The Gold Coast Podcast

What It Takes to Win in Luxury Real Estate | Liz Ciborowski

• Eric Winegard • Season 1 • Episode 13

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In this episode of the Gold Coast Podcast, host Eric Winegard sits down with Liz Ciborowski, Senior Director of Luxury Sales at Douglas Elliman Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to talk about luxury real estate, entrepreneurship, motherhood, and what it really takes to succeed in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the country.

Liz shares her journey as a single mother navigating life, business, and the high-stakes world of luxury real estate, while building a reputation for professionalism, authenticity, and results in South Florida’s booming property market.

Eric and Liz also dive into topics including:

• The realities of luxury real estate in Fort Lauderdale
• The mindset required to succeed in competitive markets
• Balancing motherhood and career ambition
• Why authenticity and relationships matter in business
• Morning routines, discipline, and building a strong network
• The power of community and surrounding yourself with driven people

The conversation also touches on Eric’s personal journey into fatherhood, entrepreneurship, and the values that drive successful leaders today.

Whether you're interested in luxury real estate, business growth, or personal development, this episode delivers a candid and inspiring conversation.

If you're considering buying, selling, investing, or relocating to Fort Lauderdale, Liz Ciborowski shares valuable insight into what makes this market one of the most exciting in the country.

Connect with Liz Ciborowski
Senior Director of Luxury Sales
Douglas Elliman – Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale

🎙 The Gold Coast Podcast
Hosted by Eric Winegard

Bringing you conversations with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and high performers shaping South Florida and beyond.

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Thank you all for listening in on today's episode of The Gold Coast Podcast!

SPEAKER_00

You're a single mom.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Single mom.

SPEAKER_00

Now I grew up with a single mom. Are you okay talking about being a single mom? Leaving leaving the guy out. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yep. Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Because I just so you know, I admire the heck out of a single mom. So I can a lot of cool stories there.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. I mean, nope, zero safety net.

SPEAKER_00

You're already getting emotional with talking about a single mom. I see it. You know, it's it's good. It's I I I have um and I'll save this for a podcast, but I have I have a new look on motherhood now because my wife is 13 weeks pregnant.

SPEAKER_03

Oh my gosh. Yeah. Have you met Alexis? Yes. We met at the first event. Okay, cool. Yes, because I was with um Joel Pelland when I met you guys, and he is the school dude. The school, yeah, he's like principal that's not as he's like assistant dean or something at my kids' school. Um and he does a podcast called Raising Rebels.

SPEAKER_02

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

And um he it's about kind of teaching dads how to like lean in and um you know show them how to like basically you know grow up as like strong Christ, Christ forward um Christian men, you know, work hard, entrepreneurial based. Um, and it's just you know, and and to I don't know, I I just think it's so great. So as a single mom, I support men like that in the community. So with like raising funds and I introduce him to people who have those same value pillars, yeah. Um, that can help support him so that he can continue being a coach, being a leader in the school where my kids are for most of their childhood, right?

SPEAKER_00

How um so many children do you have?

SPEAKER_03

Two boys, 10 and 13.

SPEAKER_00

10 and 13.

SPEAKER_03

Oh my God.

SPEAKER_00

Can I say it? Puberty.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yes, you can.

SPEAKER_00

That's about you know, that was about the age, you know. It is, it gets a little different, you know. Yeah, it gets a little bit I know.

SPEAKER_03

I looked over at my skinny 13-year-old the other day in the kitchen, chomping down like two bananas, and I'm like, is he starting to get like like deltoids? And like like it's crazy.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, he turns into a man. Yeah, physically a man, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Um goes off like fishing by himself in the neighborhood. Like, he's like, Yeah, mom, I'm just gonna walk over and go fishing. Or he just doesn't tell me.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Like, I'm like, where is RJ Easton? And he's like, Oh, I don't know. He grabbed his fishing pole and some frozen shrimp, and he's down by the water, I think. I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_00

RJ and Easton. What's RJ?

SPEAKER_03

Robert John the third.

SPEAKER_00

Robert John, Robert John the third. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

So we're thinking about name. So so my wife is 13 weeks pregnant, and we're just rolling, right? Yeah, we're just rolling. We're rolling. Yeah, we're rolling. It's awesome. Let's do it. So um, so my wife is 13 weeks pregnant, and I'm gonna be a I don't want to say I'm not old, but to have my first child at 45, 46 is kind of old, just in the sense that, you know, I'll be 64 when the first one graduates high school. But um, but I'm but my baby fever, it it couldn't be higher. I'm not some 22-year-old making a mistake where I'm like, oh no, I can't do this and support this. I'm like, I can't wait.

SPEAKER_03

It's gonna be amazing. And you can't even really think about years like that. Like my mom is, you know, you know, just she's in her late 70s and or mid-70s, I should say. And she looks phenomenal. Yeah, she feels phenomenal, she takes care of her health, she works out every day. We do the same workouts on the same like app program every ever like the same days a week. I'm like, oh, how was leg day? She's like, Oh, that was that was a kicker, and you know, those those uh you know, deadlifts were were great. I felt awesome after her. And so like we we eat the same thing. It's like a no-brainer. Like when I go up to Michigan and my boys and I are at their house, it's just like we're she's like a mini me, though. She's five three, and okay, yeah, but we look alike, like everyone at church knows they're like, Oh, you're you must be Mary Ann's daughter. I'm like, yep. And but so it my point is it's how you take care of yourself, yeah, it's your energy level, it's in all of those blessings you're gonna be able to give to that baby.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, I can't oh, I can't wait. And you keep saying blessings. It's fascinating because I just uh be officially became a Christian as of last July or August, I believe.

SPEAKER_03

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00

Been a journey, been a journey, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

That is so special.

SPEAKER_00

So I'm so excited to have my child, first child to be born under this new version of myself. Yeah, you know, connected with God version, which is uh which is very exciting.

SPEAKER_03

That is what a cool story. And see, and look what look what blessings have come into your life since you've aligned your life in a different way.

SPEAKER_00

Uh well, it's funny you say that because you know I was a really reckless young man. I grew up uh single mom. We'll get into it. Okay, single mom, welfare. Yeah. She used welfare to become eventually become a nurse.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And, you know, we ended up living a halfway decent life. You know, I had food and clothes and stuff. Yeah. But she really struggled. Um, and um, it's just, you know, for me, like I got very emotional when you know, we went, we did the ultrasound a few weeks ago, and when I heard the heartbeat, right? I just lost it. I was in tears, like you wouldn't believe. And and mo and mostly what I was thinking was not being selfish about myself, but I feel blessed that I I know I'm gonna be able to provide this child with um a high quality environment. And I don't just mean money and status, I mean mine and my wife's relationship is is very strong and sound. There's no yelling, there's no yelling in the house. Yeah, you know, I'm not an alcoholic, I'm not gonna be throwing, you know, Jack Daniels bottles anywhere. Yeah, you know, yeah. That's what got me emotional. Yeah, and you're getting teary-eyed right now, too. That is mother.

SPEAKER_03

I can like hear the heartbeat, you know. And my second son was when um they had just come out, so he's 10 now, and they had just come out with the like 3D ultrasound. I don't know if like you'll probably don't have that yet at 13 weeks. Because you know, but eventually like it, you know, I I don't know how far along I was, but and then you get that printed out, and now it probably just goes on the you know, on your phone or whatever. They send you the file, the JPEG, but um, you know, we got it printed out, and I was like, that's him, and like it looks like him to the same, like as a 10-year-old, it looks like Easton. And that was just so cool. Like in utero, there he is. And I mean, my older one, we could we only had the 2D then, but he was like sucking his thumb, and he sucked his thumb for the first like five years of his life. Like, that's just who he was. So it's so amazing how they are that they are themselves in like this amazing person, and whatever stage they're at, what stage are they? Do you does your wife tell you like what at 13 weeks they I know they have a brain, they have a heartbeat, they have, you know, do they have legs yet? I can't remember.

SPEAKER_00

So we have so this is crazy. So it's it's actually hitting me now. I'm like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. There's that's inside of you. Yeah, you know, like this is how ignorant I am to this, but um no, it's um I get emotional every time I see it because you know I I I grew up with such a uh difficult um upbringing, you know, and uh I'm just I feel blessed. I mean, to to be able to be be a good provider, right? In all ways, financial, spiritually, right, cognitively, emotionally. But I mean that's what we're working with right now.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

And I already want to just we don't know the we're doing a gender reveal, some nice place in Boca and uh end of March. But I can't wait.

SPEAKER_03

Oh amazing.

SPEAKER_00

I'm buzzing. Baby.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, look at the ears are like perfect. I mean, it's just 13 weeks, that spine, the chest. Oh.

SPEAKER_00

And there's no other way. There's no other way. Yeah, no, it's wild. There's no other way to, you know, the more the more I've been going through this process and the more I'm witnessing a thing, a living, breathing thing growing in my wife, I just feel even more spiritually in tune and connected. Like this is.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, how can there not be a creator? Yeah, like how, you know, Psalm 134, I I knit you together in your mother's womb. And I remember my first son being born, and they gave him to me. And I felt this, you know, his eyes first, like looking up at me, like and I felt this immense responsibility of I and he's looking at me with these eyes, like like A, what just happened to me, B, you're like, you're it, mom. Like, and my life was no longer about me. And then this gratitude and understanding of my parents' love for me, yeah, just washed over me, and I was so emotional, not about the bond with the baby at that point, not but emotional about that. I finally understood the love that my parents had have for me. And so it was this really cool um responsibility, love, right? But like responsibility in like a really cool, joyous way of this baby looking up at me. But then like, and my parents weren't even there, you know. They they live in Michigan, and I'm just like this, I this is how much my parents loved me and love love me. But it it's it's just that was what really was amazing to me because they didn't understand it before that moment.

SPEAKER_00

Let me ask you a question to piggyback off of that. Is this a true or false statement? Okay. My mother told me this when I was young. Okay, she said, Eric, it is impossible for a child to love its parent as much as the parent loves the child.

SPEAKER_03

That is absolutely true.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, cool. I can't wait. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_03

And so even though, and even though like I because it was like I I felt all the all the love and gratitude for my parents' love for me, but I didn't understand it until I saw, you know, Robert John III.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And then you're you're such a uh, you know, that the first day I met you, I could just I sense that this warmthness in you. Oh and you have a great presence to you. I want you to know that.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

You have this wonderful, I don't say this to many people, you just have a great presence to you. Thank you. You know, um, obviously you're fit and beautiful. I mean more than that. Like you're you just have this aura to you. It's really, you know, you uh I can tell you're an awesome mom. I can also tell you're from the Midwest.

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

You didn't have to tell me you're from Michigan, you know. What is it about the Midwest culture that people are just so wholesome and friendly?

SPEAKER_03

Well, you know, we're nice, we generally speaking, you know, say hi to people. If you pass by someone on the sidewalk or in an elevator, you at the very least just like acknowledge them that they're there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

A smile goes the extra the extra mile, but you know, um, and just getting to know people. And and then in business, it's it's this awesome um way of everyone in business, like we all have something to offer people, right? And it's not about asking for their business, it's about how can you help them? What do they need before they before they need my services? Like they need a variety of things, as you know, in their financial decision making, you know, alignment for maybe maybe they're a CEO who just sold their company and they're feeling, you know, out at sea now that they don't have that, you know, structure in their day, but now they have all this responsibility of the wealth that they need to make correct decisions for for their legacy and their family and their generations, generations to come, right? And so they might need something like more foundational, like you know, how they need that that you know foundation of faith. Maybe that's what they need. Maybe they need, you know, a tax strategist to guide them through their decision making. Maybe they need, you know, a financial advisor, as simple as that. So, you know, before I go in and start selling them, I want to get to know what they need. So an elderly gentleman called me on my way here this evening and he said, Liz, I know you, you know, you you're involved in, you know, building the house a few doors down, and you know, we wanna we want to sell our our house. And there was a fire ther Thursday night or a couple nights ago. It was on the news. Did you see it? Did you see it? And you know, I don't have a lot of time to watch the local news. And you know, it's I read the Wall Street Journal every day. Yeah, yeah. You know, I stay on top of the what I need to know. But um, I and I said, he said, there was a fire, and can you help me sell this house? I said, You called the right person. And but then I I went in and I said, you know, what are you looking for? Where we're we need to help you find where your next move is. Well, we don't want a condo, and he goes into what he doesn't want and what they cannot do. I said, you know what? I said, let me come by tomorrow morning and let's sit down. And I went in about how I live a few streets down and I know Coral Ridge really well, and I love the history of Fort Lauderdale, because he had mentioned he had lived had lived there for 30 years and in the area for you know 50 years. And I said, I really want to, I love the history of this neighborhood and you know, Fort Lauderdale in general, and just the how the land has changed and how it was just trees and sand and you know, our neighborhood was was nothing in the 1930s, you know, 40s. Um and I said, I'm gonna come over tomorrow morning. You seem like you know, you can tell me some amazing stories, and we're gonna talk about your next step, and then I'm gonna talk about how I can help you, because I certainly can. Yeah, and he said, Liz, that sounds great. And so it maybe that's part of my Midwest upbringing, but I'm AM genuinely selfishly I'm interested in I'm like a Fort Lauderdale history nerd. I love learning how like land has changed, or what's the purpose of this median right here? Because so much, so much thought is put into city development and and keeping it, keeping it sustainable as the decades go on. Um, and I'm involved like this morning I was at Fort Lauderdale's downtown development authority meeting, and it's a group of private sector individuals, developers, who who are aligned with the city of Fort Lauderdale, you know, the mayors and the political positions, the commissioners. And what they do is they put a band-aid and like a bridge on what the city wants to do, but maybe the city, it's gonna take the city a while to get through that red tape and um the steps they need to. And it's so cool to sit in the room with these top developers of Fort Lauderdale who have been developing for decades there and to hear their A, their financial and strategic input as entrepreneurs and founders, and how they truly care about the city of Fort Lauderdale. And we talk more about green space and parks and sustainability and you know, choosing trees that protect pedestrians. So, you know, in what trees, if you plant a tree in a median and it's a certain type of tree, in five years it's gonna die. So it's great that those trees are there. But if you don't think the long term and you don't know that, you know, it's not just about are we tree lovers or not? It's about what is best for that tree and what is best for the the residents and the safety. So anyway, I I love that whole part of it. And I love, I'm just for years, especially when I first became a single mom, no safety net. I would wake up and say, I had this brand new real estate license. I pivoted from hospitality um during COVID. It was I I was bored because I had my own business and there were no conventions and meetings for me to plan for my five Fortune 500 clients. It was just canceling meetings and trying to get their deposits back from hotels, Pebble Beach, you know, hotels in in Germany. They were gonna go there for Oktoberfest and fly their private plane there. Five thousand-person meetings at Hilton's and convention centers across the country. And I was like, meetings have got to come back, and they weren't. And my friend was like, Liz, who should I use to sell my four million dollar house? And I'm like, oh, so and so.

SPEAKER_02

You know, I worked with them at the elementary school.

SPEAKER_03

And then I called, I'm like, this is pretty much what I do in travel, and so I called, I said, Yeah, you gotta call someone, you know, my friend, and she needs to list her house and you can help her do it. And I'm like, so how do I get in into this? And they're like, I can't even give you a Starbucks$5 gift card without your real estate license. And I was like, Well, I my business is uh I'm bored, you know. My I need to, you know, I'm getting my license. So I'd wake, I woke up an hour earlier every day, went, went down to the gym in our building, and went on that spin bike and just highlighted and studied for that real estate exam. Wow. And then six, my boys would wake up at six, so then I went back up to the condo and I'm like, okay, boys, like let's go. But I had fit, I'm like, every day I need to finish like at least one chapter or two chapters, and bang, you know, bang it out. Took my license, and you know, but every day I'd wake up and I'm like, I'm like, first I say this is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

To myself, and I say that to my boys every day, but then to myself, I'd say that, and then I'd say, Liz, time to go be Miss Fort Lauderdale.

SPEAKER_00

You gotta put on that tough exterior, right? Not tough exterior, but it's joyous. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Because I've lived in ten cities across the United States. No kidding. Ten cities because I was in hotels, I would open up thousand-room plus hotels for Starwood. So their big convention brand was Sheraton's, um, Chicago, Phoenix. Then we moved to St. Pete, um, Orlando.

SPEAKER_00

Name them all. I'm curious. I want to know.

SPEAKER_03

Well, and then there was Aspen in there, there was Dustin, Florida in there, and Whoa. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So and was all cool areas, by the way.

SPEAKER_03

Unfortunately. Yes. Yeah, yeah. But guess what city is my favorite? Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale. You love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00

Tell me why you love Fort Lauderdale.

SPEAKER_03

I can get everywhere in my golf cart. Drop my kids off at school, buzz down to Las Solas to my office. And I always say, I'm sorry I can't take your listing if I can't get there in my golf cart. Unless it's over 10 million.

SPEAKER_00

The caveat. Smart caveat.

SPEAKER_03

In a few months in Davy.

SPEAKER_00

Wow, good for you.

SPEAKER_03

It's a Gambino family estate. No way. It was their Florida campus. And it is so glam. Like. Oh my God. So you have that listing coming in? Yeah, three acres and totally private. Three acres. There's like tennis courts on the property, like two lakes, outdoor theater. Um, but it is ultra private. I think it was even like in a movie, like films like a mobster movie.

SPEAKER_00

You should do like an exact place. Yeah. You know how you do like cigars and tax strategies. Cigars is taxes. Yes. Shout out Julio, by the way. Um, so you should do cigar and you should have like an Italian theme, like only godfather music or something.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, who should we have present? I mean, we'll obviously get a great New York Italian case. Yes, for sure. We have lots of those in East Fort Lauderdale.

SPEAKER_00

I love so my favorite Italian restaurants in Fort Lauderdale.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, let's go.

SPEAKER_00

Anthony's Runway.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_00

The environment you cannot beat.

SPEAKER_03

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

Cafe Morderanos.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I know my people. Yeah, I'm Italian as they call my. I wasn't raised Italian, but my blood is Italian. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. I love that.

SPEAKER_00

Um, Sicilian too, by the way. Um so yeah, I think we need more Midwesterners down here. That's what I'm learning. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

They they find me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Like that. We we find each other. So I have a group of like Detroit guys who are always like, you know, asking me about deals and this and that. And then some of my other developers are from Minnesota. Yes. And they're like, Liz, we we you're such a great realtor. And I I was like, just to be honest, like, why? I've only had my license for whatever, a year and a half or whatever it was at that point. And they're like, you show up on time, you make a list of what needs to happen when we're together, and then you follow up on it right away afterwards, and then give us next steps for everything. And I'm like, well, that's not that hard, you know? And it's not like I had to know every detail about you know real estate law and like everything, but it's like if you just go in, you're polite, you have a smile on your face, you're pleasant to be around, you build that interpersonal connection and that trust, and then just be like, be responsible.

SPEAKER_00

Business is kind of simple, isn't it? Right. You know, one thing I tell people in my so I don't even know if you know what I do. We do digital marketing. I, you know, and uh so we'll do we'll design a website or we'll manage people's social media or we'll run their ads, and we we just do a lot of cool digital marketing. And I always tell my account managers, I'm like, the first 30 days and and just deliver when you if you promise somebody something, do it. If you say somebody, say to somebody, I'm gonna email you tonight, this, this, and this, right, you better get that email that night.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_00

That night, not the next day. If you you don't even have to email them, but if you tell them you're gonna email them that night, you have to do it. Right like I had a guy who was supposed to deliver me something recently. I don't want to say who it is or what it was, but he because he may listen to this, but he was supposed to deliver me something, and I found out that he had a bunch of drinks the night prior. I don't care, I don't judge. I'm right, no judgment zone here. So he was hurting the next day, so I didn't get my delivery. And you know, he fell through on that promise. So I, you know, I'm just kind of like already turned off by the promise.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_00

The lack of the follow-through of the promise.

SPEAKER_03

And so many individuals um say, oh yeah, well, I'll they're they're unrealistic with setting their own deadline that they're they are going to miss, right? So if you say, you know, hey, I'm gonna get that to you as soon as possible, um is tomorrow afternoon okay. Because in their mind, they're like, I have to do this right away, right away, right away. But if you're actually just more realistic, because we're all busy, but we, you know, and we have things on our schedule, and you need to hold your own value, but if you're just realistic with them on your time frame, I'm gonna do this, okay, let's do it by then. Um don't set unrealistic timelines for yourself.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know, like the friend who's always like, oh, let's do lunch next week. And I'm like, okay, what day would you like to do? I have Wednesday and Thursday open. And they're like, oh, well, I don't really know my schedule yet. You know, it's like they're just saying it to say it. So you you learn, and I d I don't want to be that friend either, like, oh, let's get together soon, and then we never do.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. But I'm a very calendar-oriented person, by the way.

SPEAKER_03

I'm I'm calendar-oriented. We're we're busy people, and you know, there are some things that you know, you have to prioritize those things. And you know, if my sons have a water polo game, I'm like, I'm sorry, I have a very important event I have to be at.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And if I'm close enough with them or I know they'll understand, you know, which I'm pretty vocal about how important my sons are to me. And like that, that time is the most precious because that's why we all do what we do every day, is for our family and our loved ones, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. Can I tell you something about being raised with a single mom?

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

So I was a I was a good athlete. Like I was the quarterback of the football team. Nice. Yeah, yeah. And I uh, you know, I was a really good basketball player. I know I don't look like it, but I was a really good basketball player. I don't think I think my mom in my whole life saw one game. Okay, but she was always working, and I I never held it against her, you know. I I always understood my single mom is working. Yeah, you know, and and it is, you know, parenting, it's tough. It's like, no, here I am an expert parent now, right? Because my wife's 13 weeks pregnant, but I'm already and you won't be able to make every single game. I understand that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And that's okay too. Yeah. That's okay too.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. But if you have to, you know, if you have to spend time or provide, it's a brutal decision, but you gotta provide.

SPEAKER_03

Yep. You gotta provide. Exactly. And then when you know, and then sometimes you just have to shift, you'll be in a season of your life where like this prior season or pre-baby season of your life, you could do those things, right? Like my my boys are with their dad this week, which is amazing. I I love that they get to have that cool dad time, and it's like they do certain cool guy things together that they don't do with me. And I think that's very special for their them to grow up that way. So, you know, I can come here and be here at, you know, five o'clock at night, 5 30, 6, and you know, do this. And I have the opportunity to do that. And so there, there is, it's not all gonna be perfect. You're not gonna I didn't go to his m my son's um water polo game yesterday. They actually took them out of school and they bust them all down to Miami to play a really good Miami water polo team yesterday. And but their their dad went down and he saw them, and I was like, I was like, awesome, like mom's hosting an open house, but you're gonna do great, and and that's cool. Like they had one parent there, or if there's a grandparent there, or if it's just the other parents are are cheering for them. So there's there's not perfection in it, but just to like let them know, and yeah, it's it's good dad is around.

SPEAKER_00

Let me tell you why. Because I was a very physical young young man, you know, and I just liked I just like to play and wrestle and be aggressive. And uh, so I never had a dad around. And no boyfriend, my mom never brought another man home. Yeah, you know, and uh there's anything wrong with it, I'm just saying she didn't. And um, you know, so I really like WWF wrestling, like Hulk Hogan, yeah, you know, uh, and like Ultimate Warrior. I don't know if you know who that is.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I yeah, I do. I have an older brother, so it was always on and off.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I used to want to do my wrestling moves on my mom.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I would say, Mom, get in this little position. And there was a thing called the figure form like.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yes, I know that. I was put into the figure form.

SPEAKER_00

Really? I used to do it to my mom all the time. I used to like and I would actually, you know, I was probably seven, but I would hurt her. I would put her in this thing, and she'd be like, Yes.

SPEAKER_03

You know, so that's I grew on grew up on a call-de-sac, all boys. I was the only girl, and I was the youngest. And it was all of that. The oh, the body slam, the double chicken wig stack. Like I like these phrases are just coming back to me. But yeah, like the figure four.

SPEAKER_00

Where where so what where were you born? You're born in Michigan? Grand Rapids, Michigan.

SPEAKER_03

Grand Rapids, okay. Yep. And so we're all it's a great community. Yeah, we're it's a Dutch community. So pretty much all of our grandparents and great-grandparents, and I went to a school um where we were pretty much all Dutch.

SPEAKER_00

Is your last name Dutch?

SPEAKER_03

Rixie, yeah. So if you go to Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum. So my last name is Sibrowski. That's my kid's dad's last name. Okay, okay. Okay. It's a Polish, it's Polish name. Okay. Um, and I I just kept that. And but my maiden name is Rixie.

SPEAKER_00

Can you spell it?

SPEAKER_03

R-Y-K-S-E.

SPEAKER_00

R-Y-S-E oh Rixie, okay.

SPEAKER_03

But um, they changed it when they came across to Ellis Island. It was R-I-J-K-S, like the museum in Amsterdam. It means kingdom in Dutch. But um, so they were like, oh, well, Americans will pronounce Rijks like R-Y-K-S-E. But then it they were like Rixie. So then it just became Rixie. So anyway, it's kind of a cool last name.

SPEAKER_00

There's such a um I didn't realize this until I was uh traveling a lot for business. But you know, I I have a a darker look to I have lighter eyes, but you know, I have a dark, darker features, darker hair, yeah, you know, dark eyebrows, and obviously I I have Italian in me. And uh I remember I took a business trip to Minnesota and I was probably 25, 26 years old. And I remember just everybody was kind of looking at me a little bit, guys, girls, all different ages. And uh it finally it didn't it dawned on me a week later. I go, oh my god, I don't look exactly like everybody here.

SPEAKER_03

They're all Nordic.

SPEAKER_00

They're all Nordic. I just kind of stand out a little bit. And then and it blew my so you obviously have a look a Nordic look.

SPEAKER_03

So Dutch is a little bit different. They're they're um they're more um, you know, Sweden, Finland, um uh what's the other one? Helsinki. No, that's Finland, and Norway. Okay, and then Denmark.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

So and um we are all Dutch, so we're just south of Denmark, pretty much. But yes, the Dutch are still the tallest nation in the world. Yeah. So our women's basketball team, and I grew up playing basketball, I loved basketball, I was great at it, and I didn't dare try out for the women's basketball team because we were like state champions. And they were all like I'm five'9. Like I was like, I I don't know. So then I just became a cheerleader and absolutely loved that. Yeah, yeah. But um, so but yeah, I mean, I was my friends had like bigger feet than I, and I wear like I have like nine and a half, ten size shoe. Nike I'm another one.

SPEAKER_00

You're tall, but relax. You're not you're not like you know, Amazon lady here. Like you're you're definitely you're a taller woman, but you're not like some people aren't looking up at you, you know, but you are tall.

SPEAKER_03

If I go to Italy, it's like head and shoulders above like everybody.

SPEAKER_00

I'm I'm really fascinated by listen, I I I admire and respect single woman, single women, like you wouldn't believe, single mothers, excuse me. Um you know, something that I'm have learned, and I don't mean this, this isn't uh attacking females, but but I'm looking at my wife in her first trimester, and fortunately, she's in a position where you know she can just kind of work from home a little bit. She's my 50-50 partner and she helped help me build this thing, right? Us, we built this thing together. Yep. If she had to go into an office every single day, she would really be struggling right now because this first trimester has been brutal on her. She's finally caught she she made it to the office today in gym closed for about an hour today. First time she's been in the office in three months.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I feel when I hear about a woman being pregnant and having to go to work, I there's a lot of respect there. I didn't even realize that.

SPEAKER_03

Yep. I I was blessed. I um I actually worked at restoration hardware when I was pregnant, and I loved it. Um first trimester is always really hard though, physically. Like you're it's it's kind of the hardest. Then after that, you feel good, but it's just a matter of like you're just it's just a lot of weight, you know, it's heavier, you're just a bigger person. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable, exactly. Great word. But I I worked at Restoration Hardware kind of for fun. I had left like the big corporate job because I was traveling like two weeks out of the month, you know, across the country and you know, sales trips. That was when I was in the hotel industry. And um I was able to, you know, I stayed at I I took a break from that and got bored really quick. I'm not like a crafter. I really like tried to be. I was like, I'm gonna make jewelry. And I was like, this really isn't for me. I need to be around people. And then we were like, oh, you know, it's holiday season, restoration hardware is, you know, is hiring. I'm like, oh, that would be fun. I I love their furniture. And so I ended up working there through the holiday season. They're like, Liz, can you stay on? You're so great. You have that, like, you know, you greet everyone at the front. And I was like, oh, that's because I was like Ritz-Carlton trained. And I'm like, I just enjoy being around these people. But I learned so much about interior design because their design, um, like when you work there, you're titled, you have a business card and design consultant, and you these people like these customers would come in and be like, here's the blueprints of our house in this like huge, you know, 10,000 square foot home in O'Cala, and they're like, help us pick up furniture for all of this. And I'm like, okay, let's do this. But I would like watch how my colleagues there would like do this. And I I'm not creative with interior design, but I I have a good eye and I can learn rules really well. So I know like the symmetry of it, or if there's a big fireplace in a large room, like here's the fireplace, flank two sofas here, two chairs here, here's your mountain view, here's your fireplace. And you know, so I learned those rules, how to like um, you know, set up a vignette of a console table or on a coffee table. And those are principles I use a lot now in staging homes.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

So I'll I always say I soft stage. I don't actually have like furniture I keep in a storage unit for my the houses that I sell, but I do a lot of the soft staging and I'll bring stuff in from my own home or I'll go to you know, go buy things and then just reuse them for staging, vases, books, um, metallic pieces, so greenery. Um, but so I worked at restoration hardware when I was pregnant, and then they're like, Okay, so you're gonna have this baby and then come back and can you be a manager for us? And I was like, I'm staying home with these babies. And I'm like, Because I don't even first of all, we we spent more like buying restoration hardware furniture while I worked there than I actually made. I mean, we spent like five times the amount I made that year. Yes, yeah, yeah. But the 40% off 40%, I mean, some of those pieces of furniture, a lot of it I I still have. And it's gorgeous and it lasts for a long time. But um, but yeah, I was blessed to be able to stay home with my boys and then started my travel business like as my little guy went into preschool a few hours a day. But yeah, so she can stay involved and you just kind of have to take it as it comes. Yeah, you know, but there might be a season where it's you're you're more the provider outside the home, and she's more the provider inside the home because babies are they're they're a lot. Yeah. You know, they're they're a lot in a great way.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And they need a lot, which is the way it's supposed to be.

SPEAKER_00

You know, I um I've always been this is a very interesting conversation I'm about to bring up here. I I've actually what I've realized is I'm I was looking at all my past relationships women over the years.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, what's the pattern?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. Uh pattern is they're all Italian.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Except one, one was Hispanic, but they're all Italian. But um, but but I noticed the relationships that were stronger, I was actually attracted to uh driven women. And and and I think it's because I watched my mom work so hard. My mom's a worker, you know? Yep. So and I and I my belief is you know that there's a lot of these um, you know, conservative men that there's this very hard stance. She should be at home, she shouldn't take on the stress of business. And you know, I don't know. Like I I see Alexis become alive. I there's a part of her that it makes her alive. She actually likes it, she likes to do it. She so I so I don't want to take that away from her either. I don't want to boss her around. I my position is that I believe my duty as a man is to give her the choice.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And if she wants to be involved, go do it. If you just kind of want to be involved, cool. But but I'm I've always been attracted to I can I can't help it. I I like women that kind of go for it.

SPEAKER_03

And when and you could and when I look back at we're not gonna talk about my relationships, but my career, um, I've always been very driven. I mean, I'm in I'm in college at Michigan State and getting my business degree. All my friends were like, oh yeah, I'm sure I'll go for a fifth year or sixth year. And I'm like, no, like I have four years, I have four years, and I am out of here. I do not like school. Like, I I can't wait to go work and move to a big city and like be on my own, and I'm gonna take over Chicago and you know, it I couldn't wait for that. I loved having that autonomy and responsibility. I I'd thrive in that. But something changed in me when I knew I and it wasn't right at it wasn't right away, but it it happens and and God prepares your your body for it during pregnancy. And again, it's not right away, but there's these little moments, and but whatever the choice is, if she's like, you know what, I I really want to go into the office every day and send this, you know, br bring this baby to this amazing daycare or have a wonderful nanny and we can work in tandem together, like that's a beautiful thing too. Yeah, but um, I think it's important for women to know that you can take those if if you're feeling pulled that way, and then take those years. You're not gonna lose your edge, you're gonna be you're gonna turn into a soft, nurturing mother for a few years. And it might be really great for the marriage too, you know, it might be really great for the family. And it's okay to pivot and have different seasons because that fire inside of you that loves business and being able to be around people and get deals done, it's always there. And it you nothing is ever gonna take away those skills and people worry all the time about, oh, well, what's my resume gonna look like? You know, if there's a gap on my LinkedIn profile of a few years. Well, you know what? If you're an entrepreneur and you have your own business, it doesn't matter because most of the people you're gonna work with anyway value family the most because that is the ultimate luxury in life is your loved ones, your family, and because that's what we work for, and that's and the legacy we want to create, and most entrepreneurs feel that way. And if they don't, then that's okay too. But if you just know your pillars and feel confident in that foundation, I think you can you can't make a wrong choice. Yeah, and you can always try something and then just pivot, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I uh you know I've changed, I don't want to say I've changed a lot. Um I'm happier than I've ever been in my life, and a lot of it is linking up with people like you, and I I mean that sincerely. Okay. Because like um everybody, so we met each other at through the Value Tayman, Patrick Bat David, right?

SPEAKER_03

At the campus, yeah. Yeah, and that was an awesome tour.

SPEAKER_00

It was amazing.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, he's adding like what did he say, two, three more buildings on that campus and employing about 1,500 more people. Oh, they got big plans. Unbelievable. Hopefully, we get invited to the pre-vault tour next year.

SPEAKER_00

We will. I spent a lot of money on the city. You don't even wonder how much I spent. With these guys, they better you guys you guys invite me. I'm telling them. I'm not pointing to the value tank. But um, no, they they they've been amazing uh to me. But a lot of sometimes uh because I've been very involved with them for a couple years now, and uh actually a couple of them just came here today. And who's uh Mario, have you met Mario Aguilar? Yep, okay, yeah, and uh I forget the other gentleman's name, but uh but they have um sometimes they'll have some other businesses call me to ask what my experience has been. And yes, I admire Patrick and I um you know defer to him in in terms of business, yep, right? Yes, I've gotten a ton of clients, but in my what I have gotten the most value from being around them is their community. Yes, right, yes, like so I have a I'm doing a gender reveal March 21st. We're doing it in Boca, right? Amazing, and there's like 80 people on the list. I probably met 40 of them through this community, right? You know, so being aligned with these values, morals, spirituality, drive, you know, that that that makes me being a part of you know, and associated with people like you and and the people that I've met in that community has really made me happier than I've ever been. Right.

SPEAKER_03

And you know what it is? It's I will never forget the afternoon when we listened to Tony Robbins for three hours. He went like two hours over or something like that. And we're all doing, you know, we're all rah-rah, jumping up and down, and like as even though you've done Tony Robbins, you know, if you've seen his presentations before, it's like you're like, I still gotta do this, right? Jumping up and down, and you know, and then he closes it up with the music and the feel, you know, what are you grateful for? And no one's on their phones. And Tony leaves the stage, we're all like, oh my gosh, this is like an amazing three hours of my life talking about business, family, joy. What are we giving to others? How are we, you know, what how can what brings us joy, but like how can we spread that joy to others, right? And then for Patrick and Tom to come on stage and say, hey, you know, we were just talking about Charlie Kirk yesterday. Well, he was just shot. And Patrick said, Does anyone, what 12,000, 10,000 people in the room? Does anyone here have a problem if we say a prayer for Charlie's family? And the room was silent. And Tom prayed, and I felt very irreverent, but I did a video to do that prayer to show my voice. And I'm so glad I did, because it just we are, and and from that point on, or prior to that, I was, you know, oh, I don't want to post anything, you know, religious, and kind of as realtors or some even like business owners in general, were like, oh, well, we don't want to cut out like half the population of like what could be our clientele. But you know what? If anyone's offended by the way I live my life, I send my boys to a Christian school. I we go to church on, you know, on Sundays, we worship at Coral Ridge, I go to Bible study Tuesday mornings. And you know what? I that is who I am. And I am not going to, I'm not gonna shy away from and it if if someone doesn't want to do business with me because of that, then that's okay. You know, I would never, I would never say I don't want to do business with that person because of oh, they go, they go to temple, they believe, you know, something differently than I do. But so really I probably wouldn't want to do business with that person anyway, if they're feeling if they feel that strongly about it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I think man, you're gosh, I could this is great. Um if you sometimes I I I feel that if you just try to sit in the middle, and I don't even mean politics right now. I mean if you just try to sit in the middle of a topic, right, you're kind of being a coward. Right. Because you're not taking a stand. Make a decision, take a stand.

SPEAKER_01

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

And I'm including myself in that, and I'm just at a point in my life now where I'm not gonna just sit here. This is who I am, this is what I stand for. And you know what? I forget the other people if they're not gonna do business with me. I know these people here got my back, and we're gonna make dollars circulate between us, and we're gonna try to connect each other. So I I could care less either.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And people might not like it that I have events with cigars and bourbon and what you know, and talk about focus on tax strategy so much. But you know, my my dad, as one of his many businesses, he was really good at like layering businesses, which I've I've learned that from him, and I'll get I can talk about that in a minute. But you know what? Cigars, they're not the healthiest thing. I'm like, and I'm a total, you know, I love fitness. I like you know, look at everything that I eat. And okay, I did have that Celsius, which probably doesn't like fit in line with like my non- This is my cheat right now. Oh, there you go. See, I mean This is like a dessert cheat. I always say, like, it can't be perfect. But you know, it's like the cigars. My dad, my dad sold cigars. He would show me the financial sheet, and I'd sit with him at a diner, like, and we'd he's like, Yeah, now I'm I'm selling insurance, and I have the Michigan Restaurant, Hotel, Motel, Country Club Association, you know, as my clients all over the state of Michigan. But, you know, they also really like some good cigars at these golf clubs in the restaurants. I mean, this is in the 90s, so then he's selling those and he's got trunk fulls of cigar boxes, and he's like, Okay, this is how I set up this this business. But the insurance business, this is what I do here and how I build my referral network so I don't have to drive all over the state of Michigan. Yeah, so I find those guys who are gonna, you know, and I get them the best access to that. And then when it gets really smoky in those restaurants, right, because cigars are extremely smoky. Now he his third layer was the air filtration systems that were just, you know, ionizers, and he would sell them. Now he's going to his clients, selling health insurance for their employees and those plans. Then he's selling them cigars, then he's selling them the filtration systems that they need for the cigars. So it's just like, hey, just just solving problems over here and can do it all in one swoop, you know, driving to see clients.

SPEAKER_00

So cigars are a great move for you, and I I would let me tell you why I would put keep pushing it, especially with men. Because let me give you my vantage point from it. Okay. I like golf. I don't love it for four hours either.

SPEAKER_03

Very time-consuming.

SPEAKER_00

Brutal. It's it takes six hours out of your day.

SPEAKER_03

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

Now, I haven't had a drink in three weeks, but I'm not like anti-alcohol either. Like my best friend's flying into town tomorrow night with him and his wife. I'm sure I'll share a bottle of wine with him, right? Yep. But I don't like to always be forced to drink socially, if that makes sense. I hate it. But it is kind of awkward not to do anything socially if you get together. But I'll tell you what, my new social networking thing is let's go have a cigar. Yep. You know? Yeah. Let's go have a cigar.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's what my dad does. He doesn't drink and he loves, you know, cigars were his thing. Yeah. And it's great.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and it's and it's a cool vibe. It's it's cool. It's like, you know, it's something to talk about without getting dinged up on freaking bourbon. And then worrying about driving home. That's the other thing, too, is I I don't want to drive now. You know, I promised um my wife, yeah, you know, I'm not I'm never gonna drink and drive anymore. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I'm done. I'm not condoning, I'm not saying I do it all the time, but like, of course I have, you know, but I I eliminated it now. I'll never do it again.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's different now. For sure. Yes, for sure. You have to like pivot that but yeah, a cigar, it's like it it's a great, you know, bonding thing and doesn't take six hours. For sure. Yeah, I agree. I do like I do I like the um golfing clinics where it's just like an hour. My boys go, they do their little junior clinic, and then I do the driving range, and we have like an instructor, and I learn like new things every time, and like I I love it. It's just like one hour Saturday mornings, and it's it's perfect because I feel like I get that golf feeling because I I do enjoy golfing. Um, I mostly do it in Michigan in the summers when I'm up there and we're up there.

SPEAKER_00

And it's like you obviously look like an athlete. You know what else I want to hear about? I want to know, I want to know your schedule. Like like what time do you wake up? I want to hear your routine from 5 to 10. I'd love to for you to break down your daily routine.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so wake up. It could be 5 30. I think this morning was 6 30.

SPEAKER_00

Does the alarm wake you up or do you wake up naturally?

SPEAKER_03

I usually wake up naturally, but the alarm is on just like as a backup just in case. Um, but yeah, I usually wake up naturally and you know, I read first thing. Um you know, the Bible, uh devotional, a really great um could be in like a business book. Like I was last week I was reading Never Split the Difference. It's a great um business strategy negotiating book. I'm always enthralled on like how people think and how different people think. Yeah, never split the difference. Oh, the go-giver, amazing book. Amazing. I completely aligned with that book.

SPEAKER_00

I've heard never split the difference a few times.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and the go-giver is different, but a fantastic book. One of my uh Douglas Ellen, I'm part of this mastermind, and so uh a handful of us meet from across the country, and um our leader, she's in New York at the element Douglas Element office up there, and she it just like popped in the mail in December, like a little Christmas gift and like a nice card, and I was like, Oh, that was so nice of her. And I was like, Oh, I'll read it. Well, anyway, a few weeks ago I I read it and I was like, this is amazing. It's all about you know, selling, but doing it in a way of helping others, kind of how I talked about at the beginning of our conversation. It's like we're selling to this person, we want them, we want their business, but like, what do they need over here? Oh, look, there's a hole, right? Like, I'm kind of you know what I mean. Like this is supposed to be that way, but like they have a missing thing in their life, and they need help with that before they can be in the position to work with whatever we're selling. So helping them, and then you just operate in this um mindset of giving instead of getting. Yeah, and so you you operate out of abundance and helping others, and like the success always comes for sure, just like naturally. Yeah, when you're not looking, when you're helping others and just trying to meet others' needs or you know, work with those in need who really need us, yeah. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00

You can be uh I I talk about generosity all the time. Like when people think if if you say, What's your definition of generosity? The average person goes, oh, you know, giving people money. You can be generous with your contacts, you can be generous with your time, you can be generous with your emotions.

SPEAKER_01

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

But one thing that I try to do all the time is I like to play connector, even totally unannounced.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_00

If I take this person and this person got a meet, and as my network has grown, um, I just I just connect people. I just go, hey, here, I I think you guys should and I'll ask them, do you mind if I introduce you this person for this reason? They go, Yeah. And it's got to be mutually beneficial. Yep. And I'll connect them. And I just did with this guy here. Connected him with a guy who manages over three billion dollars, right? Right. And I'm like, he doesn't even know about cost segregation studies.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

And he said, you know, thank you so much. It's so sweet of you. But I don't I do it because I like to be the connector.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. But you know what? They're always gonna remember you. Exactly. So when they meet, they're like, you know, Eric, introduce us. Like, how cool is that?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Like, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

And they'll and of course they'll end up doing business with you. You know how many times I've had people go, dude, stop doing things for me. Let me learn more about you. I I I just want to do a transaction with you. What do you do?

SPEAKER_03

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I like to play connection.

SPEAKER_03

And it almost makes you a little bit more elusive if you're not like screaming in their face, oh, I do digital marketing.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03

You know, oh yeah, I I want to sell your house.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I don't need, you know, we don't we don't need to do that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, when people ask me about like uh uh sometimes I'll say to people, I don't even know if I can help you. I don't know anything about you.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so you gotta play a little hard to get. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03

And it's not really playing hard to get, it's just hey, I you know, you you gotta let them, you gotta let them be, yeah, just a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00

Just play the popular girl, Rob. I'm the hot popular girl.

SPEAKER_03

Like the connector, you know?

SPEAKER_00

You like that one? Hot popular chick? Sandra or something.

SPEAKER_03

What's that version? Oh, the quarterback? Yeah, you don't have to play that. Yeah, exactly. If you're the quarterback, I'm the cheerleader. I wake up every morning and I'm like, go be the cheerleader before the launterdale. And you can be like, I'm the quarterback of Boca. Stud QB of Boca. See? Okay, we were talking about my daily ritual. Like that can be yours now. You can be like, I am the stud quarter quarterback, amazing football dad coach.

SPEAKER_00

I do got a brand.

SPEAKER_03

It's gonna be your and it might be powder puff, you might have a girl. It's and you might be a cheerleader, and you still get to watch all the football games.

SPEAKER_00

I want it just as bad.

SPEAKER_03

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

So the gender reveal, here's what I'm and uh I'm a crier, don't get me wrong. Like if I if I'm on TikTok and I see animals mistreated.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I know that it just Well the Sarah McLaughlin commercial? I think there's a new one out that was on like Fox News last week, and I was like, it was like another version of that. I was like, I I just can't like turn this off.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, I um no, no, no. I um so I know if if it's a boy, I'm gonna be like, you know? And if it's a girl, I'm so not not that I care, but I think you might see me weep in front of 80 people, but but weep of just absolute joy.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know, absolute joy, you know. So okay, so you do so so I I'm I'm really curious. This is my own self is your schedule. 6'8, so you're reading in the morning.

SPEAKER_03

You read first thing. I always make my bed.

SPEAKER_00

Do you have coffee in you?

SPEAKER_03

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so this is reading is post-coffee.

SPEAKER_03

Yes. Okay, that's why I'm having my coffee. While you're having and um, but yes, I always make my bed. It's kind of like a it's it's like my CEO hour. That's what I call it. So make your bed, and I'm like have a thing where my day won't be successful if I don't make my bed.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

It's kind of like a I wouldn't call it, you know, a superstition, but it's a ritual. It's a ritual. Have my coffee, have a little bit of, you know, reading. It might be 20 minutes, maybe 30, maybe 10. Um, and then, you know, prep the day. Boys are up, get snacks together, everything done, prep for them. They wake up and kind of do the mom thing. They're they're getting rolling and what they need to do, getting ready for school, and I go up to my third floor and I do my 30-minute workout. And so do that, and then what's your workout?

SPEAKER_00

I want to know this.

SPEAKER_03

Um depends what day of the week it is. So um, let's see. Sunday, Monday, it's like a hit workout. So sprints, or I could go on the spin bike. Um, but just 25 minutes, that's it. But so when I say sprints, it's just sprints or hit. So sprints could be on the bike. I don't actually run. I gave that up a long time ago.

SPEAKER_00

Um how long are you sprinting for? 30 seconds and then rest two minutes?

SPEAKER_03

20, 20 on, 40 off. That's if I'm on the spin bike. Or I just do hit, which which is just like I just I do faster weight of fat loss. It's this program. It's amazing. I started it in 2018, and it's just one less thing I have to think about, right? Like um, not that working out or a workout reg regimen was like difficult for me, but I just know like if I do it's 30 minutes tops, we all do the same thing every day of the week. And if I miss the Friday workout, I can just move it to Thursday or Saturday, and you know. But my priorities are I definitely uh weight train three times a week. I never miss those. So month what did I say?

SPEAKER_00

Um Sundays, Mondays are hit.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, really Sundays like rest. So Monday, Tuesday, hit or sprint. Wednesday is uh total body day.

SPEAKER_00

Um total body weights.

SPEAKER_03

Total body weights, yes. Um then Thursday is arms upper body. Um and then Friday is like yoga or something, or just skip the day. I'm pretty active anyways, just doing my job and like I'm hauling hoses and construction sites in the kids. Um so then Saturday is leg day. Okay, and then Sunday is rest, yoga, long walk. Chill.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So okay, so you I love your workout.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Take the kids to school. And while I'm doing like the workout too, I do answer a lot of like work texts, emails, calendar appointments, follow up, make a l. I have a list like up on the third floor where I'm working out. Okay, I gotta call this person back. And because my brain synapses just are on fire while I'm working out. So I can like strategize. I'm like, oh wait, he called me yesterday and he's looking for that house, and grandma down the street needs to sell. I'm gonna go to her and I'm gonna, and then I'll literally like just start matchmaking. And yeah, or like, oh, I gotta introduce, you know, this person to that person. I met him at the vault last week. I didn't even think that they would be, you know, and they're they have this in common, this in common, they live near each other or both have whatever, kids the same age. It could be anything. Um, so I just I write it all down on like a piece of paper and I just get rolling and then I take that down, you know, with me once I sit at my desk after I've dropped the kids off at school. And um usually I have like open house showings, go to a construction site, might go like my Alex on my team, Alexandra. She and I like to Oh, you have a team, I didn't realize. Yeah, yeah. Alex, I brought her on about a year ago. Okay, cool. A little over a year ago, and she's awesome. Is there another one too? Or is it um just her so far? I'm kinda working on bringing on someone else. Recruiting, awesome. Yeah, yeah. And um, so and you know, everyone kind of in has different strengths and capacities and different roles. But Alex is she is a real estate agent, she has her license, and so she'll and I get she and I will get in my golf cart and we'll just drive around Las Olas Isles and be meeting builders and developers, and you know, we're like, okay, this is what we do, and you know, these neighbor these other neighborhoods, and tell us, you know, why you built it like this. Can we get a and they always love it when we're like, can you can we go inside and see it's like not quite finished, like maybe 15, 20 million dollar home with like an epic water view. And so we just get to know them, maybe bring them like a cool gift or some scars, right? Yeah. So that's always fun to do, and you know, um, so I'm always on the go. I do have you know computer work to do, which is like my energy suck. Yeah, I it's just not me. Um but when you have the right like systems processes and the right people, um, so it so I I basically just decided that if I'm just gonna do it once a day.

SPEAKER_00

I I have one once a day. It's usually when I get home. Yeah, I spend a half hour to an hour when I get home tonight. Babe, watch whatever you want, honey. I'm just gonna lock in here and just do my emails. And I just make sure once a day, because if I don't do it that once a day, I will miss things.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_00

If I try to like do it sporadically, I end up missing them. That's it. So I just do. That that's the way my brain unfortunately works, and I go, Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't call that guy or do it. Right. I just so it's one bulk response a day. And I'm so scared to open up my cell phone right now because I've been talking with people since like 1 p.m. today, and it's it's gonna be abysmal. It's it's a nightmare what I have to go through. Um I should start using Manect. I I don't want to be do you have you used Minecton?

SPEAKER_03

I go on there, yeah, every once in a while. Um I don't like use it as I I look and see what people are posting. Yeah, some someone's I mean it's interesting.

SPEAKER_00

No, I'm saying getting paid for your time almost, like you know, a hundred a hundred bucks per call or something, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You know. I was shocked. I actually monected Patrick one time.

SPEAKER_03

Uh huh.

SPEAKER_00

He responded in three minutes.

SPEAKER_03

There you go. He always says he does.

SPEAKER_00

I was like, what? I couldn't believe it. And very in-depthly, and I I was shocked.

SPEAKER_01

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Cause I don't got I get to my emails once a day, freaking BBDs getting to his manecks like that. I was like, whoa. Yeah. I must have caught him at the right time.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, you know, there are certain times where I can't. Well, Julio responds right away. That's good. I and maybe again it's at the right time. Like, if people resp like reach out to me in the morning, like by the time it's noon, I'm getting so many phone calls. I'm on the phone with so many attorneys trying to figure out strategic ways to get through deals, you know, or something's going on. I I I talk to way too many attorneys on a daily basis. I mean, it could be like a business attorney, we need to, you know, assign this contract or create a business partnership because these developers are going, you want to buy this property together. So it's not all like terrible drama, but so that's why like I have to get up early and like be way ahead of the communication game. Yeah, because then by the time I'm in in the after it's in the afternoons or like noon on or 11 on, and I'm at open houses, I'm actively talking to people. Because face to face, that's what really gets deals done.

SPEAKER_00

No doubt.

SPEAKER_03

So anytime we can have an in-person meeting, and that's why you know you were talking about um the value tainman and Patrick's community works so well, is because right, we're all together. We were at those events, and even me, I I think about all the people, you, Julio, I mean, there's like a multitude, and it's just like spider webbed out since the vault, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And and um, when you're around high performers and founders and people who have those same, you know, we probably all have the same daily struggle of the email.

SPEAKER_00

Um so we just decide to respond to each other quickly and probably prioritize each other. It's interesting.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Matt, like on social media.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I probably should, but it's kind of like an inside game, and it's just I get it. In my developers, those guys, they're they're, you know, they have a a lot of capital to play with. They're private. I'm not gonna be like, hey, like, and even my buyers and sellers, I don't get them on camera really that much. But you know, but I bring in like one of my sellers, I listed his house, he was my friend, and I really got to know him. He was becoming a construction or he was a construction attorney. So I brought him in. I'm like, you gotta meet a my you know, the circle of developers I work with. Like, you're fantastic. I'm like, you know, you'll love because working with developers, it's like you do multiple transactions with them. So you get into practice of how you work together, and then it's like, okay, we got that one, now let's do another one, now let's do another one, let's do another one. Yeah, I was just gonna say working, and this could be, you know, my childhood growing up with all guys, but working with guys is a lot easier than you know, sometimes in and I'm a woman, and like my mom is like building the lake house, and you don't you don't have to put this on, but she'll be like, Oh, I have this change for the builder, and I thought I wanted that bookshelf, but now I want to change this, and like I'll even be like, Yeah, no, I think we should do this. And I'm like, We're being so difficult for the builder, but that's how it is like it's like that, and I'm a woman, and I'm saying that about myself.

SPEAKER_00

So, anyway, I no, it's okay, they're different, it's a little bit different. Yeah, yeah, for different different different different different, we're different.

SPEAKER_03

Men and women are totally different species, and we were created to be different. For sure. It's amazing, like because yeah, but anyway, so are we good, Dave?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we're good. All right, so uh I'm just gonna ask you a leading question to kind of go in there. But uh how do you how would it pronounce your last name one more time?

SPEAKER_03

Siborowski. Ziborowski. Syborowski. Well, it's a C.

SPEAKER_00

Sibrow. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

I mean if you want to go Polish, we could say Cibrowski.

SPEAKER_00

Siborowski.

SPEAKER_03

I got it. Syborowski. Or you can always say Liz Sib. Liz Sib. L C is my. Siborowski. Did I say that? Siborowski. Yes. Tibborowski. Exactly. Ciborovsky.

SPEAKER_00

So Liz Tiborowski. Tell tell me a little bit more about you as a realtor, what type of deals you're specializing in. What what what would what should someone know about you as an expert realtor in Fort Lauderdale?

SPEAKER_03

So I love being a luxury listing agent. I I love selling East Fort Lauderdale. Like I said earlier, golf cart, um, you know, I get to take A1A down to a listing and feel the ocean breeze. I love that. Um I love listing properties. I I go all out from, you know, soft staging and um making it look like a very welcoming hotel, you know, a Ritz-Carlton lobby or a restoration hardware gallery you walk into. Um, I want those buyers to feel like that could be their space. So I love that aspect of it. I love putting on, again, this is from my hospitality background, I love putting on events instead of just open houses. So, and they'll be open to the public, but it might be, you know, yacht rock brunch. And, you know, I have yacht rock playing and some fun, like yacht rock themed like music videos, like original music videos, and um, you know, have the food and beverage kind of match, you know, tacos and tequila, like make it a little like fun and add music and food and um an elevated experience and different from you know the open houses down the street. So I love doing that. We already talked about my cigars and strategies.

SPEAKER_00

No, I don't think we talked about it in detail on here. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. So I also host exclusive events, um, which are bringing my circle of developers and attorneys, construction attorneys, tax strategists. We do, you know, presentations that will actually provide them with helpful information um on how to, you know, that they can utilize in their finances, whether it's cost segregation, if they're real estate investors, or um, I mean, the beautiful bill that was passed, there are just amazing things that tax strategy moves that I utilize in my business as a business owner. And so I just love to share those. And um, I feel like with, you know, my my group of um my circle, different circles of developers and kind of builders, architects, um, everyone I work with in those circles, um, they like a little bit of education. You know, they can have food, drinks, cigars, anywhere, right? They have the funds to go to the nicest restaurants in town. But when it's an exclusive private event, they know they're going to meet valuable connections there that are gonna help their business. They're gonna maybe learn about seawall strategy or tax strategy. We did seawall uh strategy during um the boat show. That was a fun one. We nerded out for like an hour and a half about how to um look at seawalls and the health of a seawall when you're purchasing a waterfront property. So, like, you know, we work a lot when you know, half of the parcels in my neighborhood in East Fort Lauderdale are on the water, right? So that seawall health, how it was built, what kind of uh materials it was built with is very important. I mean, they know they're gonna tear the house down, right? It's an original house and the roof is you know, it's just ready to be leveled. But the health of the seawall will cost you a seawall seawall permit can take a year. So, and you know, in business and in investment, especially real estate, time is money. Um, so it's it's fun. I, you know, I like to hear about that, but back to the my groups of you know, the developer community, they want some content, they want to walk away with you know those new relationships, right? And I love being a connector like you do. And so just leaving with some something more than just food and beverage. So, and yes, we do cigar, cigar lounge out in the back patio, or just give them cigars, gurkha. Um, uh you know, they supply a buffet of cigars and beautiful porcelain ashtrays. They're amazing. I have I have such wonderful connections um that support what I do. And um, yeah, so and and speaking of being a listing agent and pro you know hosting these and putting on and these events, um, I love doing that, but I love the hunt. And I call myself a huntress because um, you know, these clients of mine, these developers and in my community, they call me and they're like, Liz, you know, what off markets do you have? And oh, we want to put in townhomes, and and I'll be like, oh, I know of this lot here, this one here, this one's on the water, but you know, price per square foot, this is a great deal because this one has ocean access, or this is on a great street because everything is single family, and it's just a tree-lined street, and we can do, you know, three duplex twin town home styles on this nice large parcel. And, you know, we'll we'll just do the off-market game, or you know, this single family parcel elderly couple, they want to, you know, they had a fire on Tuesday night and they need to figure out their next step, and it's not gonna be to fix this house because it's not worth it for them for various reasons. So I love the hunt. I love to negotiate, I love to help my clients win in a deal. And it's just it's fun for me. I love what I do, and I love the the strategy and the thrill of it too.

SPEAKER_00

And what'd you call it? The hustle mama? What'd you call it? Huntress. Oh, the huntress.

SPEAKER_03

The huntress.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, the huntress.

SPEAKER_03

They also call me, I've been called the unicorn. Um these guys will be like, Liz, I I have been waiting to meet someone like you. You're a unicorn, and I'm like, okay, I'm kind of weird. Just a girl who grew up with all boys, you know, yeah around the block.

SPEAKER_00

It's okay to have a you know, a masculinity side to you. That that's fine. Just like a man, just like a man should have a figure.

SPEAKER_03

Or I can be feminine, but I just know I just know how they operate, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Like the figure four. Like I've been putting the figure four.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Crying like a baby.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, no, that was good. Um, no, you're obviously very uh passionate and authentic. It comes out very clear. Um, do me a favor, we're gonna wrap up. I want you to look into that camera. And if somebody is wants to learn more about real estate in Fort Lauderdale, investment opportunities, relocation opportunities, whatever it may be, where can they find Liz Sibrowski?

SPEAKER_03

Okay. Hi, yes. Uh you can find me at um my phone number, 517-449-5495 on Instagram at Liz at Liz Siborowski and LC CellsftL.com. I think that does it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, thank you for joining.

SPEAKER_03

No email. I'm just getting email all the time.

SPEAKER_00

And uh, yeah, listen, if you guys, anybody's thinking about listen, Fort Lauderdale is an awesome area. If you're thinking about buying, selling, investing, Fort Lauderdale is is one heck of a community, and I highly endorse the community, and I highly endorse uh this special woman, special realtor, special person, special mom. Thank you for coming on, and thank you for tuning in to the Gold Coast podcast. Uh, make sure you give us a like and follow. We'll see you again soon.