We had the good fortune of connecting with Chuma Hicks-Reese and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chuma, how does your business help the community?
My social impact is rooted in the moment my childhood home burned while I was inside it. The fire did more than destroy part of our Brooklyn house—it revealed how deeply a home shapes a family’s safety, dignity, and emotional stability. That single event, and everything that followed, is why my work today exists.

I was seven years old when my uncle, a Vietnam veteran struggling with untreated mental illness, fell asleep with a cigarette and set his bed on fire. I woke to thick smoke floating above my head like a dark ceiling. My father burst into my room, wrapped me in a blanket, and carried me through a heat so intense it felt alive. Neighbors pulled me to safety as firefighters fought to contain the flames. My uncle didn’t make it out. I watched my father collapse when they carried out the black body bag. That moment rewired me forever.

But the fire was only the first lesson.

When we returned months later, only the top floor was livable. The lower level was condemned. My father, trying his best with limited skills, attempted to rebuild the home himself. He bought sheetrock and supplies, but the project dragged on for years. The house stayed unfinished, unstable, and emotionally heavy. My mother longed for a restored home, but she passed away from cancer when I was twenty, never seeing her dream fulfilled. Years later, I refinanced the property myself and took on the renovation. Contractors delayed the work, ignored timelines, and left me frustrated. But I completed it. And in the process, I learned the truth that shapes my work today: families need guidance, advocacy, and construction literacy. Without it, they become vulnerable to unsafe living conditions, emotional distress, and financial strain.

This personal history is the foundation of my social impact.

Now, as a real estate professional and Dwelling Atelier, I help families avoid the chaos, danger, and disappointment my family lived through. My work is not just about real estate, it is about protection, empowerment, stability, and dignity.

That is why I partnered with Custome Dwelling, a full-lifecycle builder and project management company that manages the entire lifespan of a custom home, from the earliest concept sketches to the final walk-through. Custome Dwelling provides concierge-level guidance, engineering oversight, architectural coordination, procurement support, and construction management. Their model closes every gap my own family once fell through. With them, clients never have to face the risks of unskilled labor, stalled projects, unsafe work, or unclear timelines. The partnership is an extension of my mission: to ensure that every family has access to safe, intentional, expertly guided homebuilding that protects their finances, their health, and their dreams.

Custom-built homes solve real community problems. I help families create homes that: 1. enhance safety with intentional design and proper construction oversight; 2. improve health through clean-air systems, non-toxic materials, and better ventilation; 3. reduce long-term costs with energy-efficient construction and smart layout planning; 4. increase stability by eliminating unsafe conditions and incomplete projects; 5. reflect culture and identity through thoughtful, customized layouts; 6. support aging-in-place with universal design that preserves dignity and independence; 7. provide high-end, affordable dual-dwelling residences/modern duplexes designed for families who serve as caregivers for parents, which meet immediate multigenerational needs and later transition into powerful long-term investment properties for multigenerational wealth; and 8. strengthen neighborhoods with durable, well-designed manifold dwellings that uplift the entire community.

But my social impact extends beyond custom-built homes. I am passionate about helping everyday buyers and sellers navigate homeownership so they can build multigenerational wealth. Many families, especially those in underserved communities, are locked out of the financial security that real estate provides. My upbringing showed me what happens when families lack representation and access. That is why I guide buyers with clarity, help sellers maximize their equity, and teach families how to turn homeownership into long-term financial stability.

I also work closely with investors who rehabilitate distressed properties through fix-and-flips. This is a critical part of my social impact. Revitalizing neglected homes restores neighborhoods, expands access to affordable housing, reduces blight, and gives communities new life. I collaborate with investors committed to ethical redevelopment, not displacement or predatory pricing, but real improvement that benefits the families who live there. These projects create safer streets, stronger property values, and attainable housing options for people who deserve better opportunities.

In addition to renovation-focused investors, I also work with developers who build entire subdivisions, designing new communities from the ground up. These projects provide sustainable housing options, increase supply in high-demand areas, and create opportunities for families who can’t find quality affordable homes in the traditional market. I am currently attached to one such subdivision project in active development, a community being built with intention, safety, and long-term neighborhood value in mind. This work represents the next evolution of my impact: creating not just single homes, but entire ecosystems where families can thrive for generations.

And I do not do this work alone. I partner with other brokers and real estate agents whose professional experience, specialized skill sets, and community knowledge help carry these endeavors forward. It takes a village to transform housing. It takes a village to restore neighborhoods. And it takes a village to build healthy, stable communities. The collective effort ensures that families receive comprehensive support at every stage of their real estate journey.

My work touches every corner of the housing ecosystem: custom builds, first-time buyers, sellers protecting their equity, and investors rebuilding communities. Each group plays a vital role in creating stable, healthy neighborhoods.

I bring the following: clarity to processes that overwhelm most people; advocacy where families are unprotected; intention where design is confusing; and economic empowerment where generational wealth has historically been blocked.

I do this work because I know what it feels like to wake up in danger. I know the emotional cost of deferred dreams and the trauma of living in a house that is technically standing but spiritually broken. I am familiar with the impact real estate has when managed with care, knowledge, and purpose.

My social impact is simple: I use my story to protect others from repeating it, along with my expertise to give families the safety and beauty my own family never received. I help build generational wealth through buying, selling, designing, investing, and ethical redevelopment. As a Keller Williams West Atlanta real estate agent who independently partners with Custome Dwelling to deliver a full, concierge-guided homebuilding experience that ensures no family falls through the cracks, I turn trauma into service, architecture into healing, and real estate into community uplift.

Every custom home I help design is a promise kept to the child I once was. All of the buyers and sellers I guide is a step toward generational stability. Each investor project I help shape is a contribution to neighborhood restoration. And every client I serve is a tribute to my mother’s dream of a safe, beautiful home.

This is the social impact I create. This is why I serve as The Real Estate Dreambuilder!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is rooted in purpose, personal history, and a deep commitment to elevating how people experience home. I work at the intersection of real estate, custom-home design curation, community uplift, and generational wealth building.

What sets me apart is not just what I do, but why I do it. I don’t operate as just one thing in this industry. I am both a Dwelling Atelier and a Real Estate Agent, and the combination of those two roles gives my clients a level of support, insight, and protection that’s rare to find in one professional.

As a Dwelling Atelier, I bring design literacy, construction understanding, and project clarity to people who want custom homes that fit their lives. This work is anchored in a life story that taught me the emotional, physical, and financial impact of unsafe, unfinished, or poorly managed homes. Surviving a childhood house fire, growing up in a damaged home, watching my parents struggle with limited construction knowledge, and later enduring my own renovation battles shaped an unshakeable commitment to protect families from those exact circumstances. That experience fuels my passion to help people build homes that are safe, functional, intentional, and designed around their lives, not their limitations.

As a Realtor, I also bring a wide-angled lens of understanding market conditions, valuations, resale implications, neighborhood trends, and the long-term financial trajectory of each decision. Most people in real estate operate on one side of the industry or the other. I live on both, and that dual expertise elevates every experience my clients have.

Here’s what sets me apart as a Real Estate Agent: 1. I don’t just facilitate transactions, I protect people; 2. I help buyers choose homes that make sense financially, emotionally, and structurally; 3. I help sellers maximize equity by understanding design, staging, and market psychology; 4. I help investors evaluate risk, potential, neighborhood impact, and renovation strategy; 5. I guide first-time buyers through a process that often feels intimidating or inaccessible; and 6. I educate clients on wealth-building principles rather than pushing them into quick deals.

My clients don’t just get a salesperson, they get an advocate who understands the entire ecosystem of homeownership: design, construction, contracts, financing, resale, equity growth, and community development.

I am most proud of my evolution into someone who bridges all these worlds: 1. custom-home design and project curation; 2. residential real estate representation; 3. investment consulting and ethical redevelopment; 4. new subdivision creation; and 5. community education and empowerment.

Getting to where I am today was not easy. It’s important to be honest about the fact that I’m not perfect personally nor physically. I’ve had six spinal fusion surgeries to correct scoliosis. That means I live with a level of back pain that never fully goes away. Some days are easier, some are harder, and there are some days I have to convince my body to do what my spirit has already decided.

Showing up in this business isn’t always simple for me. Real estate requires walking homes, standing for long hours, driving, meeting people, coordinating projects, and managing stress, which does not naturally align with a spinal condition. There are moments when it would be easy to disappear, to slow down, to take a step back. But every day, even when I’m hurting, I make the choice to push through and get the job done because I know the purpose of my life is bigger than the pain in my body.

Is it a tremendous challenge to stay present and productive while dealing with a physical disability? Absolutely. But I’ve learned something powerful: my mind is stronger than my limitations. I call it activating my God-mind, which is the part of me that remembers that God is not some separate, distant figure in the sky. God is the energy that runs through all of us, the oneness we tap into when we rise above fear, doubt, or the constraints of our physical form.

When I operate from that place, I can command abundance, declare expansion, create pathways that weren’t visible before, and move through obstacles with clarity and certainty. This isn’t about perfection, it’s about alignment. It’s about understanding that success requires knowing who you are spiritually, not just what you can do physically.

When you realize that God is not “out there,” but “in here,” and that you and God are not separate but intertwined, you become an unstoppable force. Not because life gets easier, but because you learn how to move through it with a different kind of power.

So yes, I’m flawed. I hurt. I get tired. I have days when my back demands more from me than I would like. But what keeps me going is knowing that my purpose is bigger than my pain. My mission is bigger than my discomfort. And my ability to serve others is fueled by something higher than my physical body.

One of my daily mantras is: Choice is the seat of the soul. This means the core of a person is revealed and shaped by their decisions. “Choice” is the act of deliberate selection. A person’s direction is defined not by feelings or circumstances but by what they decide. “Seat” refers to the center of control. In older philosophical language, the “seat” of something is where its power resides. “Soul” points to the inner self that governs identity, values, will, and direction. It’s the part that directs a life rather than reacts to it. When combined, the phrase states that who you truly are is shown in what you choose. Choice is where emotion, belief, discipline, and intention converge. It exposes truth because actions cannot be faked. Improve the quality of your choices and you alter the trajectory of your life.

I want people to understand that my brand, my work, and my story aren’t built on perfection. They’re built on resilience, faith, determination, and the inner knowing that I was created to do this work. Everything I’ve been through, physically, mentally, and spiritually, has given me the strength to show up for others with clarity, compassion, and conviction. Understanding this reality has taught me that success is not about having a perfect body or a perfect path. It’s about being aligned. It’s about knowing that with the right mindset and the right purpose, you can overcome anything standing in your way.

And that’s why I am who I am today.

The challenges were real: lack of experience in the early years, navigating unreliable contractors, learning the complexities of land development and construction, and building a brand rooted in authenticity rather than shortcuts when it comes to being a residential real estate salesperson. Add in the challenges of managing a disability while trying to operate at a high level, and the road gets even more complicated. But every obstacle and setback taught me something vital and expanded my resilience. Those challenges connected me deeper to the people I now serve.

I overcame these hardships by leaning into mentorship, especially through my good friend and business partner, Ty Barnes, whose leadership shaped me into a real estate professional who operates at a higher level. As previously mentioned, my husband, Roger Reese, grounded me during every moment of uncertainty. I also grew by acknowledging that I am not meant to do this alone. Collaboration with other real estate agents, brokers, builders, investors, and design professionals is part of my success. It truly takes a village.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way: 1. purpose is more powerful than pressure; 2. advocacy is as important as expertise; 3. a home is a healing space, not a product; 4. wealth is built through wisdom, not speed; 5. collaboration is not optional; it is essential; 6. your story can become your superpower if you allow it; and 7. your spiritual alignment will carry you further than your physical strength ever could.

What I want the world to know about my brand is simple: everything I do is designed to protect, uplift, and empower people through real estate and home design. I want families to feel safe. I want buyers and sellers to feel informed. I want investors to operate ethically. I want neighborhoods to thrive. I want children to grow up in homes that are healthy, whole, and filled with dignity.

My brand is built on transformation by turning trauma into purpose, lived experience into professional expertise, physical limitations into spiritual strength, and real estate into generational security.

I hope my business will be known as a calling through testimony, which is the legacy I intend to manifest into the future.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question because it challenges me to go deeper. Instead of giving my usual answer, I wanted to stretch myself and respond from a place of intention by focusing not just on what I currently do, but on what I want to start doing. I’ve answered a version of this question in a previous interview, so this time I decided to approach it differently. I’m leaning into a little fantasy, a little aspiration, and the vision of how I genuinely want to host a friend or a loved one in the future, some of which I’ve already done, and some I’m excited to grow into. Here, I’m offering new possibilities.

Day 1 – Welcome to Atlanta: Luxury + Comfort – Brunch: The Garden Room -A beautiful, immersive space. Lush. Floral. Elevated. A vibe. Perfect for setting the tone. Afternoon: Check into the Bellyard Hotel at The Interlock or the Thompson Buckhead.Great design. Great views. Great energy. Evening: Two Urban Licks for dinner: bold flavors, live music, and a very Atlanta atmosphere.

Day 2 – My World Tour: Real Estate + Inspiration – Because I’m a Dwelling Atelier and a Realtor, I always show people the beauty of Metro Atlanta through architecture and lifestyle. Morning: 1. Drive through Chastain Park and Brookhaven: stunning homes, great design inspiration. 2. Show them a tour of a Custome Dwelling community or a custom-home lot opportunity so they can see my world in action. Lunch: South City Kitchen Midtown, modern Southern cuisine done right. Afternoon: Visit Ponce City Market, walk the BeltLine, explore local shops, artists, and design studios. Evening: Cocktails at 9 Mile Station on the Ponce rooftop.

Day 3 – Fayetteville + Trilith Experience – I live in Fayetteville, GA, so locally this is where I shine because it blends creativity, community, and home design. Morning: Head to Trilith. This area is an architectural masterpiece and aligns with my design brain. Breakfast: ENZO Steakhouse & Bar at Trilith. Day activities: 1. Explore the Trilith Studios area (public side). 2. Walk the intentionally designed neighborhoods. 3. Visit the boutiques, bookstore, and wellness shops. 4. Show them some of the creative homes in the area, which is perfect inspiration. Dinner: ENZO again or Honeysuckle Gelato as a sweet treat.

Day 4 – Nature, Wellness & Restoration – I live a spiritually aligned life, so I want my friends to connect to peace, beauty, and intentional stillness. Morning: Piedmont Park walk + meditation moment. An easy, grounding start to the day. Lunch: True Food Kitchen: healthy, flavorful, aligned with healing and wellness. Afternoon Spa: Jeju Sauna or The Waldorf Astoria Spa. A full spa day. Massages. Steam rooms. Relaxation. Restoration. Evening: Light dinner at Le Bilboquet in Buckhead.

Day 5 – Culture + Hidden Gems – Morning: Visit the High Museum of Art. Beautiful exhibits and modern design. Lunch: Atlantic Station or Yard House. Afternoon: drive down to Hapeville, small town charm, great art murals, and close to the airport area. Dinner: Louisiana Bistreaux for bold, flavorful Creole/Cajun dishes. Nightlife: 1. Hardware Bar ATL 2. The Battery Atlanta for vibes, drinks, and people-watching.

Day 6 – South Metro Pride: Riverdale, College Park, and Local Flavors – I always show people the real community that shaped me and the neighborhoods where I do a lot of my work. Morning: Breakfast at The Breakfast Boys in College Park is always a win. Afternoon: 1. Ride through Historic College Park. 2. Explore Main Street shops and local cafés. 3. Get a feel for South Metro growth, culture, and charm. Dinner: Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar, which is some of the best soul food, culture, community, and flavorful vibe. Evening: Chill with friends or visit a lounge like Tom, Dick & Hank.

Day 7 – Spiritual Alignment + Celebration – This day is about gratitude, grounding, and leaving the trip on a high-frequency note. Morning: 1. Sunrise walk at Stone Mountain Park. 2. Reflection, spiritual alignment, acknowledging the God-self within. 3. Gratitude moment overlooking the view. Brunch: Toast On Lenox. Afternoon: Shopping at Lenox Mall or Phipps Plaza. (Or just window shopping with intention.) Final Dinner: Canoe in Vinings: riverfront, peaceful, elegant, the perfect final moment. Night: Drive through the city lights, maybe grab dessert at Cafe Intermezzo, and recap the week.

In the end, a week like this isn’t just about where we go, it’s about the experience. It’s a blend of luxury, community, creativity, and intention. If I’m hosting someone I love, I want them to leave with great memories and a real sense of the world I move through and the life I’m building with purpose.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, I have to acknowledge God and the God-self within me, who is the divine spark, the oneness, the energy I tap into that keeps me aligned, grounded, and purposeful. Understanding that God is not separate from me, but expressed through me, has shaped every step of my journey. That awareness gives me clarity in chaos, power in weakness, and direction when the path isn’t obvious. Without that inner divine guidance, I wouldn’t have had the courage, the resilience, or the vision to walk the path I’m on now.

My journey is not the product of individual effort. It has been shaped, strengthened, and expanded by an entire community of people who poured wisdom, support, belief, and opportunity into me. I stand where I stand because others lifted me, guided me, and invested in my growth. And while there are many remarkable individuals I could honor, in this season leading into 2026, I must give a special shoutout to two special people who are shaping my new purpose and path, and to my brokerage who has given me the environment to grow into the most powerful, efficient, and confident version of myself as a real estate professional:

Gayle Bickham, the Founder and Chief Strategic Officer of Custome Dwelling, has been one of the most transformative forces in my professional evolution in a very short period. She recognized a deeper calling in me long before I had language for it. Gayle opened the door that allowed me to step fully into my role as a Dwelling Atelier, which is work that aligns with my lived experience, my desire to protect families, and my commitment to intentional design. Her mentorship has been a blueprint for excellence. She teaches by example with precision, discipline, integrity, and vision. Gayle doesn’t just build homes; she builds people, standards, and systems. She gave me access, insight, and opportunity, and through her leadership, I am learning how to serve the community through custom-built home projects simply because she believes in me.

Roger Reese, my husband, is the grounding force beneath everything I do. His love, patience, and unwavering belief in me make my work possible. Roger is the steady rhythm behind my ambition. He provides financial clarity, strategic balance, emotional stability, and a level of support that strengthens my resilience. When my vision expands, he creates space. When doubt enters, he removes it. He is the foundation that allows me to dream boldly and move confidently. Nothing in my life would stand as firmly without the structure he provides.

Together, Gayle and Roger embody the dual pillars of my current support system: visionary mentorship and unconditional support. Gayle sharpened my professional identity; Roger fortified my personal one. My story is not a solo accomplishment, it is the product of guidance, wisdom, encouragement, and belief poured into me by extraordinary people.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share how my brokerage, Keller Williams West Atlanta, has increased my skill, structure, and focus. Their systems, training, and leadership sharpened how I run my business. The coaching culture clarified my numbers, my scripts, and my processes. The collaboration inside KWWA’s market center pushed me to level up fast. Since January 2025, when I joined KWWA, I have gained discipline, confidence, and mastery in lead generation, contract strategy, and client care. They did not just give me tools, they changed how I think as an agent.

Website: https://linktr.ee/80chumaspiritgroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chumaspirit

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chumaspirit/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chumaspirit

Other: https://www.yourcustomedwelling.com/chumahicksreese

Image Credits
I have the rights to these pictures. No credits.

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