Women Who Lead

About Women Who Lead

Women Who Lead is a podcast dedicated to women who make a difference in the real estate industry. Join us as host Teresa Smith, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at HomeServices of America, interviews various female executives and business leaders who have found success and forged their own path in the world of real estate. With a family from Columbia, Teresa conducts each interview with a cup of coffee in hand (because that's how she bonds and spends time with others.) From tactical strategies to overarching trends in the industry, each episode will take an in-depth look into an element of real estate for you to apply and grow in your own real estate business. At the end of the day, remember to always bring women up the ladder with you as you climb to the top. Episodes are published twice each month and are approximately 30 minutes. Make sure to subscribe now to never miss an episode!

Publisher

Teresa Palacios Smith

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Feb 2022

Latest episode

28 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

66 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2026

   Courageous Leaders: What Top Women Agents Carry Behind Their Success | Cynthia Miller, Shauna Covington, Molly Haines McKay, Lauren Ravitz - 064

   How many times have you said "I'm fine" because explaining what you were actually carrying felt harder than just getting through the day? That question is where this episode starts, and it's the same question behind the invisible load women carry in real estate leadership. This week I had the privilege of moderating a panel at Empower Her, an event brought together by the Impact Council of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties in Los Angeles. The theme was "The Invisible Load, Strength Has Layers," and today we're continuing that conversation with Cynthia Miller, co-chair of this year's Empower Her, and three of the women who spoke on the panel: Lauren Ravitz, Shauna Covington, and Molly Haines McKay. We get into the seasons they carried alone, the hard calls that looked easy from the outside, how they finally learned to let go of control, and what they'd tell the woman who's succeeding on the outside but privately wondering how much longer she can keep this up. Meet the Leaders Cynthia Miller - Realtor, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, Encino She joined the Impact Council this year after attending the prior year's Empower Her event and being moved enough to want to help build the next one. Cynthia is passionate about the idea that everyone carries an invisible load, and about making sure women in this business don't carry it in silence. Lauren Ravitz - Luxury Director and Individual Agent, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties She has been with Berkshire Hathaway since 2001 and met her husband, also a realtor, in the office. Lauren is known for treating connectivity and relationships as her real product, and for coaching other agents toward the same realization: being good at the job isn't the same as doing every single task yourself. Molly Haines McKay - Broker Associate, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, Coronado She has been with Berkshire Hathaway since 2009 and leads an all-women team of three specializing in Coronado and San Diego luxury real estate. Molly is passionate about systemizing a business so nothing lives only in her head, and about showing her two sons what leadership and hard work actually look like. Shauna Covington - Realtor, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, Laguna Beach She has worked in real estate for 38 years, raised four children through all of them, and now works alongside her daughter, Leita. Shauna is known for coaching with Tom Ferry, for tripling her listings once she finally hired help, and for trusting her instinct when a client relationship isn't a good fit. Why This Year's Empower Her Theme Hit Home Cynthia and Teresa both lost their spouses within a few years of each other, and that shared experience is what shaped this year's Empower Her theme. Cynthia's husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the start of COVID, during her busiest season in the business, and she made the decision not to tell most of her clients. She didn't want her clients to feel like a burden to her, or to feel like they had to manage her pain on top of their own transaction. That decision to carry it quietly is exactly what the invisible load means. Everyone on this panel has a version of it, and Empower Her was built to pull it into the open instead of leaving it buried under "I'm fine." The Seasons They Carried Alone Lauren went through breast cancer treatment without telling almost anyone. No meal trains, no one feeling bad for her, nothing that would put her business at risk. She kept moving forward like "a train," pushed her own health to the back burner, and only fully processed what that cost her years later, at the Empower Her panel itself. Molly's takeaway from the same panel was less about any single lesson and more about the feeling of community in the room, realizing that being vulnerable doesn't make a leader weaker, it's often what makes clients trust her more. Shauna connected it back to something her late mother used to say: let's all pull through this together. Learning to Let Go of Control Shauna was handling five listings on her own before her coach, Tom Ferry, told her to hire an assistant. She did, and tripled her listings within six months, simply because she finally had the bandwidth to focus on what actually mattered. Cynthia described the same pattern from a different angle: even with an assistant, delegating still didn't come naturally to her, and she had to actively practice letting people help. Lauren put the shift in blunt terms: for years she confused being good at her job with doing everything herself. Her strength is connecting people with the right roles, not personally handling every piece of paperwork, and recognizing that distinction is what she credits with making her a better leader. Molly added that some of that support doesn't even cost money, it's as simple as using the resources a brokerage already provides instead of assuming you have to go it alone. The Hardest Calls That Looked Easy From Outside Lauren said some of the hardest parts of the job are knowing when to advise a client not to do something, even when staying quiet would keep a transaction moving. Her responsibility, she said, is to the person, not the deal, even when that honesty costs her the sale. Cynthia lived that same decision recently with a longtime client who fell in love with a home that failed inspection after inspection. She told him directly that it wasn't the right place, they canceled the deal, and weeks later he found and bought a home he loves, with Cynthia now representing the sale of his old one. Shauna's version of the same lesson took nearly 30 of her 38 years in the business to learn: some clients will take more energy than they're worth, and walking away from a bad fit protects the clients who are showing up and doing the work with you. Setting Boundaries That Actually Stick Cynthia relies on Do Not Disturb and a simple reminder to herself: she's a realtor, not a brain surgeon, and most late-night messages can wait until morning. She uses the same boundary with her adult daughters now, even when it's hard. Lauren's coach once called her mother and sister "boundary tramplers," and the label stuck. She now sets communication expectations with every client at the very start of the relationship, whether that's email only or a group text, instead of letting availability default to 24/7. Shauna does something similar by building a single group text per transaction so updates go out once instead of being repeated client by client. What They'd Tell the Woman Running on Empty Molly's advice is practical: hire a transaction coordinator if a full assistant isn't in the budget yet, and write tomorrow's to-do list down before bed so your brain can actually let go of it overnight. Shauna caps her own list at seven priorities a day, what she calls her triage, so the list stays usable instead of spiraling. Lauren's message was more direct: you're probably doing better than you think, and you won't get an award for being the most exhausted person in the room. Cynthia's answer was about getting to a season where self-care isn't optional, daily movement and a few minutes of guided meditation are what let her keep showing up for everyone else. Leadership Advice, Favourite Books, and Quotes Cynthia returns to the Serenity Prayer, a line she first picked up through Al-Anon, whenever she's struggling to accept what she can't control: it reminds her to accept what is, and to find another way forward with what she can change. Molly recommended Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott, especially for team leaders, for how it builds the confidence and skill to have the productive, trust-building conversations a team actually needs. Shauna carries a line from a 55-year veteran agent and mentor in her office, Joe Baker: "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger." Lauren's guiding principle is connectivity and relationships, the belief that the more you give, the more comes back. She also recommended The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, a book she said she's actively practicing with both her family and her clients. When you help another woman rise, we all shine. And that's how we make an impact. So, let's build each other up and shine brighter than the sun. For more great content from Teresa, connect with her on LinkedIn, join her Women Who Lead Series on Facebook, and subscribe to her YouTube channel. You can find more episodes of Women Who Lead on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else podcasts can be found.

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   PODEROSAS: Power, Purpose, Cultura | Caroline, Roseanne & Arlyn - 063

   What does it take to become a Latina leader in banking and lending? Every guest on this episode has a version of the story people never hear. They see the title. They see the promotion. What they don't see is the manager who once told Roseanne, "we don't need two Latinas in this branch." Or Arlyn relearning how to walk and talk after a car accident at 17. Or Caroline watching her mother tour as a musician across three continents just to build a life of her own. This Hispanic Heritage Month, I sat down with three Latina leaders in banking and lending, Caroline Isern of New American Funding, Roseanne Helmani, and Arlyn Kalinski of Rate, to talk about what actually shapes a poderosa. Not the accolades. The sacrifices, the doors someone opened for them, and the moments they had to decide what kind of leader they were going to become. We get into the sacrifices nobody talks about, the assumptions people made about them because of their age or their background, and why cultura still matters in rooms built for people who don't look like us. Meet the Leaders Caroline Isern: VP, Multi-Cultural Lending, New American Funding She grew up watching her mother, an Afro-Latina immigrant who built an independent career as a touring musician across Europe and Latin America, work harder than anyone she knew to build something of her own. Caroline is passionate about building teams from the ground up and leads by pointing people toward what makes them shine, not just what they need to improve. Roseanne  Djelmane: SVP, Banking (employer not confirmed) She has spent more than 45 years in banking, starting out as a single mother of two navigating a male-dominated industry with no roadmap to follow. Roseanne is a former Los Angeles chapter president of NAHREP and a NAHREP 10 Certified Trainer, and two years ago she went back to school and earned her master's degree with a 4.0 GPA. Arlyn Kalinski: SVP, Fair & Equitable Lending Strategies, Rate (formerly Guaranteed Rate) She grew up in Isabela, Puerto Rico, in a home where education was treated as sacred, and a serious car accident at 17 taught her that setbacks don't get the final word. Arlyn found her purpose during the mortgage crisis, building infrastructure that helps limited-English-proficient borrowers navigate the homebuying process in their own language. The Moments That Shaped Them Each guest traced her leadership back to a specific turning point. Caroline points to her mother's grit as an immigrant artist who never let being an outsider define what was possible for her. Roseanne points to raising two children alone while working her way up in banking in the late 1980s and early 1990s, long before flexibility was part of the conversation. Arlyn points to relearning how to walk and talk after her accident, an experience that taught her healing, and leadership, is never linear. Underestimated, and What They Did With It Every guest has been counted out at some point, sometimes because of age, sometimes because of gender, and for Roseanne, once by another Latina who told her, "we don't need two Latinas in this branch." Arlyn talked about walking out of a room where a senior leader dismissed her idea for a language access program, and instead of arguing, she found an organization that would let her build it. Caroline put it simply: she no longer walks into a room trying to prove she belongs. She walks in already knowing what she brings to the table. The Sacrifices Nobody Talks About Caroline described a stretch of her career where she was carrying two roles at once until her body forced her to stop, panic attacks included, and that's what pushed her to protect her health as a non-negotiable rather than a luxury. Arlyn talked about the nightly math every working parent knows: choosing between finishing a deck and showing up for her son's art project, and deciding that neither choice makes you a failure. It just makes you someone who is juggling, not balancing. Arlyn's recommended read on this topic: Women Don't Ask Roseanne's recommended read: When Your Adult Children Disappoint You Who Opened the Door for Them Caroline credited Patty Arvielo, co-founder and president of New American Funding, who gave her the chance to build a sister company from the ground up. Roseanne credited her children, her husband, and a former boss who gave her a national role without letting her age work against her. Arlyn credited a manager who put her on the spot in a room full of regulators and senior leaders, trusting that she had earned the room before Arlyn trusted it herself. Why Cultura Still Matters All three guests are active with NAHREP, and each described the same thing: a room where business gets done alongside music, hugs, and community, without one canceling out the other. Arlyn put words to something many Latina leaders feel but rarely say out loud: humility is a value they were raised with, but in corporate America, quiet can get mistaken for a lack of ambition. Her advice was simple. Speak up. No mita ya no aplica. Leadership Advice, Books, and Quotes Roseanne shared the measure of success that guides her leadership: "I don't look and measure myself against other people. I measure myself against myself." Arlyn recommended Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. She also shared a leadership principle that stood out to her: "Real leadership is about whether the door stays open once you go through, and whether you bring others with you." Caroline shared a principle she now leads by: "Being different doesn't mean you don't belong. You're in the room because of what you bring to it." When you help another woman rise, we all shine. And that's how we make an impact. So, let's build each other up and shine brighter than the sun. For more great content from Teresa, connect with her on LinkedIn, join her Women Who Lead Series on Facebook, and subscribe to her YouTube channel. You can find more episodes of Women Who Lead on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else podcasts can be found.

3. 

   26 Aug 2026

   Next Wave Leaders Part 3 | Cayce Levine, Amber Carlton, Ambre Theroux, Gabriela Huson - 062

   Some of the most important leadership lessons are not learned after you have made it. They are learned while you are still building. That is the idea behind this final chapter of our Next Wave Leaders series, featuring members of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Rethink Council. I am joined by four women in completely different markets, at completely different stages, who are all building something real: Cayce Levine, Amber Carlton, Ambre Theroux, and Gabriela Huson. Meet the Leaders Cayce Levine - Broker Advisor, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices York Simpson Underwood Realty She started in healthcare before finding real estate at 25, drawn by an income ceiling she refused to accept, and now leads her Cary and Morrisville office. Cayce is passionate about helping her agents work smarter, not harder, and building an office culture rooted in collaboration. Amber Carlton - REALTOR® and Team Leader, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Premier Properties She got into real estate to help people achieve their dreams, and built her team, Carlton & Co, around an obsession with the client experience. Amber is known for VIP red-carpet closings, deeply personalized client touches, and her drive to scale her business so she can buy back her own time. Ambre Theroux - REALTOR®, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Professionals She left her family's electroplating business and an MBA-track corporate career behind to get licensed in just two months, landing her first client through a horse-property Facebook group. Ambre excels at building custom client communication timelines and is passionate about making her business sustainable for the long run. Gabriela Huson - REALTOR®, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Her path into real estate started with renovating her own fixer-upper home during COVID, and she was named Rookie of the Year after closing nine transactions in her first year. Gabriela is passionate about intentional client communication and balancing a thriving Santa Barbara business with being a full-time mom of two. From Corporate Ceilings to Client Relationships: How They Got Into Real Estate Cayce came from healthcare, where she felt boxed in by a pay ceiling, and found in real estate an industry where effort has no cap. Ambre walked away from her family's electroplating business and an MBA track to get licensed in two months, later finding her niche serving horse property owners in Northern Connecticut. Gabriela renovated a full fixer-upper during COVID, fell in love with the process, and turned that experience into a Rookie of the Year debut. Amber originally wanted to get into interior design and staging, discovered she hated staging itself, and found her real strength in guiding clients through selections and the emotional side of a move. What They Believed Early On That They No Longer Believe Cayce assumed she was simply going to sell houses, and did not realize she was building an entire business where she would be her own marketer, accountant, and project manager. Gabriela and Ambre both used to equate being busy with being successful, and now measure their time by intention instead of activity. The Scary Decisions That Changed Their Careers Amber credits hiring a life and business coach, and later an assistant, with changing both her business and her life, even though she resisted the assistant hire at first. Gabriela talks about betting on herself financially before she ever saw a paycheck, treating her first year like building a brand from nothing. Ambre landed her first client, a horse property buyer, within her first week in the business, and said the client never would have guessed she was brand new. Cayce lives by one question whenever fear creeps in: are you more scared of thirty seconds of discomfort, or of being broke? What's Actually Working in Their Businesses Right Now Amber built a client intake system that captures birthdays, pet names, and what each client is most excited or nervous about, feeding into VIP red-carpet closings inspired by fellow Rethink alumni Joe and Leti Torres. Cayce is pushing agents to build full two-to-four-week marketing plans for every listing before it ever hits the market, and to repurpose long-form video into smaller clips across platforms instead of posting once and moving on. Ambre created custom transition timelines and templates so clients always know what happens next, replacing one long consultation with a clear, ongoing communication plan. Gabriela is being far more intentional inside her CRM, segmenting contacts by where they actually are in their journey instead of sending the same generic newsletter to everyone. Their 5-Year Vision for Leadership and Business Cayce wants to keep pouring into her agents, helping newer agents ramp up faster and more experienced agents work smarter, not harder. Ambre is focused on sustainability, building a business that still leaves room for the hobbies and presence she does not want to lose. Amber is focused on buying back her time after realizing, in an unusually honest conversation with ChatGPT, that she had not taken a night off in ten years. The Mentors Who Believed in Them First Cayce credits her husband, her sister, and the leaders who saw her potential before she saw it in herself. Ambre points to her boyfriend and her Rethink Council network for believing in a career shift her own family was initially nervous about. Gabriela credits her family, including her two young sons, who she says are already showing early signs of catching the real estate bug. Amber credits a fellow association leader who nudged her into local leadership at a point when she was seriously considering leaving the industry altogether. "A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms." — Cayce Levine Favorite Podcasts, Books, and Quotes Gabriela - Quote: "You don't have to be the smartest person in the room. You have to be willing to learn, take action, and keep showing up." Ambre - Quote: "Do it scared." Amber - Quote: "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, "I'm possible." — Audrey Hepburn Cayce - Quote: "A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it, it just blooms." Resources Connect with Teresa on LinkedIn Join the Women Who Lead Series on Facebook Subscribe on YouTube Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts

Who has been a guest on Women Who Lead

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Betsy Cameron
• Jeana Sander
• Talia Tiffany
• Latonia Donaldson
• Rosario Lawrence

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YouTube views

3,174

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

36

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

60

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