Postponed nearly two years, my family is finally getting ready to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary + their 70th birthdays this summer with a big trip abroad for all 19 of us (10 adults + 9 kids ranging in age from 15 – 3yo) to spend a week together. In the planning process, we’ve had a great time sharing family memories, stories and laughs. Over a glass of wine, my mom let slip that her and my dad weren’t sure I would ever last in the real estate business. Wait, what?!?
I graduated from GWU in 2001 and landed a fantastic job with Accenture and immediately began to make my way up the corporate ladder in the consulting world. I had always known that the corporate world was never going to be right for me long term so three years later when I told my parents that I had gotten my real estate license and was going to leave Accenture (and excellent pay + benefits) they gritted their teeth and supported me in the transition.
It never crossed my mind that this career change would be a short stint and I took all the lessons I had learned watching my parents run their real estate business growing up and carved a path of my own in the DC area. 18 years and over 1,000 transactions later, my mom will safely tell you that I’ve succeeded in my own right and I will tell you how grateful I am each and every day for the stellar example my parents set and the sacrifices they made to balance work and kids when we were younger.
As a mom myself now, I’m trying to strike that same balance and be a good example to my three boys.
Happy Mother’s Day!
PS – get to know my Alex, Weston and Whitaker a little better in the video below!
The Stokes Group is a team of dedicated professionals who have passion for the real estate business and will advocate for our clients with the utmost honesty, integrity, and confidentiality.
