Mark Nelson’s wife calls him a Renaissance man. And after seeing him in action in our mutual town of San Anselmo, I can only agree.
What do you do?
I navigate many worlds. I’m in private equity and real estate. I’m also the singer/songwriter/band leader for Walking Mirrors Music. My biggest passion is connecting all the dots of my past “lives” (business, philanthropy, storytelling, music, etc.), aggregating them and making a difference in the community.
Where do you live?
Lucas Valley, right before you head up over Big Rock towards Nicasio.
How long have you lived in Marin?
Born at Marin General Hospital, but have lived in San Diego, San Francisco and Marin, the last 30+ years in the latter.
Where can we find you when you’re not at work?
Walking a lot. Love playing and watching live music around Marin. Love playing hoops with my son.
If you had to convince someone how awesome Marin is, where would you take them?
Anywhere with water. West Marin. A view from the Marin Headlands. Stinson or Pt. Reyes. Up to one of the lakes (Lagunitas, Phoenix, Alpine). Or any town like San Anselmo or Fairfax.
What’s one thing Marin is missing?
A good percentage of the people who make a county work (police, fire, teachers) cannot afford to live here. You lose some sense of real community when you have a commuting workforce.
What’s one bit of advice you’d share with your fellow Marinites?
Get involved with your community. There is too much isolation in the world, and too much time observing things from a screen, versus experiencing them in real life.
If you could invite anyone to a special dinner, who would you have at the table?
Jack Nicholson or Keith Richards. They seem fun, interesting and devious…
What’s some advice you wish you knew 20 years ago?
Enjoy the process. Outcomes come and go swiftly, so make sure you learn from them.
What’s something that 20 years from now will seem cringeworthy?
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Wait a minute, maybe that’s cringeworthy now….
Big question. What’s one thing you’d do to change the world?
Open the minds of the masses. Everything (opinions, politics, ideas) is so “black or white,” so there is Nothing Left for Gray. That’s our last album title, by the way…
Keep up with Nelson at walkingmirrorsmusic.com.
Nish Nadaraja was on the founding team at Yelp, serves on the San Anselmo Arts Commission and attempts to play pickleball at Fairfax’s Cañon Club.
