Rising Stars: Meet Marilyn Brock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marilyn Brock.

Hi Marilyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Originally from southeast Kansas, I moved to Colorado for grad school at the University of Denver in 2012. Ten years later, I’m still here! My bachelor’s degree and first master’s degree are in music and musicology, but after several years in the music world, I knew I wanted to expand my skillset and develop a new career. I stayed at DU after completing my master’s in musicology and got an MBA. For the next few years, I worked in non- and for-profit marketing and financial management while working toward starting an entrepreneurial venture in real estate.

In 2019, I began working as an associate broker with Keller Williams. I was thrilled by the opportunity to work in a field like real estate in which I could draw on knowledge in a variety of areas including marketing and finance to help my clients find a place to call home. I loved that there was no preset limit to what I could accomplish, and I valued the ability to set a high bar in every aspect of my work. During the next two years, as I developed my real estate career, I also began to consider additional ways in which I could expand. This was when I returned to a long-held dream I had had of attaining my doctorate degree. In the meantime, I was also presented with a fantastic opportunity to move my license to my current brokerage, Simply Denver Homes. While the friends I made at Keller Williams mean the world to me, and working there was a great experience, I am beyond happy with the move I made. Being a part of a local brokerage with an employing broker who has over two decades of experience in the industry has meant that I get an unparalleled level of one-on-one mentorship as well as the ability to provide the highest levels of personalized service for my clients.

I started my Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Denver in 2021, and it has already been an amazing journey! I am focusing my doctoral research on women’s career journeys, sexism in the workplace, and how businesses can improve their contribution to a broader societal good. Bringing the perspectives gained from my own life experiences, I want to do research that can make a positive contribution to how business interacts with the very real issues facing many women in the workplace. Currently, my research partner and I are writing a paper on how personal trauma can influence women’s entrepreneurship journeys. For my dissertation, I plan to focus on researching how companies can develop more effective responses for situations in which employees experience domestic abuse.

I bring my concern with contributing to social good to all my business and personal endeavors. Wanting to live life to the full and seize every opportunity to do the things I love, I don’t stop at full-time real estate work and a PhD program. In line with my love of the arts, I still occasionally perform; most recently, I sang on a holiday album released by Nebula Ensemble at the end of 2021. I have also volunteered with several local arts organizations, such as the Colorado Symphony where I was Marketing Committee Chair for the Associate Board, as well as Nebula Ensemble, where I was Director of Finance and Development. Given my concern for addressing domestic abuse in our community, I am also part of the leadership team for the Rose Andom Center’s Young Professionals Council, which works to support victims and survivors of abuse. Ultimately, I am so thankful to have a career I love, do the research I am passionate about in my PhD, and live in an amazing, beautiful city where I get to take in all of Colorado’s natural wonders while enjoying Denver’s fantastic music scene.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! I think we all face challenges, and, in my opinion, what matters is learning to strive for the things we can change while coming to a place of peace with what is outside our control. Creating a business, especially in an industry that is as rapidly changing as real estate, can be anxiety-inducing under the best of circumstances. As I would discover soon after becoming a real estate broker, circumstances would turn out to be far from ideal when I encountered several curveballs.

Five months after I started working in the real estate industry – and just two months after my first closing – the Covid-19 lockdowns began while the virus engulfed the world. Although I consider myself extremely fortunate not to have suffered any severe illness, 2020 was an exercise in constantly adapting to rapidly-changing market conditions and state safety mandates for real estate practice. Additionally, during that same time, I had an experience that left me struggling with PTSD and clinical depression – and that even drained every penny of the savings that had been my intended safety net for the early stages of my career in a field that doesn’t come with a regular paycheck.

I’ll always be grateful I had access to the resources I needed to work toward healing while rebuilding my life and not giving up my career goals. I developed a level of resilience I hadn’t known I was capable of, and I kept moving forward and adapting in the face of challenges. I also see the continuing Covid waves, political turmoil, recent increasing attacks on women’s rights, and the many other problems facing us today as struggles that affect many of us and that each of us as individuals have a role in addressing – but they are also problems that none of us can address alone. And this is yet one more place where knowing what we can and cannot change becomes crucial.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an associate broker with Simply Denver Homes, helping clients buy and sell homes throughout the Denver Metro Area. One way in which real estate is fairly unique is that, while we each work for a brokerage, we are also independent contractors who develop our own businesses. We are responsible for managing our own businesses and developing our brands under the umbrella of our respective brokerages. For this reason, I think choosing a brokerage that aligns with my own values and goals was an incredibly important step in my journey.

I pride myself on providing exceptional care, attention, and strategic solutions for my clients throughout each transaction. Along with my years of finance and marketing experience, I possess a thorough knowledge of the Denver Metro real estate market. I am dedicated to building trust with each client and enjoy helping them achieve their individual homeownership goals. I am the type of person who is always learning, and I believe in being a source of knowledge for my clients so they can make the best choices for themselves. Honesty and integrity are at the core of how I do business, and I am extremely intentional about putting the needs of my clients first. The best feeling in the world is when I am able to help a client complete a transaction that is truly best for THEM.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Haha, this is a tricky question for me because I’m pretty much an open book. . . . For a few years in my early teens, I thought I wanted to be a marine biologist. I have always loved animals, and I could never get enough of being near the water, even when it was just lakes within a couple of hours’ drive from my landlocked hometown in Kansas. I eventually figured out that I enjoyed studying the arts and social interactions much more than the math and science that would have been necessary for a biology career of any sort. I do still enjoy going to the lake, though, and my love of animals has never abated. I adopted a cat a year ago, and seeing her is always the highlight of coming home at the end of the day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://milehighhomepro.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilyn_l_brock/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilynbrocksimplydenver