IN 2014, ONE MIGHT HAVE DESCRIBED SHAHRI MASTERS as a passionate and driven mover and a shaker, an ambitious Lake Tahoe real estate agent witha no-nonsense attitude and a 26-year track record of success; moving houses, making sales, always networking and working nonstop. And then, she wasn’t. Behind the scenes, her now late husband was battling cancer, her daughter needed her mom, and her mental and physical health were slipping. She was at a crossroad, career or quality of life. She opted for the latter, stepped off the hamster wheel, and focused on her family. It was the best decision she ever made.

Taking a step back allowed Shahri to be present, to advocate for her husband, and to embrace being a mom. She also immersed herself in her many talents and interests. She is an accomplished artist and author, and during her sabbatical she wrote and published her third book, “Me and the Other Women – Stories of Female Relationships That Shape our Lives,” which spent some time on the Amazon bestseller list. During her hiatus she also started sharing her minimalist philosophy with others by helping people clear clutter from their homes, their hearts, and their minds. She taught English as a second language, worked in retail, as a ghostwriter, a babysitter, business coach, construction manager, and more. For over five years she explored, dabbled in new and old hobbies, connected with others, and her inner self. And then, she was back!

Her countless interests, talents, and opportunities could not deafen the call to return to real estate. In May of 2019, with fresh perspective, Shahri, with the helpof a friend, opened her own brokerage firm, Masters of Tahoe Incline Real Estate. Shahri now leverages her own experience and knowledge as a 50-year resident of Lake Tahoe to help her clients truly immerse themselves in Lake Tahoe living. “The many hats I wore and experiences I had during my sabbatical made me more well-rounded and more capable of truly connecting with my clients. It gave me a broader perspective on life and it’s no longer about the ‘sale.’ My priority is meeting my clients’ needs in a deeper, more personal way.” Shahri’s story teaches many lessons about courage, connection, and the value of work-life balance. On the surface it may appear that Shahri Masters long and successful career has been all about real estate. Not completely. Once you dig a little deeper, whether by reading her writing, studying her art, or listening to her talk about her community and her favorite people in it, it is easy to discover that her career has always been focused on people. Her people-centric focus is what makes her so successful and also such a valuable asset to the Incline community.

Learn more about Shahri – visit Masters of Tahoe Incline Real Estate online. 

This article was originally published in the Summer 2022 edition of LIVE.WORK.PLAY. Read it and past issues here.: 

Incline’s newest eatery and cocktail lounge called Nevada Jane (formerly known as Gus’ Open Pit Barbecue) is now open, and welcoming people to try its quality street food-inspired cuisine and upscale drinks that are sure to tantalize the palate.

Jonas and Nellie Saia bought the restaurant in late August of last year and kept it open as Gus’ to keep the staff employed as they prepared for this transition. Nevada Jane is the couple’s fourth restaurant in Incline Village, first acquiring Austin’s in 2014, then Tomaato’s in 2016 (and reopening it as Fumo in 2019), and then Cool Mess – a coffee shop/ice cream parlor behind Austin’s. 

Jonas has been in Incline Village for 19 years, working for almost a decade of that as a bartender at Lone Eagle Grille and attending Sierra Nevada University. He eventually got a job as a business broker which gave him the opportunity to learn how to successfully take over and run a restaurant in a unique place like Incline Village. Last August, Jonas’s former boss at the business brokerage told him that there was a business for sale in Lake Tahoe but wouldn’t tell him what or where in the Basin it was. 

After signing the NDA agreements and learning that the business for sale was Gus,’ the Saias became thrilled about the prospect of obtaining it.

“We were very excited…it was close to our other restaurants, and we were looking for another investment,” Jonas says. The Saias took over Gus’ in October of 2021 and converted it into Nevada Jane just a few weeks ago.

Jonas had collaborated with chef Henry Nol, who he met through his brother, who focused on sustainable seafood and bringing interesting street food into a restaurant setting. Nol helped the Saias with the transition of their other restaurants and launch Fumo and is now on a more permanent basis with Nevada Jane. Jonas loves buying restaurants but credits his wife Nellie for coming up with the menus and managing the frontline work.

Jonas himself has worked in restaurants since he was 14 years old, and he loves barbeque, but he didn’t want to own just another average BBQ joint…the couple wanted to bring a new twist to southern cooking and put their own branding on it. When they go on vacation, they get inspired by street food and distinct cultures, and work to fold that vibe back into their dining establishments. 

“It’s been good; we changed the furniture, added late night food, and we’re now open until midnight on Friday and Saturdays,” Jonas says. The fact that they are open so late on the weekends is huge, as most places in North Lake Tahoe are closed by 8 or 9pm. 

They also brought in tasty cocktails over from Fumo. Just ask Nevada Jane’s office manager Lisa about the restaurant’s jalapeno-infused tequila with citrus and muddled strawberry signature cocktail. 

“The cocktails there remind me of some of the best ones I’ve had in San Francisco,” she says. 

“It’s a fun drink to try. And after going to the city and coming back and having a place to go later in the evening is so nice,” Lisa adds.

“People want to get dinner later now, and we want Nevada Jane’s to be more of a restaurant/lounge,” adds Jonas. 

Lisa, Jonas, and I start sharing stories about the former iterations of Nevada Jane’s (back when it was the Mexican restaurant Esmeralda’s and what locals called the dark and spooky bar upstairs), that is also supposedly haunted. 

“We burned a lot of sage to get rid of the ghosts,” Jonas chuckles. 

“Nevada Jane has great potential. This energy…” Lisa says, giving us both an air hug in the room as we laugh and share in nostalgia, “…is what we want there. It’s a local’s place, but it’s for everybody else, too. There are good things going on there and I hope people will embrace this change. There’s a lot of excitement and energy put into this. And Jonas and Nellie do a good job of bringing in the right vibe.” 

“We’ve been working on this for nine months. Fumo was a fun project and this one will be even better,” Jonas adds. 

When asked why they enjoy being members of the IVCBA, they reply, “It’s a collaboration. We participated in the Sip & Shop and Northern Lights events with all our businesses (Gus’/Nevada Jane, Fumo, Austin’s, and Cool Mess), and it’s great to keep up with what’s going on and have the support of the Association,” Lisa says. 

“It’s nice to see things happening here, and everyone come back after covid,” Jonas says.

Visit Nevada Jane in person at 930 Tahoe Blvd in the Raley’s Center or online. 

THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE that exemplify the Tahoe region and the reasons so many people are drawn to it in the way that Aaron James does. Aaron, or as he is far better known, Elko, is an accidental namesake of the rural town in Nevada which he grew up near. Elko moved to Tahoe in the fall of ‘98 to attend Sierra Nevada College. Upon moving here, he was almost exclusively referred to as the kid from Elko and the name stuck. He was studying ski resort management and also coaching the SNC ski team. Skiing was, and still is absolutely his ‘thing’, but school was less so. Given that, Elko left school and began working for the golf course in the summer, continued coaching skiing in the winter, and also began working for Village Ski Loft. Today, Elko is part owner of Village Ski Loft and is involved in many community projects and development related to the recreational opportunities that Village Ski Loft supports through their retail store. 

Elko and the staff at Village Ski Loft know and understand their customers’ needs on skis and bikes because they are passionate about the sports themselves. Elko is adamant that Village Ski Loft has experienced such longevity in Incline because of the quality of their tech work and the knowledge that every team member has related to the sports they promote and all of the equipment that they sell. For instance, when he is not working at the store, Elko ‘practices what he preaches’ or in this case what he sells at the store. Elko is a very avid and talented skier and mountain biker. He first skied when he was only 7 or 8 years old when his mom introduced him to the sport that would forever change his life. His favorite pastimes are shared with his two young daughters, 11 and 14, who started on snow at even younger ages. Both Daisy and Ashlyn are competitive athletes on the mountain year-round, in the winter in the snow on their skis, and in the summer on their bikes in the dirt. Elko’s wife, Feather, is a pharmacy tech in Kings Beach and also participates in all of the family recreational hobbies. 

While Village Ski Loft does more business and serves more clients in the winter, Elko himself has done a lot for the local mountain bike community. Elko is a former member of the TAMBA Mountain Bike Board and the store is an adopter of a section of the Tyrolean downhill trail. Additionally, Elko was one of the founding members of the Incline Bike Project which, with the help of various community entities and individuals, helped raise the funds for the Incline Bike Park which opened in 2017. Today, Elko is still a member of the Incline Tahoe Foundation. 

Twenty years have now come and gone for Elko at Village Ski Loft. He has seen a lot of changes with possibly more on the forefront. No matter how our town changes, Elko is certain that the stores commitment to its customers and ability to build and maintain relationships so residents can enjoy the recreation that brought and kept him here, is a commitment that not only won’t change, it will continue to differentiate Village Ski Loft from other retailers. 

Visit Village Ski Loft in person (Tahoe Blvd & Southwood) or online at villageskiloft.com 

*This article was originally published in the summer 2022 issue of IVCBA’s magazine, LIVE.WORK.PLAY. You can view the current issue as well as past issues at https://issuu.com/justimagine/stacks/595665ce24e24423b787c94c1f982deb

At Move Mountains, a membership-based leadership and coaching program for individuals and organizations, COVID-19 and the challenges the pandemic presented required its leader, Charles White, and his team of facilitators, to take a play out of their own handbook. Move Mountains had already been running a successful adventure-based leadership program; however, when the world began socially distancing, the outdoor adventures that Move Mountains organized, and the natural opportunities for personal growth that they present, came to a screeching halt. This global change forced Move Mountains to reevaluate how they were operating and take the same steps which they ask of their own clients. Over the course of 9 months, the organization put in the work and evolved. Move Mountains averted its attention inward, created a new intention about their level and type of engagement with their clients, and then took specific action to create a sustainable change about their operation. The results have been better than they could have anticipated. 

The core of what Move Mountains offers their clients has not changed; effective leadership training through a transformative and guided personal care journey. What has changed however is the method in which this journey is created and how it is delivered. The three words, attention, intention, and action have always been at the center of what Move Mountains focuses on. Charlie and his impressive team guide their clients to bring these three things into alignment so they can show up as their best selves. This approach requires clients to draw attention inward while working through the tough questions and situations that leaders often face with the intention of creating actionable positive change. Prior to COVID, this meant taking leaders outdoors on exciting and challenging recreational adventures to push them in a physical, naturally adverse environment. Simultaneously. leaders would facilitate tough conversations about socio-emotional issues related to their goals of personal growth and leadership. Now, post-COVID, Move Mountains has moved from an adventure-based model to a club-based one. The clients of Move Mountains are largely the same, individuals who are committed to personal growth, mindfulness, and personal and professional wellness. Typically, they are leaders in their field, and like most leaders, they are risk-takers and adventure seekers. Now, rather than one-off events in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, Charlie and his team offer memberships that provide monthly trainings, skill-building workshops, guided meditations, and regular practice sessions to help apply what they have learned. Adventure-based learning is still a part of the deal, but now, rather than being the primary leadership product, it is ancillary.

For Move Mountains, this change was a huge pivot. It is not that what they were doing before was ineffective, but like any good leader, they recognized a changing environment requires adaptation. Charlie and his team did exactly what they asked their clients to do, commit to the process by looking inward, asking the tough questions, and recognizing both their strengths and blind spots. Move Mountains is adamant about using the word blind spot vs weakness. A blind spot, while we may not always know what it is in it, generally we are aware of its existence. Contrarily, a weakness may be less obvious or identifiable. The self-evaluation approach of noting both strengths and blind spots allows Move Mountains to offer a more exhaustive range of coaching and leadership offerings to their clients. Their new membership platform takes a three-fold process which includes coaching, training and practice, and adventure. 

It is obvious that the Move Mountains team is reinvigorated by their new mindful leadership club format. Short-term events like their adventure packages are great openers, but as Charlie noted, “Sustained behavioral change takes time, plus consistent advocacy and support. We offer leadership skills but this type of change is a personal journey. We are here to help clients find their way, not to tell them the way.”  Clients of Move Mountains must be ready to have conversations about self-worth, self-esteem, conflict, and conflict avoidance, just to name a few. Commonly the Move Mountains team will see clients who want to create change in a specific area of their professional or personal life. This concept of separating the various spheres of life is discouraged since strengths and blind spots show up regularly in all areas. The goal at Move Mountains is to improve the overall, “Personal wellness to professional success works. It is an illusion that they are separate, ” explained Charlie. We want to build resilience and adaptability to chaos and evolving business and personal climates. Strength is gained from adversity, whether personal or professional.” Through coaching, training, guided practice, and the occasional adventure, Move Mountains provides its clients with practical tools and strategies for their overall success. Their new business model is proof that their coaching and leadership strategies are effective. In 2021, Move Mountains has formally become a product of their own product. 

For more information and a list of upcoming events visit Move Mountains online.

*This article originally appeared in the Fall 2021 edition of LIVE.WORK.PLAY.*