“I chose to sponsor Yoga Rocks the Park because it is an event which reflects my values. Yoga Rocks creates a sense of community, while giving back to the community.”

We have so many cool and amazing people in the nationwide Yoga Rocks The Park Community, from teachers, to musicians, to mindful business leaders that we decided to start sharing their stories about how they got involved with us and how they are changing the planet one day at at a time. It is our pleasure to introduce you to Allison Parks of the Conscious Group at Colorado’s Finest Real Estate,Yoga Rocks The Park Denver Local Presenting Sponsor. She tells us what attracted her to YRP andshares some insight on how to combine sustainability and philanthropy to achieve socially responsible buying and marketing of Colorado residential properties. Sounds good to us!
What attracted you to get involved with Yoga Rocks The Park?
I chose to sponsor Yoga Rocks the Park because it is an event which reflects my values. YRP creates a sense of community, while giving back to the community. Each week, I watch a couple hundred Coloradans gather in the park to listen to music and take care of their bodies, while the kiddos have their own yoga class under the trees. I see strangers smiling at one another and I know that Yoga Rocks, like Conscious Group, donates a consistent portion of their proceeds to nonprofits. I think many of the attendees of Yoga Rocks the Park share my values of health, inclusion, and community and would like to support a business like Conscious Group.
What prompted you to found the conscious group?
I founded Conscious Group because I wanted to implement my values into my real estate business. I worked and volunteered for various nonprofits for nearly a decade and enjoyed being able to contribute to good causes. A few years later, I found myself doing real estate and began to notice the rise in for-profit businesses implementing charitable giving into their business model. I developed the idea to contribute 10% of my every commission to the nonprofit organization of my clients’ choice and the idea made me really happy. Within the day, ConsciousGroup was born.
In your Title, you say the “Conscious Group.” Can you tell us what “consciousness” means to you and how you integrate that into your business/community?
I briefly struggled to find the one accurate word to describe my business and felt that “Conscious” was the most appropriate. I implement social consciousness through charitable giving in every transaction and integrate environmental consciousness through green business practices. Of course, none of that would matter if I didn’t hold my client relationships in utmost regard. If I gave money to charity, but didn’t take excellent care of my clients, that would be the equivalent of preparing a nice healthy dinner for my friends or family without washing my hands first.
In your opinion, what is the most important attribute for a business to have?
I think the most important attribute for a business, or life for that matter, is pretty basic: ”Whatever you are, be a good one,” quoted (debatably) from Abraham Lincoln. The cornerstone of a thriving, sustainable business is just to do a great job. Make sure you take care of your patrons, employees, and community; without them, you won’t have a business for long. Try really hard not to make a mistake, but if you do, apologize and fix it to the best of your ability. And since most of us spend such a major portion of our lives working, have fun with what you do.
How important is it to you to do your part in shifting the planet in a positive direction… and how are you doing so?
Shifting the planet is Conscious Group’s reason for existence. My goal is to provide formidable financial support for nonprofits who will subsequently enact significant changes in our local and global community. I keep my business green through being 95% paperless, recycling, and utilizing alternative transportation options like real estate bicycle tours. I also seek to provide education to the public about the energy-efficiency, indoor air quality, operating costs, and environmental impact of their homes.
About Allison Parks: Originally from Illinois, I moved to Colorado for graduate school and quickly fell in love with Denver. I worked as a mental health counselor and at various nonprofits for several years. At one point, I became a certified yoga teacher and then moved to South Korea to teach English. While I attained some great life experience living abroad, I returned to the United States right before the recession and found myself in an immense competition for jobs. Like many people who became entrepreneurs or experienced career changes in response to the economic climate, I had to consider what I had to offer and what I enjoy. I knew that I enjoy working with people, I know my city very well, I love houses, and I’m obsessed with markets and statistics. That translated itself into residential real estate. I didn’t know what I was getting into initially, but luckily, real estate suits me quite well. While the buying and selling process can be very fun, it also contains both tedious and emotional aspects and I appreciate being able to help people through it all. It’s truly an honor. I haven’t found myself with much spare time lately, but when I do, you can find me practicing yoga, climbing, hiking with my dog, reading, or losing at tennis.
Conscious Group on Facebook
The Conscious Group Website
What attracted you to get involved with Yoga Rocks The Park?
I chose to sponsor Yoga Rocks the Park because it is an event which reflects my values. YRP creates a sense of community, while giving back to the community. Each week, I watch a couple hundred Coloradans gather in the park to listen to music and take care of their bodies, while the kiddos have their own yoga class under the trees. I see strangers smiling at one another and I know that Yoga Rocks, like Conscious Group, donates a consistent portion of their proceeds to nonprofits. I think many of the attendees of Yoga Rocks the Park share my values of health, inclusion, and community and would like to support a business like Conscious Group.
What prompted you to found the conscious group?
I founded Conscious Group because I wanted to implement my values into my real estate business. I worked and volunteered for various nonprofits for nearly a decade and enjoyed being able to contribute to good causes. A few years later, I found myself doing real estate and began to notice the rise in for-profit businesses implementing charitable giving into their business model. I developed the idea to contribute 10% of my every commission to the nonprofit organization of my clients’ choice and the idea made me really happy. Within the day, ConsciousGroup was born.
In your Title, you say the “Conscious Group.” Can you tell us what “consciousness” means to you and how you integrate that into your business/community?
I briefly struggled to find the one accurate word to describe my business and felt that “Conscious” was the most appropriate. I implement social consciousness through charitable giving in every transaction and integrate environmental consciousness through green business practices. Of course, none of that would matter if I didn’t hold my client relationships in utmost regard. If I gave money to charity, but didn’t take excellent care of my clients, that would be the equivalent of preparing a nice healthy dinner for my friends or family without washing my hands first.
In your opinion, what is the most important attribute for a business to have?
I think the most important attribute for a business, or life for that matter, is pretty basic: ”Whatever you are, be a good one,” quoted (debatably) from Abraham Lincoln. The cornerstone of a thriving, sustainable business is just to do a great job. Make sure you take care of your patrons, employees, and community; without them, you won’t have a business for long. Try really hard not to make a mistake, but if you do, apologize and fix it to the best of your ability. And since most of us spend such a major portion of our lives working, have fun with what you do.
How important is it to you to do your part in shifting the planet in a positive direction… and how are you doing so?
Shifting the planet is Conscious Group’s reason for existence. My goal is to provide formidable financial support for nonprofits who will subsequently enact significant changes in our local and global community. I keep my business green through being 95% paperless, recycling, and utilizing alternative transportation options like real estate bicycle tours. I also seek to provide education to the public about the energy-efficiency, indoor air quality, operating costs, and environmental impact of their homes.
About Allison Parks: Originally from Illinois, I moved to Colorado for graduate school and quickly fell in love with Denver. I worked as a mental health counselor and at various nonprofits for several years. At one point, I became a certified yoga teacher and then moved to South Korea to teach English. While I attained some great life experience living abroad, I returned to the United States right before the recession and found myself in an immense competition for jobs. Like many people who became entrepreneurs or experienced career changes in response to the economic climate, I had to consider what I had to offer and what I enjoy. I knew that I enjoy working with people, I know my city very well, I love houses, and I’m obsessed with markets and statistics. That translated itself into residential real estate. I didn’t know what I was getting into initially, but luckily, real estate suits me quite well. While the buying and selling process can be very fun, it also contains both tedious and emotional aspects and I appreciate being able to help people through it all. It’s truly an honor. I haven’t found myself with much spare time lately, but when I do, you can find me practicing yoga, climbing, hiking with my dog, reading, or losing at tennis.
Conscious Group on Facebook
The Conscious Group Website