\n<\/p>\n
To mark International Women\u2019s Day and Women\u2019s History Month, members of The Agency\u2019s leadership team engaged in a wide-ranging panel discussion, Breaking Boundaries: Women in Real Estate<\/i>, held on Friday, March 7, 2025.<\/p>\n
These traiblazers\u2019 forthright and inspirational conversation touched upon their lived experience. how they faced and overcame adversity, defied the odds, showed up and did the work, and how they integrate their career and family lives. Breaking boundaries, according to these experts, requires consistency, resilience, persistence, and staying true to yourself. They live authentically, work collaboratively and lead with empathy.<\/p>\n
Their conversation has been edited here for brevity and clarity. Moderator:<\/strong><\/p>\n Juliet Clapp<\/a>, Senior Vice President, Managing Partner \u2013 North East, | The Agency<\/a><\/p>\n Panelists:<\/strong><\/p>\n Rainy Hake Austin<\/a>, President | The Agency At a very young age, I would go into meetings with executives from around the country and I was always the only female and the youngest by many decades. <\/i>And so to be able to come into that room and demand a level of respect in order to integrate and have your ideas be heard was definitely something I had to learn to manage very early on. <\/i> I\u2019m my own worst critic, I am my own biggest enemy, I place so much pressure on myself and to be surrounded by women at this level is amazing because only women understand, you know, what it\u2019s like to be a woman. We have this special piece of empathy and we have this special piece of patience and humility that you don\u2019t sometimes find with men at the top, sorry to say, and we are programmed to support each other and I think something this industry tries to suppress, in all kind of roles, because it\u2019s so competitive. But I think the unique thing at The Agency, because we are about culture and collaboration and working together\u2014being a woman surrounded by people who see that as a positive and not a negative is amazing.<\/em><\/p>\n I think so many of us feel like we don\u2019t belong in the role that we\u2019re in. Like we haven\u2019t achieved it. I think that\u2019s a mental thing that we do to ourselves, often feeling like we\u2019re impostors in our own role. I think that being vulnerable and sharing that is amazing because I think so many people feel that way. Katia is so extremely humble because she is an amazing leader and the way that she leads is so empathetic and disciplined. She is just incredible in how she attacks problems and how consistent she is and how she cultivates things. I love that those authentic traits about her that make her such a great leader. It can be scary if we feel like, how did we get here? Or do we belong here? And I think that imposter syndrome carries through a lot of us. So thank you so much for sharing that, and really, thanks for adding to that.<\/em><\/p>\n First of all, before I got into real estate, I was in PR and marketing and I had my own PR firm, and that was female-dominated. When I transitioned into real estate, it was very easy in that sense. I had that discipline of my own. I came into this industry on the heels of having kids [and entering into L.A.\u2019s male-dominated market].<\/em><\/p>\n I never want to do anything half ass\u2014that\u2019s just not who I am and you know, essentially if I\u2019m going to take time away from my family, or annyone for that matter, I better be doing it at a really high level. That\u2019s just what I expected myself.<\/em><\/p>\n I also feel like because I asked for this role, I have to work that much harder to make sure that I maintain it because I\u2019ve seen so many people that deserve the opportunity to be a Managing Partner more than I do, as far as numbers are concerned. But I know that from a business perspective, I know how to do this. And so I knew that I could bring something to the table<\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019re constantly second-guessing yourself, and so I think for me, this has been a really interesting career to be young and to have built it on my own and to be female and to have been in the position of running offices.<\/em><\/p>\n We have empathy that we can bring to this table to our clients and to our agents, and we have a way of pushing with a woman\u2019s energy, right? A female energy has a way you of getting to YES in a way that men sometimes can\u2019t. And so I love that. I love that you also said there\u2019s space for everyone.<\/em><\/p>\n I mean, being with Mauricio and Billy (Rose) and then finding your way through and creating your own space and your own growth and your incredible career path, Michelle, my God have you broken boundaries! I mean, it\u2019s very impressive and I so appreciate you sharing that with us.<\/em><\/p>\n [Michelle] helps pull people together and helps with the collaborative culture that we have and a lot of that has to do with the tenacity and her journey that she\u2019s brought along the way\u2014and how she leads by example. And so I feel like those are all also really great traits for people to lean into. Her leadership style, I think, is unique to her, and it\u2019s very special.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s been very effective. She and our team of leaders in the [San Fernando] Valley have created an amazing brand reputation and experience. By believing in the values and actually living them and not just talking about them. And so embodying that in everything she does.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ll speak for myself, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019m that special. There\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m doing that no one else can do. I would want everyone to have access to all of it because I\u2019m not special. I\u2019m not different. I\u2019m just doing it. And so and that\u2019s I think what you mean by like ble leading, right like I\u2019m showing what I\u2019m doing because I want everyone to follow the path, not that they have to follow my path, but if I can do it, everybody can do it, right? Showing up is the first step.<\/i><\/p>\n Traci describes the moments in life when she discovered the value of community\u2013 when she became a mother and stepped into a leadership role in a new city. At this point, Juliet shares that carrying it forward is at once a priority, goal, and responsibility for leaders.<\/p>\n So when you come from that authentic place, I\u2019m sure that people around you are already feeling that from you, you know, and when I think about The Agency and how you just mentioned, you know, we\u2019re not feeling competitive that you felt welcome, that we can all work with each other and help each other. This is what this brand has created, this community. It\u2019s just beautiful, and Rainy, I think that started from the top.<\/i> Traci describes the challenges of having to start her business from scratch in Indianapolis after her family moved to the city for her husband\u2019s job.Traci\u2019s transition into a leadership role made her question if she was tough enough to excel. When someone told her the impossible couldn\u2019t be done, it only motivated her more. I think one of the things that I\u2019ve learned through life is that sometimes your hardest moments are your best opportunities. It\u2019s the hard times that shape you and make you who you are, and that makes you break barriers and do things you didn\u2019t think you could do. It seemed like the most impossible feat, but it turned into the best possible thing in my life because I would have never pushed myself the way that I did. So those challenges, I think, can make you be the best version of yourself. <\/i>I think I can be an authentic leader, who embraces people and helps them find the best version of themselves and teaches them what I was able to do by supporting each other. <\/i>Never take those hard moments and let them defeat you. You\u2019ve gotta take those hard moments and turn them around into the best thing that\u2019s ever happened. <\/i><\/p>\n The only way to get out is to go through, right? Not everything\u2019s gonna be easy, and if it is easy, it\u2019s probably not worth it, and it\u2019s probably not your greatest achievement. You know, failure, it\u2019s great. Failure\u2019s wonderful, right? I think failure\u2019s fantastic. You tried, you actually went out on a limb, you did something outside of your comfort zone. That\u2019s how you grow, that\u2019s how we elevate, that\u2019s how we learn.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n My mom has always been my greatest role model. All I saw growing up was this woman who put the kid on her hip and went to work\u2014and she was at work all day, every day. She just had this drive from within. I don\u2019t know where it comes from, but I know I have it now because all I do is work, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, because that\u2019s all I knew. That\u2019s all I witnessed. <\/i>I\u2019m just doing what I saw women do my whole life, which was work their asses off. The only way out is through. I don\u2019t look at anybody else\u2019s idea of what failure might be. I only look to myself. I\u2019m my biggest critic. I have to be able to go to bed and sleep at night, knowing that I made the right decision. <\/i><\/p>\n Being a working mom and a parent, I really try to let my girls know\u2026I had a lot of challenges to overcome in my life and growing up with the obstacles that I had\u2026those made me who I am\u2014 they made me a better person. I try not to do everything for [my kids]\u2026I try not to do everything for my staff, for my team\u2014because all you do when you do that is you steal their self-esteem. I already know that I can do it, right? I know that I can do that thing, and all I\u2019m doing by doing it for them is taking it away. The more that you can open the space to let others level up\u2026those are life lessons for all of our relationships.<\/em><\/p>\n My most important job on this Earth is being a mom to those kids, and they are my priority, always. It doesn\u2019t mean that I can\u2019t work and accomplish big things and big dreams. They know when I come home at the end of the day, they are what matters to me and they are why I\u2019m doing everything that I\u2019m doing. I love when I have opportunities, when I have really difficult days, I love to share it with them. How are you going to take a difficult situation and get through it? I feel like being in a leadership position allows you to be a better parent.<\/em><\/p>\n Balance is only a problem when you hate the work that you do and it drains you and sucks the life out of you and you need to step away and recharge. But I think when you love your work and it feeds your soul, then f*** balance. Bust your ass and just work. I mean, there\u2019s a lot of time when you retire to golf and putter or whatever. You can work your ass off and still be a mom, and if that\u2019s your balance, then, you know, have at her.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I would just say work hard and don\u2019t be afraid. I think fear is a lack of faith. Just believe in yourself and just get out there and work hard and you can fix everything else.<\/em><\/p>\n Stop trying to curate an image and stop striving for perfection. Showing your flaws, showing your insecurities\u2014that\u2019s a good thing. Being kind, being real, sharing what you know, even if you don\u2019t think you know enough.You do know enough.You have something to add to the conversation. Don\u2019t worry about \u201cfake until you make it\u201d\u2014don\u2019t worry about having the perfect post and the perfect this and the perfect that. Don\u2019t worry about crafting this perfect image of what your life is because nobody\u2019s life is perfect.<\/em><\/p>\n Getting older rocks! I love getting older. I embrace it, I am a fine wine. I really am enjoying it. I feel like just reminding myself that, no matter what happens, it ends up okay. You end up on the path in the life that you\u2019re supposed to be on, and so there\u2019s no control that you really genuinely have.<\/em><\/p>\n Slow down and listen and take it all in, and then learn from that and know that you are loved and you are perfect\u2014just the way that you are. And every time you make a choice, you can make a better one next time and just keep moving and going\u2026not being afraid to take action or do something because you\u2019re afraid of not being perfect. I feel like that would be a good thing to instill in others.<\/em><\/p>\n I think you have all said so many beautiful things that really resonate, holistically, and what I would have liked to know when I was younger, compared to who and what I am today, is not to let fear drive you. Also, that sense of knowing you\u2019re perfect with who you are. Like, you are okay, you\u2019re just fine, and that doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re not going to change. The failures and the growth are going to make you even better. I think the takeaway is slow down, be authentic, fail every day. Don\u2019t be scared; just keep on going. We all have it in us. Dig deep. There\u2019s nothing you can\u2019t do.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To mark International Women\u2019s Day and Women\u2019s History Month, members of The Agency\u2019s leadership team engaged in a wide-ranging panel discussion, Breaking Boundaries: Women in Real Estate, held on Friday, March 7, 2025. These traiblazers\u2019 forthright and inspirational conversation touched upon their lived experience. how they faced and overcame adversity, defied the odds, showed up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":123960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[11282,5353,11655,11198,11124,11260,313],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-123959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate","tag-advice","tag-agency","tag-leadership","tag-share","tag-strategies","tag-success","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/a>Michelle Schwartz<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Studio City, Sherman Oaks
<\/a>Katia Bailey<\/a>, Managing Partner | Waterloo Region<\/a>, Oakville<\/a>, Muskoka<\/a>, Brantford<\/a>, Toronto West<\/a>, York Region<\/a>, Niagara<\/a> & Halifax<\/a>
Traci Garontakos<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Indianapolis <\/a><\/p>\nReal estate is one of the few industries where women make up the majority of the workforce. How has this shaped your experience as a leader?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Rainy Hake Austin<\/a>, President | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/i>
<\/i>One of the things that was really important for me from the beginning was maintaining my authenticity inside of that. The reason for me to be there was to bring my talents and bring my light and my energy that was different, to help them to see things differently\u2026and to evolve. [\u2026] I was really leading with creativity and innovation and thinking not about how we\u2019ve always done it, but how we could do things differently. <\/i>
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I knew my value and being able to come into the table and even if they didn\u2019t know it yet, knowing that if I just kept demonstrating my value that at some point they would see that. I feel like that\u2019s continued to be the case for me, even now in my career, because we\u2019re still one of the very few women-run real estate brokerages across the globe. And so I\u2019m really still continuing to push that forward and elevate other women into leadership\u2014because they\u2019re the best people for the job. <\/i><\/p>\nKatia Bailey<\/a>, Managing Partner | Waterloo Region<\/a>, Oakville<\/a>, Muskoka<\/a>, Brantford<\/a>, Toronto West<\/a>, York Region<\/a>, Niagara<\/a> & Halifax<\/a><\/h3>\n
Juliet Clapp<\/a>, Senior Vice President, Managing Partner \u2013 North East, | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
Michelle Schwartz<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Studio City, Sherman Oaks<\/a><\/h3>\n
Juliet Clapp<\/a>, Senior Vice President, Managing Partner \u2013 North East, | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
Rainy Hake Austin<\/a>, President | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
(Speaking about Michelle Schwartz):<\/h4>\n
Michelle Schwartz<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Studio City, Sherman Oaks<\/a><\/h3>\n
Traci Garontakos<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Indianapolis<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/i>The women who supported me during that time showed me who I want to be as a person and what I want to give back to people. We, as women, can tear each other down or we can build each other up and you have a choice. The choice that I want to make is that we all can be better by working together. I love that saying that at the top we\u2019re collaborating and at the bottom we\u2019re competing, right? I feel like what Rainy has enabled us to do as women in this company and in this culture is just incredible\u2013giving me the opportunity to be the best leader that I can be by having all of these wonderful people surrounding me and walking into Forum my first time, and it\u2019s like everyone embraces you. It\u2019s not a lie. It\u2019s a real thing. I think once you get into leadership, that\u2019s your duty.<\/i><\/p>\nJuliet Clapp<\/a>, Senior Vice President, Managing Partner \u2013 North East, | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Rainy: It is amazing that the energy that resonates from Tracy becomes exponential with the group that she has, and I feel it\u2019s because she attracts like-minded people around the vision and she leans into the community, but holds space to create more community and she holds herself responsible, I think, for adding to that community and adding value, and I feel like that\u2019s a responsibility for all of us, right? Like paying it forward and all the experiences that we\u2019ve had being mentors to others, I feel like it is super important and I feel like Tracy really embodies that in her evolution and things that she done just naturally and who she is, I feel like she gives back. She gives more than she gets in the exchange and I feel like if people walk away feeling like they\u2019ve got value from her. I think that\u2019s a really important piece of her leadership style as well. <\/i><\/p>\nWhat challenges have you faced in your career? What advice would you give to women who are leaders and aspiring leaders in our industry?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Traci Garantakoso<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Indianapolis<\/a><\/h3>\n
Michelle Schwartz<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Studio City, Sherman Oaks<\/a><\/h3>\n
Katia Bailey<\/a>, Managing Partner | Waterloo Region<\/a>, Oakville<\/a>, Muskoka<\/a>, Brantford<\/a>, Toronto West<\/a>, York Region<\/a>, Niagara<\/a> & Halifax<\/a><\/h3>\n
Rainy Hake Austin<\/a>, President | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
Traci Garontakos<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Indianapolis<\/a><\/h3>\n
Katia Bailey<\/a>, Managing Partner | Waterloo Region<\/a>, Oakville<\/a>, Muskoka<\/a>, Brantford<\/a>, Toronto West<\/a>, York Region<\/a>, Niagara<\/a> & Halifax<\/a><\/h3>\n
If you could talk to your 18-year-old self for a moment, what advice would you give her?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Traci Garontakos<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Indianapolis<\/a><\/h3>\n
Katia Bailey<\/a>, Managing Partner | Waterloo Region<\/a>, Oakville<\/a>, Muskoka<\/a>, Brantford<\/a>, Toronto West<\/a>, York Region<\/a>, Niagara<\/a> & Halifax<\/a><\/h3>\n
Michelle Schwartz<\/a>, Managing Partner | The Agency Studio City, Sherman Oaks<\/a><\/h3>\n
Rainy Hake Austin<\/a>, President | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n
Juliet Clapp<\/a>, Senior Vice President, Managing Partner \u2013 North East, | The Agency<\/a><\/h3>\n