Real Talk & Reflections with Athena Dobson

Happy Easter Bank Holiday Monday, everyone! 🐣✨

With the Girls in Property Retreat just around the corner, I thought now would be the perfect time to sit down for a solo episode and catch up with you all. These episodes have become such a special space for me—to slow down, reflect, and connect with you on a more personal level.

In this one, I’m sharing what’s been happening behind the scenes in the lead-up to our big annual event, and opening up about the journey of Girls in Property—how it all began, how far we’ve come, and everything I’ve learned along the way.

Planning something like the retreat definitely isn’t always easy, but every challenge has been so worth it when I see this beautiful community growing and women lifting each other up in the property world.

I also talk about what it really takes to bring these events to life—the power of having a strong, supportive team, and how much personal growth has happened alongside the professional. Plus, I’m giving you a little sneak peek into what’s next: more workshops, more retreats, and even more ways for us to grow, learn, and thrive together.

Thank you so much for being here, for tuning in each week, and for all the love and support you give this podcast. It truly means the world. Let’s keep building something amazing—together. 💪🏽💫

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Disclaimer: None of the content in our podcast is intended to constitute legal or financial advice. All interviews and statements are the thoughts & opinions of the hosts and guests themselves and should be taken as such. Any information used from this podcast is done so at your own risk.

Transcript

0:02

Good morning everyone and welcome to a bank holiday episode for girls in property. How is everybody doing? Happy, happy Easter. I hope everybody had the most amazing bank holiday Easter weekend. I hope everybody ate so much chocolate till they dropped. I hope you ate loads of meat and fish and veg and anything else you can get your hands on. Funny enough, I'm actually recording this on Saturday night. That's Saturday, 19th of April. literally just before I'm about to go tomorrow to meet my whole Greek family for Easter myself. So by the time this episode comes out, I would have had my Easter with my family. And this year particularly is a really special Easter for us because those who listen to us who are Greek will know that in sort of the calendars that work between the English and the Greek Easter's, Easter usually actually falls on different times of the year. One time you will have Easter and then usually about two weeks later you'll then have Greek Easter. However, this is the first Easter where actually English Easter and Greek Easter falls on the same day. And so we've decided to get all together, which is amazing. And the most hilarious thing is, is there is 69 of us that are going to be there. They confirmed it in the WhatsApp yesterday. And have you ever... found it when you realize how many family members you have and sort of it's all the extended family. So second cousins, third cousins, second cousins removed twice over. You're like, who the hell are these people? But apparently they're your family and you're like, that's great to know after 33 years. So I'm going to go and meet all of them and have a really great time. And I've got no doubt they've already wrote to me into doing the Easter egg hunt as well. So really looking forward to that one. So guys, welcome to a solo episode for Girls and Property. I hope that you enjoy my solo episodes and a few of you had messaged me to say, Athena, when you're gonna do another solo one, they're our favorites. So today is the day. And I'll tell you how this one came about, which is hilarious and you're probably gonna laugh when I tell you, which is I actually wasn't going to be doing a solo episode today. But the retreat, as everybody knows, is literally this Friday coming. So Friday the 25th of April is when the retreat's happening. And I have had the most wonderful episodes of podcasts that I have already pre-recorded. They're fantastic, I love them. But when I was deciding which episode to put out on this Monday morning leading up to the week of the retreat, if I'm completely honest with you, there wasn't one episode that I really felt had the... What's the right word to use? The gravitas or the privilege, if you like, of going up the week of the Girls and Property annual retreat, which is massive. It's massive for me. And I thought to myself, no, none of these work. So what happened was, was I was umming and ah-ing and umming and ah-ing and I actually chose an episode. And then me being me, the time is now on a Saturday, the 19th of April, the time is 9.30 in the evening. And me being me went, no, I have to change this. I can't have this episode going out on Monday. I need to record a solo episode. And so that's what I'm doing. And that is about as me as you can possibly get going, no, I'm not doing that. I'm gonna go and put a microphone on at 9.30 at night, even though I'm exhausted, even though I've got Easter tomorrow, even though I've got a hundred other things to do. This podcast is so much more than you guys can ever imagine to me. And to make sure that I actually always give 110 % and always give my absolute best will always come before anything else for me. It's just the way that I'm wired. And so I thought to myself, no, Athena, go put that extra bit of effort in, even though you're on minus points, show people, show the listeners that sometimes you've just got to dig that little bit deeper, even when you think you've dug as deep as you can go, there's always a little bit more to give. And that's what this is representing tonight. and hopefully going to be a fab episode to lead into the retreat with. So here's what I'm gonna do. As always, funny enough, I was thinking about this and kind of the topic that I wanted to do. And if I'm honest with you, I kind of didn't wanna do like a teaching kind of a podcast tonight. And I'll tell you why. I've been listening to a lot of podcasts recently and some of my favorite podcasts are actually where the host takes a little bit of a break and kind of just gives a, almost like a chat, like a chat show and kind of talks through things that are gonna be happening for Girls and Property going forward, let you know a little bit of information, get you all up to speed and just have a little bit of chat with you guys as well, just because there's been so much going on. I mean, for example, I haven't actually done a solo episode since I released that episode with Akhtar Khan all around limiting beliefs, self-limiting beliefs. And the messages I received, after doing that podcast brought, as always, tears to my eyes. The messages were just so powerful, they really were. And the amount of both women and men that came to me and said, Athena, thank you for doing such a powerful episode for self-limiting beliefs, because this is how I feel. And this is how I felt for some time. And thank you for actually making me feel seen today. And thank you for actually giving me that confidence to go and get the help I need or to go and... you know relate or whatever it may be and I if I'm honest with you had no idea of the impact it was gonna have on others and so first of all before I forget and before I say anything like Your DMs mean more than you can possibly imagine to me because at the end of the day guys if you think about this and how the podcast formed and how everything is I'm just a girl right, you know, like you know in Notting Hill where she goes To Hugh Grant she goes I am just a girl standing in front of a boy. Like that's how I feel. I'm just a girl, right? Who is in my spare bedroom, recording this podcast for you all. And I've got some exciting news for you actually. So stay tuned for the podcast to hear my exciting news. But for now, you know, that's how this was formed. This is how this is. And so to think how many people I'm reaching with my voice and to think how many people decide to tune in is mind blowing for me. And so before I even start this episode, I first of all want to say a huge thank you, a huge thank you to each and every person who tunes into this podcast, who is a loyal listener and who believes in me and believes in Girls and Property and believes what it is that we're trying to achieve here. So a huge thank you for me first and foremost before anything. And let's give everyone or yourself a pat on the back. for just being a fantastic listener and DMing me and getting involved and just being so supportive. So thank you first and foremost. Right guys, so moving on to what I'm celebrating at the moment. So obviously I have to celebrate the fact that on Friday, 25th of April, I am once again hosting a retreat, which is one day, a full day retreat for 80 women across property, finance and construction. And I'll be really honest with you. So as time has gone on, I think what I've begun to realise is, and you know I don't say this often, anyone who knows me knows that I don't really, I stay quite quiet and I have my limiting beliefs and therefore I don't really ever sometimes say a lot of positive attributions or positive words towards myself and I'm getting help with that and I'm getting... you're more used to it. However, one thing I have realized is, is the majority of people who put on these types of events, which are of significance in terms of people, let's say 80 people, 50 people, 100 people, 400 people, whatever it may be, they have a team, right? They have a big team. And that's one thing I've noticed. I've noticed that they might have sales, marketing, they might have all of those. But at the end of the day, I am still first and foremost, a one woman band. And I'm gonna come onto this in a second because I now actually do have somebody who has become integral to Girls and Property and I'm gonna give her her own moments in a second. But at the same time, I am still at forefront, at the core of Girls and Property, it is still a one woman band. And I see these events and I see the whole team that's behind it and I think to myself, God, how do I actually do it? And I have those moments and I have no doubt that on Friday when I stand in front of everybody and if you're coming, I can't wait to see you, it's just how proud I'm gonna be. First of all, of everybody who has showed up and invested in themselves to be there. But second of all, I'm gonna be really proud of myself and I never say that and you know what, I'm gonna do it today because I'm celebrating. I'm gonna be so proud of myself saying, girl, you did it again. You did it again. Like, look at this, look at this room. Look at how you've brought these people together. So my celebration is gonna be me being proud of myself. You'll know in 109 episodes, I don't think I've ever said that before. And so proud to celebrate once again the 2025 Girls and Property Annual Retreat. So if you're coming, I can't wait to see you. If you've been before, you know what to expect, but think bigger this year, because it's me. I always have to up myself, you know that. And if it's your first time coming, I can't wait to show you what Girls and Property is all about. And what makes me even more proud than anything else is I can categorically know from the bottom of my heart that as soon as you walk into the room, whether you feel shy, whether you feel like, whether you're coming on your own, whether you feel timid, whether you feel an introvert, as soon as you walk in the room, you will feel like you are part of the family and you will feel like you are part of something and you'll feel like you're home and for me that is the only thing I care about for girls and property is that all women who walk into that room feel welcome, feel seen and feel part of something and that means more to me than anything else so I can't wait to see you all there. At the same time, if you couldn't quite make it this year and you couldn't quite, you know, I appreciate it's Easter, by the way, never ever doing a retreat in April ever again. It's been tough guys. It's been really, really tough. You know, this should have, this should have, considering the amount of no's that I got based not on because they couldn't come because based on Easter was at least half, this should have sold out like, months and months ago. so, spoiler alert, when I'm going to be looking around March next year, March time, much, much nicer. And then I actually go on holiday also in the Easter holidays, which would be nice as opposed to just working every single day. So yeah, Easter has been a tricky one. But if you're unable to come, please don't feel like you're missing out. Spoiler alert, yes, you probably will have FOMO because the promo videos are going to be epic. But at the same time, know that there are so many more other things that are going to be happening for girls and property for the rest of the year, which I'm going to be talking to you about and giving you some sort of low down and information about what to expect. So please don't feel like you've missed out, but at the same time, keep an eye out for other ways that you can get involved as well. So that's my celebration, which is fantastic. And funny enough, what I've written down some notes here so that I can kind of stay on topic on some of the key things and The initial thing I've written straight after celebration is I've written here history of girls and property because still to this day, I still get girls message me or when I do my, I speak quite a lot now actually. I quite enjoy speaking. That's one of the things I'm really keen on doing more and more over time and goes on. And of course not a lot of people know about girls and property. It's still, you know, it's been going since 2023, January 15th. So it's still something that people are finding out about and getting to know. And so they say to me, you know, how did girls and property start? How did girls and property form? So I'm going to give you the simplest answer to this question so that you can understand why girls and property even exists in the first place. Back in, I wanna say kind of, was, the year was 2022, I can tell you that. And it was just before September. So I don't know the month for exact, I need to find this out. However, I'm gonna say for now, I'm gonna go with, I'm gonna go July, I'm gonna go, was summer of July, 2022. And I went to my first ever networking event. And funny enough, those who would have seen, I actually spoke at Progressive Property Network in Bournemouth two weeks ago. And my girls in property community, some of the girls who are based in the Southwest, Southwest, is that right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Southwest. My God, my brain wasn't working, sorry. Actually came and supported me. And so we all went for dinner and then we went and so I managed to bring basically... an army with me of girls to this this progressive property network event. And I remember the the organizer, Lee Ashby literally going, Oh, my gosh, you've literally brought your army of women. And I was like, Yes, I have. Absolutely. And so to all the girls that came that night of listening to the to the episode, you know, my love for you. Thank you so much for being there. Like, honestly, it means the world to me. And, and so anyway, back in 2022, I I was in property, I was doing rent to rent. I'd had my buy-to-let and I thought to myself, right, I better get out there and network. People keep talking to me about networking, I need to go out and network. And so I decided to go and my most local one was Progressive Property Network in Bournemouth. Funny enough, the one that I just spoke at. And so I went along and I was extremely nervous because, you know, this was before the podcast, this was before everything that happened to me. And so I was just this really sort of... you know, not shy, that'd be an exaggeration, but not overly confident individual, certainly not confident enough to ever do anything like this. And I turned up guys and I counted, and I don't know why I counted. I think I just decided to do it because I was curious about it. And at this event in 2022 at PPN, there were 45 people in the room in total. And I always get people to guess how many women there were out of 45. And the answer was three, including myself. So if you can imagine this right, I walk into a room, there's 45 people and only three women, myself included. And I always say, and I reminded Lee of this the other night, I will never, ever, ever forget this girl called Claire, who I think was working for Lee at the time, I think, because I clung to her like a koala, basically. And now that I look back on it, I feel so sorry for her. Because I remember her looking at me a bit weirdly going, OK, like, who are you? What are you doing? She clearly wants to go off networking. And I basically was like, please don't leave me. There's only three of us, and the other one looks even more scared than me. Please don't leave me. And I hope one day, by the way, Claire, if you're listening to this and you're like, my god, you're like, please, please get in contact with me. I would love to hear from you. And then do a shout out to you on the podcast. So shout out, Claire. I see you if you're out there. Hashtag find Claire. And do you know what was so funny is I remember coming away from that and and Guys like I can't express this to you enough like I like I really tried to mingle with the guys and at the time and again I've got to really emphasize this this was 2022 this was three years ago They were all huddled in these groups and of course the bar was there and so they were all drinking And they were they were they were kind of a bit dare. I say use the word I hate this word, but it's true It was a bit clicky because everybody knew each other And in some instances, not all of them, but some of them were making, even though I was there in the collective, they were making some inappropriate jokes about their wives at home or I don't know, it just didn't seem appropriate is the only way I could describe it. And I remember coming away from that event and I'll be honest with you, didn't, wasn't like my passion started in that moment and I drove home going, I have to do something for women. It wasn't like that. But there was something in me that went, that's interesting. That's a real shame. I wonder if it'll be different next time. Those were the kinds of thoughts that were going through my head. And then fast forward to September of 2022. And I went for lunch with with my really good friend, Sophie Foote. She took me for lunch for my birthday. And she said to me, it was her idea, Sophie said to me, she goes, Athena, I think we were chatting about women and property and how there isn't a voice for women. And Sophie said to me, should we start a podcast? And I said, don't. And I laughed, I 100 % laughed in her face. She knows I laughed in her face. Because I thought she was joking. She was dead serious. And she said to me, She said, no, I'm dead serious. And I went, don't be so ridiculous. I said, who the hell is gonna listen to us? Why would they care what we have to say? And Sophie said, because, you know, we'll just tell them our story. We'll just tell them what's happening to us at the moment and what it's like to be a female in the industry in 2022. And to be fair to her, I remember me and Sophie, we did some research and back in 2022, what shocked me and it absolutely shocked me. was there was no podcast for females in the property industry. Number one, there was, by the way, there was for female invest, which it is two girls in New Zealand. I think there's just one now. And they were doing like a female invest podcast, which is extremely inspiring. And so we kind of tuned in, listened to them, but there was no, there was no podcast for women. And there was zero, zero networking events specifically for women in property. back in 2022, zero. Which still shocks me to this day, actually. And so what happened was, me, Sophie and Julia, so Julia was, we were in a trio, we started the Girls and Property podcast on January 15th, 2023. And funny enough, you can still listen to the first ever episodes that we did. And what baffles me is I still get DMs to this day, still get DMs. I got one about two days ago going. Athena I've gone right back to the beginning and my god you sound so different you're like a different personality and I'm like yeah because I was of course I was I was shy timid and I doubted myself so much I I remember the first time Sophie said do you want to host an episode and I said don't be so ridiculous no I'm just here for the lols and then and then yeah and then it sort of snowballed from there So fast forward now, what happened was from the podcast, we got a lot of messages from individuals saying, are you going to be putting on any events for women? And so we decided as a trio to put on our first ever networking event, 50 women in Southampton at the, I think it's called the New Place Manor Hotel. We decided we wanted to do Manor style sort of events. And so we put it on and it sold out. It totally sold out weeks and weeks in advance. And we thought, right, we've got a good thing going on here. And so we put it on and it was great. But if I'm completely honest with you, and I've said this openly and the girls know it, when you've got three women who all have different ideas, different perspectives, different amounts of money that they want to invest, it makes it very difficult to try and put events on, extremely difficult. So, you know, my background is marketing. My degree is in marketing. One of those modules was events management. People always say to me, they're like, Athena, you put on these amazing events. Like, did that just come to you? No, I have some experience in events management, but also I adore events management. I say to people all the time, if I didn't do this, I'd be a wedding planner. Like, I love it. I love the event. Whenever I talk about my wedding, have almost like, I just care about the fact there's a party. Like, literally, like the party is the bit that I really just love and love to help people put on events and things. But... Not that was any anything that either of the girls did but they just didn't share that same Vision that I had or wanting to invest in the way that I wanted to invest at the end of the day guys It wasn't a business right when we put on our first event for girls and property There was no one bank account like business bank account It was three girls that had an idea that went. Yeah, let's just do this See how it goes it all came out of our personal funds like literally it was just a concept I can't explain that to you enough in terms of a concept. So we did it I think we ended up all breaking even. We didn't make any money from that event whatsoever. We learned a lot. And then what happened after that was that both Sophie and Julia both said, look, the podcast is really tough because at the end of the day, when you choose to do a podcast, don't choose to do a podcast because you make money. You choose to do a podcast for the love of the game and you wanting to create content and you wanting to help people. You don't do it to make money. And so of course the girls had lots on and they said, look, Athena, the podcast is just one too many things. We have to record every week because we release every Monday. We're going to take a step back. And for me, I just knew, I just knew that Girls in Property was necessary, like essential for this industry. It wasn't something that we just could quit because it got hard or quit because there was no money in it or quit because... We had other things that we were doing in terms of growing our other businesses. For me, I was like, I know why I started it and I know why I want to do this and the feeling that I got when I was stood in that room with 50 other women who felt they had a place to come. And so I said to the girls, I'm going to take it. I'm going to take the whole thing and I'm going to really run with girls and property. And that's exactly what happened. So I set it up as a business. I incorporated it. Back in October 2022 That right 20 20 23 No, I lie. I said I incorporated at October 2023 apologies. I'm so sorry October 20 23 Trademarked it got a trademarked as well and set it up in the way that it should be investing and Putting money into it to make it what it is So, you know getting videographers in photographers in building the brand building the business Getting the word out for Girls and Properties, sponsoring other events to get the word out. Like that's what it needs. It needs to have fire that goes into it so that the girls can then know that it exists. And that's what I'm so proud of. And that's what I decided to do. So to this day, I think we're now sitting at a hundred and, I think this will be a hundred and nine episodes, this particular one, hundred and nine. I just checked before I came on when I was sitting at 47,000 downloads, which is amazing. And I am CEO and host and do you know what's amazing is? Shout out to all of the other female podcasts that are now there and I see you her property diary You know love what you're doing mums in property love what you're doing Property sisters love what you're doing. Shout out to all of you Big big kudos to you for for picking up the industry and I'm running with it Also, you know the fact we've got all of these communities now that are coming out for women in property Her property tribe hard hats to heels brilliant stuff, but I will say this right Because nobody can ever take this away girls in property was the OG the original female property network in the UK in 2022 and I hold on to that with such pride such pride that Like we saw, we saw a gap. We took the gap. The gap nearly fell, but I knew it was needed in the industry. And I have now taken it to what it is today with the podcast, with the community, with everything. And yeah, I'm just so proud that I did it. And I was totally right. Totally right. It was so needed in the industry. And now all of these other groups that are forming, brilliant. I love it. And I love these groups are forming and It's fantastic and we need more of it in the industry. So let's all champion. Let's all come together and let's just all like Never let anyone else feel that when they walk into a room They are in a room of 45 people and only three were women. It's not acceptable. Let's keep it going Let's keep it going and and please please do me the biggest favor because I can't do it on my own I need my army. Please shout about girls in property wherever you go, whoever you speak to say girls in property, that is what we need. So thank you so much. And that's the history of girls in property. So yeah, really, really amazing. And then, yeah, so I've written here, number four, I've written in capital letters, prep for the girls in property retreat. Okay, so basically, I'll tell you a really interesting thing. And again, I said to you that I was gonna make this more conversational. So it's like as if I was gonna be sitting with, You personally, you the listener, whoever's listening in your kitchen and talking to you and you were to say to me, so Athena, how's the prep going for the retreat? How's it been? You know, all of that. This is what I'd say. I have loved every single minute of prepping for the girls and property retreat. Loved it. But this is what I would say. I don't think this in case for every time and every person. I really don't think this. But for some people, because it's natural and I totally get it. They will come to the retreat and they will see one day. They'll see from 9 a.m. until 8 a.m. and they'll look at the day and they'll like certain bits of the day. They might not like certain bits of the day, but they'll just talk about the day because that's all that they've got context for. This is not a day for me. This is months and months of hard work, organization, long nights. You know, on average over the last couple of months, I reckon I've done 7 a.m. until 9, 10 at night on average, something like that. It's just the way it is. Honestly, there's so much organization that has to go into it for it to be the success that it is. And I have OCD. I'm one of those people that like, it has to be 110%. And somebody said something wonderful to me the other day, they DM'd me and they said to me, Athena, I know you. How are you feeling? How's the retreat going? And I told her and she said to me, she has something brilliant. She says, Athena, remember this. Nobody is gonna know what it is that you've been planning. Only you are going to know what's been planning. So if something goes wrong, no one's going to know apart from you. And she's right, but I will know. And you'll be able to see it in my face. You know, know those memes where people say, I can close my mouth, but I can't close out the expressions on my face. That is me. I probably need like, not that I would ever do this, but not that there's anything wrong with people who do this. You know, I should probably get Botox so that you won't be able to see like all my frowning and everything. But Yeah, and they're so right, but it is months and months of hard work. And so for me, what happens is, and all the people who run events, by the way, will understand what I'm about to say, is on the 26th of April, when everybody leaves once we've had breakfast together, I will literally collapse. I know I will, I do it every time. I'll collapse and probably get sick actually. That's usually what happens because you hold on for dear life. The adrenaline literally goes through the roof on the day and then you just go, zoom. And it's almost like a sugar rush. go, woo, and then you come down again. And so I can't wait for it. I'm so excited about it. I wouldn't plan anyone who's gonna do events. My advice to you would be try and avoid holidays such as April. It's a pain in the bum because I'm talking, of course, to a lot of events organizers at the moment. That's kind of the circles that I'm in at the moment. And I'm speaking at some of the events as well. And they've actually said to me, which surprises me, these are big events, these are well-known events. You've probably attended some of them before. And they have on the, you know, not public, but on the side had a conversation with me to say, Athena, I think we're gonna have to move the events because the tickets just aren't selling. The tickets aren't shifting this year. And so we're gonna have to move it from June to October or May to whenever, et cetera. I'm like, really? And they're like, yeah, this year's been really tough. And... Do you know what guys, this year has been really tough. think what's happening is, is I think the, I think the increased cost of living has kicked our asses. I really do. I think that people are a lot more protective of their money now. I also think it's kind of saturated within the market, particularly property. I think you've got a lot of property events at the moment. Some are just for women, some are men and women. And I think it's kind of a bit saturated in, in regards to how it is. And so the reason of why I spend so much time and energy and effort for my events is because I respect and appreciate every single person that has chosen to spend money with girls and property. They're hard earned money I have a huge amount of respect for. And my God, am I gonna make it worth every penny for you? Every penny. Where you're gonna go, I almost want you, not that I don't want you to do this, but in a way to say to me, Athena like that was You know, should charge more not that I will charge more by way to be like that was every bit worth the value of it And that's why I take such care and attention to detail when I think about who I want to come and speak at the event So for example, we have four incredible speakers who are going to be speaking of course an all-female speaking Event as it's an all-female event on that one and then I have eight expert panels this year So one of the feedbacks I always take feedback from the previous events. And to be honest with you, people usually when I asked feedback, which is quite in a way wonderful, but also frustrating is a lot of people go, no, it's great. And no, you don't need to change anything. And yeah, me, I look at it and I go, actually, this could have been different and this could have been different. And that's what I'm taking forward to the 2025 one. And one of the things for me was I noticed that everyone was kind of, although there was those of energy around the room, everyone was still sat in the same seat for the whole day. And I thought, well, hold on, what if we mixed it up and moved everybody around with the different seats? And so I decided to create these eight expert tables where I could then be like, right, what is it we wanna learn about? Okay, we've got construction, we've got interior design, we've got the renter's rights bill with Julie Ford who's coming, which will be incredible. There's all of these experts that are coming in to discuss and trying to put on event for 80 women. So you've got to manage the 80 attendees. You've then got to manage the four speakers. You've then got to manage the eight expert tables and manage the venue and manage the deliveries of everything coming. It's a full-time job, guys. It really is a full-time job. you know, it actually baffles me that I'm able to still do it. It really is, because it's not for the faint-hearted. It is not for the faint hearted is what I will say. And to everyone who has ever put an event, is putting on an event and you're listening to this, I have the utmost respect for you. The utmost respect. Because you put your life and soul into it. You come up with a concept. You have to of course pay upfront for the deposits for the venue as well. And so you put your trust that tickets will sell and then you go live with the tickets. And then the first thing is can't come because it's Easter holidays. Can't make it. Like, that's tough, if I'm honest with you. Like that's tough, really, really tough. And then doubt creeps in, limiting beliefs creeps in, thinking to yourself, you you silly person, why didn't you think of this kicks in. But you've got to trust it. You've got to trust the process because then to be honest with you, by the end of it, the tickets just sell themselves. Like they really do. And I'm just unbelievably proud. And I think I sold out. this time not as quickly as I wanted to but you know I sold out within with 25 days to spare. I'm sold out first of April so I will I will take that I will absolutely take that and be very proud of that one. And then I said I was going to come back to this person because I think it's important that she gets her own her own moment here which is this particular year is a different type of year for me. Every other year I have done the retreat so last year in April I did the Girls and Property retreat and I put on the gala as well. at the end of the year. Spoiler alert, there is no gala this December coming. This is the only big, large annual event that's gonna be happening this year. I'll talk to you about some other things that happening, but this is the only large, big event. Christmas was, loved it, I had a great time, but it's too tough. It's not a financially business-viable decision to make. Effectively, I just put on a party and paid for it for girls to come. I lost a lot of money at that and I can't afford to keep doing that. I do still have to grow a business. And so the gala won't be happening. Christmas is just a time to go and spend with your friends and family. And I respect that and go and have the best time doing that one. So I put on those two events solely basically like solo on my own. However, this time it's a little bit different. I have the absolutely gorgeous Stacey happening me, Stacey Clare. And I've got to do a shout out to you, Stacey, because I know you're going to be listening to this podcast, which is like, said to her, and this is a, she says to me, it's going to be her new tagline. Everybody needs Stacey. She, she has just been my rock. And to be honest with you, she's the only one that actually knows, knows the, the, the, the effort and the energy that's gone into it. And you know what? Like she is gold, but she will still be messaging me and still working with me at 10 o'clock at night saying, Can I take anything from you so that you can go to bed earlier? Can I do anything so that you can take a rest? was having, she's the most perfect person. If someone said to me, Athena, what is it that you're looking for in a person? What is it that you want in a team member? It's exactly this, which is what happened the other day without even me asking it to happen. I had a random day off because quite frankly, Steve's a music teacher now and so he gets holidays, but he gets holiday in term time. So we're now back in that Easter holidays, summer holidays. And because I've been working for the retreat, God bless him, he has not had any time with me, even though he's been off and he's been amazing about it. And he said, can I at least get one day with you? Which sounds ridiculous when I say out loud, but this is a reality of my life right now. And so I said, yes, you can have Thursday just gone. I can take the whole day off. I can schedule it in my diary. We can go out for the whole day. And so Thursday came along and actually we had the most wonderful day. The sun was shining. We went all over. West Dorset, beautiful. But me being me, I was still getting updates from, well, trying, trying to get updates from Stacey and understanding what was going on and what she needed and everything. And all she did was reply to me in the most perfect way she could reply to me, which was, Athena, I've got it. Turn off your brain and go and have a day off. And, Like it was almost like she was giving me permission without me, without, didn't realize I needed permission. I needed to know that somebody was there who was still in charge of everything. I needed to know there was somebody there still running the business, still running like me almost. And she was that for me. She was that. It enabled me to feel like things still got done, but that I didn't have to do them and I could have a day off. you know, one day off. And so Stace, I'm forever grateful for you. You have been my absolute rock during this. I can't wait to share that day with you and celebrate you as well. So big shout out, Stacey Clare. Thank you so much and I love you lots. So thank you. Yeah. So that was prep for the retreat. That was a shout out to Stace. So for those who are like, okay, Athena, do you know what? I missed the retreat. I didn't even know it was on. I've just found Girls and Property, gutted I missed it. How can I get involved with Girls and Property for 2025? You're not doing your big annual retreat. What are you doing? What can I get involved with? Okay. So I've obviously built out the Girls and Property community, which I am like unbelievably proud of. So funny enough, the community itself is less than a year old because that was born in May, 2023. as a direct result of the last retreat. So you'll notice a pattern with me. And the pattern is with me, is things get born out of things that are required or a necessity that people ask me for. You know, I don't build anything unless I feel that there is a requirement for it or a need for it or somebody has asked me for it. So at the last retreat, the girls were all saying to me, Athena, these annual retreats are great, but we want to keep in contact with each other on a daily basis through it. with a bit more structure as opposed to just us randomly doing a WhatsApp group that just fizzles out. And I said, well, how would you feel if I created a Girls and Property Community, which was an online membership, I'll build it on the Circle platform, it'll all be really professional, I'll bring in expert speakers, this is how it's gonna work. And the girls all said to me, love that idea, we're in. And so from that, the Girls and Property Community was formed in May. And I can tell you, I double checked this before I came on, we are now sitting at 91. members within the girls and property community, which is huge. Nine to go before 100. So if you want to come and join, please help me get to 100. That would be amazing. But how it works is that it's basically built on this platform called Circle. do you know what fascinated me? And I learned something, which is number one, my website is absolute pants right now. Absolute pants. And I get told it all the time, but don't worry. I don't know if you've seen, but a whole rebrand is coming. A whole new website is coming. So just hold your horses after the retreat. I can turn my attention to that. But they were right. What basically happening was, was I was talking to people about the community, send them over to the website, but the website didn't sell it in the right way. It didn't really explain what the community had. It didn't have the right essence. And so therefore had a bit of a problem with that. So what I decided to do is I decided to create a webinar where I came on and I showed everybody. the behind the scenes of the community. And I said, right, let me show you what we're doing. Let me show you how it works. And every single, and I mean every single person who joined that webinar, which in the end ended up on nine, joined the community either the same day or the following day or nine. And what I realized was, was as soon as you actually see the community, and see what it has to offer, it's a no-brainer. You will join because it's almost ridiculous not to join for 30 pounds a month in terms of what you actually achieve and what you get. So let me explain this to you. And then what I'm actually going to be doing is I have made a conscious decision that every single quarter, I'm going to be creating and doing live webinars for live Q and A for the community and showing everyone, but I'm also going to create a loom. and the Loom is going to be played on Instagram and in my bio. So if you ever want to find out more about the community and you're listening to this, you can click on my bio and in there, there'll be a whole video that will show you behind the scenes of the community to show you what it's all about. But in essence, I'll just quickly explain it to you. So I built it on a platform called Circle, which is an amazing software system, better than, dare I say, better than Discord, certainly better than your free Facebooks and all that stuff. It's nothing like that. It's a professional platform and you can communicate and you can have direct conversations and it's just, there's so many different segments to it as well. And so you have that, excuse me. And then from that, you can talk every day. And do you know what a great example of this was actually? Sorry, just one sec. Sorry guys, I think I had a frog in my throat. A beautiful example of this the other day was one of the girls came on, I won't mention her by name just in case she doesn't want to be, but she came on the other day and she says, I'm absolutely, by the way, I'm sure a lot of people have said this before, so she's not on her own when she said this, right? We've all been there. She says, guys, I'm absolutely desperate to get my first deal. I'm desperate to get my first deal. I've been searching and looking for so long. I just want to start. I've got the money. I just want to start finding the right deal. She says, this is my first time doing it. I'm working with a saucer on this one. I think it's a great deal, but can you help me? whenever someone says that they are doing rent to SA and a saucer brought it forward, I immediately have my backup, immediately go into pessimist 100%. I'm always like, Let me look at this for you. So what then happened was exactly what's supposed to happen in the girls and property community. And it was done beautifully. So this lovely girl put up this post, said everything she wants to say, gave us all the numbers, gave us all the information. And suddenly all of the girls started commenting on this post, asking questions saying, hold on, what's the occupancy rates that they're suggesting? What's this? How's the furnishings working? How's the linen? What's going on here? How does this work? Where are you based? All of these questions, including myself, of course. started coming through. And actually there ended up being, I reckon about 27 comments on this one particular pose. And by the end of it, this particular person actually said, guys, based on everything you've just said, I actually don't think this is a deal. And I was about to put the money down on it today. And now I'm not going to. And she was right not to put the money down. It would have been a bad deal. It would have 100 % been a bad deal. But we protected her and we explained why it potentially wasn't a good deal. Of course she had to do her own due diligence. I mentioned this in the comments. said, you need to do your own due diligence and you need to make your own decisions. This is just advice for not telling you what to do. But in the end, she decided that it wasn't the deal that she was going to go forward with. And that was why I built the community in the first place was to have these level of conversations. So that's how circle works and you can comment and there are different sections in there and that's 24 hours. So that's number one. Then number two is that what I decided to do was to create something every single Tuesday night on the first Tuesday of every night called girls and prosperity. Now, We are more than just property investors, ladies and gentlemen. Let's just get that straight, right? We are business owners and we are human beings. And what's important is not to get caught in this web of feeling like this is not a property education community. How do I explain this? I wanna make sure that what we're actually doing is we're actually building ourselves, building us as people, building us as business owners. And so when I do Girls in Prosperity meetings on the first Tuesday of every month at 7.30 online, I get different people to come on and talk about various things. For example, we have had Rosalia Lazzara Tilly coming on and talking about personal branding. I have had Sarah Smolle Scott talking about the automation, not automation, excuse me, social media algorithm of Instagram. I've got AI coming up. I've got the power of AI and how to create content with the AI. I have had breath work with Jesse Lotte. I have got actor Khan coming on to do a whole session on limiting beliefs. I'm going to get him to come on and talk about burnout. But then at the same time, what I do have is bonus sessions, which are now at the third Tuesday of every month. I also do property sessions. So we've had property filter coming on. I've had Paul Stapleton doing a session on deal sourcing. I've Stephanie Baker coming on to do auctions. I've Nikki and Steph Taylor coming on to do rent to rent. There's loads. There's, tons and tons in there. And I have a whole save the date and everything and literally it is jam packed. And then in July, I'm of course gonna be doing a session all around accountability for the girls halfway through the year and doing that as well. of course, Kim McGinley, our main sponsor, shout out to Kim. She does a whole Q &A session every quarter all around finance and answering all questions around financing your property empire. So it's huge, it's absolutely huge. And I love it. And, and again, this is all for just 30 pounds a month, and you get so much from it. And so for me, when I show everyone what's actually included, they're like Athena, it literally is a no brainer. So if you want any more information about it, if you want to watch the pre recorded webinar that I did for I do another one, then just DM me the word community happy to have a conversation and just send you all of the links. If you get the old website, and trust me, you'll know if it's the new website or not. I apologize. I know it's rubbish. Bear with me, but just side up. And then you can come into it, which is fab. Beautiful. Now, one of the things which is separate to this in terms of how you can also get involved in terms of in-person, so that's all online, the community's online. I say that, however, just to be really clear, I am gonna be doing a summer social, completely free of charge, no cost in it. We're all gonna come together to meet up in like a park, depending on where everybody is across the UK. And that will be completely free and just for community to come together. So mainly online predominantly, but like a summer soiree social thing that I'll do literally in the park for everybody as well. Now, if you're like Athena, that's great. And I want to do that, but I also want to have in-person interactions. Then this is something that I'm going to be doing this year that I've decided to do again, based on feedback from others about what it is that they're looking for. So I have now built in-person community, well, in-person girls and property workshops. So in-person girls and property workshops. And what I've decided to do, because this is completely new, totally, totally new, I haven't done this before, I kind of want to test the market and I kind of want to test what works and what doesn't work almost. And I'm doing that at the moment, which is really exciting. So what I've decided to do is I have decided to host three workshops for the remaining of the year based on the quarters. So you have got on Friday, 6th of June, you have got for 20 people only, so they're small, intimate workshops. These are small, hands-on, tailored workshop where the people who are hosting them, and I'll explain to you how it works, get to actually have a hands-on on your property or your business or the challenges that you're having with it, and they get to help you, and get to take away tangible advice and actually change things in the moment. And that was something really important to me that I wanted to do and have that action taking. So for the workshops there 20 people. Now these are going to be held in Basingstoke at a manor house called Aldiwood House Hotel. Don't laugh at me. I tried to go and see some of these like Marriott's and Hilton's and all of these things and literally I was like dying inside. I was like no, no I can't do this. I cannot, I cannot put girls, even if it is just workshops, I can't put them in these style of hotels. I can't do it. I have to put on still great events. I still have to have that girls and property almost like dare I say Athena stamp to it like I don't think anyone can do it the way I can do it. really like like an Athena's you know, and so I thought to myself, okay, I I'm gonna stick to the manor houses. That is what I'm gonna do. Yes, it's gonna cost me more money, but it will be worth it and You know, I'm I'm gonna do that in that way and have that class to it. And so they're still held So they're be at Alleywood Manor house in Basingstoke, which is a beautiful venue, beautiful, beautiful venue. And there's gonna be three. So for your diaries, you've got Friday, 6th of June, which is gonna be all around social media algorithm with Sarah Smilescott, who you would have seen on the recent podcast, go and listen to it. What's fantastic about Sarah is I've worked with Sarah personally, I've paid for Sarah services, which is how I know about Sarah. And She is just a wizard. Like she really is. And I don't know who saw recently on my social media, I put out a story about this. I went and I don't know how this happened. I used to get on average, like, you know, in your professional dashboard, I used to get roughly about like three, three to four and a half thousand views every 30 days. I reckon I sat about four, four and a half on the 30 days. I don't know how this has happened, but I shot up on both the platforms, personal one shot up to 29.7 thousand views and my girls and property one went up to 25.4 thousand views and it still sits around there, it's sitting at the moment around about the 20 thousand mark and I can only put that down, I can only put that down to the fact that Sarah just taught me how to use social media. and use it in the correct way and use the algorithm that's really important to highlight the algorithm and understand how algorithm works and the mathematics behind it to then be shown to your right audiences as it were. And I'm gaining followers every single day like every day I've got followers and things and yeah massive shout out to her. So Sarah Smolle Scott, 20 of you. This is a first come first serve basis of course and these are going to be launched at the Girls and Property Retreat on Friday 25th of April. And then it's gonna be, I'm going to be doing a post about this one. So from Friday, 25th of April, you'll be able to book the girls and property community, girls and property workshops. And these are going to be 20 spaces on each of them. And when you go to find it, you'll see that I'm doing a bit of a bundle as well in terms of the different ones that you can book. So if you book three, it's a certain price, two it's a certain price, one it's a certain price. So the three are Friday, 6th of June, Sarah's mascot, social media algorithm. The second one will be on Friday, 12th of September. That's going to be Kim McGinley, who is a sponsor of Girls and Property, course. She's going to be doing a whole masterclass about financing your property empire. So what is it we need to do to get lenders to say, yes, how does it work? Can we, know, if you've got ones that you want Kim to look at there and then in front of you, ask all your burning questions. That's where it is. One of my favorite sessions for Girls and Property community is still to this day, the one that Kim did where she did a Q and A with everyone asking their questions. It was just incredible. so Kim's going to be doing that one there. And then we're going to have on Friday, the 21st of November, we are going to be having the power of AI. And I'm speaking to two people at the moment who are going to be letting me know about that one, which would be great. So workshops, in-person workshops is going to be fantastic. So yes, so make sure you get involved with that. DM me the word workshops and I can give you more information, but they will go live from Friday, 25th of April at the Girls and Property retreat. and then they'll be going out for that one. So if you wanna get involved, please, please do. And just really trying to change this industry to what I believe to be teaching in the right way, not just about property, because I feel like we're more than that. I feel like you can go to a classroom and sit in with these standard training companies with 60 other people, like I've done it, but there's so much more to that. It's like, yeah, but what about the other stuff? What about actually understanding it and also bringing together like-minded women? and having a really fun day as well. So they're gonna be from 10 to 4 p.m. these workshops and they're gonna have the Athena badge on them, let's just say. And then finally, to finish off, I put here what's coming up for girls in property. So to finalize, what is gonna be coming up for girls in property that not a lot of people know is the main thing I'm so excited about and it's not been finalized, it's still up in the air but I'm gonna do my damn best to make it happen is I have loved the journey that I've been on with this podcast. I really, really have. And I'm so grateful that I've been able to record it in my, you know, the music room, as we now call it, because these music stuffs in it, but effectively the spare bedroom. And I've loved every second of it. And there have been so many moments in this that I've basically shared my soul, you know, in this room on this podcast, but it is time to level up. So, it's not finalized yet, but I am hoping to get into, by summer, a girls and property recording studio, which is huge. I'm so excited. So hopefully by summer, I'm gonna be in my very own girls and property studio. And I don't wanna jinx myself, but in an ideal world, it will be basically, because I'm talking to somebody at the moment, a commercial lease space that I'm looking to obviously lease. And so I get to put in there whatever I want to do. Like I've got a whole shopping list of inspiration that I want for this studio. By the way, if you've got your own ideas, like send me your ideas, be like, my God, Athena, you should have this for the studio. You should have this. Like send it to me. Like if you're like massive into interior design, Vicky, Vicky Evans, I know you're listening to this and you know, with your, with your, she's a staging lady on Instagram. Don't go check her out. You're welcome Vicky. You know, send me your inspo. I would absolutely love to see it. So yes, recording studio. and getting face-to-face conversations. I'll be really honest with I was listening to the radio the other day and the audio quality was just so sharp. And I was like, do you know what? That's what this podcast deserves. It deserves sharp audio. It deserves to be on YouTube. It deserves for me to like actually have to feel I have to put like do my hair and put makeup on for it. Like it deserves all of that. So stay tuned for in-person studio girls and property for that one, which is so exciting. The other thing that I'm planning at the moment is sort of smaller intimate retreats that are gonna be two to three day retreats for girls and property A lot of girls want me to go abroad a lot of you want me to go abroad But I think I'm have to start in the UK So they'll probably start in the UK and then maybe we could venture out a little bit But you know just for now, let's see how we go But I'm thinking kind of like 10 to 12 10 to 12 girls three days away and and and really doing something amazing with all of you. So stay tuned for that. That's one thing that I'm planning. And then one of the most important, not important, one of most exciting things also that I've been thinking about is, you know, I've got this trademark for girls and property and that trademark is really special. And I appreciate that if you're up North or you're in the Midlands and you're listening to this and you're going, well, Athena, your retreat is in Hertfordshire, your workshops are in Basingstoke. That's all great, but they're all based in the South. What about us and how can we get involved in girls and property and everything like that? Of course it's online, but we want to move. So. 2026, next year, 2026 is the year that I expand Girls and Property. It's time. It's time. It's time where I feel that I have... the right army, think, the right army who share the same drive and the same passion for what I want for girls and property. And they understand why it's so needed that I think they can wear the girls and property badge and do girls and property proud in their representative area. I haven't started these conversations with these people yet. They don't even know it, but I think they're going to be up for it. So 2026. Girls and Property is expanding, which is super exciting. Super scary, super scary because it means I have to relinquish control. But absolutely amazing. And it's time. It is time. It's time that Girls and Property became what it deserves to be. What it deserves to be, definitely. And I can't do it on my own. I really, really can't. There's only so much of me. I'm not an octopus. can't be. pulled and pushed in all direction, it needs to fly now and it needs to go to the next level. So new studio, smaller retreats and expansion for 2026 is what you can expect, which is super exciting. So once again, I am baffled at the fact I've managed to speak for an hour. I hope that you have all still tuning in. For everyone who stays to the end of these episodes, like... Tell me, tell me at the end, be like Athena, I sat through that entire episode. Let me know because you guys are what keep me going. You're what bring me life. You're literally what bring me life and bring me purpose. So thank you so much and I love each and every one of you. To all of the listeners, men and women, to all of the listeners who have listened and tuned in and been loyal. Every single Monday morning at 7 a.m. Like I see you. I'm giving you all the most Incredible shout out there are too many names to mention but thank you to every single person who has ever supported girls and property Continues to support girls and property and understand the mission of why we are doing what we are doing I don't have a big enough. Thank you for you. So I hope that you really understand how how big my thanks are to you. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. And if you of course are coming on Friday, I can't wait to see you. Like, my God, it's the weekly be up to the retreat. There is still so much to do. So many things to organize. I can't wait to see you all there. I can't wait to welcome you into the most incredible room full of women who are there showing up powerhouses, but also women who also are at the start of their journey and you know, able to relate to and able to maybe create your own like accountability groups from that you can all come together with. It is for everybody. It is for every single person that has ever feel not seen, not heard. This is the space for you. I am there and somebody said it the other day, they called me mother hen. Like Athena, literally like mother hen with your arms wide open. That is me. If you ever feel lost, if you ever feel you don't have direction, if you ever feel you don't quite fit in. You will always fit in with me. You will always, always be there. And the last thing I want to say, if you're still listening, is this, and again, it's a beautiful analogy that I want to leave you all with, which is some of you know the story and some of you don't, which is when I was younger, this was in like kind of high school, as it were, I think I was about 12 years old, I want to say 12 years old. I didn't fit in at school. It probably was because my name was Athena. It probably was because I had really frizzy hair. It probably was because I just didn't... What's the word? I didn't conform to the norm. I wasn't that normal girl. I don't even know the right words to use. Normal isn't the right word. Girls just didn't like... Not that they didn't like me. I just was bullied basically. I just was bullied. And I'll give you the example of what I mean when I say this to you. There was a group of girls that I thought were my friends. We all have that right. We all were at school. think we have a group of girls that we think we're in their group and we think they're our friends. It happens to all of us. Now, if you think about it, this story is quite heartbreaking but also quite funny at the same time and I can laugh about it now, you know. Which is, they used to make me pay five P every time to sit at the table and have lunch with them. Which is ingenious from a business perspective, fair play girls, but also heartbreaking when you think about this for a young 11, 12 year old. So I used to pay 5p to sit at the table and have lunch with my friends in inverted commas every single day. And one day I did not have 5p to sit at their table. I didn't have the 5p. And as a result of that, what happened was they made me go and sit on a table on my own and me being me went and obliged and did it. And I had lunch completely on my own. Nobody was around me, anything, you know. like that. I remember that memory scar, not scarring me, but it held true to me. And I saw something the other day, and this is what I want to leave you with. And this is what girls and property represents is, and I say it to the sort of 12 year old girl sat at that table, which is, and I'm looking at my phone right now, because this is the meme that came up like three days ago. And this just screams, girls and property to me, which is this, you don't need a seat at their table. build the damn house. You don't need a seat at their table, build the damn house. And do you know what? That rung so true to me, and this is what I'm gonna say. If even now you feel like, you know, I don't quite fit in, I don't have a place to belong, I'm not quite sure, you will always have a seat at my table. Always have a seat at my table. Always have a place that you feel safe and belong. So yeah, that's how I'm gonna leave this podcast. Thank you all for listening. I love you all very much. And yeah, I'm gonna go and prep for this retreat now, which is literally on Friday 25th, really exciting. Can't wait to see you all there, give you the most massive hugs. If you're not coming, like I said, still, know, hopefully I can see you throughout the year for the in-person workshops. Would love to see you. Please champion Girls and Property. Please join the Girls and Property community. It's so important. And if you're a guy listening to this, I also want to say a big shout out to you. I get messages from guys all the time. I see you, I hear you, I respect you. Thank you so much. And please, if you've got daughters, if you've got sisters, if you've got wives, please, please come and tell them about Girls and Property. And actually massive shout out to Simon Miller, Amy's husband. Amy, if you're listening, your husband's fab. He messaged me after listening to the podcast and he says, Athena, I have to buy my wife a ticket to the Girls on Property retreat. This is what Amy needs. And so Amy found us through Simon listening and that is what Girls on Property also is about. So thank you, Simon, and a massive shout out to you if you're listening to this on your Monday. But that's it from me, guys. Thank you so much. This is the podcast that I think should be going out on the Monday leading up to it. Be back with guests next week. actually no. Sorry. I should say I Should say there is gonna be no girls and property episode next week So there is gonna be no girls and property episode that's gonna be going out on Monday 28th of April Of course, the retreat is happening on Friday 25th. I'm gonna have a much-needed day off on Monday 28th So I will be back with an amazing guest. I know who this guest is already because I've already recorded it. You're gonna love it I'm back with an absolute bang on Monday the 5th of May, Monday the 5th of May, I'll be back in your ears. So until that time, look after yourself, DM me and believe that you can achieve anything and anything is possible. Love you lots guys. Have an amazing week. Speak to you soon. Bye.