William Walker on faith, leadership, and building a wellness-first real estate project

William Walker, a Nashville-based real estate developer, licensed general contractor, and CPA, shares how he went from underwriting large multifamily transactions at Ernst and Young to acquiring more than 1,500 apartment units, exiting that portfolio, and now developing a luxury wellness condo project on Music Row. The conversation covers faith in the workplace, leadership in a fast-growing real estate business, and what it looks like to make decisions with both conviction and discipline.We discuss how William built his career by combining technical analysis, deal-making instincts, and a willingness to take massive action. He also shares how Scripture, prayer, and intentional leadership shape the way he works and what he wants his life and business to stand for.

Key topics

• William’s path from CPA to developer
  • He started at Ernst and Young in transaction real estate, where he learned underwriting, diligence, valuation, and deal analysis by working on large commercial real estate transactions.
• How the SMR project was conceived
  • William explains that SMR is an 18-unit luxury wellness condo in Nashville designed around convenience, privacy, and longevity-focused living.
• Faith as a foundation, not a slogan
  • William says faith has always been a North Star and moral compass, even when he has not always lived it perfectly.
• Putting Scripture into the foundation of a building
  • He shares how he had four Scriptures engraved on steel plates and poured into the concrete corners of a development’s foundation.
• Practical ways he lives out faith at work
  • He had a pastor pray over a groundbreaking ceremony.
• Leadership during rapid portfolio growth
  • William reflects on acquiring 13 assets and more than 1,500 units in a little over 16 months.
• Why he sold the apartment portfolio in 2021
  • He expected to buy and hold forever, but investor expectations, strong offers, and signs of market overheating changed the calculus.
• How he thinks about market cycles now
  • William sees the market as changed, but not headed for a blanket collapse.

00:00 - Maxing out a credit card and the early risk of investing in himself
00:26 - Podcast intro and guest introduction: William Walker
01:25 - William’s background in real estate, CPA work, and portfolio growth
02:24 - Why wellness is becoming a new real estate category
03:20 - Inside SMR: 18 luxury condo units with saunas and cold plunges
04:16 - How owning the land since 2019 led to a unique development idea
05:07 - From Ernst and Young to private real estate investing
06:03 - Learning valuation, underwriting, and diligence on massive transactions
07:24 - Leaving EY and accelerating in the 2018 to 2020 cycle
08:34 - Faith as a North Star and moral compass
10:26 - Trials, tribulations, and building on the rock
11:10 - A sponsored segment from Rise48 Equity
12:36 - Scripture poured into the foundation of a development
13:58 - The four Scriptures William placed into the building foundation
15:23 - Groundbreaking prayer, intention, and giving credit to God
17:18 - Mustard seed faith and small opportunities to speak up
18:59 - Leadership lessons from scaling to 1,500-plus units
21:30 - Why he sold the portfolio in 2021
24:19 - Daily spiritual discipline and keeping perspective in a transactional industry
26:44 - How young leaders can leave a job and build their own path
30:40 - Why the current market is stressed but not collapsing
33:24 - What William wants to be known for
34:28 - Where to find William Walker and Walkstar