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

Alright, Kellie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I am part of a dynamic all-female real estate team called The Monday Team, led by Kerri Naslund-Monday. The Monday Team tagline is “not your average agents” and we work hard to live up to that every day. We’re not afraid to take on the tough stuff that other agents shy away from. We’ve sold listings near homeless encampments, listings with tough seller challenges, and short sale/foreclosure listings. We scour off-market listings, canceled/expired listings, for sale by owner listings, and more for our buyers. We actively look for opportunities to go above and beyond for our clients, providing exceptional service and a personalized touch.

Another thing that we do differently is our brand attitude. Many agents try to have mass appeal by looking, dressing, and speaking as the agent most people picture in their head when you say “real estate agent”. We don’t – we strive to be our authentic selves and create an inclusive and open-minded space for people to achieve their real estate dreams. We regularly have giveaways and events for our clients such as happy hours and taco truck parties. We also passed out tiny wooden f-words to other agents in our PLACE network, to remind them that “The Monday Team gives a f—“.

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

My career path has been full of crazy twists and turns. My original major in college was Education, because I wanted to teach government & law classes to high schoolers. Over time, I realized I would rather be involved in it than teach it, so I completed my undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice along with a minor in Paralegal Studies. I applied for law schools but ultimately spoke the famous last words of “I’m going to take a year off and then go to law school”, and of course I never did go back. I worked at a law firm briefly but it was not a good environment for me. After leaving, I moved to the SF Bay Area to pursue a career in this new thing called the internet. I worked in online marketing through the internet bubble and burst, but I persevered and continued working in digital marketing for over 20 years. I’ve worked for PC World & Macworld magazines, SEGA, and Abbott Diabetes Care. I also earned my MBA in Marketing during that time, because I had a hard time getting hired and promoted without a relevant degree.

After so long, I started to feel burned out by my work. I needed something different, and I didn’t quite know what, I started asking everyone I knew about their jobs, and noticed what made me interested or excited. I quickly realized that I wanted to be my own boss so I could better control my schedule, manage my stress levels, and give myself the accommodations that I was needing. I was depression watching HGTV one day and I realized that I would probably be a good real estate agent. I looked up the criteria to get licensed, passed my test on the first try, and got to work.

Like a lot of businesses, real estate takes a lot of financial investment to get started. It also takes consistent and persistent effort to build a business. Not only do you have start-up costs, but because we are only paid when things close, we get paid inconsistent amounts and inconsistent times. I honestly did not have enough money saved up to start, but I was so burned out that I had to make the leap before my mental health declined even further. I was named Rookie of the Year in my local brokerage my first year, and I was the top agent at that brokerage for the next two years. Last year, I was invited to join The Monday Team and I couldn’t be happier. This team is very aligned with my personality, mission, and values.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In early 2015, my boyfriend found a lump in my breast. I had a mammogram, an ultrasound, and a biopsy — and the news kept getting worse and worse. I was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer called a mucinous carcinoma. Only 2% of patients that get breast cancer get this type by itself, and the average age for getting the cancer is 65. At 39 years old, I was definitely an anomaly. I went through multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. My treatment lasted almost a full year and had many complications along the way. In the middle and toward the end of treatment, I fell into a severe depression. The adrenaline of “I’m going to beat this thing” had worn off. The people cheering me on and supporting me at the beginning were mostly gone. I’m told I had a particularly bad reactions to the chemo. I didn’t want to eat anything, I was constantly nauseated, and I couldn’t get out of bed a lot of days. I had learned how to be a cancer patient, but I had no idea how to be a cancer survivor. How do I go back to worrying about mundane things like the work presentation due next week when I had this black cloud of cancer hanging over my head? If I admit to anyone that I am really struggling, am I letting down everyone who told me how strong I was?

I broke down crying in one of my appointments and everything I was feeling came tumbling out. I was referred to a psychologist who deals with cancer patients, and it was absolutely the best therapy I’ve ever received. With her help, I slowly moved out of my depression and to a place that I was comfortable being a cancer survivor. I still use many of the tools she taught me to this day.

I have been in remission since 2016, although complications have still cropped up now and again. I still live with the “what if it comes back” cloud hanging over my head, but it’s manageable now. I’ve learned that asking for help is a demonstration of strength, not a lack of it. I’ve learned that my body and my mind are incredibly resilient. I’ve learned that sometimes the best thing you can do is find humor and joy wherever you can get it, even when everything is awful. And I’ve learned that if I can think of nothing else to be grateful for, I can be grateful that I don’t have cancer.

Oh, and that boyfriend? He stuck by my side for every moment and we’ve been married for 6 years this year.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was told early in my 20’s that I would probably never be able to have children. Although I was upset about it at the time, I made peace with it. In my late 30’s, I was dating a man (who is now my husband) whose sister was having issues with drugs, homelessness, and was frequently incarcerated. She had a 2 year old daughter (my husband’s biological niece) that she could no longer care for. The daughter was temporarily with a relative but a more permanent solution needed to be found. My boyfriend and I knew that if we didn’t take her she would likely end up in foster care. So we gained guardianship of her.

Outside of babysitting in my teens, I really had no experience with toddlers. I had recently been laid off, and everything happened so fast that I went from full-time employed with no kids to a stay at home mom of a toddler in like two weeks. I remember looking at the child and saying “I don’t know either, but we’re going to figure it out together”. I literally had to google “what do toddlers eat” because I had no idea what to feed her! Over the next several months, we settled into a rhythm and she made great strides in language skills that she had previously been behind on.

She is now almost 9 years old, we are her permanent guardians and the only parents she remembers. She is artsy, funny, and kind. If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be a parent, I would have laughed at you. But choosing to bring her into my life and be her mom is the single best decision I’ve ever made.

Contact Info:

• Website: kellieparker.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtorkellieparker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realtorkellieparker
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellieparker/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kellie-parker-oakland
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtorkellieparker