Women of Natural Retreats

I work with some amazing people... And most of the time they don't get the credit or the acknowledgement they deserve. That said, I think our company does a pretty good job of recognizing great work and contributions, but when you're as stellar as these humans, I guess some will never be enough!

So in honor of International Women's Day, I hope you'll follow along with me as I highlight a few of the amazing women I am honored to work beside every day (though still virtually for a bit longer)!

Diana Calvo

In this photo, Diana (affectionately referred to as "Di") and I are pictured in the office we shared together when we still worked in hotels. The average temperature in the office was probably 28 degrees Fahrenheit which explains the Snuggies; the toys and potty seat are a long story and probably not worth going into explanation here.

Anyway, Diana was my admin-extraordinaire (and good friend) in my last hotel job (I snagged her from the front desk as soon as I had an opportunity) and she was so phenomenal that when I realized Natural Retreats was as awesome as it is, I sent for her not long after I was settled (and rescued her from hotels... Haha - You know I still love my hotel peeps!). Diana started at Natural Retreats on our sales team where she made an immediate impact and was well-loved from the beginning (I knew she would be). She has some of the best people skills I've ever witnessed IN MY LIFE and I knew Natural Retreats would flourish because of her as an addition to the team.

As I knew she would, she excelled in her sales role and last year, she grew into a specialized role helping to manage our systems and channel partner relationships. I am thrilled that she made the leap to vacation rentals and that she is the rockstar here that she always has been! She's been with NR for over five years now; I look forward to watching her continue to grow and conquer the world.

Jessica Martinez

In addition to being a fantastic pedicure pal, Kanak-obsessed lunch date, and all-around good person (like one of the nicest people you'll ever know), she's also a kickass (is that a professional term? It is now...) financial accountant on the Natural Retreats team. When I tell you that she has an eye for detail, I mean she REALLY has an eye for detail.

Back "in the olden days" when we were still in the office, I'd see her coming toward my desk, and I'd immediately think, "Oh no, I must have made a mistake somewhere and Jessica found it!" I'm half kidding b/c while that *is* true, she is also so kind that you actually almost welcomed an error on your part as her visits were always bookended with a smile. AND SHE DIDN'T ONLY COME BY BECAUSE I MADE A MISTAKE. Sometimes, she was just stopping by to say, "Hello," because she's just that type of co-worker.

Anyway, she has a super-smart mind and is one that I can't imagine our company without. She joined NR almost 5 years ago so I've seen her growth from the beginning with us. She has shown herself to be knowledgeable, skilled, inquisitive, and very much a peer leader among the team. I am 99.9% certain that if you were to ask anyone on the finance team (or our team at large) how impactful Jessica is, there would be no question. We are so fortunate to have her on our team and I am even more so to call her my friend.

Martha Donovan

Martha Donovan is probably one of the favorite people with whom I have the pleasure of working. She has been known to declare Fridays "Fancy Hat Fridays" (a la photo) and is an all-round fun co-worker. But she's not just fun - she is one of the hardest workers I know. And she gets stuff done.

Martha's role at Natural Retreats is Regional Marketing Manager for all of our eastern destinations... And that's no small job. She joined the company mid-pandemic and hit the ground running. I have never witnessed such confidence, skill, and humility all at once. She didn't come from the hospitality world, but boy did she wrap her brain around our industry FAST. It was clear that her knowledge of marketing and "how stuff works" was the real deal. Her input, recommendations, and actions made almost immediate impact and I was beyond thrilled that we had found this dynamo. And she hasn't looked back since joining the team.

I can't explain the breath of fresh air that she has been to me and to the company at large. As I've never met her in person, I am super excited to meet her "for real" (and hopefully give her a big hug - when she's ready, of course!!). I wonder if she's like 7-feet tall in real life...

Debbie LaBelle

Speaking of marketing gurus I've never met, add Debbie LaBelle to the list! We found that we share a background in gymnastics and have taken to tagging each other in social media posts as we attempt to relive our youth (read: attempt to not hurt ourselves) by getting our family to snap photos of us upside down (photo on left is at Grayton Beach on 30A - woot, woot). Our #oldladyhandstand hashtags have brought me so much joy (and thankfully no injuries) over the past year or so!

But more importantly, in addition to my #oldladyhandstand buddy, Debbie is another of NR's fantastic marketing wizards. She joined Natural Retreats in 2019 having built a decades-long career in marketing prior to joining... So we definitely got a pro. She is Martha's counterpart as Regional Marketing Manager for our western destinations - again, a substantial job! From the time she joined the company, Debbie has been an invaluable contributor, thoughtful problem-solver, and all-around amazing co-worker. I asked some of our teammates for descriptive words that capture Debbie's essence; here are a few: Kind, flexible, thoughtful, smart, intelligent, gentle, well-rounded... And I absolutely concur!

One of the reasons I've never met Debbie is because she is based out of our Park City office, but distance is not and has never been an issue when it comes to the impression and impact she's made on me (and pretty much everyone else!) at Natural Retreats. She is a true gem and I'm so glad she found us - and we found her!

Carmen Cox

What can I say about Carmen Cox? She is half the Revenue Management & Analytics team, one of the smartest and funniest people you'll meet, and pretty much half of my brain. LinkedIn world, meet my work wife.

Carmen joined me from hotel world (we both worked for the same management company for years) about four and a half years ago. When I saw her resume, I got super stoked (I may have squealed which is SO not like me) and asked HR to contact her IMMEDIATELY. Her reputation preceded her; she wasn't considered a "rockstar" in hotels was for nothing! It was Natural Retreats' good fortune that she wanted to move to Charlottesville to be closer to family (and let's face it, wine) and I feel like we won the lottery. In a world where revenue management and data/analytics fields are still very male-dominated, it's so cool that RM&A at NR is half female (of course this takes nothing away from the other half of our team that is JUST AS AMAZING, but I mean, it's #IWD2021, so...).

Jess "Tiger" Kearney

Of all the women I've written about, Jess "Tiger" Kearney is the only one who has been with the company longer than me... Not by much, but it counts! After graduating from UVA (Wahoowa, right Jess?), Jess worked in Charlottesville with a very well-established and respected travel agency here. After a few successful years there, Jess made the move to NR as one of our amazing sales people. Over the years, she has grown into multiple roles within the sales department and is currently the Director of Sales for our entire portfolio. I'm not sure you'll find anyone anywhere in the company who wouldn't wholeheartedly credit her with building the amazing sales team and fostering the culture we love and appreciate today.

When Natural Retreats decided to expand our central operations with an office out west, Jess packed up everything and moved to Denver. After our acquisition of the Park City business, the decision was made to relocate the west office to Utah, and Jess was on the move again. Needless to say, this woman is one of the most dedicated people our company is fortunate to have and she has shown this dedication and commitment over and over again... Not only in her willingness to flex when the company has asked, but through daily and consistent modeling of expectations and collaborative and diligent teamwork. Those of us who are fortunate enough to work with her know that she does what she says she'll do and most of the time 900% better than most of us expect.

A global pandemic is not something any of us were prepared for, but Jess and her team showed a fight, a resilience, and determination that was unlike anything I've ever seen. Her leadership is and has been integral to our success as a company and I am so proud to call her my co-worker and friend. This woman isn't called "Tiger" for nothing.

These are only a few of the Fun, Fearless Women at Natural Retreats - I don't have enough hours in my day to say enough about all of them both personally and professionally. I am fortunate beyond measure to call most of them friends and many of them close friends.

Working at Natural Retreats has been one of the highlights of my career and the people are absolutely the most influential reason for that. The badassery of the women I mentioned here in honor of the day, the badassery of the women I didn't get to mention here, and yes, the badassery of everyone else I work with every day make me proud to call Natural Retreats my work home. As they say, there's no place like home. Thank you to all who help make it that way.