In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the remarkable women across our company who have opened new offices, led with vision, and driven the kind of strategic growth that continues to put The Agency in a league of its own.
“When I look around The Agency, I see women building extraordinary teams, redefining their in-office culture, and succeeding in a way that raises the bar for us all,” says The Agency’s President, Rainy Hake Austin. “I feel so lucky to connect and learn from them. Their perspectives elevate our company, our culture, and our entire industry.”
From award-winning senior leaders to new Agency office leaders around the world, we asked these women to share the inspirations that fuel them, the relationships that have shaped them, and the best advice (personal and professional) they’ve ever received.
Ellen Bohn
Managing Partner, The Agency Camano Island
Who is a female professional you look up to?
Martha Stewart. She has made reparation and come back stronger than ever. She continually challenges and reinvents herself. She shows that age is just a number.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
I enjoy “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “Wiser Than Me” by Julia Louis Dreyfus and “On Purpose with Jay Shetty.” I find all of these hosts to bring positivity, motivation, and critical thinking delivered with lightness and humor.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
I believe getting involved in the community and things you are passionate about brings people naturally into your sphere.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Activity breeds activity. The energy you put into your business will be reciprocated.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
The best personal advice I have received is to have the awareness that we are all souls having a human experience. We are doing our best with the knowledge we have at the time. Everyone has a story and is going through something. Be kind.
Vanessa Griffin
Managing Partner, The Agency Tyler
Who is a female professional you look up to?
One female professional I admire is Sara Blakely. I’m inspired by how she built a billion-dollar brand through resilience, creativity, and belief in herself, without following a traditional path. She embraces failure as part of growth and leads with authenticity, which deeply resonates with me as an entrepreneur and broker/owner committed to creating opportunity for others.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
Since joining The Agency, the way I seek inspiration has evolved. Earlier in my career, I leaned heavily on podcasts and industry media to gain knowledge and insight from other leaders. That exposure was invaluable and helped shape my perspective as I grew.
Since our transition, however, I’ve found that one of the most powerful sources of inspiration is right within our own company. I’ve intentionally shifted toward learning from my incredible partners across The Agency, taking full advantage of the access we have to such a collaborative, high-level network of professionals.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
The most powerful tactic for me has been intentional follow-up. Not automated, not transactional, intentional. In real estate, relationships are the business. I make it a priority to stay meaningfully connected long after the transaction closes.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
“Lead with value, not ego.”
That advice shaped how I operate as a broker/owner. When you focus on elevating your agents, serving your clients exceptionally well, and contributing more than you consume, growth becomes a byproduct. Titles don’t build influence; impact does.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
“Build a life you don’t need to escape from.”
Real estate can be all-consuming, especially in leadership. That advice reminds me to design success intentionally, protecting time with family, prioritizing health, and defining achievement beyond production numbers. Sustainable success is built on alignment, not burnout.
Jen Cameron
Managing Partner, The Agency Seattle
Who is a female professional you look up to?
The infamous Barbara Corcoran.
Before women were routinely leading brokerages, building empires, and sitting at executive tables, she was doing it — unapologetically.
In an industry long dominated by men in suits, she showed up with confidence, instinct, — and she didn’t wait for permission.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
The “Homegirl Knows Best” podcast is my favorite for inspiring stories. I’m just kidding—that’s my podcast!
But I really love the “DOAC – Diary of a CEO” podcast. It’s based upon vulnerable conversations around psychology, health, relationships, trauma, performance, money, and personal growth. The interviews are long-form, raw, and often emotionally intense — not surface-level Q&As.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
Giving back. In the most genuine form of wanting to help others. I always say if you want to do well, you must first do good. Being of service, helping others, it comes back tenfold.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Be motivated by your joys and not your fears.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
It began with a question. Are you more concerned with people liking you or respecting you? Think about that one.
Andrea Delgado
Senior Director of Public Relations for The Agency
Who is a female professional you look up to?
Ina Garten is a huge hero of mine. She built her career and brand on the simple but powerful foundation of being fully herself, and she’s so deeply revered because of it. Her taste is also impeccable.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
I love the podcast “Aspire with Emme Grede.” She brings on founders and creators from different industries who are genuinely shifting culture in meaningful ways. The conversations feel honest and real, and I always walk away with a new perspective. Hearing how leaders at that level think helps shape my own mindset, especially when I’m working on media opportunities or creating thoughtful content.
I also love coffee table books and have them all over my house, much to my husband’s dismay. I got a few more over Christmas, mostly focused on interiors, including The Great American House by Gil Schafer and An Affair with a House by Bunny Williams. Flipping through beautiful photography and learning from creative minds always leaves me feeling inspired.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
My role is rooted in relationship building, and I’ve always thought of my network as a living ecosystem.
I genuinely enjoy connecting with reporters, understanding what they care about and how they prefer to work.
The strongest publicists know that real results come from nurturing relationships over time. I’m also someone who prefers to go deep rather than wide. Small talk has never really been my strength. At a networking event, I’d much rather have one or two meaningful conversations than dozens of surface-level exchanges. That approach feels more natural to me and, over time, it’s served me well.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
The best professional advice I’ve ever received is this: Opportunity is not strategy.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
The best personal advice I’ve ever received is to understand what you’re truly good at, to recognize your natural gifts and talents, and to find a way to put them to work in their highest form.
And just as importantly, don’t expect everyone else to operate the way you do.
Amanda Cunningham
Managing Partner, The Agency Waco
Who is a female professional you look up to?
My cousin Chelsey Northern is a professional I look up to. Chelsey (my youngest cousin) has been an inspiration to me since she was little. She did all the things in high school, went to the University of Texas and was part of the color guard while working and going to school full-time. She then went on to intern for Giant Noise, and then Atlantic Records. After college, Chelsey moved to L.A. to work for Atlantic Records, becoming the VP of Publicity at age 33. She then became Head of Communications for Faze Clan in 2020 and eventually helped them go Public a couple of years later. She is now co-founder and owner of The Untold, a future-focused PR company for clients like Warner Music Group, SUNO, Faze Clan, Cool Cats, Digg, flow.com, and many more.
She is incredible and started her own company in her 30s making storytelling a trademark long before its time. She’s caring, kind, thoughtful, intentional, creative, disciplined, organized, driven, positive, encouraging, and has made a beautiful name for herself in L.A. where it’s hard to break in. She has made a family there where I truly believe she is the heart! She got married the same year she started her company and is now a mom to Poppy Blake!
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
100% the Bible first and foremost to guide my decisions, purpose, and business. A couple podcasts I enjoy listening to for business are “Keeping It Real” by D.J. Paris and Tom Ferry.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
I actually have been able to foster and keep a good relationship with my past careers, experiences, and friendships.
I have helped clients buy and sell from my past including; students I taught middle school math to 11+ years ago, the owners of businesses I employed at in the past, teachers I worked with, friends parents and grandparents, my families friends, parents from my kids activities and schools, and friends made from different boards I have served on, donated to, and volunteered for.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Deliver what you promise, every time.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
Always treat others even better than you would want to be treated.
Clari Vega
Managing Partner, The Agency Costa Rica
Who is a female professional you look up to?
The female professional who inspires me most is my mother.
She has been a hardworking entrepreneur her entire life and at 85 years old, she is still building, still creating, still thinking forward.
I grew up watching a woman who was loving yet strong, intelligent, and relentless. She was always ready to give her all and never allow circumstances to define her limits. But what inspires me most is her ability to reinvent herself.
No matter the economic climate, personal challenges, or changing seasons of life, she always found opportunity. She never focused on what was missing, she focused on what could be built.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
I’m very intentional about what I consume because I believe leadership requires both expansion and grounding.
I regularly listen to “The Tim Ferriss Show” because I’m genuinely curious about how high performers think.
I appreciate the way he breaks down success into habits, routines, and mental frameworks, not just achievements. It reinforces something I’ve learned through entrepreneurship and competitive sports: excellence is rarely accidental; it’s built through discipline, clarity, and consistent refinement.
Ultimately, I look for media that challenges me to think bigger, operate better, and stay grounded in purpose.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
One of the most powerful relationship-building tactics in my career has been learning to listen first. In real estate, people often focus on presenting, pitching, or proving themselves. I’ve found that the real opportunity opens when you truly understand what the other person values, fears, or is trying to build. Listening creates trust and trust creates access.
I also make a conscious effort to position myself in the right rooms and have the right conversations.
Not every conversation moves the needle, but the right one can change everything. Being intentional about where I invest my time and energy has opened more doors than any traditional networking strategy.
For me, relationships are not transactional; they’re long-term partnerships built on clarity, respect, and shared vision.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”
Coming from Costa Rica and building a career in a competitive luxury market, I’ve learned that growth never happens in comfort. Every meaningful step, launching new ventures, expanding our vision, or stepping into bigger rooms, has required courage before confidence.
That advice reminds me that discomfort isn’t something to avoid; it’s usually a sign that you’re evolving.
And if you’re willing to lean into it, that’s where real transformation begins.
Lizz Sansone
Managing Partner, The Agency Houston – Sugar Land
Who is a female professional you look up to?
Kendra Scott. A fellow Texan, she has built a billion-dollar fashion and lifestyle brand built on family, fashion, and philanthropy and that resonates with me. She is an inspiration for all that she’s been able to accomplish in the past 24 years and what she stands for. She’s donated more than $70 million to women and youth.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
I enjoy Brian Buffini’s “It’s a Good Life” podcast as well as Mallory Ervin’s “Living Fully” podcast. I have been coaching with Brian Buffini for nearly 20 years and he has not only been a real estate mentor to me, but a mentor in all phases of life. Mallory teaches living your life to the fullest and I derive a lot of hope and inspiration listening to her.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
Staying in constant communication with my clients and expressing gratitude, which in turn, has fostered trust.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
My dad once told me to “keep it between the ditches” which I have translated into staying in my lane and not worrying what everyone else is doing. In other words, stay focused.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
Focus on what I can control. Concentrate on things that bring me joy, happiness and peace.
Lisa Swanson
Managing Partner, The Agency Florida Keys
Who is a female professional you look up to?
I’ve always admired women who build global brands with intention and discipline — particularly leaders who combine strength with elegance. One that stands out is Barbara Corcoran. She built an empire from nothing, understood the psychology of real estate, and never lost her authenticity. I’m inspired by women who think expansively, take calculated risks, and aren’t afraid to lead in industries traditionally dominated by men. Luxury real estate requires both strategy and presence — and I admire women who master both.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
I gravitate toward content focused on high performance, negotiation, and global wealth trends. I enjoy “The Diary of a CEO,” “How I Built This,” and market-driven conversations around luxury consumer behavior. One book that has had a meaningful personal impact on me is Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer.
Real estate — especially at the luxury level — is as much mental as it is strategic. Staying disciplined, steady, and focused regardless of market cycles or deal volatility is critical. That book reinforces the importance of controlling your mindset, which ultimately shapes performance.
Professionally, I follow global real estate trends, private wealth reports, and The Agency’s Red Paper insights to stay ahead of UHNW shifts. Personally, I’m drawn to books on discipline, mindset, and long-term thinking — because in luxury real estate, consistency is everything.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
Authenticity. When I network, I focus on the relationship — not the transaction. I’m always myself. I don’t try to impress, exaggerate, or pretend to be something I’m not. Especially in the luxury space, people can sense when someone is performing. I look for genuine common ground — whether it’s business, travel, boating, architecture, or shared values. Real connection creates trust, and trust creates opportunity. When you focus on building real relationships instead of chasing results, the results naturally follow.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Protect your reputation more than your commission.
Early in my career, I learned that in luxury real estate, your name is your most valuable asset. Deals come and go. Markets shift. But your reputation follows you everywhere — especially in a relationship-driven market like the Florida Keys.
In this business, emotions can run high — negotiations, timelines, market shifts — but keeping a long-term lens changes everything. Commissions can be replaced. Trust cannot. When you protect your reputation and think five years ahead, the right opportunities compound over time.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
My dad gave me advice when I was establishing my career that has stayed with me. Whenever I was stressed about something, he would say, “Are you going to be worried about this in five years? If the answer is no, then don’t worry.” That perspective helped me stay steady and focused on the bigger picture.
Katia Bailey
Managing Partner & Broker of Record, The Agency Waterloo Region; Oakville; Muskoka; Brant County; Toronto West; York Region; Niagara; Halifax; & Sarasota
Who is a female professional you look up to?
Honestly, I look up to the other women leaders at The Agency. Nobody understands what this role actually looks and feels like better than the women who are in it every day rolling up their sleeves, making the hard calls, carrying teams, protecting culture, and absorbing pressure quietly.
Alison Melton, who I call when everything feels like it’s on fire. She brings steadiness when I need it most.
Kacey Bingham keeps it real with me. We can vent, laugh about the absurdity of this business, and then get back to work.
Heather Sinclair carries this calm, maternal energy that reminds me that leadership doesn’t have to be loud to be strong. Joy Vance inspires me because I see how hard she works, not just on the business but in it, even when it would be easier to clock out.
All of these women — and so many others—when duty calls, they answer. These women inspire me on the long days. The hard days. The days where you question everything. And of course, my mom, Isabel Pinheiro, who is now Managing Partner of The Agency Sarasota. She moved to a country where she didn’t speak the language, with nothing but belief that life could be better for her family. That kind of courage resets my perspective every time I start to question not just myself, but everything.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
When I want to completely disconnect and unplug, I listen to Joe Rogan. It has absolutely nothing to do with real estate, which is exactly the point. I like long-form conversations where people go deep into topics that have nothing to do with listings, markets, or leadership. It stretches my thinking and reminds me there’s a big world outside our little industry bubble.
On the other end of the spectrum, I love Simon Sinek. I appreciate how he talks about leadership as responsibility, not status. His work around “Start With Why” resonates with me because in this business, it’s easy to chase production and forget purpose. He constantly brings it back to clarity of intention, culture, and playing the long game. When it comes to industry podcasts, I actually try to stay away from most real estate content. I read and listen outside of real estate on purpose.
If I only consume industry media, I start sounding like everyone else. And in a business where everyone is fighting for differentiation, that’s dangerous.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
I’m probably not the poster child for traditional networking. I’ve never been someone who walks into a room thinking, “Who can I get something from today?” That approach has always felt transactional to me, and I struggle in environments where the sole purpose is extracting opportunity.
If I’m being honest, the biggest doors in my career didn’t open because I networked strategically. They opened because I focused on doing my job longer and harder than anyone around me. I don’t like asking for things. I like building things. And when you build something with integrity long enough, the right people notice. It’s less glamorous than a networking playbook. But I guess it has worked for me.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
“You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to.”
That one changed me. In this business, and especially in leadership, there is always something on fire. Someone is upset. Someone is projecting. Someone misunderstood. Early on, I felt like I had to respond to everything. Fix everything. Defend everything. Make everything “nice.”Over time, I have come to realize that not every noise deserves oxygen.
The best professional advice I ever received wasn’t about scaling or revenue or growth strategy. It was about restraint. About understanding that protecting your energy is part of protecting the business. You don’t win by reacting to everything. You win by choosing what actually matters and by directing focus where it can be the most productive. And that took me longer to learn than I’d like to admit. I am still learning this actually…
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
I once heard the phrase, “Everything costs something”. I honestly don’t even remember where it came from, but it stuck. Every yes costs time. Every ambition costs comfort. Every leadership decision costs popularity somewhere. When you step into real responsibility, you don’t get to make clean decisions. You make trade-offs. You protect the brokerage and disappoint someone. You choose growth and sacrifice evenings. You choose standards and lose people who preferred it easier.
There are moments I’ve looked back and thought, “What if I had chosen the other path? What if I had protected my peace instead of pushing for expansion? What if I had stayed smaller? Quieter? Less accountable?” But that advice reframed it for me. The discomfort wasn’t a sign I was failing. It was the receipt. Growth always sends an invoice.
Understanding that trade-offs are normal and not necessarily evidence you made the wrong choice, was freeing. It stopped me from chasing the fantasy that you can build something meaningful without friction. You can’t have the upside without the cost. And once you accept that, you stop being surprised by the price of ambition.
Heather Stevens
Broker/Managing Partner, The Agency Frisco
Who is a female professional you look up to?
Mel Robbins. Whether it’s through her talks, books, or podcast, she shows up with the same message: progress over perfection, consistency over intensity. That steadiness builds trust.
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
For podcasts, I love “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” and the “Ed Mylett Show.” For books, I’d say Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
I nurture the relationships that support me and my business. I’ve set up a system that keeps me in touch regularly, and it’s completely transformed how I connect and grow my business.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Consistency matters. Do the work daily, even when you can’t see the results yet. It won’t happen overnight, but staying consistent will bring it all together. Live in the moment, and prepare for the future.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Alison Melton
Managing Partner & Broker in Charge, The Agency Hilton Head, The Agency Beaufort, The Agency Savannah
Who is a female professional you look up to?
Hands down Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, as she represents the kind of leadership I respect most—instinct-driven, brand-protective, and unapologetically decisive. She built a global business without waiting for validation, trusting her vision when the path wasn’t obvious and holding the line on quality as she scaled. That resonates deeply with how I lead: telling the truth even when it’s uncomfortable, making bold decisions grounded in experience, and growing with intention rather than volume for volume’s sake.
Blakely proves that you can be strategic without losing humanity, confident without being loud, and successful without diluting who you are. As a female leader, she sets a powerful example that conviction, discipline, and clarity—not permission—are what ultimately move businesses and industries forward. And also, what woman doesn’t love Spanx?
What podcasts, books, or media do you look to for professional or personal inspiration?
My girl Mel Robbins for podcasts. For books, Dare to Lead by Brené Brown, and Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.
What’s one networking or relationship-building tactic that has opened the most doors for you in your real estate career?
Riding horses, although I admit I haven’t had as much time for it lately. Some of my best relationships have come from the equestrian community, and clients, and it is even the reason I am part of The Agency family today, thanks to my fellow equestrians Dana Trotter and Tyler Whitman of The Agency Hamptons.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Stay selective as you grow.
What’s the best personal advice you’ve ever received?
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well—something my father has reminded me of every day since I was a child.
