This is Bill
Bill Dandie — Steward of Ketchum House
I’ve been environmentally conscious for as long as I can remember. Even as my path led me into business—building and running two successful companies, accumulating everything I thought I wanted—I eventually reached a point where the pursuit of “more” no longer meant anything. Success without meaning felt hollow.
In 2016, I launched Onthe9, a busy Airbnb that grew into almost a small hotel. By 2019, surrounded by guests and constant activity, I realized I needed a home of my own again—somewhere quiet, intentional, and connected to the land.
That’s when Ketchum House appeared.
The first time I saw the listing, I admired its architecture and design from a distance. A month later, when it resurfaced, something in me had shifted. I looked again—this time through a different lens—and felt called to understand its intentional eco-design. And the moment I stepped onto the land, saw the view, and learned the property sat on 4.2 acres, the decision was made. I bought the house, even though I knew almost nothing about off-grid living.
"What followed was a whole new life."
I began giving Earth Day tours every day, not once a year—sharing the eco-mechanisms built into the home and exploring how sustainable living truly works. That journey showed me a truth that changed everything:
we cannot change the global environment in any significant way—but we can transform our own.
In February 2022, I had what I now understand as my great awakening. I quit drinking. I attended my first Ayahuasca ceremony that same year, and another 18 months later. After the second ceremony, I returned to Ketchum House carrying the fire—literally and spiritually. From that moment, the land and I began walking together on a shared path.
I also began fasting—first for health, then for harmony, clarity, and the release of desire. Through this process, I uncovered ancient understandings that had been waiting beneath the surface of my life. Discoveries that I now feel called to share with those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Today, I live as a steward of Ketchum House.
A student of the land.
A keeper of the fire.
And someone who believes that personal transformation is the most powerful environmental act we can offer the world.
