Karen Brown, Real Estate Advisor at Coldwell Banker.

Who is a woman who inspires you?

Nicole Waters, she is a force, the little engine that could. Always striving for better and taking people with her along the way.

What's a stereotype about women in your industry that isn’t true?

That Real Estate is an easy career because it has a relatively low barrier to entry. It's a multi-faceted career that requires negotiating skills, psychology, creativity, diligence, patience, people skills, time, education, relationship building skills, follow through, stamina, money to survive while doing it, I could go on.

What's the single decision that had the greatest impact on your professional success?

Taking a huge pay cut to start in the Hospitality industry, which I was in for 26 years, painful at the time but paid off within a year.

How do you handle being underestimated?

This is an ongoing issue, until and even after you build trust, people think they are just smarter than you. Until they apologize later for not listening.

Have you ever had to advocate for yourself in a way that didn't come naturally? How did you find your voice?

I was given an extremely difficult performance ultimatum in order to keep my job. I did the tasks and was let go anyway. I went out much stronger than I thought I was.

Do you have any advice for emerging female professionals early in their careers?

Find a female mentor, preferable in your same industry but someone you admire with business savvy. Nurture that relationship. Then pass it on.