Chris –
All right. I am excited to introduce the world and my world, I should say too, Megan Fink, (msfinky). If you’re finding her on Instagram. But I got to tell you why I’m so excited to have this conversation with you. So I met Megan at an event and prep event. And for those of you that don’t know what NA rep is, it is an industry event for mortgage real estate, you know, realtors of the world that are Latino and really just anybody.

Chris –
But it’s really focused on giving Latinos a voice and an opportunity to really connect with other Latinos in the marketplace and really build off each other. And it’s a community that I absolutely love. And Megan walked into the room. So so if I kind of paint the picture for you because I got to introduce her and tell you why I wanted to meet with her, but we’re sitting in a happy hour kind of area.

Chris –
So it’s a bar area at a hotel. Every hotel has it and you walk down. That’s kind of where everybody who’s not in a session within the event hangs out at. And so I walk in, ah, I’m sitting there and I’m talking to somebody about her camera. And Megan comes in and this outfit that was great, like a, like a what, what do you call it?

Chris –
Like a lime green? I don’t know. It’s a really cool green.

Megan –
I like crypto green, crypto green.

Chris –
Right. And so she comes in and you cannot help but notice this girl walk into the room. But not only that, but whoever she talks to, you could hear her a mile away. And it was like, Who is this chick? I got to know her. And so you walk up to somebody I was talking to and I was like, What do you do?

Chris –
You know, what’s the story? And it turns out she is in mortgage. She’s everything that I’m interested in. She’s doing business development. She’s marketing. She’s a brand marketer for the loan officers at the company she’s at. She lives in Miami. She is just a connector of people. And I saw this firsthand. She is Spanish speaking. She was born in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Chris –
She’s been in Miami for four years. And she is just somebody who is helping loan officers build their brand locally to help them have a presence. And so I was like, we got to meet, we got to do this, and before we do it, we’re jumping on a podcast to do. And she was like, I’m down. And so Megan, I’m so happy that you took time out of your busy schedule to join us, so thank you for being here today.

Megan –
Yeah, I’m so excited. When we met, I feel like we instantly kind of clicked. It was a lot of that fun banter. Let’s make it fun for the group and yeah, you know, excited to have a candid conversation, right?

Chris –
Yes. Yes. So, you know, this podcast is a part of my breakthrough series that we’ve done. And a breakthrough series is really about giving a voice and giving an opportunity to hear the stories of diverse people in our business. And you’re one of them. You’re Spanish speaking. You’re from Costa Rica. You understand what it’s like to be in a community that has normally in an industry been a minority.

Chris –
And what’s crazy is if I could fast forward ten years from now, we’re going to be the majority. But right now and when you look at the communities that we’re serving, Miami, I’m in Phenix, the community is us. It’s millennials who are coming up who, you know, I’m really a Gen Xer, but, you know, when you think about millennials who are coming up and buying homes, they want to connect with somebody who’s like them.

Chris –
And that’s you and that’s me. And it’s the people that are on social media building a brand and being connectors. And so I wanted, you know, one of the things that really stood out to me about you and I talked to you about this like. There were a few female Latinas that I was talking to at the event, and I don’t know if you remember this, but one of them was very quiet, very reserved, almost shy is not a good word for a but almost just timid, if you will.

Chris –
And then I look over you and you’re like just you’re owning the room. And I said to myself, She’s going to be you in ten years. And how do we help her today get the confidence to walk into a room the way you did? And so that was really the catalyst of why I wanted to meet with you and why I thought you would be perfect for this breakthrough series.

Chris –
Because there is a Latina who is you ten years ago that wants your mentorship and wants to hear the stories of how you came to be the confident person that you are. When you walk into a room. And by the way, you’re building a brand, you’re helping people build a brand, and this is what it’s all about. It’s what you leave people with when you leave the room.

Chris –
And you left me with a lot. And so I want to talk about that today. So, Megan, tell me a little bit about your story. You know, you ended up in Miami four years ago. Who were you and how have you evolved to be the person you are today with such confidence?

Megan –
Yeah, I mean, that’s kind of a loaded question and I’ll try not to get too sentimental here, but, you know, I think, you know, kind of going back to what you said, you know, I’m from Costa Rica. I moved to the US when I was eight, or nine years old. Luckily, I spoke English, so that wasn’t a barrier for me.

Megan –
But I always had to play down my Latino side because the areas that I lived, in weren’t predominantly populated by Latinos. So it’s crazy how life takes you full circle because now I live in Miami, which is the Mecca of Latinos. If you don’t speak Spanish, you’re like, get out. Like, you know, you know, there’s no place for you here, you know?

Megan –
So it’s funny how it took a full circle. And now I truly feel like I’m at home. Right? The closest thing to Costa Rica in the U.S. is Miami. Like, this is my ecosystem.

Chris –
I just got chill bumps with you saying that because there’s something that’s powerful about community and you know, you walk when you walk into a NAHREP event you’ve been in corporate America, you’re used to walking into rooms like me where most of the people don’t look like us in the room. You walk into a corporate environment where the minorities walk into the room, but when you walk into a NAHREP event it’s like.

Megan –
All right, you like these are my people. And you know, for me and our industry too, right? Is male, predominant, and actually had an event last night and we were talking about, you know, just the average age of a realtor and a loan originator. And I think in originator they mention it’s like in their late forties and it’s typically a male, right?

Megan –
So even in my industry I’m still breaking barriers and I’m still the minority because I’m a woman, I’m a Latina and I’m not, you know, in a plane suit, you know, that I show up in green light, bright suits. So, you know, I think I’ve always been in the minority. And, you know, I would be lying if I said when I was younger, that didn’t make me feel insecure.

Megan –
Right? I was like, Why am I different? Why are they blond? Why do I have black hair? And then it took a lot of time and confidence in myself to realize that what makes me different is my power. Even, you know, my name is Meghan. Think if you don’t read emails and then you meet me in person, you’re like, That’s not who I thought I was meeting, right?

Megan –
Because I don’t fit that prototype. So for a while I, you know, I was younger. I was very actually insecure about that. And it was as I’ve evolved and, you know, evolution is every day, right? Not who I am today and who I am in ten years will be different. But for someone, you know, the younger version of me, you know, graduating college or anything like that is, you know, take advantage of your differences, what makes you unique and don’t let people make you feel insecure about that or that you’re less qualified because you don’t look like everyone else who, you know, typically is in those positions.

Megan –
So I came to my power to realize that and now I drive my interactions through authenticity, which I think helps me as well to gain, you know, authority or presence. Because when people have a conversation with me, we’re not having surface level conversations, you know, like, you can know me for 5 minutes and we’ll get into something and we’ll go deep, you know, we’re not just doing the oh, how’s the weather today?

Megan –
I don’t have time for, you know, basic conversations like that. So if I’m going to connect with you because we’re going to get in deep and then we’re going to that’s how we’re going to connect. I’m going to know like, hey, you know, this might not be my audience. And that’s also a key part, right? Knowing who your audience is, read their room, know who you’re connecting with, and there are people that you’re just not vibing with.

Megan –
It’s time to move on to the next so you can find people that you’ll connect with, right? Instead of trying to make us square to fit into a circle.

Chris –
Well, it’s so funny because you’re so right about that. When we met, we were all sitting at a table probably a group of five of us, and then we kind of stuck around. And then as different groups had come in and out of our group that we were sitting there with, we were there probably for 8 hours at the bar.

Chris –
I don’t know, you know when we exactly left. But, within the first 5 minutes, we were talking about religion. You were telling the story about, you know, how you moved into this apartment and, you know, wasn’t the right apartment. And you were looking at the signs and all the red flags and, you know, and how you were like, God was speaking to me and I’ve never been a religious person.

Chris –
But when you talk about authenticity and you talk about that, that’s what stuck with me. I remember thinking, I know so much about her in in in a real in a realness with her in her personality and how she didn’t, you know, care about the room or what people thought. But that ten years ago, 20 years ago, for me, I worried about those things.

Chris –
I’m curious about you. Do you think ten years ago you could have walked into a room and had the confidence to have that same conversation? Has this always been yours? Has been an evolution of you know, who you are and you get confident as time goes by?

Megan –
Yeah, I think it’s a definite evolution of knowing, you know, who I am and just knowing, you know, I think as you become an adult and, you know, you really build those deeper relationships that it all starts with being authentic. Even with your friends, with your clients, the people that you work with like they can tell when you don’t care, you’re just being fake about it or when you’re involved in a group where you really you’re just trying to climb up, you know, you have a motive and you’re not really there for the purpose.

Megan –
So, you know, I think it takes time to get into your power to understand that, you know, you’re going to connect with the people that are right for you by being authentic, by being true to yourself, and you’re not going to connect with everyone. And I think that’s also the power of knowledge. I understand that and not taking it personally, because there are some people that, you know, I don’t vibe with, but I have the emotional maturity to know, okay, I don’t vibe with this but maybe my colleague does.

Megan –
So let me tag my way out of this conversation because it’s not really leading to anything productive. But let me introduce them because maybe they’ll take off and collectively that’s still a win, but it’s just being able to read the room because not everyone’s for you.

Chris –
That’s so true. I mean, and you have like I’ll give you a good example of where I’ve seen this happen. A lot of times you’ll go into these relationships with brokerages, with realtors as lenders, right? We do like MSAs or, you know, desk rental sort of thing. And, you know, that one loan officer is not going to connect with that entire room.

Chris –
You know, like there’s a bunch of realtors there you’re going to connect with five, ten maybe. But the rest of them, they’re they want something different. And so partner with somebody and understand that like, you know, there’s have a have an abundance mindset to know that you may not be for everyone. And I think what you tag that as is having that emotional maturity to realize that I’m not for everybody you know and that there’s going to be people who just you energy-wise, you just don’t vibe with.

Chris –
But tell me about how you ended up. So you’re for those of you that don’t know what business development means, I’m going to try to encapsulate this as best I can Megan is a connector so Megan’s out in the communities and she’s looking for people that have the same type of vibe of loan officers that work at her company to say, hey, maybe you these two parties would do really well together and she connects them.

Chris –
And then number two, she’s helping the loan officer and probably realtors alike understand what branding is and how to brand themselves in a local community. And you haven’t said this yet, Megan, but tell me if you agree with the statement, because people want to do business with people, not with companies. And so I want to understand who Megan is before I go into a business relationship with her versus I know that Megan works for sorry.

Chris –
I’m going to look at my notes here. Megan works for Home Team Mortgage and that means nothing to me but what means everything to me is who Megan is. And the story behind that and how do you help the loan officers understand how branding is important and the steps to take to start to build that?

Megan –
Exactly. So, you know, we’re in a people business, so you do business with people you like and you trust. And I always tell everybody, you know, and there’s always that big debate, right? Especially on social channels, like do I have my business page, my personal page? And I’m like, I don’t even have time to manage more than one page for myself.

Megan –
So to me, that already doesn’t make sense. And to build that trust, that common ground with people, they have to see more than you then. Megan, the animal idea that I have, right? So to connect and take conversations online, and offline, people have to have common ground with you. So that’s what I always tell. You know, my colleagues, you know, originators, and same with realtors as well.

Megan –
You know, I tell them you can’t be a secret agent because we’re in a sales business. You want to be found, you’re going to be.

Chris –
Don’t be a secret agent.

Megan –
Your profile is private. And you have a weird name that no one can find. I’m like, That’s confusing. You’re in sales, right? You want to be found. So, you know, having those things that are easily accessible and being clear with your messaging what you do. The biggest missed opportunity is when someone goes to your social pages and they don’t know what you do.

Megan –
And if you’re in sales and you have to tell your industry what areas you serve and in specific what is your needs. Because again, there are riches in the niches. I think no, in sales sometimes it’s common to be like, oh, I can sell a house anywhere. I can get around you alone. In theory, yes, but do you want to you know, you want to get to a place in your business where you’re like, I work with millennials.

Megan –
That’s it. Not for anything else. But, you know, because that’s who I get along with. I understand we communicate the same way. So doing business with other millennial partners makes my job easy and enjoyable because I’m not stressing over why are they not responding to my emails or why is this person sending me faxes when I text like, you know, so get into a groove that you’re connecting with people that you want to do business with, that you want to serve.

Megan –
If you’re an agent, what is the type of real estate you like to sell? And then those are the clients that you need to attract, but you have to hone in on who you are and who you want to serve.

Chris –
I love that. Do you know who I don’t want to do business with? Who assholes? I just decided I’m not doing business with assholes anymore. Like it makes.

Megan –
Life is too hard. It’s like. And our jobs are already stressful enough that it’s like, I don’t need that added drama to things, so we can’t communicate it effectively. We got to see ourselves out of this one. Yes.

Chris –
Yes, yes. So okay, so let’s go back because I want to talk about your journey to this point. You know, you’re you have a really cool job. I mean, and by the way, I think a lot of companies could really benefit from someone like you, which is why I was drawn to your energy, because I’m like, there’s something there, and she’s going to be a rock star and I see the future.

Chris –
And if I can fast forward you 20 years or just even ten, everyone’s going to know your name and remember me saying that because I wanted to get you on the upswing, because no one at that event walked into a room and everybody turned around because of the energy and what it was coming out of their mouth, you know, branding.

Chris –
I mean, you didn’t just pick that green outfit because was just a fashion statement. You wanted people to remember you and then you brought the energy behind it. And I think that’s what it’s all about. And so if you can package this and help loan officers get remembered, that’s something that’s going to help you through your career.

Chris –
And I believe you’re going to be a superstar with this. But where did it all begin? How did you what was your first job? I’m curious.

Megan –
My first job I worked at Abercrombie.

Megan –
So I would spray around the room, you know, a million times a day. So I’ve always been in the people business and I’ve always liked people. I like talking to people. I think I can carry a conversation with anybody. So I think for me, just dealing with people has always been something that’s been easy. I’m a friendly gal, you know, say hi to me, and I’ll say hi back.

Megan –
And that’s actually something that was part of my personal development that I’ve worked on the past year. We have people, even some of my really good friends now when I first when they first met them, there were like, I was intimidated by you. I didn’t feel comfortable approaching you. And I took that to heart and I took it to heart even more because multiple people were saying that to me.

Megan –
And then you have to have a point of self-awareness, right? If it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it’s a duck. You know, we can’t try to pretend it’s not. And I was like, wow, that is such an unflattering characteristic because after everyone meets me and, you know, now my best friends are like, Oh, my God, I love you.

Megan –
You’re like the nicest person. But at first, I was afraid and that was something that was like, I never want someone to feel like they cannot approach me. And especially being in sales, right? How many missed opportunities that I had because someone in the elevator didn’t say hi because they may be felt intimidated by me? So that’s something I’m actively working on.

Megan –
Where now? Anytime I’m in the elevator, I say hi to everybody. Even if they don’t say hi back to me. I’m like, That’s okay. Next person. Hi, how are you? Because I want to radiate that energy. I want people to feel like they can come to me and question common concerns because I’ve been the person who’s been new, and who doesn’t know how to do things.

Megan –
And there’s nothing more comforting than being able to, like, go to someone who will, like, lead the way for you and give you tips or just give you some friendly advice when you don’t know any better.

Chris –
Well, that’s a good segue way, because, you know, when you think about being self-aware and taking feedback, whenever somebody gives me feedback and boy, does it sting, sometimes my defenses immediately come up. But then I go home and I think about it and I rest on it, I sleep on it. I’m like, I have to make a change because that person cared enough about me to give me that feedback.

Chris –
And so part of that is all with the development of self-awareness. So you, you actually did something to, to, to kind of change the perception of how people had. And honestly, I think that was the development piece because you were very welcoming when I met you. I didn’t get the sense that there was an intimidation factor whatsoever, you know, of the vibe you were giving.

Chris –
But that’s because you did something to, you know, to to to change that. So the Segway is you mentioned you mentioned something during what you were saying that caught my attention and it was around mentorship. Who took you under their wing as you were coming up to help you get the confidence? Was there anybody or was it just trial and error over time?

Megan –
That’s the thing. I didn’t really have anybody who likes took me under their wing. And that’s why now I’m so open when anyone calls me, reaches out to me on Instagram or on LinkedIn and they’re like, Hey, can I pick your brain? Even if they do the exact same thing I do for another competitor, do you want to call it?

Megan –
Because I realize, you know, everyone’s sauce is going to taste different even if you have the same ingredients because that’s just how it is. And I wish I would have had someone that I could have reached out to and then like, Hey, I just took this new role. I have no idea where to start. Like, how do I even start doing that?

Megan –
So I never had that. So now I’m very open and receptive. Any time anyone reaches out to me, especially a lot on Instagram, they’re like, Hey, like, you know, how do you did you get involved in this thing? I always give everyone the blueprint, like, here you go, take it. Let me know if you have questions. Because I would have loved to have had that for me, but that’s okay.

Chris –
So I think that there is this is so powerful and I don’t even know where to start with this. But so like three years ago, I really focused on diversity. I was looking at my phone and when I told you we talk some shit right? So I was looking at my phone on LinkedIn and I saw a company that was always posting their top performers and their top performers all look the same.

Chris –
They were all like kind of, you know, the same type of individual, right? It was a Caucasian with a jacket on, you know, they sharp, you know, good-looking people. But I was like, I never saw Latinos on that particular company’s, you know, top performer list. Right. And I was like, you know, how do we get more Latinos and more diversity?

Chris –
Because that’s what our communities look like. Yet as an industry, we don’t necessarily mirror that. And then I thought to myself, what the fuck are you doing? Like, you’re not doing anything about it, so why don’t you do something about it? And I made it a point that I was going to connect with that with the community that I, that I recognized with that I understand that I grew up with.

Chris –
And here’s what happened. I started meeting people that when we would get on the phone, their dialect, I felt like I was at home. I felt like I connected to it. And the jokes were the same. Like, I don’t care if they were born in, you know, in Arizona and I was born in Texas and or they were from California, the jokes all still landed the same.

Chris –
Right? And it was like, oh, my gosh. And what I heard from all of them was they were underappreciated, underutilized under-supported at the companies that they were with because they would walk into the room and they didn’t feel like a comfort level there. Now, I don’t think that you and I could ever really help somebody find a voice, but I think when you could build an environment where people feel safe to get their voice heard and that it’s appreciated and it’s understood, then through that comes a confidence level to start to speak up more and start to get confidence back and embrace the accent and know that it’s okay and that you’re going

Chris –
to not be looked over. You know, I’ve been in rooms. I was always young I’m not anymore, but I am only I used to always be the youngest one in a corporate setting, in a leadership role. And I remember I would say something and they would it was as if I didn’t say it at all and somebody else would say what I just said.

Megan –
And they’d be like, Oh my God, that’s a great idea. You’re like, I just said that.

Chris –
I just said that. But it wasn’t until somebody went to a class around diversity that somebody said, this happens all the time to diverse people. It’s, it’s done on purpose and subconsciously it’s done on purpose. I don’t even think the person knows that they’re doing it. It’s just a thing that we’re bypassed at times and not realizing it.

Chris –
And so you know, it’s.

Megan –
On top of that. Add another layer of being a woman, right? And then if you have a voice or you disagree, then you know you’re aggressive or you’re against. And it’s like, no, it’s like I’m just having an opinion.

Chris –
That’s it. That’s what it’s all about. And that’s why I wanted you here because there is a there’s a Latina somewhere that might be listening to this that needs to know the blueprint, as you put it, to finding that voice and to find the confidence and to not give a shit and to say it louder the next time.

Chris –
You know, I was listening to a podcast the other day of Care Cats, a helping cattery that is helping me with some branding stuff and she has a podcast and she was talking about when she was in a corporate room, she would apologize to say something. She’d say, you know, raise your hand and be like, I’m sorry, but and then say her, whatever her thought was.

Chris –
And she said, I always lead with an apology. And I didn’t really understand because we’re conditioned at times. And, you know, I know from maybe a diversity perspective, but for you as well, being a female, you know, you feel kind of weird sometimes making recommendations or comments. And it all starts with being in a safe environment. And I think we as individuals and being Latinos in the marketplace got to figure out how to continue to build safe environments for people to feel comfortable.

Chris –
How do you feel like you can contribute to that as you do this in the markets that you’re in?

Megan –
Yeah. So a big thing that I do because I’m the vice president of the Minority chapter here for the Fort Lauderdale Group. And I noticed when I first moved to South Florida, I got involved with the group right away because I was involved in the DC Metro, but I always noticed that everyone always congregated with each other that knew each other.

Megan –
And then I started seeing that observation and then me being, you know, an inclusive person and also thinking strategically, I was like, I want to grow my chapter and how do I do that? How do I get people to come back? So I, you know, called it out to everyone. And I was like, you know, we all know each other.

Megan –
So at events, we don’t need to be at the table talking to one another. We need to strategically look at the people who are on their phones by themselves because they feel awkward because they don’t know anybody here. We don’t want it to feel clicky here. So when we have our events, I don’t really want to talk to anyone because I talk to you all the time.

Megan –
We need to make this a nurturing event and have people feel welcome that they return and they come back with somebody else because they’re like, Wow, this group is really inclusive. So I always made a purpose where I would stand like in the back of the room and I would see like who was on their phone, you know, they were like, because no one was talking to them.

Megan –
And I would make a purpose, introduce myself and say, Hi, I’m Meghan. You know, I’m one of the board members of this group. Is there anyone here in particular that you came to me? Because obviously, I’m an authority in my group. So I can’t go and walk over there and pull somebody and say, hi, I need you to meet this person because they actually came to see you.

Chris –
I love what I have.

Megan –
That authority in my group where, you know, someone who doesn’t know anybody wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that. So it’s using your power to help people, right? Because we all go to events, and conferences with a purpose, or I would hope so. And if there’s someone who is running the show and there is a friend, or maybe they’re not even a friend, but they’re self-aware that this is why people come to these things.

Megan –
For we to do those interactions because they have that power and influence in the room to allow those connections to happen.

Chris –
So important and I’ll tell you this, I’m that guy on my phone in the back in the corner feeling awkward. And so keep doing what you’re doing on that. Because when I talk to people that have been part of NRF chapters that are not anymore, here’s what they tell me. It’s too clicky like that. Those people just stick together and they don’t let newbies in.

Chris –
And I think if you could give advice to local chapters that are throughout the country that might pick this up and hear this, I think the advice is to figure out a way not to be clicky. You know, make it a point to bring in new blood and new diverse ideas, because that’s the whole reason we came together. And, you know, I think that that’s a really good mechanism that you’re bringing to the table.

Megan –
You come from a place because I’ve always been the new kid, like I moved so many times when I was young, you know, because of my parents that like, I know it’s like so awkward when you’re like at these places, you don’t know anybody. You’re like, Oh, and you’re like, in your head. And then if there’s just somebody that’s comfortable with the room, there is a room that is just, you know, has enough self-awareness and just all the vulnerable kids to be like, you know, I’ve been the new kid.

Megan –
I know it’s annoying. And if you can just be that class for people like you’s making such a difference, you know, that you don’t even realize because being new and being in the unknown is not easy. But you have to give props to those people that go to rooms, you know, where they don’t know anybody and you know, are trying to break out of that.

Chris –
I love that. And that’s so true. You got to get out of your comfort level. You got to get out of your comfort zone and get to an uncomfortable place. And we as individuals who are comfortable in the rooms got to are uncomfortable approaching those that are by themselves. And I think that if we can continue to do that, we continue to grow, and will be a lot smarter in the long run.

Chris –
Tell me about I’m so curious about this. Tell me about a time in your coming up when you felt like your back was against the wall like you felt like, how am I going to get myself out of this, whether it was a financial hardship or whether it was just a time that if you look back on it now, you were like, here is the advice I would give myself is that making sense from a question perspective to you?

Megan –
Yeah, it does. And I actually just went through it, so it’s very timely. Yeah. You know, right before San Diego, basically, my life was in shambles because I had to move out of an apartment super quick. It was full of mold and was not good. And I was basically like, okay, I need to find a place to live. I have all these trips planned.

Megan –
I don’t have that much time. So I could have like my back was against the wall in the sense that stress was like up to here. I was like, We’re gonna have to repack everything, all these things I had to do. And then I could have gotten really upset and gone the route of taking, you know, my anger and frustration out to the people that put me in that situation.

Megan –
But I was like, I don’t have even the energy to dedicate to that. I need to give all my energy and figure out how I’m going to get out of this situation and pivot to my next thing. I don’t have time to give any energy to anything else, so literally, I was juggling like a million hard-working, trying to find a new place.

Megan –
I was also I’m a full-time mommy to charcoal.

Chris –
So I just had to displace. I’ve heard I’ve learned so much about this. This charcoal.

Megan –
Choco is my assistant.

Chris –
Oh, my God. Hold on. I’m trying to. I’m trying to look at him because he’s. Yeah. Oh, that is one good-looking dog.

Megan –
Little teddy bear. I call him Quito, Quito, everything. So I was super stressed, but my back was against the wall. And now that I look back at that situation, kind of talking about, I was mentioning like God and I was like the strength that I was given to get through that because some people would have crumbled, you know, cried, got you to know, crumbled in the wall and not done anything.

Megan –
Actually, that day the whole situation happened. I was like, Let me take you out for a walk, and let me look to see what buildings actually are even having rental opportunities out. So I’m walking around the dock, taking numbers, calling people to be like, Hey, I see you have some units, so you just have to be resource one. You can’t get caught in the situation and you have to think about the end goal, what you’re trying to do.

Megan –
What is yours why? Why do I want out of this situation so badly? Because I want to be in a new place. So I have to be resourceful and dedicate my energy. Even it was very little because a lot was going on too moving forward. Instead of getting caught in the disappointments and the emotions of what went wrong.

Chris –
I love it. I love it. And but but but where do you think that comes from? I mean, you know, it’s.

Megan –
For my mom. So my mom is the most resilient woman that I’ve ever met. And that, you know, also another vulnerable thing that my mom and I actually this year really rebuilt our relationship because my mom and I are very similar. And I think because we’re so similar that causes a lot of disconnects. And I think finally this year, I think it’s been a really big emotional year for me where I was like if something has to change like the chains have to break and I’m going to be the one to do that because if nothing changes, nothing changes.

Megan –
But the one thing I always admired about my mom was just her. How consistent and dedicated that woman is. You know, he went from marathon runner to bodybuilding.

Chris –
Oh, wow.

Megan –
To the many different things. And he did both. But so growing up, I always saw her like if there’s a will, there’s a way. And that’s literally he’s always been my mentality. Like there’s a will, there’s a way. If I want this bad enough, it will happen. It’s just on me to realize how much I really want. So that’s where I’ve always been.

Megan –
People always say you’re very consistent and committed to liking my workouts because in the mornings I usually post stories where I’m at the gym, super. And if I don’t post the story, people are like, Are you dad? Are you hung over? What happened? Why do you have your story up? I watched it and I feel like it. But you people, you know, they follow you, and then they notice things.

Megan –
And even when I fall off, sometimes my fitness journey, which, you know, everyone does, I maybe fall off for like two or three weeks. People notice and they’re like, I haven’t seen you going to the gym early in the morning. Or they’ll make comments like, you’ve been going in the afternoon and you’re a morning person. So people definitely notice consistency and I think that’s where I get it from, from my mom.

Chris –
Well, there’s a lot there, but I do think that we’re lucky in the sense that we grew up with hard-working parents that created, you know, a work ethic for, us and resilience that maybe we wouldn’t have had otherwise. Right. Because I think we watch and we learn and you’re like, okay, I see, I see, you know what my parents did.

Chris –
But then you said something very interesting. And this is for people who have such a hard time creating content, is that you’ll be surprised that everyone who is listening to this has an audience that wants to hear and see what they’re doing. And you’re filling a narrative gap that we want to know what you’re doing. It’s a weird thing, but, you know, if you’re working out and then you stop, we’re like, Hey, what happened?

Chris –
Because I’m watching your journey. And you’ve been entertainment from me in you know, and so for loan officers who are building not just about getting on and saying, hey, I got a two on by down or hey, you know Mary the home and date the right. It’s not about that it’s about creating an audience of people who are interested in you as a person.

Chris –
And then let’s figure.

Megan –
Out we have for more like if you’re giving updates consistently, people are going to come to your page as a source for updates. And then when you’re not giving up, they don’t like where my updates are. I don’t know what’s going on. Meghan, please. So whatever it is that you do, it just you just have to be consistent. Like it doesn’t even have to be that great.

Megan –
Like, I am not the most techie person, right? Like I do things when like my back is against a wall, like when the iPhones like you have to upgrade the software. I’m like, but I know where the emojis are now. Why do I have to date? I fall asleep, and leave the phone charged the next day it’s new. Then I figure it out.

Megan –
But you know, often I’m not a craftsperson, you know, I am a mediocre camera, right? I can put a little flower to make it cute. There are people that go all out, but that doesn’t keep me from still posting something or getting my message out. And I think that’s where sometimes people get stuck because they’re looking at like, Oh, it’s not as perfect as this or that.

Megan –
But sometimes, honestly, the highest engagement things that I post are the ones where I’m like, Ron, authentic, and I don’t even have makeup on. I’m like, What’s up, guys? Yeah, today is one of those days. It’s trying me, but we’re going to get through it, you know, and just raw things like that do way more than not doing anything at all.

Chris –
I love it. I love it. Well, let me ask you this, then. What do you want people to remember you by when you leave the room?

Megan –
That I can always be approached for a question or an introduction. Like, I always want people to remember that I am an open book. So if I can help, I will help if I can connect you to someone, they’ll get you closer to whatever you’re trying to do. That’s all I’m all about because I feel like we’re in a networking environment and so many times its one interaction that could change your life.

Megan –
So if I can do that for people, if I know somebody that you want to connect with, let me know. And I will do that introduction. You know that it’s on you, how you nurture this interaction, right? I cannot give you the interaction and nurture you, but I’m all about that. So when people meet me, I always want them to be like, Hey, I come from a place of giving value.

Megan –
Ever I can do for you, I will do. And then, you know, if in the future I happen to need something too I hope you do the same for me.

Chris –
Absolutely. I mean, that’s the core of being in a relationship and building it. But, you know, the reason I asked you that question is that truly what you just said is what every person should be asking themselves as they build their brand, what do I want people to remember me by when I leave the room?

Chris –
And does that align with my values and the brand that I want? And I’m behaving in the way that that’s going to warrant that. Right. And we’re not perfect by any means. But then does the content, what we put out into the world all align with what we want people to remember us by? And I’ll give you an example of this.

Chris –
I mean, I think, you know, whenever I’m prospecting who I want to like if you know, my job is I do something similar to you that I, I, I look for loan officers that I think I can help in the marketplace. And then I build a relationship with them and see if maybe we can work together and a lot of times I’ll look them up and I look at their Facebook and it’s riddled with just political posts and, you know, just very polarizing information that has nothing to do with their business.

Chris –
And it’s like, I don’t think we would click. I don’t I can tell by what they’re putting out into the world. It’s all negative. It’s not you know, it’s not the right fit for me. And I move on and that’s okay because I already know that this is not going to be a good fit for me. But, you know, this is why I say that I think everybody should be looking at what are they putting into the world.

Chris –
And because you’re a branding individual, this is why I asked you that, because it really kind of rolled off your tongue on everything that you wished. You know you wanted people to remember you. And by the way, spot on, you hit all those things when I met you. How do you help loan officers today? Because I think that’s the biggest thing that, you know, I want to help you with is that you’re in a market that I have nothing to do with me.

Chris –
And there’s no you know, there’s no overlap there. So I want somebody to hear this and be attracted to how you can help them. How do you help loan officers a day that might be at another company and want to come and work with you at your company?

Megan –
Right. It’s, you know, coming from that place of giving of how can I help? You know, here at home, too, we have so many resources and, you know, there are so many people like myself in other markets, right, where we sit with originators and it’s like, what are you trying to do? What is your goal? We’re trying to target?

Megan –
And it’s like, okay, let me go doorknob with you. Like, I’m in this with you, you know, okay, you want to call these people, okay, I’ll help you call these people. It’s having that helping hand and those resources to be like, we’re in this together, we’re in the trenches together. Okay, we’re going to throw this event. We’ve never really done it, but we know the idea of how that makes sense.

Megan –
If it’s a flop, we flop together and we know we’re not doing this again. But if it’s a huge success, let’s you know, imprint that in every single market. So I think, you know, when load originators connect with me or anything, I’m such a conference that’s a place of giving that I’m like, okay, here is like all the resources.

Megan –
What resonates with you? What do you like doing? And then let’s create your blueprint of how we’re going to utilize all these things and then get you from, you know, you’re $1,000,000 guy. Let’s get you to 15 million, you know, how do we do that? But we have to have a realistic standard. But also you have to be a partner with people that are truly going to be giving right and brainstorming and hitting the streets with you.

Megan –
So I’m always down to go door knocking with my of that realtor offices. I always I’m like, I’ll take the heat. If you know, you know, if you don’t feel comfortable, I’ll walk in and I’ll be like, you know? And I always try to find some common ground with people. I’ll look at the office and if it’s like, you know, their type of vibe, I’ll maybe like show up with like a little treat.

Megan –
That’d be like that kind of vibe, you know, to just kind of break the ice and, just have common ground with people. And I think when people realize that we’re just people, we have things in common, that’s when the barriers come down. It’s like humans here, what’s up? It’s talk. It’s not a good time. Okay, let me know when I can come up.

Megan –
And you know, it doesn’t have to be anything more than that.

Chris –
Are you where is what do you think that comes from in terms of this fearlessness of walking into a realtor’s office and just being able to buy because, believe it or not, 90% of L.A. is it will listen to this, are terrified of doing that? Where do you think that fearlessness comes from?

Megan –
I’m I don’t know. I guess maybe because, in my younger years, I wasn’t confident doing those things. And now I just know that the worst thing that someone can say is now and you’re just like, how do you?

Chris –
Think you weren’t confident? I’m curious about that. Why do you think when you look back at what.

Megan –
We did, I didn’t realize that what made me a difference is really my strength. So it took time to like get to that place that now, like, rejection doesn’t really phase me. It’s like, okay, you said now, okay, talk soon. It doesn’t shatter my world. It’s not like, Oh my God, am I not good enough? Or Oh, my God you know, it has nothing to do with me at all.

Megan –
Has to do with that. Maybe they just weren’t ready to receive my message at this time. Okay. You know, it’s not non-offense taken, it’s just like, okay.

Chris –
Cool. Yeah, right onto the next thing.

Megan –
I’m going to see you next week anyway because I run this town.

Chris –
So that’s it. It’s that kind of stuff.

Megan –
It’s like, I know you don’t have to talk to me, but right now is not a good time. I respect it.

Chris –
But let me kind of dissect that real quickly, because most people miss this. When you decide, this is my corner, this is my stomping ground if you will. And if you roll in mind my stomping ground, you’re going to know me. You’re going to do an open house in my territory.

Chris –
You’re going to know me. And if you can do this over time, it’s awkward at first, but you’re the 10th time in and it’s just that. It’s like, Hey, it’s all good, but you’re doing an open house in my neighborhood. You’re going to know who I am. So we may as well be friends at some point, right? But it’s having that layer of confidence.

Chris –
I think a lot of people are missing right now. And right now it’s so important to get out of your comfort zone, because when this market turns back, people are going to remember who was out there making, you know, shaking hands and creating relationships.

Megan –
Right. Now’s the time to plan. Plan, plant, plant, plant. So then, you know, once we can look back at this, we have palm trees all around it.

Chris –
That’s going to be a clip. I can’t wait. Right now is a time to plant because there will be palm trees. I love that. So, Megan, what would you tell yourself? You’re ten. You’re your 20-year-old self. If you can give yourself advice, what would it be?

Megan –
Just keep going. You know, I think it’s very cliche, but it’s always, you know when it gets the hardest is when you’re going to come to your peak. So it’s like when you feel like you have no more give, that’s when you have to get that superhuman strength or ask God for that extra juice and just know that that hardship is temporary.

Megan –
And then you’re going to get back and look at it and be like, Oh my God, I overcame that. But you just have to know that you have to push it in your gut. You feel like This is my calling, this is what I’m supposed to be doing. You can’t let the external noise get in the way and you just have to be tunnel vision and just push.

Megan –
Because, you know, victory is always within the mile when it’s getting hard. And then and then once you go over that hump, you see the result. You’re like, Wow, I did it.

Chris –
I, I love it. And I think that that’s exactly true because you will be surprised what happens to your human self when you think that there’s no more to give and you change your mind that there is. And what happens, the resiliency that happens with that is just remarkable. And I think a lot of people are going to be going through that right now because of the market’s shifting.

Chris –
We’re dealing with seven-and-a-half percent rates. And, you know, people are like they just don’t know what they’re going to do. They don’t know what their next deal is going to be. And they’re not used to this. And I think that your giving that advice to plant the seeds now and know that you have resilience is going to be hugely beneficial to anybody who listens and takes that advice.

Chris –
Now let’s look into the future. Where do you want to be in ten years?

Megan –
And ten years? Where do I want to be? I want to be married with kids. I love that Chuka wants to live in a penthouse. Maybe that’s I think that’s what telco wants to be nice. But I also want to continue and, you know, just helping people build their brand. Right. And maybe it’s at a place where I get, you know, within my company or that becomes even my own little division or something like that.

Megan –
But, you know, I think especially sometimes in our industry, because our industry is so sales are driven, right? It’s like this allows the deal gets a closing and I think sometimes, you know, marketing doesn’t get, you know, maybe as much attention as it needs, or sometimes it’s like, well, everyone can be a marketing person and it’s like, oh, you know, just like not everyone can structure a really good deal, you know, it’s kind of the same thing.

Megan –
So, you know, maybe it’s, you know, just creating a bigger brand, you know, for a home team and having my own little thing where, you know, we really kind of do like a branding boot camp that people really understand that it’s like, you know, people do business who they like and they trust. And it doesn’t matter what company you’re with that, you know, you’re powered by somebody, but your clients, your realtors are coming for you.

Megan –
So you just have to figure out who you are. What’s your value proposition, and be consistent with it? And then that’s where you, you know, you start connecting with the right people. You know, sometimes maybe you’re like, I don’t want to be dealing with these clients. And it’s like, it’s your content, you know, attracting who you want to attract.

Megan –
No. If all you’re talking about is down payment assistance and but you’re trying to be larger able. That’s two things are not correlating it it’s just being really clear about what you want and being consistent.

Chris –
I love that. And let me just say this. If I get to loan officers, one is known in the marketplace as the person that gets it done. They all the guidelines, they’re the encyclopedia. They’re where deals go and nobody can get the deal done. Every community has one. But then I put somebody who knows how to use the phone.

Chris –
And how are the mechanics of building a brand through tik-tok and through Instagram? I’ll bet on the person with the phone before. I bet on the person with no marketing. I think marketing is key in this business. I think and here’s a really good example, every community, every realtor in most communities will say, I won’t use rock it, but rather.

Megan –
The phrase is marketing, right?

Chris –
The market is a rocket and is the number one lender in the country when it comes to purchases. So your realtors, my realtors, everyone’s using them, right? Because they marketed to everyone. And so if you can market if I can pull up my phone and meet you on Facebook and Instagram without ever meeting you, my chances of using you skyrocket.

Chris –
And I think that that’s where when you look at what the future of what Megan’s going to be doing, I would love Megan for you to continue down that path because you’re good at it. I know that you said a while. Maybe my cup. Make your company do it. Created and build it and build the boot camp and just start doing it.

Chris –
Because I think that’s where the value is going to be. And you’ll take loan officers from X and take them the Y in one of the hardest markets I know with your personality and with what you have done so far, you’re going to take Lowe’s to the next level. And I can’t wait to be there to watch you do it.

Chris –
I’m glad we’re friends. I’ve learned so much from you and I want you in my circle because I feel like I can learn from you. I would love for you to just, like, take my brand and rip it to shreds and say, Chris, here’s where you’re off, and here’s what you need to be doing. Because I’m a sponge for that kind of stuff, but I’ll.

Megan –
Give you a compliment. So I love your videos, you add captions because I always tell people that I was like, we are one in a video world too. Half the time when I’m watching videos, I can’t have the audio on. I’m like walking the dog or whatever, and then the message gets lost because I can’t hear it.

Megan –
So having subtitles in your videos. Thank you. That’s your message. Still captured versus losing someone that can hear what you’re saying. So you’re doing that amazingly. Every time I see your videos, I, like to read what you’re saying. Yeah.

Chris –
Oh, thank you. That is amazing. And I appreciate that I never thought I you know, you kind of just get into the mix of it and you don’t even think about it’s like, but that’s why I do it because I don’t I can never watch. I’m like, I want to know what they’re saying. It looks really fun, but I have no idea.

Megan –
You’re like, I can’t hear that, but if you can just read it.

Chris –
Yeah, yes, I love it. Well, I can’t thank you more for your busy. I know you’re busy. This is a Friday. I appreciate you taking time away from your busy schedule to be here today. And it means so much to me. And I hope, I hope. And that we’ve been able to touch, even if it’s just one person, to give them a little bit of confidence that they didn’t have yesterday.

Chris –
And then you and I have served a purpose by giving back today. So thank you for being a part of my breakthrough series. I’m so proud of what you’re doing and I can’t wait to see it because I think you’re going to do ten times what you just said you think you’re going to do in ten years.

Megan –
I love you. Thank you so much for having me. When you asked me in San Diego, I was like, I’m on. You probably thought I was going to like maybe flake and be like.

Chris –
No, you know, I didn’t think you would fake it, which is why I asked you. But I had to ask you because, you know, like I didn’t I waited. Two people were gone because I didn’t want it to be like, why is he just asking her to do it? And it’s because you came out with fire. But you when we were talking about the church thing and somebody challenged you on something, you thought about it and you’re like, I’m doing it.

Chris –
And I was like, she if she makes a commitment, she’ll do it. So I, I really feel like you’re, you’re a woman of your word. And I have a daughter who is 26 years old. And I was talking to the day like, you got to surround yourself with the people who are going to uplift you. And she was like.

Megan –
People are doing bigger things than you, right? Yes. Where you learn, you get inspired, and then again, you see someone’s blueprint and then you’re like that. I can tweak that to my style, but you always have to be around people a level above you so you can reach higher heights.

Chris –
That’s exactly it. And I and I told myself, like I, remember asking her, like, this is these are the type people you want to hang out with and you got to be meeting with. Like you got to have like big sisters in your corner, right? Like mentors in your corner. And the reason another reason why I wanted you to do this was that I wanted to really, you know, hit her demographic and her as a person and say, I may not have all those things, but I’m working towards that.

Chris –
And here’s why I could be when I’m, you know, ten years from now or whatever. And that’s who that’s our audience, right? That’s who we want to get the Latinas of the world who are looking to take their business and their self-esteem and everything to that next level and think that we’re helping do it one by one. So thank you for you being here today.

Chris –
It means the world to me. And where do people find you? So Miss Stinky is on Instagram.

Megan –
And then Megan’s safe thing on Facebook. Megan Thing on a link in my email is a thing at home team dash MTV dot com and I’m pretty visible on all those channels so you’re looking for me. You’ll find me.

Chris –
If you’re a loan officer sitting in Miami, connect with Megan because she can help you. So I, Megan, can’t. I can’t thank you anymore. Thank you for being here today. And guys, thank you for listening. This is the Breakthrough Series and this is Megan Finke and Chris Martin. Have a wonderful day.

Megan –
Bye bye.