How These Women Achieve Work/Life Balance
In part three of our four part series talking to a few of the strong, smart and ambitious women at JLL, we learn how they are finding balance in a 24-7 industry.
Part 3 of 4
In celebration of all things women, we recently sat down with a few of the strong, smart, and ambitious women of JLL. Part three in a four part series includes: Dana Brody, Senior Vice President of the Capital Markets group in Los Angeles; Toni Steele, Executive Vice President of the Capital Markets group in Los Angeles; and Amber Lin, Senior Analyst of Valuation & Advisory Services group in Orange County. We hope they inspire you like they do us.
GlobeSt.com: How did you get into commercial real estate?
Brody: I had just graduated college and got a job as an assistant to Laurie Lustig-Bower, the top multi-family broker in Los Angeles for CBRE. Got my real estate license two months later and was quickly promoted to Business Development Director for her team. I brought in over $75 million in new listings for the team in my first year.
Steele: I was asked to join a real estate development firm soon after college. It proved to be a perfect match and amalgamation of many interests. I fell in love with the entrepreneurial nature of the business: the process of taking risks, teaching, learning new markets, challenging and advancing ideas/quantifying data, seeing artist renderings realized into being functional places of design and purpose, and seeing that all emerge from concept to permitting and financing, development, leasing, and on-sale. It all connected. Commercial real estate ended up being the perfect marriage of my intellectual interests alongside that of people and places.
Lin: I started in commercial real estate as a data entry intern for AIR CRE, a broker/member contributory association. My time as an intern was brief and shortly thereafter I found an opportunity as a research analyst for a small appraisal firm in Orange County and have been with the same team ever since.
GlobeSt.com: How has JLL and the industry supported you as a women in business?
Brody: JLL and the industry have given me every opportunity to succeed. March 18th was my 6 month anniversary and I am excited to work with JLL to expand a grow the Multi-Family business in Southern California.
Steele: JLL has allowed me to help advance women’s leadership roles and overall diversity and multi-generational initiatives. This is a target focus of mine. It’s so enriching to engage with the talent in a special place such as JLL. It is a wonderful means to not only meet others but to share in their story and aspirations.
Lin: JLL has provided me with the educational support and opportunity to connect with individuals across various sectors of commercial real estate, which allows for thinking outside the box and unique perspectives.
GlobeSt.com: What advice would you give to young women to succeed in the workplace?
Brody: You can be anything you want to be, be persistent, don’t back down, keep your head high and always treat others the way you want to be treated.
Steele: Be yourself, be curious and broaden your life experiences while always challenging yourself and being supportive of others and their success alongside yours in reaching full potential.
Lin: Arm yourself with the educational background, learn the skills of your field and trade, and put in the time to build a body of work that can be the foundation of your career.
GlobeSt.com: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Brody: News Producer for Dateline or 20/20
Steele: I wanted to work in an office and be a mathematician – and race motorcycles. My mom worked at universities and high schools – first as the executive assistant to the President of Southern Illinois University then leading high schools, so I got to come in the office a lot – that was a wonderland it seemed with fun people and lots going on. My dad was a mathematician and a leading IBM engineer for the space program and military work, so math was such an emphasis growing up – even in doing the most mundane or creative things like having fun working on cars with him, cooking with my grandma, and constantly sketching homes and tree houses.
GlobeSt.com: How do you measure success? Brody: Being recognized by my peers as a consummate professional and treated as an equal to my male counterparts in the business.
Lin: I personally define success as striking a balance between achieving ambitious goals at the office while taking care to prevent burnout as an individual. I think it can be difficult to get stuck in the never-ending cycle of work and lamenting about personal shortcomings in the office, so I always take the time to step back and appreciate any personal achievements and year-over-year improvements, however small they may be.
How do you achieve work/life balance? Brody: Time management in office, try to get as much done during 9-5, spend time with my boys from 7-9 am and then 5-8 pm, and then usually back to work from home on my laptop once they are in bed. Commercial real estate is a 24 hour business, but it does allow flexibility for working parents, which is great!
Lin: On a day to day basis, I try to build good habits into my day, whether it be eating healthy, incorporating fitness, or plain relaxing. On a larger scale, I try to schedule any vacations, mental health days, and weekend trips far in advance so that there things to look forward to on the horizon and it creates a strict cut off between work and play/rest.