Building A Wellness First Real Estate Project

On this episode of the Faith Driven Leader Podcast, Nick Stromwall sits down with William Walker, a Nashville based real estate developer, licensed general contractor, CPA, and the founder and CEO of Walkstar. William started his career at Ernst and Young in transaction real estate, learning underwriting, diligence, and valuation on large commercial deals. From there he stepped out on his own and acquired 13 apartment assets, more than 1,500 units, in a little over 16 months.

William talks openly about why he sold that portfolio in 2021 when he had expected to hold it forever, and how investor expectations, strong offers, and signs of an overheating market changed his thinking. Today he is developing SMR, an 18 unit luxury wellness condo project on Music Row designed around privacy, convenience, and longevity focused living, with features like saunas and cold plunges built in.

The heart of this conversation is faith. William describes his faith as a North Star and moral compass, even in seasons when he has not lived it perfectly. He shares how he had four Scriptures engraved on steel plates and poured into the concrete corners of a building's foundation, why he asked a pastor to pray over the groundbreaking, and how small, mustard seed moments give him chances to speak up for what he believes.

Nick and William also talk about leadership during rapid growth, the daily spiritual disciplines that keep perspective in a transactional industry, practical advice for young leaders who want to leave a job and build their own path, and why William sees today's market as stressed but not collapsing.

If you are a leader trying to build something with both conviction and discipline, this episode will encourage you to put your faith into the very foundation of your work.

Connect with William on LinkedIn and at walkstarco.com.