A bit of our story

I grew up on a farm in Texas, in a wonderful family with nine siblings. My parents homeschooled us in a homesteading Christian community. We had the best childhood ever.

From an early age, I loved art and design. My grandma lived next door and faithfully gave all of us painting and drawing lessons.

Besides art, I had an unquenchable thirst to start new ventures: from a home-brew soda company to a typewriter repair shop, and most things in between. In school I learned bookkeeping and tax prep, then began working summers for my dad’s small construction company. I spent six years learning the trades and eventually running projects.

In 2020, my wife Helen and I were married. When we returned home from our honeymoon, I had this idea to create a staff-light, experience- and design-driven retreat, hidden in nature. Just a few months later, I found the overgrown piece of land for sale that would become Live Oak Lake, and the journey into experiential hospitality began.

Designing, building and opening Live Oak Lake in under a year was a baptism by fire in real estate, financing, hospitality operations, marketing, and so much more. I brought all the bits and pieces of experience and inspiration I had and poured everything into that 5-acre slice of Texas.

When we opened our doors in early 2022, the business took off. Our first year we hit almost 95% occupancy, grew a brand audience of over a hundred thousand on socials, and amassed millions more views from those who visited and shared. Most meaningfully, our guests were ecstatic. This was an experience that couldn’t be easily replicated, and the unique design, story, and attention-to-detail captivated folks. It was deeply rewarding.

I was also astonished at the interest from others around the world building similar projects, so I began sharing everything. This culminated in the creation of a comprehensive course and community for other experiential hospitality entrepreneurs and operators.

Today, Helen and I live on the same farm just a quarter mile from where I grew up, and we’re raising our family the same way we were raised. Our son Lucas is one, and we have another on the way. I’m beyond grateful for the life I’ve been given, and I make it my aim to pay it back — and forward:)

Thanks for stopping by!



—Isaac