The MBA, the Salary, and the Parking Lot at 10 PM

She had the NBA. She had the six-figure salary. She had the title at a company everyone recognized. And she was sitting in a parking lot at 10 p.m. 9 months pregnant crying. That was the moment. If I'm gone tomorrow, y'all will hire somebody else. That job description would be out quick. But my son only has one mom and I will no longer make apology. Yep. When your values get violated grossly enough, then you know, you have the backbone and the courage to to start attacking that.

I probably work more now in my business than I did in corporate. But just that alone, that change makes a ton of difference. So if my mom needs something, nurse calls me, they're like shocked that I pick up the first ring and I'm there in 5 minutes. When you're inside that corporate box, especially when it's a job that you love, it becomes your identity. Like you said, you wore your badge around. It was almost like losing a piece of myself. She had the MBA. She had the six figure salary.

She had the title at a company everyone recognized. And she was sitting in a parking lot at 10 p.m. 9 months pregnant crying. That was the moment. And this is Outside the Corporate Box. Welcome to Outside the Corporate Box. I'm Jay Man alongside Jeffrey Scott Stanton. And today's episode is brought to you by our founding partners, Wise Agent, Subi, and the CE Shop. These are the companies that believe in what we're building here. And we are grateful to have them in our corner. The playbook is changing.

The question is, are you changing with it? This is outside the corporate box. Real conversations with real leaders who broke the mold and built something better with your host Jay Mann and Jeffrey Scott Stanton. Today we are sitting down with Tez Ro. Tez is a broker, broker owner, speaker, and founder of Yorktopia Realy Partners. She spent 12 years climbing the corporate ladder, did everything the system said would work, and still found herself choosing between her career and her family at 10 p.m. on a corporate campus, nine months pregnant.

What she did next is exactly what this show was built for. Tez, welcome to Outside the Corporate Box. Thank you so much, man. Thank you. Thank you. So walk us through it before we get into the decision itself. Like paint the picture. What did your world look like when you were inside it? The MBA, the life you were building, you know, what was that? What was all that like? Yeah. So I think I followed, you know, the blueprint that most people follow. Uh you go to college, uh perhaps even an advanced degree, get hired at a reputable company, make the six figures, get benefits, all

that good stuff. Um and that was working, I must say, until it wasn't right. It was working. That's where I like to say I grew up in um you know became a parent, got married, had my first child, bought a home, all of that in corporate. Uh but when I became a parent, I think that was a moment for me. I realized that unfortunately the way that the corporate structure is uh set up here, it's not conducive to working parents to be dedicated um employees and dedicated parents, which I knew in my core that I was capable of.

I know that I'm a dope employee and I know that I'm a dope I you know could be at the time parent. U it just was not conducive in in the setup. And so that was you know the moment for me once I realized that okay so do I continue to live this misaligned uh life or do I do something about it. Um and we bought a home uh I don't know 12 years ago or so and that was I've never I mean I never planned on being a real estate professional.

It was not in my peripheral. I don't know anybody, you know, around me, family, business in general. Imagine going from like six figures benefits to commission only. Like it just was not something that I was planning to do. But I think my own home buying experience kind of helped pave the way for, hey, I think this is something I can do. Well, you describe yourself as a risk averse introvert. Okay. And and be honest, did corporate exactly fit that version of you or were you just good at fitting into what corporate wanted from you?

Well, I mean, over the 12 years that I was in corporate, I've held about six different roles, right? Anything from your typical behind the desk to in the field in operations working with, you know, small business owners. Um, I certainly wasn't at the time, you know, uh, speaking to large audiences or anything like that. Um, I'm I'm a lifetime learner and student and so I was always in, you know, professional development classes. I was in Toastmasters and things like that. So, I did fairly well there.

I think I talk about the risk averse introvert from a perspective of you know when I was in corporate I was actually given a sales job even with a salary base and I said no I'm like what do you mean from going from here to that quota like that's what I mean by never imagined being like on a 100% commission right but I think when your values get violated grossly enough then you know you have the backbone and the courage to to start attacking that um it took me two and a half years uh once I was licensed to risk mitigate and plan through my

exit strategy. So that's what it took from me. I was not one of those people. I got licensed the boom I'm going to quit and I don't have a plan. I don't have that luxury. I'm a firstg immigrant. Uh I'm not a trust baby. Um there's an article I wrote on Forbes um documenting my exit process if anyone is interested in in learning. So yeah, I would consider myself that. Now I have become a little bit more uh higher appetite for risk because now I've been in the business for a while and know what to look for to take calculated risks.

So so t you mentioned the immigrant and generally for immigrants there is a path that you follow. It's like the expected path. You go to school, you get the degree, you work for a big company, you become a doctor, lawyer like it's it's you make you make your parents proud. Yeah. You make your parents proud. How much of that was your ambition and how much of it was I'm following the path that I'm supposed to follow going into big box corporate America? Great question. Funny you say doctor because my undergrad is in biology and I took the MCATs to go to med school, right?

Um and and I decided against it. I think even back then I should mention that I am the firstborn daughter. I if you know, you know, okay. Um, and so I my sister's about 10 11 years my junior and so I had just became the second my dad passed when I was 12. She was 10 months. So I became the second parent automatically. So there's a little bit of that and that had a lot to do with why I pivoted. I mean med school you don't get to work.

You're you're just going to school. It's a high demand. I could not do that. I had to continue to work and help my mom, right? So my mom was a teacher also. As soon as I was done with my undergrad, she was in my ear about when are you going to go to grad school? Right? So education is a priority in our culture. Uh and I'm a nerd. So it it's fine. It worked. But I think for me the challenging part was not just community, not just mom, but even my college counselors.

I went in with a bio major pre-med intentions having to pivot to business and having to explain why, right? Like when I I remember I ran into one of my college counselors, I think at a store. She was like, "What are you doing with your lab these days?" And I said, "Well, you know, I got my MBA and I'm" And she's like, "NBA?" Like for her it was like a disappointment. What happened to med school? Why would Yeah. Why would you do that? Why would you do business?

But I will tell you guys that I have physician clients and that's something that I connect with them on is like they're always pleasantly surprised when I say, hey, I actually have a bio reader and took the MC cards and they were like, you made the right decision. Whispered to you. You don't want all those loans. No, I mean unfortunately I think a lot of physicians are losing the passion for practice because how they went in it and how it's you know happening now is different.

So I'm grateful to have had the courage to pivot even if it was not understood or supported um by many. But my mom was supportive honestly like I think all she cared about was that I I was educated that is important to her. Um she didn't you know stress me about why pivot to business. She understood that you know I I was on the right path. It was more so for my community and more of like my college. They didn't understand such a jump. And so when did you first notice the cracks?

Cuz you said like you kind of planned an exit strategy. So it was it wasn't the parking lot. That was kind of like the breaking point, right? It must have been well before that where you were like, so yeah, for anyone that's a parent and that's working in a 95 structure, I know this is going to hit. So I had my first child and uh my husband at the time was we're in Jersey. I'm in Jersey for those who are listening and a lot of were right outside of New York City.

So we have tons of people who live in Jersey and work in New York City, right? So that's what he was doing. And so the part of Jersey we were in, not that it was far to the city, but there was not a direct train. So he had to either drive or take the bus. It was like a 2-hour ride each way, which meant that I was the default primary parent, right? So if the kid got sick, I'm the one that got called. So that kind of started to happen more often with the first child, right?

It was the hardest thing I had to do handing my newborn baby at 3 months to to daycare. In those 3 months of maternity, by the way, I did the NDAs, the baby products, the blogs, anything to stay home and not have to go back to corporate, right? Unfortunately, those three months came and went pretty fast. But in any case, you know, that happened more where I started to feel like people were questioning my commitment to my work because of my parenthood journey. And when my son was at 11 months, he got hospitalized.

He caught RSV. He was hospitalized on oxygen monitor. And I have to tell you, up until that point, anytime the phone rang, it didn't matter who called me, my my body was in a state of anxiety because I just thought that it was the daycare calling me once again to pick him up, right? I had to have some really tough conversations with my manager at the time who was a young male um from what I understand was not partnered or had a child, so did not understand the parenthood journey.

Let me tell you once I came back once I saw my baby in a hospital with the oxygen mask for 4 days and I came back there was this new level of courage and backbone that I grew and I called a meeting with my manager and say listen this is what I can commit to you I can commit to you that I'm going to do everything I can see if my manager if my uh husband can make it my mom backup care I'm going to do everything work from home I mean I do have an MBA and I'm a professional I'm not a day laborer

so I can take my laptop job and take it. And if I feel like I can't do my work, I'll take a personal day. However, I don't ever want to be apologizing for being a parent. I don't want to feel anxious again. Someone sacrificed for you to be here. Yeah. Right. If I'm gone tomorrow, y'all will hire somebody else. That job description will be out quick, but my son only has one ma and I will no longer make apology for it. From there on, I'll tell you guys, people in the hallway and I was in headquarters will say, "What happened?

You walk different. you look different. They noticed the courage in me. So that was the moment I say this is no longer working for me. It's not working. I have to do something different. Here's a question. What? So from the time you're in the corporate world to having your first child and like how long were you in that corporate world till you had your first child? So o been in the corporate world for 12 years. And by the way, I started when I was still in college.

Remember like you know I was still doing my uh I think junior year of college is when I started. It wasn't supposed to be a career by the way. Um it was just a job to pay my new car notes that I was nowhere near qualified. You know when you walk into the finance office it was like you are now make that money. It was that type of a deal. Um and so then it became and they paid for my MBA I should say. I would say um I started at the company maybe around 2005 and I had my child uh 2012.

Yeah. Um but the first couple years was you know just finishing my college degree. It wasn't really meant to be a career. I think once I got my NB and things like that. So like I was so probably seven or eight years into it is when from when it became more of your career until you had your first child. I'm I'm just trying to get time. So it's I'm going to go sidetrack. So did you expect it to be different when you had kids? Like that was question because I I don't have kids.

So like when you're in that corporate environment, do you think oh if I have kids is is my corporate job going to be different now? Different. You said yeah. Yeah. Is it is it going to be like did you have that thought behind that like oh I'm I want to have children. Is my corporate job going to be different because I have children now? Um I didn't think it'd be different. I know that so the the benefit of having a different culture. So I was born and raised in Ethiopia for the benefit of those who are listening and I I have seen a different model

of life and what family looks like and what it takes to raise a child. So I knew that in in the western culture we don't have a lot of village and support and I knew it would be difficult. Uh but in my mind, I had that village, the backup care, the mom. I'm married, right? But even with that, it still was not enough. And so, you know, I expected it to be challenging, but I also know that I'm a dedicated professional. I take my job seriously.

I'm going to do everything I can to to deliver. It was just an honestly unrealistic expectation. If I left at 5, right, to pick up my son from daycare, it was it was obvious that I was the one leaving at 5, right? because everyone else was, you know, longer. In a corporate world that's built on grind it out, work, you know, be the last one to leave, be the first one to get there. But as a parent, you know, you got to drop off daycare, you got to pick up at daycare or your help or whatever else.

And the others really don't as a parent who has done that, you know, and and been in like we have that limited time to be able to get work done because we have a hard stop that can't change. Yeah. Uh and I think some people are just honestly I mean the thing I enjoy about leaving corporate and doing my own thing is I don't have to you know deal with bureaucracy or red tape I can call things the way that it is and I will tell you just really cool people there like as an example there was um uh what do you call it uh

when people in union strike a strike right and there was a team of us a small team of us and of all the team I'm probably the youngest with you know a toddler at the time I was the Someone asked to cover in Garden City, New York, out of New Jersey to go back and forth. I said, "No, y'all know I had a chat, right?" Like Garden City, Long Island. Yes. You know, dudes here who who who have adult children, right, who do not have this responsibility.

Like, in what logic does this make sense? I mean, it it became a problem because my my name kept showing up, you know, in the big ups and I would get called in and say, you know, you're looking to move and you know, this is not looking good. And I said, "Well, feedback is a gift, right? I'll take your feedback, but I'm not taking it this time. You do what you need to do with that information." I mean, I really had to start being courageous under my moves.

Um, so yeah, it was difficult. So then walk us through what happened when you're sitting now, this is your second child, 9 months pregnant, right? 10 p.m. crying. What was the break? What was the breaking point? Several things happened. Like I remember crying in a This is a hu this is the headquarters of the national uh, you know, location and so it's it's huge. It's amaze. You can get lost, buildings, parking lots. I just remember distinctly going to my car during lunch and just breaking down.

I'm a pretty res resilient person. Like I don't cry over everything. Yep. And I think it it was just like fighting through the system of just like why can't you see what it is for, you know, for for what it is? Like why is it that we can't work with each other? I'm not giving less to work because I'm a parent. It's just the structure that you're expecting it is not conducive to being a parent. I remember one time it's called capital budget time, right? It's crunch time and this is when all the different departments send in their products and services to us and we

look at it and you know we approve and things like that. And it was 10 p.m. I was 9 months pregnant and I left the campus. It's dark. I'm exhausted. Um yeah, I have back pain naturally always. And so imagine being full fullterm pregnant. And at the exit of of the campus I hit something. I was like, "Oh my gosh, I hit somebody's dad jogging." like now um I I I kill someone. Like it took me five minutes to come out of the car because I didn't know what I was gonna find.

It was this one of the scariest moments. Um and I slowly come out and it turns out to be a deer. Mhm. But it still shook me, right, that I I was exhausted and it was dark and I hit something late night. It was another moment of like this can't be normal. Like this I did what I was supposed to do. Like I got the advanced degree. Like I'm a great employee. Like I'm dedicated. I this cannot be all there is to it. And so I remember coming home and I of course I wasn't eating dinner with my tater husband, right?

It's late at that time. My son is already sleeping and I had the work phone and um I got home and my manager at the time which is a different manager than the gentleman I mentioned before um was sending me an email to the tune of work still not done. I lost my list. lost and I was, you know, responding back and Mike, my husband took, he's like, "Whatever you're going to say, it's probably not going to be good. Just let it go." So, that was I think that was another moment of like go like this.

This can be all there is to it, you know? So, what what did you do the next morning? This is all happening, crying, hitting a deer. Luckily, uh by this time, I was already licensed. So, I became licensed when my first born was two and a half months. Like I closed in June on my home. In August I was in pre-licicensing classes in the evening while working full-time and parenting and in January my license was active. I was a dual career agent and you know corporate and parenting is demanding.

I really didn't get a chance to practice it. So when this experience happened I said you know what I didn't even share I shouldn't mention. I didn't even share I was pregnant with my second one till 5 months pregnant because I was in conversations about promotions and things like that. I knew for sure that I would impact it unfortunately and sure enough as soon as I I shared I was pregnant. I was told congratulations how long will you be taking off? That was literally the order of questions right.

Um so I think then I knew that I did not want to come back. Um this this is Jan to your question the risk mitigation piece like I did not know if I could move from you know a a secure quote unquote secure even though every quarter right salaries on expense line item. You made a made a plan. Yeah. It was like I can't I cannot continue to do this. And I decided then that when I was going to take maternity leave, I was going to take 6 months, which is career suicide unfortunately for women.

Uh but I had decided that I was not going to seek going up the ladder anymore. Um and I was going to use that time to live a life of a realtor full-time. Now, I should mention my husband changed jobs at this time. He was now consulting out of state. So 3 weeks out of the month, he wouldn't be home. So now I have a toddler, a newborn, right? Nursing, not sleeping, um, and and launching a new career and a a new career. But that's what it took.

So for me, like I, you know, when people come to me and say, I want to do this, I want to do this. My question is, what needs to be true for you to feel comfortable to move? And for me, it was living the life of a realtor full-time. Um, because I've been in roles where I was great at it, but I didn't enjoy it. So for me, I needed to make sure that this was something I can do. At the time I was with Kell Williams and so I did Bold and uh Ignite together which is pretty intense for a Nemo but that's for

me for those you know it absolutely is taking both at the same time absolutely but that's that's what I needed to do to say at the end of six months I needed to have conviction to myself that yep I can do this lifestyle and I'm confident and I can leave and that is part of what I wrote in my article about how risk mitigated to leave. So that's that's outlined. You wrote in your intake, I want to see if I can get this quote right. Um you said people are married to the topline gross salary number.

What do you mean by that? Unpack that. So what I mean by that is so we talk about the six figures, right? Like $100,000 is what most people refer to as six figures. So we think we're making $100,000, but when I started doing the numbers of like, okay, what really takes what does it take to run our household? Well, first of all, we don't often think about the tax that gets taken away. We're not keeping 100k, right? So, there's tax, there's benefits, and and you know, all these things.

And then and then the time, the commute back and forth, the quality of time, the stress, the time that we're missing. So, I really made a bare bone of I'm really getting this now. Do I have confidence in myself that if I think I'm dope here and miss structure and I'm living uh a life that's not aligned with my values and people are constantly violating my values, can I make that out here? That's what it came down to. Right now, there are practical considerations like health care and things like that.

Luckily, you know, my husband was employed with 9 to5 at the time, so we were able to to move it there. But I think we get married to the top line and don't really come down to both the number of what we're actually keeping and also how we can replace some of those concerns like healthcare or whatever it may be so that it's it makes sense and it's something practical and achievable. Quick shout out to one of our founding partners, the CE shop. Look, continuing education doesn't have to feel like a punishment.

The CE shop provides online real estate education that actually makes sense. Pre-licicensing, post-licensing, continuing education, all of it. Built to fit your schedule so you can keep your career moving forward without putting your business on pause. Check them out at the ceshop.com. Link in the show notes and be sure to tell them that Jqued sent you. Yeah, that that makes sense. A lot of times when we talk to, you know, agents in training, we where it's always like how much you making per hour for what you're actually doing.

And, you know, what's that all that other stuff, you know, for a 9 to5 corporate job, it's it's the driving and it's the commute and it's that, you know, for a real estate agent, it's the pick up the phone and doing that. So, there's different costs involved in it. But you're right. I think people are married to that, oh, I make x amount of dollars and might not realize how easy or sometimes how difficult it might be to make that outside the corporate box. And and I think that's what keeps a lot of people stuck inside their own little corporate box because they see that

number. You know, I think someone had said it in a in a one of the other podcasts that we did. Golden handcuffs. Yeah. Golden handcuffs. It's like it's too good to leave. Now, I will say, remember I said it took me two and a half years to transition. I will say you can use it to to fund your your business or your dream, right? Like for me, I knew that like between my husband, so when my husband took that consulting job, which took him outside of the home for 3 weeks, it was really difficult for me and so was for him, but he also got

a bump when he made that jump. So between that and knowing our true number, I was, you know, if I didn't generate anything in a year, we'd be good. Also, live below your means, y'all. Live below your means. That is the gift that keeps on giving, right? And so for me, that's that that was really helpful. So there's nothing wrong with starting. I mean I'm an instructor and speak and I tell people you don't have to leave you know your 9 to5 in order to launch this full-time you can have you can structure your business in such a way that you can practice you know

dual career and there will be a point where you will feel comfortable jumping for some people it's revenue for for me it wasn't for me at the time it was like will I like the lifestyle you know will I be able to um win the challenges that come across right and six months was the time that I needed to do that and so we you were fortunate enough to have a spouse that had the health insurance and had every you know that that could help you with that.

What if it's somebody who doesn't have that maybe their spouse is also an entrepreneur that has to that was relying on you or them for their health insurance or some of those benefits. How do you talk to that person says I have kids, I have a mortgage, I have everything and I can't really take that risk right now. Even saying that, maybe maybe it's the person who's the single mom or the single dad that has to do all this himself and doesn't have someone to lean on or even without kids.

Guys, I'm going to suggest everybody who's listening to this read my Forbes article. When I tell you I literally documented my risk mitigation process, even if I'm married, I'm the mindset of like I I need to be making my own money, right? Like that's just how how I was raised and born. Now, here's some practical suggestions I would I would suggest. So for me, one of the things that I documented there was even though I was married is I took a general loan from my 401t at the time, right?

And I didn't touch it, but it was my, you know, my commission breath, you know, to make me commission breath free, right? Like I didn't want to chase commissions. Like I wanted to just your commission breath freshener or just I wanted to be free of I didn't want people to think that I'm chasing commissions, but I'm actually really practitioner and I'm serving them. For me, that's what needed to happen. Now, thank goodness I didn't need to touch a penny of it. Like, I had it in a separate account and I I had it repay itself.

But that's what needed to be true for me. If I ever needed it, it was there. I wasn't going to act out of desperation. For people who have mortgages, I would say get your helac while you're still employed, right? Because you have to show some level of employment. Like there are strategies you can use for healthcare. There's something called federally qualified health center. Let me tell you, you will become creative when you need to make that move, right? And these are centers throughout this the the nation where they have um schedule of fees, published fees for regular you know doctor appointments and dental.

We had to use that actually my husband is now freelancing as well. So we had to use that in between while he left um until we got our insurance you know uh started as well. So you become really creative in and finding solutions. So there are solutions that you can use. We're going to put that Forbes article in the show notes folks and the description on YouTube so you have it. But let's talk about the rebuilding, not the version that looks good on LinkedIn because we don't want that.

The real version, right? You mentioned something in your intake about about the loneliness and building something. Isolation. Yeah. Isolation. Building something when the people closest to you, they really don't fully understand what it takes. Like, oh great, TZ, you got something new. You're going to kill that like everything else. But it's different. So, you know, I think there's two different seasons when I I felt that. One is obviously leaving corporate and even the identity piece. Let's even talk about the identity piece, right? Like even though this is something I chose to do, I have to admit to you that unfortunately, you know, the realtor comm

community doesn't necessarily have the most uh loved or respected, you know, respect from the community. And so and and remember I got into it because my buying experience was not great. And so there was something about having an MBA coming from a reputable company. And I mean I was so proud of working at that company, guys. I would literally have like my badge when I went to the grocery store. Like I wanted it to be known like it was something I was proud of for a while.

I wore the t-shirt, right? We we understand this totally. I do, right? And so coming from that to a realtor, whatever that means for different people and even for me to fully embrace it, I will admit to you it took a while. Right. um now understanding that this is not chasing commission, it's building business and there's so much to it and it's up and down a roller coaster. I have so much more respect for it then you know that's when I became involved with my associations and things like that.

So there was that that phase of even for me fully embracing that profession and that title right then more recently um I launched my brokerage in a property management as well. It's literally like two startups at the same time. Mhm. And in both times when I was leaving corporate and you know dual career and now I had to have some really tough conversations with my family and friends like with my husband you know when I started when I was transitioning it was like listen I'm I only have the weekends and evenings and so I'm going to be driving around.

I'm going to be showing I'm going to be practicing real estate which means I'm not going to be home as much. Right? Just having that agreement up front. this is what it takes for me to feel to to fully confidently say I'm a professional and own it. These are the the steps that I need to take and we just need to agree that this is a family agreement. So there's no resentment or anything. More recently, I had to have conversations with with my friends. I mean, some of my best friends, you know, rightfully so.

They said, "Hey, you know, we haven't seen you in a while. Feel like you don't really have time for us." And I had to say, "Listen, I'm in a season, a different season of my life. I'm in a building season right now. I'm in a go- go mode. I love you. I care about you. It's it's nothing, you know, has changed in terms of my cure for you, but I simply don't have the time for physical presence to be in one space. I I could barely think and swim, right?

Like yesterday, I took my son to swimming. I I had my laptop with me, right? Trying to squeeze in whatever time that I could. And so, you know, sometimes those conversations have been tough, right? Even with my husband, it's like, listen, I'm in a build for phase right now. I may not make dinner because we have our routine. He does the mornings, I do the evenings, and like I may not make dinner every night. I may be out at events in the evening. So, I think it requires recalibrating with the loved ones um or family, right?

If we're caregivers for for our elder ones and if we have siblings saying, "Hey, I need you to do a little bit of more of this now." And yeah, people don't always understand it. But I think one thing about me is I'm always clear in my communication and my intention. And you have to also be good with boundaries. Not everything is my weight to carry. I really believe that. It's not mine to carry all the time. Yeah. You mentioned identity shift and and isolation. Jeffrey, this is we this comes up often.

Yeah. U this probably this is probably one of the biggest recurring themes. Yeah. Across all of these is that like and I've said it before and you know J and I've talked about it and Tes mentioned almost everybody else is like when you're inside that corporate box especially when it's a job that you love it becomes your identity. Like you said you wore your badge around. You know I wore the t-shirt to go get my haircut. you know, it was that type of that type of thing.

So, I always find that interesting. And then what what is it like? And this is even one of the questions in here, but what is what is it like losing that identity? Because it's almost like losing a piece to me, it was almost like losing a piece of myself and and and I said to I put way too much into the identity of that corporate Jeff that I was. So, I'm always curious about that. So, for me, it wasn't about losing the identity. It was more so finding comfort in the new identity.

So I didn't feel like I'm I was mourning that and and unfortunately or fortunately for me the last couple years have been quite traumatic corporate wise like remember I said I was part of um uh Toastmasters and so you know I was like a leader regionally whatever. So I used to I used it was a corporate club so I used to go back to the campus the corporate campus. It was to the point where I had physical reactions guys when I went back on that campus cuz cuz it was traumatic.

So for me leaving it was not it served its purpose like I said you know they paid for my MBA like I grew up there like it was it worked until it didn't. So for me it was not mourning that title. It was more so can I fully own and be confident in this idea of I'm a real estate professional and what does that look like for me? So it was more so stepping fully into this one. So so again jumping around a little bit. So why why why real estate?

So, as I mentioned, I um bought a home and uh it was not a great experience. Um and I was working with folks who were in the game for 30 years. And when I tell you I caught things on the CD that were wrong. Um and I I was not in in the in the industry, right? I did I it was just common sense. I'm well read and I I asked questions. And so I'm like after that I said because I remember the idea of this this model the corporate model is not working for me has already been planted.

I've been trying to figure out what is it that I can nonprofit was another path for me right I'm on a ton of boards and my heart is in service but I was like but the lifestyle though right like I don't know if it's going to support my lifestyle and so there were many things that I I hired a a career life coach as part of that transition I should mention to help me clarify different things. And so it wasn't an automatic thing, but I think having gone through the process Yeah.

intimately. And then I was like, "Oh, this is how y'all do this." Like, you have no empathy for the person that's doing this for the first time and they're probably making the most purchase. They will I mean, I had to hold everybody accountable. And that's when the ding-ding moment of like, hey, I don't have to get a whole other degree to do this. Let me go through the process and see if I can enjoy it. And then that six-month maternity period was like, okay, now that I have the credentials, do I think I will actually enjoy this as a lifetime?

So going through the process is what made it a possible option for me. And for the non-real estate folks, CD is closing disclosure. Yes. Sorry. Yeah. Thank you. Um I'm I'm going to jump ahead a little bit. So you you said you're risk averse. You're a risk averse introvert. And I don't think I've ever heard that terminology. I know what a risk averse is. I know what an introvert is. And I and it it's like I'm I'm I'm trying to you explained it but I'm trying to like click that the risk averse because as an introvert you are generally riskaverse but to put the two

together. So do you think being that risk averse introvert or believing you are potentially slows you down in in in the entrepreneur because now you're an entrepreneur in that decision- making as a business owner as an entrepreneur. I I I think for me um the reason why I mentioned those together is usually when I hear about people quitting corporate or whatever they are the risktakers right and uh they're the you know the people the extroverts right they believe they have connections or they don't even have a plan B but they're like they're going to figure it out that wasn't for me it I'm not built

that way and also the fact that I'm an immigrant and I don't have you know a ton behind me I think that's an important story to tell I think you often hear about the stories of you you know, I didn't know what my plan was, but I was like, I just quit. Like, I cannot comprehend what that means. So, the reason why I mention that all the time is often we don't hear about the stories where there is no capital behind them and you know there is no there they didn't go to an Ivy League like they they were the blueprint like there was no

blueprint to follow and they made the the blueprint themselves. So, that's why I mentioned that now a risk averse doesn't mean you know we don't take risks. I mean going to real estate commission right like 100% commission launching a brokerage that is risk but it's just calculated risk right so I'm not making calls and hoping it figures out I ask tens of questions I prepare it's been three years since I had my broker's licensed and it took a year of planning for me to say this is I mean there's lawsuits all kind of things happening and I'm like let me just see how all of

this is going to settle like there's a process to to my method that's all it means but we don't make decisions we don't take risks they're just calculated ones and introverts It just means that I'm very protective of my time and my energy where I spend it. Um, you're not going to find me, you know, if there's a networking and it's at a bar, not my scene. Um, but I we are very good listeners and we make great connections. Um, I'm just not the life of the party.

But a lot of people have a hard time believing the introvert part because I do speak on stages and I am passionate about certain topics, but I'm very intent on a lot the spaces that I I choose to spend my time in. Yeah. It's weird because that introvert thing I think a lot of people misunderstand what an introvert is. Um especially people aren't because technically I am an introvert and that to to me that just means that when I recharge I don't recharge in a group full of people.

I recharge in unlike J man when he recharges he needs to recharge around a whole group full of people. We're all great on stage. It's just what we do afterwards is is how we recoup recoup our energy. Um most people who leave corporate America make it sound like a release like finally I'm out of here. Um we talked about before you know also some people is that that part of a grief the grief I really think it depends upon if you ch if you chose to leave or you were forced out.

Um was there anything because you said it really wasn't a mourning for you. It was more like that relief. But was there anything that you had to mourn to let it like to let go and actually be fully into your next adventure, be fully into that real estate aspect? Not not really. So I think the type of person that I am is like, you know, even in tough situations and tough relationships, you know, um I think it's Denzel Washington who said I'm from around the way.

I'm going to leave with something, right? Like I squeeze experiences out of every good or bad and and I'll always be a winner for that. in in my mind, right? So, you know, I definitely used my journey and opportunity. I I raised $10,000 for my church and they matched it. Like, are you kidding me? Like, I used that opport I got my masters out of it. I bought a home. Like, I use that path for what it was supposed to serve. But I think we have to be honest and say, and this is true in personal relationships, right?

Like, or in business, sometimes certain opportunities are meant to be there for a certain journey. And it's okay to say that thank you. I I've grown it. And you know when you start to feel misaligned emotions and stress and trauma that's definitely a tellt tell sign that you have grown. You're welcome in that space right so I really didn't have to mourn much. You know, I will tell you that um yeah, I think the joy and and the win is, you know, I go to build up my kids school and do career day almost every year and last year I did it in a middle

school and one person one student asked me and this you know the students get given from the teachers like little planted questions if no one is asking. Yeah. So they're like like we do when we're teaching in classes if no one asks me a question please ask me something. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Okay. So, they're like, um, so what is like an average income of, you know, your job, right? I was like, well, first of all, it's not a job. Let's start there. It's a business. I said, you know, there there are years.

Listen here, kid. I mean, they're middle school. They understand. Um, I said, you know, there are years where I complained about paying too much taxes and then I have to quickly remember that, you know what, this is a blessing and there are years if Uncle Sam was going to pay me because it's been tough, right? Um, but I said, you know, my measure of success is being able to say that I never missed a beat of my children's life. I never I no longer had to ask permission to go make the field day smack in the middle of the day.

Like they know I'll be there. Yeah. And can I tell you, middle schoolers were clapping like I struck a cord in them. That is my measure of success, right? Some years I make great money, some years I don't. But for me, I think that's the other thing too is like, you know, what is your value system? You have to be and I think I talked about this in the article. You have to be clear on your value system when you're making such a drastic career change cuz money is important.

We need it to live. But what other thing for me the idea that I was not confined to an it's not a 9 to5. We say 9 to5 it's more like a 9 to 10. But you all know what I mean. Like being confined to a 9 to5 versus not. It just has changed the currency of time. Like I am quality of life aware that tomorrow is not promised. I may not be here tomorrow. So then I have to make the most out of this in my relationships in what matters to me and living out my potential.

So the fact that I'm not confined to a specific place and time I probably work more now on my business than I did in corporate even though I was you know raw dogging it on corporate but like just that alone that that change makes a ton of difference. of my mom needs something. It I mean sometimes my my kids get sick and the nurse calls me, they're like shocked that I pick up the first ring and I'm there in five minutes because that's not everybody's reality, right?

So to me that is the construct of time and how we use it is the biggest win I think. Yeah, I love that because it's like, yeah, you're working 9 to 10, but you might work 9 to 11 and then go to lunch with your kid or then, right, you have so many things that you can do throughout the day and like you said, be be there for the for the moments that matter most because nobody's going to remember that board meeting that you miss. 100%.

I mean speaking of that J man like that six-month period the second maternity that I took with my second child. One of the memorable things I remember doing is when my husband was not traveling, I had lunch with him during the week outside and I I just felt like giddy like I didn't have to ask permission for anyone to do that and I'm like I want to do more of this, you know, or fitting in a petty like I may still take my laptop now, but like I could still do that, you know?

Like for me that is what's important like not owing my time to anybody else, you know? I love that. Well, we're we're going to do our quick lightning round. These are going to be just spitfire questions. You don't have to think too much about them. Just Okay. Okay. You ready? You got it. First answer is usually the best. All right. Yep. All right. First business you ever ran? Doesn't have to be official. Could be as a kid. What was it? Avon. Avon. Oh, okay. Um, a leader or someone famous you never met, but would do anything to have an hour with?

Michelle Obama. Best decision you've ever made that everyone around you thought was the worst decision you've ever made? Probably leaving corporate. I was going to say, I knew that was going to be it. What does success look like to you? I know this answer because you said it already. What does success look like to you on a Tuesday at 2 p.m.? Owning my time and deciding what to do with it as I wish. Last thing that genuinely surprised you about owning a business? I don't know that this is a prize, but like all I mean, especially until you you reach a capacity where you can

leverage it out. I had an assistant, had to let her go. Um, every little minute thing, right? Like I mean launching my business now like I had to do a new W9 and a new wire in like every little thing it has to get done but does it have to get done by you? Like it's a lot. 10 years from now one sentence about you or to yourself. You've made it. The business can now operate without you. Um you own your time. You can travel. You made it.

All right. Last question, TZ, and this is the one we close every episode with. What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone who's literally about to quit their job and bet on themselves? Um, be clear on your value system. Um, because that's what's going to push you through when things get rough. And they will get rough, but you will get through them. If you're clear on your why and your value system when things get rough, that's what you are left to hold on to.

But you can do it. Even as a riskaverse introvert, you can do it. Taz, before we let you go, where can people find you? Um, tazoro.com. LinkedIn is probably the best place. That's where I share more often what I'm doing, what I'm speaking about, just, you know, thought leadership and people can message me there. So, yeah, you can find me on LinkedIn. Um, I think it's Tisa or TZ Royal Realtor MBA, I believe it has on there. Okay, we'll put it in the show notes in the description.

Uh, if this conversation hit you the way it hit us, folks, please share it. Send it to somebody who's in their own parking lot right now having that moment. They need to hear this. Subscribe if you haven't already. And next Monday, we'll be coming back with another one that you don't want to miss. But before we let you go, we want to say thank you to our founding partners, Wise Agent, Subi, and the CE Shop. They make this show possible, and they're building tools that actually help people in this industry.

Check them out. All the links are in the show notes. And thank you, TZ, for spending time with us. And thank you, Jeffrey, for being here with us. That's the co-host. Thank you, TZ. Coach, thank you TZ. Really appreciate it. Thank you. And thank you to everyone for listening and watching. It's not something we take lightly. Make it a great day.