectively closed its borders. My family was on the other side of the world, and there was no certainty about when we would see one another again.

At the same time, Christopher's mum was living in Florida. As we prayed together and talked through every possible option, one thought kept returning. Maybe this wasn't the end of something. Maybe it was the beginning of something else. Neither of us had jobs waiting. We didn't have a carefully mapped-out plan. What we did have was faith. So, in the middle of a global pandemic, we packed our lives into a moving truck and drove across America.

Looking back now, that decision probably looked reckless to some people. To us, it felt peaceful. Sometimes faith doesn't remove uncertainty. It simply gives you the courage to walk through it. When we arrived in Florida, we did what we had always done.

We started building.

Christopher and I relaunched our production company and began filming Season Three of Travel with Didiayer. At the same time, I immersed myself in marketing, helping businesses tell their stories and strengthen their brands. Eventually, another opportunity presented itself.

Real estate.

At first, it felt like an unexpected direction. Then I realized it wasn't unexpected at all. Every chapter of my life had quietly been preparing me for it. Television taught me how to tell stories. Interior design taught me how people experience a home. Habitat for Humanity taught me what a home truly means. Leadership taught me how to serve people.

Real estate simply brought all of those lessons together.

Helping people buy or sell a home was never just about a transaction. It was about helping them begin a new chapter of their lives. Not long after earning my real estate license, I saw an ad on Facebook about the Women's Council of Realtors. I was still new to Florida. I didn't know many people. Like so many people who move to a new city, I found myself searching for community. Searching for a connection. Searching for my tribe.

I attended a few events, met wonderful people, and enjoyed learning more about the organization. I never imagined it would become such an important part of my life.

Then one afternoon, I received another phone call. This time, it was from Ashley Schilling of Southern Title. Ashley had been a longtime Strategic Partner of Women's Council and asked if I would meet her for coffee.

Of course, I said yes. As we talked that morning, our conversation quickly moved beyond real estate. Ashley spoke about leadership. She shared how much the Women's Council of Realtors had meant to her over the years and the opportunities it had created for so many people.

So I asked, what does the organization need? She said,  "Didi, we need good leaders.” It was a simple sentence. She knew exactly why she called this meeting - she was on a mission to find leaders who could help. It stirred something deep inside me, and I said, “Then lead I will.”

As I drove home that day, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Looking back across my life, I realized something remarkable. Every significant chapter had begun the very same way. Someone named a need. A producer needed a model. An agency needed someone willing to move across the world. A homeowner saw television where I only saw a mural. A resort owner needed someone to rebuild a culture. An executive team needed someone to lead nine resorts. Now Ashley had named another need.

Women's Council needed leaders.

She wasn't asking me to run for office. She wasn't asking me to become president. She wasn't asking me to change an organization. She was simply asking me to serve. And throughout my life, whenever someone named a need that aligned with my heart… I had always given the same answer.

Yes.

At the time, I had no idea where that yes would lead. I couldn't have imagined the friendships that would be built, the mentors who would pour into my life, or the opportunities to serve alongside extraordinary leaders across Florida.

I simply knew that I had found something I had been searching for ever since arriving in Florida.

I had found my tribe.

Looking back now, I realize the Women's Council of Realtors wasn't another organization I joined. It became the place where every lesson life had been teaching me finally came together. The little girl who watched her mother worry over unpaid bills understood the importance of financial stewardship. The teenager who left Australia understood what it felt like to walk into a room where she knew no one. Modeling taught me confidence. Habitat for Humanity taught me that homes are really about people. Television taught me the power of stories. Leading resorts taught me that leadership isn't about changing a place. It's about changing how people see themselves.

Women's Council of Realtors gave each one of those experiences a place to serve something greater than myself.

For the first time, I could clearly see that none of those chapters had been separate stories.

Every challenge.

Every opportunity.

Every unexpected yes.

Every lesson.

Had been preparing me for this moment.

I am honored today to serve as the 2026 President of the Women's Council of Relators - Daytona Beach Network, in the great state of Florida.