Let’s face it: Feminine empowerment isn’t only a trending matter. It’s a robust motion that’s reshaping how we lead, join, and make an affect within the office and at residence. Ladies at the moment are stepping up in each business, not solely as prime performers but in addition as changemakers and innovators. And in actual property specifically, we’re seeing a few of the most spectacular examples of what occurs when girls lead with each energy and coronary heart.
That’s why, right here at SUCCESS Enterprises, we’re making a concerted effort to vary the best way we understand “success” all through our content material and neighborhood. Our objective is to showcase what persons are doing to make a distinction of their environment—regardless of the place they began or what hurdles they could have overcome.
As skilled journalists who worth the artwork of storytelling, we stay up for honoring entrepreneurial spirits in each concern. As an extension of our fashionable Ladies of Affect program, we thought it might be applicable to spotlight a few of the most inspiring females who’re making waves of their respective companies once more this month. From mentorship to mission-driven work, these powerhouse professionals aren’t solely scaling their companies but in addition lifting others as they rise.
All of us have a narrative that’s meant to be advised—so let the world hear it.
Why feminine management issues
In keeping with the Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors 2024 Member Profile, girls now signify greater than 60% of Realtors within the U.S., a testomony to their rising affect in the true property business. Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless room for extra girls to step into management roles. A 2019 evaluation from McKinsey & Firm additionally confirmed that firms with probably the most gender-diverse govt management are 25% extra more likely to outperform opponents with the least gender variety. This means that selling girls into management positions just isn’t solely the correct alternative but in addition a wise enterprise technique for fulfillment.
SUCCESS, which is led by an all-woman management group, is aware of the significance of honoring girls in distinguished roles who’re setting a typical for inclusivity and innovation. Our publication is thought for acknowledging sturdy, influential girls in each concern, together with their male friends who help their wins. In consequence, our group is set to foster an surroundings the place feminine professionals can thrive and lead.
By way of initiatives just like the Ladies’s Affect Community, SUCCESS’ mum or dad firm, eXp Realty, supplies a platform that empowers girls to attach and share data inside the true property business. The community additionally champions mentorship, training and inclusion so girls have the help they should thrive in all areas of enterprise.
We’re honored to spotlight 5 phenomenal girls from eXp Realty who’re making a path for the subsequent wave of leaders. After we champion feminine empowerment, we create environments the place collaboration thrives and folks really feel seen. Now that’s success price celebrating throughout the globe.
Congratulations to those unimaginable enterprise leaders:
1. Jill Leberknight: The visionary
Jill Leberknight is a visionary chief, award-winning realtor and inventive pressure who continues to form the way forward for actual property by way of innovation, inclusion and purpose-driven management. With over 20 years of expertise and a background that blends the humanities, training and entrepreneurship, Leberknight’s affect reaches far past transactions to encourage transformation.
Because the founder and chair of eXp Realty’s Ladies’s Affect Community, she has constructed a robust platform the place girls don’t simply have a seat on the desk—in addition they assist construct it. Her mission is rooted in creating secure, empowering areas the place feminine leaders can rise, mentor others and replicate the true variety of the business. From the stage to the boardroom, Leberknight’s genuine management and unwavering dedication to service, training and neighborhood proceed to blaze a path for girls who need to redefine success on their very own phrases.
Insights and inspiration
SUCCESS: What impressed you to launch the Ladies’s Affect Community at eXp Realty?
Jill Leberknight: I noticed a spot. Regardless of our business being wealthy with proficient, pushed girls, many weren’t within the rooms the place main choices have been made. WIN was born from a want to not simply give girls seats on the desk however to reshape the desk fully. We wanted a spot the place mentorship was actual, management was accessible and we might be unapologetically supportive of each other’s progress.
S: How do you outline empowerment for girls in actual property in the present day?
JL: Empowerment means freedom—freedom to guide, to earn, to create and to outline success by yourself phrases. It’s additionally about eradicating boundaries. Actual empowerment comes from a community that uplifts, educates and challenges you whereas creating secure areas for trustworthy dialogue and daring strikes.
S: In what methods is the true property business evolving, and the way can girls be a part of that evolution?
JL: The true property business is experiencing seismic shifts, from know-how and world enlargement to how we outline management. Ladies have a singular alternative to guide this evolution. We’re pure connectors, artistic thinkers and problem-solvers. By proudly owning our voice and collaborating, we might help construct an business that’s extra inclusive, sustainable and future-ready.
S: What function does creativity play in your method to actual property and management?
JL: Creativity is my compass. It permits me to see options the place others see obstacles and to method enterprise with coronary heart and creativeness. Whether or not I’m mentoring brokers, talking on a panel or crafting a brand new initiative, creativity helps me carry individuals collectively in significant methods—and that’s the true energy on this work.
S: What recommendation would you give to girls who’re simply coming into the business or seeking to stage up?
JL: Keep curious. Discover mentors who problem and help you. Most significantly, don’t await permission to guide—create your personal path. Your voice issues, your perspective is required, and there’s no one proper strategy to construct your enterprise or profession.
S: What’s your imaginative and prescient for the way forward for WIN and ladies in actual property general?
JL: I see WIN changing into a world pressure of transformation, an area the place girls from all backgrounds join, collaborate and develop collectively. My hope is that the way forward for actual property management displays the range, brilliance and energy of the ladies who’re already the spine of this business. We’re not simply shaping houses—we’re shaping the long run.
2. Lana Erickson: The trailblazer
Rising up in a household of enterprise house owners and impressed by her mom, a longtime realtor, Lana Erickson entered the world of actual property with a singular mix of grit, creativity and a drive to redefine management. In consequence, her path to success has been something however typical.
Erickson constructed her profession in inside design and health. Her ardour for reworking areas and creating lovely, practical houses then sparked her love for actual property. Working within the health discipline taught her the worth of self-discipline, dedication and perseverance—abilities that seamlessly translated into her new profession.
Now, as a frontrunner with eXp Realty, Erickson blends her entrepreneurial mindset along with her ardour for neighborhood and empowerment. Her spectacular résumé proves that female-led groups can thrive with out ego and that success might be redefined by yourself phrases. She’s not simply altering the sport in actual property—she’s inspiring others to take management of their very own paths to success.
Insights and inspiration
SUCCESS: What does feminine empowerment imply to you in actual property?
Lana Erickson: To me, it’s about serving to girls acknowledge their energy—not simply as brokers however as leaders. Actual property might be isolating, so it’s essential that we construct one another up and normalize collaboration over competitors. Empowerment means displaying up, talking up, and sharing your wins and your struggles.
S: How did your early profession within the health and complement business form your method to enterprise in the present day?
LE: It taught me hustle, self-discipline and learn how to handle stress. I used to be continuously touring, working lengthy hours—it was intense. However it additionally helped me develop sturdy communication and management abilities. That background gave me the grit I now carry to actual property and the understanding that success comes from consistency and fervour.
S: You’ve deliberately prevented naming your group after your self. Why is that?
LE: As a result of it’s not about me—it’s about us. I by no means needed a group the place there was a hierarchy or ego. I needed to construct one thing the place everybody felt like a peer, the place we celebrated one another’s wins and losses. Collaboration is on the coronary heart of what we do.
S: What recommendation do you could have for girls returning to work or pivoting careers such as you did?
LE: Give your self grace and don’t let concern cease you from beginning once more. I took day without work to deal with my household, and once I got here again, I questioned all the things. However I leaned into my ardour for houses and design—and that helped me discover my place once more. You don’t must observe a straight path. Simply begin someplace, keep curious and encompass your self with individuals who help your progress.
S: What do you suppose wants to vary for girls in enterprise and actual property?
LE: We’d like extra genuine management and fewer perfection. There’s a lot stress for girls to at all times have it collectively, however actual energy is in being susceptible, actual and supportive of each other. We additionally want extra inclusive areas that honor various voices and management kinds, particularly in an business the place so many ladies are the spine however not at all times within the highlight.
S: What makes you most happy with the enterprise and tradition you’ve constructed in the present day?
LE: I’m proud that my group isn’t simply high-performing—it’s heart-led. We’re not simply chasing transactions. We’re constructing relationships.
3. Rebecca Soto: The powerhouse
Orlando-based Rebecca Soto is a powerhouse actual property entrepreneur, mentor and visionary chief whose thriving enterprise at eXp Realty is fueled by each coronary heart and hustle. With practically 20 years of expertise, Soto has constructed a dynamic actual property empire alongside her husband, Josue Soto, all whereas elevating a household and staying grounded in her values. With a manufacturing group and a corporation over 250 sturdy, her affect continues to develop throughout the U.S. and worldwide markets.
A proud Latina of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, Soto is keen about illustration, neighborhood and empowering girls to rise. She blends high-tech innovation with high-touch connection, proving which you can scale a contemporary enterprise with out shedding the soul behind it. Her private motto, “Make them really feel particular,” is greater than a tagline—it’s a lifestyle, whether or not she’s mentoring brokers, serving first-time homebuyers, or main with imaginative and prescient and care.
For Soto, success isn’t nearly numbers. As a substitute, it’s about legacy. She’s particularly happy with the strides girls are making in management and is dedicated to mentoring the subsequent wave of assured, purpose-driven professionals. Her method is proof that actual management begins with kindness, readability and conviction.
Insights and inspiration
SUCCESS: What first impressed you to pursue a profession in actual property?
Rebecca Soto: Actually, it began with a buddy who believed in me. I used to be [working] a job that didn’t mild me up, and she or he mentioned, “You’d be superb in actual property.” That caught. Josue and I needed one thing significant and versatile for our rising household. Actual property gave us function, presence and the prospect to assist others construct wealth. It was the door to one thing larger.
S: You’ve labored carefully together with your husband on this enterprise for 19 years. What’s been the important thing to rising collectively professionally and personally?
RS: Communication and mutual respect—these are all the things. We’ve at all times shared a imaginative and prescient, and we play to one another’s strengths. That synergy made us stronger in enterprise and in our marriage. We’ve raised three superb youngsters by way of all of the seasons of this journey, and I wouldn’t change a factor.
S: What does feminine empowerment imply to you in actual property in the present day?
RS: It means we rise collectively. Years in the past, you didn’t see as many ladies main on the highest ranges. Now we’re displaying up boldly, supporting one another, and proving that management might be highly effective and heart-led. I’m proud to be a part of eXp’s Ladies’s Affect Community—it’s an unimaginable neighborhood the place we rejoice wins and carry each other up. I’m additionally an eXp Latino and main FastCAP lessons, a six-week course designed to get brokers producing at the next stage. I’m all about educating and empowering brokers.
S: What recommendation would you give to somebody—particularly a girl—who’s simply beginning in actual property?
RS: Don’t wait to really feel “prepared.” This enterprise strikes quick, and one of the simplest ways to develop is by leaping in. Encompass your self with mentors, spend money on your mindset and keep curious. You don’t must know all of it—you simply must be keen to be taught and lead with coronary heart.
S: How did you handle work-life stability whereas elevating your youngsters and constructing your profession?
RS: It wasn’t excellent, and that’s OK. I used to inform my youngsters, “Mommy’s working now, however after 5 p.m., I’m all yours.” I saved that promise. That boundary taught them respect and accountability. Steadiness isn’t about doing all the things —it’s about being totally current the place you’re.
S: What’s one piece of recommendation you reside by that retains you grounded and profitable?
RS: I deal with everybody like they matter, as a result of they do. You by no means know what somebody’s carrying, and if I is usually a beacon of their life, that’s a win. This enterprise isn’t nearly closing offers. It’s about relationships and connecting with the guts—connecting the guts to residence.
4. Jessica Nieto: The legacy maker
Jessica Nieto isn’t simply constructing a profitable actual property profession—she’s additionally constructing a legacy rooted in grit, resilience and coronary heart.
Primarily based in Southern California, Nieto has been ranked amongst eXp Realty’s Prime 250 group leaders within the U.S. and acknowledged as a Prime 10 group chief in California. However her path to success has been something however typical: After leaving a secure job, shifting cities on a playful wager along with her now-wife and taking a $12/hour Craigslist job simply to interrupt into the business, Nieto turned self-doubt into momentum and constructed one thing extraordinary.
Recognized for her daring enterprise sense, sharp market perception and unwavering dedication to inclusion, Nieto has change into a robust advocate for girls in actual property, particularly those that are breaking molds, difficult norms and carving their very own path within the business. She’s a real believer that when girls perceive their worth and voice, all the things modifications, they usually’ll in the end create a life for themselves stuffed with empowerment, monetary freedom and generational wealth.
By way of mentorship, management and unapologetic authenticity, Nieto isn’t simply making strikes—she’s making a distinction.
Insights and inspiration
SUCCESS: What drives your entrepreneurial mindset?
Jessica Nieto: Rising up, we didn’t have some huge cash. I didn’t know what I needed to be, however I knew what I didn’t need: poverty and limitation. That drove me. I believed that if I simply labored arduous sufficient, I might keep away from repeating the cycle. That perception has fueled each main step I’ve taken.
S: You mentioned your success got here “regardless of your self.” What do you imply by that?
JN: My mind has at all times advised me I wasn’t prepared, that I couldn’t do it. Since I used to be younger, I used to be the lady with the backpack, at all times ready for battle. However I’ve discovered to borrow confidence from individuals who believed in me once I couldn’t consider in myself. I let my coronary heart lead when my thoughts tried to cease me.
S: How do you empower different girls in actual property?
JN: I share the actual story, not simply the spotlight reel. I let girls know that it’s OK to be afraid and nonetheless transfer ahead. I remind them that concern doesn’t disqualify you—it humanizes you. If my story helps even one girl consider she’s succesful, then I’m doing my job.
S: What function has multimedia performed in your progress?
JN: It’s been large. Social media has given me a platform to inform my story authentically—each the wins and the struggles. Video, podcasting and Instagram have helped me join with different brokers, shoppers and ladies who simply want somebody to say, “You’re not alone. You’ve acquired this.”
S: Why is feminine empowerment so vital within the business?
JN: As a feminine entrepreneur, it may be an extremely lonely area. What we’re coping with—our doubts, our blocks, even our drive—is usually deeply private. It’s not nearly enterprise objectives. And we don’t at all times discover the solutions inside ourselves. Generally we’d like a secure neighborhood to be susceptible, to be taught from one another and to develop by way of actual connection.
S: That’s highly effective. What sort of shift are you hoping to see?
JN: I would like girls to cease evaluating themselves with that voice that claims, “I’m not adequate.” Take the Prime 250 record of actual property brokers. Some girls see it and suppose, “I’ll by no means get there.” I need to shift that to, “Let me name the No. 1 girl on that record, be taught from her and rejoice her.” Curiosity and connection are extra highly effective than comparability.
S: So success isn’t at all times in regards to the gross sales numbers?
JN: Precisely. There’s multiple definition of success. Perhaps one girl isn’t the best earner, however she’s mastered well being, wellness or time administration in a means that may train the remainder of us. WIN encourages girls to share throughout these strengths—as a result of in enterprise, in motherhood, in life, all of us have totally different seasons. And we’d like one another to develop by way of them.
S: What’s the objective for this neighborhood long-term?
To create actual proximity and entry. Not simply motivational quotes, however actual conversations. A spot the place girls really feel seen, supported and challenged. The place we assist one another develop the talents we’ve been advised don’t “matter” in enterprise—like relaxation, emotional intelligence or boundaries. As a result of these issues truly do affect our success and, extra importantly, our peace.
5. Catherine Haller: The innovator
A former educator and classically skilled musician, Catherine Haller brings each self-discipline and creativity to all the things she does. Her actual property journey started 25 years in the past when she transitioned from instructing to property funding, ultimately constructing a thriving enterprise rooted in mentorship, innovation and function.
Now a proud agent with eXp Realty, Haller leads with authenticity and a deep dedication to servant management. From reasonably priced housing initiatives to large-scale developments, she makes use of her platform to drive significant change whereas empowering others, particularly girls, to step into their potential. Her story is one in every of reinvention, resilience and a relentless want to uplift these round her, proving that actual success is measured not simply in offers however within the lives you remodel alongside the best way. By way of each her enterprise acumen and private authenticity, she exemplifies what it means to thrive by yourself phrases.
Insights and Inspiration
SUCCESS: Why are you so keen about entrepreneurship?
Catherine Haller: Entrepreneurship provides a way of freedom and a deep sense of private accountability. After I first entered the true property business, I used to be drawn to the concept of getting full management over my enterprise—with the ability to create and construct one thing from the bottom up with out relying on anybody else. The flexibility to take possession of my future and never depend on others to outline my path was extremely empowering. Since then, I’ve by no means regarded again. It’s this autonomy that retains me motivated and excited in regards to the potentialities forward.
S: You mentioned, “Empowerment means giving others permission to shine.” What does this imply to you?
CH: For me, empowerment is all about supporting others—particularly girls—by creating alternatives for them to thrive. I really like being the one who says, “I consider in you, and right here’s an opportunity so that you can shine.” As girls, we regularly carry the load of balancing enterprise, residence life and all the things in between, however I believe we must be extra open about our struggles and successes. Sharing these challenges helps foster a way of unity and help. I’m keen about serving to others see their potential and displaying them that they will succeed on their very own phrases. It’s about encouraging others to step into their very own energy, and I take nice pleasure in enjoying a job in that.
S: How has know-how modified the best way you do enterprise?
CH: Know-how has revolutionized the best way I do enterprise, significantly with the mixing of synthetic intelligence. It’s been a sport changer, particularly in terms of giant initiatives like new building. AI helps streamline processes, enhance effectivity and maintain initiatives on observe. Nevertheless, it’s vital to make use of these instruments with warning and guarantee [that] we don’t lose the human contact within the course of. At eXp, we’ve been given the sources to learn to harness the ability of know-how ethically and successfully.
S: What does success imply to you?
CH: To me, success just isn’t about hitting sure monetary milestones or having the best gross sales numbers—it’s about private success. Success means with the ability to have a look at your self on the finish of the day and really feel happy with your efforts, realizing you’ve executed your greatest. Generally, it’s so simple as getting by way of a tricky day or surviving a difficult chapter in your life and enterprise. I’ve had moments the place simply displaying up and pushing by way of the arduous instances felt like the largest victory.
S: How are you giving again to your neighborhood?
CH: Probably the most rewarding initiatives I’m engaged on proper now’s a 90-property improvement right here in Akron, Ohio, which incorporates reasonably priced housing and custom-built houses. It’s a venture that’s near my coronary heart as a result of it’s all about creating alternatives for the neighborhood to thrive. Moreover, I’m consulting with the county’s Alcohol, Drug Dependancy, and Psychological Well being Providers Board on a venture that mixes a number of providers beneath one roof, making them extra accessible to the individuals who want them most. It’s extremely fulfilling to know that the work I’m doing now just isn’t solely impacting my enterprise but in addition serving to to create an enduring, constructive change in my neighborhood.
This text initially appeared within the September/October 2025 concern of SUCCESS® journal.
Photograph courtesy of Jessica Nieto
