by Jacqueline Holness

When was the last time you heard about two people coming together with five marriages between them and demanding independent careers, to seamlessly blend their passions into a thriving business? Meet Tracie and Jeff Dickerson, proprietors of Trinity Treehouse and Trinity Retreat. 

The two are the epitome of a wellness couple having transformed their home, which buttresses the 2,500-acre Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve and is only 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta, into a private wellness compound – the fastest-growing segment of the real estate market according to Global Wellness Summit. Friends, family, and guests are astonished that the interior of this hand-crafted treehouse was built by Jeff in his woodshop located in a portion of the main house’s terrace level. Jeff’s long-time hobby was complemented by Tracie’s exquisite eye for decor and her entertaining finesse, providing the couple the ultimate nature escape, just steps away.

Tracie says, “The space is so special we decided we couldn’t keep it for ourselves…we need to share this!” Hence, during the pandemic, they decided to test it on Airbnb and a few short months later they earned the designation of Superhosts; those who provide a shining example for other hosts and extraordinary experiences for their guests. Next followed features of Trinity Treehouse by The New York Times, CNBC, and other media outlets. Over four days this past September, their home slash wellness gem was turned into what seemed like a major studio Bond production to film a national Ford Bronco campaign. The year-long roll-out is set to launch any day and features adventure expert and Travel Channel host Kellee Edwards.

“How is it that he had not seen this statuesque beauty before,” Jeff thought when he spotted then 57-year-old Tracie Howard while he was standing in the valet line after attending the State of the City address by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. By May 2018, then 63-year-old Jeff Dickerson had more than solidified his standing in the upper echelons of Atlanta society.

He is president of Dickerson Communications, an Atlanta-based company that specializes in public relations, crises management, and strategic counseling with many Atlanta luminaries counted among his clients. It was especially puzzling as Tracie, who had seven Penguin Putnam and Random House-published novels in her repertoire had also established herself in Atlanta’s communication industries. 

Dickerson honed his communication skills through more than 25 years of journalism, spending 17 at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he was on the editorial board. Additionally, he served as a panelist on the popular FOX 5 Atlanta weekly public affairs program The Georgia Gang for three decades. Tracie, who had been the Travel & Lifestyle editor for Savoy Magazine, had also served as publisher of Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, The Atlanta Daily World, and Who’s Who in Black Atlanta. Additionally, Jezebel Magazine had named her as one of the “50 Most Beautiful Atlantans” in 2008. And in 2013, she was named to Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List.

Great food and conversation were hallmarks of their courtship. “We closed down every restaurant we went to,” says Tracie. “Our conversations were so fluid. We laughed. We had so much fun together. Every date was several hours long. It was like talking to yourself, but better.” 

Their dates included Longleaf Restaurant located in Atlanta’s Botanical Garden followed by a long stroll amongst the “Imaginary Worlds: Alice’s Wonderland” exhibition of giant topiary-like plant sculptures; and The Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International’s “Afternoon in the Country,” a spectacular food and beverage festival held on the grounds of Foxhall Resort.

“They giggled and nuzzled in matching color-coordinated outfits, barely indulging in the libations and fine food from 130 top names in the business,” said friends who invited them to the annual benefit for young women who seek to pursue culinary, fine beverage, and hospitality career dreams as well as Georgia farmers.

Although they had not met before, it seemed like they had known each other all along. “We’re just really aligned,” says Tracie. “I think a lot of couples get into trouble or there are a lot of issues when they don’t see the world the same way. I have to watch myself and not feel like Jeff can read my mind. But I really think he can. And I think I can read his. The alignment was so strong and way different than anything I had experienced before.” Jeff agrees. “It was just a different kind of relationship. We routinely finish each other’s sentences. We completed each other’s thoughts. Maybe it had something to do with our birthdays. Tracie’s is June 7, and mine is June 8 so we just see the world the same way.”

In fact, the couple opted to get married at the Atlanta restaurant, The Consulate, on February 1, 2019, where several key dates took place. “We had a very small gathering of immediate family and friends in the private dining room at the restaurant that was a big part of our courtship,” Tracie says. “Our first kiss was there, all of these important conversations.

Jeff’s oldest son J.D. is an officiant and he married us.” While their whirlwind wedding less than a year after they met represented a blending of their worlds, the process has been ongoing given their respective pasts. Jeff has five adult children from two previous marriages and Tracie has been married three times. “I had friends who weren’t particularly pleased, and I had some family members who were cautious because of my history and didn’t want to see me make another mistake.

But when you get to be this age, you know what you want in your life,” says Jeff. And Jeff is patient with the blending process. “My mother married twice after my father, and it took several years to become truly comfortable with her mates. I think the same is likely to happen here. It can take time for kids to adjust.” Tracie added, “Marrying at our age means bringing more history to the relationship than marriage at twenty-five would. Though it has been seamless with my family, it helps in general that we always put each other and our marriage first.”

And then came the pandemic roughly a year later, which allowed time and space for the blending process to continue to unfold and bring the families closer together. “It was at Tracie’s urging that my 90-year-old mother moved in during the early months of the pandemic to keep her safe and COVID-free. Also, my youngest son Adam, who was in college when the pandemic hit, moved in with us for about nine months or so,” says Jeff. “It was a different time but not a difficult time.”

Jeff sought out his wife for advice about the treehouse project. “When I first saw the treehouse three years ago, it was just a shell. I didn’t know what it was going to be, but I knew it would be a cool place to hang out. Before the pandemic, Jeff started asking my opinion about the walls, the cabinetry, and where to put stuff, so we started designing it together. So that kind of got me vested, and I was like, ‘Well, let’s try this, let’s try that.’ I began to manifest the vision of its decor, and it started with this elaborate chandelier that I made from branches in the wooded area and moss. And after that, the vision came into full focus.’” 

From there, Jeff finished the interior with Adam’s help, building out the windows, doors, siding, and the kitchen, bathroom and floors. Tracie decorated the treehouse with artwork she had acquired during her many travels throughout eleven Africa countries. She spent a semester as professor-in-residence at the prestigious Institut Supérieur de Management in Dakar, Senegal, teaching U.S. Pop Culture and Politics, and her tenure at West Africa’s premier business university culminated with guest lectures in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Additionally, Jeff contributed a cherry wood desk he made about 20 years ago. “For our birthdays during the first pandemic year, since we couldn’t travel, as we love to do, we traveled to the backyard,” said Tracie. “And that was our goal to finish it by our birthdays. It was so relaxing up there. It was beautiful and special. And that made us realize it was something we should share with other people, especially during the pandemic when people wanted to travel but couldn’t. There’s no better social distancing than a treehouse with 2,500 acres!”

The alignment the couple has enjoyed in their personal lives – nature, writing, crafting, entertaining, relaxation rituals – has been replicated in their professional lives – more nature, writing, crafting, entertaining, relaxation rituals – as they consider their work-life balance in the waning days of the pandemic.

“Although working together doesn’t work for all couples, for us it’s been fun,” says Tracie. “It helps that we generally see things the same way. We can also be pretty silly and at times and often speak a language that’s all our own.”To enjoy your own nature experience at Trinity Treehouse for up to four people, go to www.airbnb.com/h/trinitytreehouse. For larger groups, go to www.airbnb.com/h/trinityretreat.