S1E6 - Kate Conquest: From Agent to National VP of Coldwell Banker - Work Hard, Play Hard, and Give Back - A Real Estate Podcast

Episode Transcript
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Mike Litzner (00:07):
Welcome to the Work Hard, play Hard, give Back
a real estate podcast.
I'm Mike Litzner, your host andbroker, owner of Coldwell
Banker American Homes.
So remember, stay for the endfor the drop the mic question,
and I just want to remind ouraudience please like, subscribe,
and thank you to everyone who'salready liked and subscribed.
I'm very excited to have withus today as a guest Kate

(00:29):
Conquest.
Kate is well a lifelong realestate entrepreneur, business
person, senior vice president,so I love the fact that she's an
executive at a world-renownedreal estate franchise of
Coldwell Banker.

Kate Conquest (00:46):
I'm national vice president.

Okay, national.

There you go.
Okay, hopefully you can editthat, but I'd like an S in front
of my name.

Okay, did I say senior vice president.

You did, but I don't have one yet.

You don't have one ?
No, well, let me be the firstone requesting an S in front of
her title.
Thank you, Thank you, Mike Godknows, I lean on you for a lot
and you're a wonderful,wonderful worker and a person,
even a better person.
So welcome to the show.

I'm so happy to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.

Absolutely, absolutely so, kate, I think you
really have some unique vantagepoints that you can share with
our audience, and we'd love toreally dive in so, as we start
to talk about real estate, tellthe audience your path, know um,
when did you get into realestate?

sure.
So I was 18 years old and Igraduated from high school and
realized there was not a bankaccount waiting for me to go to
a fancy school or really to anyschool.
So I decided to work and Ianswered.
I mean, I always worked, I'vebeen working since I was 14, but
I answered an ad in the localpenny saver and it was just at a

(01:52):
you know, looking for asecretarial position, and I went
in for an interview.
It was in a building wherethere was a step and I tripped
over the step.

I had really just so you fell into the business, I
fell into the business.

Yes, literally.
And I was really lucky enoughto get hired and I was lucky
enough to work for a brokerowner that taught me everything
he knew.
I learned a lot throughlistening to conversations.
So that was 18.
Worked through college, hadseveral jobs, worked for a
lawyer because I thought Iwanted to be a lawyer and every

(02:25):
single lawyer I ever worked forsaid don't be a lawyer.
And then got my undergrad, gotmy license, got my real estate
license, moved from being just asecretary to really managing
the office.
That was gosh 2004.
So business was good and wewere an independent,
unaffiliated company and wedecided to.

(02:48):
Well, the broker owner decidedto join with Coldwell Banker.
Coldwell Banker was callingvery interested in you know,
mike Morris's company, coldwellBanker, m&d Good Life, and he
decided to franchise withColdwell Banker.
So 2004.

So what was that experience like going from an
independent to transitioninginto a franchise?
That's got to be, you know.

It was overwhelming.

Eye-opening.

Yeah, I mean we were part of a company, national
Home Finders.
I mean you now run the previousNational Home Finders and we
were a really tight-knitorganization, really like a
family.
I bled green and white.
Those were our colors.
They were also my high schoolcolors, so you know they were my
colors, so moving forward.

By the way, green and white, I'm going to stick
with the blue and white.

I've been blue ever since we joined Kildall
Baker, so it was overwhelmingbut amazing and I really had no
idea what a franchise systemcould offer.
And I mean, I was doingeverything.
Mike and I were just likehustling, making PowerPoints,
word documents, doing everythingon our own.
And when we joined ColdwellBanker, it was literally like
being given keys to somethingthat was already furnished, like

(03:57):
to a house that was alreadyfurnished.
So 2006 came along and themarket changed and I was in the
midst of getting my master'sdegree and you know, some of our
competitors were going out ofbusiness 2006, 2007.
Yeah, and he's like you know,big change in the market back
then Big change, yeah, and I wasrecruiting and all of a sudden,

(04:20):
you know, my recruitingpipeline slowed down.
People weren't thinking aboutgetting into the business.
A lot of top agents were goingout of business, losing their
homes.
It was devastating.
And so Mike was really, youknow, passionate about helping
as many people he could, andthat's definitely something he
taught me, like, real estate isthe avenue to help as many
people as you can.

(04:40):
So he acquired many of ourcompetitors a Remax, a Help you
Sell, an Independent, anotherAnywhere franchise company and
fast forward.
We got through the market andthen continued to acquire some
companies and then, in 2011, weacquired another Coldwell Banker

(05:00):
company and I said, you know, Ireally want to be part of the
ownership team.
So he brought me on as apartner in that office, which
was really great, and turnedthat office around.
It was a great group of people,but there were some really low
days.
I mean, you know, running areal estate company, the highs
and lows, the rollercoaster ride.

But especially at that time.
So 40 years in the business andI will tell you ride, but
especially at that time.
So 40 years in the business,and I will tell you, I've seen
all sorts of changes.
Yeah, 2007, 8, 9 were amongstif not, they were the the
definitely the deepestchallenges we've ever seen.
Yeah, in real estate.
Yeah, current changes.
Yeah, business change, lifechanges, the zebs and flows,

(05:41):
everything.
But that was a challenge.
I can't believe that's the time.
Yeah, you were.
You were buying into this yeah,yeah it was.

Um, you know I remember going into my first
foreclosure and you know, likereal estate is such a visual
experience, right, and you, youknow, you remember where you are
negotiating and what house yousaw and you know some of them
all blur together.
But there's moments in yourcareer where you really remember
and I remember seeing this.
It was a house in Manorvilleand it was a beautiful home and

(06:10):
I remember it was a newerconstruction and I walked in and
there was like this huge floodin the house and there was this
gorgeous baby grand piano thatwas just covered in molds and
like my heart to sink because,you know, I thought about the
family that lived there and whenthey bought that piano, what
they thought and how theyimagined their family playing on

(06:31):
that piano, and here it wassitting in mold.
So you know, you see these TVshows where real estate's so
glamorous and you know, oh,nobody works in real estate.
You just collect checks.
No, no, that's really not howthe business is Definitely not
the way the business is.
Yeah, so, anyway.
So in 2013, I was at a point inmy career where I realized I
loved brokerage and I loved whatwe had built together and I was

(06:54):
so grateful for everything thatMike had taught me and the
opportunities that werepresented.
But I felt like I was trainingmy whole life for a corporate
career and an opportunity becameavailable at Coldwell Banker to
be a consultant.
So I applied, went to NewJersey and, you know, was
offered the consulting position.
So I've been at corporate nowfor 11 years.

(07:16):
I've been in four differentroles and here I am.

There you go, so now in your VP soon to be SVP
role.
So what type ofresponsibilities, you know, fall
on the shoulders of anexecutive in real estate?

Yeah, a lot.
So basically my job is tooversee all of the services that
all of our affiliates receive.
So we have over 600 affiliatesbetween our commercial franchise
network and our residentialbusiness, commercial franchise
network and our residentialbusiness.
So everything that somebodysigns up to get, it's up to
really essentially my team todeliver and make sure that
you're implementing.

(07:51):
I'm also overseeing our what wecall our seller succession
strategy.
So we started franchising in1982.
So you could probably assumethat we have a broker network
that many of them are saying,hey, this has been a good
experience, but I'm ready tosell my business.

Yeah, there's legacy here.

Yeah, yeah, there's so much legacy and I'm
ready to move on, so my teamalso helps identify strategies
for owners to either sell theirbusiness, merge with another
company, maybe find anindependent in the market to buy
the company, and then all ofour contract renewals as well.
So anything that the franchisepromises it's really up to my

(08:30):
team to deliver on great, great,yeah, and they do a great job,
by the way so yeah, we're alwaystrying to get better yeah, no,
I hear that, I hear that.

So what do you consider some of your biggest
challenges in in delivering yourrole?

yeah, that's a great question.
I can say with conviction thatthe more engaged a franchise is
with the platform of value thatwe provide, the better their
business is.
It's very, very hard to help acompany that's not using any of
our tools, right?
So you sign up, the ColdwellBankers sign goes up, and then
it's really a partnership tomake sure that you're engaging

(09:04):
with the tools that we provide.
So that's probably the biggestchallenge is to really convince
our franchises that, hey, in, inessence, you're paying for all
these things and if you're nottaking advantage of them, you're
missing out.
But I also know how hard it is,especially for an owner that's
selling, running the company,doing the books, to take time
out of their daily business togo learn all the tools.

(09:27):
So it's, you know it's, it's achallenge.
But when they do, you know,work with us and use our
services to help them learneverything, it's so rewarding.
And you know, here's the thingwe have a contract, we're in a
contractual relationship, sowhether you use them or not is
up to you, but we have done somany studies and have so much

(09:48):
research that specificallycorrelates success with
engagement.
Yes, and you know, our new, ournewer president, jason Wah.
He has a great background inreal estate and was an awesome
operator, and it's so great tokind of talk shop with him,
because everything we talk aboutis always related back to
either a transaction or arelationship with an agent.
And that's the exact metaphor Irecently used.

(10:10):
I said it's just like when youhave all these great things for
an agent to use and they don't,so it's really, you know, you
could be the catalyst for change, but you can't be the change
for them.

No, no, you can lead them across the water
Exactly, but we know how thatturns out.
So, no, that's awesome.
So you've been affiliated withColdwell Banker, now as an admin
well, maybe not an admin, butan agent.
You had a license with them andnow into brokerage and now into

(10:42):
corporate environment.
So, from your vantage point,why Coldwell Banker?

I mean I could go on.
How much time do we have?
I think that there are so manychoices in our economy today,
from consumer choices topersonal choices, and you have
so many choices as an agent ofwho you put your name next to,
right.
So I wake up every day wantingto put my name next to Coldwell

(11:10):
Banker for so many reasons.
I'll say the first.
I'll try to be brief.
But first and foremost, what thecompany was founded on was
integrity and trust and alwaysdoing the right thing for people
that own homes.
I mean I know you know thestory.
But people that own homes, Imean I know you know the story,
but it was 1906.
San Francisco was in a terribleearthquake and it was Coldwell

(11:31):
and Banker that got together,that fought for home ownership
and doing the right thing.
You know they had a code ofethics before the National
Association of Realtors.
So it stands for something thatI believe in and that's always
putting the customer first andadvocating for homeownership.
But through the years we'vechanged so much.
I mean we're approaching on 120years.
We've been through twopandemics, we've been through

(11:54):
the MLS changes, you know theY2K scare.
I mean we've not only survivedbut we've thrived and there's
over 100,000 agents globallythat choose to align with
Coldwell Banker.
Yeah, that's impressive yeah,and, and you know, we're growing
every day.
So, with that being said, whena customer trusts an agent to

(12:17):
buy or sell a home, it's usuallythe biggest investment of their
lives, and when you can alignyourself with people that you
trust, there's so many lessthings that you have to worry
about.
I travel all across the countryand people tell me when they
see Coldwell Banker agents onthe other side of a transaction,

(12:38):
they're relieved because theydon't have to do as much work
because the Cold or banker agentknows what they're doing.
They usually have a goodreputation in the market and
they don't have to babysit thetransaction.
They can actually just focus onwho their fiduciary is too.
Yes, so you know, I think thatthere's a lot of choices.
I'm never going to align myselfwith a company that's racing to

(12:59):
the bottom.
I'm not interested in, you know, being an avatar on a screen
when people are trusting us withthe biggest investment of their
lives.
So I think trust, integrity andnevertheless, we just
integrated AI into a lot of ourplatforms.
We have a DIY service platform,so cbappointmentcom Now all of
our affiliates can go on andjust schedule service calls.

(13:21):
We've really evolved in how weprovide service to our
affiliates too.
So, but I always think aboutthe customer and I want to be
with the brands that customerscan trust and, time after time,
customers trust Coldwell Banker.

Yeah, no, it's fundamental.
It's one of the most importantfactors hands down.
Yeah, no, it's great.
What advice do you have forpeople getting into the industry
now?
Well, I would say that there'snever it's great.

What advice do you have for people getting into
the industry now?
Well, I would say that there'snever.
It's like buying real estate.
It's really hard to time themarket Right.
Real estate can change yourlife, whether it's owning a home
or creating a career in realestate.
So my advice to anyone that'sthinking about getting into real
estate is it doesn't matterwhat market cycle we're in.
Anyone that's thinking aboutgetting into real estate is it
doesn't matter what market cyclewe're in.
Some of the best agents I knowthat are in the business got

(14:08):
into the business on what wouldbe considered a slower market.
Yeah Right, you agree, right.

I actually to expand on that just for one
second, if you would is that Ifeel those agents succeed at a
higher rate because if you cancome in at a difficult market,
you know you're not coasting.
So you know you have to dig inand work and put the effort in
and if you survive through thatthey tend to be some of the most
successful agents.
You know there are high-flyingmarkets like 21 where when you

(14:37):
know all you need is a balloonand an open house to sell a
house, you know the skill set ofan agent, or even a broker.
You'll say house, you know theskill set of an agent, or even a
broker.
Do you say, all right, how muchdo I need?
I mean, I, I believe you alwaysneed a quality broker and a
quality agent, because there's alot you can screw up, as you
know, right, but but you canstill do transactions in a hot
market.
But it takes a determined agentto commit to the training and

(15:02):
bring the skill set to succeedin a tough market.
So that's my second point.
Right, you need a strong broker.

You need somebody that is going to commit to the
training and bring the skill setto succeed in a tough market.
That's my second point.
Right, you need a strong broker.
You need somebody that is goingto look at you and say I'm going
to be your business partner,I'll teach you everything I know
.
Here's my success track andwhatever you want in your life
you can achieve through realestate.
Yes, so I think, not worryingabout what time of the market it

(15:25):
is picking a good broker to beyour business partner.
And then the final thing youknow to anybody thinking about a
career in real estate, it's oneof the only careers that I've
seen that what you put in isexactly what you get out.
So a lot of I'll talk to a lotof people, some people very
close to me in my life that willsay you know, I did all the

(15:46):
things, I did everything and Ididn't get the results.
And I just really haven't everseen that it turns when you put
in the activities, the resultscome.
So I mean, do you get betterwith time?
You know your batting average,like, let's say, you go on ten
listing appointments and in thebeginning you get five, to later

(16:06):
in your career get six, seven,eight, absolutely yeah, I think
you improve.

Obviously, skill, um, training, experience will
come into play.
But, like you said, if youdon't put the time and effort in
, you know there's there's toomany jobs.
You feel like you get paid justto show up.
Yeah, so, and here you, you'renot gonna get paid to show up,
you're gonna get paid to produce.
But the exciting part and thisis what the why someone you know
, someone out there, could say,you know audience might say well

(16:33):
, why would I go into a placethen if you know they're going
to raise the bar or make it thatchallenging the beauty is is
that there's no glass ceiling.
There's no waiting for someoneto retire.
You're not waiting for somebusiness to tell you the
timeline that you could increaseyour income or potentially be
promoted.
You control your own destinyand that's the exciting part.

(16:54):
So if you do put the time in,it's a wonderful opportunity.
Yeah.

Yeah, it's not easy.
I mean you know we compromise alot as realtors, right.
Yes, it's not easy.
I mean you know we compromise alot as realtors, right.
And I'm not saying that's goodor bad, but the successful
realtors I know have made a lotof compromises to attain their
success.
So when you see a Brian Karp, aGail Carrillo, you know, when
you see those agents and theirextreme success, don't think

(17:19):
that that has been becausethey've been, you know, coasting
for the last few years.
They've put blood, sweat andtears into their careers and
that's why they're successful.

I have a front row seat so I can attest to that.
They have a commonality, agreat work ethic in each one of
them.
A little bit more about you, socan you share maybe a recent
success story that you've hadand maybe how you, how you
helped client, customer orhowever you define in your role?
Maybe there's a client achieveyou know their real estate goals

(17:51):
oh gosh, yeah.

So we have an IO program.
Io, yeah, sorry.
Inclusive Ownership Program.
Okay.
So Coldwell Banker is verypassionate about creating
opportunities for people thatwouldn't necessarily be able to
afford our franchise affiliationfee, right.
So we have a really greatprogram.
We're dedicated to concretingour footprint for the next 120

(18:16):
years and through the IO IOprogram, there's mentorship
offered.
So I'm one of the mentors inthe program because I've real
estate experience.
I've run a brokerage andSomebody that I was mentoring
started out with nothing.
I mean, she literally had noagents, no GCI, and she's been
in a business in the businessfor about a year and I think

(18:36):
she's cresting on 700,000 in GCI.
So she wanted to be a millionin her first year.
But if you haven't checked ourmarket, our units are down a
little bit.
But to really-.

As an industry.

As an industry, thank you, but I liken it to two
other things that I love.
I love helping a first time.
I used to love helping a firsttime home buyer become a home
owner.
I love helping a first time.
I used to love helping a firsttime home buyer become a
homeowner.
And then when you are able totake a brand new agent and help
them achieve success and changetheir lives I have many stories
about that how real estate haschanged so many people's lives.

(19:10):
It's in the franchise world.
That's the closest thing thatI've got to, when you have
somebody with a startup and thenthey actually achieve success
through some of your coachingand mentoring and their own
activities.
I'm not taking credit for theirsuccess, yeah, but that's been
very, very rewarding to seesomeone start their business and
in a year basically almost hit700,000 in GCI, which is pretty

(19:31):
good.

That's a great first first year yeah, it's not
bad no congratulations that tothat broker.
So that's perfect.
So, kate, one of the legaciesyou can take credit for and you
should certainly take a bow forit in the industry is you are
the founder of the LIBOR YPNnetwork group, which is the

(19:53):
Young Professionals Network.
Why don't you share a littlebit of the experience and the
goal of what it was like and youknow what the purpose of of um
champion that cause.

So, being Mike, you were 19 when you got into
the business, right?

Yeah, I started real estate school at 18 and 19
when I sold my first house.

Wow, okay.
So, um, to any 18 or 19 yearolds out there listening, you
can do it too.
Yes, so you know.
So I also.
I got into the business at 18and I walked.
You know, I was, I was in thecompany and I was the youngest
person, probably by about 15years.
I had another.
There was another admin workingthat was younger, but all the
agents were significantly older.

(20:33):
So as I got licensed andstarted to get into the business
more, I looked around and I wasjust flabbergasted that
everybody was significantlyolder.

Can I share one thing in the middle of this?
I've been licensed 40 years andwith all the change I've seen
in 40 years, from technology torules changes etc.
Price changes, god knows, pricechanges, god knows right.
The one thing that'sinteresting is the average age
of a realtor.
When I started in 1983, 84 was54 years old and today the

(21:06):
average age right 54, right,yeah, it hasn't changed.
That's the one thing that hasn'tchanged, so I'm finally above
average.
I've been striving with thatfor the rest of my whole career,
so it's interesting when yousee that as an industry.
So I think as an audiencemember who may not realize the,
you know, when you're in anindustry, the average age is 54
and you're 18, 19, 20 years old,you're playing on their turf

(21:27):
and you want to be takenseriously.
So it creates that void right.

Yeah, and Mike and I were talking.
We were talking about you know,like I always wore suits, I
wore pearls, I was always verybuttoned up.
I worked really hard at lookingolder.
I know you did too.
Um, and it's so weird becausewe live in a world where youth
is praised and here you arestarting a career in an industry
where it's really not, itdoesn't help you at all.

(21:52):
It's actually a disadvantage.
Um, so back to YPN.
So I went to an NAR conferencein 2008, I would say, and on the
agenda there was a YPNnetworking event.
Okay, what's that?
So nobody in my company wantedto go and I said I'm gonna go by
myself.
So I went to the first YPNevent it was in Orlando and I

(22:16):
looked around.
I was like wow, there's otheryoung people.
I couldn't believe it.
Yeah, event, it was in Orlandoand I looked around.
I was like wow, there's otheryoung people.

I couldn't believe it.

I mean it was probably in my career one of the
top five networking events I'veever been to, because I mean it
was electric.
Everybody was so excited to bewith each other and the ideas
that we were sharing and thethings we were talking about
were so relevant to one another.
So I got back home to LongIsland and I reached out to the
organizer of the event and Isaid you know, I need to know

(22:44):
more about this.
Then I learned that there was achapter we could start.
So I took all the notes, I gotall the information and then I
was.

You took the initiative.
I took the initiative correctand I was not received that?

well, really no.
Who'd you have to go to theLIBOR, to the board?
So you went to the board.
I took the initiative correct,and I was not received that well
, really no.

Who'd you have to go to Libor?

To the board.
So you went to the board, Iwent to the board, I went to the
president, not the president.
Let me go back to the CEO ofthe board at that time.
And it was just like ignored alittle bit.
And I was so lucky, so luckythat the president, who's a
volunteer position, Liz Englishat the time- oh yeah, I know Liz
, yeah, liz.
Yep, I love Liz and she saw mefor what I was trying to do and

(23:25):
said Kate, I'll help you.
I believe in what you're tryingto do.
I know all the people you needto get approval from and I can't
tell you how I have chills,because when you have somebody
else that sees how passionateyou are about something and the
vision and what you really wantto accomplish being for the
greater good, when you get thatadvocate alongside you, yeah,
you could do so much moreempowerment yes, yeah.

(23:47):
So she really empowered me.
She, behind the scenes, reallyworked the board to show the
value that bringing this to theboard could could mean um, and
it took us about two years toget it approved and launched.
And we launched YPN.
Our first event was alldonations and you know we had

(24:08):
probably about a hundred peopleand everybody believed in it and
now you know it's up, it'sthriving, it's doing you know
it's got a totally differentteam.
I don't know many people thereanymore.
I was heavily involved forabout five years.
But the biggest thing I'll sayis, especially in leadership, in
brokerage, is to replaceyourself, and that's for anybody

(24:28):
listening that's at a point intheir career where they're, you
know they're maybe ready toretire.
Look at the young people andthink about what a great
opportunity that you can givethem, to teach them and show
them how to be successful.

You know, what's interesting is, you know,
society sometimes can get intothis trap almost of like oh, the
young people today, you know,and and yet, just like when we
were younger, there's peoplethat are going to coast as
people are gonna have passionand want to achieve.
Yeah, and that same is truetoday.

(25:02):
And those young people thrivingfrom mentors yes, and it's
really exciting when you getsomeone with that energy because
I know we have some of them inthe company and when they come
to you and and they're justthirsting for knowledge, yes,
and and that's why I always saidwhy pianist for young people
that are young in age, youngpeople in minds and young people
at heart.

Young in the business too.
There's so much pass-throughknowledge and wisdom that
experienced realtors and brokerscan pass through that they're
not even aware of.

They should.

Yeah, they bring just as much to the table as
someone with energy that's young.
They bring way as much to thetable as someone with energy
that's young.
They bring way more actually.
Yeah.

I find that the young group of agents that are
out there, they're not onlythirsting for knowledge that
again, 30, 40 years' worth ofexperience but they're
constantly asking questionsabout investing, wealth building
and what have you.
So these are all greatquestions and intelligent
questions, and young peopleshould not be afraid to go out
there and start talking aboutbuilding wealth today, because

(26:03):
if you start when you're 20years old, it's way easier,
because you don't want to wakeup and be 54 years old and say
should I start building wealth?
What's my retirement Right?
So, yeah, I think it's great weembrace the youth who bring the
right passion and work ethicinto it.
So good, great, awesome.
I think that's.
You should always keep that asone of your highest achievements

(26:24):
.
I love that story it's a good.

I'm really proud of it.
It was a lot of work and Ithink it helped change a lot of
young people's careers yes, good, good for you, good for you.

So I want to pivot a little bit, a little bit more
to the personal side of kate,you know.
So you know, you're a senior,or soon to be senior, vice
president.
Yes, exactly find it in yourmind's eye?
Yeah, it's so.
Shall it be absolutely exactlyso sure?
So you're a senior vicepresident and you can't.
You carry a tremendous amountof responsibilities, no doubt on

(26:55):
that.
But then you're also a wife,you're also a mom, so tell us a
little bit about how, how youknow what that looks like and
how do you balance all that?

Oh gosh, I don't know if anyone's figured that
out yet, but the best thingabout becoming a mom is it put
work into perspective.
I mean, I became a mom, I guess, later in life, at 35.

My daughter's seven now, and you have one and
I have a son too.
Yeah, he's five, don't forgethim.
Yeah, oops, sorry, john.

But the best thing about becoming a mom for
me was it put work intoperspective, because my whole
life I've been striving andyearning for career success and,
you know, going to going to bedat night like so upset if I
didn't accomplish something, orso, you know, mad at myself if I
didn't make a phone call, andthen when you become a parent,
it's like wow, you know, work isamazing but, goodness gracious,
it's a lot easier than it isbeing a parent.

(27:52):
So, um, I think it becoming amom made me so much better in my
life in my career rather, andmy life, but in my career
because, um, it it puts workinto perspective, because you,
just you realize that it is workbut, like life is more, there's
more to life than work, andbecoming a mother really changed

(28:15):
that for me.
I never really wanted to becomea mom until I was later in life
as well, so it's forced me toslow down a little bit and in
turn, that makes me better atwork, because I'm not chasing my
tail all the time, and superreactive I'm more.
I'm much more responsive thanreactive where I know take a

(28:36):
minute, take a breath.
I guess it's also with maturityand age and being in the
business a while.

Well, kids will mature, you.

Yeah, not, they'll weigh you down.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.

So don't you have to travel a lot with your
position, which is part of theresponsibility.
So how do you reconcile a lotwith the kids?

It's hard.
As they get older it's becomeharder because now they're like,
they love the guilt trip.

I mean, you know that's amazing how they learn
that real fast yeah.

Real, real quick.
And I'm a I'm a recoveringCatholic, um, and so I grew up
with the guilts, right, like theconstant guilts, and so I
struggle with that in general.
But, um, before COVID I wasprobably traveling about 70 or
80% of the time, and now it'sabout 50 percent that makes a
little bit easier, right but Ido remind myself my mom always
worked.

(29:22):
She worked at night when we wereyoung, so I didn't really feel
it, and when I was in thirdgrade she went back to work and
I always looked up to her andthought, wow, you know my mom,
she's an awesome mom and sheworks.
And I have to remind myselfthat I'm setting the example for
my daughter that you can be amom, you can go to work, and

(29:44):
there's going to be days whereyou know work is harder than
being a mom and being a mom isharder than work, but that you
can do both and you know you cando whatever you want in your
life.

And you know, fortunately, I've never been
held back by, you know, being afemale in my life.
Good yeah, that's awesome.
I think that you're you're afantastic role model.
So congratulations with that.
Keep, keep, keep up doing whatyou're doing.

And and when I hear stories about um women that
you know haven't had the same,you know opportunities, and you
know I feel, feel terriblebecause every, every man I've
ever worked for, every you knowI'll say, like college professor
or who, I've always been reallyempowered by men, yeah, and
actually in corporate was thefirst time I've ever worked for

(30:29):
a woman.

So isn't that, isn't that like interesting,
like what's harder to work for awoman or a man?
That's what does it, ohdefinitely a woman definitely,
absolutely Absolutely.

Yes, her yes, and it's one woman that I've worked
for.
She pushes me, it's.
We challenge each other.
She expects the best all thetime but on the personal front,
is so unbelievably supportive ofyou know, anything that's going
on in my life, but when itcomes to work, it's you know
it's work and we work reallyhard.

(31:00):
We push each other and, um, Ireally appreciate that and I
think it takes it takes.
It takes work to to to have agood, strong relationship with
who you're working with.

Absolutely.
So I want to pivot to somethingthat's interesting because, um,
I'm not sure who came up withthis, but I this movement, but
it's the what, what moves hermovement, yeah, so, which we're
very impressed, we're trying tofollow your lead on it, or and
Colwell's lead, and we haveperforming our own chapter.
That's one that's been Headedup by Laurie Koyosi, who manages

(31:34):
our Franklin Square office, soso we're trying to follow that,
but it's a great story.
Could you share, for ouraudience, a little bit about
what moves her?

Absolutely, and I think, a male I think Chris
Monteria was the one thatbrought it to the company.

the initiative right yes.

So I think that's important.

He called it to our attention in case we missed
it, because sometimes there's alot coming at you.
Yeah, yeah, he did and I lovethat.

I love that.
It was Chris saying we needthis in our company, and it's
not me, but you know we needthis.
So what moves her was uh, itwas Sue Yannikone.
She has a great story and she'sjust built this platform of
what moves her to unite women totalk about the struggles and
opportunities that they've hadin business, in life, how to
balance it all like what a jokebut and also for professional

(32:15):
development as well.
So it's really it's.
It's a place for for women andmen, because you know, men are,
are supportive of if you're, ifyou're a male and you're going
to what moves her events.
I mean that's because you havestrong women in your life.
You want to help them andthey're trying to figure out how
to be allies with them as well.

So you know if we're being true to ourselves.
Yeah, there's a lot of men thattake non-traditional roles, you
know.
I mean they're in the house,they're maybe, you know, working
from home and taking, you knowresponsibility that you know for
children and tasks andactivities that traditionally
may be falling more on themother.

Absolutely.
I mean, you know it should be apeople empowerment.

We should, you know, ultimately when we get to
a truest spot.
But I do understand why so muchfalls on the mothers and we
have women in business and theystruggle with this work life,
you know balance.

It's like this constant struggle between
self-love and self-improvement.
And you know, I'll just say youknow, when you talk about
traditional roles, you know youhear super mom all the time I
say to my husband super dad, I'm, I'm.
I was in Santa Fe last week forfour days.
I mean, he's doing baths, he'sdoing everything and he's
working too.
So I look at where we are as asociety in terms of traditional

(33:34):
roles and I'm so gratefulbecause, uh, we do, as women
have opportunities to work andbe mothers, but also men have
stepped up yeah you know, tolike my dad was not changing
diapers, my husband changed, youknow, probably not as many
honey, but you know, yeah, buthe changed.
You know lots and lots ofdiapers and you know did
feedings and I'm so proud of theadvancement of both sexes in

(33:58):
where we are in raising ourfamilies.

Yeah, so do we have to get a what moves him
movement going too?
Oh gosh, so people maybe.

So when I started YPN I got so much hate mail and
calls Really yes, a lot ofpeople called me and said, well,
what about OPN?
I said Old People's Network.
And I said you know what, ifyou're really passionate about
you know, supporting olderpeople in the business, start it
, do it.
Go through what I've gonethrough for the last two years

(34:26):
and you should start it too.
I talk about SRES, I talk aboutyou know all the ways that our
business has band together tosupport senior citizens as well.
So, but I think you know, ifthere is a passion for somebody
to match it or do somethingdifferent, do it.

Yeah Well, we're going to keep you posted on how
our in-house what Moves Hercommittee develops and continues
to expand.
We've had a couple of meetingsand sessions and they've really
been well-received.
I think the last session we had, we had almost 70 people at.
That's awesome.
It was great Was it live.
It was live.
Wow cool, that's great, it wasgreat.

And you have your own YPN network too.

Yes, we do, I love that.
Well, I don't have to be thesmartest guy in the room.
I just got to be smart enoughto see a good idea.
You're the founding member ofYPN.
We see what you're doing, welove the idea, same thing with
what Moves Her, and we have agreat team over here and we're
running with it.
So thank you for sharing allthat stuff, absolutely.
So what's your favorite way tounwind?

Or do you ever it's like the second I unwind.
I fall asleep these days, butI'm an audio book junkie.
I love to take my mind intoanother world.

Okay, what type of books, what type of genre are
we looking at?

Yeah, so I am a business book junkie.
I am just so addicted toself-improvement in business, in
health, in life.
But I also find that I getburnt out.
So my mantra is for every threebusiness books I read, I read a
chiclet which is like a room,like like chasing Harry Winston,
like that kind of that kind ofgenre like uh, emily Giffen, um,

(36:04):
but uh, I reward myself withsomething mindless and like a
romance, a romantic escape orsomething along those lines.
Um, but uh gosh, yeah, I'm anaudio book junkie.
Um, I love the beach, I lovebeing on boats.

You have a boat, don't you?

I don't no, but I've got lots of friends with
boats.

That might even be better.

Yeah, yeah, we're thinking about getting a boat.
But once you get a boat forliving on Long Island, you have
three months and we like outdooractivities, so we like driving
on the beach.
We do that a lot.
We feel like if we got a boat,that's all we do and we're not
prepared to, you know, foregothe rest of our lives.

So, yes, yeah so what other things would that?
But does that encompass whoit's?
What does that look like?

we love to travel .
Before, before children, myhusband and I had gone to about
14 different countries, spent alot of time in Europe.
We love to travel, just newexperiences, love to eat, love
going to good restaurants,obviously, um, you know, we uh
love going to.
Oar is our favorite band, sovery exciting.

(37:07):
For years we've always talkedabout going to a cold war banker
oar yes I wish.
No, oh, you're thinking aboutum?
Oh, my goodness.

AJR, ajr.
Okay, I was close.
Yeah, they were really good.
They were good, they were a lotof fun.

They were fun.
Oer is kind of in that similargenre.

Is it?

Yeah, but we're taking, I'll say, only our
second getaway.
We're going to Red Rocks inColorado in a couple weeks to go
see them.
So we love going to shows.

We love Great.
So tell us something you knowabout, maybe something funny
about, maybe your childhood.
You talked about your parentsand growing up and a little bit.
Why don't you share for ouraudience?
You have to have a funnychildhood story.

I have so many funny.
More embarrassing than funny.

What's your comfort level?
Yeah, yeah, let's challenge.
Come on, our audience wants toknow.

Yeah, so my uncle is something that people maybe
interesting don't know about me.
My uncle is a Byzantine monk.
Okay, but growing up like aCatholic priest.
So, for holidays he would givemass in our home.
Okay, so that's interesting.
I did work for Disney when Igot out of high school so I did
an internship at Disney, whichwas really cool, great

(38:21):
experience and awesome to haveon your resume.
For anybody that ever wants togo to do the Walt Disney World
College program, I'm a bigadvocate.
I was like an ambassador forthem for a while.
So you know Disney was a greatcompany to work for and get on
your resume.
I'm trying to think aboutwhat's funny.
I sang with the Beach Boys.
That was pretty cool.

(38:42):
You sang with the beach boys.
That was pretty cool.
You sang with, I sang with thebeach boys.
I was at a concert and theyjust like called me up on stage
and I got up on stage and sangwith the beach boys out of the
out of the audience.

I don't know plucked you out of the audience.
Yeah, yeah, pretty cool rightyeah, um, did you, did you
actually?
Can you, can you sing?
Yeah, I can really come on singa couple of uh oh my uh, so
I'll go back so.
I'm musical, I am musical.

So I play piano.
I played the clarinet firstchair.
I played the bassoon, I wasdrum, I played the trips in the
drum corps, I was drum corpsmajor and, yeah, I was in chorus
my whole life and I considermyself very musical.
I don't know about how goodanymore, but I'm pretty, I'm a

(39:22):
musical person.
Slightly out of practice, veryout of practice.

I mean.

I sing lots of.
I'm trying to think of theBluey theme.
Right now I can't think of it,but I could sing the Bluey theme
really well.

Should we wait?

I'm trying to think Mom, dad, no, I think
that's really all I know, rightnow.
Yeah, that's about it.

All right.
Well, I've definitely learnedsomething new about you today.
Yeah, certainly so.
Music All right, I'm going tohave to yeah, very into music
One of these events.
I'm going to find a piano andoh, I DJ too, I'm a really good
DJ.

All right Now can navigate my own DJ equipment,
but if you like, put me in frontof the boards.
I probably would embarrassmyself, but this is kind of cool
too.
So at my church they're lookingfor people to learn the sound
board and the sound system.

Yeah.

So I told them I'm interested, so I'm like on a
waiting list and hopefullygoing to be able to learn some
of the sound system so I mighthelp my DJ skills.

Because you're not busy enough already.

Exactly, exactly, all right.

So which one of the kids is going to be the
musical one?

I think Sienna, my daughter, yeah, she's got a
beautiful voice.
I mean, I'm a mom but like shecould match pitch and we sing
every night and now she'ssinging like the same song, but
she can go in different octavesso she can drop octaves like
really easy.
So if you're like, ah, shecould go, ah, if you're going,
ah, she'd go, ah, so she coulddo octaves really well, which is

(40:48):
pretty cool, yeah.

I've done karaoke and I've learned one thing.

Don't do karaoke.

Yes, no.
Find a song with no rangethat's in your natural key.
You can do that Then.
Then it's half the job is over.

So what's your karaoke go-to song?

American Woman.

Oh, that's a good one.
Yeah, that's a good one,exactly, yeah, exactly.

I can kind of grunt it and yell it.
That's right up my alley.
I love it, no range.

That's good.
That's a very good one.

Yes, so it's good.
We're finding out really goodstuff today, which is great.
I really appreciate yoursharing.
Yeah, I kind of want to pivot,because a really important part
of what we do is is to give back, and we don't want to look at
that yeah and um.
So we always say work hard,play hard and give back.
So what does giving back reallymean to you, katie?

yeah, um, that's a great question.
So, and I think that when youreally do have a heart to serve,
you know servant leadership.
I believe in servant leadership.
I have been in just beingreally transparent for since I
became a mom, really strugglingwith my own desires to give back
more, and several people havetold me, like you're just giving

(41:55):
everything you can right now toyour children, to your job, to
your family.
So I'm probably at a placewhere I'm just getting back to
giving back, because there issomething that just fulfills me
by volunteering my time andhelping other people.
I've been involved with Habitatfor Humanity Meals on Wheels
such a great story.
When I was running thebrokerage, I was trying to

(42:18):
figure a way to get moreinvolved and I started doing
Meals on Wheels.
So are you familiar with Mealson Wheels?

Yeah.

So I only did the Meals on Wheels program for
like a year, and then it's whenI went over to the new office
where I became partner.
My mom took over the route, andmy mom is still doing it.

Really, and she brings my children.
So you're such a good influence?
Instead of just being aninfluence on your children,
you're an influence on your mom,my mom, yeah, yeah.

Back to giving back.
You know, in my career rightnow, I feel very fulfilled doing
the mentoring calls.
You know, helping young.
You know, not necessarily young, but new entrepreneurs navigate
the real estate business.
I mean, it's hard to be anagent, yeah, owning a brokerage
and I know like it's a lot ofguts and not a lot of glory

(43:03):
owning a brokerage.
But you see behind the scenesof what it takes to run a
successful brokerage and howmuch you pour into your agents,
agents are such unique creaturesand they're unbelievable
entrepreneurs and what they dealwith day to day is so
challenging sometimes.
But what broker owners?
I mean there's 50 people inyour office doing the same thing

(43:25):
.
So it's like it's a lot and Imean, I think it's noble work,
mike, um and uh.
I would say that teaching andsharing with entrepreneurs that
don't have that experience is agreat way that I give to get to
share my knowledge and my pastorknowledge.

No, that's great, I love that.
I love that.
Can I touch on one thing, causeI know the franchise?
Coldwell Banker has their ownuh go-to, you know uh charitable
organization.
It's St Jude's, you know.
And and actually when I heardthat, I love that because we um,
we already have we're on amonthly donation to them.

(44:03):
And one of the things I alwayslook for if I'm going to a
charitable organization, I wantto know what percentage is
actually going to the charity,because there's too many
organizations out there.
If you're giving 15 cents tothe charity out of every dollar,
it's no good.
But I know they give.
I think the number was 92%actually winds up, which is
fantastic.
And if you understand the storyof St Jude and what they do for

(44:25):
people talk about people inneed I think that's a wonderful
story.
How did Coldwell Banker getinto that?
Or were they already alignedwith them when you came into the
franchise?

No, it's a newer partnership, so I would say
we've been aligned with St Judefor about four or five years.

Yeah.

So David Marine, our former CMO, brought you know
, brought them to ourorganization, and you know, it's
really, it's really.
Everybody has their ownpassions, right.
Whether you donate to Sloan oryou donate to Habitat or you
donate to whoever, there's somany ways to, you know, donate
to causes.
I mean, america is the mostcharitable country in the world,

(45:06):
so we're constantly giving andpeople are giving when they
shouldn't be giving or can't begiving, but they still give.
I mean, you know, americans aregood, you know, donators.
So, with that being said, we,you know, I know that we really
wanted to find an organizationthat everyone could support, and
St Jude is dedicated to helpingchildren fight cancer and we

(45:29):
felt like that was really aunifying cause, a unifying
initiative last convention, whenyou're having thousands of
people and they had the saintjude, the person, the mother,
came out and 15 minute uh,introduction to to the, to saint
jude and what they do.

I don't know if there was a dry eye in the whole
place.

It was so touching mike, that was in
phoenix and, um, we were.
So what you're describing is wehad somebody come to talk about
saint jude, but really to talkabout where your money goes yeah
right because to your you knowyou give all the money and
you're like okay, great, likewhere does it go?
What does it do?
St Jude is dedicated to makingsure you see where your money is
going and how it's helpingfamilies and what that moment.

(46:14):
So she stopped and she saidwe're going to open the polls
for five minutes and, um, youknow, and whatever you can give,
if you feel compelled to give,give and in I think it was 180
seconds.
Our network donated $100,000.
I mean $100,000.
And one of my colleagues waslike I can't get through.

I can't get through it's too busy, I just
wanna give them.

And I mean when you really see it.
It's just through, it's toobusy.
I just want to give them.

And I mean when you and when you really see it,
it's just um, it's amazing andwow, yeah, I I felt the chill
because I was there, um it was.
I was on the app that day right.

How do you explain what that feels?
like it was just you know,especially when there's so many
words, polarizing moments in ourcountry.
Yeah, right right now, likeeverywhere you look it's, it's
like everybody's trying todivide us from one another.
And when you get in that roomand you can, even if you're
giving $2.
You can feel it.
Yes, everyone come together.
It was an overwhelming feeling.

(47:11):
I was sobbing, I mean, it wasunbelievable.
But all for a good cause.
And at Coldwell Baker we alsohave a program where you can
automatically say I want fivedollars to come out of every
commission check I have, and Imean whatever it is, and then
you could brand all yourlistings, all your sales with
seen jude and your customershave that option too.
And again, it's optional.
Everybody has their own charity, we understand, but if you

(47:34):
don't, we strongly support andbelieve in seen jude.
That's awesome.

yeah, that's great , I it.
So, kate, we're going to moveto the drop the mic question.
We try to kind of come out ofleft field and try to have a
little bit of fun with this, soall right.
So here's our drop the micquestion.
What's a secret ambition orguilty pleasure that nobody
knows anything about?

I go to the guilty pleasure first.
Yeah, I watched all threeseasons of Bridgerton by myself
when my husband fell asleep.
I mean, I just love that show.

You do know he's going to see this right.

Yeah, now I know and my secret ambition?
Yeah.
So I mean, I don't know howsecret it is Real estate's in my
blood, it's in my, my DNA, likeI feel like at some point I'll
probably be back in brokerage.
At some point in my career Ijust feel called to it, I love
it and at some point, like laterin my life, I feel like I will

(48:33):
probably lands back into realestate.
One other secret ambition isyeah, I, I really go ahead.

I have a secret ambition now I want to share for
the audience.
I'm recruiting Kate right now.
So, Sue Yannick, if you'rewatching this, I'm recruiting
right now.

Mike, it's like once it's in you.
Like you know, it's just I lovereal estate and I love home
ownership and I love people, soto help people.
And then my secret ambition isprobably to work in a fishing
boat.
So I grew up with a lot offishing boats in my life, like
it's.
You know another story, but Ikind of made it a little bit on
a boat and I'd love to go backto it.

I just got this whole visual.
I literally was just watchedForrest Gump, like two nights
ago, on a shrimp boat.

Yes, I'm picturing that shrimp boat
coming by and Kate workingshrimping, you know, on the boat
called Jenny.

Yes, I'm picturing that shrimp boat coming by and
Kate working shrimp and you know?

Yeah, I'd love to .

I'm salty On the boat called Jenny.

Yes, I'm salty, I love fishing.
So yeah, I would love, I'd loveto get back on a fishing boat.

Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Well, kate, I really appreciateyou sharing everything with our
audience.
And great story.
I hope there's many people whofeel empowered and relate to
your story, because I think it'sa great story.
So I appreciate you sharingwith the audience today.
So, just if anyone isinterested in reaching out to

(49:49):
you, whether it's about ColdwellBanker or franchises, I'm sure
you're just a wealth ofinformation.
How does someone reach or findKate Conquest?

Absolutely, and I love if you're thinking about
getting into real estate as acareer and you really are.
You have questions?
That's my favorite call to get.
Yeah, so you could reach out tome at katy K-A-T-Y at
cbhomeofficecom.

That's great.
That's great.
I appreciate so much of sharingand your great interview and
wealth of information.
Thank you so much for beinghere today.

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S1E6 - Kate Conquest: From Agent to National VP of Coldwell Banker

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}S1E6 - Kate Conquest: From Agent to National VP of Coldwell Banker