🎙️ Episode 18 — Riva Finkelstein, Principal & Founder of Switchboard Strategic CommunicationsShe started in Journalism and found her calling in PR. Riva Finkelstein has spent 15+ years in strategic communications and marketing — building brands and reputations across the development industry, from condo launches to city-building conversations that shape entire neighbourhoods.In this episode of The Rea.TO Podcast, we talk about:📰 Her career path from journalism into PR, and what that shift taught her about storytelling🏢 The opportunities and stories she's passionate about and what we need to be talking about.🚀 The launch of her own company, Switchboard Strategic CommunicationsRiva has a gift for taking complex real estate and city building stories and making them land — with media, with communities, with the public. If you've ever wondered how a background in journalism becomes a launchpad for a PR career (and eventually your own company), this one's for you.https://www.linkedin.com/in/rivafinkelstein/

Episode 17 | Ene Underwood, CEO Habitat for Humanity, GTA

From strategy consulting to leading one of the GTA's most impactful nonprofits — Ene Underwood's career journey is proof that sometimes the perfect fit finds you when you least expect it. 🏡

On the the eve of their Women's Build we sat down with Ene, to chat about:
✨ Her path to Habitat — and why it just clicked
🔧 The many moving pieces that make Habitat's work possible
📈 How the organization has evolved to keep pace with a shifting housing market
👷‍♀️ A first look at our upcoming Women Build — and how you can get involved

Whether you already know about Habitat or are hearing about them for the first time, our chat with Ene was both inspiring and educational.

Affordable homeownership doesn't happen by accident. It takes vision, adaptability, and people like Ene who show up for the long haul.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eneunderwood/

https://habitatgta.ca/

Episode 16 | Vanessa Oliver Principal and Broker of Record with Regent Street Commercial Corp.

It all started with crepes.

Before becoming one of Toronto's most respected voices in commercial real estate, Vanessa Oliver had a very different dream — bringing the art of Parisian crepes to the city. While searching for the perfect restaurant space, she fell in love with retail leasing, and that unexpected detour changed everything.

In this episode, we chat with Vanessa Oliver, Principal and Broker of Record with Regent Street Commercial Corp, about:

🥐 How a search for a restaurant location launched a 15+ year career in restaurant leasing
🏢 Taking the leap from leasing agent to founding her own boutique brokerage
💪 The mindset behind betting on yourself — even when it feels a little scary
❤️ Her passionate charitable work with JDRF and raising over $4 million for juvenile diabetes research

Vanessa is proof that the moments we almost talked ourselves out of are often the ones that define us most.

This is exactly the kind of conversation Real.TO was built for.

🎧
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-oliver-02288427/

Special thanks to our Sponsor: Bratty's LLP in Trust (www.Bratty.com)

✨ Episode 15 | Liza Bauer VP of Property Management at Concert Properties.In this episode of The Real.TO Podcast, we’re sitting down with Liza Bauer, Vice President of Property Management at Concert Properties — and her career journey is a masterclass in how far the property management industry has come.

Liza has spent most of her career in property management, working her way up from being on the floor and in the weeds to now overseeing Toronto's property management operations. For her, leadership isn't something you master overnight — it's an ongoing lesson, and she's the first to admit she's still learning. But what sets her leadership apart is that it's built on real, hard-earned experience.

20+ years ago, property management wasn’t the conversation it is today. Liza takes us through how she’s grown alongside it, how being a “landlord” looks nothing like it used to, and how her team is navigating a GTA market that’s seeing more purpose-built rentals than ever. 🎧 She's the real deal and this conversation is worth every minute of your podcast listening time.

Special Thanks to our Sponsor: Bratty's LLP in Trust // www.bratty. com

Episode 14 | Natasha Rubin-Coupland | The Real.to Podcast

She's shaping how one of Canada's biggest banks shows up for real estate coast to coast — and she's coaching leaders to do the same in their own lives. Natasha Rubin-Coupland leads strategic real estate partnerships across Canada for TD Bank and brings a rare combination of institutional expertise and human-centered leadership to everything she does.

As a certified leadership coach, she doesn't just understand the systems — she understands the people inside them.

In this episode we cover:

🏦 Her 3 decade career with one of Canada's largest financial institutions.
🧭 What authentic leadership really looks like.
💪 The importance of telling people where you see there value and how investing in yourself is the greatest professional move you can make.

Whether you're a real estate professional or someone navigating your own leadership journey — this conversation is sure to leave you inspired and shift the way you think about what's possible.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nrcoupland/

Special Thanks to our Sponsor: Bratty's LLP in Trust //www.bratty.com/

She Built a Community and a Career —

Our 13th Episode features Danielle Olivierre

Danielle is a Real Estate Agent with Royal LePage Signature, Co-Founder of Girlies in the 6ix — a community redefining what it means for women to connect, grow and thrive together.

Born and raised in Ireland 🍀, Danielle made the leap to Toronto and never looked back. In this conversation, she shares the real story behind her journey — the wins, the lessons, and the belief systems that have guided her along the way.

In this episode we cover:

What drove Danielle to get into real estate;

The founding story of Girlies in the 6ix and why community is everything;

Financial knowledge as a tool for women's independence and power; and

Why she puts people over profit — always.
🏡 Her upcoming live event: Buying Her First Property is coming up on June 20th! Details below.

Whether you're a first-time buyer, a woman in real estate, or someone who believes that doing business with heart is the only way to do it — you are going to love this conversation.

Danielle's Linked In

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-olivierre-b15270b1/

Details to her upcoming Event: https://luma.com/f1sn3prd

Instagram: @girliesinthe6ix

Six months in, and we're just getting started. 🎙️

When we launched Real.TO Podcast, the goal was simple: Create a space for honest, real conversations with the phenomenal women shaping the Toronto real estate industry.

15+ episodes later — full of laughs, lessons, and a few emotional moments — we're dropping a six-month recap episode, and it covers it all.

Whether you've been listening from day one or you're just discovering us, this is the perfect episode to start with. A highlight reel of the conversations, insights, and moments we loved.

SPONSORED BY MONTANA STEELE STRATEGIC MARKETING

https://www.linkedin.com/company/montana-steele-strategic-marketing/

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY BY NORM LI

In Episode 11 we chat with Samantha Martin, Vice President, PR, Land Development & Housing Practice Lead with Earnscliffe.

Sam makes the case that great PR isn't just spin — it's strategy, storytelling, and a seriously diverse career path. We learn about her diverse career path, the importance of chasing roles you actually love, leaning into the people who push you, and why your network might just be your most underrated asset.

We hope you enjoy listening to Sam as much as we enjoyed chatting with her. 

Sam's LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-martin-b222315b/

In this episode we chat with Coralie Olson - Canada's National Director at Partner Assessment Corporation.

She walks us through the value of place-making and the many shapes it can take, her appreciation and perspective on the relationships we forge throughout our careers, and her advice on taking the big leaps and leaning into the transferable skills that can guide you through those big (and sometime scary) career changes.

With a relatively new role herself at Partner Assessment Corp she also chats with us about the company's entry into the Canadian market and the unique service offering they provide across all real estate assets classes.

We hope you enjoy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/coralieolson/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partner-engineering-&-science-inc./

In this episode, we sit down with founder and partner of Novi Blds Construction - Jennifer Burstein. She speaks to the towers that helped shape her career, her approach on the job site and in the boardroom and her deeply personal experience with infant loss and cancer.  Her story is both inspiring and brave  - please enjoy!

This episode contains discussions of infant loss and bereavement.  While the stories are personal, they do not substitute for professional or mental health advice.  If you are struggling, help is available

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-burstein-20486027/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/novi-blds/

Sponsored by www.nblc.com