Shrieka Smith

I attribute my success first to God and to the parents He blessed me with. My parents did more than encourage me. They shaped my character, my faith, and the way I define success. Together, they taught me to be thoughtful and to treat everyone with respect, regardless of title or position. That lesson continues to guide how I lead, collaborate, and serve others.

My mother taught me never to give up and to always strive for the best possible outcome.

My father taught me the importance of faith. During multiple layoffs in recent years, that faith helped me keep my head up, trust that a difficult season did not define my future, and continue moving forward.

Because of their example, I do not measure success by titles alone. I measure it by the way I treat people, the courage to keep going when life changes unexpectedly, and the impact I am able to have on others.

The best career advice I have ever received is: “See the possibilities and take the leap.”

That advice has shaped every major chapter of my career, from title and escrow to national closing operations, sales, leadership, and enterprise technology. Each transition required me to understand that unfamiliar did not mean unqualified.

Taking the leap does not mean moving without preparation or wisdom. It means trusting what you have learned, remaining open to growth, and refusing to let fear make the decision for you. I have learned that confidence does not always arrive before the next step. Sometimes confidence is built because you take the step, do the work, and discover that your experience prepared you more than you realized.

Some of the most meaningful growth in my career began when I chose to move forward before I had every answer.

My advice to young women entering real estate technology is to never minimize the experience that brought you there. You do not need a traditional technology background to belong in this industry. Operational knowledge, customer insight, communication, problem solving, and understanding how people actually work are all incredibly valuable.

Learn the business deeply. Ask thoughtful questions. Document your accomplishments so you can clearly communicate your impact. Build genuine relationships before you need them, and become comfortable learning tools that may initially feel unfamiliar. Most importantly, do not shrink your voice because you are new to the room. Your perspective may be exactly what the room is missing.

You do not have to know everything before you begin. Remain curious, be willing to learn, and trust the value of the experience you already carry. Confidence grows through preparation, consistency, and action.

One of the greatest challenges in real estate technology is the growing distance between innovation and meaningful adoption. AI is advancing quickly, but many organizations are still building the trust, workflows, and readiness needed to use it responsibly. Providing access to technology is the easy part. The more meaningful work is helping people understand how it fits into their responsibilities, where human judgment remains essential, and how it can improve the customer experience.

That challenge also represents one of the industry’s greatest opportunities. Organizations that pair innovation with clear processes, thoughtful change management, and strong education will create the most sustainable results. In real estate, where transactions involve financial risk, compliance, and deeply personal decisions, AI should strengthen human expertise rather than replace it. The opportunity is to build technology people trust because it makes work clearer, decisions stronger, and the experience better for everyone involved.

Resilience is the value that has shaped me most in both my professional and personal life.

To me, resilience does not mean pretending difficult experiences do not hurt. It means acknowledging them, learning from them, and continuing to believe there is something meaningful ahead. It has carried me through multiple layoffs, career transitions, and unfamiliar opportunities without allowing any one moment to define my future.

In my work, resilience helps me remain calm, adaptable, and focused on solutions when implementations become complex or teams are navigating significant change. It allows me to approach challenges with patience, learn from what is not working, and continue moving toward the best possible outcome.

In my personal life, resilience keeps me connected to my faith. It reminds me that growth can come from seasons I would not have chosen and that an unexpected change in direction does not mean the journey has lost its purpose.

Resilience also influences how I treat others. Because I understand that people may be carrying pressures others cannot see, I try to lead with thoughtfulness, respect, and empathy regardless of someone’s title. I want my success to reflect not only how I continued moving forward, but also how I helped others believe they could move forward too.