We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tracy Phillippi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tracy , thanks for joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
I believe that to be truly successful you need to remind yourself that everything is figureoutable ( that is my new favorite word). You need to know when to take a step back and pull emotion out of things and think logically. I feel like I am achieving new levels of success personally and professionally since I have adopted this new mindset. When things go sideways getting upset is fine but don’t stay upset find a solution to it or ask for help. I have had so many things in my life come up where I could have stayed in my feelings but I allowed myself to feel the pain then turn that pain into power. Some great examples are in 2018 I had to file a restraining order against a boyfriend at the time, went through court for several violations and learned a lot along the way. That experience is where my non profit Diamonds Project came from because in the process I saw and felt the after effects of when a domestic violence survivor is done with court. The quiet afterwards is when I feel that most of the survivors will fall back into old habits and end up in a same or similar situation. Diamonds Project was created to provide support and resources to those who are ready to walk with their head up into a new chapter of life no longer allowing what happened to them before to control or dictate their future, ripping off the scarlet letter that we wear as survivors if you will. I know far to many people not just women who feel alone and ashamed that they were in an abusive situation or even assaulted. No one is alone in their fight there are others out there who are ready willing and able to help support the whole new person who they become once the healing begins.
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 got into real estate in 2015 when things lined up for me to be able to do the schooling, take my license test and start a new career when I lost my job as a bartender when the establishment I was helping run shut down suddenly. I have 4 kids and a lot of goals and I knew real estate would help support those goals in the future. It takes a while to build up a good business just like everything else, you have to be willing to put the work in and understand some of it will not be a joy ride. The thing that makes me the most proud about real estate is helping others reach their goals wither it be owning a house, investment property or a commercial building to launch their new business. The smiles and on occasion happy tears at the closing table mean the world to me.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn trying to do everything myself. I am fiercely stubborn and independent but as a mom and business owner I needed to become ok with asking others for help on occasion. It took a lot for me to get to the point where I could ask for help and not feel like it was the end of the world. One of the best things I ever did was hire a transaction coordinator to help me with real estate transactions so I could focus on what I am good at which is sales and leave the paperwork to someone who likes it.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Not only am I am domestic abuse survivor but my oldest son was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2019. I have never been so terrified in my life and felt so helpless as I did when I heard the words your son is extremely sick and he has cancer we are doing everything we can to save him. Since then he has gone into remission and had it come back again earlier this year. The care team jumped into action and got it back into remission and now he is waiting to get back into stem cell transplant testing. Seeing how strong he is everyday inspires me to work harder and be grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. I believe now more than ever that there is good in everything you just need to sometimes find a way to turn your pain into power. Since his diagnosis I have been pushing myself to work harder and achieve more goals personally and professionally for that I am grateful. So much education along the way has truly made me a stronger person.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomchasingqueen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracyp1111/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mnhousechick/
- Other: https://www.uniteduniverseproductions.com https://www.facebook.com/msusaworlduniversalelite https://www.facebook.com/theonerealestateteammn
Image Credits
Dann Kasallis Photography LLC Jeff Mozey Photography and Owner at Lifelike Photo Studio