About Anne: Anne Pollack is a partner with Fletcher Fischer Pollack, P.L., a boutique, women-owned law firm in St. Petersburg, Florida. Over the past 20 years she has leveraged her knowledge to become an authority on acquiring development approvals and land use entitlements for real estate projects of all types and sizes across Florida, and in representing both private and governmental clients in connection with the sale, acquisition and development of real estate. Her practice also includes consultation on sustainability, green building and resiliency, reflecting the firm’s commitment to serving developers and businesses with holistic legal advice in this changing world. Anne’s sense of community and service has defined her throughout her career as much as her accomplishments in the legal world. She is a vital contributor to the Tampa Bay community and is a fixture in multiple industry, bar, and community-based organizations. She is currently on the board of ULI-Tampa Bay and co-chairs its Women’s Leadership Initiative and is Treasurer of Real Estate Investment Council – Tampa. She is on the Boards of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Creative Clay, and she is Vice Chair of the Insurance and Surety Committee of the Florida Bar Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section. Anne was President of CREW Tampa Bay in 2017.

Connect with Anne:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annepollack/
Website: https://www.fletcherfischer.com/

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak
Website: http://www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Key topics included the need for emotional connections in today's landscape, aligning personal, employer and business brands for success, gaining confidence as a woman business owner, strong employer branding's impact on talent attraction and retention, and advice on audits and expertise positioning.

For those wanting to take their business, career, or personal brands further, this episode offers invaluable insights from a world leading branding expert.

About Amber:
Amber Erickson-Hurdle helps professionals and organizations define and position their value to increase their confidence and the bottom line. As an in-demand professional speaker and founder of Employer Brand Central agency, Amber teaches professionals to connect the combined value of personal brands, employer brands, and business brands to increase market share and profitability, reduce turnover, and amplify satisfaction among customers and employees alike. Amber was recognized by Global Gurus for being among the top 30 brand professionals in 2020-2023, ranking #4 in the world for 2023. Although she stays busy running her businesses, she always finds time for her two adult kids, her Cavapoo Gibbs, and all of the outdoor activities she can squeeze in at home or on the road.

Connect with Amber:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theamberhurdle/
Website: https://amberhurdle.com/
Instagram: @Theamberhurdle
Bombshell Business Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bombshell-business-podcast-with-amber-hurdle/id1141690501

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak
Website: http://www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

They discuss the challenges and rewards of juggling multiple projects simultaneously and emphasize the importance of problem-solving skills, creativity, and perseverance in overcoming obstacles. They also offer words of encouragement for younger women, stressing the value of mentorship relationships and having confidence in one's own abilities.

They also discuss bringing top female executives to Tampa to educate local women professionals. This inspiring conversation provides a glimpse into the promising futures of these dynamic real estate professionals, while imparting wisdom that will benefit women across the commercial real estate industry.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak
Website: http://www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Emily:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-franklin-45a1a1b0/
Emily book recommendation: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss via Amazon https://a.co/d/4DBchcO

Connect with Natalia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliagoldenberg/
Natalia's book recommendation: The Obstacle Is The Way By Ryan Holiday via Amazon https://a.co/d/9Ahldzr

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In this interview, Melissa highlights the importance of regional coordination and long-term visioning for guiding growth in a large, evolving community like Hillsborough County. She shares insights on the tangible impacts of planning decisions on communities and stresses the need for adaptive planning to address changing trends.

The episode also explores Melissa's career growth, emphasizing the value of professional organizations. Melissa started in planning through an internship, enjoying the policy and local government aspects. Her involvement in the American Planning Association (APA) played a crucial role in her career progression, providing leadership opportunities and skill development through volunteering at local and state levels, culminating in her role as chapter president.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Melissa:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-zornitta-4b03897/
The Planning Commission https://planhillsborough.org/
Melissa's Podcast Recommendation: Harvard Business Review Women at Work https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-women-at-work

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Tune in as Vicky takes us on a captivating journey through career and shares what it’s like to lead FOCUS's expansion into diverse markets across the Southeast region. Discover what inspired her transition from architecture to development and gain insights into the challenges and triumphs along the way.

At Focus, Vicky defines strategies for organizational growth, spearheads acquisitions, manages developments valued at over $1.1B. She played a pivotal role in the success of The Atworth at Mellody Farm in Vernon Hills, IL which helped position FOCUS as a suburban placemaking leader.

Vicky’s expertise isn't limited to the boardroom – she actively contributes to the industry as Vice Chair of ULI Public Private Partnership Council (Blue), Vice Chair of ULI Chicago Product Council (Green), and Advisory Board member for ULI Chicago. With an MBA from Cornell University's S.C. Johnson School of Management and a BA in Architecture from the University of Notre Dame, she is a multifaceted leader who graciously shares her leadership insights on the show.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Vicky:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickyglee/
https://workwithfocus.com/
Vicky's Book Recommendation: In Praise of Difficult Women: Life Lessons From 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules via Amazon https://a.co/d/9zibGUm

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Emily Rogers, an executive coach, is dedicated to empowering leaders through her work. With over a decade of experience, she has partnered with 500 leaders across various industries and career stages, from young high-potentials to CEOs at Fortune 500 companies. Emily also serves as a leadership development trainer and team coach, conducting over 350 workshops and retreats. She finds inspiration in witnessing how inner transformation brings positive change and powerful ripple effects to relationships, organizations, and communities.

Recognized for her fresh approach to leadership, Emily authored a leadership excellence column for six years and is a sought-after speaker, presenting keynotes and workshops worldwide. Forbes featured her insights 18 times, solidifying her position as a thought leader. In 2022, she was a finalist for the ATHENA International Leadership Award and received recognition as January's Small Business of the Month by the Lakeland Chamber. She was also a finalist for the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce Businesswoman of the Year in 2021 and was named as a Person to Know in Polk County, FL by Florida Trend in July 2023.

Emily holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida State University and another master's in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida. Her coaching training includes programs with the Coaches Training Institute and CRR Global. Emily is certified to administer the Leadership Circle Profile™ and Collective Leadership Assessment™.

An active member of professional organizations like the International Coach Federation, Emily contributes to her community by serving on the boards of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Central Florida. She resides with her husband on their family ranch in Lakeland, Florida, where they grow citrus and raise beef cattle. 

Memorable Moments:

10:17 My legacy Leadership Program is all about helping people get clearer about who they want to influence, how they want to influence, and the positive change that they want to create in people's lives, in their communities, and in their families.

13:14 Women tend to underestimate themselves and their leadership effectiveness. And they're always surprised and humbled to see how effective they truly are when we conduct a leadership assessment in the form of a 360. Women underestimate themselves and they are often underestimated in the workplace, just due to gender bias. Beliefs that people hold about women's place in the workplace, women's place in the world, and some of those things are generational and there's still a stronghold on some of those old, outdated beliefs. And women also struggle more with work life integration than men. Career planning can be a little bit more dynamic for women, just because their priorities can ebb and flow as they choose to have families and focus on different areas of their life or their work. Many of the leadership challenges are the same, but there's some gender differences that are unique to women.

29:28 The advice I often give the women leaders that I work with is don't give away your power. Claim your power and use it for good.

Emily's Book Recommendation:  "Good Power" by Ginny Romettyn - https://www.amazon.com/Good-Power-Leading-Positive-Change/dp/1647823226

Connect with Emily:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyhowellrogers/

https://emilyrogers.com/

Emily's Legacy Leadership Program: https://emilyrogers.com/programs-2/legacy-leadership/

https://www.facebook.com/EmilyRogersConsultingandCoaching

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

In this episode, Ashley and I discuss her career as a real estate market reporter in the Tampa Bay Region and how she’s covered some of the area’s biggest breaking news stories in the commercial real estate industry over the past decade. Ashley has established herself as the leading source for local real estate news in the Tampa Bay region and she offers up tons of advice for folks looking to develop a better relationships with the media. She shares her approach to reporting and tells us how to become a source as well as how best to pitch story ideas. She even talks about how to work with her when a deal is confidential and describes makes a story newsworthy. 

Tune in to learn more about Ashley and how to best work with real estate reporters to gain valuable media coverage on breaking news.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Ashley:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleygurbal/

Instagram: @ashleykritzer

TBBJ Website: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/bio/23231/Ashley+Gurbal+Kritzer+

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

After looking at her own photos, she decided to focus on working with women and encouraging them to invest in their images and to take charge of their narrative. Culturally curious she’s able to boost confidence of everyone she works with and says, "Your Brand is already out there, by default, the idea is to have it by DESIGN". 

Tune in to learn more about Tathiana and learn why you should invest in personal branding photography.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Tathiana:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daydreamfotografia/
www.daydreamfotografia.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tathiana-novaes-3563191b2/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

In this episode of She's Wild, the Podcast for Women in Land & Development, Eva Rose Daniel, the Founder and Owner of The Speak Shop, is the featured guest. Eva is a public speaking consultant who provides one-on-one and group coaching to help CEOs, professionals, and speakers improve their delivery and content. As the owner of The Speak Shop, she specialize in helping thought-leaders develop and deliver engaging content through presentation coaching, writing, speech writing, and content strategy. Prior to founding The Speak Shop, Eva  worked with Dave Ramsey and his team of speakers as a Senior Speech Writer. 

Tune in to learn more about Eva and learn how to Unlock the Secrets of Powerful Public Speaking!

Eva's Book Recommendations: 

Chatter: https://a.co/d/fzpQla2   

Humor Seriously -https://a.co/d/bRRcbPw

Making Numbers Count - https://a.co/d/0aiTxAG

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Eva:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-rose-daniel/

Free Download: 12 Questions You Must Ask For A Killer Speech - https://thespeakshop.com/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

In this episode, Debra and I discuss her company's mission to offer innovative approaches to affordable housing and her 35-year career in real estate development. Debra has successfully developed over 2.5 million square feet of office and hotel space and nearly 10,000 affordable and workforce multifamily units in over 35 communities throughout Florida. She has also raised over $1.25 billion through the sale of affordable housing tax credits, tax-exempt municipal bonds, and conventional project financing.

Debra is an icon in the development industry in Florida and  when you listen to this show you'll quickly see why. 

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Debra:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-koehler-8a560311/

Metro 510: https://metro510.com/

Vista 400: http://vista400fl.com/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Three notable career achievements: Founding CREW Tampa Bay in 1997 and providing a platform for many women to launch their own companies/expand their careers, raising two amazing daughters, now adults, and changing the application process for new members into SIOR. 

In today's show Nancy and I discuss her favorite deals and she shares how she became a commercial real estate developer in the '90s. She's one of my favorite people and this episode is chock full of great advice. 

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Nancy Phaneuf Manning:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyphaneufmanning/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

In this episode learn about Heather and her career journey from studying biology to working as the Land & Water Protection Director for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona to her current role as Conservation Division leader at the Land Advisors Organization. You also learn all about the Yavapai Ranch Project she’s diligently working on conserving. 

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Heather:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-reading-aa055b27/

Learn more about the Yavapai Ranch:  http://www.yavapairanch.com/

Heather's book recommendation: The Secret Knowledge of Water: Discovering the Essence of the American Desert by Craig Childs via Amazon: https://a.co/d/aDnZHY6

Heather’s YouTube Yoga Recommendation: Boho Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/c/bohobeautiful

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with The Business of Life Master Class:

https://www.facebook.com/TheBusinessOfLifeMasterClass
Instagram: @thebusinessoflifemasterclass
Twitter: @ClassTBOL
Hosts: Debbie Lundberg & Barbara Zant
www.debbielundberg.com
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @debbielundberg
TikTok: @DebbieLundbergCoach
Instagram for Barb Zant: @thestayatworkmom

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

In this week's episode, Dawn shares her career journey from intern to office lead and shareholder at Kimley-Horn, discussing the lessons she's learned along the way. She also talks about her experience working on various civil engineering projects and how she balances her responsibilities.

Memorable Moments:

4:20 I was on the team that was selected for The Pier Approach project here in St. Pete. And that was very, very exciting at the time, because you know, talk about placemaking projects and being involved in that as the civil. It really was five years of my life, that project from concept to community engagement to implementation. And so that really got me passionate about St. Pete. I built relationships with you know, the whole community, the leadership within the city, and that's when I became passion about St. Pete and I helped open our office here. We opened in 2018 with 17 people. And so now fast forward, now we've moved locations and we're over 50. 

15:36 Being an office leader is a challenge, but I really do enjoy it. And it's really rewarding, seeing my staff growing as well. We're developing others that are now growing and so it's very exciting. 

20:01 I think that something that brought me really far is I haven't been afraid of taking risks. I messed up before; and I've learned from it. And now I'm so well rounded. I could have just stayed comfortable, working on single family and some industrial, but instead I kind of kept taking big risks, stumbling, learning, and now I'm so grateful for it.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Dawn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnmdodge/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Rebecca was raised on her family’s century farm in southeast Iowa. Her diligent work ethic and life experiences led her to Hertz Farm Management where she works with land and farm owners helping them market and sell their land. She has dedicated time to serve those around her on a local and national level through her involvement in multiple organizations including the Realtors Land Institute (RLI), Johnson County Planning & Zoning Commissioner, Ag/Business Group of Johnson County, Mid-Prairie Alumni & Friends Board, Iowa Corn Tri-County Group, and more.

In this episode, you'll get to know Rebecca as we discuss her love selling farmland. Her energy is infectious and it's easy to see why her clients love her and her enthusiasm for  the agriculture industry. 

Memorable Moments:

9:52 My favorite deal so far was helping my mom buy a farm. It was such a cool deal to get to work with family and see us gain land that was adjoining ours. We sold farms in the process, we bought farms in the process, we did a 1031 exchange in the middle of it. There was a lot of learning and there was also a lot of joy in building our operations.

14:50 I applied three times to serve on the Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission. As someone that comes from a farm and someone who wants to educate people on agriculture, I wanted that to be taken into account with planning and zoning. I was adamant and kept applying every time a position opened. I wanted to increase my knowledge of planning and zoning and comprehend it better for my buyers and sellers. 

25:02 Land values have gone up nearly 30 to 40% since 2021. It is crazy how much they skyrocketed in such a quick amount of time. 

26:10 If it's high-quality ground, you're still going to see high prices. There’s still substantial amounts of cash out there in our sector of agriculture. People see land as a great hedge against inflation. 

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Rebecca:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-frantz-097424151/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccafrantz/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebeccafrantz_

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/frantz.re

Hertz Farm Management: https://www.hertz.ag/

Book recommendation: Living Fully by Mallory Ervin, https://malloryervin.com/living-fully-book

Podcast recommendation: The Quote Of The Day Show with Sean Croxton

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

In this interview, you'll hear all about how Lauren leveraged working as a researcher then a broker to eventually realize her dream of becoming a developer. This is a great show that documents the very earliest parts of a new multifamily development project. 

Memorable Moments:

I'm very interested in placemaking, and urban planning, and creating a sense of place is incredibly important to me. And so historically, I've spent a lot of time researching, reading, understanding, discussing attending events, about placemaking. My background with a liberal arts degree, lets me look at things differently, not better, just differently. I took that knowledge of how to create a sense of place especially on the ground floor, through curation of tenants, through pop ups, through viral social media trends, through offering free Wi Fi and bringing in activities like night markets and holiday events. I always like to say that instead of a return on investment, we want to have a return on experience.

I look different than the people they're used to seeing stand up there and telling them what to do. And I think it was a combination of looking different and speaking differently. Where it clicked in their brains that maybe this was actually different. And I think women have a better ability to use their emotional intelligence, I won't say that I think that women are more emotionally intelligent than men, I just think we're better at using it. And at understanding other people's emotions and needs, and then being proactive about anticipating that. 

My goal with our site, is that, of course that the tenants that live there, love it, and that it works for them, but that it also works for the whole neighborhood and that the whole neighborhood adopts it as their own second or third place. And that's really important to me.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Lauren:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurencampbellcre/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/commercialre_tampabay/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Before joining Onyx+East, Kelli was a partner for 18 years at a private, Midwest-based, multi-family development firm. While there, she led development, construction and overall market execution in the Louisville and Indianapolis markets for more than 3,000 for-sale and rental housing units valued at more than $600 million. She has more than 20 years of experience in real estate development.

As an active member of the Indianapolis community, Kelli was named a Woman of Influence by Indiana Business Journal in 2021. She is an active member of both the national and Indiana chapters of the Urban Land Institute and has served as chair in Indiana. She has served as the Vice Chair of the National MultiFamily Product Council, is a past chair of the Ball State University Alumni Council, and is a Foundation Board Director for the Ball State University Foundation. 

Memorable Moments:

"I'm really proud of my people work as much as my real estate work. The people part of what I do is what excites me the most now. I love when our team members get elevated to a new role and take on new responsibilities and are successful. It’s really gratifying to see what we physically build, but bringing together all the right people to make a real estate deal happen, because it takes a ton of people in many different specialties, to make a successful project come to fruition, that’s the best part."

"We do a deep dive into the market fundamentals. We still view ourselves as more of a boutique builder, so we're not looking for locations where we're going to be competing against the public homebuilders because that's just a very difficult place for a smaller builder to be. We look for phenomenal locations where there’s lot of renovation activity and tear-downs to new construction building. We are very focused on thoughtful design in a more urban context because we're choosing locations where walkability and connectedness to a neighborhood is important."

"It took me a while in my career, especially as I was working with some very seasoned real estate executives, to be willing to raise my hand and say hey, I don't think we should do this deal, or I really think we should, or I think we're missing something. Taking that risk of being wrong and being willing to stick your neck out is something I wish I would have done sooner in my career."

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Kelli:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-lawrence-029bb74/

Website: https://www.onyxandeast.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onyxandeast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onyxandeast/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Tara is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge MA with a Master of Science Degree in Real Estate Development and a graduate of Loyola University with a degree in Finance. She is a ULI Trustee and  also serves in Board leadership roles for the PORT of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans, Inc and The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, Ochsner Health Foundation, and the Idea Village.

In this episode, Tara and I discuss her career and how she got started in development field, her love of New Orleans, how she's approached development deals there, and she also tells us all about her upcoming project, the River District and how it will transform the City of New Orleans. 

Memorable moments:

15:08 My next project in 2023 is a 40-acre tract of vacant land that's been sitting on the river for a very long time at the edge of the convention center. The convention center owns the land, and our team of developers were selected. We’re literally building a new neighborhood. A brand-new neighborhood on the river called the River District. Next to a million square feet convention center and Mardi Gras World, right at the edge of downtown, on a very high traffic street. It will be a mix of apartments, condos, office, hotel, and entertainment for both sports and cultural museums. I like to call it, "Take Me to the River, It's Where You Want To Be."

20:31 I happened to be the vice chair of the New Orleans, Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, it basically is the Foundation that owns the Jazz Fest, and WWOZ Radio Station. The proceeds from the Jazz Fest, we do a lot of community programming, including grants to the community, and one of those programs is a free music school for kids. I volunteered and supervised the development of a performance space for them with different music rooms and a recording studio. And when those kids walked in the door the first time, and saw that the space was for them, it was just amazing just to see the smiles on their faces. That's one of my most rewarding development projects.

29:23 I'm sure this is applicable to in many jurisdictions, I would say, but be especially because you could be negotiating, and then suddenly, there's a new mayor, a new council member, or something like that. You absolutely must have good relationships and your projects have to stand for themselves. You must have advocates that can toot your horn when you're not in the room. It has to be a win-win for everybody.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Tara:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-hernandez-0093325/

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-hernandez-0093325/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Alissa has worn every hat in the development world and now, as 2nd Wave’s SVP, she devotes her time to overseeing the teams responsible for design, development, construction, and leasing of the company’s luxury multi-family development projects throughout the southeastern U.S.  Helping grow the 2nd Wave team over the last five years has been one of the greatest challenges and honors of Alissa’s life and she cherishes the ability to work collaboratively with such a talented team daily.

In today's episode, we discuss Alissa's journey into development, her love of working on all aspects of building multifamily projects, and how she's grown into a leadership role at 2nd Wave. This show will leave you inspired to pursue your dreams.  

Memorable Moments: 

8:45 We specifically curate every portion of a project based on what the community wants and needs. And based on the individual history of that community. We have gone through this process and refine everything in house based on what we see. We do a lot of market research, based on what the residents want. 

22:43 Someone once told me, I think it was like in jest, that they thought I think that, if I flapped my arms hard enough that I could fly. And I think, it's one of the things I'm most proud of. I think that every woman should truly believe and everybody in general should really believe in themselves. I highly encourage everyone to really try to internalize that viewpoint because it can only create success.

24:38 Don't get discouraged by failure or somebody telling you you can't. Some of the people that I've seen rise the fastest and be the most competent in construction have been women. Because having that different viewpoint in the room is so pivotal, and it makes such a difference. There just are things that women provide to this industry that are different and are incredible. And I would add, always be persistent. If there's something that you want, do not stop trying to go for it.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Alissa:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissasieben/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/2nd-wave-development/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alissasieben/

https://www.instagram.com/2ndwavedevelopment/

Website: https://www.2ndwavedevelopment.com/

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

She also wrote two books detailing her experience in the real estate world and her secret sauce for success. Don’t Say No for the Prospect was published in 2019 followed up by The Retail Leasing Playbook in 2020. Beth also founded the Women’s Real Estate Investment Summit and co-founded the South Florida Independent Retailer Awards®, both held annually. 

A graduate of FSU, she  is a former Foundation Trustee and is past Chairwoman of the Board, and Founder of the FSU Real Estate Foundation. Beth is a past President of the Board of Directors of HOPE Outreach Center in Davie, Florida and co-founder of 100+ Women Who Care in South Florida. 

In this episode, we discuss Beth’s career, how she became known as the ‘The Canvassing Queen®’, why she decided to begin making her own investments in commercial real estate, and how she’s working to help other women also invest. 

Register for Women’s Real Estate Investment Summit 2023 (use Code SHESWILD25 for 25% discount by Feb 1, 2023)

https://www.azoracademy.com/women-s-real-estate-investment-summit-2023

Memorable Moments: 

3:23 I found out two years ago that only 3% of investors in commercial real estate are women. And so I have a goal to get that to 10% by 2030. 

23:10 There's a Harvard study that that says that 90% of the salespeople will call once 70, we'll call twice 50 will call three times 30 will call for, like, by the fifth or sixth time it's 2%. And the buyers buy after the sixth or seventh touch.

25:26 100% leased screams to me the rents too low. If it's in a good market. 

45:31 I put women on stage that are investors, because what I've learned in my surveys is that women are afraid. They think investing is too complicated. And they don't know other women that are doing it. So there's a saying, if you see it, you can be it. So I've had women on stage that bought their first shopping center, their first self storage, their fourth hotel, and their 10,000th apartment unit.

49:44 I think work ethic is the number one thing because it's the only thing we can control. We can't control that we're female. We can't control the economy. We can't control bosses that are awful. We can't control interest rates but we can control is our work work ethic and, and by far, that is the number one thing that's contributed to any success I've had. I was there on Saturdays, I was there late at night.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Beth:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethazor/

Instagram: @bethazor

She’s Wild Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Michelle is president and chairman of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation and the founding Chair of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, which honors her late husband Joshua Freeman by providing arts and arts education to create opportunities to elevate the human spirit.  Among the numerous awards for business and philanthropic leadership, Michelle received the 2014 Irene and Abe Pollin Humanitarian Award on behalf of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation, Coastal Style Magazine’s Business Woman of the Year for 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Michelle is also a minority partner in Monumental Sports and Entertainment which owns Capital One Arena, the Washington Capitals, Wizards, Mystics and Valor Football. She is one of 13 female NBA team owners and In 2013 Elle Magazine named her as one of the 10 Most Influential Women in Washington, D.C. 

In this episode, Michelle and I discuss her career journey, what it was like after her husband unexpectedly passed away in a tragic accident, how she rebuilt her company after the 2009 recession, and why she loves working in development, philanthropy, and sports. For Michelle it’s all about the human connection and by the end of this show you'll understand why. 

Memorable Moments: 

14:28. Believe it or not, loneliness became a huge thing for me coming out of losing my own husband, and going through the downturn, and coming out of COVID. How do people that live in our communities meet one another drove everything we did. Soft programming and creating opportunities for people to be together in Bayside became a huge thing for us as a company.

31:35. I think when it comes to women being in business, you need other women who push you forward who tell you, you can. Who encourage you, but you also need men who make space at the table for you.

37:44. I am a die-hard person who believes in capitalism, who believes in entrepreneurialism, who believes that this is the greatest country in the world, because we can build business here. I am a go-getter. I do go after a business opportunity. I can make the places where I live, I can be dedicated to making them better, AND still be a good businessperson. And those things can coexist at the same time.

Connect with Nancy: 

Instagram:https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Connect with Michelle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-difebo-freeman/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michfreeman1/

Watch Michelle’s TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEYvn4YiXWk

https://www.freemancompanies.com/

https://www.livebayside.com/

https://monumentalsports.com/

Michelle’s Podcast Recommendation: 

The Daily https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736

Michelle’s Favorite Book: Who Moved My Cheese Book via Amazon: https://a.co/d/83UoCdo

She’s Wild Sound Production by Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

Jessica is active in the Urban Land Institute’s Southeast Florida Region serving on the Florida Retail Project Council, is a graduate of Leadership Broward Class XXXIV, and is active on the Advisory Board for the NSU MSRED program and Alumni Association. 

In this episode, Jessica and I discuss her career and why she loves working in development. She offers insight on 5 skills she thinks are critical for success as a commercial real estate developer. She also offers a ton of advice if you are new to the business. 

Memorable Moments: 

19:11  Skills to be successful in development include technical skills such as analyzing financials. But it's also negotiating and influencing others. If you're working with a team and you need to influence them to work on your project to get things done. You might work with an architect who has 10 projects, you need to know how to make that person feel like yours is the most important. And then the other skill is to strategically think about problem solving. You're either trying to prevent a problem or you're trying to solve a problem. 

19:52. Thinking outside of the box and understanding what to do to make everybody satisfied or to get this done or to get past this hurdle and then getting your team on board to come up with a solution or to agree with what you think the solution might be. Our job is just to, to keep the project moving. And we might have, a large team and that might also include government officials who don't always have the same priorities that you have. 

30:56  If you are a young person getting into the business, milk the student card, as much as you can, even if just say, hey, I'm new to the business call people you want to talk to almost anybody will talk to you for a little while, or have a phone conversation or talk to you at a networking event. Because once you get you know, many years into the business, it's a lot harder to to use that card. 

31:18  Young professionals should attend every networking event possible. Introduce yourself, make connections. And then as you're doing that, learn about different career paths. Talk to as many people as you can as possible early on in your career.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Jessica:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-abramson-68003a19/

Twitter: @Jejoly619

Jessica's Book Recommendation:

Risk Game by Francis J. Greenburger via Amazon: https://a.co/d/7zXDxKU

The Liar$ Ball by by Vicky Ward via Amazon: https://a.co/d/dOiCZTp

Jessica's Podcast Recommendation: The Fort Podcast with Chris Powers http://thefortpod.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fort-with-chris-powers/id1410549811

Nancy's Twitter Recommendation: StripMallGuy @realEstateTrent

She’s Wild Sound Production by:

Luke Surak, Surak Productions:  surakproductions@gmail.com

In this episode, Cait and I talk about burnout and get into an honest conversation about what burnout really is and how to get back to a healthier place. 

Memorable Moments: 

3:34 And I had everything that I could have ever dreamed of wanting. Because I did not grow up in a place where where I had the example of large amounts of money, large amounts of financial success. You know, everything was always a struggle. So I got to this place where I was like, oh my god, I can check off all these boxes that I never thought I'd be able to check off. Why am I so miserable? Why is my body breaking down? Why am I so tired? Why am I so resentful toward my patients? Every time I got a phone call. I was like what do people want from me? Like I couldn't even and it sounds I say these things with like full knowledge of how awful it sounds for a healthcare practitioner to feel resentful toward their patients. I understand what it sounds like. I'm telling you that it's embarrassing, but also the truth. I didn't realize what I was going through was burnout until like six or seven years later.

11:50 But our brains are designed or designed to find the thing that we find pleasurable, get it as much as we can, and then become complacent and want something more. That is literally how our brains are designed. And originally, that helped us travel further. It helped us intermingle genes with further, right, like tribes. And because we were spread out because we were searching for something more because we were pushing our boundaries. 

15:52 And the more we start respecting other people's calendars, the more our calendars will start to be respected. But at the end of the day, no one respects your calendar, if you don't.

21:07 The emotional side to me is, if anything changes in your day, last minute, you absolutely lose your mind. So if one thing gets added to your to do list, or one person asks you one additional question, or you get one email that you weren't expecting to get, it throws everything off completely, you have no emotional space for flexibility and responding and reacting because you are so close to the edge, that no matter what, it'll just throw you right off.

22:54 On top of that, I see massive amounts of resentment. When you're burnt out. Everything feels unfair. I'm doing all these things for all these people. And I'm not getting the gratitude, I'm not getting the praise, I'm not getting the speaking slot, I'm not getting the I'm all these things, and I'm not getting what I deserve in return.

23:37 And then there's a host of physical symptoms, headaches, anxiety, gut issues, inability to sleep, low libido, foggy brain, neurological symptoms, there's a whole host of symptoms that could that you know, the kind that you go to your doctor and your doctor does your bloodwork and he's like, everything's fine. And you're like, it's not it's not I'm not fine. I'm not fine over here.

30:07 So if you are afraid that you're burnt out, you are burnt out.

Connect with Cait Donovan:

Instagram: Cait_Donovan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitdonovanspeaks/

https://friedtheburnoutpodcast.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/friedtheburnoutpodcast

https://caitdonovan.com

Speaking Inquiry: https://www.caitdonovan.com/speaking

Resentful Journal: https://www.caitdonovan.com/resentment-journal

Where to Start If You Think You Might Be Burnt Out & Want to Recover: https://www.caitdonovan.com/blog/what-episodes-of-fried-do-i-listen-to-first-for-burnout-recovery

Cait’s Book Recommendation: The Body Keeps the Score via Amazon: https://a.co/d/iPUUxfu

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound Production by:

Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Memorable Moments: 

10:00  Women who really want to have like high income potential as a broker, there's no there's no cap. It's, it's hard if I want to work as many deals as I can get teed up, but there are very few of us. So we have to really rally each other.

18:02  But with COVID You know, bringing it back to COVID. I think professional worlds and personal worlds completely collided. We were having zoom calls and continue in some cases to have zoom calls in each other's kitchen, in our backyards, our lives of blended. And so now more than ever before, I think people have now a personal brand because we're all looking into each other's personal lives.

22:03. Because ultimately, we all have a personal brand. And if we're not cultivating that message, and we're not cultivating those images, we're leaving it up to our audience to do it for us. Our clients, our employees are our employers, whatever, we're allowing them to say, here's who you are, instead of us saying, here's who I am.

Connect with Allison:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkreigerwalsh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonwalsh/
Website: https://www.allisonwalshconsulting.com/
She Believed She Could Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-believed-she-could-podcast/id1505347834
She Believed She Could Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/shebelievedshecouldcommunity

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

A closer look and my Brand Launch: https://www.allisonwalshconsulting.com/post/i-love-it-when-women-go-for-it

She’s Wild Sound Production by:

Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Memorable Moments: 

4:05   When I decided to switch to commercial brokerage, commercial real estate brokerage, I was going from a salaried position to straight commission. And I sat down and I did a financial plan on my own as part of my business plan. 

7:52   In my field, education has always been a predominant thing where I'll invest. You know, I have a master's degree from the University of Florida. Once I got into the land brokerage business, I invested in getting specific professional designations to help me qualify, for my customer that I know what the heck I'm talking about.

11:35    For me, it was about recognizing that when I'm not in the room, people have an impression of me. When I'm not in the room, they may say things that I can't control. But if I can be proactive and get ahead of what is it that they will say, when I'm not there, then that's a personal brand.

24:33    If there are awards in your local community or region or state, or industry that you have the ability to either self-apply for, or someone else a boss can make the application on your behalf. I would definitely say to do that. Because you never really know. And this may sound silly, you never know who you're going up against. We're all busy. We're all going 100 miles an hour. And sometimes you might only be up against two or three other people and that award could be so substantial.

Connect with Elite Career Coach, Danielle Cobo:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dream-job-with-danielle-cobo-podcast/id1569196916

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellecobo/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheDanielleCobo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedaniellecobo/

Books and Workbooks:

FREE Career Accelerator Digital Workbook: https://www.daniellecobo.com/career-acceleration

FREE Crush Your Quota Digital Workbook: https://www.daniellecobo.com/sales-performance
Promo Code for $30 off: dreamjob

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound Production by:

Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Memorable Moments: 

3:07- Contract formatting, spelling, and grammar make a huge difference for sellers that are reviewing contracts for the brokers that are reviewing contracts and for the legal staff that's doing as well.

3:19- When you submit an offer, whether it's in contract or a letter of intent, and you include an absurdly low deposit, that you as the buyer are willing to put forward for earnest money or to deposit money. It's a red flag

5:45- The third red flag, no closing date, and no dates at all associated with performance mechanisms in the contract, is a red flag.

6:26- Using terms like I will close, when I have all permits, I will close when I have all entitlements, I will close when I have all government approvals is problematic. And it's a red flag.

9:12- In Florida, the words Time is of the Essence means that the closing date or the dates in the contract specifically or the days that are noted, have meaning - they actually matter from a legal perspective.

10:51- If a buyer is producing a contract, and they have a section that says, we have the right to assign this contract to whoever we want, at any point in the deal, and we don't need any permission to do that. It's a red flag.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound production by:

Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode, Tanya dives deep into the topic of financial literacy. She shares a wealth of tips and insights that are sure to equip you with the knowledge and foresight you need to meet your financial goals. During the episode, she provides information on where most people struggle and miss the mark when it comes to their finances. She also offers her own unique perspective of money which helps to put many issues in sharper focus.

Memorable Moments: 

4:47- The first thing that I do when I'm helping women and I'm helping families is firstly making it a safe place because there's nothing there's so much shame around money, and there's so much shame around the educated women not being set up for financial literacy.

5:17- The first step in financial freedom is to forgive yourself, right? It's not your fault. This financial literacy is not something that we learn in school, there's only half a dozen schools in the country that actually have a financial literacy subject as a requirement to graduate.

6:20- We all need to know that it's okay to be where we are. It's okay to start where we are. And it's not our fault.

9:50- We really do want to track everything so we can see where our money is going. And we can also see what subscriptions might need to be cancelled. How can we free up some money to start saving? Have we been over charged for something good, we get a fee and we can move our money somewhere else.

11:29- So the rule of 72 is if you take the number 72, and you divide it, but whatever rate of interest you're getting, right? The answer will tell you how long your money will take to double.

12:08- It's not that people kind of get out of debt is that they don't have the right debt reduction strategy in place. And so we have a look at all these different vehicles, what income do you have coming in? What investments do you have? What credit cards do you have? What interest rate are you paying? Because often by consolidating, or simply switching providers, or having a different pay down strategy, you can actually free up some money to invest in you and your Wealth Blueprint

14:02- In our bank, we should have at least a 90 day emergency fund, that's cash just for covering expenses, should something happen to us. So that means our utilities paid, our car insurances paid, at least 90 days, three months to cover those expenses.

15:14- If your employer is matching your contribution to your 401 K, you want to put in exactly what you need to to get matched, right? That's free money all day every day.

26:20- What I've seen working in the financial services and just services industry with money and investments, is the impact is very quick, and you can make a difference.

27:28- When it comes to money if I was to say to you, what are you worth an hour? What's your first response? Not what do you get paid? What are you worth an hour, because if you want to be in charge, and $50 or $500 an hour, but in your mind, you think you're only worth $47 $97 an hour, your bank balance is gonna reflect your beliefs.

27:54- So they say when it comes to to creating wealth, it's 80% mindset and 20% skill set. So we want to start with that end in mind, and we want to get very clear about what our goals are and build the skills at the same time that we change to help change that mindset.

31:43- The big tip for wherever you are on your financial journey right now, guys, is you've got to, if investing 20% scares the heck out of you, and you can't do it on a totally get you've got to start somewhere, please shell out that 90 Day emergency fund

34:22- Congrats for listening to the voice that's telling you to pivot because it takes guts because it is scary, takes guts listen to that voice.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Tanya:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyatargettcamacho/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanyatargettcamacho/

Link to her booking page --> https://www.tanyatargettcamacho.com/book

Tanya’s Book Recommendations: 

1. The Financial Pocket Knife
   1. The Financial Pocketknife - Beating the Dream Killers!
2. The Power of Zero
   1. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Zero-Revised-Updated/dp/B07G8J4BNV/ref=sr_1_4?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4OybBhCzARIsAIcfn9kmNp7ZeHx3v2vthISHDDgpfjL71268Xu9ZbCVaq-_qY3Par9lRjXIaAoq7EALw_wcB&hvadid=241624207879&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1015237&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14283324150853080643&hvtargid=kwd-142513603933&hydadcr=22562_10354929&keywords=the+power+of+zero+book&qid=1669082618&sr=8-4
3. The Power of the Dow

In today's episode, we discuss the Juno Jones - The Stylish Safety Boot Company and its origin. The progress Emily and her team have made throughout the years to take the company nationwide all through organic web traffic is remarkable. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, this episode will inspire you to take the next step in making your dreams a reality!

Memorable Moments: 

4:20- There were so many things I noticed that were lacking for women in the trucking industry, but being a fashion lover and especially being a shoe lover. So one thing that was really bugging me was that there were just no options for footwear, especially safety footwear.

8:46- I came from a middle-class household. I worked part-time jobs. It's not like I had endless money for boots. So I would save up for them. And then it would be a big deal. I'd go buy the pair of boots that I wanted.

10:24- We don't advertise. It's really all organic. At this point, we post about what we're doing on social. We have a Facebook group called hazard girls, we first have the Hazard Girls Podcast, and we spread the word through the communities online.

13:03- Obviously nothing would be possible without us having a good team behind me. So that's how I do it. I have a lot of people who are working behind the scenes to make things happen.

14:00- I think it's easy to get caught in decision paralysis and to kind of get caught up in, you know, working on aspects of the idea that aren't going to move you forward.

18:12- Every woman who is in a male-populated industry has a big story to tell. So we want to hear it.

25:30- Our mission is to empower women in these industries. It's really the main mission that we have.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Emily:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilysoloby/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junojonesshoes/

https://www.instagram.com/emilysoloby/

https://www.instagram.com/hazardgirlspodcast/

Website: https://junojonesshoes.com/

Podcast: https://jacketmediaco.com/podcasts/hazard-girls/

Emily’s Podcast Recommendation: 

1. The Empowering Podcast by Charlie Matthews
   1. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowering-women-podcast-s2-charli-k-matthews-empowering/id1457290025?i=1000477914238

Upon returning to the States, she joined Launch Development Finance Advisors in its Scottsdale Office. Pam assists land developers and builders in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Missouri and Oklahoma in developing plans to finance real estate development projects, including master-planned communities, mixed-use developments and commercial and entertainment venues. Pam has an intimate knowledge of district finance, tax increment financing, tax abatement, state grants and government buy-lease back statutes throughout the Southwest/Midwest regions.

In today's episode, we discuss Pam’s journey throughout her real estate career including the fascinating story of how she landed in the real estate department within her organization. Pam also shares her experiences of working abroad in Asia and how that differs from working in real estate from the U.S. Tune in today to learn more about Pam and hear a unique piece of advice that has not yet been shared on other episodes.

Memorable Moments: 

6:22- You never know where things are gonna go. So you just have to roll up your sleeves and work hard and see where you wind up. Even though I didn't want to be in real estate, I rolled up my sleeves and just started hitting it hard, and then developed a love of it. Just because I started learning about it and all the different aspects of it.

12:22- Real Estate in Asia, particularly China, is very different. I was still a transactional attorney, so I was still doing a lot of the same things. But it just looks very different. So I would mainly say it was more teaching people, helping people get stuff done, rather than following the exact letter of the law, which actually, frequently, either there was nothing, or it didn't work.

18:11- What we try to do is we look at all the sources, all of the funding sources available to developers, for public infrastructure. We try to maximize the return from each source so that they have more money to put into amenities, beautiful streets, programming, and all the things we've come to expect from houses these days.

22:50- Oh boy, you know, the great projects to me are the ones where I'm more involved in them. So generally, it's a more entrepreneurial client.

24:31- Probably the most satisfying professionally is where I am today. Just because the further you get into your career, the better you understand it, the more service you are to your clients, the better you feel, right?

27:51- At some point or another in your career, someone expects you to know something. And if you keep leaving, every time it gets hard, you're not going to know anything. And it's going to be really painful in your late 30s because that's kind of when people start going, okay, time to produce, right?

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Pam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelagiss/

Website: https://launch-dfa.com/

Podcast: http://landtolots.com/

Pam’s Book Recommendations: 

1. Falling Upward
   1. https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Upward-Spirituality-Halves-Life/dp/0470907754
2. Born to Run
   1. https://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189

In today's episode, Gina and I discuss ADU’s and how they play such a big role in her niche business model. She offers a wide variety of advice throughout today’s episode that is sure to inspire you to chase after the next goal you are working toward. 

Memorable Moments: 

13:33- It's very hard to start something without having a tremendous access to capital. And, you know, a lot of women in this industry don't have that.

15:41- Everyone kept coming to us is like the resource or guru for how do we add this? What do we have? What is the legislation allow for? And then it became the go-to? And I'm like, No, we could start a business out of this. Right?

17:03- I think also COVID taught us a lot of lessons. There are opportunities that have existed. Because of that, I think a lot of people had a hard time and trying to figure out how to navigate what would happen next if they lost their job or if they did lose their job.

18:55- I think that one lesson learned is you'll always be able to figure it out. We're resourceful, and we'll be able to figure things out, right? And don't not do something because you're scared. I also think time is too precious and too short not go after and do something that you're passionate about and what you love. And if that means pivoting into a completely different career, or within the sector doing something else, like, do it, you know, don't stay stuck in something, right? Just because, yes, you're getting a check at the end of the day.

20:21- I think there's nothing like being able to look at something and saying, hey, I built this, like, this is mine; I still go by that project that's on Melrose cry in Hollywood, you know, and I really proud, like, when I drive by it, like, the role that I had to play in that. And so that is one of the most exciting parts about my job.

25:44- One thing I do think is that sometimes women don't like to ask, and if you don't ask you never will receive.

35:04- I don't even think being persistent is obnoxious, I think shows you that you're passionate about something and you want the opportunity.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Gina:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginawieczorek/

Website: https://casitas.la/

Gina’s Podcast Recommendation’s: 

1. Leading Voices in Real Estate with Matt Slepin
   1. https://www.terrasearchpartners.com/voices/
2. The Competent Collective

Nancy's Hype Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0caHUGjUv8vfWiJxFOE61B?si=qSyjXD_gRmW9oSlNDMIuKg

Nancy's Fast Driving Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/00YC8ND05duS0uU6VBXxRv?si=MoSGR_KITLCFdXfpgyy_Ow

Memorable Moments: 

2:15- It's really funny for me to think back to the fact that my love of land development started when I was really young, without any external influence. I didn't have it around me. I was just naturally drawn to the built environment.

6:12- I was raised, quite honestly, with the lens of my dad. So I was raised to believe that I, you know, from age eight on, I could do anything I set my mind to, that I shouldn't let my gender get in my way that if I wanted something, it was really about hard work.

17:49- Other than when my dad got injured, getting accepted into UF is quite possibly the biggest pivotal moment in my life outside of meeting my husband and having my kids. It completely changed the trajectory of my life.

18:53- I worked for an engineering company that was woman owned, and it was phenomenal. I was doing all their business development work. I was calling on developers, getting deals, and securing their work in the market on the west coast of Florida, and it was great.

21:46- And as I dug into, what do I want to be when I grew up, like literally, I was like 35, right? What do I want to be when I grow up? What kind of impact do I want in my career? I kept coming back to land, land, land, land and development. It was just such a huge draw to me and just a pull in my belly, like I knew that was where I needed to be.

25:57- Today, we're at the end of October of 2022. And I'm reflecting on, you know, almost the two decades that I've been in the business like I literally just started my 18th year of the brokerage side. And, you know, it's really, really awesome for me just to take a minute to pause. And to think about all the lives that I've impacted all the sellers that I've worked with the buyers that I've worked with.

26:52- Over the last 18 years, I've sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of vacant land in and around the Tampa Bay region. Those parcels have already become or they are under construction now or will become 12,000 plus single family homes 6,000 plus multifamily apartments and millions and millions of square feet of commercial developments.

28:57- Last year in 2021. I was recognized by the Realtors Land Institute, I finally cracked through the top 20 Land brokers in the United States. I was the only woman to do so then and still. So I was recognized by the Realtors Land Institute as the top woman land broker in the nation. And I've had just so many awards.

29:52- My best piece of advice is if you have a dream, or you have an interest go after it. Do not stand in your own way to reach the next level in your life.

30:31- Flexing the muscle to take a risk will propel you. It is the best advice I can give. If you want something, work your tail off and go make it happen. Do whatever you need to, to get your goal accomplished.

Connect with Nancy:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/

Website: www.nancysurak.com

She’s Wild Sound production by:

Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Heather is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC), and Women in Healthcare (WIH). Currently, she is serving as President of the Florida Chapter of Women in Healthcare and she sits on the Women's Leadership Committee for ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean Council’s District Council.

In this episode you'll learn all about Heather including how she grew her role at Kimley-Horn, how she survived breast cancer, why she loves EV planning, and how she once had a conversation that lead her firm to working on a billion dollar development project in Miami known as the Brickell City Centre. 

Memorable Moments: 
3:47- I was raised by an entrepreneur; My father had his own business for more than 20 years. And he always told me, don't work for a company, have your own business, do your own thing. And so I was never the type. I'm not a risk taker. I like the comfort that a big company allows. But I was looking for that opportunity in a company where I could really kind of create my own path, and create my own role.

5:12- About five years into working with our healthcare practice builders on growing that practice in Florida, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. So I'm a breast cancer survivor. And after that, health care became much more personal, and I became much more passionate about it. And so since then, I've become much more involved in the healthcare industry as a whole.

7:44- I think for a woman to have a short haircut like that. I think it exudes a difference. And to be confident with that haircut. I mean, I think it just makes people take notice. And I think people just assume that you mean business. And it opened some doors for me that hadn't been opened previously, which I thought was pretty interesting.

10:37- The greatest thing about Kimley-Horn, and the reason I've been here so long is because of the people, our people are just fantastic. They are some of the smartest people I've ever met.

18:27- We spend so much time at work; our careers are so important to us. And you really want to do the best that you can do. And you can't do that if you're not receiving some constructive criticism along the way, either. And so I made the commitment to myself and to my team, that I would always be that type of person, that if you were looking for that type of feedback, or you really wanted it, I was someone that you could come to, and I would give it to you.

20:42- I think a key of personal growth, too, is just asking people for feedback constantly. And looking at it as a gift. And you know, you should always ask different types of people in different roles. Because you, you know, some people are very willing to be blunt and honest, and others aren't. And so you need to kind of touch a variety of people and get feedback from different types of people in different roles as well.

24:10- To be in this industry for 16 years, and then learn something completely new is really exciting, and it's been a great opportunity. And I think electric vehicles are something that a lot of our clients, both public and private, are looking at. And it's really been exciting. And I think it's an area that if you're not focused on it you probably should be.

29:37- Once you're in the industry, I always recommend ULI because I was told very early on in my career that it's the best organization for connections and relationships, and it really has been.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Heather:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-hetherington-4008853/
About Brickell City Centre: https://www.brickellcitycentre.com/assets/images/uploads/BCC-Press-Kit-9-2-2016.pdf
https://www.brickellcitycentre.com/

Heather’s Book Recommendation: 

1. Big Little Breakthroughs
   1. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Little-Breakthroughs-Innovations-Oversized/dp/1642936774

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Memorable Moments:
3:26- I really take personally, the new tagline that ULI just came out with, which is where the future is built. Because I think that's what YLG really, really can be in the most beautiful way. It's really about creating more accessible and equitable access to leadership opportunities.

10:26- I think the one piece that definitely connects to development for me anyways is that I was an insanely inquisitive child who needed to know the answer to everything or ask questions that probably, you know, not every adult was equipped with the answer to answer me on but I was persistent regardless.

12:50- I think I've always gravitated towards the complicated, hairy, messy deals that often take a lot to unpack, but are so worth it in the end, and have really kind of built a niche for myself on those ones, being the challenging ones, or the highly political ones.

15:26- Instead of being able to produce our own vaccines, we were literally waiting on other countries to send us theirs. And while I hope we don't have to go through COVID, ever again, that manufacturing capacity for a whole variety of different things is going to be really, really significant for the economy out here as well.

17:12- I really, really love the approval side. It's such an integration of kind of strategic thought, often political, angling, and kind of figuring out how to make your compelling case, despite the political headwinds that may exist.

25:15- I can't even tell you how many times that someone I volunteered with at 23, or 24, has since become the person on the other side of the negotiating table, or quite literally, the city planner responsible for approving my project.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Katie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiemaslechko/
Website: https://www.beedie.ca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatieMaslechko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiemas/
ULI Americas, Young Leaders Group: https://americas.uli.org/councils/district-councils/get-involved/young-leaders-group-ylg/

Katie’s Podcast Recommendation:
Rare Breed
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rare-Breed-Audiobook/0062933078

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode, Jaimee and I talk about SparkFire Branding, the real estate marketing agency that she and her husband created to combine their talents of technology and design. Jaimee walks us through some of the projects she has worked on over the years. Listen in as we discuss her career path, as well as things that she's seeing in her business right now. Jaimee is an incredibly talented individual with a passion for helping businesses grow. It was inspiring to chat with her about all of the work that she and her team are doing at SparkFire Branding. It's clear that they are making a big impact in the real estate industry, and I'm excited to see what they do next!

Memorable Moments:
9:05- The name of the game in the last few years has just been being as nimble as possible. So, we're looking at things week to week with what's the engagement level in the market? What websites are people spending their time on? What are their questions? What are the frustrations they have? How can we communicate better? And it's really been such a dynamic time in the last couple of years, that it's just been so unpredictable and fun in that regard.

12:01- Because of COVID, people really started to think very critically about what their home allowed for, what the shortcomings were, and having kids at home through school. So there were just so many different decision-making factors that went into it. And that really altered and I think, made the buying decision so much more urgent.

13:22- For a while, it felt like the computer was the thing the world lived in because that was your interaction with humans. So changing how we took information centers, basically online, and created virtual presentations, that you would have always wanted to be in person before.

18:44- At the end of the day, we want to work on places that everybody's committed to be proud of. And it just makes for a much more collaborative, enjoyable, and creative experience.

21:34- We're always trying to get people to change the value equation from price per square foot to quality of life. And the more we understand how the developer came to it, the more we can help build that value.

26:36- Our motto is to share recklessly, because we want to give back to the industry that, you know, has been so good to us.

26:57- It's such a long game with business development in this industry because it's all about relationships, and things come back, and we truly believe that. It's fun to just share with people; it's something we love to do. It kind of all comes back around. So sometimes, we need advice from people, and we want people to share with us.

27:41- The most fun I have is traveling to places I would probably never get to if I were vacationing, right? Like I probably wouldn't necessarily end up in Liberty, Missouri, for a vacation, right? But I remember going there and meeting the people, and we were doing a city rebranding, and just hearing about their history and what they're proud of, and what they love.

35:10- Real estate's such an interesting thing to market because most of the time, in the early days, as you know, we're talking about things that aren't there yet, right? And we're asking people to trust us that they're coming.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Jaimee:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeeabbott/
Spark Fire Branding Website: https://sparkfirebranding.com/

Jaimee’s Book Recommendation:
HANDLING YOUR FIRE: Passion, Burnout, Routines and Resilience
https://robbell.com/audio/handling-your-fire-passion-burnout-routines-and-resilience/

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In this episode Carla shares all the lessons she's learned in her career and tells us what she's working on now.

Memorable Moments:
1:05- I decided to get my license and real estate after having a very bad experience purchasing my first home with a VA loan. And I was like this idiot realtor just made $10,000 on this transaction and did literally nothing. So I decided to get my license.

19:48- It was scary. I'll be honest, like it was really scary making that transition away from a salary and bonus opportunity with the national builder to being commissioned only and you eat what you kill.

20:05- A lesson I learned is that you can make unlimited money, as long as you work hard, and I am a very hard worker. So for me, I was like, I can't fail. This is how I'll feed the kids, we have to pay the mortgage, and just knew that I would have to get whatever I put into it, if that makes sense.

21:59- So a lot of the things, it's just doing it and you're going to learn it because no one can tell you every little iteration of what you're going to encounter in this business. So I just learned by failing or finding out new things on every sale, they're all different.

25:45- So when I started my homebuilding company with my two partners, we all three said the same thing, we are not going to do luxury, we are not going to get into move up, we want to be entry level and entry level only. Because I mean, during the downturn, I saw my friends, a lot of friends lose everything, houses, cars, companies, because they were going to the in the pyramid of the luxury market. That's the first one to crash

28:44- Save that 3% and get your license, because you're going to know the deal better than an agent would I would definitely get that first and foremost.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Carla"
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-sevilla-a6b9b5/
Website: http://glenwoodhomes.com/

Carla’s Podcast Recommendation:
Bigger Pockets Podcast
https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcasts/real-estate

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode, Ra'eesa and I talk about what's happening in the industrial space right now in Minneapolis. Ra'eesa is a shining example of someone who followed her heart and ended up exactly where she was meant to be. After attending medical school with the hopes of becoming a doctor, Ra'eesa found her true passion in multifamily real estate. And now, she's thriving in the industrial space. My favorite part of today's episode was Ra'eesa's advice on creating your own personal board of advisors to connect with in hard situations. I think we all need a few people like that in our lives - people who we can turn to for honest feedback and sage wisdom. Thank you, Ra'eesa, for sharing your story and your insights with us today.

Memorable Moments:
9:32- Every person that I pitch to is going to remember me after they hear a pitch from all of these guys. And a lot of them are fantastic but I just had this kind of mentality and attitude that if they could do it, I could find a way to do it better and be more memorable doing it. So that's why I jumped into industrial real estate.

15:02- A big part of my job outside of identifying organizations' real estate as a whole is really kind of helping them build their people and their culture. You know, if you don't believe in the people and the culture, then the real estate is not going to work, no matter what you do.

19:02- I would say that on the industrial side, it's still full steam ahead. And from what we can tell, we don't have, knock on wood, a lot of our clients saying hit pause or slow down anything they're doing. They are saying let's start planning and making sure we get ahead of this because we don't want to be in a situation like they were two, three years ago, where we thought we were, you know, pacing ourselves and we fell behind and we fell behind pretty quickly and hard.

32:20- Of the mentees that I have right now, I think some of the advice that I have given them is that, you know, I went through this, and I dealt with a lot, as a woman and as a woman of color. And just because I went through, it doesn't mean that they need to go through it, it's my job to make it easier for them. And it's their job to then make it easier for the women that come after them.

33:37- Your perspective is not always the best perspective. And you really have to find those who have gone through different opportunities, whether they failed or succeeded to be able to understand what your next move is.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Ra’eesa
Website: https://raeesamotala.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raeesamotala/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raeesam/

Ra’eesa’s Podcast Recommendation:
Atomic Habits
https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299
Fanatical Prospecting
https://www.amazon.com/Fanatical-Prospecting-Conversations-Leveraging-Telephone/dp/1119144752/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JBCTN1DUFT5Z&keywords=fanatical+prospecting&qid=1663619989&s=books&sprefix=finatical+prospecting%2Cstripbooks%2C65&sr=1-1
The Future is Faster Than You Think
https://www.amazon.com/Future-Faster-Than-You-Think/dp/B07TSQF4RX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=293JD8SVNMCIF&keywords=The+Future+is+Faster+Than+You+Think&qid=1663620019&s=books&sprefix=the+future+is+faster+than+you+think%2Cstripbooks%2C72&sr=1-1

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Ashley always dreamed of being her own boss and running her own business. So, when she was presented with the opportunity to transition from her career in big pharma to real estate, she jumped at the chance. Ashley is passionate about empowering women and helping them build confidence. She believes that every woman deserves to have a seat at the table and she is dedicated to helping women achieve their goals. Ashley is a strong advocate for financial independence and she encourages all women to take control of their finances. She is an inspiring example of a woman who has taken charge of her career and is living her best life. Thanks for tuning in!

Memorable Moments:
7:22- It's interesting to see, when you have major changes in a market, how different groups respond. And to me, you can always find a deal no matter what cycle we're in, it's a matter of just being more creative.

11:25- When you first play Monopoly, you think the objective of the game is to buy as many houses or properties as possible. But what you quickly realize is, that's not the object of the game, the object of the game is to buy the right properties and build hotels as fast as possible, which means you have to buy houses as fast as possible. So you have to allocate your funds differently, and you strategize to play the game in a completely different way than you do the first time playing Monopoly. Well, I think most people in life are playing Monopoly and playing life as if they don't know the rules.

13:57- Every journey is different. And the great thing about real estate is real estate is still a business especially multifamily. I always say you're buying a business and real estate's just attached to it. It's not a real estate business, per se.

22:24- I like to always run a potential partner through what I call the three C's, which are character commitment and capacity, going through that exercise with someone and taking personality tests as well as working with them prior.

57:53-I think most people look at a deal first, and then the market and then the team. And I think you should always look at the team first, and vet the credibility of the team before anything else and not be swindled by return metrics. But really know a team very thoroughly make sure that they've all worked together previously, that they have experience on that type of deal and that type of market all the way down to have they worked with a property management company before.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Ashley:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-wilson-2835685/
Website: https://www.badashinvestor.com/
Bardown Investments Website: https://www.bardowninvestments.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badashinvestor/?hl=en

Ashley’s Book Recommendation:
Anything Malcolm Gladwell
Only Woman in The Room- Ashley Wilson
https://www.amazon.com/Only-Woman-Room-Knowledge-Inspiration/dp/173559590X

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode, Monaca and I chat about lifestyle development and how she has seen a shift in priorities of not only the resident's needs but also the way developers think about starting a new project. Monaca dives into some of the challenges she faced in community management during the pandemic and how she used the resilience she learned from working on a farm to pivot and make the most out of the situation. Monaca is an inspiration and I am so excited to share her wisdom with you!

Memorable Moments:
5:07- I learned growing up about what true community really is and how we step up for one another when times are hard, but also we celebrate each other when times are good.

13:28- I'm there to help increase the ROI for my client. And while we want to put them in the best marketing position possible, we also have to make sure that it's the right size, and that we are doing things that help from a long-term standpoint, the operation piece of how the lifestyle program is going to operate.

15:10- To me, lifestyle is not just about events and parties and that type of thing; it's about building a true community. And I think that crosses between commercial and residential, how do you connect those local businesses to those residents, and vice versa?

22:50- I think working on a farm taught me so much about how to pivot, perseverance, and just respect for farmers on what they go through. I mean, understanding how they have this connection with the land is so important, because they don't get the credit or the pay that probably most of them deserve.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Monica:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onplacelifestyle/
https://www.instagram.com/monacaonstad/
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/monacaonstad/
Website: https://www.onplace.life/

Monaca’s Podcast Recommendation:
The Moth Podcast https://themoth.org/podcast

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Kate Hutson is a successful life coach with plenty of tips to help you find your confidence and change your life for the better. In this episode, she walks us through how she coaches her clients to success. You can gain so many great tools from this one podcast episode to change your life for the better. It’s time to start making progress and eliminate those limiting beliefs that have been holding you back. Listen now and gain the inspiration you need to move forward!

Memorable Moments:
4:34- When I was able to cross that finish line and get my Spartan medal and stand there and say I did it. I think it unlocked this whole new level of confidence that was translatable not just to my physical goals, but it's also impacted me personally and professionally and unlocked a new confidence in my business.

13:21- Whatever it is, you're striving for, find somebody who you can verbally articulate your goal to and have that source of accountability, no matter what area of your life. It is.

19:10- If you don't have impostor syndrome, you might not be pushing yourself out of your comfort zone as much as you should be.

23:24- When I see women making real changes in their lives that are getting them closer to what they truly want and desire for themselves. I'm thinking, this is why I do this. And that is something I'm really proud of

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Kate:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katehutson/
Website: https://www.shatteredglasscoaching.com/
Instagram: @shattered.glass.coaching

Kate’s Book/Podcast Recommendations:
Robin Sharma
The 5am Club, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, and The Leader Without A Title
Brian Tracy
Eat That Frog, 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Getting More Done
Simon Sinek
Boss Babe Podcast
https://bossbabe.com/podcast/

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Growing up Anita was exposed to real estate projects at a very young age and was fascinated by them through helping her dad with his business and seeing the sites develop into the final product. Throughout today’s episode, Anita talks about how being exposed to her father's business sparked her desire to start her own land consulting company. Anita and I also discuss the power of relationships and how important they can be to having a successful business. To learn more about Anita, tune in to today’s episode!

Memorable Moments:
4:30- What really resonated with me was that my dad would take me to go see a vacant piece of land with nothing there, and then years later, you would see a bustling development. So that was always very interesting to me, and I always knew I wanted to get into that business.

13:40- One of the benefits to working with our group is we can move very quickly once we know the properties. So a lot of landowners like to work with us for that reason.

16:31- I knew I always wanted to go into business, I knew I wanted to have my own business. My father has had different businesses ever since I was young, and that's kind of what's always attracted to me to have a business.

18:27- When the market crashed in 2008, I was all about solar at that time because that was the highest and best use of the land. So, it keeps changing, and after solar, it was residential. So it hasn't been one thing, but at this moment, I'm all about industrial.

20:12- It's such an amazing feeling to see something that was just dirt, there was nothing on it, and then to see something where it's benefiting the residents of that community. It's a very fulfilling feeling.

29:28- I think that that would be my advice, just become knowledgeable, and it starts with making as many calls as you can to different landowners, brokers, and agents, and then learn by looking at these maps as much as you can because it really gives you so much insight as to what's available and where the growth can go.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Anita
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-verma-lallian/
Arizona Land Consulting Website: https://arizonalandconsulting.com
Verma Land Website: https://vermaland.com/

Anita’s Book Recommendation:
Smart Women Finish Rich, by David Bach
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Women-Finish-Expanded-Updated/dp/0525573046

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Although each guest has been from a different sector of the industry, all of my guests have given women who are not currently in this field a new perspective about working in commercial real estate and in land and development and challenging the idea that only men select this career path. I am so eager to share some of my biggest takeaways as I review everything I’ve learned so far since I decided to start this podcast and I thank you again for the continuous support as I shed light on the amazing females working in this industry.

Memorable Moments:
Thank you to every woman who has reached out to me, who has sent me mail, emails, LinkedIn messages, Instagram direct messages, or that I have seen in person. When you say to me, “Your podcast is meaningful, I'm so glad you're doing it.” “Thank you so much for giving a voice to women.”. That's what keeps me going.

Women in commercial real estate, and in particular, land and development are total badass chicks. You guys rock. This is a hard business, and we all love it, but man, y'all are awesome women who work so hard for yourselves and for your companies and your investors. You deserve to be recognized.

You do not have to have a degree in real estate, in construction, or in development to get into this business and to be crazy-successful as a woman or man in this business.

I've heard this my whole life that your network is your net worth. And it's really true, the value of networking and the friends you can make in the business and people that you can lean on is really impactful.

All of my guests felt like our industry, and our companies could do a much better job of bringing more women forward in boardrooms and on stages, and in training women in particular, to take on those roles.

I love hearing how important it is for you to hear other women's voices in our industry. And I will continue to do this show for as long as I can because of that. So please do give me feedback, and please help spread the word about the podcast.

The show is currently being listened to actively regularly in 14 different countries in the world. So this little bitty show that I called She's Wild for women in North America that are in land and development now has listeners every week, globally, which is a little mind-blowing for me to know that my content has meaning across culture, right? It's really cool.

If more people can see someone that they can identify with up on the stage, or in a leadership role, more of us will know that we can be that person, we need our role models. And honestly, that is 100% what this whole show is about.

One of the goals that I set originally when I decided to do this podcast was to make sure that women are not misplaced in the industry. I do feel like the woman's voice is getting lost in some conversations, and I think it's important for us to continue to fight for parity in our industry and in potential leadership roles, and especially on board seats.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Throughout her career, Lesley has always been drawn to data. As a result, she's made a name for herself as a trusted consultant to major land developers and for leading all custom consulting projects in the Southeast. In today's episode of She’s Wild, Lesley and I discuss her career journey and how her team collects data to provide valuable insights to their clients. We also talk about the unique ways in which they use data to help their clients make better decisions. Throughout the conversation, it's clear that Lesley is passionate about her work and truly believes in the power of data. As a result, she is an inspiration to all women who are looking to make a difference in their careers.

Thank you, Lesley, for sharing your story with us!

Memorable Moments:
6:30- My favorite type of project would be to take a large piece of land and say, what should go here? What's the path of growth? Where do we see the world in 10 years? And what kind of real estate do we need?

10:30- We have a whole building products division that's still forecasting double-digit increases in construction costs over the next year, and that's going to be very difficult for builders to push that through. So I think that's a very big concern. We're watching it closely.

12:34- My job right now is probably the hardest it's ever been to really understand what the market is because it's all over the place.

17:58- I think being able to learn from other people, whether they're just out of college, or the most experienced people, 30 years in the business, everybody has something to teach you.

22:07- Every young person wants to get to be a developer, and that's really exciting, right? That's a really great job. And it's, you know, super high end, but I think learning how to do a deal, learning how to research a deal, and all the pros and cons behind it really helps you understand.

23:05- Really the key to staying employed, to getting a job, is showing someone what you can do for them, and what your worth is.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Lesley
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleydeutch/
John Burns Real Estate Consulting LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/john-burns-real-estate-consulting/
John Burns Real Estate Consulting Website: https://www.realestateconsulting.com/

Lesley’s Podcast Recommendation:
The Big Man Can't Shoot
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-big-man-cant-shoot/id1119389968?i=1000371650194

She's WILD Sound Production by: Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode, April and I talk about the origins of Alosant and how she didn't have any experience in application development when she was approached to develop an app that connected real estate developers and their communities with residents. Today, April leads the company and provides developers with a competitive edge by configuring PropTech solutions that offer future residents an immersive experience of what life will look and feel like at a community before it is fully developed as well as solutions they can use once they move in.

April's story is an inspiration to anyone who has ever been told that they can't do something because they don't have the right experience. With hard work and determination, anything is possible.

Memorable Moments:
22:28- We're finding that developers are coming to us earlier and earlier in the process, because they want a way to share that story. They want a way to take their vision and make it more tangible to people even before it exists.

26:46- I think the biggest challenge then, and to some degree, it's starting to get a little easier, is convincing people that this vision of making your community this relevant, generating this much awareness that people will download and use and engage, and it will, it will lead to a better experience in the community.

28:38- One thing as I coach young people is really listen to that voice deep inside of you. Because even if you don't realize it here, there is something here that's guiding these decisions.

31:18- You can always, always benefit by being curious, be curious, things aren't always what they seem, or there's a lot more there than might appear at the surface. Take the time, allow yourself the time to be curious and really explore whether it's a problem that you're trying to solve. The first and quick answer might not be the right one. Take the time to be curious and go deeper.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: https://nancysurak.com/

Connect with April:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprillamon/
Alosant LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alosant/
Alosant Website: https://www.alosant.com/

April’s Book Recommendations:
My Life in Full by Indra Nooyi via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BzYYV0

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Sally's career journey has been filled with success and she’s long been recognized as a strong leader. She attributes her leadership skills to being involved in team sports in her youth and dives into the lessons she learned being a fast-pitch pitcher on her softball team. She is proud to be a woman in the STEM field and works to lift other women up in traditionally male dominated industries. Today’s episode will leave you feeling empowered and ready to step outside of your comfort zone and into a position or career path you might be thinking about.

Memorable Moments:
4:50- When you're playing team sports, you learn early on how not only to lead but support, how to cheer others on. It's something where every person on the team is a critical component to your success. So it’s the same thing here at work.

7:29- So the biggest thing that I always tell people is to be responsive and communicate. That is one of the biggest things that will help a project or help a client understand where you are with the project. If you don't communicate with them, you're not responsive, or you don't pick up the phone, it lends to a lot of problems that perhaps you could have nipped in the bud, to begin with.

12:18- I feel like it is so important, especially for women, to raise your hand, get involved in those leadership roles, don't just be a member or participate, really get involved. There are not enough women out there that get involved with nonprofit organizations, professional organizations that really raise their hand and say, “Hey, I want the opportunity to lead”.

21:42- One thing that I have to say is women are strong, we're resilient. I feel very, very honored and privileged to be here at Lowe, I'm the only female partner.

27:05- I really never thought I would be in a STEM field growing up; I thought I was going to be on Broadway or a news anchor or something like that, but, you know, it is possible.

36:00- Put yourself in the arena, make yourself bigger, you know, and at the end of the day, it's you that counts. You're your own worst critic, and you're probably the one that holds holding yourself back in the long run.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Sally:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-riker-f-same-1b1a1943/
Website: https://loweengineers.com/

Sally’s Book Recommendation:
Daring Greatly Brene Brown via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OAbK8T

She's WILD Sound production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Throughout the episode, Danielle and I discuss her transition from leading the number one sales team in the nation to starting a career coaching business from the ground up. Danielle explains what it means to be a career coach, and gives examples of how she has helped her clients throughout their journey of either excelling in their current role or finding their dream job. This episode will leave you feeling inspired to invest in yourself and eliminate some of the limiting beliefs you may be telling yourself.

Memorable Moments:
5:44- People don't get promoted for doing their job. Well, they get promoted for the potential that others see in them.

10:13- There's so much value of being able to have open, honest conversations with people who can be mentors to you, where you don't have to feel like if you're talking to an internal employee, that your job may be in jeopardy.

11:21- It's all about having a thriving career: So that you can have an abundant life. So that you're living a life of purpose and joy and happiness.

18:45- Find every way to say yes, while also setting the boundaries of when you're going to be doing either that task or that phone call or that email.

23:06- I'm a big believer that if there's a certain goal that you have in mind, the quickest way to get there is to invest in yourself and somebody who's been there before.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Danielle:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniellecobo/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thedaniellecobo/
Website: www.DanielleCobo.com
Podcast: Dream Job With Danielle Cobo: https://www.daniellecobo.com/podcast

Danielle’s Book Recommendation:
Harness Your Inner CEO via Amazon - https://amzn.to/3RGIPCF

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Over the course of her career, she’s been involved in the development and construction of over 1 million square feet of residential and commercial real estate, representing over $780 million to date. Today, Meg is the CEO of CA South, a licensed Commercial Contractor, a licensed Residential Contractor, a CCIM candidate, and she’s also a licensed real estate agent.

In today's episode, Meg and I talk about the power of cold calling and why it is an efficient business strategy when you are getting into development or real estate. We discuss the booming market within Nashville, Tennessee, and why that began to grow exponentially during the pandemic as well as other market trends that are making it a great place for real estate development. Meg sheds light on CA South and how her company is shifting its focus into the industrial market for the foreseeable future.

This episode is great for anyone looking to get into real estate or development as Meg talks through the challenges and wins she has encountered throughout her years as an entrepreneur.

Memorable Moments:
7:03- Cold calling was how I got my first deal funded, my first over 100 million dollar deal funded, during the pandemic, and I've never even met them, but I cold-called them and I had been cold calling them for many years.

10:53- I tend to think really big, I think that's another big lesson I've learned that you have to kind of keep your goals really high and continue coming back to them.

22:00- Well, in this market, deals are really tough to make work. So you have to be creative and find the right opportunities because there's always inefficiency.

28:35- I think that it's been a really tough struggle, the supply chain issues and the cost of construction with the high expectation for land value.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: https://nancysurak.com/

Connect with Meg:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/megepstein/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/megaubaleepstein/
Website: www.casouthdevelopment.com/

Meg’s Podcast/Book Recommendations:
How I Built This with Guy Raz
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297
Speaking from Experience via Amazon - https://amzn.to/3c75wQc

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business via Amazon - https://amzn.to/3ysqC2W

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Carol has had an impressive career journey, starting in Orlando and eventually becoming the Director for Pinellas County Housing and Community Development. She's seen how the market has changed within Pinellas County over the past ten years, and she's got a lot of insights to share. For starters, she explains that the "missing middle" is a big problem when it comes to affordable housing. Basically, there's a real lack of options for people who don't qualify for government assistance but still can't afford market-rate rent. It's a complex issue, but Carol is optimistic that they can make progress if they continue to work together and focus on finding creative solutions.

Memorable Moments:
7:20- We're trying to spread a wide net, not just reaching out to our traditional affordable housing development partners, but to but to the market rate developers to try to get some mixed income projects. So putting that money out there to help leverage deals is a lot of what we're doing.

9:26- If you attract a workforce, and then can't give them an affordable place to live, you can't continue to grow your economy.

17:48- Planning is a long game. So sometimes it takes 10 years to be an overnight success. But to go back to communities and see those projects is, is one of the most rewarding things I do.

24:40- If, you know a young career professional has an opportunity to work in that sort of transformative part of the real estate industry where we're looking at energy efficiency, green building sustainability, climate change, you know, I would say go into the industry and focus on that that sort of that future ESG initiative.

27:13- Looking outside of the sort of purely the professional associations to look at the other segments of the industry, I think has just been really beneficial to my career.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Carol
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-stricklin-47128013/

Carol’s Book Recommendation:
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OPPk3X

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Danielle earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Forest Resources in Wildlife Sciences from UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and a Master’s of Forest Resources. Prior to Land & Ladies, she worked for the Georgia Forestry Commission and with the nationally awarded Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Program. She has been working with women landowners, developing women-focused workshops since 2016. Danielle currently lives in Brunswick, Georgia with her husband and three children.

In today's episode Danielle and I talk about why she focused her firm on helping women landowners and how she leverages her social media strategy to educate her followers on forestry issues in a fun and exciting way.

Memorable Moments:
15:11- Sometimes I'll get, you know, some haters out there, which if you don't get haters, you're not doing something right.

19:52- Nine times out of ten, you probably do have the right plan. But how do you know unless you ask the right questions? And that's where I set them up.

22:53- People will spend two weeks researching the right toaster and then sell their trees to the first person that knocked on their door because they're in this emotional state, and so that's where I come through. And I'm like, here's how you ask the right questions, here are some red flags to look for.

25:32- I think I'm most proud that I'm able to show you can be a mom in work that type of career at the same time. The second thing I'm most proud of is, seeing these women take action onto their property, seeing women kind of light up afterwards, that really felt discouraged and didn't know how to go about it.

28:54- The worst thing you can do is be someone that works on the computer making business decisions and never having actually been in the field and understanding operations.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: https://nancysurak.com/

Connect with Danielle:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/landandladies/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/landandladies/
Website: https://www.landandladies.com/

Danielle’s Podcast Recommendations:
The Jasmine Star Show: https://jasminestar.com/podcast/
Mind Your Business Podcast: https://www.mindyourbusinesspodcast.com/
The Ramsey Show: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9kYXZlcmFtc2V5LmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiY9Livuq74AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode Britney and I discuss her entire career journey. Our conversation will leave you inspired as Britney shares how she approached getting her general contractors license and building a brand based on an affirmation she wrote on her bathroom mirror for motivation. Britney hopes to show women in the construction movement what they are capable of and I am so excited for you to listen to this amazing episode.

Memorable Moments:
8:56- I was truly handed land, and that was a really scary moment in my career. I'm like, “What did I sign up for? This is crazy.” But I learned more in those four years than I have in my entire life.

26:14- On my wall right here, there's a big sign that says I can build that. So all of a sudden, people kept saying, Build it Brit. And I started writing it down, I wrote it on my mirror in my bathroom so that every morning I'd have motivation, like what are you gonna do for Build It Brit today.

30:58- My goal with Build It Brit is when anybody has any type of commercial real estate needs, whether it's development, construction, leasing, sales, anything, that they can come to me, and I can get it done.

31:12- I want to be an expert on the whole deal process, not just the deal, not just the transaction, but from the start of the initial idea, to the very close out of a project to where it is operational and income producing.

33:17- The goal would be to show the women in the construction movement, show what we're capable of. My main goal is to prove what we can do when we all work together. I want awareness for women, that you can get a job in construction, and also not be sweating on site all day. There's so many different roles. You can be a developer or you can be a real estate broker.

34:45- I know everyone says find a mentor, but that's truly what gave me the confidence and the ability to do what I'm doing today.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Britney
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/builditbrit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builditbrit/
Website: https://builditbrit.com/

Britney’s Recommendation & Discount Link on Zena Workwear Boots: https://xenaworkwear.com/?stamped_referral_code=nuTt3vAi&rewards-launcher=view-referrals-claim

Britney’s Book Recommendation:
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xLUdW9

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Throughout the episode, Chloe and I discuss the different facets of the land industry and how her experience led to her becoming the Senior Director of Land Acquisition for M/I Homes of Tampa. Chloe dives deep into various deals she has been a part of throughout the years and the lessons she learned working through various challenges.

Memorable Moments:
3:11- I've kind of done a little of everything in the Land Department, and I really love the acquisition side. I love deals and running numbers and figuring out how to make everything work.

11:01- I've learned to be my own best advocate, and push forward, and that's how I've gotten to where I am and in the industry today.

23:57- Land is the most expensive I've seen in my career, but then on top of that homebuilding pricing, the cost to build a house, now has gone up 30-40% since January.

30:50- I would just say for anybody thinking about getting into our industry do it. It's a lot of fun, and there is something for everyone.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Chloe:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-firebaugh-37ab2a6/
Instagram: @chloefirebaugh

Chloe’s Book Recommendation:
The Confidence Code via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GXHOBp

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode Brooke and I talk about her extensive career experience. She’s open, honest, and provides excellent insight into her career and she shares tips on what she's learned about what it takes to be successful as a woman in the construction & development industries. We also discuss challenges she faces on projects, such as supply chain issues, and what she does to overcome them.

Memorable Moments:
7:03 - It's very cool to have a tangible product at the end of what you do. I mean, even with the development side, you might think you're just turning and burning dirt. But when it's all said and done, you took that dirt, and you helped develop the building, even if you weren't a part of the construction. For me, the tangibility has always been fantastic.

16:46- I've never had the fear of No. No is not a punishment, no is just no.

17:32- If you're not happy where you are, you're not getting the satisfaction from where you are, the only thing you can do is change. You can't expect everybody else to change for you.

42:01 Learn your stuff and know your stuff. Because if you don’t, they will walk all over you.

42:16 Take the job, do the work. Construction as a whole; you got to have five solid years underneath you doing the grunt work just to even understand how multiple buildings go together, not just one. You can't just be on one project and think you know, it all.

42:54- There's a lot of men who are opening up to it when realizing how thorough and detailed women are, and needing that on their team. Women are being sought after for the positions in construction.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Brooke
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-may-70161143/

Brooke’s Book Recommendations:

1. What Men Don’t Tell Women About Business- Christopher Flett via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3a7ZkpU
2. Work With Me- Barbara Annis and John Gray via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LZaryH

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Throughout the episode, Michele and I discuss the anatomy of a land deal and how her professional experience has allowed her to excel in her career as a land advisor. Michele also shares how working for the Land Advisors Organization sets herself apart from others in the industry. Tune in to learn more about Michele and why she was named one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona Commercial Real Estate in 2021.

Memorable Moments:

5:45- Years ago, deals were more fluid. People saw a piece of land, we could get comps, and we could identify it and make an offer. Both parties were realistic, and land was available.

6:54- I am representing some industrial deals, but you just have to be creative. And you have to take them in places where they might not have thought about before, in order to get it.

10:10- One of my backgrounds is I am a trained mediator. So I used to mediate for the attorney general's office for the state of Arizona, and there are a lot of mediation principles, as you know, in getting a land deal done.

14:22- I think site selection is huge, because the very lovely thing about land advisors is we have this great data, we have this great ability to look at the market and have a great overview of it.

15:44- I'm all about teams. Teaming is the way you get things done. You can be a land broker, but if you don't have an architect, an engineer, and some other folks, you know, you're never gonna get it done.

25:10- Get out in front and take the step, don't stand behind somebody and say, “Okay, I'm supporting you on this deal.” Get out in front and be the part of the deal, you know, negotiate the deal.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Michele:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-pino-a29841a/
Land Advisors Organization Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/land-advisors-organization/
Land Advisors Organization Website: https://landadvisors.com/

Michele’s Book/Podcast Recommendations:
Buddha at the Gas Pump: https://batgap.com/subscribe-to-podcast/
Learn more about Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com/
Learn more about Mindvalley: https://www.mindvalley.com/programs

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today's episode Allison and I talk about the power of a personal brand, positive thinking, and goal setting. This episode is filled with amazing advice that you can put into action today! You may want to grab a piece of paper and a pen, because I have a feeling you're going to want to take some notes.

Memorable Moments:
6:15- Every single one of us has a personal brand. It's just what you do with it that separates the good, the great, or just the ones that are just very unintentional.

7:20- You can have such a bigger impact, when you go ahead and shine that spotlight brightly on what it is that you do and who you serve.

14:14- I live and die by the statement of be 1% better today than you were yesterday. That's it. If you continue to do that, consistency compounds and you're going to get amazing results. And it's not going to be as overwhelming in the process.

17:40- There's a lot of strength and power that comes from number one, being able to clearly articulate your goals. But number two, really identifying all of the pathways to get there.

28:16- So no matter what it is, I encourage you to have that budget for yourself to make it a priority each and every year, build it into your budget, whatever it is, you know, I it's part of everything that I do now, because I've seen the return on investment be so significant.

31:34- Employers that invest in their employee strength, take their engagement level in the workplace, from 9%, to 75%.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Allison:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkreigerwalsh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonwalsh/
Website: https://www.allisonwalshconsulting.com/
She Believed She Could Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-believed-she-could-podcast/id1505347834
She Believed She Could Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/shebelievedshecouldcommunity

Allison’s Book/Podcast Recommendations:
Niyc Pigeon: “Now is Your Chance” via Amazon: https://amzn.to/39mmatH

The Influential Brand Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-influential-personal-brand-podcast/id1479643724

Learn more about Gina De Vee
https://www.divineliving.com/

Learn more about Rha Goddess
https://www.instagram.com/rhagoddess/?hl=en

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today’s episode Jillian walks us through the challenges of being a female general contractor in a male dominated industry and how she navigates her role with grace. Tune into the episode to learn more about Jillian, her career, and about her volunteer work through a nonprofit organization she leads known as YIMBY St. Pete. YIMBY St. Pete concentrates on public policy approaches that can fix the affordable housing crisis through ways that don’t cost taxpayers money.

Memorable Moments:
9:05- Especially as a GC, I'm almost positive that most of my clients don't ever have the opportunity to work with a female GC on some of their commercial jobs just in the nature of our market.

19:22 There is a national housing shortage. It's a major crisis everywhere. It is really acute in St. Pete, and so I think we have a really valuable role to play in the conversation.

21:27 Affordable housing impacts everyone, it impacts, you know, middle sized businesses like ours, impacts big corporations, it impacts you know, moms trying to get to, a grocery store near where their kids are, you know, it just hits every single part of our society.

23:20 In terms of my company, I primarily want to work with happy employees. I know, that's not always the business goal, you know, I want to make money, I want to have great clients and I really value some of the great clients that I have. But day in day out, the folks you are working with are the folks who you do business with who you rely on to get the jobs done. And I have just such incredible coworkers right now. They really make it worth getting up and doing what I do all day long worth it. I find it really engaging and kind of, they're entertaining in a lot of ways, you know that that lifts you up.

30:15 It took me so long to understand the mechanics of building and I feel like that learning process could have been shortened if I had majored in something that was a little different.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Jillian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianbandes/
Website: https://www.bandesconstruction.com/
Email: Jillian.Bandes@bandesconstruction.com

Jullian's Book Recommendations:
Haruki Murakami Books on Amazon https://amzn.to/3vWdAe4
Pema Chödrön Books on Amazon https://amzn.to/3kWdpZU

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Throughout today’s episode of She’s Wild the podcast, Brittany shares her inspiring journey in becoming a land broker which began at a very early age. She provides insights on the latest trends within Tennessee land development and discusses 5 things she does to stay on top of her land brokerage business.

Memorable Moments:

22:04 I never imagined how much I knew about land. It’s second nature to me, because that is the conversations that I would hear my dad on the phone in the truck, or we would sit down at dinner and ask about his day, and he would tell us what was going on. And so it resonated with me and I caught on a lot faster than I ever did trying to sell a house.

26:21 I've read planning commission notes and city council notes. Even when I'm not actually at the meetings for my own clients. Sometimes I just go and sit in because you do have to know what's going on for your clients. If you're good, they expect you to know what's going on.

37:67- I did a lot of digging on Google when I very first started, learning who the local developers were and making those contacts. You just got to reach out to people. It really makes a difference.

40:01- So especially us as perfectionists, and wanting to have all of our ducks in a row and checks in our boxes, like sometimes you can overdo that and sabotage yourself and make yourself think no, like, I don't know everything about this, and sometimes you're not going to and that's okay.

Follow Nancy Surak on Social Media:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Follow Brittany Hurdle on Social Media:
Website: brittanyhurdle.com
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyhurdle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittanykhurdle/

Brittany’s Book Recommendation:
The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery, Brianna Wiest via Amazon https://amzn.to/3MM7HWs

REALTORS® LAND INSTITUTE (RLI): https://www.rliland.com/

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today’s episode, Laura Cole, Senior Vice President Lakewood Ranch Communities, LLC, shares her journey into real estate and the top 3 trends she’s seeing as a result of the pandemic.

Memorable moments:
11:07: I love the idea of “I haven't been here before”. But let's draw from what we know, or try to find some analogues that that even come close to this.

12:32 I like thinking long term and you have too in these communities because we won't have homes on the ground for potentially five years. So you better be betting on the right market segment for when that's going to arrive in five years. We are being really tactical and I like the challenge of that.

13:46: The biggest thing right now that we're confronting is the growing caution by the consumer tied specifically to pricing.

15:09: People are looking not only to come to Florida because of the tax advantages and the quality of life, but there's a perception that living in a masterplan community creates an additional layer of security.

15:36 The nuclear family is moving with their extended family. We're seeing these multi-generational moves. One family moving here becomes three or four. They've determined that this is the place where they want to put roots down and it's really rewarding to know that this is a place they want to call home.

28:19 The development industry is particularly well suited for women because everything we do is multidisciplinary. We're good at multitasking and being able to bring in a lot of different facets into account in our decision making.

29:36: I always feel like in our industry that being yourself pays huge dividends…Be yourself and add value.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Laura:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-cole-8158526/
Website: https://lakewoodranch.com

Laura's Book Recommendation:
A Land Remembered https://amzn.to/3OAbMyu via @amazon

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

In today’s episode, Nancy and Stephanie discuss Stephanie’s unconventional path to the top of the real estate ladder, interesting scenarios that have happened during her career and advice she offers up-and-coming real estate professionals to help them accelerate their journey to success.

Memorable moments:

17:07: As we try to attract new talent, it's important for us to maintain a really strong reputation in the market so that we have a leg up on our competitors in that way.

29:54: You need to build your network of people who can be advisors and experienced resources in the space. Put yourself out there be vulnerable and be a sponge. I think the more you learn, the more quickly you gain respect in the market.

31:23: You can be confident in yourself and know what you bring to the table. But you also have to be willing to know that you don't know everything and that you need to learn, and that will make you better in the long run.

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

Connect with Stephanie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanie_rodriguez_7/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-weyandt-rodriguez-4b384b8/
Website: www.dukerealty.com

Stephanie's Book Recommendation:
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World by William H. McRaven
https://amzn.to/3rUkQ7N

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

On today's episode of She’s Wild, I sit down with Taya Cook and Sherry Larjani to discuss their 9-story, 200-unit, condominium project, Reina. Sherry and Taya are inspiring female leaders in the real estate industry who have managed to carve out their own niche, despite being surrounded by males. 

These amazing ladies share stories throughout their careers that helped to inspire them to form the first, all-female development team in Canada to build the Reina condo project in Toronto, Ontario. Reina, named after the Spanish word for “queen,” is about leading women building a better condo by doing things differently — through community collaboration, new perspectives, and a commitment to multigenerational living.

I loved sitting down with these ladies and can’t wait for you to hear the entire episode! 

Memorable Moments: 

7:22- Sherry L: “I wanted to show everyone on the site working with me that I can be just like them. I am an equal. I am willing to do the hard work, or pick up that piece of metal, or wood, or drywall, or whatever the case is.”

9:08- Taya C:  “I think being a woman working in this industry for so many years to not have one woman who's at the top, or is highlighted in such an obvious way, it was upsetting, it was really upsetting.”

11:12- Taya C: “I think a lot of people look at the industry and say, “Oh, now there's lots of women who work in it.” But when you actually look at the leadership, roles and positions, there really isn't. And the people who are making decisions on these huge projects, typically, it's a roomful of men.”

22:08- Sherry L:  “I think we carried that throughout the project, even sitting around the table, all of the consultants, if they had something to say, we were willing to hear it. And you know, it wasn't just a saying. We actually paid attention and tried to see how we could incorporate it into our design.”

23:33- Taya C: “I could ramble on for like an hour of all the details. But I think the main thing for the building was that it would be a space where it was accommodating to all age groups and to families specifically.” 

26:20- Sherry L: “You have to have confidence in your own abilities, whatever those are, whatever you're good at, because if you don't have that confidence, and if you're lacking it, you can't sit at a table and prove a point, because if you can't talk the talk, nobody's going to take you seriously. And if you don't have the confidence, then you won't be able to carry a conversation and answer questions.” 

29:14- Taya C: “Because especially most of us who, you know, are not going to put ourselves in risky positions are not going to really put ourselves out there. We can really afford to put ourselves out there at least a little bit more, and just go for something instead of just waiting until we're 100% sure it's the right decision.” 

Connect with Taya Cook:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taya.cook17/

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/taya-cook-55382b32/

Website: http://www.urbancapital.ca/

Connect with Sherry Larjani: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slarjani/

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/sherry-larjani-37644949/

Website: https://www.spotlightdevelopment.com/

Learn more about their project Reina: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reinacondos/

Websites: https://www.reinacondos.com/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/business/women-real-estate-development.html

https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a31789120/8-trailblazers-who-are-creating-game-changing-opportunities-for-all-women/

https://www.reminetwork.com/articles/eight-women-transforming-canada-multi-residential/

Connect with Nancy: 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Tia Jesse is currently serving as senior vice president of development for EDEN Multifamily and EDEN Living, where she manages numerous residential real estate development projects across multiple Florida markets including Miami & Orlando. 

Prior to working at EDEN, Tia was employed with Wood Partners for 10 successful years where she managed development projects and supervised all aspects involved in ground-up development of 2,000+ units across South Florida! She attended the University of Florida and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and International Business from Florida International University. She is an active member of ULI and currently serves as an Assistant Chair on the ULI Florida Product Council’s Multi-Family Development Council.

Tia is an experienced land developer who has seen the industry change dramatically over her 20-year career. She provides insight on how everything from roles, to projects themselves, have evolved throughout this time frame to help potential newcomers get acclimated with what they might experience in their first years working here too! Throughout this episode you will hear the passion for Tia’s career shine through with the amazing advice that she gives. 

Memorable moments:

9:01 “I think for a lot of us in this business, a big focus right now, is trying to figure out how to build these projects and navigate the crazy construction pricing, building material, supply chain issues that are out there.”

20:15 “I think back, I don't know, that I would ever have seen myself going in this direction. But it's just been such an incredible journey, and I love what I do.”

21:33 “I think it’s always interesting that there aren't more women in this industry, because I think it's a great industry for women!”

24:02 “I never ever, ever could have imagined until I got in the business, the sheer number of people, and energy and effort and time and smarts that it takes to get these projects from a piece of dirt to a completed project.”

27.05: “This isn't just  I go to work and I come home, this can be an enriching part of your life. And  it's great to make these connections for professional reasons, but I've also made great friends through some of our projects “

27:49” If we have really good relationships, and we all inherently trust each other, and know that we're all here to do a good job, and help each other out to get to the goal line - then when you hit bumps in the road, you can get through those so much easier.”

Connect with Tia: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiajesseerealestate/
Websites:  https://www.edenmultifamily.com ; https://edenliving.net

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com

Nancy Surak is a successful land broker and champion of women, and has been creating her own lane in the male-dominated land brokerage industry for nearly two decades. Fueled by the desire to empower women to go after their goals, Nancy created She’s WILD, the podcast for women in land and development.

Join Nancy weekly for candid conversations with women leaders as they share their career stories and meaningful advice to inspire and motivate women to pursue careers in commercial real estate, land, and development. 

Memorable moment:

1:07: “I have heard the statement, you can't be her if you can't see her. And I'm not sure that that's 100% accurate. I do think you can be her, even if you can't see her. But I also believe that if you can see her, more of us can be her. And that's what this is all about.” 

Connect with Nancy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancysurak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysurak/
Website: www.nancysurak.com

She's WILD Sound Production by:
Luke Surak, Surak Productions: surakproductions@gmail.com