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Conversations with the Inspiring Leah Behr

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Behr.

Leah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been in Real Estate for as long as I can remember. I started my career at a young age working as a Junior Mortgage Loan Officer, shadowing my mother, right out of high school. When I made the move to Colorado, I decided I wanted to change gears and get into the Realtor side of the business. Being in a new state, and new role, I really wanted to learn the business from the ground up. I ended up landing an assistant position with a high producing agent in Colorado Springs, at The Platinum Group, Realtors. It was there that I met my husband, who’s the son of one of the owners of the firm. After we married, I became a licensed Realtor and with four years of experience under my belt, I made the obvious move to join their team.

It was about two years before I became a licensed Realtor, however, that I started a little blog by the name of Eat Pray Wear Love. Eat Pray Wear Love was birthed at a time when I had time! (Ha!) I just wanted a creative outlet, really. My husband and I had just started dating, and I wanted to document our journey. Blogging was still a pretty new concept, and to be honest, I had no clue what I was doing… but it helped me channel my writing/creative side that I couldn’t express at my day job. At the time, I mostly shared recipes, tidbits about our life, and once a week I would do a SUPER amateur outfit post (that was taken in a bedroom in his basement!). It wasn’t until the first time I had been contacted by a PR firm that I realized I could make a legitimate business out of my “hobby.” From there, EPWL evolved into a full-on second business – demanding a lot of my time and attention to keep it up and running. I’ve since dropped the former blog name and switched it to LeahBehr.com. It’s a mostly fashion/lifestyle-focused space where I share everything from what I’m wearing, to travel tips, my skincare routine and more.

Between Real Estate and my blog, I could easily spend 60-70 hours a week working, but I love them both so I find a way to make it work.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In real estate, having joined my in-laws team (who already have a successful/established business), I’ve really had to overcome the stigma of being successful, in order to drum up my own business. I think my generation (largely) doesn’t value success the way other generations have. It’s often frowned upon even, I feel. Many have chosen not to work with me because they think “she is doing fine, she doesn’t need my business”… instead of realizing that why I am successful is because I’ve worked my ass off to get here and am actually really good at what I do. I’ve never understood why people don’t see value in that – especially when it comes to one of the biggest financial assets they have. It’s not a bragging right. I mean…I don’t say this to brag. That’s not my heart at all. It’s just a simple fact that I deal with more in a month than most agents will in a year, which just means I’m more equipped to handle the big issues that inevitably come up in a real estate transaction and have the knowledge and experience to back it up. It’s hard to convey that to the general public, that just thinks anyone can help you buy and sell a home in this hot market. That’s definitely been the greatest challenge in my career and one I’m still battling with daily.

The reality is though, that each day comes with its own set of struggles, but I think perspective is everything. Every struggle that comes my way, I take as an opportunity for learning and growth. (Why did this happen? What can I do better next time? etc.) Even when something goes wrong that’s definitely not my fault, I always try to ask myself these questions. I’m always pushing myself to be better.

There’s a saying, “the extra mile is never crowded”. It’s one I think about often when I’m pushing myself in managing two businesses. I have to be very conscious about my time and schedule my days out. If it’s not in my calendar it doesn’t exist! I even put my workouts, and my downtime in my calendar, to remind myself when I need to chill. To some that prefer a more free-spirited approach, that might feel crazy. But to me, it’s how I get everything done that ultimately allows me to have the life I want to have. I think women just need to decide the kind of life they want for themselves and fight fiercely for it – whatever “it” may be.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
My parents were both incredibly hard workers. I don’t think I ever saw my dad call in “sick” to work. We were your average blue collar family in a white collar neighborhood, and I was always keenly aware that everyone around me seemed to “have it all”…and I wanted that. I think it’s what has driven me to push so hard for success. And I think what makes me successful today in Real Estate and in the influencer space are probably a little bit of the same – authenticity.

I often hear from my followers that they follow me because I’m “real.” I don’t care about being “perfect” with them, I share my ups AND my downs, and I would never share something on my blog that I didn’t really use and believe in. They relate to me, and they know they can trust me. Trust is paramount in the influencer space.

Similarly, in Real Estate, I aim to build that trust with clients. Realtors can get a bad rap for being pushy and “just trying to make a sale”, but I care much more about making sure our clients feel informed and feel good about their decisions in the home buying/selling process. There’s nothing in the world that feels better to me than a client knowing I have their best interests in mind.

For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I think it’s an incredible time to be a woman! I mean… we get to live on the planet at the same time as Beyonce… hello! Kidding aside, we have so many opportunities at our fingertips. I’ve honestly never felt slighted as a woman in the workplace, and I’m grateful for that. It may help that I happen to work in two industries that are predominantly female ran – which is so great.

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