We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Grace Pokela. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Grace below.

Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was moving from Wisconsin to Greenville, South Carolina about 2.5 years ago. I left with no real plan, a less than part-time job, and not knowing a single person here.
Wisconsin will always be home to me, and I truly love it, but I knew I had to leave to see what else was out there and to get out of the comfort zone of being in the same familiar place I had been my whole life. Making that move without a career in place forced me to really dig into what I wanted to do with my life.
During that time, my podcast became the backbone of that process. It allowed me to connect with so many different people across a wide range of professions. I leaned into those conversations and learned as much as I could from my guests, while also trying to figure out what I wanted my own path to look like. Deep down, I knew that connecting with people and sharing life as it unfolds was what I was most passionate about.
To support myself, I took on a few bridge jobs like serving and personal training while I continued to grow my podcast. For almost two years, I went back and forth between trying to find a “real career” and continuing to pursue what I felt called to do.
It wasn’t until about six months ago that everything started to come together. I realized I didn’t have to choose between a career and my passion. I made the decision to keep my podcast as a passion project and remove the pressure of numbers, focusing instead on the value it brings.
At the same time, I was given an opportunity to step into real estate. I saw it as an open door and took that leap of faith. It felt like a natural fit because it still allows me to build relationships, connect with people, and be a part of meaningful moments in their lives.
Now, almost three years after moving to Greenville, I am building a career that I’m excited about with the support of an incredible team, Adam Taylor & Team, while also continuing to pour into my podcast, The Twenty Something Podcast.
Taking that risk and leaving everything I had ever known was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made, but it has also been the most rewarding. It pushed me to grow in ways I never would have otherwise and opened more doors than I ever thought possible.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Grace Pokela, and I’m currently based in Greenville, South Carolina, where I’ve spent the last 2.5 years building both my life and my career from the ground up.
I got into my current path in a pretty unconventional way. When I moved here, I didn’t have a clear career in place. What I did have was my podcast, The Twenty Something Podcast, which became the backbone of my growth during that season. Through hosting conversations with people from all different industries and walks of life, I was able to learn, explore, and start to understand what I was naturally drawn to. I realized pretty quickly that my strength and passion has always been in connecting with people, asking thoughtful questions, and creating space for real, honest conversations.
That eventually led me into two paths that now define my work. On one side, I’m building a career in real estate with Adam Taylor & Team, where I get to help people navigate one of the biggest decisions of their lives. On the other side, I continue to grow my podcast as a passion-driven platform centered around sharing real stories, lessons, and experiences, especially around the pivotal years of your twenties.
In real estate, I provide a relationship-focused, detail-oriented experience for my clients. I understand that buying or selling a home is not just a transaction, it’s a major life moment. My role is to guide people through that process in a way that feels clear, supported, and personal. I focus heavily on communication, trust, and making sure my clients feel confident every step of the way.
Through my podcast and content, I create space for conversations that people don’t always hear out loud. I talk with guests about career pivots, failures, growth, and everything in between. The goal is to make people feel less alone in their experiences and to show that there isn’t one “right” path.
What sets me apart is that I’ve built everything around connection first. Whether I’m working with a real estate client or sitting down with a podcast guest, my approach is the same. I want people to feel seen, heard, and understood, and I think that carries into every part of my work.
What I’m most proud of is that I took a risk on myself before I had everything figured out. I didn’t wait for a perfect plan, and because of that, I’ve been able to build something that feels very aligned with who I am.
Outside of work, I’m very active and love staying busy. I’m a huge college football fan, especially the Wisconsin Badgers, which will always be a big part of me. I also love exploring Greenville’s restaurant scene, trying new coffee shops, and really leaning into everything the city has to offer. That balance of building a career while also enjoying where I live and the life I’m creating is really important to me.
The main thing I want people to know about me and my work is that I care deeply about what I do and the people I work with. Whether you’re a client, a listener, or someone who just came across my content, my goal is always to bring value, be real, and build something meaningful over time.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A moment that really tested my resilience was about 10 months ago when I almost walked away from my podcast.
What started as something I genuinely loved slowly turned into something that felt overwhelming. I got caught up in the numbers, the growth, the pressure to monetize, and all the logistics behind running it. Instead of focusing on why I started, I was focused on how it was performing, and that completely burned me out.
I ended up stepping away from it without even fully realizing it at first. About a month after my last episode went out, someone asked me when I was releasing the next one, and that was the moment it hit me. I had completely disconnected from something that once meant so much to me.
What followed was about six months of figuring things out and trying to realign with myself. I had to take a step back and ask why I started the podcast in the first place and what I actually wanted it to be moving forward.
The biggest shift I made was deciding to remove the pressure of numbers and profit and instead focus solely on the value each episode brings to my audience. I also took that time to rebrand the podcast in a way that better reflects who I am now. I started it at 22, and I’m 26 now, so naturally I’ve grown, and I wanted the podcast to grow with me.
Coming back to it with that new perspective felt completely different. It became something I was excited about again instead of something that felt like a weight.
That experience taught me that resilience doesn’t always look like pushing through at full speed. Sometimes it looks like stepping back, reevaluating, and choosing to come back in a way that’s more aligned and sustainable.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I had to unlearn that was more of a mindset than a lesson was the belief that I needed to have everything figured out by a certain age, specifically by 25.
For a long time, I was very timeline-driven. I felt like there was this unspoken checklist I needed to follow: graduate college, get a stable, well-paying job, build a career quickly, and have everything look “successful” from the outside. A lot of my motivation came from wanting to feel like I was on track compared to other people.
The problem was, even when I was doing things that looked right on paper, I didn’t feel fulfilled. I found myself in situations where I had “good” jobs, but something still felt off. That disconnect created a lot of internal pressure, because I thought I was doing everything I was supposed to do, yet it didn’t feel the way I expected it to.
Moving to Greenville and stepping away from that traditional path really forced me to confront that mindset. I didn’t have a clear timeline anymore, and for the first time, I had to make decisions based on what actually felt right for me instead of what looked right to others.
I had to learn how to pivot without seeing it as failure. I had to understand that changing directions doesn’t mean you’re behind, it means you’re paying attention to what’s actually aligned for you.
Unlearning that timeline mindset gave me a lot of freedom. It allowed me to build a career and a life that feels more authentic, instead of one that just checks boxes. And it’s something I still remind myself of often, that there isn’t one “right” timeline, and you’re allowed to evolve as you go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grace.adamtaylorteam.com
• Instagram: @gracepokela_ @thetwentysomethingpodcast_ @gracepokela_realtor
• Facebook: Grace Pokela
• Other: My Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts – The Twenty Something Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/3UsAcPTwkNpJ3Naorv2Kj4?si=ZANNzg00RmeUElo-Ez0QYQ