Resilience & Reinvention In Real Estate

On today's podcast, we have an incredible conversation with my girl, one of my favorites, Melissa Korda. Melissa is based in Seattle, Washington. She holds a master's degree in kinesiology and spent twenty years in collegiate and professional athletics as a strength and conditioning coach and athletic trainer.

From 2005 to 2021, she invested in rentals and flips before transitioning full time into real estate as a loan officer with Conventis Lending in 2020. In 2024 alone, she funded two zero nine investor loans totaling $118,000,000 She and I are actually working on a loan right now and she is fantastic to work with. Look her up if that's your thing.

Melissa also leads She Invest Seattle, hosts financing workshop workshops, and loves empowering others. Outside of real estate, she enjoys family, dogs, and outdoor activities. You are going to see why I love our member of GoBundance Women, Melissa Korda.

Hello, and welcome to the Power Up Your Life podcast powered by GoBundance Women. I'm Mandy McAllister.

And I'm Kelly Resendez.

And today we have this woman who I cannot get enough of, member of GoBundance Women, Melissa Korda. Hi, Melissa.

Hi. How are we?

Happy Monday. With Best Life Girl. Yes. Well, I couldn't be more excited to have you here. And you have kinda lived three lives or, like, many lives in your one very short time on this planet. So tell us you know, let's start from the beginning. Tell us in your own words a little bit about your journey.

Yeah. So it's long, and I'm only 45, so I kinda laugh about that. But how I got here where I'm at today, like, as far as real estate, it is kind of crazy because, prior to COVID, I had a completely different world. I have a master's degree in kinesiology. So I spent about fifteen years working with, pro sports, pro athletes. I worked in the NBA, the WNBA. NBA. I really worked hard as a woman coming up in this industry in that industry because, again, it's very male dominated. But it was a challenge. It was fun. I was, you know, like, that was what I believed I was there for. So I really, really focused on my career.

But I did the thing that every woman regrets is, like, I gave up my family life and, you know, four kids, three kids at the time. And so COVID fast forward, COVID happened, and I lose everything. So my job may not I thought that. I locked everything. You know, went into spiraling depression. My I lived for the Zoom and Wines. Like, that was my only thrill of my life was was the Zoom and Wines.

But on one of them, a friend of mine was like, hey. Stop complaining. Like, you're smart. You're educated. Get a job. Actually, convince us of hiring. I just did a flip in Texas. So I probably would have taken any job offered at that moment, like, anything, dog walking, whatever. But I called Brenda, who is in abundance too, which is amazing. But I called her, and I was just like, hey. I this is where I'm at. I would I would I just need a job, and I need some interaction. I need some people.

Fast forward, I am still there four years later, and I'm now a loan officer. And I couldn't be happier. If I were to say if somebody wanted to say, if you snap your fingers, you could go back to your old life, I wouldn't do it. I am completely where God intended me to be. I almost feel like he needed COVID was created for me to realize what I was missing with my family and with my children and with my own life. Even though I know it was wasn't for me, but I feel like that was what I needed or I would never have changed my trajectory.

Well, it's all about the meaning that you give things. Right? Like the the hard stuff. If you give it a meaning that is meaningful in a direction that's great, like you did, you go further faster. You know?

And I, you know, I I I think there's a lot of people that could have similar feelings about COVID having been this this silver lining. Having, you know, been an athlete also, and you spent your entire dang life as an athlete and then working with athletes. And that is that is an identity. That is who you are.

You know? To have the idea that, oh, I need to do something different to live a life to get to be with my kids, you know, there had to have been a little bit of fear, you know, in that shift of your identity. Walk me through kinda your internal conversations and how you've talked yourself out of that so that you could live this greater version of your life.

Yeah. So I'm very transparent, so I'll just be super real. There was a moment that I was relying way too much on alcohol to get through what I was dealing with. So I had to first remove that from my life, just so I could think clearly and make sure that, like, I was focusing on just what I needed because my response to what I knew was like, I'm gonna have a drink. So I had to, like, have some coming to Jesus with that. I I I definitely enjoy cocktails. I you know, I definitely am back. We're at a very positive, healthy place, but I did clear my head, and I really had to find out, like, I need to hear the right thing.

But it was very scary because I was 40, and everything I had known was my athletic status and then my status with athletics and then my plan. And if I failed for one second, I failed all of women in the world because I was one of very few women in my industry. So I had this really I had put it on me. It wasn't anyone putting on me. I put it on me that I had to succeed because I didn't wanna wanna fail.

And on the top of that, I'm also a Mexican. My parents are Mexican. My mom is, and my grandparents are, they came over illegally. They died legal, but they came over illegally. So there was a lot of pressure in that realm too to succeed as a woman because most of our expectations was to be the best mom or the best breeder or the best cook. It wasn't really you know, when my parents said I heard I was going to college, they were like, Holly, you need to get married and have children. And I was like, so that's not gonna be me. So there was a lot of pressure.

But when COVID happened and my world was just strict for me, I really broke down and had to, like, basically have to say, Melissa, just live this path now. And every day, it was a constant, like, you failed. Like, this is not who you were supposed to be. Like, oh, I'm on a box, ladies. It's old. It's dusty. But, like, that's where I was. I was on ESPN at games. I traveled with teams. And now my thrill is, like, my kids' basketball tournament in another state. I'm like, yeah. Like, this is you know? So it is a constant reminder of God's plan for me also.

So I asked I had to, like, hear him instead of hearing myself so loudly. And when I did that, I finally was like, you know what? I'm gonna be the best assistant I could possibly be, and I think Brenda will tell you I was the best. And then I'm gonna be the best LO, and I'm gonna be the best at this. And now I found myself in a situation where I am living my most competitive life, but I'm the best listener that I can be and the best, partner that I can be, the best mentor to my assistants that work under me now, and also the best learner. I've actually challenged myself with I know nothing, really. Like, I need to stop being the one that teaches everyone and actually is learning from other people too.

So but it's constant. I constantly have to say, Melissa, stop thinking that way. Like, you know where you're going, like, reset. So I constantly have to reset myself. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, I, like, have the chills. There was so much to unpack in that one answer. I started off as a loan officer assistant as well early on in my career and super grateful for that journey.

You know, there there's so much. It sounds like you have a strategy to overcome the initial thoughts that might come up, like, I need to be perfect. But the more important topic that I believe that we can dig into right now is this identity, like, release. So Yeah.

My mom was an immigrant as well from Mexico. They came here legally because my grandma married somebody that she'd never met before. So, apparently, that made it legal. However, the pressure that's put on on this generation that comes here for, you know, the American dream, the the whatnot, I think what ends up happening is we do embody a a an identity that's not who we are.

And so for the people listening, there are probably a lot of people listening that are like, I'm really good at this or I'm really successful at that. Now God gave you the shove off the cliff to make you do it, but not everybody has to wait for the shove off the cliff. Right? True. Yeah.

We can be in a place where, like, I know I'm meant for more. I know this is not who I am, whether it's mom, you know, CEO, worker, whatever it might be, but I need to really evolve to this next place. What are some of the things that you do, like on a daily basis, whether it's recipes or rituals to feel more powerful yourself so that you can, you know, stay in this identity shift that you've gone through?

Yeah. So prior to COVID, I didn't invest any time in me, like who I was. I invested in who I needed to take care of and what I needed to stay relevant in my industry. So the complete shift I've done is really focusing on me and how one I can identify things that I can work on and two identify circles that I wanna be in.

And I'll be I'll be so honest about when I got into this industry, I had no idea how many incredible women's groups there were in women's pockets of people that were very similar and had different lives and then came here and found the freedoms. And then they found people that they would support and love. And coming from an industry that was very male dominated and women were very competitive because there was a few of us, I didn't know that love. Right? So I was kind of like, you guys are being nice to me. Right? So it was it was I had to, like, kinda be vulnerable and just really say, like, I can meet new women and I can listen and hear.

And so that is one thing that I I'm I just texted a friend. I need a new book. So I'm really working on always, you know, getting, putting into myself good good readings, like, good things in my head, like, really re having that revolve around me. But, also, like, just being with GoBundance, that was somebody asked me once why I joined GoBundance, and I said because it's the one thing I do for me. I'm in a lot of groups. I mentor a lot. I help a lot.

Mhmm. It's like the one thing that if I found GoBundance when I was in when I was in my 20 to 25, I probably wouldn't be on the path that I I was on. Because I had no one feeding into me saying, like, you're great at that, but, like, imagine if you applied that to this. You know, like, no one would ever look at me saying you should challenge yourself or this isn't where god intended you. Where I feel like in go abundance in just a short time, so many people have been like, stop. You do different. And I'm like, okay. And they're right. That's the thing is they're right.

So, I definitely circled myself around people that I will listen to, and I've also made myself listen. So instead of being like, that's an excuse. Like, I've actually been like, okay. I hear you. I need to process that and figure out, like, how I can unpack it. And then just spend time for myself. Like, that is another thing is I truly didn't realize what I needed as a woman and as a person, and so I've really worked on that too.

I think that's so key. The this idea of, oh, wait, I get to figure out what I need. You know, I I've we've talked about this before this. I spent so many years of my life not realizing that I got to figure out what I needed. And then I felt like this huge responsibility when I figured it out, but I I couldn't be more grateful that you know, to be part of the story of of where you're going.

And I also think it's such a common refrain for women working in male dominated industries that you feel crazy because you feel alone. And, you know, it's not you're not crazy. You're just the first one doing it. And as soon as you get around other people performing at high levels, doing big things, you feel normal and you feel like you can go further faster because you have those voices.

So we we as entrepreneurs, we, you know, tend to be super unconventional in a lot of things that we're doing. Pretty unconventional for the Mexican descent lady to to dive into her career. Right? So I'm curious now in your life, what is an unconventional strategy that most people would be like, oh, no way, but you know to be true?

So I think, I think it's important that we we step outside of our comfort zone, and that's really hard. And I'm, most people are like, you're so extroverted and, you know, like, that's easy for you. I'll tell you on stage. And I'm like, yes. But you didn't see me almost barfing in the bathroom prior to, or you don't know the thirty minute conversation I have before an event or Zoom that I have to be like, you're fine. It's okay. 20 deep breaths. And then I'm like, I think, like, we put on a really good front because that's just what we're we gotta do. But the journey to get there is not always easy.

I think I think we look at other people and say like, oh, it's so easy for you. It's not. But what I have done is I challenged myself to put myself into uncomfortable situations and learn to get better there because what I learned what I told my children is you learn a lot about what you tell your adult children. Because if you don't actually live that path, you're like, well, I should do that too even though that's great advice. I need to be that person. Right? Because they will call you on it. Your six year old and eight year old won't call you on it, but they will get to a point where they're like, but mom, you don't.

So I've always told my kids that, like, you don't know what you need in your life till you meet that person, till you walk through that door. And then right there, that moment, God just said, like, finally, you listened, and here you go. Enlightenment. So if we just stay comfortable or we stay in that place where we feel complacent, we're not we may not find the next path. We may may not find what we're really looking for.

So I always the challenge for me is to find a new situation to delve into, find something that I'm not so comfortable with or it's completely, foreign and be okay with them going like, no. Thank you. Not interested. And just like, okay. Let me know when you are interested. And then follow-up with the, like, great to see you're doing well, and be okay with that. Or you open a door that is just like, we've been looking for someone like you. This is exactly, like, thank you for calling. Because you don't know what you run into, but it's really, really hard.

I think that is not something we're told as women to go adventure for a new adventure. I think that's, like, a very male thing. It's like, where is your next adventure? And women are, like, have been I feel like women have always been said, like, where is your next stability? You know? And I think, like, we have to find our women have to go for the adventure, but we always need to create the stability when we're in there. So that's kind of, that's what I feel like has been my struggle, but also my biggest reward. Like, the biggest mind shift for me is to search for the next unknown

and be able to deal with that or strive off of that. Yeah. No. That's amazing. And it's so powerful. I mean, we we all hear it, right? Like life happens outside of your comfort zone. Mhmm. But how many of us are intentional about it?

And I definitely am a recovering perfectionist who had to actually put down fun and adventure on my goals. Most people needed to put the disciplines and the and the things to build their business on their goals. And I was the opposite. I was like, I need to go to a new place every once in a while.

You talk a little bit, you talked a little bit today about just, you know, this prioritization of family and how you made that shift. One of the things I've noticed is that success in business is so tangible where success in our family and our relationships is like, I don't know if I was a good parent till they're like 25. Right? So you don't get that. How have you really been able to now make this life shift for yourself where you're prioritizing your relationship with your husband and with the kids?

Yeah. So, man, you talk about mom guilt. It is so real, and it's unfortunate because I think it's only been created by us moms. My kids will tell you I was the worst, and I did this. And I, you know, like, they always no. I wasn't the worst. I was the best mom ever, but your kids are so unfair at times. Right? My 21 year old now is like, you did so much for me, mom. You know? Like, I'm like, yes. I made it with that one.

But I think the thing is is I had to really let it go and just be I reflected back. I this is a sad note, and it kinda brings me to tears. I was with, the Seattle Storm. It's our WNBA team, and we had just won the 2010 championship. And my kids were there, and they were, like, five and seven, maybe six and four. My mom was there with our, with our help because my kids were wild. And so they all came down to the locker room, and they had these little signs. You know, they had a game. And the sign was all decked out with storm stuff and colors, and it said, go mom. It wasn't a player. It wasn't a nothing. It was me.

And I just looked at it, and I remember they were in the training room, and I was it was after the game. And I was like, thank you guys. And I kissed them, and I just was like I just regarded it. And I just later thought later I later realized they never cared about what I did. They cared about me. Like, they were just so you know, like, it was crushing. And, like, that was one of the reasons why I I resigned. I could have stayed. I I think I could have stayed and really, like, worked on that, but I just needed a change. Like, that was my kids didn't they needed me.

So okay. I'm over like, they're 21 and 19 now, and my little one's 13. But it was really hard because you don't realize how much you think you're doing this for your family, and they could care less. Right? Right. It's a significant thing. Yeah. Super and it hurt, and it still hurts.

But I think once I let go of the mom guilt and realized that I want I can have a career without putting them aside, but I also had to communicate with them. We had to be real about like, okay, mom, when she's in the office, I'm a 100% in the office. Don't stand outside my door and wave like I'm busy. But when I'm outside of the office, they will go they'll put their hand over my phone. They would when they're little, and they'll they'll push it down. And they're like, mom, we're watching a movie. I'm like, okay. So I had to be intentional. Like, if I wanted to leave me alone on working, I had to do the leave me alone on parenting.

And then over time, I really enjoyed it. So I think, like, that's the hardest thing is stepping away from the desk because I'm very competitive. I'm like, oh, I can I can do this deal on the side and still watch this movie? But they needed to see that. And then over time, they really, you know, they respected that. They're like, mom's working. Let's not bug her. And then Right. Mom's parenting, I get a higher percent of her. Is it perfect? No. But that was the goal, and I got rid of the guilt that way.

Mhmm. But the memories are made in the all in, you know? And I have a reframe there too or something that I continually coach myself on is, you know, I am showing my three kids that mom is worth chasing her dreams. Because just like you said, they're not gonna do what I tell them to do. They're gonna do what I show them to do. Totally. So if I'm all in that and we're making memories, then that's what matters to them. And then when I'm all out, I'm all in on business.

So you're doing it, girl. I I could not be more proud. I I think it's, you talked a lot about, you know, God gave you these messages and you're a woman of faith. And, you know, for anybody listening who, you know, universe, God, whatever the thing is that you're looking to to help you find an answer.

You know, you don't maybe but God's not giving me an answer, but the universe isn't giving me an answer. How do you tune in? What is something that you do to actionably put yourself in a place that you can be in receipt of that that answer?

So and I I speak I'll speak biblically because that's where I come from, but I do agree anything spiritually. Like, I think and it's maybe even not spiritually, but just one with yourself if you if that's where you're at. But just finding time to the noise to go away and be alone in yourself, like, that is important. We as women multitask too much. Like, I go for a walk. I wanna put in a podcast. I I go for a drive. I'm gonna do four calls in the car. You know, like, we do that because we're efficient that way. But there's the value in going for a walk with nothing in and just your thoughts and just you and yourself, like, really thinking, like, that's where you have those moments.

So I do I I sit in prayer. And in my prayers or my reading, there are things that come to me that I just there's those burning moments of, like, I'm this isn't working. This isn't working. And then I have to say, what did I try? What have I tried? What didn't I try? And then it sometimes I'm like, man, it's been there the whole time. I just haven't listened. I haven't I wouldn't see it, or I was so focused on this that I couldn't see that.

So the way that I when I'm struggling and when life gets low, like, especially, like, I'm I'm sure you saw my post about my dad. Like, life has been really low, and I've held that in. I haven't shared. You know? Like, I just, like, I finally posted about it, and I never do that. But, like, something was just eating at me, so I posted. And because of that, I had many people, like, reach out to me, like, prayer warriors, like, a lot of people. And I think, like, I really needed instead of wallowing, because I was really wallowing. Like, this is just crap, like, just spiraling down. And I had so many people uplift me and send me some messages I needed to hear, some prayers I needed to pray, some just encouragement of stories they've gone through, and that was what I needed.

And I kind of if I never reached out or never posted, I would never have gotten what I needed. And I the next day, I felt very, like, one, I wish I didn't do it because I got a million messages. But, like, at the same time, I was low, and God moved me to say, make a post, put it out there, and he gave me what I needed. So Mhmm. If we don't hear, it's just you gotta I feel like you need a quiet place.

And one of the things our group, my go abundance pod actually was focusing on time you know, doing our one on one time with ourselves, like, putting time aside for ourselves and how hard it was just to get fifteen minutes a day to do that. And it's very powerful. So I I would say, like, that's the one thing is tune out all the noise so you can hear what you're what you're being moved to do, what you're missing, And whether it's God, whether it's the spirituality or just yourself clarifying things, we need that quiet time.

I love that, Melissa. Well, you have shared so much wisdom and I know that our listeners are probably just excited to, you know, hear more from you in the future.

But for me, you know, some of the greatest things are just that reminder that some of the worst things that feel like they're happening can be the best things that are happening. Your vulnerability to share that that grief. I think, you know, I've always said the devil's in a in a, you know, beach chair drinking a tequila, watching us just, you know, throw ourselves down by not asking for help and not not allowing that support in.

You know, I know the power of prayer, and I know just the power that when we have community around us that we can experience grief and joy simultaneously, but we have to know that the only way through that is through connection. So just grateful for everything that you've shared today, Mandy.

Those, that was one that I wrote down too, the asking for help and getting to a quiet place to figure out what you need. And I love that your success has come from this kind of athletic commitment to I'm a be the best. No matter what the thing is, like, it's just this decision that you've made that you're gonna do the steps that it takes to to be at the top of the line.

And, you know, I I also wrote down where is your next adventure versus where is your next stability? So in my Yeah. Thinking, feeling, clarity time, next, I'm gonna actually noodle on that. So thank you for the prompt.

You know, one thing that we talk a lot about at GoBundance Women is we need to have our ask ready. You know, that we are all about sharing of connection, sharing of resources to go further, faster together. Let our listeners know, let, you know, Kelly and me and our listeners know what is as a connection or a resource that's gonna help you go to your next level?

Yeah. So well, so as far as, like, business wise, I I we do I'm a loan officer. Right? So I'm only looking for a new borrower to work with and and help. But what I love and where I find most most, reward is finding a new group that needs education on financing and how to scale.

And, like, I love I'm being a salesperson. I only got in this four years ago. So I love educating because it leads to sales, but it also clears up a lot of, like, women's issues on understanding. Like, I don't know where to start. I don't know. There's so many things out there. There's so much fraud.

So connecting I'd like to connect with more groups, and I definitely work with women's groups more because I just feel like I speak their language, and we just accomplish more stuff. But, yeah, like, that would be, I'm always looking for more groups that wanna learn and grow. I definitely have a great product to sell, but, like, my more intention is just my I come from a service minded, you know, love language.

Yeah. You do. That's kind of where, I enjoy my job and it it makes it enjoyable for my life. So That would be your call. Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Melissa, for joining us today. Anybody

needs to know about, you know, putting your family first, identity shifts, how to get a great loan product from Melissa Korda. Make sure you're sharing this episode with them. Like and subscribe and make sure you're checking out Power Power Up Your Life Now, which where, Kelly and I will help you figure out things to bring your influence and grow your business.

So we can't wait to see you on the next episode of Power Up Your Life powered by GoBun and Swimming.

Thank you, ladies. Love seeing you guys. Bye.

Bye bye.