March 17, 2025 • 28 mins
Wendy shares her incredible journey, rising to senior roles in hospitality brokerage. She explains how she’s overcoming her fear of public speaking, and why champions are critical to career success. She discusses how she built her extensive network and the tip she received from a champion for staying positive when things get hard.
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Episode Transcript
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Lan Elliott (00:00):
Hello and welcome to It's Personal Stories, a
hospitality podcast.
My name is Lan Elliott on behalfof It's Personal Stories.
And today's guest advisor isWendy Blissett, Senior Vice
President of HREC InvestmentAdvisors.
And Wendy, I'm so pleased tohave you on today.
Welcome to the show.
Wendy Blissett (00:21):
Thank you.
Thanks so much for having me.
It's definitely a pleasure to behere.
Lan Elliott (00:26):
Very happy to have you on.
I've heard a little bit of yourstory.
It's fascinating.
So I'd love to hear some of theinflection points in your career
and if you think there were anyparticular factors that
contributed to your success.
Wendy Blissett (00:45):
Oh my gosh, where do I start?
For me, I think inflectionpoints probably the biggest one
for me was just simply startingin this industry.
I Didn't plan to be a broker.
I didn't know anything abouthospitality industry.
It just fell.
Into me, in terms of I wasneeding a job and interviewed at
a hotel brokerage firm early onand I I've been here ever since.
(01:09):
It definitely is being in theindustry is one of the things,
just that first contact withunderstanding what real estate
hospitality was about.
I think the, there's severalinflection factors, I think that
I can think of right off thetop.
I think the second one wasactually becoming a broker.
When I joined the industry, Iwasn't a broker.
Obviously, I started at thebottom and worked my way up.
(01:31):
But becoming a broker wasdefinitely a big deal for me.
And probably the third one wasprobably doing my first deal all
by myself.
Always had great peoplesurrounding me that, helped me
get to where I was going.
But being able to land thatfirst deal by yourself is pretty
exciting.
So those would probably be thebiggest ones for me.
Lan Elliott (01:53):
And I know you said you didn't go to school to be a
broker, so it was a bit byaccident that you became a
broker, but there were a fewchampions that you had that
really advocated for you alongthe way.
I wanted to talk about that, butfor our viewers who may be,
aren't familiar with thedifference between a mentor and
(02:15):
a champion.
I think mentors are wellunderstood.
They give you advice, butchampions are those people who
push you to take on newchallenges, support you and are
the ones that speak up for youin the rooms that you're not in
that give people opportunities.
Those things happen behindclosed doors.
So having champions in yourcorner can be really.
(02:36):
important.
And I know you've had a fewchampions in your journey, and
you mentioned a few inflectionpoints, but I think there are
some important ones that werepart of that.
Wendy Blissett (02:48):
Absolutely.
Oh my gosh I have been soblessed to have as many
champions as I have had.
When I started out in theindustry, obviously not planning
to be in this industry at all.
Worked at a hotel brokerage firmfor about five and a half years.
And during that time met KeithThompson, Al Calhoun and Mark
Fair.
We all worked at the samebrokerage firm.
(03:09):
And then I left for a briefstint for about two years, got
out of the industry, ended upcoming back into the industry
because they called me back whenthey started Thompson Calhoun
Fair.
In 2005 and from that pointforward they were my biggest
advocates.
They pushed me.
They taught me things.
They pretty much pushed me intoeverything, teaching me all
aspects of the business.
(03:30):
Also had Leslie Ng.
I met him early on in, in thebusiness.
And he pretty much justchampioned me, from afar, just
encouraging me to do things andSo it's been really good.
I've had really good peoplepretty much pushing me.
And I wouldn't be where I amtoday without, definitely
without Keith, Al, and Mark.
They really taught me everythingI know.
So I'm going to give them allthe praise and the shout out
(03:52):
which is great.
But It was great.
I, again, I didn't know anythingwhen I started this business.
And I think, one of the thingswe'll probably get into in a
little bit is how I got into thebusiness and where I was going
first.
And we'll share a little bitmore about that.
But it definitely is soimportant to have champions in
your corner, because even whenyou don't believe in yourself,
they believe in you.
And I think that's the biggestpart.
(04:14):
They saw my abilities in thisindustry before I saw them in
myself.
Lan Elliott (04:19):
Is there a good way to go about finding champions?
How does one cultivatechampions?
Wendy Blissett (04:26):
Oh my gosh, I wish I had the answer for that.
I think I just was in a positionwhere I was surrounded by these
men that wanted that, thatwanted to mentor somebody and
that, that saw the potential inme I think if you don't have
that, if it's not organic, itwas organic for me because of,
we worked in the same office forfive and a half years, they saw
(04:49):
my talents, I worked underneaththem, so they saw what I was
capable of, but if you, If it'snot organic, I think I think you
have to ask for it.
I think you have to advocate foryourself.
Not everybody may not have achampion.
Or, or may not have thatopportunity.
Where somebody is coming to you.
And pushing you to do somethingyou then have to turn around and
(05:10):
find somebody that you think youmight want to have as a mentor
or a champion and you have to goand ask them.
I think that's the, youdefinitely have to be an
advocate for yourself.
If somebody's not alreadyadvocating for you.
Lan Elliott (05:23):
Thank you.
Let's talk a little bit aboutovercoming self doubt because
often we can be our own.
biggest critics and that noisein our heads makes us doubt
ourselves.
Have you ever hesitated inpursuing something because of
self doubt?
And if so, how did you overcomethat?
What do you have for others whoare struggling?
Wendy Blissett (05:46):
Let's start with the self doubt.
I think my biggest fear ispublic speaking.
This is, not normal for me.
And I think over the years I'vedone a few things to put myself
out there in that regard.
But I don't know that I've gotthe answer in terms of how I've
overcome that.
I don't think I've done enoughof it in order to really get
(06:08):
over that for me.
But I think the answer is simplyyou just got to get out there
and do it, whatever that fearis, that is overtaking you for
that, whatever, whatever thatmay be for somebody for me, it's
public speaking I think you haveto, I think you just have to do
it more, I think you have to bewilling to jump right in and
take that time to do it.
(06:29):
Do it so that then you're itgets a little bit easier the
more you do it I am not i'm nota public speaker I think i've
always wanted to be up on thisstage and You know give my
opinions from a brokeragestandpoint and those type of
things but at the same time.
I mean I it is it that's mythat's where i'm You know, the
(06:50):
least comfortable, so I'm stillworking on that.
So
Lan Elliott (06:54):
I love that.
I do think you do in a sense,public speaking all the time in
your job, right?
You're always pitching toclients to say, let me sell your
hotel pitching to owners as towhy a hotel you're marketing is
a great deal.
So in a sense, you are publicspeaking all the time, but I
think there is that perceptionof being on stage that it is so
(07:18):
much more scary.
And I think you're right.
When you do things that arechallenging at the beginning,
you do it over and over, it getseasier.
And I think sometimes we justgotta tell ourselves To move
forward.
I think that's been one of yourhallmarks that your champions
have seen is your willingness tojump in and just try stuff even
(07:39):
when it's new for you.
Wendy Blissett (07:41):
Absolutely.
I think I remember working withKeith Allen Mark and real
interesting time when, rightwhen I joined back with them in
2005 or not 2005 in 2001.
I came back to work for them asa broker's assistant.
And that was in August and inSeptember, 9, 11 happened.
(08:03):
And, obviously the whole worldshut down and we ended up they
ended up, having to let somepeople go which was obviously
unfortunate, but they kept meand I was the last one in they
kept me and, and one otherperson.
I had to learn how to doeverything.
At that point in time, I took onmany roles but they were always
(08:25):
there helping me.
I didn't know how to run afinancial analysis, but they
taught me how to run a financialanalysis.
I had to jump right in and doit.
And so again, it goes back tothe importance of having those
people that believe in you,because obviously they believed
in me enough to keep me when Iwas the last one in.
I knew my abilities and mytalents, even when I may not
have had that confidence myself.
(08:46):
It was just a huge blessing thatthey saw in me, my potential,
even when I didn't.
And I think that's one of theimportant things that people
need to see is even when youdon't believe in yourself,
there's always going to besomebody out there that sees.
What you're capable of even whenyou may not be able to see it
and you just have to be able toSee that person and allow that
(09:08):
person to come in and be thatchampion for you
Lan Elliott (09:13):
It has led you to do things that maybe you didn't
think you were ever going to doYou thought that was for
somebody else right by thembelieving in you, but also in
you going Okay, I'm going togive it a shot if you believe I
can do it.
I'm gonna Get on that stage, orI'm going to take on that new
(09:33):
project or role that I've neverdone before.
But I think it's a testament towhat we can all accomplish when
people believe in us.
It's really incredible.
Wendy Blissett (09:43):
Absolutely.
Lan Elliott (09:44):
Flipping the script to the other side when you need
to advocate for yourself.
And there's a common generalGeneralization that women and
some folks in underrepresentedgroups don't always do a good
job of advocating forthemselves.
And that can be a barrier tocreating new opportunities and
(10:08):
getting a chance to do differentthings.
Could you share a story about atime when you successfully
advocated for yourself?
How did you approach it?
What steps do you, did you takeand what advice do you have for
others who are trying to dosomething like that?
Wendy Blissett (10:23):
I keep going back to the very beginning of my
career because it was so pivotalfor me, but the biggest story
that I had is out of collegeI've always loved fashion always
thought I was going to be in thefashion industry, worked my way
in the fashion industry duringcollege.
Just absolutely loved it thoughtI was going to be a shoe buyer
for neiman marcus I mean I justmade that up when I was 15 or
whatever but ran with that andalways thought I would get to
(10:44):
that point.
And out of college.
Obviously, I was not going to bea shoe buyer for neiman marcus.
I ended up just responding to anad for a Executive assistant
position in a hotel brokeragefirm and went in sat down.
I'll never forget.
It was at the JW Marriott andBuckhead here in Atlanta.
And I sat down with the CFO andthe president of the company,
(11:08):
and I just had to sell myself.
Cause I didn't even know whathotel brokerage was much less
what I would be doing oranything along those lines.
And it was funny cause one ofthem wanted to hire me, but the
other one didn't.
And thankfully the one thatwanted to hire me went out and
I've been in the business eversince.
(11:28):
But it's just I had, it was amindset for me.
I had to sit down at that momentand say, okay, I have no clue
what the job really entails.
I didn't know how to write aletter on, type out a letter, an
executive letter, any of thosetype of things.
I had to just sell myself onwhat I was capable of learning
and that I would be able to dothe things that they needed me
(11:49):
to do, even though they clearlyknew that I didn't have a clue
what I was talking about or whatI was doing.
But sorry, excuse me, but I wasable to sell myself and my
ability to learn.
And that was the biggest thing.
So I advocated for myself thatday.
I sat down and I said, I don'tknow anything about this
industry, but I know enoughabout myself and my ability to
(12:11):
be able to learn whatever you'rewilling to teach me.
And that was, that's probablythe biggest the biggest one for
me, because that changed thetrajectory of my whole career.
Again, thinking I was going tobe in fashion and then ended up
here.
And if I wouldn't have had thatmeeting and I wouldn't have
taken that step to go in thereand try something that I didn't
have a clue what I was doing,then I wouldn't, I wouldn't be
(12:32):
here today in this industry.
We're not going to say how manyyears later, but it's but yeah
it's all about taking that.
Taking that leap of faith inyourself and being able to sit
down and advocate in terms ofhaving steps to do it.
I didn't really have any steps.
I just went in there and knew Ihad to sell myself.
I had to believe in myself and Ihad to sell myself on my
abilities and what I was capableof learning.
(12:54):
If somebody was willing to teachme,
Lan Elliott (12:57):
if you were to do it again what would you do?
Would you prepare in advance?
What advice would you give forpeople who are getting ready to
advocate for themselves?
Wendy Blissett (13:08):
I think preparation obviously is always
going to be helpful.
I think preparing learning alittle bit about the industry.
If I would have been smarterback then, I probably would
have, probably Googled what,what is hotel brokerage?
Learned a little bit about theindustry before I walked in the
door blind, not knowinganything.
So I definitely thinkpreparation is key.
(13:28):
I think the more you can learnabout what you're about to go
into, the, the better you areand probably the more confidence
then you will have in yourselfas well as your ability to be
able to talk about it.
So definitely, I think preparingand, again, I think the biggest
thing is the mindset that youhave.
And then obviously preparinghelps tremendously.
(13:50):
So if I could have gone back, Iprobably would have done those
things.
Lan Elliott (13:55):
Yes, and back then we didn't have linked in, but
now that right tool, if you'repreparing for a job interview
to, to, and also
Wendy Blissett (14:03):
the ability to, and also the ability to be able
to, if you know somebody in thatindustry, pick up the phone and
don't be afraid to call thatperson and.
And ask them, Hey what can youtell me about this industry?
What do you know?
Are there people that you canconnect me with that are doing
the same position, that I'mapplying for?
And so be able to reach out, ifyou have connections or and try
(14:24):
to find those ways where you cangain more information and
insight.
That's
Lan Elliott (14:29):
really good advice.
I wanted to talk a little bitabout self care because
brokerage involves.
a lot of travel.
How do you manage self care inthe midst of everything that you
need to juggle?
And are there things that you doto ensure that you show up with
(14:54):
your best self?
Wendy Blissett (14:56):
I think I've learned over the years I think I
know myself pretty well andbeing able to understand,
physically and mentally when youneed to back off of something or
when you need to step away fromsomething.
I'm one of those people thatjust fly by the seat of my
pants.
I'm always going.
I feel like I'm a very social,so I'm always craving that
(15:20):
social interaction with otherpeople.
So I'm not one that needs toreally decompress or have that
alone time.
But what I do need to do issometimes I just need to step
away.
If there's maybe a difficult dayor maybe a difficult deal that
I'm having, I need to be able towalk outside and take a, take a
break and go for a walk with thedogs or maybe it's when I need
(15:42):
to go to the gym.
Self care for me is being aroundmy friends.
I, that's I get filled to thetank being with my people, so to
speak.
My family going to the gym,you'll have to play tennis.
But I have learned the abilityof knowing when I need to just
step away.
And, take that break, whateverthat is, or whatever I have time
(16:03):
for in that moment.
And so that's been reallyhelpful for me.
And when we're out and we'retraveling and at conferences, I
know when I need to stay in theroom, maybe, and just take a
break from something or go downto the gym or go out for a walk
or.
So even when you're traveling,you can find ways and times to
do those things when you needthat mental and that physical
(16:24):
break from whatever it is thatyou're doing.
Lan Elliott (16:30):
The things that I always notice from you is that
you're very positive in general,and I'm curious Because
brokerage can be hard.
It can be a long road,especially the last few years.
It's been difficult.
How do you stay motivated?
How do you stay so positive?
Is it just comes natural,naturally to you?
(16:51):
Or is it just part of how youapproach things?
Wendy Blissett (16:56):
I think for the most part, I'm a positive
person.
I remember back in my earlieryears in the brokerage world, I
remember it was funny because itwas Al Calhoun of all people
that said this to me.
He's when something happens whenthe deal's about to blow up or
when something's going on, Ijust keep on walking and just
keep on moving.
And that kind of alwaysresonated with me I didn't allow
(17:17):
whatever that was to stop me orI just tried to see the good in
the situation Tried to pull thegood out of it because there's
always good even in badsituations There's always good
and so being able to see or holdon to that little bit glimmer of
whatever that good is Keeps youmotivated to move on I think
(17:38):
that's just always worked forme.
Brokerage is hard and deals fallapart and things go sideways.
And I think just being able tosee the good and wherever you
are in that process allows youto go.
Go forward and keep making thenext step.
So for me, it comes naturally,but it's also just trying to
(17:58):
find that good, that littlepiece of good in the situation,
even though it doesn't look likethere's any, so
Lan Elliott (18:05):
that intentionality of trying to find the positive
and find a good as such animportant skill, cause it does
help you to.
Be more persistent and moreresilient to be able to find the
good, even if you're in a badsituation and your deal's
falling apart, to be able to beintent to find either a way
(18:28):
forward or some positive thingout of that.
That's really wonderful.
That's a skill I could have useda lot earlier.
Let's shift gears a bit and talkabout developing a network
because.
That can be a bit daunting for alot of people.
(18:49):
I think a lot of people, whenthey think of developing a
network, the first idea theythink of is walking into that
industry cocktail party, whichcan be very intimidating.
But hospitality is really thekind of industry where people
stay in it for a long time andyou develop friendships through
the years.
And although we haven't knowneach other a long time, we have
(19:11):
a lot of friends.
Friends in common, and that'sthe industry.
It's usually one, maybe twodegrees of separation.
I'm curious how you've builtyour network in a way that's
authentic to you.
Wendy Blissett (19:24):
I think this industry is amazing.
It, and I'll do a sidestep for asecond, but my husband asked me
a couple of weeks ago, he waslike, if you had, and I don't
know where he even came up withthis.
It was like, if you had 20million in the bank, what would
you do tomorrow?
And I said, I would still sellhotels.
I would still work in thehospitality industry.
(19:45):
And, he's not surprised by that,but I would it's the people.
And, early on, I developed goodfriendships With obviously, the
people that were championing me,but also my co workers and then
the network that you get whenyou go into these conferences
and stuff.
And I remember going in to myvery first conference.
(20:07):
And I had met.
She had worked with us in the,at when I, she did a brief stand
at JLL as a broker for a coupleof years and I was there and got
the opportunity to meet with herand we became friends from that
point forward.
And she left and went back toWest want, and I remember going
to that first conference and shewas the only woman that I knew.
And, I.
(20:29):
Didn't have the confidence atthat time to just walk up to a
group of people and say, Hey,I'm Wendy Blissett and I sell
hotels.
I just, I wasn't that personback then.
And so she was amazing for mebecause she allowed me to shadow
her in these first conferences.
And I just literally followedher and was at her right hand
(20:51):
side and she introduced me topeople and so that network began
really because of her and sheintroduced me to so many people
and allowed me to grow from thatperspective.
And then at that point, I had mynetwork and then kept growing
it.
And then over the years, myclients that I sold hotels to
the buyers became, friends.
(21:11):
Because we've been doingbusiness together for so many
years and I've, I know theirfamilies it is just amazing that
this industry.
It's just all about the people.
And I think if you just findthat person that helps you and
Durain was that for me, Durainhelped me get over that,
insecurity that I had, but nowI've got this huge network.
(21:32):
So if you don't feel comfortablewalking into a group of people,
on your own.
And there are some people thatdo.
And I think that's amazing.
I wasn't that.
But if you don't, then find thatperson that will introduce you
and allow you to build on theirnetwork.
Because there's always peopleout there, like all these people
that I've mentioned before, thatare wanting to champion somebody
(21:53):
and they're wanting to mentorsomebody.
And you could be that person andyou just have to ask if they're
not, again, if you're not, if itdoesn't come organically, then.
With relationships, then youneed to ask and because there's
always people willing to helpand introduce you to people and
that's how you build yournetwork.
You've got to get out there andyou've got to just, you've got
to shake the hands of people.
(22:13):
You don't know.
And you've got to find thatperson that will introduce you
to somebody that you don't know.
And then it just keeps buildingafter that.
And, now, as a result, I can saysome of my closest friends there
because I'm in this industry andit is just a great network.
Lan Elliott (22:31):
It is a wonderful industry for getting it really
is.
I think I didn't appreciate howunique that aspect is because
people tend to find hospitalityand stay for decades for their
entire career.
It's not as if you have peoplethat come in and then they go to
a different industry afterwards.
(22:51):
There are not.
A lot of that in our industry, Ithink, and because people stay,
you have the ability to see themagain and again in different
eras of their life as people gofrom different jobs.
And it's wonderful to see peoplewho are ahead of you, who
progress those people who gaveyou the chance, who let you be
(23:14):
the fly on the wall and took youaround.
But also the people that youmentor, maybe the.
person who was your analyst whenthey first came out of school,
you get to see them thriving inthe industry.
And it's wonderful that we cankeep these friendships for a
really long time.
Wendy Blissett (23:31):
It is.
It truly is.
Lan Elliott (23:34):
Wendy, we are coming up towards the end.
So I wanted to ask you two lastquestions.
The first one is one of ourfavorites here on the podcast is
what advice would you give toyour younger self?
And I think you and I talkedabout the fact that this advice
changes over time.
(23:55):
I actually think it doesn't justchange.
over years.
It might change on weeks or yourmood, but I do think self
reflection is such an importantaspect of growth.
I'm curious what you would sayto your 22 year old self.
Wendy Blissett (24:11):
Oh goodness.
I think it goes back to yourconfidence and you have to
believe in yourself.
I think for me, I had champions,people that came along that
believed in me.
More than I believed in myself.
And I think if I would have hadthat confidence in myself very
(24:32):
early on I could have probablygotten to where I was a lot
faster.
But going back to your questionof, 22, I wasn't even in this
industry yet.
But I think being able.
To see opportunities that youmay not explore.
That would be what I would tellmyself.
I was I think, tunnel focusedabout being in the fashion
industry.
(24:53):
That I didn't explore any otheropportunities and obviously
hotel brokerage came along and Ididn't even know what hotel
brokerage was.
So if you explore and you maybe.
Get out of that, comfort zone ofwhere you think all of your
talents and your abilities lieand be able to look at maybe
some opportunities to exploredifferent career paths that
(25:15):
maybe you wouldn't have eventhought about that can open a
door.
For somebody like it did for me.
I didn't, again, I didn'texplore.
I wish I would have at thatpoint in time, but I was just
fortunate enough to answer an adand ended up being in this
industry as a result of it.
And it's been the greatestthing.
Exploring, I think is what Iwould tell myself, be able to
(25:37):
just explore those.
It's, maybe something thatyou've never even heard of do
some research, explore and findand find different avenues that
maybe you wouldn't think thatyou would be good at because you
might end up actually beingreally good at it.
Lan Elliott (25:52):
And I think it is the shoe buyers loss that you
found this industry.
I'm glad you found hospitalityinstead.
Wendy Blissett (26:02):
Yes I think the shoe industry still benefits
from me.
So just financially, though, sothat's good.
So
Lan Elliott (26:12):
I have to admit, I also love shoes.
So I totally get it.
Wendy Blissett (26:16):
Yeah.
Lan Elliott (26:17):
One last question.
So Wendy, you've sharedwonderful stories from your
career and the learnings you hadalong the way.
Do you have one final nugget ofadvice you can offer to our
audience who are looking toadvance their careers?
Wendy Blissett (26:34):
I think find that person, find that champion.
That has been the greatestblessing for me in this
industry.
And then in my career, fine,that champion, that mentor, that
person that's going to push you,encourage you, teach you to to
(26:56):
do something that you haven'tdone before, or maybe get you to
that next level where you wantto go, find your champion.
And if it doesn't comenaturally, ask for it.
Go ask for someone to be thatchampion for you.
There's always people that arewanting to champion other
people, that are wanting to seeother people succeed.
And especially in this industryI think it's just such a great
(27:18):
industry.
You always have people lookingto encourage you, promote you.
I started out, as an analyst, asan executive assistant, worked
my way up as an analyst and allthe way through.
But it was because I had thosechampions.
And so I think people are yourbiggest advocate and they can
help promote you and help yougain the confidence that you
(27:39):
need to get you where you wantto go.
Lan Elliott (27:42):
I love that.
This is an incredibly generous.
industry.
And if you're not finding thatwhere you are, it might be an
opportunity to look around you.
And maybe they might be inanother part of your company or
maybe they might be in adifferent company.
But I love that advice andwonderful advice.
Thank you so much, Wendy.
(28:03):
Really appreciate it.
Thank
Wendy Blissett (28:04):
you.
This is fun.
Thank you.
Really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much
Lan Elliott (28:09):
for our audience.
If you've enjoyed thisconversation with Wendy, I hope
you'll go to our website.
It's personal stories.
where you can learn about moreindustry leaders and their
career journeys.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to It's Personal Stories, a
hospitality podcast.
My name is Lan Elliott on behalfof It's Personal Stories.
And today's guest advisor isWendy Blissett, Senior Vice
President of HREC InvestmentAdvisors.
And Wendy, I'm so pleased tohave you on today.
Welcome to the show.
Wendy Blissett (00:21):
Thank you.
Thanks so much for having me.
It's definitely a pleasure to behere.
Lan Elliott (00:26):
Very happy to have you on.
I've heard a little bit of yourstory.
It's fascinating.
So I'd love to hear some of theinflection points in your career
and if you think there were anyparticular factors that
contributed to your success.
Wendy Blissett (00:45):
Oh my gosh, where do I start?
For me, I think inflectionpoints probably the biggest one
for me was just simply startingin this industry.
I Didn't plan to be a broker.
I didn't know anything abouthospitality industry.
It just fell.
Into me, in terms of I wasneeding a job and interviewed at
a hotel brokerage firm early onand I I've been here ever since.
(01:09):
It definitely is being in theindustry is one of the things,
just that first contact withunderstanding what real estate
hospitality was about.
I think the, there's severalinflection factors, I think that
I can think of right off thetop.
I think the second one wasactually becoming a broker.
When I joined the industry, Iwasn't a broker.
Obviously, I started at thebottom and worked my way up.
(01:31):
But becoming a broker wasdefinitely a big deal for me.
And probably the third one wasprobably doing my first deal all
by myself.
Always had great peoplesurrounding me that, helped me
get to where I was going.
But being able to land thatfirst deal by yourself is pretty
exciting.
So those would probably be thebiggest ones for me.
Lan Elliott (01:53):
And I know you said you didn't go to school to be a
broker, so it was a bit byaccident that you became a
broker, but there were a fewchampions that you had that
really advocated for you alongthe way.
I wanted to talk about that, butfor our viewers who may be,
aren't familiar with thedifference between a mentor and
(02:15):
a champion.
I think mentors are wellunderstood.
They give you advice, butchampions are those people who
push you to take on newchallenges, support you and are
the ones that speak up for youin the rooms that you're not in
that give people opportunities.
Those things happen behindclosed doors.
So having champions in yourcorner can be really.
(02:36):
important.
And I know you've had a fewchampions in your journey, and
you mentioned a few inflectionpoints, but I think there are
some important ones that werepart of that.
Wendy Blissett (02:48):
Absolutely.
Oh my gosh I have been soblessed to have as many
champions as I have had.
When I started out in theindustry, obviously not planning
to be in this industry at all.
Worked at a hotel brokerage firmfor about five and a half years.
And during that time met KeithThompson, Al Calhoun and Mark
Fair.
We all worked at the samebrokerage firm.
(03:09):
And then I left for a briefstint for about two years, got
out of the industry, ended upcoming back into the industry
because they called me back whenthey started Thompson Calhoun
Fair.
In 2005 and from that pointforward they were my biggest
advocates.
They pushed me.
They taught me things.
They pretty much pushed me intoeverything, teaching me all
aspects of the business.
(03:30):
Also had Leslie Ng.
I met him early on in, in thebusiness.
And he pretty much justchampioned me, from afar, just
encouraging me to do things andSo it's been really good.
I've had really good peoplepretty much pushing me.
And I wouldn't be where I amtoday without, definitely
without Keith, Al, and Mark.
They really taught me everythingI know.
So I'm going to give them allthe praise and the shout out
(03:52):
which is great.
But It was great.
I, again, I didn't know anythingwhen I started this business.
And I think, one of the thingswe'll probably get into in a
little bit is how I got into thebusiness and where I was going
first.
And we'll share a little bitmore about that.
But it definitely is soimportant to have champions in
your corner, because even whenyou don't believe in yourself,
they believe in you.
And I think that's the biggestpart.
(04:14):
They saw my abilities in thisindustry before I saw them in
myself.
Lan Elliott (04:19):
Is there a good way to go about finding champions?
How does one cultivatechampions?
Wendy Blissett (04:26):
Oh my gosh, I wish I had the answer for that.
I think I just was in a positionwhere I was surrounded by these
men that wanted that, thatwanted to mentor somebody and
that, that saw the potential inme I think if you don't have
that, if it's not organic, itwas organic for me because of,
we worked in the same office forfive and a half years, they saw
(04:49):
my talents, I worked underneaththem, so they saw what I was
capable of, but if you, If it'snot organic, I think I think you
have to ask for it.
I think you have to advocate foryourself.
Not everybody may not have achampion.
Or, or may not have thatopportunity.
Where somebody is coming to you.
And pushing you to do somethingyou then have to turn around and
(05:10):
find somebody that you think youmight want to have as a mentor
or a champion and you have to goand ask them.
I think that's the, youdefinitely have to be an
advocate for yourself.
If somebody's not alreadyadvocating for you.
Lan Elliott (05:23):
Thank you.
Let's talk a little bit aboutovercoming self doubt because
often we can be our own.
biggest critics and that noisein our heads makes us doubt
ourselves.
Have you ever hesitated inpursuing something because of
self doubt?
And if so, how did you overcomethat?
What do you have for others whoare struggling?
Wendy Blissett (05:46):
Let's start with the self doubt.
I think my biggest fear ispublic speaking.
This is, not normal for me.
And I think over the years I'vedone a few things to put myself
out there in that regard.
But I don't know that I've gotthe answer in terms of how I've
overcome that.
I don't think I've done enoughof it in order to really get
(06:08):
over that for me.
But I think the answer is simplyyou just got to get out there
and do it, whatever that fearis, that is overtaking you for
that, whatever, whatever thatmay be for somebody for me, it's
public speaking I think you haveto, I think you just have to do
it more, I think you have to bewilling to jump right in and
take that time to do it.
(06:29):
Do it so that then you're itgets a little bit easier the
more you do it I am not i'm nota public speaker I think i've
always wanted to be up on thisstage and You know give my
opinions from a brokeragestandpoint and those type of
things but at the same time.
I mean I it is it that's mythat's where i'm You know, the
(06:50):
least comfortable, so I'm stillworking on that.
So
Lan Elliott (06:54):
I love that.
I do think you do in a sense,public speaking all the time in
your job, right?
You're always pitching toclients to say, let me sell your
hotel pitching to owners as towhy a hotel you're marketing is
a great deal.
So in a sense, you are publicspeaking all the time, but I
think there is that perceptionof being on stage that it is so
(07:18):
much more scary.
And I think you're right.
When you do things that arechallenging at the beginning,
you do it over and over, it getseasier.
And I think sometimes we justgotta tell ourselves To move
forward.
I think that's been one of yourhallmarks that your champions
have seen is your willingness tojump in and just try stuff even
(07:39):
when it's new for you.
Wendy Blissett (07:41):
Absolutely.
I think I remember working withKeith Allen Mark and real
interesting time when, rightwhen I joined back with them in
2005 or not 2005 in 2001.
I came back to work for them asa broker's assistant.
And that was in August and inSeptember, 9, 11 happened.
(08:03):
And, obviously the whole worldshut down and we ended up they
ended up, having to let somepeople go which was obviously
unfortunate, but they kept meand I was the last one in they
kept me and, and one otherperson.
I had to learn how to doeverything.
At that point in time, I took onmany roles but they were always
(08:25):
there helping me.
I didn't know how to run afinancial analysis, but they
taught me how to run a financialanalysis.
I had to jump right in and doit.
And so again, it goes back tothe importance of having those
people that believe in you,because obviously they believed
in me enough to keep me when Iwas the last one in.
I knew my abilities and mytalents, even when I may not
have had that confidence myself.
(08:46):
It was just a huge blessing thatthey saw in me, my potential,
even when I didn't.
And I think that's one of theimportant things that people
need to see is even when youdon't believe in yourself,
there's always going to besomebody out there that sees.
What you're capable of even whenyou may not be able to see it
and you just have to be able toSee that person and allow that
(09:08):
person to come in and be thatchampion for you
Lan Elliott (09:13):
It has led you to do things that maybe you didn't
think you were ever going to doYou thought that was for
somebody else right by thembelieving in you, but also in
you going Okay, I'm going togive it a shot if you believe I
can do it.
I'm gonna Get on that stage, orI'm going to take on that new
(09:33):
project or role that I've neverdone before.
But I think it's a testament towhat we can all accomplish when
people believe in us.
It's really incredible.
Wendy Blissett (09:43):
Absolutely.
Lan Elliott (09:44):
Flipping the script to the other side when you need
to advocate for yourself.
And there's a common generalGeneralization that women and
some folks in underrepresentedgroups don't always do a good
job of advocating forthemselves.
And that can be a barrier tocreating new opportunities and
(10:08):
getting a chance to do differentthings.
Could you share a story about atime when you successfully
advocated for yourself?
How did you approach it?
What steps do you, did you takeand what advice do you have for
others who are trying to dosomething like that?
Wendy Blissett (10:23):
I keep going back to the very beginning of my
career because it was so pivotalfor me, but the biggest story
that I had is out of collegeI've always loved fashion always
thought I was going to be in thefashion industry, worked my way
in the fashion industry duringcollege.
Just absolutely loved it thoughtI was going to be a shoe buyer
for neiman marcus I mean I justmade that up when I was 15 or
whatever but ran with that andalways thought I would get to
(10:44):
that point.
And out of college.
Obviously, I was not going to bea shoe buyer for neiman marcus.
I ended up just responding to anad for a Executive assistant
position in a hotel brokeragefirm and went in sat down.
I'll never forget.
It was at the JW Marriott andBuckhead here in Atlanta.
And I sat down with the CFO andthe president of the company,
(11:08):
and I just had to sell myself.
Cause I didn't even know whathotel brokerage was much less
what I would be doing oranything along those lines.
And it was funny cause one ofthem wanted to hire me, but the
other one didn't.
And thankfully the one thatwanted to hire me went out and
I've been in the business eversince.
(11:28):
But it's just I had, it was amindset for me.
I had to sit down at that momentand say, okay, I have no clue
what the job really entails.
I didn't know how to write aletter on, type out a letter, an
executive letter, any of thosetype of things.
I had to just sell myself onwhat I was capable of learning
and that I would be able to dothe things that they needed me
(11:49):
to do, even though they clearlyknew that I didn't have a clue
what I was talking about or whatI was doing.
But sorry, excuse me, but I wasable to sell myself and my
ability to learn.
And that was the biggest thing.
So I advocated for myself thatday.
I sat down and I said, I don'tknow anything about this
industry, but I know enoughabout myself and my ability to
(12:11):
be able to learn whatever you'rewilling to teach me.
And that was, that's probablythe biggest the biggest one for
me, because that changed thetrajectory of my whole career.
Again, thinking I was going tobe in fashion and then ended up
here.
And if I wouldn't have had thatmeeting and I wouldn't have
taken that step to go in thereand try something that I didn't
have a clue what I was doing,then I wouldn't, I wouldn't be
(12:32):
here today in this industry.
We're not going to say how manyyears later, but it's but yeah
it's all about taking that.
Taking that leap of faith inyourself and being able to sit
down and advocate in terms ofhaving steps to do it.
I didn't really have any steps.
I just went in there and knew Ihad to sell myself.
I had to believe in myself and Ihad to sell myself on my
abilities and what I was capableof learning.
(12:54):
If somebody was willing to teachme,
Lan Elliott (12:57):
if you were to do it again what would you do?
Would you prepare in advance?
What advice would you give forpeople who are getting ready to
advocate for themselves?
Wendy Blissett (13:08):
I think preparation obviously is always
going to be helpful.
I think preparing learning alittle bit about the industry.
If I would have been smarterback then, I probably would
have, probably Googled what,what is hotel brokerage?
Learned a little bit about theindustry before I walked in the
door blind, not knowinganything.
So I definitely thinkpreparation is key.
(13:28):
I think the more you can learnabout what you're about to go
into, the, the better you areand probably the more confidence
then you will have in yourselfas well as your ability to be
able to talk about it.
So definitely, I think preparingand, again, I think the biggest
thing is the mindset that youhave.
And then obviously preparinghelps tremendously.
(13:50):
So if I could have gone back, Iprobably would have done those
things.
Lan Elliott (13:55):
Yes, and back then we didn't have linked in, but
now that right tool, if you'repreparing for a job interview
to, to, and also
Wendy Blissett (14:03):
the ability to, and also the ability to be able
to, if you know somebody in thatindustry, pick up the phone and
don't be afraid to call thatperson and.
And ask them, Hey what can youtell me about this industry?
What do you know?
Are there people that you canconnect me with that are doing
the same position, that I'mapplying for?
And so be able to reach out, ifyou have connections or and try
(14:24):
to find those ways where you cangain more information and
insight.
That's
Lan Elliott (14:29):
really good advice.
I wanted to talk a little bitabout self care because
brokerage involves.
a lot of travel.
How do you manage self care inthe midst of everything that you
need to juggle?
And are there things that you doto ensure that you show up with
(14:54):
your best self?
Wendy Blissett (14:56):
I think I've learned over the years I think I
know myself pretty well andbeing able to understand,
physically and mentally when youneed to back off of something or
when you need to step away fromsomething.
I'm one of those people thatjust fly by the seat of my
pants.
I'm always going.
I feel like I'm a very social,so I'm always craving that
(15:20):
social interaction with otherpeople.
So I'm not one that needs toreally decompress or have that
alone time.
But what I do need to do issometimes I just need to step
away.
If there's maybe a difficult dayor maybe a difficult deal that
I'm having, I need to be able towalk outside and take a, take a
break and go for a walk with thedogs or maybe it's when I need
(15:42):
to go to the gym.
Self care for me is being aroundmy friends.
I, that's I get filled to thetank being with my people, so to
speak.
My family going to the gym,you'll have to play tennis.
But I have learned the abilityof knowing when I need to just
step away.
And, take that break, whateverthat is, or whatever I have time
(16:03):
for in that moment.
And so that's been reallyhelpful for me.
And when we're out and we'retraveling and at conferences, I
know when I need to stay in theroom, maybe, and just take a
break from something or go downto the gym or go out for a walk
or.
So even when you're traveling,you can find ways and times to
do those things when you needthat mental and that physical
(16:24):
break from whatever it is thatyou're doing.
Lan Elliott (16:30):
The things that I always notice from you is that
you're very positive in general,and I'm curious Because
brokerage can be hard.
It can be a long road,especially the last few years.
It's been difficult.
How do you stay motivated?
How do you stay so positive?
Is it just comes natural,naturally to you?
(16:51):
Or is it just part of how youapproach things?
Wendy Blissett (16:56):
I think for the most part, I'm a positive
person.
I remember back in my earlieryears in the brokerage world, I
remember it was funny because itwas Al Calhoun of all people
that said this to me.
He's when something happens whenthe deal's about to blow up or
when something's going on, Ijust keep on walking and just
keep on moving.
And that kind of alwaysresonated with me I didn't allow
(17:17):
whatever that was to stop me orI just tried to see the good in
the situation Tried to pull thegood out of it because there's
always good even in badsituations There's always good
and so being able to see or holdon to that little bit glimmer of
whatever that good is Keeps youmotivated to move on I think
(17:38):
that's just always worked forme.
Brokerage is hard and deals fallapart and things go sideways.
And I think just being able tosee the good and wherever you
are in that process allows youto go.
Go forward and keep making thenext step.
So for me, it comes naturally,but it's also just trying to
(17:58):
find that good, that littlepiece of good in the situation,
even though it doesn't look likethere's any, so
Lan Elliott (18:05):
that intentionality of trying to find the positive
and find a good as such animportant skill, cause it does
help you to.
Be more persistent and moreresilient to be able to find the
good, even if you're in a badsituation and your deal's
falling apart, to be able to beintent to find either a way
(18:28):
forward or some positive thingout of that.
That's really wonderful.
That's a skill I could have useda lot earlier.
Let's shift gears a bit and talkabout developing a network
because.
That can be a bit daunting for alot of people.
(18:49):
I think a lot of people, whenthey think of developing a
network, the first idea theythink of is walking into that
industry cocktail party, whichcan be very intimidating.
But hospitality is really thekind of industry where people
stay in it for a long time andyou develop friendships through
the years.
And although we haven't knowneach other a long time, we have
(19:11):
a lot of friends.
Friends in common, and that'sthe industry.
It's usually one, maybe twodegrees of separation.
I'm curious how you've builtyour network in a way that's
authentic to you.
Wendy Blissett (19:24):
I think this industry is amazing.
It, and I'll do a sidestep for asecond, but my husband asked me
a couple of weeks ago, he waslike, if you had, and I don't
know where he even came up withthis.
It was like, if you had 20million in the bank, what would
you do tomorrow?
And I said, I would still sellhotels.
I would still work in thehospitality industry.
(19:45):
And, he's not surprised by that,but I would it's the people.
And, early on, I developed goodfriendships With obviously, the
people that were championing me,but also my co workers and then
the network that you get whenyou go into these conferences
and stuff.
And I remember going in to myvery first conference.
(20:07):
And I had met.
She had worked with us in the,at when I, she did a brief stand
at JLL as a broker for a coupleof years and I was there and got
the opportunity to meet with herand we became friends from that
point forward.
And she left and went back toWest want, and I remember going
to that first conference and shewas the only woman that I knew.
And, I.
(20:29):
Didn't have the confidence atthat time to just walk up to a
group of people and say, Hey,I'm Wendy Blissett and I sell
hotels.
I just, I wasn't that personback then.
And so she was amazing for mebecause she allowed me to shadow
her in these first conferences.
And I just literally followedher and was at her right hand
(20:51):
side and she introduced me topeople and so that network began
really because of her and sheintroduced me to so many people
and allowed me to grow from thatperspective.
And then at that point, I had mynetwork and then kept growing
it.
And then over the years, myclients that I sold hotels to
the buyers became, friends.
(21:11):
Because we've been doingbusiness together for so many
years and I've, I know theirfamilies it is just amazing that
this industry.
It's just all about the people.
And I think if you just findthat person that helps you and
Durain was that for me, Durainhelped me get over that,
insecurity that I had, but nowI've got this huge network.
(21:32):
So if you don't feel comfortablewalking into a group of people,
on your own.
And there are some people thatdo.
And I think that's amazing.
I wasn't that.
But if you don't, then find thatperson that will introduce you
and allow you to build on theirnetwork.
Because there's always peopleout there, like all these people
that I've mentioned before, thatare wanting to champion somebody
(21:53):
and they're wanting to mentorsomebody.
And you could be that person andyou just have to ask if they're
not, again, if you're not, if itdoesn't come organically, then.
With relationships, then youneed to ask and because there's
always people willing to helpand introduce you to people and
that's how you build yournetwork.
You've got to get out there andyou've got to just, you've got
to shake the hands of people.
(22:13):
You don't know.
And you've got to find thatperson that will introduce you
to somebody that you don't know.
And then it just keeps buildingafter that.
And, now, as a result, I can saysome of my closest friends there
because I'm in this industry andit is just a great network.
Lan Elliott (22:31):
It is a wonderful industry for getting it really
is.
I think I didn't appreciate howunique that aspect is because
people tend to find hospitalityand stay for decades for their
entire career.
It's not as if you have peoplethat come in and then they go to
a different industry afterwards.
(22:51):
There are not.
A lot of that in our industry, Ithink, and because people stay,
you have the ability to see themagain and again in different
eras of their life as people gofrom different jobs.
And it's wonderful to see peoplewho are ahead of you, who
progress those people who gaveyou the chance, who let you be
(23:14):
the fly on the wall and took youaround.
But also the people that youmentor, maybe the.
person who was your analyst whenthey first came out of school,
you get to see them thriving inthe industry.
And it's wonderful that we cankeep these friendships for a
really long time.
Wendy Blissett (23:31):
It is.
It truly is.
Lan Elliott (23:34):
Wendy, we are coming up towards the end.
So I wanted to ask you two lastquestions.
The first one is one of ourfavorites here on the podcast is
what advice would you give toyour younger self?
And I think you and I talkedabout the fact that this advice
changes over time.
(23:55):
I actually think it doesn't justchange.
over years.
It might change on weeks or yourmood, but I do think self
reflection is such an importantaspect of growth.
I'm curious what you would sayto your 22 year old self.
Wendy Blissett (24:11):
Oh goodness.
I think it goes back to yourconfidence and you have to
believe in yourself.
I think for me, I had champions,people that came along that
believed in me.
More than I believed in myself.
And I think if I would have hadthat confidence in myself very
(24:32):
early on I could have probablygotten to where I was a lot
faster.
But going back to your questionof, 22, I wasn't even in this
industry yet.
But I think being able.
To see opportunities that youmay not explore.
That would be what I would tellmyself.
I was I think, tunnel focusedabout being in the fashion
industry.
(24:53):
That I didn't explore any otheropportunities and obviously
hotel brokerage came along and Ididn't even know what hotel
brokerage was.
So if you explore and you maybe.
Get out of that, comfort zone ofwhere you think all of your
talents and your abilities lieand be able to look at maybe
some opportunities to exploredifferent career paths that
(25:15):
maybe you wouldn't have eventhought about that can open a
door.
For somebody like it did for me.
I didn't, again, I didn'texplore.
I wish I would have at thatpoint in time, but I was just
fortunate enough to answer an adand ended up being in this
industry as a result of it.
And it's been the greatestthing.
Exploring, I think is what Iwould tell myself, be able to
(25:37):
just explore those.
It's, maybe something thatyou've never even heard of do
some research, explore and findand find different avenues that
maybe you wouldn't think thatyou would be good at because you
might end up actually beingreally good at it.
Lan Elliott (25:52):
And I think it is the shoe buyers loss that you
found this industry.
I'm glad you found hospitalityinstead.
Wendy Blissett (26:02):
Yes I think the shoe industry still benefits
from me.
So just financially, though, sothat's good.
So
Lan Elliott (26:12):
I have to admit, I also love shoes.
So I totally get it.
Wendy Blissett (26:16):
Yeah.
Lan Elliott (26:17):
One last question.
So Wendy, you've sharedwonderful stories from your
career and the learnings you hadalong the way.
Do you have one final nugget ofadvice you can offer to our
audience who are looking toadvance their careers?
Wendy Blissett (26:34):
I think find that person, find that champion.
That has been the greatestblessing for me in this
industry.
And then in my career, fine,that champion, that mentor, that
person that's going to push you,encourage you, teach you to to
(26:56):
do something that you haven'tdone before, or maybe get you to
that next level where you wantto go, find your champion.
And if it doesn't comenaturally, ask for it.
Go ask for someone to be thatchampion for you.
There's always people that arewanting to champion other
people, that are wanting to seeother people succeed.
And especially in this industryI think it's just such a great
(27:18):
industry.
You always have people lookingto encourage you, promote you.
I started out, as an analyst, asan executive assistant, worked
my way up as an analyst and allthe way through.
But it was because I had thosechampions.
And so I think people are yourbiggest advocate and they can
help promote you and help yougain the confidence that you
(27:39):
need to get you where you wantto go.
Lan Elliott (27:42):
I love that.
This is an incredibly generous.
industry.
And if you're not finding thatwhere you are, it might be an
opportunity to look around you.
And maybe they might be inanother part of your company or
maybe they might be in adifferent company.
But I love that advice andwonderful advice.
Thank you so much, Wendy.
(28:03):
Really appreciate it.
Thank
Wendy Blissett (28:04):
you.
This is fun.
Thank you.
Really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much
Lan Elliott (28:09):
for our audience.
If you've enjoyed thisconversation with Wendy, I hope
you'll go to our website.
It's personal stories.
where you can learn about moreindustry leaders and their
career journeys.
Thank you.
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