Warm & Blurry

I grew up in Russia with my sister, Karina.

Dad ran a construction business and taught me to “always do the right thing”.

Mom taught me to celebrate even the smallest wins.

I spent my childhood drawing, solving puzzles, reading favorite books, and writing poems on any scrap of paper I could find.

I’d sit by a heavy, old piano for hours, imagining myself as an architect, a pilot, a filmmaker—even a stuntwoman.

I was brimming with ideas and always asked too many questions.

I studied many languages then, sparking a deep curiosity and love for different cultures.

My grandfather introduced me to the game of pool. I’d sneak across the street to his house, and we’d play match after match.

After each game—win or lose—we’d shake hands and thank each other for a good match, though I usually lost to his incredible skill.

Our parents took us to nature-immersive hotels built from wood and bamboo, nestled in the woods. They had soul. Just one night in those places could transform you. That’s where my love for hospitality began.

At 16, my parents divorced.

Soon after I left home.

It was a dark time.

New Life: Brick by Brick

work

I moved to the U.S.

It wasn’t easy.

I knew no one.

It was lonely.

Soon after, I convinced Karina to join me, and those years of reunion were among my favorites.

I studied accounting, interned, and eventually built a career in analytics. Over six years, I grew from making $15/hour to a six-figure salary and negotiated to have my own mortgage branch.

I led a "SWAT" team, building a mortgage analytics department from scratch, automating processes, and optimizing operations.

I loved my team. We were unstoppable.

What is good? What is bad?

I started traveling alone. I lived in China, Colombia, and Spain.

I learned Spanish, and slowly, the language opened doors, deepening my connections with people and cultures.

Those years were about experiencing good, bad, and unknown.

They shaped me.

My love for cultures grew stronger.

Eventually, I found my way to a hospitality school in Spain.

It was my dream. Everything seemed perfect.

But deep down, I felt pulled in another direction.

Intuition told me to take a leap.

Love & Real Estate

Then I met my husband, Rod, who had been steeped in real estate from a young age.

We shared dreams of real estate investing and finally took the plunge—Rod left his 9-to-5, and we began transforming ugly homes into beautiful, country-inspired unique stays right here in Texas.

We created vacation homes inspired by our love of different cultures—Bali, Italy, Greece, the Maldives, and Japan.

The bookings started pouring in.

It felt like magic.

For the first time, I felt like I had built the life I always wanted.

But life shifted again.

Zeroing Out

Losing the company I had poured my heart into broke something inside me.

It was one of the darkest times in my life.

It forced me to slow down.

For the first time in years, I stopped running.

I reflected on what I truly wanted.

On the kind of impact I wanted to make.

That’s when Unique Stays was born.

It became the culmination of everything I had learned—hospitality, analytics, real estate, and creativity.

I started consulting other hosts and micro-resort operators, helping them turn their ideas into meaningful spaces.

I am starting from zero again. And I find a lot of beauty in zeroing out.

This is just the beginning of this new chapter.

If you’ve made it this far, I’m impressed! Let’s connect—I’d love to hear your story.

Anastasia