From Classroom to Real Estate Leader with Rosemary Lewis

Rosemary Lewis joins us in this episode to share how an elementary school teacher can become a powerhouse in real estate and community leadership. We navigate the waters of embracing entrepreneurial risks, locating hidden talents, and creating Real Estate Bestie, a sisterhood that revolutionizes the way women in real estate balance their professional aspirations with their personal values. Rosemary's candid account of building something meaningful while juggling family life will leave you both inspired and equipped to chase your own dreams.

Rosemary is a former elementary school teacher turned real estate broker and team leader, bringing a unique perspective to her work. With a passion for teaching and building the right habits, Rosemary hosts The Real Estate Bestie Podcast, Eagle Talk with Team Lewis, and runs the Rosemary the Realtor YouTube Channel. Her mission is to help others achieve their goals and live their best lives through her diverse platforms and experiences.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Rosemary's journey from teaching to real estate.
• Importance of taking risks and embracing change in personal and professional life.
• Imposter syndrome and strategies for overcoming it.
• The creation of Real Estate Bestie.
• Challenges faced in entrepreneurship and the importance of investing in oneself.
• Modeling growth-oriented behavior for children and future generations.

CONNECT WITH ROSEMARY:
https://rosemarylewis.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rosemarytherealtor/

RESOURCES FROM ALYSON:

The Kid-Proof Business Checklist
https://alysoncaffrey.com/checklist

Maternity Leave Planning Guide
https://www.mastermaternityleave.com/guide

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Are you juggling the challenges of running a business while raising your little ones? Do you crave more ease in balancing your professional ambitions with the demands of parenthood? Well, sit tight. You're in the right place and in good company. I'm your host, alison Caffrey, and I understand the growing pains that come with building a business while nurturing a growing household. As the founder of Master Maternity Leave and Operations Agency, I've walked the walk as an operator, strategic coach and fractional COO for growing companies to define, create and optimize the way they operate. And, like many of you, I'm also a proud mom of two very energetic boys. On Growing Pains, we save space for parents to share about the intricacies of running a business and raising a family. I'll be sitting down with fellow mompreneurs, and dads too, who are pursuing success in their businesses, all while being wildly present at home. They'll share vulnerably about challenges, give guidance and joke a little bit about bodily functions. Think of this as a soft spot to land when you feel like your ambitions are starting to become just a little overwhelming. I'm thrilled you're here with me and can't wait to share this exciting journey with you. Welcome to Growing Pains. Hey, and welcome back to the Growing Pains podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:23

Today I interview Rosemary Lewis. I met Rosemary back at a mastermind a couple of months ago and she is just such an incredible human being. She's so magnetic and electric and so incredible to be around. Rosemary is a real estate broker and team leader with a unique background as an elementary school teacher. Rosemary's experience as an educator has given her a fresh perspective on real estate relationships and leaderships. She works with groups, individuals and organizations, and she is the host of your Real Estate Bestie. It's a YouTube channel and podcast and we talk about Real Estate Bestie. We talk about her community that she's built, we talk about how growing is the best thing to do for your family, for your business, for your personal life, for your relationship with your spouse, and it is so incredible Some of the things that Rosemary brings to the table in this episode. So I really hope you enjoy. There's so much wisdom to glean from this wonderful mom and entrepreneur and I hope that you guys enjoy. I'll see you inside, rosemary. Thank you so much for joining me on Growing Pains today. How are you?

Speaker 2: 2:30

I am great Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Oh my goodness. So we met, like about four months ago out in Austin, where you are. We're at a mastermind and I was just so blown away by the community that you are building and just by your general presence, your confidence, and so I was like all right, ladies of growing pains absolutely need to meet Rosemary. So for those who do not know you, could you just give us a little overview of what you do and the family that you have at home?

Speaker 2: 2:55

Oh, I appreciate that. So my name is Rosemary Lewis and I am your real estate bestie. So, listener, I'm your real estate bestie. Now I am a mom of two sons. I have a 24 year old son, corey, and a 12 year old son, and so, basically, I've raised two only children. So that is a story all in itself.

Speaker 2: 3:20

My husband and I, we were high school sweethearts. We did it very non-traditional had our older son actually before we were even married and, look, we're still together and we ended up rounding it out and doing it quote unquote the right way. But I know that our path was exactly the way it was supposed to be. I was an elementary school teacher for 14 years. My husband is the one who always had the entrepreneurial bug and, quite honestly, it was a pain point for me for many, many years. My husband is the one who always had the entrepreneurial bug and, quite honestly, it was a pain point for me for many, many years. I wish he would just stop taking risks, that he would just go get a regular job and wouldn't stress me out. And it is so interesting now that the very thing that annoyed me about him actually unlocked gifts that I didn't know that I actually had. So about let's see.

Speaker 2: 4:08

In 2017, I walked away from teaching. It was just time. I love teaching I still do but it was time for me to do something different and I became a realtor, and that has just continued to snowball from being a realtor to selling over like 250 homes in my market. I'm now a team leader and recently, within the last two years, we have created this community called Real Estate Bestie, and the whole goal of that community is to empower and embrace other women in real estate to help them not only build the business of their dreams, but also to have a life that they love, without having to sacrifice their faith or their family. So, in a nutshell, that's who I am and what I do.

Speaker 1: 4:51

My gosh, so many incredible things there. Honestly, I love that you shared the gift that your husband encouraged you to find in yourself, because I think so many of us and I wanna stay here for a second especially who have really supportive partners, you know, we try to like change things about one another instead of just like being open and I'm wondering, like, what was that process like for you? You know, over the years of being like super risk tolerant and you're like man I really wish he would just get a regular job, like, was there a moment where, you know, you were just kind of like you know what, if I am open to who he is and who he feels called to be, maybe this will all be better? Was there kind of a story you can share there?

Speaker 2: 5:32

Absolutely. That's not what happened. No, I wish it was Like, I wish it was pretty like that. But, quite honestly, we laugh now because I was not supportive. Honestly, we laugh now because I was not supportive.

Speaker 2: 5:44

It's not that I wasn't like I was unsupportive, but again, I was definitely that dream killer and I used to say, you know, he's always been a dreamer, always been a you know, optimist, and I would say, well, I'm a realist, right, like, in reality, we need to do this, we need to do that. But one thing that I could not deny is the spark that was in him, like, my husband is the type of person that he would rather bet it all on black and lose than to not bet at all. He does not want to live a life of regret, and that's just how he's always been. And what ended up happening is more of like out of obligation. I decided, well, because there were just, even though he was a dreamer, there were definitely some skills that he lacked in his own business that I possess and I was like, well, if he's going to do this anyway, then I might as well help him, right? So I reluctantly started to help him build different businesses and he always came back to his first love of real estate and I literally was in church one Sunday and life was kind of okay, you know we were. We had seen probably every season and I'm talking like four closed homes. Like you know, we had relocated to Dallas just looking to do, looking to have a better quality of life for us and our kids.

Speaker 2: 7:01

Entrepreneurship was not at all on my radar. For myself I was just kind of going along with the flow with him as I was teaching. But I would always joke with my teaching friends, like my team, and I would say, you know, when I quit teaching to become a realtor like when I quit teaching to become a realtor and I never really that was not in the plan, but I did have a short stint of being a realtor in early, like before the recession, early 2000s, only because my husband was flipping houses and he wanted me to list them. I had no desire to do it but I was actually kind of good at it but I didn't like it. Well, fast forward to 2016,.

Speaker 2: 7:42

It was late December. My pastor was preaching a sermon about obedience and I audibly heard God speak to me in that moment. He said go help. And I cannot tell you how I knew because, again, it was not on the radar. I was not looking for a job, I wasn't looking for a change.

Speaker 2: 7:59

But when we got in the car I told my husband I think I'm going to go and take my test to become a real estate agent, I'm going to go to real estate school. And we didn't even have the finances for me to go to school. He didn't respond to me and I was very upset, like I'm finally, you know, in my head. I'm like having this whole argument. I'm finally, you know, saying that I'm going to try something and you're not even going to respond. Well, well, as soon as we got home, he hurried up and registered me. I don't know what credit card he used, because they were all maxed out, but he hurried up and he registered me. He said I couldn't say anything because if I said something I was afraid I was going to change my mind. So that was kind of the deterrent, the changing point for me. I wish I could say it was because I just started to believe in him, but it really was a nudge from the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 1: 8:45

Well, maybe that was what the nudge was meant for to bring y'all closer together and show that support. I mean, sheesh, I think and you said to tee up this story, just going to reflect back to you that you said it's not a beautiful story, you wish it was like that, but this is a beautiful story. It's about a beautiful story of connection and divine intervention, and I think that there was no better way to support you in that moment. I'm sure you felt so supported.

Speaker 2: 9:10

Yeah, I did, I did, I did for sure, and you know it's been. It's interesting because, as you know, entrepreneurship it is a challenge. So even in our marriage even though I can't tell you how many times, because I am such an outgoing person my husband and I, our personalities are so different. So I am the most extroverted extrovert you will probably ever meet. He is like an introverted extrovert, so he's pretty private. So I'm, you know the way we run our businesses are so different and it honestly did cause some conflict at some points and I remember telling him you wanted me to do this, like I'm doing what's. So we've had, you know, we've definitely had some growing pains, like the podcast, but it has been just a beautiful journey and I'm just grateful for you know the way it's, it's playing out.

Speaker 1: 9:59

Oh it's. It's interesting, I feel like you usually find the opposite right. The realist is usually the introvert, and then the dreamer is usually the extrovert or the person who loves to be with people. What about the boys? Are the boys involved in the businesses at all?

Speaker 2: 10:12

They truly are. So, interestingly enough, my 24 year old he'll be 24 in a couple of weeks, corey, you know he pretty much I had him when I was 19 years old, so in many ways he grew up with us. You know we were not a true family unit and so he was six years old, so he has always been a part of just our process and you know it's not that I have guilt about that but he definitely had a different version of us than his brother did. You know we had some different things figured out by the time his brother came into the world. But, with that being said, my son, when he was 15 years old, he told us and this was even before I was in the business that he did not want to go to college, that he wanted to get into real estate.

Speaker 2: 11:00

And me, the teacher, I was devastated. My husband was like, yes, let's do it, like don't waste any time. So that definitely again was another growing pain for parenting and just the way that we will go about and support our son. So he does. So my husband and my son, they are more on the investment side of real estate, so they do a lot of investments. They manage our investment portfolio, so they work together day in and day out. And our younger son he's like my low-key social media manager when he feels like it, so we do involve him in parts of the business as well.

Speaker 1: 11:39

That is super sweet. I love the fact that you guys have like complementary businesses, but not exactly working together, and then you guys kind of can pick and choose like how you want to support each other. That feels really, really great. Does it feel chaotic at times?

Speaker 2: 11:56

Yeah, you know, not quite, I am probably the most I live in. I don't want to say die, because I don't want to die, but I live by a time block. So we do a pretty good job. And again, like I think, with that being said, like our kids are not little anymore. We've never had more than one small kiddo at the house at once. So I do, like I always tell my friends, like teenage pregnancy has given me some gifts, maybe that, you know, I've never had that experience of multiples, you know, in a short age span together. So I think that we've been able to schedule ourselves where it's not perfect but it doesn't necessarily feel chaotic. And I do think part of that is because by the time I got into business my kids were older, so just the way we were able to approach it has just looked a little bit different.

Speaker 1: 12:56

Yeah, I mean. So your older son is in real estate, so not going to college. How about your younger son? Is he pursuing higher education or all that Well? Right now he's only in sixth grade, so he's pursuing middle school, so I guess that's right he's pursuing middle school.

Speaker 2: 13:11

Yeah, but he will tell us when I grow up Now, I definitely think he'll be different. I think that he will want the college experience. But he already says when he grows up he's going to be a realtor in LA because the houses in Texas don't cost enough. He won't make enough money.

Speaker 1: 13:30

So Well, man, that's what he wants.

Speaker 2: 13:31

Yeah. So so he's already talking in in the sense of being in real estate too, and we'll see like I'm not going to push him if it's a good fit for him. It's a good fit and, honestly, personality wise, though I do think that my I could see, I could, I could totally see my younger son being in the business. Totally, totally could see him being in the business.

Speaker 1: 13:54

Oh, my goodness, that's so exciting. So you guys have investment portfolio, realtor, proper, right, so like actual real estate transactions, and then with Real Estate Bestie, so you're growing. You know another arm of this, like you know portfolio of ways that you serve and support. Talk to me about that. Where did Real Estate Bestie kind of fall into the timeline? And I mean it's very different than like traditional real estate transactions, right? So where'd you get the inspiration? When did it begin and where do you see it going?

Speaker 2: 14:22

Yeah, so I started Real Estate Bestie. Let me back up. So I started a YouTube channel in like 2019. And initially the YouTube channel was to educate buyers and sellers. You know I would talk about like this is what you need to do to get pre-approved and you know when you go to the design center if you're building a home. And it was moving pretty slowly and what I noticed is that I was starting to get a lot of realtors watching the channel and asking me questions and I wanted to figure out, like, how do I now incorporate my teaching? So I did a digital course for realtors time blocking shocker. It was a course of teaching realtors how to time block.

Speaker 2: 15:05

And from that I was doing like a Instagram live every week because I wanted to build up the following. So I'm doing the YouTube and I'm doing the Instagram live and I would always say and tag your real estate bestie, like, tag your real estate bestie so that she could get this information. But what would happen is I would have people that would reach out to me and say, hey, I can't remember. You said something on Instagram live, which video was that? And I was doing the video every week. I'm like I don't know. I'm not about to sift through it.

Speaker 1: 15:34

I don't remember when or how I said it.

Speaker 2: 15:37

And then the thought, just like the thought bubble, went off like wait, why am I giving Instagram proprietorship of my content? If I'm showing up consistently every week, I need to have ownership of this content. And my mother had passed away in 2021. And I took some time, like some time away from social media, some time away from even doing all of the consistent activities with realtors. And when I came back it was like, oh, I should, and my husband and I we were already doing this other podcast, so I had all the equipment. I was like, well, let me move that once a week conversation from Instagram to podcasting. And then I was like, well, what am I going to call it? And I'm like, oh, I'll call it Real Estate Bestie and that's just how it was born. So we have been we're like a year and a half Let me think September of 2022 is when we started Real Estate Bestie and I just hit like 75,000 downloads.

Speaker 1: 16:35

Oh my gosh. Yeah, I know that's not a lot for some people, but for me I'm like oh, yes, and it's become a sisterhood.

Speaker 2: 16:41

It's become, like I said, a place where women can come and feel supported. Real estate can be such a cutthroat industry. It can be an industry where you are not valued and you are not seen where imposter syndrome will take you out if you're trying to compare yourself to everyone else. And it's a space where you know it's like no all of the things you're feeling, those of us quote, unquote, top producers we feel it too, and this is how you show up and show up authentically and like. My theme is like you're doper than you think you are and we're gonna help unlock your dopeness.

Speaker 1: 17:17

That's super sweet and, honestly, I bet the folks listening to your show feel so supported by that because, just like in entrepreneurship generally right, working for yourself you're constantly like looking around, looking over your shoulder, comparing yourself to others. How do you personally get through that, I wonder, because I even find myself falling victim to it in like my weaker moments, especially when I'm scrolling social. I'm just like, oh, she looks like she's got it all together, or look how much time she spends with her kids. Maybe I should spend more time with my kids. It just all it comes from everywhere, I feel like. So your profession, or the way you look, or how much time you spend with your kids, or the way your house looks, right, like I mean, we get it from everywhere. Yeah, I love it. We get it from everywhere, yeah.

Speaker 2: 18:00

I love it. So you know a couple of things. So I, as much as I do on social media, I do believe in a good old social media break. I just recently my older son he got like upgraded his iPhone and he was like gonna turn it in. I'm like, no, give me the iPhone. So like on the personal phone that I keep with me every single day. I do not have Instagram on that phone because I needed to create some boundaries for myself because I would have really great things Like you're saying, really great things happening in my life, and then I'll open up. You know, I'll open up Facebook or Instagram and somebody else their meal prep looks better than mine. I'm like I'm a failure. So having those boundaries has been really, really good. And then also, I am a huge, huge.

Speaker 2: 18:45

You know, two rhythms that I have in my life is a night routine. So the way that I shut down my night is to remove technology at a certain time so that I have clear head space. And then the morning routine is just really me in my quiet time with Jesus, just really understanding who he is and who I am his creation. That is a non-negotiable right. It's a non-negotiable to really sit and reaffirm myself in God's word on a daily basis, and I think that that helps. Now is that? You know, do I still deal with imposter syndrome, oh my goodness, every single day. But I have to have the discipline and the courage to like, step away from the things and just really be okay with exactly where I'm at. And that's the learned behavior. You know, I'm 43 years old and I still still go through all of that.

Speaker 1: 19:39

Yeah, I can relate a lot. I found that when I sat in reality in the morning with the projects that were important to me and the work that is important like to me, like journaling, reading, do it, like working out, moving my body it felt like it tethered me to reality instead of manufacturing the reality of social media. Right, because getting up and scrolling my phone was something I did for a very long time, admittedly. I would get up, I would check my text messages or whatever, and so it's really great to start your day and end your day with no phone. And that's also recent for me as well, like I've only really been doing it for the last, like you know, year, year and a half. It's wild.

Speaker 1: 20:26

I think it really does change some of the ways that you produce. It changes some of the ways you think about yourself, the way that you talk to yourself throughout the day and even how you interact online in general. Right, you are more of like a creator or a contributor versus like a user or a consumer. Right, and it's interesting, I think, to kind of shift yourself or the way that you view yourself in terms of contribution online. I know that you're on the heels of a retreat. I want to talk about this because you know why I love retreats and you know you and I met at a retreat and I think it's so important, especially in the loneliness that is entrepreneurship, to get together with folks, mix it up, look people in the eye and just connect with them on a deep level. And I want to hear a little bit about your retreat. So what was so exciting about this particular experience for you?

Speaker 2: 21:16

So it's another one of those things where I was just running my mouth and then I had to cash it in, right. So so, after we started even probably before we started the the podcast, when I was back doing those Instagram lives, I would say, cause, when we have the real estate bestie retreat, no idea on what that will look like, like who would come, how I will pull it off, but this is what I do know is that oftentimes, like I have learned and this is new for me in terms of like investing in myself and getting in the right rooms, like just the fact that I am sitting here on your podcast, if that came from us both making an investment in the right coach who exposed us to different people, right that we can learn and grow from and I quickly understood that a lot of times, people don't even get in the room because, number one, they don't see themselves represented in the room, they don't think that they belong in the room, the room does not seem accessible to them. And then, quite honestly, for a lot of people you know especially my demographic, that I serve, I'm a, you know, african-american woman a lot of I have found that just a lot of adults do not invest in their own personal or professional development after college? Right, they're not, and not even like college, for a lot of people got loans or their parents paid. So we are not often in the habit of stroking a check so that we can become better, and it was a.

Speaker 2: 22:51

It took a long time for me to become of that mindset, of understanding my worthiness of being in the room, of investing in myself and and and like the, the invaluable dividends that that those investments have paid. So I was like, okay, well, how can I create a room? And then in these real estate conferences they are the worst, right, they are very, I'm serious, like even the rooms that are the worst. I learn a lot, but it feels very stuffy, it feels very exclusive, it feels very if you are not thinking and doing business and you know if, if we, if everyone isn't displaying their highlight reel, then don't even show up, right. So I was like I need to create a space that is different for women in real estate. So that's really where it came from.

Speaker 2: 23:40

And then I was just talking about it and, honestly, the lawyer kind of shook me up and was like, are you willing to invest in it? Like before you even know what it'll cost, and not just in terms of finances but in terms of work, in terms of effort. Are you willing to invest? Because I truly treat Real Estate, betsy, and really feel like it's a ministry, and I was challenged to say do I believe in what God is calling me to do here enough to actually invest behind it? And we did so.

Speaker 2: 24:09

We invited, so it was kind of it wasn't your average conference because we definitely had a lot of retreat elements, but we invited. We had over 100 women come to Dallas and, you know, definitely learned about their business, but we had small group breakout sessions and devotional times and fireside chats and all of these different elements that took not only the business aspect but just personal, everyday life things that you're dealing with as a woman in business. And we brought it down to a very, you know, even playing ground for all of us. And now that was a couple. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I literally just got a message today from two girls. They both came from North Carolina, didn't know each other, but they, you know, both came to the retreat and now they're going for a walk together, holding each other accountable and just so grateful that this was their first time investing in themselves.

Speaker 2: 25:06

And I'm just, I'm just overjoyed and overwhelmed to see just how God like what he does when we're obedient with what he tells us to do. Right, because, quite honestly, my life would probably be way easier if I just sold real estate, like if I just sold the houses around here and just worked with my clients. It would be a little bit more simpler. But that's the thing about taking a leap and doing it scared is that you, your gifts, start to get unlocked and then you just really see okay, how am I supposed to be used for a greater good and real estate besting? And the retreat just gave me a glimpse of what that looks like. And yeah, it's just, it was amazing, it was absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1: 25:47

That's so incredible and such, so beautifully stated what the benefits are of investing in yourself, and I think you know so often we don't even know in the beginning that those rooms exist or those communities exist, and so even just getting out and showing folks what is possible when you do get into these types of rooms and what getting together can actually mean, you know you're not alone, you're making friendships, you're making connections, you're getting mentors, you know those types of things. It's just absolutely incredible. So what's next? What are you excited about? You know, do you have another retreat on the calendar? Is that something that you've already committed to? Or how have you kind of, I guess, followed the?

Speaker 2: 26:30

aftermath of the retreat Definitely will happen. We did launch a coaching program Bestie Accelerator Coaching and Welcome 12 Ladies into the coaching program after the retreat. So that's what I'm focused on now like having that group of women that I get to go a little bit deeper with. But still, how do I serve the broader community? Right? That was not in position at the time, or maybe it wasn't a good fit at the time to go deeper with the coaching. So, just really being open and honestly I'm dreaming.

Speaker 2: 27:11

Like, if the retreat isn't anything for me, it gave me permission to say, wow, god, okay, what could this really look like? Like this little Instagram live has turned into a whole community that's growing its own legs and feet. But I will be honest with you and say I am a little nervous, isn't the word? But I am sensitive to the fact that I do want, like I don't want, to grow so wide, so quickly, that we lose the integrity and the depth of the community. So that's just kind of what I'm wrestling with. I can see the capacity of what it could be, but I don't want to grow for growth's sake. I want to grow for the, you know, for the purpose of actually attracting and reaching the women who need us so that they can feel supported. So I'm just figuring it out in my quiet time, figuring it out with my director of operations and just really honestly praying. But right now I'm excited about this coaching thing.

Speaker 2: 28:07

And I do want to say one thing to the mamas that are listening that you know maybe they're not real estate agents or you know they're just in some form of entrepreneurship and you're thinking to yourself I, you know, I can't afford to get into these rooms, or you know the logistics of the children and all these things. I'm just going to encourage you and challenge that thinking. I had one young lady who came who had a one-year-old, a three-year-old and was like eight months pregnant and she was like, yeah, I know right, oh, my gosh, good for her, good for her. But she was just so intentional about she was like there were a lot of moving pieces. You know my son was late to school every day.

Speaker 2: 28:48

But I know that being in this room is going to make me better for them and I know that sometimes that for us mamas right, when we do different things too, when we step away from family life or business growth or professional or personal growth, that can feel guilty.

Speaker 2: 29:04

And I just wanna free you from that guilt because sometimes the best thing that you can do for your family, for your kids, even for your marriage, the best thing you can do is grow and put yourself in spaces that allow you to grow. And you know, I want my sons to see that right. I want them to see me take leaps and take risks and bet on me, because I want that to be common, right. I want them to see me take risks and take risks and bet on me, because I want that to be common, right. These are learned behaviors that I'm learning, but I want these things to be common for them so that it's no question about them investing in themselves. Or, you know, when they get married and their wives want to go off and, you know, do something that's going to grow the trajectory of their family. It's not a push and pull, because that is what we've modeled for them. So I just wanted to point that out for our listeners.

Speaker 1: 29:51

I love that that you just said. It's one of the reasons why we titled this podcast Growing Pains is that growth is hard and it can sometimes be painful, and especially as a mom in business, right, it's so hard to prioritize yourself, your business, your family, all the things that you are, you know, a spouse, a sister and all the things. But I think that encouragement was so wonderful because, honestly I said this the other day on my social media I was like I get so guilty sometimes and like those hard seasons of work when, like, my kids are little and then I feel like they're either, you know, with my husband all day or with our nanny, who is so wonderful, all day, and then I come back and I'm like, oh my goodness, I should be spending more time or whatever. But I come back oftentimes so excited and energized about, like, what I'm building, and so I always think about what is the opposite.

Speaker 1: 30:46

So imagine, right, you didn't actualize your goals. Imagine that you didn't take care of your personal and mental health, that you didn't do some things to fill you up. What would that mean then for your family on the other side? Right, you wouldn't be able to give them the fullest gifts that you have to offer. You wouldn't be able to guide them and help them navigate through hard times because you haven't truly stepped up and had any on your own, right.

Speaker 1: 31:09

So I think about that, too, like encouraging. But then what would be the opposite, right? What would we be taking away from our family if we didn't rise to the challenge or answer the call, or go and pursue our wildest dreams and support our dreamers? Like you know my husband, we're gonna enter a season at some point of, like he and I running a company together or, you know, a venture together, and so what will that look like for our kids to see? Like a relationship that goes through something like that, and how we support each other and how we come to compromise and all of those things, right? So you're giving that gift to your family every day, right? Your kids can see how you guys are navigating that.

Speaker 2: 31:52

Yeah, no, it's one of the best things ever After the retreat. But you know both of my boys. I actually let my younger son cause it was during the week and I let my younger son take off school the second day because I'm like I don't care what he learned in there, Like what, Like he needs to see you know what. Because they have again. They've been with me every step of the way and I want them to see what doing this scare looks like in real time. And I actually posted a picture on Instagram of me and my boys standing on the stage at the retreat after it was all over, Like we just went back in and just had a moment together. And I said in the in the post like I used to be scared of everything. But my sons will never know that version of me. I almost want to cry, but they will only know the version who God gives an unapologetic, unfiltered yes to God, and as long as I'm yielded to him, I'm willing to do everything that he wants me to do, because I want them to live an unapologetic, unfiltered yes as well.

Speaker 2: 32:52

But we can't want, you know, sometimes we want things for our kids that we aren't willing to model and what you say means nothing. You know it's what you do and what you show them that is going. And nobody's doing it perfect, Like I, a million percent, don't do it perfect, Like if I cook twice a week, that's like the most amazing thing, yeah. So I don't want to, I do not want to say like I'm doing it perfect. But you know, you just have your things that become, um, like what are the non-negotiable values that I want to seize, that I want to plant in them? And then you do best.

Speaker 2: 33:31

And then here's the thing like my, my, my may look different than what it looks like at your house, and that's why we can't get caught up in the social media drama, because you know what. What is what works over there might not work over here, and that's fine. But that's why we just have to be completely yielded into what we are called to do. Um, and then which is why that quiet time comes in because when you are are you know, firm on what your calling is, then you are firm on what you're not called to do, and I think that's where a lot of that imposter syndrome comes from we're not really firm in who we are and what our calling is, Then we're running after everything that's shiny. But when I am like when I know, when I know that I know that I know, then I can stand firm in who I am.

Speaker 1: 34:15

That's so awesome and I love that perspective because I also think it rings true with your comparison to other people and it also rings true with like advice or other people's opinions as well.

Speaker 1: 34:28

If you know what you're called to do, if you know exactly where you're going, then all of a sudden any judgments are more about the other person than they are about you, right? So like that specifically, I think, is a challenge for a lot of moms, right? They feel judged perhaps by others, whether they're saying things, or you know other moms are saying things, or they're not, or other women in their family, and it's so hard to try to navigate through all that stuff and I think doing what you've just said, rosemary, is one of the best ways, I think, to be firm and confident and know this is what I'm supposed to be doing. This is the way that my family looks now. It's not perfect, but it's what we you know what we know we're meant to do, and I think it can help again just kind of drown out some of the drown out, some of the opinions or some of the things that don't serve.

Speaker 2: 35:18

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 35:20

Absolutely, Rosemary. When anybody listening either gets into real estate or is currently in real estate and wants to join your group of besties, where can they follow along and learn more about what you're doing over there?

Speaker 2: 35:32

Oh yeah, I love it. So one thing that we do with Real Estate Bestie that I think is really unique is every Sunday we send out a devotional, just, you know, talking about life, business and just looking at it from a different perspective, and that's just a great way to get on our list and make sure that you receive that and connect to our community, so you can go to Rosemary Lewis, l-e-w-i-s, forward, slash, devo, d-e-v-o, and that will get you connected to the Real Estate Bestie community. And then, of course, the podcast is everywhere. Anywhere where you can listen to a podcast, you can just type in Real Estate Bestie.

Speaker 1: 36:09

That is amazing. I will link all that stuff up in the show notes and I just so appreciate how open and honest and willing to share you have been. Your story is amazing and I know that the community you've built is going to feel so supported by your commitment and by your confidence. The community you've built is going to feel so supported by your commitment and by your confidence. What do you want to leave listeners with? Growing a business in the thick of it, you know. Growing a family and supporting a family.

Speaker 2: 36:36

What inspiration do you want to leave everybody with? You know, it's kind of become one of the themes of my life. I said it earlier but you know, when I first got into business, I had a friend who I was so self-conscious and he said these words to me that ring in my ear often, which is you are doper than you think you are. And so often we dim our light to motherhood, to business, to people, to things, but when we really, when you listener, really come into the fullness of like you are one of one.

Speaker 2: 37:09

You were created for a purpose, on purpose, by an amazing creator and he don't make anything that's junk and you are amazing. So you are doper than you think you are. And I don't care what your house looks like. I don't care what your house look like, I don't care what the business looks like, I don't care. You know those voices in your head that try to tell you that you're less than it's, because those voices know what you have to offer the world and they should be scared because you're going to do big things. So you're doper than you think you are and just start walking in that dopeness.

Speaker 1: 37:43

I love that than you think you are and just start walking in that dopeness. I love that specific call to action and also a really easy to remember thing that perhaps when some of that imposter syndrome creeps in, or if you find yourself comparing yourself, remember, like what Rosemary said, you are doper than you think you are. Rosemary, I appreciate you so much. Thanks so much for joining me today. Thank you, thank you for having me. I appreciate you so much. Thanks so much for joining me today.

Speaker 2: 38:04

Thank you.

Speaker 1: 38:07

Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of Growing Pains. I know that you have so many things vying for your attention right now, so I am so grateful that you just spent the last hour or so with me. So I hear all the time from mompreneurs Allie, allie. What systems do I need to have in place in order to thrive in business and in parenthood? If you go over to alisoncaffreycom slash checklist, you can grab my kid proof business checklist and it will get you started in the right direction around making sure that you build a business that doesn't steal all of the time away from your family. If you loved today's episode, I would be so, so, so honored if you would leave a review on the podcast. It helps us reach even more incredible mompreneurs just like you and give them the resources they need to be wildly successful in business and wildly present at home with their families. Thanks so much again and I'll see you next time.