Fire Up Your Moxie with Debra Trappen

This episode is packed with a divine chat with Tina Mitchell. Tina and I met through our volunteering at the Seattle-Metro Women’s Council of REALTORS®! We have partnered on so many projects together, she has invited me on her radio show “The Money Hour” several times, and has sponsored several of my Fire Up! events here in the Seattle area.  I am so excited for you to meet Tina… Here we go!

Tina Mitchell has been in the mortgage industry for over 2 decades. She has been recognized during her career in the top 1% in the nation and is the founder and owner of Mortgage Triangle Software.

Tina is highly respected in the real estate community and has been awarded Partner Of The Year from Washington REALTORS®, Media Of The Year from Seattle King County REALTORS® and Member Of The Year from Women’s Council of REALTORS®.

She is a radio show personality and the host of The Money Hour on 1150 AM KKNW. Tina is also a keynote speaker, coach, and author of Journey With Me.

What Tina is most proud of is her work with homeless women. She shares her own story of Tragedy into Triumph with The House of Hope, Mary’s Place, The Hoff Foundation and Esther’s place.    

Without further ado, here are the notes from our chat:

I would define success, as knowing who you are, being proud of who you are and living your life as the person you are meant to be.

This is an easy answer, it’s my personal core practices… Dream, Be Alert and Learn To Fail.

Dream: My personal motto is “Live Your Dream Now”

“Happiness is simple. Have a dream, the intention to make it happen and a plan to get there.”

Dreams are powerful and so are you if you dream big. Dreams allow you to operate from imagination not memory. Imagination has no limitations. See the person you want to become and the life you want to live. If you can dream it, you can do it.

Be alert: “Wake up every morning alert to all the surprises waiting just for you. When you watch for them, they show up everywhere and what an amazing day it will be.”

To be alert is not to miss a moment in your life. It’s about creating positive triggers you can reflect back to when something is not going your way or you feel someone is treating you unfairly. If you watch for the small miracles, they show up every day all day long. If you are waiting for the big miracles, you may be waiting a long time. Focus on the good in life and see how your life will change. Be happy in this moment and see how you will alter your future moments. Ordinary moments become defining moments when you embrace them. Get busy living life of life will live you. Think about what you may miss out on if you do not.

Learn to fail: “Life is balance with no exceptions. Every failure has a gain waiting on the other side. Make the decision to look for the gain and not focus on the loss.”

Only after accepting that failures were a part of life was I able to benefit from them. Be willing to fail and success will be yours. If you have not failed, you are not trying hard enough and you will never reach the success you want in life. Just because you lost, doesn’t make you a loser. Just because you failed, doesn’t make you a failure.

I was in speech therapy all through elementary school and terrified to speak in front of groups.

You are beautiful and you have a gift to share with the world. I believe each of us a very special and unique gift. Our journey in life is to discover that gift and share it with the world.

The one habit I have already built but will forever being continuing to master it, is one-timing.

The mindset to create this habit is…

Rejoining the small success in your business. Always looking to take the hard road. The hard road represents change. The majority will do anything to avoid change and this is devastating to your business growth and success. And the last is embrace your failures. In business, your problems, challenges, and mistakes will lead you to the solution. Did you know that Thomas Edison had to fail 10,000 times before he created the light bulb? He credited his success to these failures.

I’m not reading a book now. I listen to my motivational clips as these keep me in the best space for motivation, inspiration, and creativity. I listen to a lot of Tony Robbins, Less Brown, Eric Thompson and Tom Bilyeu.

Inspiration – I believe my gift is the gift of inspiration and to share how to live your dream now. The avenue I use to help people get here is by sharing my one-time your business philosophy. If you have control of your business then you have control of your life and that is when magical things will happen for you.

Living and embracing every second of my day. That is a perfect day for me.

Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization

That is funny you ask that because I just wrote a poem and had it put on a canvas with this year’s word “Transformation”

Half A Century Old

Like anyone else, I love spending time with my family, friends. I love to travel and spend time in nature and play with my dog. But what balances me is giving back to my community. I do a lot of work with homeless women sharing my message of tragedy to triumph and how they too can turn their tragedies into triumphs and can live their dream now.

Want to get in touch with Tina?

The post Meet Tina Mitchell * Journey With Me! appeared first on Debra Trappen.

On today’s episode, I am chatting with Lori Namazi. She is one of the fabulous gals in my women’s group on Facebook and I can’t wait for you to meet her. She is humble, genuine, and gracious. So, without further ado… let me introduce you to Lori Namazi.

Meet the fabulous Lori Namazi!

Lori began her career in real estate 15 years ago and for the last 2 years has been the Corporate Broker of Record for an independent brokerage.

She was this brokerage’s FIRST female Exec and broker of record for the brokerage… woot!

Lori was responsible for 1850 licensees in 20 offices across 3 counties in Southern California. As an accomplished operations executive and natural leader, she focuses her efforts on personnel development and improving interdepartmental operational efficiencies.

She holds a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership; is a self-proclaimed life-long learner; a proud mother of 2 amazing and independent daughters; and the wife of the man who makes her laugh so hard she almost pees herself.               

Humility/Humble – I am just me. I’m no one special. What I do is what is supposed to be done. Although, eventually I need to get better at bragging about my accomplishments.

Genuine – I don’t exaggerate and if I give you a compliment, it’s because I believe it in my soul. It’s sharing my feelings honestly and with vulnerability.

Grace – Describing myself as both humble and genuine, I honestly believe that there are few people that demonstrate grace, yet I believe that I do. It’s a rare trait and I’ve been told that I have it. It’s the ability to be calm (see question 4); provide constructive and supportive feedback; have a filter when speaking in public audiences, and deliver a presentation confidently and be interesting so people want to hear what you have to say. It’s what I strive for when I think of the public image I want to display.   

I haven’t figured out what my purpose is yet. In the meantime, I just try to be a good and productive human being. I try to be the person my pets think I am.

I love to drive my convertible with my husband or my favorite girls – my daughters and my sister. Also, I really enjoy sitting around the table with friends just talking and enjoying each other’s company. Usually, it involves an adult beverage. (She makes a famous MOJITO!)

I have a calming effect on people. When others explode, I’m calm. One of my employees once told me a bomb could go off outside my window and I would remain calm. I just figure it’s not necessary to overreact when I don’t even have all of the information to know what is going on. But there is a fine line between calm and sleepy. I’m not sleepy. I don’t have a cape but if I did, it would have a minion on it. I love those guys!  

I love to mentor young professionals who demonstrate potential but need someone to invest in them to help them achieve what they didn’t even know was possible. I have mentored at least 15 employees over the years on to successful management roles.

Want to get in touch with Lori?

The post Meet Lori Namazi * Humble – Genuine – Gracious appeared first on Debra Trappen.

I invited my friend Molly to join me for a chat on my private Facebook group for Power Women who are building their slice of the Kingdom from the corner office, couch, cubicle, or carpool lane. ;)  Our chat was packed with divine inspiration and she also shared about her killer new role at relola.com, so I thought it would be fun to also share our chat on the podcast this month.  Thank you for the grace around the repurposing – I am believing you will love this chat as much as I do!  If you prefer to watch our chat, you can pop over to my YouTube channel here.  Don’t miss the fun info at the end and the details to WIN AN APPLE WATCH!  Wahooo!

Meet the fabulous Mz. Molly McKinley!

She is a senior public relations and integrated marketing strategist with over 18 years of experience launching new products and brands. Molly loves a good challenge and has worked with companies of all sizes from global corporations to start-ups.

Her roots are from a traditional PR agency background that has crossed over into all things digital– from SEO and link building to using data to understand how the web meets business and marketing goals. She’s passionate about finding relevant and creative ways to share stories that resonate and connect with target audiences via the most appropriate outlets.

Molly is a yoga teaching, dog loving, gardener who spends any free moment with her 3 kids and wife.          

Observant, kind, determined.

Observant because I prefer to watch and listen vs speaking. I learn more that way and can get to the truth faster.

Kind because I strive to see the goodness in everyone.

Determined because I will outwork anyone and won’t give up until all goals are achieved.

I believe in radical transparency. I’m a wide open book personally and professionally and love to teach, share and give.            

I do yoga whenever I have a free moment. I love to camp, hike, read, travel and hang with friends and family.          

My superpower is to see the goodness in others. I see and feel who I need to get to know and it always turns out to be just the right connection. This power doesn’t require a cape, but I cannot confirm or deny whether or not there is something extra in my glasses. ;)

I love to teach about marketing as well as meditation techniques. And, if you combine the zen of marketing with meditation, then BAM, that’s my happy place.                                                                                                

Marketing LOCAL is such a HOT TOPIC and I know you are passionate about helping each of us share our communities with heart and soul. 

With the free Relola app, you can pin local features to your interactive map and share them on your social channels. That means you share your expert Insights on the businesses, listings or locations that make your community special! Add the most pins to your map before January 1 and you’ll win the Apple Watch!

The winner will be notified on Friday, January 5, 2018 at 2pm PST

Details: https://info.relola.com/winapplewatch

1: go to relola.com and download the app

Molly will keep us updated along the way on who is rocking the

Relola

pins and close to winning the Apple Watch!!

More details:

The post Meet Molly McKinley * Meditation + Yoga + Marketing appeared first on Debra Trappen.

Today’s Fire Up message is packed with sass and moxie (like usual) around a new collaborative project I am working on called The Power Of You.

It was created for entrepreneurs who serve their communities as consultant, coaches, speakers, authors, bloggers, podcasters – you get the picture!

Those of us who wake up smiling (ok, maybe even smirking) as we celebrate our successes yet deep down we know there is more out there!

Let me ask you:

Are your days swirling by and those big goals you have written down, are slipping by as you fiercely work IN your business?

Are you dreaming of sharing your message on a larger stage, writing a best-selling book, or securing fabulous new clients to get you from your 6-figure income to that elusive 7-figures?

Maybe you are actually waking up and obsessing over what your so-called competition is doing and it is driving you crazy…  I get it.

You know my heart’s desire is for you to have a life and business you have always dreamed of having.  Finally being able to live your life out loud and on purpose, serving those you are meant to, with a mission you are proud to share – and a confidence that crushes the curiosity of what your competition is doing.

I want to help you tap into all the unique, magnetic qualities that come naturally to you (and ignite your soul) to build your empire.

I also want to share truths to transform your business into one that invigorates you, inspires your audience, and drives dramatic growth on a daily basis, but I know I can’t do that all on my own.

While vision-casting 2018, forming a collaboration was on my radar. Then, I started talking with Rebekah Radice and the plan became more and more clear. She is a award-winning Marketing Performance Strategist and one of my business besties! She helps entrepreneurs and solopreneurs like us build a rock solid marketing plan to win more customers, increase revenue, and gain the competitive edge!

So, here we are and tomorrow is our first masterclass to test the waters!

Our decision to put this together for you was ignited by the desire we both had to stop chasing the hustle. You know the manic mantra so many preach and glorify these days. The idea that doing more and creating more is the only way to succeed. It didn’t resonate with us, so we ditched it and decided to build something around our own definition of success that was a LOT less stressful.  We wanted to travel more, mentor/volunteer more, and spend more time with loved ones…

If designing a life and business around your unique version of success sounds like a dream come true, believe us when we say… it can be your reality. But it’s going to take gumption. Yes, gumption.  Don’t you just love that word? The definition of gumption is“spirited initiative and resourcefulness.”You will need it to stop living life on everyone else’s terms and embrace who you are, what you do better than anyone else, and what it is that sets your soul on fire. The sass you sprinkle along the way makes it all a bit more fun. *wink*

If you’re tired of trudging through each day, struggling to find that elusive “work/life balance” (oh,Bek and I will be talking ALL about the word balance, Sisters!) you need to take a small step back to move forward in a BIG way.  In this masterclass, we’ll help you declare what personal and professional success truly looks and feels like TO YOU. We will define key elements including your personal and company values, your favorite soul moments, and your divine purpose.  Setting values-based goals, embracing life-changing habits, and designing self-talk time that elevates your mindset and boosts your attitude in all areas of your life will be woven throughout our time together.

Join us on this journey and we promise to help you get out of the 5am to 9pm hamster wheel, stop the hectic lifestyle you’re currently living, and build a thriving life and business on YOUR terms.

We’re pulling back the curtain and revealing our systems and processes that will arm you with what you need to make massive impact! We have also put together sassy challenges to keep you honest and on track with the goals you are setting for yourself, so in other words – we’ve got your back.

If you’re ready we will help you make better connections, write that book you’ve been dying to launch, speak on a bigger stage, and grow your business in a way you never thought possible…

Say“Yes” to YOURSELF.

Say YES to success and sign up for our masterclass today!

Pop on over here and learn all about the 3 layers and all of the goodies we will be sharing!

Smooches!

In this layer, we’ll help you define the best version of YOU, the elements of your personal code, business brand and mission you want to share with your audience, and how to weave it all together to identify who your ideal client truly is.

Like any other project, infrastructure creates the solid foundation your business and brand need to thrive and grow. In this layer, we’ll discuss key elements to planning your daily success habits, marketing systems, and business skills that every sassy entrepreneur must have to stay focused, consistent, and always looking towards the future.

Tired of trying to connect with the right customers, and hoping that someday your business growth will skyrocket? In this layer, we’ll give you the strategies, processes, and tools to make that 6, 7, or 8 figure lifestyle a reality. We’ll discuss the growth strategies used by the best and brightest, those women that are not just surviving, but thriving in their life and business.

The post The Power Of You Story appeared first on Debra Trappen.

Lately, I have been seeing and having quite a few conversations about three of my least favorite words to focus on: competition, comparing and copying.

When we are in times packed with change – especially change we did not want – we tend to cling to our negative or fear-filled thoughts.  We block out the still small voice cheering us on and believe the voice inside our head that says we are not good enough, smart enough, worthy enough.

We start looking at what everyone else is doing or saying,(mostly online where things are nipped and tucked to perfection)… and compare ourselves to those fab highlight reels.

Now, I am going to get on my sassy redhead soapbox for a moment, so put your listening ears and seatbelts on…

YOU are here for a purpose.

I am challenging you – right here, right now:

Stop focusing on what others are doing or saying.

Instead – start focusing on investing your time wisely:

Live in your moments.

Your REAL MOMENTS.

B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

Now – a little sass about the flip side:

Use your success as a platform to help motivate, not as a look at “ME ME ME” megaphone.

*cough*

Ultimately, never forget:

Repeat after me:

Now, go out into your world and sparkle, shine, and inspire.

xxoo,

Pop on over and check out my collaborative coaching program for high-performance entrepreneurs.

The post You Are Worthy appeared first on Debra Trappen.

In this episode, Vija and I cover everything from her passions for real estate, baths, carbs, and exercise… to her fearless, fabulous perspective on FAILURE!

Put your seatbelt on – this is going to be a wild ride!

Prefer to listen on Stitcher ?

Meet Vija Williams. She is based in my hood here in the Seattle area. She heads an award winning team of real estate specialists in the greater Seattle area focusing on the move-up and luxury segments. The Vija Team is the #1 residential resale real estate team at the Keller Williams Eastside office and is in the top 1% of Keller Williams worldwide for volume sold. Keller Williams Worldwide has over 140,000 agents.

Vija entered the residential real estate industry in 2001 after a successful career doing marketing and sales for builders and developers. She has been an award winning Realtor ever since, consistently performing in the top 1% of the nation in sales volume. In 2009-10 Vija took time off to have her third child. She researched and assessed the shifted market and re-entered the industry at a new brokerage, Keller Williams, in January 2011, intentionally targeting the upper-end real estate market. As a result of this renewed focus and energy, Vija tripled her luxury portfolio by 2013. She closed $9M in sales in 2012, and finished 2016 at $69M in sold volume with over 30% in the high-end and luxury segment.

She has appeared on stage at real estate conferences around the country including the main stage with Gary Keller at the “Family Reunion,” and “Mega Camp,” Keller Williams’ two national events. She was a keynote presenter at the prestigious Inman Connect conference August of 2017. She has participated on many real estate association panels. She co-hosted a weekly radio show in the Seattle area called “Real Estate Radio Via Vija” which aired on KKNW 1150 AM and Blog Talk Radio. She was a featured speaker at the Zillow Summit event in Las Vegas in October 2016. She hosts a weekly vlog titled: “Friday Coffee with Vija” featured on YouTube and VijaCentral.com.

She is in demand as a trainer teaching agents how to increase their price point and move into the luxury market with her groundbreaking “Move Into Luxury: Double your Price Point in Two Years” class that she teaches around the country. Vija is in the coveted Gary Keller Mastermind Top Agent Group at Keller Williams. Vija is a MAPS coach, which is the Keller Williams coaching company, and she coaches agents in productivity, increasing their price points, and team growth.

A Seattle area native, Vija graduated from University Prep High School in Seattle. She received a BA in Political Science from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. She has been married to her husband Ben Williams for 20 years and lives in Kirkland, WA with her three highly active kids aged 7, 14, and 16.

Success to me is when my agents and employees hit and exceed their goals and THEY become successful.

Focused. Intense. Growth-minded (is that one or two words?!!)

Losing almost my entire team. It was devastating at the time. I learned how to be a better leader, and who I need along side me so that we all succeed and are happy.

She loves taking a bath every night!

(BONUS ANSWER: With all of my health and fitness focus, I am addicted to sugar and carbs!!! I just ate a donut because it was in the office kitchen darnit.)

Fail forward bigger and quicker. Take big swings. Don’t be scared to fail. Go Big. Think big. Operate in a mode of “what would I do if I wasn’t scared?”

My people and their success. They are here at my company because they believe that I will grow a large empire big enough to make their worlds grow big. That knowledge drives me to push myself and others to grow bigger: to provide massive opportunity to a large amount of people.

OMG exercise. I work out 5-6 days a week at FlyWheel doing spin and barre. It’s seriously my savior. Secondly, I use the 5-minute journal app every morning and I love it. Thirdly, and not last, anytime with my family. That should be first but to be honest, exercise jumped out at me LOL!

My ability to focus on a primary directive and ignore most everything else. It drives people around me crazy but I’m relentless about my “one thing.”

It would start with 2 amazing cups of coffee. It couldn’t be a perfect day without starting with coffee. That’s all I can think about. The coffee. Oh, friends, good food, and it would definitely end with wine.

Affirmations, Prayer, Exercise –  5-minute journal

Engagement. Because I lost nearly every team member I had because I mentally and physically checked out. I work a lot of hours and don’t get as much time with my family as I always want. So for all of those reasons, when I am with my inner circle of leaders, company members and family, I am focused on 100% engagement and mindfulness when I am with them.

I am a woman business owner who wants to grow a massive real estate empire. I don’t shy away from saying that. I like being that voice because I think a lot of times with women it’s about touchy feely stuff and we don’t always have a female voice that is about massive growth and entrepreneurship like a lot of men. Women are aggressive and driven too and that’s awesome. Not all of us are like that and that’s awesome. I am. This is my calling. I don’t shy away from it and I love talking about it.

Connect with Vija:

http://www.twitter.com/viavija

The post CHAT: Fearlessly Fail Forward w/ Vija Williams appeared first on Debra Trappen.

This message is packed with sass and moxie as we dive into embracing your unique talents and superpowers.

2. What do people always come to me for when they are in need?

3. What activity or task do I LOVE and could do blindfolded, in my sleep, with one hand tied behind my back?  (you get the idea!)

Simply put – you can build up knowledge and fill the gaps around your weakest areas to get a promo… however, working, owning, and rocking out to your super talents and powers will take you as far as you wish to go – and beyond what you could have ever dreamed or imagined!

It is pretty easy to guess which one most of us would choose.

Are you ready to get REAL with your superhero self, rock out your defined niche, and achieve your full potential?

Repeat after me:

I am fully equipped to achieve anything I envision when I allow my true superpowers to SHINE… 

(Cape not required to participate in this mantra, but one is absolutely encouraged.)

Alright, now repeat it again.

This time stand up and stretch your arms and hands above your head.

Go on, I will wait.

Great job.  You KNOW that felt amazing.

Note: If you didn’t try it standing up “with your hands in the air like you just don’t care”… you only cheated yourself.   The rest of us have HUGE smiles on our faces… (Of course, if you are DRIVING, you can always come back and join in the fun when you are at your destination!)

We all have our own Wonder Woman or Iron Man powers inside us…  Stop hiding yours.

If you have a freak flag – FLY IT HIGH.

Don’t make yourself small so others feel better.

The world deserves your brand of SUPERPOWER sass, style, and spunk!

As always, thank you for joining me today.

Until next time… Remember to look for and embrace those Fire Up opportunities to engage, elevate, and empower your world.

The post Embracing Your Uniqueness appeared first on Debra Trappen.

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#000000″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_single_image image=”22799″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” qode_css_animation=”” link=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fire-up-with-debra-trappen/id1243118189″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Welcome to the Fire Up Power Chat podcast series. Today’s episode I am interviewing Lesley Lambert!

New to this series?  These episodes are chats with radically amazing women in leadership and business. Each of these women has graciously offered to share her story – the successes and the failures she has celebrated over the years. Each of these stories is here to engage, elevate, and empower the leader inside YOU!

I will ask guests the following questions prior to each show.  Whether we get through all of them during the live chat remains to be seen.

lol…  Here we go![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#000000″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]Today’s guest is Lesley Lambert.

A 29 year veteran of the real estate industry, Lesley has worked in just about every facet of the industry. She is currently with Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA.

She is a self-proclaimed “real estate geek girl” and lover of all things social media, she prides herself on her use of social media and internet marketing in her real estate business.

She is a mother to two beautiful teenage girls who she loves dearly but may cost her her sanity.

She loves to be busy and when not working in real estate she enjoys dance, gardening, reading, hiking, and wine.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_single_image image=”23196″ img_size=”large” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]1: Tenacious

2: Compassionate

3: Silly[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]By attempting to model a strong female role model for my girls.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]Dance, garden, read, hike, and drink wine![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]Super efficiency!

I manage to get more done in one day than most people do in several.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”33″][vc_column_text]

She loves to talk about her girls!

Don’t miss Lesley sharing her favorite wine, what books she is reading, and what she loves to mentor others in/on!

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”55″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Meet Lesley Lambert * Tenacious. Compassionate. Silly. appeared first on Debra Trappen.

It is time to work together to build a bridge over the gender gap.

Podcast Transcription:

(Want to listen on alternative platforms? Click here.)

Hello and welcome to the Fire Up Podcast I am your host, Debra Trappen.

Today’s Fire Up topic is about TRUST and building a bridge over the gender gap – TOGETHER.

Recently I spoke at a leadership retreat called Disconnect hosted by Brad and Yaz Inman of Inman News. This unconventional event brought 150 leaders, influencers, and visionaries in the real estate space together IN THE WOODS.  I was asked to speak on “the state of women in the industry” and share my perspectives – I wholeheartedly said YES.

This episode shares my talk and some of the key takeaways shared during our time together in the woods.

I wanted this talk to be different and to share how we can DO SOMETHING – not just all agree something needs to happen. Actually, it was clear, after a raising of hands, that nearly everyone there believed there is a need for more women in leadership.

To kick off my talk – I partnered with my amazing wing man, Jim Walberg.  He graciously agreed to read the stories of what women face in the workplace. The first story was of a woman who was called vile names in a business meeting, others around sexual harassment, abuse, and shame. Not all of the stories were about men targeting women – some of them detailed women terrorizing, shaming, and even throwing other women under the bus.

The point of the stories was to share that these things are happening right now, today, to women sitting next to us at the table, in church, and in line to pick up the kiddos at school.  Women are combatting these issues while fighting for equality at work… let’s be real – it is exhausting.  We can’t do it alone and need to stop trying to.

We need TRUST to build a bridge over the gender gap. Trust in each other, trust in the numbers, and trust in our gut that this is the right thing to do… that we NEED diversity and equality at the table.

Let’s take a look at the letters in TRUST to give us some guidance.

When we are at the table – whether it is a leadership retreat, board meeting, conference planning meeting, panel… and so on. Look Left and Right and ask yourself a question:  Are there women at the table?

If not, we all need you to stand up and ask WHY?  We need you to speak out because YOU are at the table.  We can’t fight to be at the table when we are not even invited into the room or know where it is.

Then ask yourself:  Do I know a qualified woman who should be at the table?

If the answer is no, let that be a signal to get out there and find one.  Smart business women are not unicorns – they exist in all industries. Some may be harder to find – but they are out there.

If the answer is yes, you know what to do.

Note I did not say put ANY WOMAN at the table… I said QUALIFIED. The women I have spoken with do not want to be at the table “just because they are female”. However, if being the token gal at the table is the gateway for more women there – we will do it.

Being aware of unconscious biases and social norms is also a step to building this bridge.

I read a recent study (on Geena Davis’s seejane.org) that found that if men look in a room and 17 percent are women, they think it’s 50-50. And if 33 percent are women, the men perceive there are more women in the room (or at the table) than men.

Let’s not let this continue.  Let’s be awake and aware.

Let’s also take a look at the “rules” in point #2.

Far too often, when talking with board leaders, I hear “the rules” as an excuse for the fact that there are no women at the table.  We can only have 12 seats, the definition of a leader requires a company of a certain size or public standing.

In real estate, that “disqualifies” a substantial number of women.  For example, in CA – 90% of the women broker/owners are leading independent brokerages – not national affiliates or big box companies.  That means these brilliant minds are not even on the radar of many boards!

Education stats also support that women are not expecting to be given a position without knowledge/experience. Women earn 57 percent of bachelor’s degrees, over 62 percent of master’s degrees, and 53 percent of degrees such as PhDs, medical degrees, and law degrees in the United States.

 So- what can we do?

1: Add a chair – the world won’t implode if you add a chair or two to gain momentum.  When diversity becomes the norm – stack the chairs back up again.

2: Also, consider crushing the customs and criteria.

3: Last, but not least when it comes to the “rules”, add percentage goals to your board seats, leadership team, and talent pipeline.  We all know part of achieving a desired outcome is having a solid, written goal to slay!  Start with a goal of 20% and move up to a targeted diversity that mirrors your consumers!

Let’s move on to U…

Women have been conditioned for generations to WAIT TO BE ASKED.  During a chat with one of my friends and mentors, Vanessa Bergmark – we dug into this concept.  Think about it – we teach our girls to wait for the ask to attend the dance, to go on the date, to get married… We still have a special dance where it is “appropriate” for the girls to ask the boys to the dance!

This subconsciously teaches them “when you are worthy – you will be asked” and your place is to wait until someone asked you.

Now, I KNOW we are all working on this and we are shifting how we are raising the next generation.  However, MANY of the women currently in the workforce still subscribe to this – whether consciously or not.

So, for all of you at the table or part of the hiring teams – I call upon you to accept a mission and ASK.

We need you to ask us if we have ever thought about stepping into that VP role (even though in our minds we are thinking – the job description STATES 20 required bullets and I only have 14!)

Trust that this will ignite and empower the women in your organization to believe they are worthy… and add a rich layer of experience and wisdom to your leadership teams and board meetings.

Please be the bridge builder, not the gate keeper.

Which leads nicely into #4…

More precisely, start mentoring someone of the opposite sex.

When we open ourselves up to teaching and learning from someone of a different gender – we consciously AND subconsciously start to see them in a different light.  We also are exposed to the differences in how men and women communicate and how they perceive and strategically approach business situations. When we seek to connect and mentor with them – they are also top of mind when a new opportunity arises – like a new exec position in your org, a board seat that just opened up, or that call for speakers at the event you are attending!

Ask yourself:

Seriously – do you love to help people design business models, create pitch decks for investors, or put together boards? Maybe you love to formulate programs to attract top talent or review business plans?

Whatever it is WRITE IT DOWN and start SHARING IT.  Ask around for someone who needs your wisdom, experience, or skills. There are plenty of people out there looking for what you have to offer.  Step outside of the people in your immediate space.

And you never know – this mentee may become a long term connection that brings an amazing, rich layer of experience and perspective to YOUR WORLD, too!

Don’t leave this here in this moment.  Whether you heard this live in the woods or are listening on your couch, in your car, cubical, or from your shiny corner office.

Inspire someone else to look around their tables,  Shake Up, Break Up, or add new rules, add a chair and ask and invite a new, diverse perspective to join the conversation… and intentionally seek and mentor someone of the opposite sex.

In closing…

Trust this is real.

Trust that this is happening in our daughters, wives, friends, sisters and mothers lives. If we don’t move this forward and implement change – this will continue to happen to future generations. To our granddaughters and great-granddaughters.

Trust the numbers, they don’t lie.

When men and women come together and lead from their strengths – magic happens.  Diverse leadership teams and boards often better mirror customer and client bases. Women control and influence over 80% of the home wallet decisions. They also purchase for multiple generations – so their perspective is wide. Leverage these truths.

Trust your gut.

Trust and fuel that fire in your belly that desires to be part of the change. Trust that you are an architect of a new legacy. You were born for such a time as this.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

  ~Have you implemented a program that is working?

  ~Do you have an idea for one that needs wings?

Share it with me in the comments below or message me here.

Thank you for joining me today.  Until next time…

Remember to look for and embrace those Fire Up opportunities to engage, elevate, and empower your world.

Resources sited and used for research:

The post TRUST: Building a bridge over the gender gap, together! appeared first on Debra Trappen.

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Welcome to a new series of Power Chat with radically amazing women in leadership and business. Each of these women has graciously offered to share her story – the successes and the failures she has celebrated over the years. Each of these stories is here to engage, elevate, and empower the leader inside YOU!

I will ask guests the following questions prior to each show.  Whether we get through all of them during the live chat remains to be seen.

lol…  Here we go![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_single_image image=”22799″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fire-up-with-debra-trappen/id1243118189″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#000000″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#000000″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]Today’s guest is Lisa Dunn.

Lisa is and has been a top producing REALTOR® for over 24 years. She is currently at Casa Bella Realty Group & FHA Pros, LLC – specializing in residential real estate throughout Orange County. Experience in training both Realtors & consumers in VA home buying and FHA/VA Condo Project Approval. Lisa is also a Certified Short Sale Foreclosure Resource, Certified Real Estate Collaborative Specialist (for Divorce related transactions), and a Certified RELO agent.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_single_image image=”23179″ img_size=”large” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space height=”22″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]I am the one person in 100 that will come across a problem and say, how can I fix this? I have embraced subjects from understanding a VA buyer to what is a detached site condo and studied it until I am a subject matter expert and then go out and educate and/or make a change to improve the system. So far, I have been the catalyst for one recent state law and now working on my next![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]Train other REALTORS® to be better at what they do.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22″][vc_column_text]

I have a cape, all right…tell me it’s can’t be done and I will prove you wrong

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”33″][vc_column_text]

Oh, it’s so sexy…FHA/VA Condo Project Approval!

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”55″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Meet Lisa Dunn * Inquisitive Change Agent + Challenger of the Status Quo appeared first on Debra Trappen.