Reclaiming Your Hue: A Podcast for Women Rediscovering Themselves in Motherhood & Entrepreneurship

Ep. 103 with Olivia Hornig | Co-Owner, Lakes Sotheby's

• Kelly Kirk • Season 1 • Episode 103

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A Shared Goal System Turns Marriage Into A Team Sport

You can love your family and love your ambition and still feel like you’re failing at both when the calendar is packed and the phone never stops. That tension is exactly what we get honest about with Olivia Hornig, co-owner and leader at Lake Sotheby’s International Realty, as we talk through what it really looks like to build a business with your spouse while raising kids, navigating grief, and staying grounded when the market shifts under your feet.

Olivia shares her path into real estate entrepreneurship alongside her husband Jeff, including the behind-the-scenes reality of division of labor, growing pains, and the quiet leadership required to keep the “back end” of a business running. We talk about hiring help before burnout hits, why a 90-day trial can save you heartache, and how real estate leadership changes when you commit to an agent-driven culture built on kindness, responsiveness, and real support. We also dig into brand alignment and why the Sotheby’s network and reach can elevate opportunity in ways people don’t expect.

We go personal too: matrescence and identity shifts, the control we think we have until motherhood humbles us, and how faith practices like Bible study, prayer, yoga, and meditation can become real tools for time management and peace. Olivia also shares a simple tradition that keeps their marriage aligned year after year: handwriting goals together across family, business, travel, and giving.

If you’re a mompreneur, a woman in real estate, or anyone building a life and a business at the same time, hit play and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick rating and review so more women can find these conversations.

Connect with Olivia:

Email: Olivia.Hornig@lakesmn.com

Contact the Host, Kelly Kirk:

  • Email: info.ryh7@gmail.com

Get Connected/Follow:

Credits:

  • Editor: Joseph Kirk
  • Music: Kristofer Tanke 


Thanks for listening & cheers to Reclaiming Your Hue! 

Welcome And Meet Olivia

Kelly

Welcome everybody to Reclaiming Your Hue, where we are dedicated to empowering women to embrace and amplify their inherent brilliance. Our mission is to inspire mothers and entrepreneurs to unlock their full potential and radiate their true selves. I'm your host, Kelly Kirk, and each week my goal is to bring to you glorious guests as well as solo episodes. So let's dive in. Good morning, Olivia. Good morning, Kelly. How are you? I'm great. Good. Really happy to be here. I'm very happy that you're here too. And I'm excited. I'm excited for this. I'm excited for you to share your story for the listeners to have an opportunity for some probably profound learning experiences. Oh.

SPEAKER_02

I don't know if I'd give me that much credit, but I think um, yes, I I know you've interviewed a lot of people. I'm very um, I feel honored that you asked me to join you. And you know, hopefully I'm a lot older than you. So maybe I do have some things. Because that's older that I can uh talk through that maybe would help somebody younger.

Kelly

Well, shall we dive in? Yes. Okay. So I always like to have this as like the forefront of the conversation, and I would love for you to share first how is it that you and I got connected.

SPEAKER_02

Well, let's start with your um dynamic husband. Dynamic is a good word.

Kelly

Joe's gonna listen to this.

SPEAKER_02

I suppose. You are, and so Joe, um, obviously your husband, you're part of the Kirk team now. We're so happy to have you both. But um, I I knew um Joe first, and he um ended up coming on with Lake Sotheby's international realty, lucky us. And um, so that is initially obviously through Joe.

Kelly

Yes. I met you. I know it's so fun. And then I think it was probably after I came on board. So I came on board uh fall of 2024, and then we officially I've known about you for a very long time. And I think that that was probably the first time that I actually had the opportunity to meet you in the flesh, and I was like, I love her so much.

SPEAKER_02

Well, right back at you. You have just an easy, um, really a great way about you. You're

Why This Podcast Exists

SPEAKER_02

so thank you. Yeah, you are. You there's you know, people that you meet that you just can tell um you're genuinely interested in people, learning about people, asking questions.

Kelly

Um yeah, I gotta share this with you because this is sort of a way to piggyback off of what you're saying. So when the idea of the podcast came to fruition, Joe, dynamic Joe, is he's always probing, right? And it's good. Sometimes it can, you know, well go the other way. No, right that, yeah, I have no idea what that's like. But he's probing and he's like, why? Tell me more, tell me more. And I finally because he always wants to get to like, what's the genesis of this? Like, what's the root for you wanting to do something? And I was like, I am fascinated with as women transition from not being a mother to being a mother, fundamentally, what happens in their brains, right? And their bodies as well. I am fascinated with how that their brains are operating. And I know that there's a tie with entrepreneurship too. I know. I know, like fundamentally, the brain of an entrepreneur, like, I feel like there's commonalities that you can parallel to what that transition looks like. Who knows? We'll see. But I have had this like deep desire to also have a neurosurgeon on. It has to be a female, it has to be um, you know, I so it's tough because as a neurosurgeon, you're technically in the healthcare system, right? But gotta be a female, gotta be a mom. And that's like I would love to have them on here to talk about the brain, specifically the brain of a woman. Yeah. So do you know, do you know the term of the transition between being uh what's the best way to put it? When you transition from not having kids to having kids, no, it's called matrescence. You know how children go from being children to adolescence. Yeah. Very similar. So it's like this transition that women every day. Never heard that word. So I I stumbled across that actually, and to just kind of wrap this up in a nice neat bow. I'm like fascinating. And I just became more curious about that, which then rolled into the podcast, and then that curiosity just started to continue to fester. That's really great, Kelly.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, that you took it and um it shows. I mean, it's it's really neat. You are I've listened to um a few, a couple people that I knew. Um, and I mean, you're on your, you just told me a hundred and second interview. I mean, it shows nobody does that unless you

From Sales Role To Real Estate

SPEAKER_02

really are truly authentic and interested in the topic.

Kelly

It's a passion project. Yeah. For sure. That's awesome. Well, what came first for you, Olivia? Was it entrepreneurship or was it motherhood?

SPEAKER_02

It was almost simultaneously both because I was working a sales job unrelated to real estate. And because we had recently done a roll-up in the company, like and you know, we acquired some other businesses, I became kind of uh a sales trainer, um, not just here in Minnesota, but elsewhere. Yeah. So um I was traveling a little bit, not not like weekly or anything, but um, because we had taken the company and done the roll-up, you know, the leadership had changed.

Kelly

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, I had gotten married um to Jeff, um my uh partner in more ways than one, work as well as um life partner and spouse. And so um anyway, then we got pregnant and I was like, I don't know if I want to travel and do this. Jeff had um been in real estate um home sales and said, um, I think you should get your license. You could stay at home, you could work with me. Um, and I thought about it and you know, I don't know if I really quite understood what working with your spouse might be like, but it was really, it was really great. He encouraged me to do it so I can stay home and um still work, but yet uh be a mom.

Kelly

I love mom. The parallels of our story and my story, because there's there's a lot of parallel there. And I love hearing that. I know that you had shared this um when we sat down and just kind of talked through everything with the podcast, but that encouragement piece very much happened on our end too, and to your point, not fully understanding what that was gonna actually look like, but and I will say it has allowed us to create and design the life that we love. Yes, and from outsiders' perspective, looking in, it may not make sense. Yeah, and I go, it's okay. Yeah, we are we both have grown as individuals to go, it doesn't matter what the rest of the world has to say or think about it. We're just chugging ahead. Vision, goals, all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And it's it's not for everyone. You know, I I was raised where my, you know, father was corporate, worked at 3M for most of his career, and my mom was a social worker, you know, separate career, but did work outside the home as well as at times she was home with us. Um, at times she worked and put my dad through um uh school when he got his engineering degree. So I always saw, you know, kind of you want to do you stay in the corporate world, might, you know. I and I don't believe I would have possibly jumped out of working for someone else if it wouldn't have been for Jeff encouraging me. I love it. Yeah.

Kids Timeline And A Miscarriage

Kelly

So can I think let's take a uh just a quick opportunity here to share with the listeners how many kiddos you have and to frame the timeline for them as well. So when all of this was happening, general timeline. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So um I let's see, we got married um, I was 26. We worked together. Um, then um, let's see, I think 29, right when I got pregnant. Um is when we started to work together. Okay. Um and in the home sale. I got my real estate license. Had our first son, Layton, uh, when I was 30, and then was able to stay at home. Um we did want to have um, you know, more kids. We have two kids in total now, but we um really I think thought we might have three. Um, it was uh challenging to we we had um I can't remember for sure we had one miscarriage that was almost 17 months alone. Wow. Um a couple years after Leighton was born, and then it just took a while, but we got our daughter finally when I turned 37. So, and that's shale. Okay. Um, so they're six years apart. Okay. Um and I feel blessed that we had two.

Kelly

That's incredible. I the miscarriage thing, my heart bleeds for you. Yeah, seriously.

SPEAKER_02

That was hard. But I know it's it's really common, yeah, you know, but um I think you know, when you really are honed in and focused on having another one, it probably ended up um, you know, playing with the stress and psyche a little bit, but I just feel blessed that we were able to have another.

Kelly

I love it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

Kelly

I want to talk through as all of this is happening, what was the role that you were playing at that moment in time with the children and then also in the business?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So starting out with Layton, um, when he was born, um, so I was able to office from home. Jeff was doing the sales, uh real estate sales, you know, full time. So I had my license. I was basically his assistant. Okay um, and

Building Roles Inside The Business

SPEAKER_02

you know, I'm laughing, thinking of a few times where he'd be like, okay, I need, you know, can you prep this document or whatever? I was like, yeah, I'll do that, you know, right after lunch. He's like, but okay, I actually really need this like prior to lunch. So, no, when I say, I mean, you know, we had some growing pains with um timing, and he's like, Are you doing this or you know, or not? So um, so anyway, started out as his assistant, or like if he was busy, I could go do showings, yeah, or I could get somebody to come. I did have um someone who was available part-time to come in and kind of watch, right? Or family helped, etc. So that's how it initially started.

Kelly

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Um, and then so we had Hornig Realty, okay, it was just Jeff Independent, and then we ended up bringing on um some additional team members, one being Julie Regan, yeah, who is still with us, who you know. Now she has basically taken over all of the home sale business for us for for a while. But then um we had Shale six years later in 06, and that's about where the Sotheby's um story comes in. And and Jacob Smith, who is our current president for Jeff and I, he was actually the one that recruited us over from Hornig Realty.

Kelly

Oh my gosh, that's amazing. So okay, so real quick, two quick things that I want to share with you. Okay. I knew Julie and Jake before I even got into the mortgage slash real estate world. I so my degree is in elementary education.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

Kelly

I graduated in 2008 from lovely St. Mary's University down in Winona and flew up here to the Twin Cities as fast as humanly possible. I just wanted to be in the big city. I'm air quoting for the listeners right now, the big city. And I spent a little bit of time working out in the Minnetonka school district, um, then had an opportunity come up to transition to a daycare center on the management side of things. Okay. Um, and I, oh my gosh, I cannot believe that the name of it is escaping me now, but I know exactly where it was located off of 77th and Industrial Boulevard. That is all redone now. Okay. But that daycare center was there, and Julie and Jake were bringing their kids there. So I had met Jacob's wife Megan, I had met Julie's husband, like no way. I knew them before like anything with real estate. The other thing that I want to share with you is I had the opportunity, and this just happened within the last week, to meet David Abel. Oh, yeah. So he's been popping into the Edina office quite frequently, and I'm like, who is this individual? And I'd see him and just pass and be like, hi, hi, hi. And then I finally was like, I need to introduce myself. I was like, I'm Kelly Kirk. And he was like, I'm David Abel. And so we just sat there and chatted and stuff. And he shared with me some really just sweet testaments of you and Jeff and Jake and just the transition that you all made from Hornig Reality to Lake Sotheby's and everything in between. And he's like, salt of the earth people. Oh. He's like that's really nice. I mean, he he's like, I've been with, I've been with him what feels like day one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

He has like cheerleader.

Kelly

Oh, that's a good one.

SPEAKER_02

That's really nice to hear. Yeah. That's really, really sweet of him. And I can tell now that you tell me, because I had no idea about your like um teaching background, yeah. But this is why you're so good at like talking and explaining. I was like, Kelly, I I don't know if I can do this podcast. Um, but you are just so dialed in with the way you just present and speak, and so this makes sense.

Kelly

That's been a work in progress, by the way. So thank you. I will take that. I'm using it. I appreciate it. I love it. Okay, so we're we're at the point in your story with the transition to Sudbeys. I want to sh, I want you to share this with the listeners because one, and I want to fold in motherhood to it as well. There's really something cool with

Joining Sotheby’s And Surviving 2008

Kelly

how you made your pivots, right? And speaking to pivots for the listeners, right? And the importance of like understanding the moment in time when that the necessity is there and how to make that pivot as well in your business. I would love for you to share how that transition happened. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Well, we let's see, we came to Sotheby's in 2006. Okay. That's when Jacob recruited us over as a team. And so that was with Julie and um I think we had a family that was a family member licensed with us um as well. So Jacob brought us over. We felt that we needed more than an independent, you know. I mean, Jeff had worked for other another brokerage right out of um college, which is fabulous. Um uh, but I think just we wanted more of a boutique feel. Well, then when we were losing some of the business to, I think brand resonates with certain people, right? I mean, listen, everybody's basically an entrepreneur. You're you're you're doing your own business, yeah. But are you aligning with a brand or a culture that works for you? And at the time meeting, you know, Jacob and the brand on a national level, that resonated with us. So we weren't losing some of those opportunities in the living room. And and when I say we, can I just be clear? I I yes, did I bring in some referrals, but it really was I was more in the finance end of things or the assistant end of things, right? As we transitioned. Um, and so it really was more Julie, Regan, and Jeff. Okay. Okay. Yep. Doing the home sales and taking that further. Yeah. For me, it was being a mom and also doing the behind the scenes with the accounting and the QuickBooks because finance was my major. So I did understand kind of, you know, on a high level. I mean, I have great people underneath me, but I that is where I I really, that's my strength, yeah for sure. Um, and so yeah, from from there, then we we ended up um, unfortunately, uh, as you may remember, going into 2008, the economy and the crash. And we basically we we saw the writing on the wall on a few things that we um the prior owners, they were also the owners in Florida and fabulous people, but just it it was um I think we saw the writing that it was either gonna be go under, um, and so we we called and we ended up starting and got it. Yeah. Um so it went from sky Sotheby's to Lake Sotheby's.

Kelly

Yeah, I love it. So and you have lakes here in the Twin Cities, yes. Jackson Hole and Steamboat as well.

SPEAKER_02

And then we also have it's part of Jackson Hole, but we also are in Idaho, just right over the pass. So we sell in there as well.

Kelly

My gosh. Yeah. And this didn't just happen with a snap of a finger. So i would you care to share a little bit more about how those That was acquired, right? Because it takes uh by the way, let me take a step back before you answer that to keep the boat afloating, sales is very important. Yes, undoubtedly, it's what's bringing everything in, but there is the back end, and I see that too, and the management of all of it, whether in our circumstance being independently contracted within Sotheby's and how we manage our business, yes, there's a moment in time where you go, I can no longer do this anymore. It's either not a strength of mine, and the business has grown to a point where we need to bring somebody else in, or it just is like somebody else can do this way better, and I need to be selling. Yes. And so that having these people around you, whether it's in your circumstance, thank goodness, this is so amazing that you're like, that was that's my background, and I can rein all of this in on the back end, which keeps the boat floating. Yes. Or in our case, we were like, it's time to hire a bookkeeper.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

Kelly

It's time, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And I think um again, I'll I'll tell um that Jeff always encouraged me when I would he could see the stress like rising if you know um I'm like trying to get the books done or trying to help with the referral, etc. Um, turning it over. And he's like, you gotta, you gotta ask for help and get help. So yes, I would say that's a key thing, right? Where sometimes you don't wanna make the investment in hiring it out because you can always do it yourself, right? Who's gonna do it better than you, Olivia, right? Right. But then when you're stressing yourself out and you can't take care of yourself or put yourself first, you you know it's time to you gotta make the investment. Yes, and then you'll have more time, and then you're better to yourself and your family and your husband. Are you if you're listening, Jeff, I hear you.

Kelly

We love you, Jeff. What a great nugget of information, though. And that has been a pattern that I've recognized in a lot of high achieving women. Is you there are flags that start to to pop up, and it's just recognizing them and not allowing that to be a burnout circumstance, right? Because it's the last thing that you want to have happen if you want to continue to sustain the business. Yeah. So so we we've got lakes, we've got Jackson Hole slash Idaho and Steamboat. Yeah. Which one I lakes came first, but then what was the next one after

Growing Into Other Markets

Kelly

that? And when like what amount of time happened between each of them?

SPEAKER_02

So um, let's see. Uh 2008 was Lakes here in Minnesota, and then um, you know, with the help of Jacob, et cetera, and Jeff recruiting, um, we ended up growing that to where Jeff didn't really sell much as much. Uh um just kind of as Julie took that over. Then I think he had more time to kind of um think about what where else we uh could grow. And and um we have how Jackson Hall came about was we have an agent in Jackson that ended up marrying an agent in Minnesota, and his dad was the CFO. His name is Darren Kleiman, and he officed next to Jeff. He would come in and asked, you know, when he was dating this gal, Molly, um, if he could sit in the office next to Jeff in the cubicle. Jeff's like, of course. So they kind of got to know each other, and he said, Hey, I am I'm really liking the agent-driven culture you guys have. Would you guys ever consider? I think I think Jackson might be coming for sale. And so that is really how we found out about it. We made a play 2015, we acquired that. Okay. And at the time, Sun Valley, Idaho. Okay. We have since sold Sun Valley and then we acquired Steamboat. Okay. Um during COVID 2021, I believe is when we purchased Steamboat.

Kelly

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So there, there's the timeline.

Kelly

Okay. Let's fold in motherhood.

unknown

Okay.

Kelly

Gonna talk about the sweet babes and being a mom. And um what I like to say is harmonizing it to our best abilities and

Harmonizing Work And Motherhood

Kelly

capabilities. I personally, and you may have heard this on some of the other interviews, don't love the word balance. Because when I think of balance, I think of a teeter-totter. And a teeter-totter, in order to be balanced, has to be exactly like this. And one of the other gals that I was interviewing, she's like literally somebody could just like this, and you're gonna end up seeing the teeter-totter go one direction or the other. And so the, you know, the balance only happens for like a titch amount of time.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

Kelly

And so I I want to hear from you what harmonization had looked like throughout this time period and up to this point, raising two fantastic children, well, acquiring businesses out of state as well. That's no like little feat.

SPEAKER_02

Once again, I Kelly, if it was just me, I'm 50% owner. I don't know if I'd be acquiring other, but my husband is big picture. Yeah. And like I said, I'm more the I wanted to be a mom and um be present. And it's not that Jeff wasn't, but it because he really did attend most of the kids' stuff and et cetera. And he was home for dinner. He did his, but I wasn't, I knew I think I wasn't as good as like cutting everything off. Like if clients needed me in the evening, you know, I I I just couldn't shut off. I wanted to be present for the kids, and I think we decided one of us would just be that stay at home and go to, right? Yep. Divide and conquer.

Kelly

100%.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Um, so did I answer your question? I believe so. Yeah.

Kelly

So it sounds like what I'm hearing, Olivia, is that there was communication that was happening with you and Jeff about what the dynamics of this was gonna look like. And I love that you instead of going, I can do all things and all things at once, I can be present over here, I can do it over here too. You said, I really I'm gonna be here and help support in the business, undoubtedly. And I want this time as a mom. Yeah, I love it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And you know, looking back, Kelly, I think because I thought I was gonna have, you know, I think we envisioned we were gonna have kids so close together and maybe three little ones running around. Because we ultimately had that space, it is almost like I raised two the kids almost a little bit separately. You know what I mean? Because by the time Leighton was already in school, by the time I had Shales. So I really did have a little more freedom than maybe some moms that have back to back to back at the age of five. Or you know what I mean? Yeah.

Kelly

I mean I do, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02

So that definitely helped. And I had family and I was able to bring in help so I could attend and be present in the office at times, but really could be there right after school or off the bus or pick up from carpool or all that stuff.

Kelly

When you say help, let's talk a little bit more about the dynamics of what that looks like within your guys' household. Or at that point.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I I mean, I definitely had I think a gal that would come in like a couple times a week and she could help me with like laundry or um prepping something for dinner, or um uh, you know, I've got to run out, go do a showing quick. Yeah can you stay with Late? So yeah. It wasn't every day, but it was a few days.

Kelly

That's so nice.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So I tried to schedule within those time frames.

Kelly

That's beautiful. I mean, this brings up the topic of like time management and stuff, and so would you like to?

SPEAKER_02

Oh man.

Kelly

Would you like to let that conversation evolve a little bit further?

SPEAKER_02

You know, as you get there's never enough time in the day. Sometimes I still feel it, and now we're empty nesters, right? Like I was talking, I was like, Kelly, thank goodness this is just like you know, audio and it's not like video. Not video. I came and my hair was wet because I tried to get a workout in because I got up a conference call late this morning. You know, you just still try to do what you can do.

Kelly

Yeah, I mean, we we try to ha control the narratives of our our day-to-day, but there's always gonna be little curveballs that end up happening, which is fun. But and by the way, listeners, as Olivia is talking through, like she looks incredible even with her hair. Kelly. That's dry now. Is it the back's a little

Marriage Goals And Annual Planning

Kelly

accurate from the front? It looks dry and poofy. I love it. Um I I do want to talk a little bit more in depth. Let's let's bring Jeff into this. Sure. And working with your spouse, because again, as I shared earlier on, these are some parallels, and so selfishly I want to talk through them. Yes. Um I want I want to talk about the so something I wrote down was goals and what that looks like for you individually and then together, right? As it pertains to the business, but then how that folds into the household as well. I think these are things that we're talking about and that we're doing between Joe and I. That's great. I would love to hear what that looks like for the two of you and how you stay grounded. Because to your point, it's not easy working with your spouse. No. Um, I I know Jeff. He's a very vivacious, dynamic individual. And here's Olivia, quiet, quieter. Yes. And um I love that there's this harmonization between the two of you, and I feel like that that's how it is with Joe and I as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I would agree with that.

Kelly

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Um, so uh credit to Jeff. When we got married, and in fact, I still have the folder. He was like, Okay, we have to do our goals. And I was like, Oh, okay. Well, what's that look like? And he's like, Well, we we should write down things that we want to do. Um, and and just even like a couple things for business and a couple things for personal. And, you know, of course, his was like, I would love to buy a new car and it's this. And I'm like, oh my god, no, that is not in the budget. And no, if we're combining, fine, you know, but yeah, what it taught me was you under you're always gonna have different ideas and things, whether it's material items that you want to go after, or it's what you want to achieve in life, or if you want to give back to others, or you want to do this, that. There's so many things, right? But it it gets you more on the same page with your partner for sure, as you know. Because I know you do them. Um, but we write them down every year, um, and then we go over them. And now it's, you know, personal, business, travel, okay, kids, what are we doing? You know, charity, what are we giving back, working on, you know, like this year? It was I joined a Bible study because I have more time and wanted to learn more about that, finally have the space um to do it. So just yes, it's it's imperative. I mean, because then you really do kind of know where the other one wants to go versus him calling me up one day going, hey, I really want to, you know, uh buy this. I'm like, what?

unknown

No, uh-uh.

SPEAKER_02

That's not in the goals. You we what when did we are we adding to this? Or so it I would say it's really, really he taught me that, and we've kept them, and I have them in a binder since we were 26 years old. It's kind of funny to go back because wait, no, I I never typed it on a computer. So they're all like they're handwritten.

Kelly

Yeah, there's actually science behind hand writing your goals.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, really?

Kelly

Oh, I didn't hold that, and actually and them actually coming to fruition, then like typing stuff out. And okay, for me as a very visual person, yeah, I will do uh some component of what you're speaking to, but then I do like a vision board. Awesome. And that maybe you could show me. I will. I was just explaining to a gal yesterday who will be on the podcast in a couple of months, and I was like, uh, I tried, do you know what Canva is? I do. Okay, so love Canva. God bless it. I for the first time last year did one on Canva instead, and things happened on there, but I'm like, it just isn't landing the same way for me as when I get like this big tag board, pull out a bunch of magazines. Like, I'm so old school. You do I want to be able to take magazines, literally visions of what you want. Totally, and I'll cut it out. And there's something with like there's the teacher. I know there's something about the tacticalness. I love it, and like putting it on there, and it's a it's a form of creativity for me as well. I'm like, we're going back to it, we're going back to it. That's great, Kelly. I love that you guys do that. Is there a specific time of year that you do it? Yeah, we always do it kind of right after um Christmas, right around the new year.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, and then um, yeah, we each do them separately, and now we've have our kids send us two or three. Um just so we kind of can see what they, you know, want to achieve um in the year two.

Kelly

I love that. The incorporation of the kids into that is something that we had started to do a couple years back, also. And what we ended up landing on was that we would want to do two family trips a year for the time being. And um, one of them was probably gonna be a road trip. And we did it last year. We have our road trip planned for this year, and we just have to figure out what's our next one going to be. I love it. Where are you guys going? We so initially we were gonna go to someplace in Michigan that land and was like, let's do this. Actually, you're gonna giggle. Decided that we're gonna go to Chicago instead. Great, because then we can do a little bit of business. Oh, I like like up shoulders with some of our our fellow Sotheby's agents in Chicago and also right off the trip. Right.

SPEAKER_02

But hey, smart, smart, it should be incorporated into any travel. The kids love because you guys are great at that, the referral business.

Kelly

They the kids love to be a part of the business too, and that's something

Kids In The Business And Life Now

Kelly

that we've embraced as well. Um, I can't count the number of times that Maddie has popped into one of our listings with us, not listing appointments, people promise you, like, but after everything is solidified and we are, you know, getting the the T's crossed and and I's dotted for that, she'll be helping us out. She's helped Joe out. That's awesome. Boys have helped out. Yeah, they've helped out with our social media and stuff. So did was there any incorporation that the two of you had with the kids as well into the business?

SPEAKER_02

You know, just like you had said too, they they would come if like we had to prep uh house or turn on lights, they would they would come. I mean, we drag them along, yeah, you know, if it was a weekend or whatnot. Um, and I think just like talking about the business naturally it would come up like at the dinner time conversation, right? Probably more so with Leighton at first. Um, but yeah, and you know, and then when Leighton was in college and then Shale was home, she definitely got an earful, you know, because you know, just acquiring the businesses then at that time, and um yeah, so I think that exposure for sure they're used to it.

Kelly

I am sure that there is so much modeling too. Do you have a how old are they now? So Layton's 25 and Shale's 19. Okay. And what does life look like for them right now?

SPEAKER_02

So we are fortunate they both are in Boston. Shale's in college in Boston at a smaller business school called Babson. Okay. Um, she's a sophomore, and then Layton graduated um and lives in Boston. He also went to Babson. Okay. Um, it is an entrepreneurial school. If a lot of people maybe haven't heard of it, but um yeah, um he is working in real estate, works for a very small, well, I should say smaller. I I think it's like a 30-person uh company, and they do development and real estate management. They own, um, yeah, real, and it's pretty much family-owned. Two brothers, a lot of family that works in it. Jeff and I always say he'll learn so much and then probably come back and tell us things we're doing or should be doing. Um no, but he's really enjoying it. And then um, Shale, as I said, she's in college in Boston. So it makes going to visit them very convenient. I love it. That they're both in the same city.

Kelly

I love that. And I've heard I've never been to Boston yet, but I've heard wonderful things about it, and I've heard wonderful things about the real estate there too, and that it's really expensive. It's it's really a great city, yeah. It is, you'll have to go visit. That's it'll it's in the works. Um, not quite sure how that's gonna fit in right now, just with the with the little and yeah, lots of activities. Um, speaking of which, that actually is a nice little segue to talk about. I am curious what navigating activities when the kids were growing up looked like for you and Jeff. Oh boy.

SPEAKER_02

Again, um, we took turns a lot, you know, at at night. I mean, if he had, you know, showings or work, but but as we, you know, transitioned the Business more to you know, Julie took over um running at least the home sale part, right? Um, we were uh tried to have nights somewhat free, and then we we really were able to both kind of be present, or I then because I had kind of more the mom role, I did most of the carpooling, you know. But Jeff Jeff would periodically here and there, yeah, for sure.

Kelly

It's it's me. Like I'm primarily the one that's yeah running from point A to point B and back, and then over here and back, and then waiting an hour, maybe an hour and a half, and then you're like, and we're getting back up, and we're trying to fit food into that mix at the same time. Yes. So that's been fun. It's a lot.

SPEAKER_02

The details are sometimes it's overwhelming what you do in a day. Yeah, I do remember, yeah. Just from meals to school to activities to did I forget a mouth guard.

Kelly

We we give agency to the boys when it comes to like packing stuff up. Like, hey, this is part of your responsibility. And we'll do like the checks and balances with them before we're heading out. But you know, sometimes how did they do pretty well? Pretty good. I mean, this has been a work in progress for call it well, probably since we moved into the house. Yeah. Um, which was in 2022. So call it four years we've been working on this, and it didn't happen overnight, but we're we're pretty much there. And give them, I I mean, we give them grace too, because they're kids. I know, yeah. So, but at the same time, it's like we're we're navigating as moms. I think about the landscape that we're navigating and making sure that all of the stuff is in order. Lunch, dinner, all of the coordination

Faith As A Grounding Practice

Kelly

of like what it looks like getting here and getting back and so on and so forth. Having the conversation with another parent, because are you gonna do carpool or are you gonna do it this time and I'll do it this time? And and it's it can sometimes be it's overwhelming, very overwhelming.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yep. Every day is different, and you have to kind of even if you plan ahead, which I know you're organized, but it's it's just a lot of details, and then you gotta switch into like if you're taking a call or setting up, right? Like maybe a listing appointment or whatever, it's it is just yeah, it's a different mindset you have to kind of switch into.

Kelly

Well, and the the way that technology has um evolved and the ability to be able to quickly send a text message, and then it feels like sometimes you're more on your phone than you are having this present engaged moment with your children. Yeah. And I think that that's part of um what we as individuals that are in the real estate business navigates. I mean, you want to make sure that you're responsive and responsible in how you are working with your clients. Yeah. But then for us, like family is number one, and how do we ensure that that stays as number one pillar? Yeah. Right? Yes. Let me back up. Actually, it's God first, then it's the family, and then it's everything else thereafter. So let's talk a little bit about faith. I want to hear, you had mentioned about how you've had this opportunity to be able to start a Bible study and be a part of that. What has faith looked like for you as you and Jeff have grown these businesses collectively?

SPEAKER_02

I think for sure, like we were raised, you know, I was raised Lutheran, Jeff was raised Catholic. I think, you know, you're all kind of under the same umbrella. Um you know, with faith was part of my life growing up, um, and Jeff's. But I think that a lot of times you just kind of go through the motions. Like our kids did attend a private Catholic, you know, grade school and high schools, both of them different, but um, and so for sure it was always part of our our journey, yeah. But I I think a lot of times it's it was a little bit like kind of just going through the motions, like um, that's great, I'll I'll show up and you could attend, you know, weekly like mass with your kids. Um, but I think um, and prayer uh for sure, but I think just like I said, now that Shale's out of the house, our youngest, I um met a gal um just through a mutual friend, and her name is Terry Bennett. Um, and we got connected and she leads a Bible study. And I said, she goes, You don't have to come weekly, it's very informal, it's on Zoom, or you can come to my house, whatnot. And she has just really been a really neat uh role model, and um so that I've I've kind of within the past, I suppose it's been like three months, okay, just kind of that's fine started and met some great people and yeah, and learning, you know, how it relates to today, not necessarily just you know, learning more about um the Bible.

Kelly

Yeah, there's a lot to learn about the Bible. There it can be so overwhelming. Um, your Terry um is my Pam. I have a a gal who I gal, she is 80 some years old. I don't know exactly her age, but I know that she's um just a little over 80 years old. And I've been discipling or like sitting down and meeting with her on a weekly basis and just diving into the word, and that has been game-changing for me as somebody who is navigating being a high-achieving woman, wanting to like hit goals and then navigating working with my spouse, instrumental in just like staying as grounded as possible while also going, God gave us skills. How are we actually using those skills? Like, are we are we like fully in them? Are we not? And if we're not, why? And peeling back the onion layers of what that looks like now that can look very different for many people across the board, right? Like doing deep dives into self, and when you do the deep dive into yourself is when you start to understand the bigger scheme of things. Yeah. So it's been very interesting.

SPEAKER_02

I would totally, totally agree. Um, I think you for me, as you I I'm impressed that you're doing it now, because like I said, like taking the time you're in probably one of the busiest decades you're gonna have. Yeah, just with ages of your kids and the business and you know, just everything, right? Having them under your roof. I mean, it just creates, you know, a lot, a lot more detail and a lot more work and time management, right? So um, yeah, I think um for me, I finally feel like I have the space in my head to um want to learn more and want to be be better. Yeah, be better for um myself, for Jeff, and just people that um I work with, everything. Yeah, yeah. The patients, etc.

Kelly

Yes. It's it'll be really fun to see a year from now how that has evolved for you. And then doing, you know, the the reflection backwards and connecting the dots and how all of it happened. Yeah. And I think it's easy to go like, oh, I wish I could have done it this way or this way or this way, but then when you fully understand what what you're delving into, it's this was all a part of the plan. It was all supposed to happen the way that it was supposed to. And so, how now can we take all of this fruitful information that we are coming to learn and understand and grasp and use that to move forward for the trajectory that we that God actually wants us to go on? So fun for you. I love it. Um, I literally had a question that popped up in my head, and now it's it has escaped me. All right, so I am curious, what are some of the parallels that you have seen between motherhood and entrepreneurship? I have to believe that you

Control, Identity Shifts, And Matrescence

Kelly

are you've started to connect the dots on what that's looked like.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I think um being able to be flexible with uh situations that arise or tantrums that occurred at home or work. Um you know, just there's a lot coming at you. And I think um I think being able to be, um, maybe you said this, but like fluid, you know, just not be so structured. Cause I am pretty type A. I like things to kind of happen as I have them scheduled, and when they don't, you know, um, that was a big learning deal with motherhood. Or you think you have your day started out, and you know, I mean honestly, you know, from a management level or even from um, you know, the financial or accounting level, you know, there's constantly things that usually people are coming to you with problems, yeah. Not necessarily that things are going smooth, you know, and that you have to learn. And then usually, you know, kids, I mean, it's never gonna go all buttoned up and easy. It's usually a tantrum's happening, either with myself in my own mind or with the kid externally.

Kelly

Yes, yeah. Is that a good analogy? It it really is. I think about the control piece. Oh, that's and yeah, wanting to actually so yesterday went to um one of Jill Gordon's broker opens and Michael Stanton's there. And we were, he was like, What's new with you, Kelly? in his very, you know, like sophisticated um manner. And I was just like, just navigating, you know, all the ins and outs of activities and being a mom. And and he said something to the effect of like, oh, you strike me as somebody who really really likes to have control. And I'm like, mm-hmm, I do. I want to have control. Right there with you. And and it's nothing like having children and just being absolutely humbled in the habitual things that we do as as individuals, right? And looking back on even when I was introduced to the boys and understanding that this was now going to become my family unit because initially, like, Joe's like, hmm, don't know if I want to have any more kids. And I could have just gone with the flow. And then the more time we spent with each other, the more time I saw him with the boys, I was like, I want to have your babies. I love that. And you know, the that that first sort of like humbling experience for me. Now, you know, I was on the mortgage side of things. So my first, like very humbling experience with the family unit was I had sold my townhouse and moved into the apartment with Joe and the boys while we were out looking for homes. And I was working in one of my loans around dinner time. And I could have continued to work. And literally, the way that we had everything set up in the apartment was I could have turned my chair around, ate at the dinner table, and then turned right back around. And I would have done that had it not been for Joe humbling me and going, Hey, this right here is what this is gonna look like. Like, we shut the laptop, we don't need to be doing that. And so that was really my first little like humbling experience of like, this isn't just about you anymore. And how do you let go of that piece of you? And so, you know, part of the reason the podcast even started is because I felt this weird identity shift that was happening. It is, it is a big shift.

SPEAKER_02

What did that look like for you? Oh, I just think, you know, let alone it's a shift in your body physically, but like nobody can tell you till you have your own child, like what that feeling is, you know? Yeah. Um, that unconditional love that just happens immediately, and then you know, your crazy protectiveness that comes along, and like you said, the control. When you really realize now, I realize it, but looking back, I didn't was yeah, you're not in control. The only thing you can control is your own emotions, how you react to things, otherwise that's it. Yeah, you you have to let go. That was so good. Took a lot of years, and I'm still not a hundred percent. I say that, and then sometimes you're like so frustrating if it kind of doesn't happen the way you think.

Kelly

Yeah, but yeah, but alas, here we are, and we still like the fact of the matter is that we're never gonna be perfect in how we approach any circumstance, whether it be motherhood, entrepreneurship, how we show up for our family, how we show up for our friends. It's not gonna ever be perfect. It's just how are we improving upon the communication and our own attitude and mindset about things as well? Yeah, I think plays a pretty interesting role. You're like, oh, I learned from that experience. Probably won't do that one again, or react in that way, or respond in that way, and then it's like the repair on the back end as well. And I'm sure that this is something that managing a lot of employees that that's that happens. Tell me more.

SPEAKER_02

Well, okay, would uh because I could go in a few different directions, which with what's the first thing that you naturally want to to speak about when it comes to this? Oh, like anything that happens, are you talking like um with like situation or employee or whatever? I just naturally always wanted to like come in and like fix it and do it and make it better, you know? Um, so letting letting go. Um, I I hope I'm answering that right. You are, but okay. Yeah, I think letting go and I think um just trying to learn to, you know, take the emotion out of it and make people feel heard and just moving on from there, right? Like trying not to carry, yeah. No, everybody handles things different, conflict, um,

Leadership, Hiring, And Tough Calls

SPEAKER_02

confrontation. I I don't mind confrontation, I just I sometimes need to sit in it if something happens and then and then I can regroup and sure talk through it. Sure.

Kelly

Yeah, but it that doesn't really bother me to have to so if there's a woman that's listening right now, Olivia, and they are at a point in their business where they're ready to hire on. And I would love to hear a piece of advice you would give and just considerations that they should be thinking about on the front end of that. Yeah, because how many employees does so that like your um whole entity, including we do we do have the title companies too in each state.

SPEAKER_02

So including that, I believe we're at about 64 employees, yeah, and then 1099 independent contractors, the agents, I suppose were close to 400 then. Um not just here in Minnesota, but um elsewhere. So um okay, so back to your question on um taking the risk of either hiring someone or or taking making an investment. I think um on the hiring end for sure, doing like a 90-day trial. So it kind of gives you the space and you tell them it has to be a good fit for them and us, right? Yeah, sure. And um because, you know, just even though you're taking a risk to do the investment, if it's not the right um, you know, fit, it it just may not be, right? 100% because you either didn't interview them well enough or you didn't train them well enough, or or they maybe the credentials didn't quite match up to what the references and everything said. So that's kind of more of a technical um thing, but I think it gives you peace of mind, like, hey, we're gonna try this, yeah, and let's, you know, and then you have to really be open that it's good feedback or not, and you can always extend that trial period, right?

Kelly

Love that.

SPEAKER_02

Um, so that is one thing that people could do. Um, but the other thing is, you know, you let's say you you do it and and the business change, you know. I mean, we are subject, our business is subject to market conditions, right? For sure. Yeah. So election years are different, interest rates affect things. Um, you know, you're even though you're prospecting the cycle of your prospects, you know, aren't ready to move or or whatnot, right?

Kelly

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So um, you know, you there are times where you have to make maybe a tough decision, like I did it, but typically you did it and and the market change is what I was trying to say. If it does, I've I mean, it is what it is. And you can't beat yourself up that like you didn't create enough business. Now, fortunately, you know, that was um something that was really we we feel pretty blessed. We did not during some of these, you know, market conditions, right? Um, COVID, we kind of went the opposite way. We we weren't sure at first, but uh the most important thing was like trying. To be able to keep all these incredible people that we have working with us um hired, right? And and employed. Yeah. And then, you know, even 23 was such a shift. It was an election. What was that our election year?

Kelly

I believe so. It all is blending together.

SPEAKER_02

Or was it 24? No, I think it was 20. Well, oh boy. Listeners, don't judge me. But I do know that the interest rates ticked up. Yeah. You know, we've got the war. We've got so it affects people's business. But I think if you if you take the leap when you're you're saying that you see these red flags that like you don't have enough time to do this, you don't. When you invest in it and really work your business, you're you're gonna come out ahead on the other side. And if worst case scenario, you don't, well, it's your business. You have to cut the cost and you know, cut the loss and move forward. That I hung on to for when we were growing. I mean, it was always a fear of mine. You just I took it personal, I and that was the motivating factor. You wanted, and and we were lucky that you know, between Jake and our recruiter, and that we were able to keep adding people, and that's the name of the game is the growth and keeping the culture what it is so you can sustain.

Kelly

What would you say that the culture is like with Sotheby's and then specific specifically for us within Lynx and how does that like transgress across the board with Jackson Hole and Steamboat as well?

SPEAKER_02

Um so Jake and Jeff and I always had um because they sell, right? And they sold, or I should say I sold, um, because I don't currently sell. But you because we did, we know what you want as an agent. Like you want the staff to be engaged and not be like, what do you need?

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_02

Come up to the desk and you know, or what's up now? Now, no one's perfect, maybe somebody has a bad day, but I think the overall consensus in in our leadership meetings, all of the employees and our leadership team know that because of you, Kelly, Joe, the Kirk team, I'm just using you because yeah, we're sitting here on your podcast, but we need to be able to support you the best we can as an agent. You have to be agent-driven and be kind, smile, try to listen and learn. And not always, maybe is it everything that you I mean, I'm not saying it's perfection, but if mistakes happen, if somehow you want to make it right and we communicate it to you, and know that you are out there, you guys all are doing your own individual business. And so you you need to feel like when you come in the office, you are supported. When you send an email, it's not days before someone gets back to you.

Kelly

Right.

SPEAKER_02

When you have a commission, you want to be paid out that same day.

Kelly

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Uh I mean it's processed the same day it hits your account the next day. But just those things, an agent-driven culture. Um, how we can support you.

Kelly

I I want to take a step back to that that time when it was evident that you wanted to be a part of the Sotheby's brand and why Sothebees stood out to you.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

Kelly

I know my reasons,

Agent Driven Culture And Brand Power

Kelly

but I want to hear it from the horse's mouth. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Well, um, we had Hornig Realty because we wanted a boutique not for the masses um brokerage, right? So, I mean, we even so much as called Tiffany, um, I believe Jeff got their Pantone color, and that was our for sale signs. Like we wanted that. Yeah. The problem with it, we always say it was it was called Horna Grill Tea Limited. We were limited with our reach, right? Um, and we were on vacation in Florida, and I remember Jeff and I were walking the beach, and there was a for sale sign, and it was the Navy blue. I was like, what is this brokerage? And it said Sotheby's. And Jeff's like, that's it. That is it. I bet that they took the auction house name, franchised it out. He's like, let's call and see if we can get it in Minnesota. It just like hit him. Well, it had already been awarded to the owner from Sarasota, which was great. And then Jacob became the broker on record in 2006. So then we called and inquired. We met with Jacob and he recruited us. We said, even if we couldn't own it, yeah, we said we believe in it, and then we started getting the opportunities because the consumer believed, and it was true, that it was a broader reach with referrals, with a network, with the marketing, with etc. The the reach, right? And then we were finding that helped in the living room that they would rather have a Sotheby's sign than Horneg Realty Limited. And we made even though, you know, we were getting 100% of 100% because it was our independent brokerage, but whatever the split was, we found in the difference in the split, it over it more than tenfold it helped like elevate uh the the opportunities that we got for home sales.

Kelly

What a great word, elevate. I think that that's probably the thing that has stood out. Having worked on the mortgage side and working with other Sotheby's agents, there was just a different posture. I felt like they took in communication, in um navigating the negotiations. And I mean, Joe's a part of that. He was number one Sotheby's agent that I was working with first, and then it started to trickle from there. But I just always felt like gosh, Sotheby's is just they're doing something different and they're doing it well.

SPEAKER_02

Well, it it is different in that we are not really like a training, you know, when people come out and get their real estate license, you know, it is helpful. There are some incredible brokerages in the twin cities that we have. I mean, there really are, and there's different fits for everyone, totally, and a lot of them do a great job with like training and mentoring, etc. We are more um uh or people are part-time or whatnot. Now, not to say that maybe we don't have some that you know maybe are moving more towards retirement, or we did bring on a newer agent, but they're paired up with somebody else, someone who's established. Um, and so for the most part, I think we do have agents that this is their full-time gig. Yeah, this is how they make and their their livelihood, right? So it does make a difference, but that's not to say that there's not a place for, you know, there's a lot of other huge, bigger, successful brokerages that yeah, are in the Twin Cities.

Kelly

So the the part that really stands out for me is the lifestyle and incorporating like your business into what you do on the day-to-day, too. So there's um individual that Joe coaches with out of Chicago, Jack, um, oh my gosh, I almost said Jackson Hole, but it's not. Why can't I think of it? Sorry, Jim, if you're listening to this. But he he does his own podcast and he always says, Happy brokers sell more real estate. And what does that actually need to look like for you? And he delves into that periodically on his podcast. Um, but that has always stuck out to me as something that makes lakes and Sotheby's in general just shine above the rest.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome. I will say Jacob had Jacob giving you credit for this, but Jacob, when he um we came over, I'll I will never forget this. And again, I can't remember the exact count, but it was under 20 people, right? When we came over. Um, and I was like, everybody's so nice and great. And he goes, We only hire nice people. I love it. And I everyone's nice. I'm not seeing that, but I think that um we really do we're discerning on who comes over. Yep. Um, because it isn't a fit. It's almost like, you know, it we're not for everyone, and maybe they're not Olivia.

Kelly

It's matchmaking, right? I mean, it's like dating.

SPEAKER_01

A little bit.

Kelly

Yes. We do it, we do it with our careers periodically. We do it with our spouses. And so it's there's a lot of commonalities in what that looks like, especially when it comes to. I mean, I think about this on the mortgage side too, and just how much I did not know about the vastness of like what avenue you can go down in mortgage lending. You can go correspondent lending, you could go bank, you can go credit union, you can go wholesale. Like there's so many different routes, but you're not gonna know that until you're like, you know, in it for a couple of years and start to get, you know, some wind underneath your wings. Right. So yeah. We're gonna start to land the plane, as I like to say. Um, this has been a lot of fun and insightful. I'm curious, uh, what's a piece of advice you would give a younger version of yourself, knowing all that you know now?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I probably am repeating a little bit what we talked about, but um the control piece, like trying to not control. Um, and it's again, I still struggle a little bit with it, right? Because with kids out of the house, you think you're still more in control of yourself and everything, but I think letting that go and then um realizing that you know you you just get up and grind and do the best you can, be good to people, treat people the way you want to be treated. And I just think those simple things listen to your gut more.

Kelly

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um and and I think it could have saved me a lot of stress, but I guess the stress pushes you through. Um yeah, so I I guess that's what I would tell myself.

Kelly

I'm a woman who's listening right now, and I'm considering going into business with my husband. Like what's advice you would give to her listening?

SPEAKER_02

I would say um go for it and do it. Um try to not talk about work during certain hours, whatever those hours are for you, right? Um try not to uh if you're on a date night, try not

Advice For Younger You And Closing

SPEAKER_02

to, after you've had a couple glasses of wine, break down uh where you think he should be going. Or um, yeah, okay. Let's see. Olivia speaking from experience right now. Um let's see. Um, and I think just being real, like we figured out that it probably didn't work if Jeff tried to spend a morning at home and work from home when I was there.

Kelly

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It just was you gotta stick with your routine that works. And and I mean, if he was here, he'd probably have a few things to say about me too, right? Um why are you so anal? And why do you have to have it this way? And can't you lighten up? And can't you, you know.

Kelly

There's again, there's this harmonization between you and Jeff and Joe and I, right? Like we sometimes we've got to bring them back down to earth, and then sometimes they've got to bring us up to the clouds and go, look at all of this. Yes, I understand, and making sure that everything is buttoned up, but we've got to see this too.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, agreed. And like I said, I don't think I ever would have chosen or pushed if if he hadn't shown me the big picture. And then he's been really great. He does let go. He like he just kind of lets me, he wants the overview of you know, where the business is going, but he lets me just kind of handle that. So he really stays in his lane. Um, Jacob helped me learn to stay in my lane. Jacob is like the best partner for us um for Jeff and I. So we were very lucky to have Jake still in our live show. Shout out to Jake meeting us. Yes.

Kelly

I'm pretty sure Jake will listen to this because I told him about Molly Winmiller being on the podcast, and I I think that he listened to that one too. I was like, we give you a shout-out, so you better listen. Um, out of curiosity, I have started to ask this question of more of my guests. What's what's a favorite room in your house and why?

SPEAKER_02

Um I would say my office. Yes. Yeah. Jeff let me do it all cream and white. Well, that's kind of our house. Um, but um uh yeah, I love it. I've got he got me this ring bird feeder. It's right outside my window. It's like perfect view. Um, I've got a little fireplace in it, and it's just quiet and um yeah, I I feel peaceful when I'm in there, even though you know you're working through sometimes um some things that aren't always peaceful and yeah, stressful, right?

Kelly

We talk about places of peace, um, whether it's here in our house, or we're out with clients, right? Like, where is your place of peace gonna be? We always ask that question to think about that. That's interesting.

SPEAKER_02

Um, you know what I think I've learned is that my peace can happen just inside me at any time, anywhere now. And I've learned that through the years more with um learning how to deal a little bit better with stress or when to engage in stress, trying not to, Jeff was good at helping me try to do more time management on when do I sit down and check email. It's not daily, hourly or excuse me, it is daily, but it's not I'm not in the day hourly, right? Because I am a checklister, I like to get things done. And sometimes things are really timely, but my team has learned they'll call me if it has to be handled right away. Um, so that and I think just um doing things for me, like the yoga or some meditation. Yes. Um, so peace I'm trying to incorporate as much as I can. I love that. Just within me. That's not necessarily a place.

Kelly

I'm gonna piggyback off of that. Now, what do you is it the yoga and the meditation that you feel like has a plays an integral role in that?

SPEAKER_02

Well, it definitely helps starting out your morning that way, but that's usually just three mornings a week. So the other days I gotta try to do that. Figure out something else. Yeah, or the other four. I'm just talking a work day.

Kelly

Yeah. Uh-huh. Olivia, this has been so fun. I enjoy you so much, and I love the openness and the candidness that you had, both on air and off-air. It's been so fun getting to know you a little bit more and hearing the ins and outs of your journey. Um motherhood and entrepreneurship.

SPEAKER_02

Well, right back at you.

Kelly

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you for taking the time and asking me. And you're welcome. Yeah. Can't wait uh to watch your journey.

Kelly

Thank you. One last question. Yeah. If I'm listening right now and I want to have a conversation with you, how can somebody get connected with you?

SPEAKER_02

I would say email is the best. Okay. So it's olivia.hornig at lakesmn.com.

Kelly

I'll make sure to put it in the show notes for the listeners. And I hope you have a great rest of the day, Olivia. This is such a treat. Thank you. Thanks, Kelly. Thanks for listening. And if you enjoyed this episode and know of any inspiring mamas who are powerhouse entrepreneurs, please help connect them with myself and the show. It would mean so much if you would help spread this message, mission, and vision for other Montpreneurs. It takes 30 seconds to rate and review, then share this episode with your friends. Until the next episode. Cheers to reclaiming your cue.

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Kelly Kirk

Host