We were lucky to catch up with Heather Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The summer of 2022, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. I was offered a job at a neighboring school district and I couldn’t pass it up. (Erase So,) I made a decision to change school district after 15 years. In the teaching world, this is considered a huge risk. There were many decisions that had to be considered when making this change. Teachers have to consider pay cuts, insurance changes, and how your retirement could be affected. This was an extremely hard decision for many reasons. In 2007, I had the opportunity to open this school and continue teaching at the same building for the past fifteen years. I helped to lay the foundation of how things worked in the building. I was part of the leadership team, writing curriculum, piloting new reading programs and so much more. So many families came through my classroom and I also taught many siblings and generations. (in those families-erase) I was able to build amazing relationships with families over the years and they trusted me with their child’s education. It is no secret that Covid changed the dynamics of so much, education especially. During Covid, teachers were valued and trusted because we still made things work. Our decisions were not micromanaged and people saw that students were still learning even at the sacrifice of teachers’ health and well-being. Once the world slowly opened back up, I seriously contemplated leaving the teaching profession because it wasn’t the same. School structures had changed and so did the confidence people had in educators. We became micromanaged and education started to shift in a major way. I felt like we started to get away from teaching and nurturing the learner and this was one of the main reasons why I wanted to become a teacher. I realized I could not just stop working, so I obtained my Real Estate License, to help supplement my income while preparing to leave the teaching field. Fast forward to late summer of 2022, this new teaching opportunity was available to me and while weighing the pros and cons, I thought I would take the risk and try this new environment. This risk was worth it. This new adventure has restored my faith in education and what it should look like for teachers, students and the community.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Heather Williams and I have lived in St. Louis, MO for the past sixteen years. I am a mother of two boys and my husband and I have been married for just over three years. Born and raised ten miles outside of Chicago, I relocated to Missouri in 2006 to teach at a middle school that was opening. In 2019, I became a health and wellness coach. During the pandemic, I wasn’t making the smartest choices in regards to my health. I became a constant snacker and continued my pattern of emotionally eating when I was upset. These life choices resulted in some rapid weight gain and I was not in a good place mentally. In 2019, I started working out and changed my nutrition which resulted in a 70 pound weight loss in 6 months. Friends, family, and strangers reached out when they saw my transformation and that is when I decided to become a health and wellness coach through BODi, which is formally known as Beachbody. In 2020, I tossed around the idea of becoming a Real Estate agent as a way to help my husband and I when we decided to move. In 2022, I joined Narrative Real Estate in hopes of helping my friends and family with their real estate needs.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Let’s talk about the real estate aspect. Training is (erase super) very important in real estate. The market is constantly changing and we need as much information as we can to better assist our clients. For me, I think working for a broker who knows the ins and out of the business makes all the difference. Having a broker who can anticipate the needs of their agents and helps meet those needs, creates a better working relationship for those involved. While working with Narrative Real Estate, we really get to know our clients and personalize their real estate experience. I also feel like success comes with hard work and what you put into it. You cannot expect to get results if you don’t put in the time and effort.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

When I was younger, I always tossed around the idea of being a lawyer, a teacher, or a veterinarian. I had a passion for all of them. As a matter of fact, you could find me in the basement with my cousin teaching them school on our wooden closet doors. I always tried to argue my way out of a situation with what I thought was logical reasoning. Animals have always been a passion of mine, until they got hurt and needed serious medical attention. At that point, I knew I could not become a veterinarian because I would be invested in the animals and their families. I started to take some pre-law classes but realized how much it would cost to complete that degree. I always wanted to teach and make a difference in the world. I wanted to help change how kids looked at school. If I could go back, I would still choose to be a teacher today.

Contact Info:

• Website: williams.narrativerealty.com
• Instagram: heather.the.realtor
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/agentheatherwilliams