Can You Be Ambitious Without Burning Out? Riah Patel on Networking, Mentorship & Slowing Down to Succeed

Riah Patel has the career, the drive, and the results to prove it. A senior leader and surveyor in the real estate industry, she's spent a decade building an impressive career through sheer intentionality — moving from graduate scheme to business development, team leadership and strategy, while becoming one of the most respected networkers in her field. But the most interesting part of her story isn't the promotions or the business development wins. It's what she discovered when she finally gave herself permission to slow down — and realised her results actually got better.

In this episode of Successful AF, Riah gets refreshingly honest about the cost of always being full throttle, what sustainable ambition really looks like in practice, and why she still does power poses in work bathrooms before big presentations.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

• Why career networking doesn't have to feel transactional — and how to build genuine human connection in professional spaces
• What Riah learned when she stopped working at full speed (spoiler: she didn't fall behind)
• How she finds and works with mentors — including why her longest-standing mentor wasn't who she expected
• The confidence-building habits that actually work, from coaching to body language
• What burnout prevention really looks like when you're wired to be competitive
• Why her definition of success has shifted — and what "complicated" really means

This one is for anyone who's ever wondered whether ambition and sustainability can actually coexist. Turns out, they can. You just have to be intentional about it.

Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature.

Connect with Jess:

Instagram: @kalicoaching.co

Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

What does it take to build a successful career without burning out along the way? And can ambition and sustainability really coexist? Today's guest, Riah Patel, has been quietly answering that question over the last decade. A senior leader in the real estate industry and a surveyor by background Riah has built an impressive career through sheer intentionality, moving from graduate to business development team leadership and strategy, while becoming one of the most respected networkers in her field. But what makes Riah's story so compelling isn't the career highlights. It's her honesty about the cost of always being full throttle and the work she's done to figure out how to be ambitious without it being her undoing. In this conversation, you'll discover why networking doesn't have to be transactional, and how human connection is actually the strategy. What Riah learned when she finally slowed down, spoiler, her results got better, not worse. And how she finds and works with mentors, including why her longest standing mentor isn't who she expected and the power pose she still does in a work bathroom before big presentations. Let's get into today's episode Thrilled that you are here'cause we have been talking about this for a while. Welcome Riah Patel.

Speaker 2 1:17

Thank you.

Speaker 1:18

We're gonna dive straight in. Tell us your story.

Speaker 2 1:23

Sure. So before I go from the start, I'll just say that I work in the real estate industry and I'm a surveyor by background. So I did a very vocational degree and at the time. I sort of fell into it. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I also didn't know where it would take me. So I guess you could say it was a bit of a risk, but I actually really enjoyed it and I think it taught me for probably the first time that when you enjoy something you do thrive and you do start to do well. And I did well when I was at university. I mean, I had fun, but probably not as much fun as I should have had. But yeah, I really enjoyed it. And then as I was in my second year, I knew exactly what graduate scheme I wanted to apply for. Having done lots of internships and spoken to people in the industry, I was always also very involved in lots of networking ever since I was at university. And the university that I was at nominated me for a Women in Property Award, which gave me a huge vote of confidence, and I think that just set me up really, really well for what was going to happen next in my career. And it also gave me a huge vote of confidence. And then after graduating, I did start on a graduate scheme, one of the ones that I wanted to be on. And I was really just out there in the corporate world working my way up the ladder and I really enjoyed it and I found it really, really rewarding and fun. It was quite stressful and high pressure at times, but I did really thrive in that environment. Over the last 10 years I have moved around a few different sectors in the industry, and more recently, in the last two years, I've transitioned into a more senior leadership and management position where the day-to-day is less about the technical focus, but more around business development, managing a team, interacting with clients, and also developing strategy. So yeah, it feels. Like it's gone very quickly.

Speaker 3:24

I wanna talk about a bit about networking, because networking is how we met, right? We met through a women's, real estate organization. We we're organizing an event for them. I hate networking. It's like my worst thing. And I think as someone, you are so good at it and you enjoy it. Is it just because it's who you are and you love it? Or can you teach me how to be better at networking?'cause I know a lot of people really struggle with it.

Speaker 2 3:50

It's a really difficult one. And it is interesting that I think a lot of people think that I really, really enjoy it and I really love it and I'm good at it. Which I do think all of those things are true, but I don't think it's always been like that. And I suppose to go back a little bit. My parents, they don't, they work in a completely different industry, but they always really encouraged my sister and I to grow a really strong network and they emphasized the importance of it. And that was from. Probably ever since I was at Uni University that I remember that. And I think growing up also, we were fortunate to be very well traveled. We were comfortable in adult company and exposed to lots of different things. And I think that really set me up quite well for them being in a networking situation because I guess I was comfortable talking to different types of people. I'd say that I'm a very social person. So networking has always. Been quite exciting. I like going to events. I like meeting new people, and I think for me it's. Networking ultimately has an aim, and it could be work related like quite often. For me, it's business development related, but I also think to make it work, you have to connect with people on a really personal level. So it shouldn't necessarily just be that transactional. Okay. What can I do for you or what can you do for me? It's more just building human connections and I've always really enjoyed that and I think the way to get into it is just by starting and doing it and just pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, taking along a friend or another colleague to do it with you and just going from there really.

Speaker 5:28

Yeah, I think that's a really good way of looking at it. I think the thing you said about it being transactional, I think that's where I've really struggled because I often feel I. More that whenever, like I've been to a few and I feel like someone immediately, like they find out where I work or they find out what I do, and I feel like it's instantly like, oh, what can I sell to you? And I'm so. Allergic to the sales pitch that I'm instantly like, okay, goodbye. And I think actually maybe if, maybe because I'm going in with that mentality of oh, you're gonna sell to me and I can't be bothered, then that's where like I end up getting what I manifest what I've expected to receive. So maybe there is a bit of like going in because I, I love talking to people like I, we are here. I love hearing people's stories. You are

Speaker 2 6:12

very social.

Speaker 6:14

What's that net like? I think the word networking to me makes me go. Ooh. So actually maybe there's something in that, because as you've said, like it's incredibly valuable.

Speaker 2 6:24

Yeah. The people that I've met over the last 10 or so years in a work related networking environment, I, some of them, I probably would say a. Part of my closest friends now, and that's really nice. Some of them I've never done any business with and that's totally fine. But they might be, really helpful with market intel or something else. And others. It might just be that we have common interests and we'll, I know go to an art gallery together or something like that. So I think. I try not to see it with an absolute end goal. Ultimately you do need to be targeted when you are trying to achieve certain things, whether that's at work or in your personal life. But I think networking just can just take you anywhere. There were people that I met when I was starting out in my career as a graduate that I have since seven, eight years later. Actually received business from, which has been great, but that has always been, those relationships were kind of born out of a mutual interest in a particular industry, but also because we actually got on, and I think people do want to be around and work with people that they genuinely get on with.

Speaker 7:33

Yeah. And you just said something else that's really interesting, like the targeted piece. I think a lot of people float through life. Maybe that's a bit unfair. But they sort of expect life to happen to them and we've known each other for a while and I have watched you be really intentional about how you go about things and I think it's really admirable'cause you know where you are going and you. Find out how to get there. Like you don't necessarily know how to get there from the get go, but you'll find out and you'll make it work. And I just, I'd be curious to understand like how you, like where that drive comes from.

Speaker 2 8:16

Yeah, it's an interesting one. I think it probably comes from when I was younger and not knowing exactly what I wanted to do or who I would be or how I would make an impact and maybe a sense of. F worry deep down when I was younger about what my life would be and then when I went to university and really started enjoying what I was doing, it just made me want more and more and really just drove me forward. I have a really supportive. Family, my parents and my sister are absolutely amazing and they've been absolutely key to kind of pushing me. I think it also comes a lot from my mum who's always been a working parent. She held down her career, but also was there for us when we were children and growing up and just, wanting to be someone in the world. So I think that's probably part of it. And then in terms of the intentional bit, I think I've always just been very much a planner and knowing what I want to tick off, and I think that can be a bit intense sometimes, because, you know, to have a, have a list of things that you just want to tick off is, is a bit crazy. But I think that's kind. Ah, well, my list of things is quite ambitious sometimes.

Speaker 9:29

Well, I mean, I'd love to hear it at some point, but I don't, I think, I don't know. I often think like women are told, like when we are really ambitious, we are too much or we're,

Speaker 2 9:44

yeah,

Speaker 9:46

we're, crazy to your point. And actually, if you had a man who had that level of list, whether it was a list or you know, just ambition, it would be seen in quite a different regard. And I think, you are ambitious, you're incredibly driven, but you're also incredibly well respected across the industry and. You've only got there because you've had all these like steps and goals, and you've not just been like, okay, I'm gonna go from zero to 100. You've understood what the steps are that you need to take on the way, and you've quite patiently and diligently worked through them. And so I, I don't think it's crazy would be.

Speaker 2 10:23

Thank you. No, I mean. Yeah, crazy is probably too strong a word. I think when it's you and then you take a moment to step away and think about everything, you're like, wow, actually I did do that. But to get to all those places, all those small steps, it's odd because, you know, it could be that people looking from the outside might think how that just looks so easy. But I think on the inside it, it is a real journey. There are challenges. You do really have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. I think particularly in the last two, three years, I've valued thinking time a lot more. I'm very quick and fast paced. My mind moves very quickly and I have had to learn to not hold back, but tell myself to just do things at a slower pace and have more thinking time to make sure that I'm being as strategic as possible.

Speaker 11:15

Do you think that comes with being a, as you've progressed into becoming a senior leader, or do you think that just comes with maturity or is it a mix of both?

Speaker 2 11:24

I think it's a mix of both, because when you step into those more senior positions, you are having to think about lots of different variables in your decision making and lots of different types of decisions. And I think it's also with maturity and just experience generally. I'd say it's a blend because, the decisions that I maybe had to make four or five years ago were quite different from the ones that I have to make now and. I do take a lot more time to step back and think. And I think it's also probably come from other conversations I've had with mentors. I've got some really great mentors at work and also personally and I'd say that conversations those people really help inform your thinking and the way that you're going to approach challenges.

Speaker 12:12

I am so pleased you've talked about mentors because we've never really talked about mentors on this program, show, podcast, whatever before. And I'd love to know a, how you choose your mentors and how you work with them. Because I think there's a really interesting, I dunno if it's a narrative, but like kind of perception that to be successful you have to do it on your own and you have to climb the mountain or whatever. And actually I think. Every single successful person I know has done it by a, taking people with them. But, you know, taking the advice and support of those around them, because you've just said it there. Like you learn as you go and you therefore don't make the mistakes that people before you have made. So how do you find your mentors? How do you choose them?

Speaker 2 12:59

So this is going to sound really cheesy, but I do think, mentors. That are going to be with you for a longer period of time are people that you really need to click with and you need to click with them in a certain way. I don't think you can just, get anyone and just have them be your mentor. So I think it's about finding the right person. And with that, I've probably had a bit of luck. I've been paired with mentors professionally, and that's always been really valuable. Sometimes they've only been, ad hoc meetings for maybe a four month period, but. My main mentor has been working with me for probably about three, four years now, and that was probably something that they would probably say that they didn't think it would last as long as it did, and not for any negative reason, but four years is a long time to be mentored by one person. And for both people to still feel like there's more that they can add to the relationship and, helping each other out. So I think it's finding the right person. It's also approaching people that inspire you or that you observe and think actually those behaviors or the way that they're thinking about things is really impressive and I want to understand more about that. So I think it's just being open to who you might connect with. And also, one thing I would say is not having a picture of exactly who you want to be or mentor in your head. So I always thought that I wanted a really strong female to be my mentor. And to be honest there are probably reasons why, but there's no reason why it couldn't have been a male and it actually is a male that's been my longer term mentor. So I think that's one piece about the formal mentors, but I also think it's informal mentors as well. I do seek quite a lot of counsel from my parents. My sister, they're very important in my decision making. And having that informal relationship where actually you can talk things through and they understand the situation you're in, I think that's also really useful. So if I were to give advice, I would say to keep your eyes open for any opportunity to meet people and see where it can go from there. Because you never know when it might be someone that you could mentor or they could be a mentor to you.

Speaker 15:16

And we've come back to networking. It's like it all connect.

Speaker 2 15:19

Yeah.

Speaker 15:20

There's so much value in having a mentor. But I think there's a lot of people don't understand what the point of a mentor is. And also there's some mentors who've are like super keen and really eager to be a mentor, but they don't necessarily know how to be a mentor and the difference between a mentor or a sponsor and a coach. And actually there's,'cause I'm sure you mentor a few people.

Speaker 2 15:40

Yeah, I'm always very careful about how much mentoring I take on because. I think for that relationship to work, you as the mentor need to be able to give it your all and you as a mentee need to give it your all. So I try not to mentor too many people at the same time, because then I'm spreading my time too thin. And I won't be able to give everyone the best of me, and I just wouldn't want to do that. So I, over the years, I've mentored a few people, some informally, some more formally, and I do try and make sure that it's the right person and that we click and I can actually add value, but also give my full attention and time to them.

Speaker 16:23

Some very lucky mentees out there. Um, no doubt. What does success mean to you?

Speaker 2 16:30

Oh. I think it changes during different parts of my life that's really what I feel when I think about it. I also think with success there is a big difference between the milestones that society dictates as being successful versus feeling happy and fulfilled in your life, whatever that means to an individual. And for me it has shifted a lot more to the latter in recent years from a young age. My parents always said that, part of being successful is being the best you can be at doing whatever you're doing. Just doing everything to the best of your ability. And I think that is right and ultimately that really is what drives and motivates me. But I think. Having a diverse and balanced life is something that has always been really important to me, and as I've got older, I have really appreciated what that means to me a bit more.

Speaker 17:29

Can you tell me more about that? So what does that actually look like? When you say diverse, what does that mean?

Speaker 2 17:34

I think what I mean by diverse is that always, it's not, you know, going through society's checklist of what's supposed to happen, but I think it's having a really fulfilled life personally and professionally. I think there was probably a time where I did, you know, have my professional checklist and it was all about that, whereas now, it's less, you know, it is still very go, go, go. But it's less about doing everything at a really fast pace. And it's about having time to rest, having time to be super active, having lots of social time. But I think it's just slowing down a little bit, a bit more. And to me that's just living a really diverse life with lots of different people in my life and not necessarily fitting a mold, I guess.

Speaker 18:17

Yeah, I love that. And I think there's something in there about the balance, and I guess you've talked about it, like the importance of some, some periods are restful, some periods are busy, and. I suppose we've come back to intention, but intentionally recognizing that you can't be on 24 7 because it's exhausting. Yeah.

Speaker 2 18:38

Been there and it's exhausting.

Speaker 18:39

Yeah. Do you think you had to go through doing that to learn that it wasn't sustainable?

Speaker 2 18:46

I think absolutely because I'm such a fast paced person of my own making. It's, you know, no one's told me that I've gotta be super fast and competitive at everything. That's, just who I am. But I think I've, yeah, learned a lot over the past five years or so about how that's not necessarily going to serve me throughout my life. I think there are times where you can be like that, but. It's not all the time.

Speaker 19:14

Yeah. Very interesting. We've talked about how your definition of success has changed. Was there anything apart from sort of, you know, having gone through those periods of super busy times and been like, okay, this, this doesn't work. Was there anything else that really prompted that change?

Speaker 2 19:34

I think I just was very much getting to a point where I was pushing so hard and putting so much in. I was absolutely flat out. And you know, you learn and grow in those periods, but it's just not sustainable. And I think the biggest kind of challenge or learning curve, I guess, has been reprioritizing. And thinking about what is actually sustainable like that genuinely is, I think the main thing that I've learned over the past few years is how do I be the best version of me and. Deliver what I want to deliver in my life, but also do it in a sustainable way where I'm not gonna burn out. And I think one thing that has always surprised me about myself over the years, and it's also something, something that I'm quite proud of, is my resilience, but I do think it's, I, I'm fortunate to be in this position now, and it's a privilege to be in a position where actually I can enjoy it more and, you know, take a bit more time versus just, I don't know. S rushing through everything or chasing the next thing constantly.

Speaker 20:42

Yeah. I really love that notion of being the best you can be in every walk of life. I think it's quite easy to go hell for leather in the corporate world or whatever work looks like for you. And then have that impact your social life, have that impact your family life and I think there's almost this narrative around like where you should be at a certain part of your life and the one dimension of like, you should be doing this by this date, this by this date, this by this date. And I think to be able to balance all of those, and as you say, like really have a, a hugely diverse. Life, but also set of interests. Do you think that is like one of the, I don't wanna say foundations, but pillars as to why you don't find yourself in burnout? Because it is also different?

Speaker 2 21:33

Yeah, I think so. I, I think that would be fair to say and like what I have really done over the last five years probably is. Build the life that I want to live and, develop the interest that I want to have outside of my career and outside of, networking and all that lovely stuff. So I think that's quite important. I mean, I remember it was probably pre COVID. Someone would ask me what my hobbies were and I would list things off that I did actually enjoy and that I do actually do, and some of which I still do. But I would also say things like yoga. And I did do yoga at the time, but Was that actually my hobby? Probably not. Not anymore. I hate it. Yeah. Hate. I don't. It is. I probably should do it more because it would probably keep me calm and slower, but I mean, no, I want to go spinning instead now, which is like way more fast paced.

Speaker 22:29

I think you're right though. I think you have to learn what your hobbies are. I think particularly As a younger person, you kind of have to figure that out. And I think you just said something so important, you've built the life that you want to live, and it comes back to that whole intentionality piece of, you know what you enjoy and that doesn't necessarily mean you've got this set fixed idea.'cause you said earlier, with the mentor piece, you might have a fixed idea of what something might look like, and then it looks, when it comes around it's completely different. But being open and curious enough to go, actually

Speaker 2 22:59

yeah,

Speaker 22:59

this might work. And so actually the being very clear on. The steps, again, back to those steps that you need to take or you choose to take to get there. And sometimes that does mean sacrificing things, but knowing that you are doing it for the long term. Is that fair?

Speaker 2 23:14

Yeah, no, I think it's exactly that. And you mentioned the word curious there, and I think that's a really, interesting thing to say because it's so true. It's, I think it's about being curious, being open and you don't know what's going to come up in life, but one thing that I've always really said is to take every opportunity and make the most of it. And I think that has something that has gotten me quite far in life and I would recommend that anyone do that.

Speaker 23:43

I love it. What challenges or barriers have you had to overcome, if any?

Speaker 2 23:51

I think it is really that one about. Pushing too hard. Mm. And being too fast paced sometimes. I'd also probably say confidence. When I started out in my career, I had a lot of, worry and doubt about lots of different things, how I was going to survive in the corporate world. Particularly as a female, and as an Asian female as well. Looking around. At the time, which was probably about 12 years ago now, there weren't very many people like me in that particular workplace. And, it was still a diverse place to work, but it wasn't, what it is today. And we aren't having the conversations that we're having today either. Mm-hmm. And I think some of those are probably the challenges that I had or the worries that I had, but ultimately. I think the challenge is probably just the competitive version of me as well, and how I manage that, if I'm being quite honest. Yeah, I mean it really is, for me, it's been learning about how to slow down and I'll say it so many times during this, but the balance piece, I've really, really had to work quite hard at that over the past three, four years. And I've had, people that I work with, really call me out on it and say like, you know, you need to think about it. My, my parents call me out on it. And I think I've made a lot of progress in the past year or so on that. So I'm quite proud of that, and that really was a huge challenge. I mean, I could have sat there and worked constantly and I did for quite a long time and it was rewarding and I think that's why I carried on doing it. It served me incredibly well. I learned a lot. I got to where I wanted to be. I probably got to further than I thought I would get to, but there's no need to rush through everything in life, I don't think.

Speaker 25:39

Yeah, I think there's something in that, it can feel sometimes that life is a race. But I think there's huge power in what you've just said around. Actually the intentionality of slowing down, but also having people around you who are willing to tell you that, because I think that's quite rare as well. The fact that you are open enough to hear that and not be like, Nope, you are wrong. I'm right. And actually hear that and take it on board.'cause I can't imagine, it's always an easy thing to hear, particularly when you are, you've got this goal in mind, or you've got something that you are gunning for and you're like, no, I know what I'm doing. Leave me alone. How do you handle that?

Speaker 2 26:18

Yeah, that's actually an interesting point. I'm, I've always been open to receiving feedback, but equally it is always a tough pill to swallow, especially when within you, you are trying so, so hard. But I think. The more it was being mentioned and it wasn't being mentioned all the time, I wasn't, you know, on the verge of completely crashing. But I'm lucky that I wasn't on the verge of completely crashing because if I'm being totally honest with myself, there have probably been times where I've been a bit too close and I should have managed myself better. But, I knew, I knew that was probably a problem. I knew that I needed to think about it. So people telling me probably made me feel a little bit validated in those feelings around actually, I don't need to worry about what people think I'm doing or how much I'm doing because they can see that I'm actually doing a lot and that I should probably do less. And then as soon as I started slowly making the change. You actually realize that to take more time and space and you can call it doing less, but I actually don't think you're doing less. I think you're doing the same amount, but just more strategically. But you learn stuff. You actually learn that you don't need to be working all hours of the day to necessarily achieve something. There will always be times where you've got to put more in, but I was actually getting good results having stepped back because I was probably. A calmer person had more time to think rationally. So I can see the difference.

Speaker 27:48

Again, like it comes back to that growth mindset piece, right? And being willing to go, okay, I'll try something different. And not everyone has that.

Speaker 2 27:59

Not everyone has that. And you have to have the right people to support you around you. And I think that's actually really, really important. I've been so lucky in the people that I have around me, and that is something that is invaluable.

Speaker 28:17

I love it. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Speaker 2 28:23

Gosh, I don't know if I'm in the position to be giving any advice. I would say we've kind of touched on it, but probably making the most of every opportunity and spend time growing your network. That's my genuine advice that I actually give to a lot of people that are starting out in their career. To link it to my younger self. I would probably say to have more confidence, enjoy it more, and have lots of fun along the way. I fear that sometimes I got a bit too serious in my head. I mean, I still did all those things. I enjoyed it. I had lots of fun, but I think I would want myself to just have a bit more confidence around it and, be a bit more easygoing with myself and not so hard on myself. But equally, I wouldn't change anything because I really do think that it all shapes you to be who you are supposed to be and who I am today. To be honest.

Speaker 29:17

I really love that. I wanna touch on the confidence piece'cause I think it's something that. Lots of people and not just women struggle with. How did you build your confidence? Was it just a case of actually the more you learn, the more you grew, the better you felt in the role? Or was there something that you did intentionally to support that?

Speaker 2 29:39

Probably a little bit of both. I also don't think. I'm there. Yeah. I wouldn't say this is just me done. I'm confident that's it. I think it's something that you always have to work on. There is anything that I do that's, more public, whether it's a presentation or whatever it might be, there is plenty of flapping that happens in the background to actually get there and, make it hopefully come across smooth and polished. But I think it's the things that I actively try to do were to put myself in more situations where I was a bit out of my comfort zone and I had to become confident almost in whatever it was I was doing. I also think. There was probably a little bit of coaching along the way, and the mentoring helps. I read a few books, although please don't ask me for the names and I won't even remember, but I do remember one really, funny thing, and I actually do this quite a lot. Sometimes less so maybe now, but over the years it. I do it still, but, the power poses in the mirror, so where you, stand and you have your hands on your hips and you look yourself in the eye and tell yourself, I'm confident, I'll be fine. Whatever you wanna tell yourself. But I mean before really big interviews. So I mean, over the past few years I've had various promotion interviews. For example, I've always taken myself off to the bathroom like five minutes beforehand and done that because I think the reason I do it is because I think it opens up your body language. Mm. So, and I think that. Body language and confidence are quite closely linked in my opinion. So, to have your hands on your hip, you are opening up your chest so that when you then go into your interview or your meeting or whatever it is, you will naturally have more open body language. And I think that's something that's helped me a little bit. It,

Speaker 31:28

I really love that. You've actually just reminded me of a scene in Ted Lasso where, oh, the woman who owns the football team, Rebecca, I can't remember the actor's name. But she goes, she's like about to have a showdown with her ex-husband and she does exactly that. She stands in the mirror and she like hisses it herself. And it's one of my favorite things.'cause you're so right. We spend a lot of time in our heads, but actually if we can get into our bodies and allow our bodies to open up, feel confident, feel good, then actually. Our brains are taught, like the sort of that vagus nerve is like, oh no, we're good. It's like, I'm okay. We're like there's huge power in that and I think it's probably very underestimated. So thank you for sharing.

Speaker 2 32:06

I think the other thing actually is looking at people around you and who do you admire? Who do you think you would want to role model behaviors of, and. Not copying them, but looking at how you can almost take those best bits and mirror them in some ways and be the person that you want to be. So if it's at work or if it's in your personal life, actually take on those qualities and actually try and deliver them as part of your persona and then, be true to yourself, but it does ultimately then become a part of you and does help portray confidence, I think.

Speaker 32:44

Yeah, I completely agree. Like I've been in pitches with senior leaders who I really respect and the way they've said something, I've been like, huh, that's a really good way of phrasing that. And then I'll use it and it becomes part of my lexicon, but I've learned it from someone else.

Speaker 2 32:59

Exactly. And no one's going to say, oh, actually that's mine. You can't use it.

Speaker 33:02

Sorry. You've nicked my phrase. Excuse me. I'm having that back. Copyright. What permission do you want to give others through your story?

Speaker 2 33:14

Have fun. It's not always going to be super fun. That's just life. It's, it's not gonna be fun all the time, but when you can particularly at work, have fun with it. Mm-hmm. Um, because I think it makes the difference on how you feel, how other people around you feel as well.

Speaker 33:34

Do you know what? I think that's so true. And also something that's it's very easy to overlook, but also sometimes quite hard to implement. And something I've been thinking about a lot LA a lot lately is like actually just starting my day with how can I have fun today rather than today's gonna be a shit show'cause I've got back to back news from eight till six, can't wait. It comes back to that intentionality piece of like, okay, where can I find the fun? Because, zoom meetings are not always fun, but sometimes you get to have conversations that are fun and that's okay.

Speaker 2 34:03

Yeah. No, absolutely.

Speaker 34:06

Are you ready for quick fire?

Speaker 2 34:08

Yes, I am. Hit me.

Speaker 34:11

Okay. One word to describe your current relationship with success.

Speaker 2 34:17

Complicated.

Speaker 34:20

Your non-negotiable boundary that protects you from burnout.

Speaker 2 34:24

Holidays and scuba diving. Everyone that I work with and. Probably most of my family and friends know that my November annual holiday is an absolute non-negotiable and it keeps me going through the year end period, which is always really manic. And then more day to day is exercise, cooking and just general downtime. And I think over the past two years, I've probably got into a better routine of doing those things for myself.

Speaker 34:51

I know this is supposed to be a quick fire, but I do wanna touch on your holidays.'cause that November thing is absolute genius. I've stolen that from you and I couldn't be happier like that pre-Christmas holiday. Wow. It's, yeah,

Speaker 2 35:06

it's

Speaker 35:06

golden's

Speaker 2 35:07

game changer.

Speaker 35:08

It really is. Yeah. What does rest look like for you?

Speaker 2 35:13

Probably different to what it used to. So reading, spending time with my parents and going on regular holidays. Sometimes I literally get to the weekend and an off switch literally goes off in my brain, and that's just it. So I quite like that.

Speaker 35:28

I love that. Is that just because you've learned how to turn off or is it something that you physically do to make that happen?

Speaker 2 35:36

I think I've learned how to do it. Don't get me wrong. If something's happened and it's, really on my mind, I find it hard to get out of that. But, when I switch off from work sometimes it's literally like I've lost my brain and all I want to do is just be, you know, very basic human and not do much and not think about much easy decisions. And that's it.

Speaker 35:57

Dreamy Love that so much. One thing you knew more people knew about building a sustainable career.

Speaker 2 36:06

I'm still waiting for the answer to this, but I would probably say just being fluid and open.

Speaker 36:13

Mm. I love that. Yeah, it's meant to be quickfire. Jessica, don't ask more questions. The success. Sorry,

Speaker 2 36:20

I'm, I'm also making it really,

Speaker 36:23

let's talk about this. No, I'm so bad at quickfire. I'm like, I want to have more chats. Dammit. Um, the success metric that matters to you most right now?

Speaker 2 36:32

Getting the right balance?

Speaker 36:34

Yes. And finally, what makes you feel most successful as fuck?

Speaker 2 36:40

Uh, honestly being invited onto this, so thank you so much.

Speaker 36:45

Thrilled!,

Speaker 2 36:45

But also I think on, in the lead up to doing this and thinking about our conversation, it was taking that moment to reflect on everything that I have achieved, and I think that's important for everyone to do today.

Speaker 36:59

I think you're amazing.

Speaker 2 37:02

I

Speaker 37:02

think you're

Speaker 2 37:02

amazing.

Speaker 37:03

Thanks. I just, I know I do. Just wanna take a second though,'cause you are, you have this amazing balance of being an incredibly senior leader in the real estate industry. You put a lot of your time and effort into a lot of networking events and you are also on committees and councils, my point is, thank you so much for coming on. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 37:22

No, thank you for having me. It's been amazing.

Speaker 37:26

Ah, thank you so much for listening today and a huge thank you to Riah, for being so generous with her story today. The thing that's really stayed with me is something Riah said about doing less because she's not actually doing less. She's doing the same things just more strategically, and her results got better, which is such a powerful reframe for anyone who still believes that output equals value. I also love Riah's take on networking that some of the people you meet in professional settings can become your closest friends, and that the goal should always be human connection first and business second. It's honestly made me want to rethink my own relationship with the word network entirely because until now it's just made me go cold. And her quickfire answer when I asked her for one word to describe her relationship with success, complicated, hard resonate. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it and leave a review. If you haven't already, it genuinely helps more people find the show. And if you wanna get in touch, you can reach us at successful AF pod@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you, and we'll see you next time on Successful af.