We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lindsay Dreyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lindsay below.

Lindsay, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

In 2016, I was living what most people would consider the dream. I owned a thriving real estate brokerage in Washington, D.C.—a company I had built from scratch, with a loyal team and a steady stream of clients. On paper, everything looked perfect. But inside, I was running on fumes.

I had just had my first baby, and motherhood cracked something open in me—not in a bad way, but in a what really matters kind of way. My world suddenly felt smaller and louder all at once, and for the first time, I questioned whether the life I’d built was truly the one I wanted.

When my business coach asked, “Where do you want to be in five years?” the answer came instantly: back in my hometown in New Hampshire.

It didn’t make sense. My entire business and network were in D.C. My clients were there, my agents were there, my life was there. But my heart kept whispering: Go home. I grew up in the mountains of New Hampshire, in a small town where everyone knew your name, where joy was simple and built into everyday life. I wanted my daughter to have that.

The problem was, this was 2016, and running a brokerage remotely wasn’t really a thing. This was before Zoom, before “work from anywhere” was a mainstream idea. But I couldn’t ignore the pull. So I started building for the life I wanted—long before it made sense on paper.

I rebuilt every system in my business—operations, communication, marketing, training—with one goal: to be able to run everything from 500 miles away. I didn’t know if it would work, but it felt deeply aligned. And when something feels that aligned, you owe it to yourself to trust it.

Then life gave me a push.

My father-in-law passed away unexpectedly from stress-related heart failure. Watching someone work their entire life and never get the chance to enjoy it was the wake-up call I didn’t know I needed. My husband and I looked at each other and asked, “What are we waiting for?”

So we made the leap. We listed our house, packed up our life, and moved to New Hampshire—four years ahead of schedule. I was pregnant with our second child and fielding every version of “You’re crazy” imaginable. People told me I was throwing away everything I’d built. But I knew the truth: I wasn’t walking away from success. I was walking toward joy.

Fast-forward to today, and that decision changed everything. I still run my brokerage—now called Reverie Residential—remotely. It’s stronger, more intentional, and more values-aligned than ever. My family lives in the dream home we built in the town where I grew up. And that move eventually inspired me to launch Happy Agent Co., a coaching company that helps other real estate agents build businesses rooted in joy, not burnout.

That risk—packing up everything and choosing joy over logic—taught me something I’ll never forget: You don’t have to wait for life to slow down or the timing to be perfect. You can build joy into your business, your family, and your everyday life—one brave, aligned decision at a time.

Because joy isn’t something you find. It’s something you choose.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Lindsay Dreyer — Founder of Reverie Residential, Happy Agent Co., and host of the Happy Agent Co. Podcast. I’ve spent over two decades in real estate, first as an agent and now as a brokerage owner and coach, helping people design lives and businesses that feel as good as they look on paper.

I started my career in new construction sales right out of college, quickly learning that success means nothing if it costs you your joy. That realization became the throughline of everything I’ve built since. In 2011, I founded my own brokerage in Washington, D.C., with a simple mission: to create a place where agents felt supported, valued, and inspired — not burned out and replaceable.

Today, Reverie Residential operates across the D.C. metro area and Southern New Hampshire, built on a philosophy that real estate is about more than transactions — it’s about transformation. Our tagline, “For Dreams Well Lived,” reflects the heart of what we do: helping clients align where they live with how they want to live. We specialize in lifestyle-first real estate — thoughtful, intentional representation for clients seeking not just a home, but a sense of belonging.

In 2023, I launched Happy Agent Co., a coaching company for women in real estate who are ready to build profitable, sustainable, joy-filled businesses. Through our courses, podcast, and coaching programs, I teach agents how to replace hustle with alignment.

What sets my work apart is the blend of strategy and soul. I love data, systems, and marketing automation just as much as I love meditation, intuition, and creative flow — and I believe that real estate agents thrive when they integrate both. My brands are built for people who want to do business differently — who crave excellence, but refuse to lose themselves in the process.

I’m most proud of proving that you can build big success on your own terms. I now run my company remotely from my hometown in New Hampshire, where I live with my husband and our three kids. I’ve built a team and a life that reflect the same philosophy I teach: that joy is a business strategy.

If you take away one thing from my work, I hope it’s this — you don’t have to choose between happiness and success. You can design both.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I launched my brokerage, there was no investor, no silent partner — just me. I was my own venture capitalist.

I pulled $40,000 from my retirement account, maxed out my credit cards, and funneled every real estate commission I earned right back into the business. Every dollar had a purpose: building systems, creating marketing, and supporting the agents who trusted me to lead them.

It wasn’t glamorous. There were plenty of sleepless nights and moments when I wondered if I’d gone completely off the rails. But I believed in what I was building — a modern, agent-first brokerage that didn’t exist yet.

After three years of reinvesting and refining, we turned a profit. That milestone meant more than just money; it was proof that betting on myself had been the right move all along.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One book that completely changed how I run my business is The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz.

It’s all about focusing your time and energy on your best clients, best products, and best opportunities — the ones that help your business grow strong and sustainably, like nurturing a prize-winning pumpkin. That philosophy helped me stop trying to be everything to everyone and instead double down on what truly works.

I applied that mindset to both of my companies — trimming distractions, refining systems, and building around what brings the most joy and value to the people I serve. It taught me that growth isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing better, with focus and purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reverieresidential.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lindsay.dreyer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realestatelindsay/