Every morning when Chris Sturgeon wakes up, he asks himself one question: how can I make
someone’s day better?

This idea — of giving more than he gets — is the core theme of Chris’s life and work. A real
estate agent at Live West Realty, Chris’s passion is helping people, whether it is assisting
buyers in finding a home or building relationships with clients as they go through transitional
seasons of their lives. At the end of the day, he always wants to leave people better than he
found them.

“In real estate, you often meet people during a turning point in their lives, whether that is a
marriage, a divorce or having kids,” Chris says. “So if I’m present and inquisitive and open, I get
to grow meaningful relationships that extend far past a transaction. That’s the good stuff — what makes it worth getting up every morning.”

Caring for people well has always been a part of Chris’s career, even before starting in real
estate. For most of Chris’s life, he has worked as a pastor. After getting his seminary degree in
California — where he met his wife, Lindsay — he worked in a church in the Bay Area for seven
years. Though he enjoyed his work, he found it difficult to settle in California and realized it was
time for a change in location.

“We were anxious to be somewhere we could sink roots,” Chris says. “My wife’s brother had
settled in Boulder, and my first boss who hired me out of grad school had moved back to
Boulder as well. When he called me with a job opportunity at his church, we jumped on it.”

Chris started working at Ascent Community Church in Louisville, Colorado, seven years ago,
and not long after he started considering a career in real estate. The more he learned, the more
he realized real estate might be a great fit for him. Now three years in, he’s discovered there is more crossover between working in housing and being a pastor than you might expect.

“In both real estate and church work, people invite us to be somebody they can trust —
someone who’s been there before and can help them navigate what is often a very complex,
emotional and confusing process,” Chris says. “It feels like a huge privilege that people would
trust and invite me in during a time when they need help.”

For Chris, the key to being a good Realtor is relationships. Every client is different, so to
succeed, the best thing to do is get to know them and their personal needs. Even building
relationships with other Realtors has been core to Chris’s career in real estate.

“I’ve had so many mentors,” Chris says. “And I’ve experienced that the people who do well in
this business are those that do so with generosity and openness, with a sense of abundance of
bringing others into the industry, rather than those who lean into competition with the idea that
there’s a scarcity of resources.”

Outside of work, Chris’s mentality of generous giving extends to his family. His wife, Lindsay,
struggled with an autoimmune disorder throughout her life and needed a kidney transplant from
her father when she was 24 years old. Several years later, she learned that she was in need of
another transplant. Though many people got tested to be a potential donor, it turned out that
Chris was a perfect match. He was able to donate his kidney, and Lindsay’s health has
stabilized ever since.

“I found out that I was her match on Valentine’s Day, around nine or 10 years ago,” Chris says.
“I sent her on a scavenger hunt around town where she had to find clues. At the very end, I
drew a clue with a little picture of a kidney bean that said, ‘I’m a match.’ We really were made
for one another.”

Spending time with his family is Chris’s favorite pastime, from coaching his daughter’s soccer
team to being involved with their school’s PTO board. With his wife, Chris enjoys trying new
restaurants around town, such as Jeannot’s Patisserie & Bistro, where they like to read and
listen to live music. He also enjoys exercising and getting outdoors, mountain biking on local
trails.

Chris remains involved with his church community, and he is also passionate about the Bridge
House in Boulder, a nonprofit focused on confronting issues that affect people struggling with
homelessness. Bridge House is Chris’s chosen charity at Live West Realty, and he has seen
firsthand how the nonprofit has changed and impacted individuals’ lives.

For Chris, the journey of becoming a Realtor has been rewarding and surprising.

“I feel like I’ve been so supported,” he says. “I dramatically outproduced my wildest dreams in
year one, and every year since has gone even better. I’m so incredibly grateful and happy, and
in every way, I could not like being here more than I do.”