Nancy Alert

I attribute my success to three things: being coachable, taking action, and learning from every experience.

Early in my career, one of my mentors, Kristina Bouweiri, told me, "I don't mind giving you advice because you actually do something with it." That has stayed with me throughout my life. I've always believed that knowledge without action has little value. When I seek guidance, I apply it.

I also attribute my success to remaining a lifelong learner. Over the years, I've learned that wisdom is not simply having experiences—it's evaluating them. The 2008 real estate crash was one of the most difficult seasons of my life. I lost over $5 million, and for a time, it felt devastating. But instead of allowing that setback to define me, I studied it. I evaluated every decision, every market shift, and every lesson hidden within the failure. That process led me to discover the power of multifamily investing, which ultimately transformed my business and my financial future.

One of my core beliefs is that failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of the journey to success. The key is to evaluate the lesson so you don't repeat the mistake. Every setback contains valuable information if you're willing to learn from it.

More recently, I've learned another important leadership lesson: not everyone needs to be saved. For years, I was what I call "Captain Save Everybody," always trying to fix problems and offer solutions. Reading The Let Them Theory helped me understand the power of allowing people to walk their own path. Today, I focus on listening first, advising when invited, and empowering others to make their own decisions.

My success is not the result of never failing. It's the result of being coachable enough to listen, courageous enough to act, and humble enough to learn from every victory and every setback.

"My success isn't because I've avoided failure. It's because I've been willing to evaluate every experience, learn the lesson, and take action on what I learned."

The best career advice I ever received came from one of my early mentors, Lola LaCroix. She looked at me and said, "You don't know it yet, but this is the industry for you. You're going to be amazing at it. Don't ever change. Don't let anyone convince you to be someone you're not."

At the time, I didn't fully understand the impact those words would have on my life and career. Over the years, I've come to realize that my greatest asset is not my real estate knowledge, my business experience, or even my network—it's my authenticity. There is only one Nancy Alert, and my success has come from embracing that rather than trying to fit into someone else's mold.

Lola also taught me another lesson that has stayed with me throughout my career: opportunities mean nothing without action. She once said “reinforced the importance of being coachable, taking action, and implementing what you learn”.

The combination of those two lessons—know yourself and act on what you learn—has shaped every stage of my journey. Whether I was building my real estate business, recovering from setbacks, or helping women create financial freedom, I've learned that success comes from having the courage to be authentically yourself and the discipline to take consistent action.

"I spent years thinking I needed to fit in. The best advice I ever received taught me that my uniqueness is my superpower. There is only one Nancy Alert, and when I walk into a room, I don't try to command it—I simply show up fully as myself, and the room responds."

My advice to a young professional entering this industry is to first invest in yourself. Know who you are, what you stand for, and the life you want to create. As someone raised by a single mother and now navigating life as a single woman myself, I understand the importance of building a strong financial foundation and creating your own blueprint for success.

Be intentional with your time, energy, and relationships. Avoid time-wasters and energy vampires. Everyone will have an opinion about what you should do—listen, learn, and keep what serves your goals while letting go of the rest.

Know your numbers. Understand where your money is going and develop healthy financial habits early. Most importantly, work on your mindset. Many of us were taught to view money through a lens of scarcity, fear, or lack. Challenge those beliefs. Money is simply a tool that amplifies who you already are.

Set high standards for how you show up, who you allow into your circle, and what you will accept in your life and business. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

Finally, live by four principles: be impeccable with your word, don't make assumptions, don't take things personally, and always do your best. Those values will serve you well in business and in life.

One of the biggest challenges in the real estate and financial services industries today is not a lack of opportunity—it's a lack of education and understanding. Many people believe the American Dream is out of reach because home prices have increased, interest rates fluctuate, and the rules seem to keep changing. As a result, they sit on the sidelines and miss opportunities to build wealth.

I believe the greatest opportunity in our industry is helping people understand that the game has changed, but the opportunity still exists. Every person has the ability to participate; they simply need to learn the rules. I often tell my clients, "Don't hate the game—learn the rules of the game so you can play and win."

Too many people are making financial decisions based on fear, misinformation, or outdated advice. They don't realize there are strategies available through homeownership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, and properly structured financial products that can help them create stability, passive income, and long-term wealth.

This is especially important for women, particularly single women and single parents. I was raised by a single mother, and I understand firsthand the challenges of carrying the weight of financial responsibility. That's why I am passionate about helping women become financially empowered, own real estate, build passive income streams, and create generational wealth.

The opportunity before us is bigger than selling homes or financial products. It's about transforming lives. When someone purchases their first home, acquires their first investment property, protects their family through proper financial planning, or realizes they can create wealth regardless of their background, everything changes. They begin to see possibilities instead of limitations.

My mission is to help people move from financial uncertainty to financial freedom by giving them the education, strategies, and confidence to take action. When people understand the rules, they stop watching the game from the sidelines and start participating in building the life they deserve.

"The biggest challenge isn't the market. The biggest challenge is that too many people don't know the rules of the game. The biggest opportunity is teaching them that wealth isn't reserved for a select few—it belongs to those willing to learn, participate, and take action."

For both work and personal, it's God first, family, friends, and home. Everything I have is because of Him. Every day I wake up, I am so grateful for what I have and what He will give me. He's paving that way. I just have to open my eyes and walk, and know that though I don't see the road in front of me, when I get to that point, there will be a road for me to walk on. He promised that I'm gonna live a life of abundance, and if I don't believe it and feel it in my core, then that won't happen, but I do believe it and feel it. Having God in my life is very essential. My family and friends are very important to me, especially my single friends. I check in with them every week because life is being so crazy right now. I want to make sure people are good and they're not suffering from any depression or they're afraid of anything. I am not a passerby friend or one that's standing on the sidelines. I am part of your life. I'm also not a yes friend. If you're messing up, I'm gonna let you know you messed up, because that's what I want from you. I believe in having a work ethic and being structured. I also believe in working hard, but at the same time, you have to do self-care, that me time. I travel to 5 or 6 different countries every year because I want to explore the world and make sure my mind doesn't burn out. You gotta turn it off sometimes. My me time is very important to me. I have to protect my body because this is the only vessel I have to use to move around, so I have to protect my mind and my mental health. I don't do negativity. If that's your life, I'm gonna have to love you from a distance. I don't do 24-hour news because that does something to your inside, that negative energy. I'm not a Pollyanna, but I'm about positive vibes, positive energy, because like attracts like. If you see your life and all you attract is miserable people, you might want to look at yourself for a second and see what energy you're emitting.