On this episode, Caytie interviews Realtor, wife, mom, undiscovered mom (according to her instagram, leader of The Jennifer Wauhob team, and ultimate incredible woman, Jennifer Wauhob. They have a powerful discussion about achieving your goals by not giving up and continuing to go for it.
Key Highlights:
To connect with Jennifer:
https://www.instagram.com/jenniferwauhob/
http://www.thejenniferwauhobteam.com/
On this episode, Caytie interviews Realtor, wife, mom, undiscovered mom (according to her instagram, leader of The Jennifer Wauhob team, and ultimate incredible woman, Jennifer Wauhob. They have a powerful discussion about achieving your goals by not giving up and continuing to go for it.
Key Highlights:
To connect with Jennifer:
https://www.instagram.com/jenniferwauhob/
http://www.thejenniferwauhobteam.com/
Welcome to Not Made To Be Subtle, the podcast that will ignite the flame within women just like you. The place where we're going to reject the ordinary, embrace audacity, and step into our unapologetic boldness. I'm Caytie Langford, real estate investor, motivational speaker, champion of women, and your guide on this journey. In a world where societal expectations often tell women, we've got to calm down, be quiet, be more subtle. We are here to say absolutely not. No more. No, this podcast, this is going to be your place, your sanctuary for unfiltered conversations with bad ass women who dare to ask. Is this it? And then decided to go after more. I've spent decades empowering women from corporate America, nonprofits, and now in the real estate industry. The truth is my mission in life. is to inspire, motivate and impact the lives of women. I want to help them gain confidence and take massive action. And now I want you to join me as we explore stories of courage, resilience and transformation. But we're not here to just inspire you. No, we are here to propel you into that badass version of yourself that lies within you. You see, not made to be subtle is going to be the place where we are going to absolutely celebrate the wins. But we are also going to talk about the messy middle, that place that sucks when we're right in it, but it's the place where real growth happens. I'm Caytie Langford. I've been through my fair share of wins and I certainly have been in the messy middle. Together, we're going to dive into riveting stories. We're going to have unfiltered conversations and we're going to give you actionable advice that will transform you into the unstoppable force that you were created. So stay tuned for this episode of Not Made To Be Subtle, because you, you my friend, you were never made to be subtle.
Caytie Langford:Today, I have a super special guest. She was actually the first woman that I reached out to because she is not only a friend, but she's someone that I admire and I look up to. I've known this woman for over 20 years and I've had the honor and privilege of seeing her journey, how she has navigated a badass career and being a mother. So let me introduce you to Jennifer Wahaub. Jennifer is a real estate. Extraordinaire. She is a realtor in the Katy and West Houston market now for over 13 years. Her journey Her journey is nothing short of extraordinary. And in fact, she was named a top 20 under 40 in 2014 by the Houston Association of Realtors. She was recognized as one of the 11 realtors to watch by the Texas Association of Realtors. In 2017, and she is a consistent five star realtor by Texas magazine for the last five years. But that's not it. Not only is she a high performer within her own brokerage at Better Homes and Gardens with Gary Green down in Houston, she is one of the top 1 percent of agents in the entire national brand. Jen hasn't just stopped there. She has taken her volunteer efforts all the way to the National Association of Realtors, having served on their board of directors as the Vice President of Association Affairs. She's also one of the biggest Texas Tech Red Raider fans in the entire world. She's married to a great guy named Todd, and she is the mom of two exceptional young women, Ella and Ava. And I cannot wait for you to hear about Jen's journeys, all the twists and turns, and what has led her to now having her own team and guiding 11 people down at her realtor firm down in Houston. So welcome Jen! I am so excited to have you and I cannot wait for us to have this conversation and for our community to learn from you because I know as I was telling you before we came on that I watch your journey and I have learned so much from you that I don't even think that you probably even know or realize because you really are always head down making your business grow. So welcome so much
Jennifer Wauhob:Thank you for having me. First of all, shut up. I was the first person you called. That's awesome. That makes my day. That, that makes me super excited. So I'm so happy to be here.
Caytie Langford:Well, I am thrilled that you're here. And so, I want to jump in. Because, Jen, you obviously had your own college journey. As I said, at Texas Tech. Um, that's where you met your husband. And a lot of people don't know this, but you actually got your degree in music. And now you're a
Jennifer Wauhob:Well, useful. So
Caytie Langford:I know, so how did you make that journey, um, from, I mean you were a teacher for a few, the first few years out of college and um, and now you have this huge thriving team. So where, where did that take you?
Jennifer Wauhob:Yeah. So, well, like you said, graduated music education degree because that's what responsible people do. Um, the unresponsive people majored in music performance and like went to be on Broadway. We thought they were crazy, but like, we're going to go into music education because that's going to pay so much better. Um, so was a choir director, middle school choir director for the first six years after I graduated college. And then my husband's job kind of started moving us around the country. So I. Quit teaching and was staying home with our daughter. And when we got here in Houston, you know, I'd always kind of been interested in real estate ever since we went through the process of buying our first home, it just really piqued my interest. And it was kind of one of those things. I was like, Oh, but you know, like we have little kids and when you work in real estate, you got to work on the weekends and the evenings. And who knows if you can make it work. And, um, my husband who, you know, is like. The biggest supporter of me ever, like the biggest cheerleader. Um, he just said, well, just try it, you know, and work as much as you can work. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work out, you know? So it kind of gave me the freedom to just like, well, go do it. And if you fail, like who cares, what have you lost? So, um, so decided to get my real estate license and we'll move down here. Turns out getting into a sales business where you need to have relations. Relationships with people when you have just moved to a new city that you didn't grow up in. And I knew like a total of three people, none of them were planning on buying a house anytime soon. Um, in hindsight, I think if I had just known all the things that I didn't know, I maybe wouldn't have done it. But ignorance was bliss and just decided to jump in. And while in some ways it's. It's two totally different arenas at the end of the day, it really isn't because when you're a teacher, you're helping people and you're taking something complicated and you're breaking it down and you're making it simple so people can understand it and you're getting them from point A to point Z. And really, it's the same thing in my job now. It's just now I'm doing it with something different and I'm doing it with adults instead of junior high kids who believe it or not, adults sometimes still act like junior high kids. That
Caytie Langford:especially during the home
Jennifer Wauhob:the high stress moments. I mean, yes, absolutely. So that experience has come in handy more than once. Um, but I really realized it's the same thing. Like people, this is a big, kind of sometimes daunting thing to go through and they need somebody to help them and you're holding their hand. explaining how things work because you don't want them to be surprised and you want them to understand and feel empowered as they go through it. So a lot of the things carry over from one to the other, even though they're two totally different businesses. Um, but the, yes, the fact that I was a music major, um, uh, the fact, I mean, if you saw my college GPA now, when I get interviewed by the wall street journal, I am internally just like laughing. Cause I'm like, I can't believe you guys are talking to me. And I knew nothing about business when I got started and. Like I said, ignorance was bliss. I just decided to give it a try and learn as you go. That's all you can do.
Caytie Langford:one of the things that you touched upon was having a supportive partner and having someone who believes in you. Um, and when Jen talks about her husband Todd, I have seen this firsthand. He is the first person to cheer her on, to celebrate her successes, both, you know, in social media, in person. But, let's set Todd aside for a second because, um, Even though I'm a big fan of like, make sure you have a partner who's going to be beside you and, and cheer you on. There's a lot that happens in between here, right? In between our two ears and our head. And so I would love to understand, you move to a new city. This was, like, you left Dallas, then you went to Chicago, then
Jennifer Wauhob:Amy, Chicago, then Houston. Yeah. We kind of bounced around for a couple of
Caytie Langford:Yeah, so you get to Houston, you know, not very many people. You don't have a huge network and you say, okay, I'm going to go into this business that requires having relationships, requires having a network. What did you have to overcome? Who did you have to be? What did you have to say to yourself to just freaking go for it?
Jennifer Wauhob:I mean, the biggest thing for me was I went into it with a long term mindset. Like this is not something that I'm going to be successful at in the first three months, six months. Like it might take me a couple of years to build this. And I went into it thinking that, and if you watch any of the real estate, television shows that are out there. Um, they make it look like it's so easy and you just make boo coos of money. And it's just, it's not an accurate portrayal of what it's really like to build a business. And for people who don't know, when you're in real estate, you are your own small business and nobody gives you business just because I'm affiliated with the brokerage. Like they don't give me people to sell homes to, like you still have to build it all yourself. And so when I got started. I started in a training class in my little office. There was six of us and within six months, at least three of the people were gone. They were like, nevermind. I'm not because you're not making any money in that time while you're training and, um, trying to get going. So like three of them were out. Another one hung on like till maybe towards the end of the year. And I mean, by the end of the first year, it was me and one other woman who she eventually got out of the business too. So, I mean, really, I just went into it, like not expecting to have any type of success anytime soon. And like, I'm just going to keep my head down and keep grinding. And I think these other people went into it with the opposite. And when six months had gone by and they're like, wait a second, I'm not making any money. This sucks. I'm going to go do something else. Um, I really thought, you know, like. I met a couple of people this week at an open house. And so now I'm going to put them in my database. And then next week I'm going to meet a couple more at an open house. And so I'm going to add them. And at the end of the month, I'll have like eight new people in my database. And if I just keep doing that, I mean, the compact, the compound effect was powerful. Right. And I could just kind of see that from the beginning. Like, well, if I just keep doing the little things, like they're going to start to add up over time. And, you know, and then I looked up to all the, like the big top producers in my office, I was like, and then, you know, I could have a business like them one day maybe. Um, so it really, I think was just going into it with the right mindset and not. I think if my expectations had been high, I would have been disappointed and I don't know, maybe I would have given up and I just, I just didn't give up. Honestly, not any smarter or better than those other five people that I started with. I just didn't quit when they did. So that's a lot of it. It's just don't, don't quit so soon. You never know when success is going to come to you.
Caytie Langford:Well, the thing about that Jen is it's so powerful. This idea of going in with a longterm in mind. I don't think a lot of people are talking about that.
Jennifer Wauhob:Well, I mean, look at our society today. I mean, we are like instant everything. So if anything takes work and my gosh, I can tell you raising kids right now. I am terrified for them. Cause I'm looking at it now and I'm like, oh my gosh, they're about to go out into the world. And they have, they have like no discomfort in their day. You know, if they want Chipotle, they press a button on their phone and Chipotle shows up at our door. And I was like, man, I need to go like. Make them do a pilgrimage or do something like, I think just never having to do anything hard and everything being so quick and easy has now like gotten us to a point in society where people will just give up really quick if they don't see success. So it's like, you have to be willing to that, that delayed gratification is important.
Caytie Langford:Yeah. Let me ask you, where did that come from? Um, did you have anything in your background that, that made you think through that? Or had you experienced that with anything else in the past?
Jennifer Wauhob:I really hadn't. And I mean, if you think about it, I think in some ways we're just wired different. And I think maybe I'm just kind of wired that way. Sometimes I've joked, I think it comes with being a middle child. Like you just get so used to like, never get, like, I still, to this day, when somebody, when I get attention or praise or something, I'm like, really? Wow. Cause you just don't expect anything. You expect to be looked over all the time. So I don't know, maybe I don't know if that's where it comes from or not, but I, you know, I mean, I did have great parents who. instilled a lot of confidence in me. So maybe I've always had like, uh, maybe I've been overly confident when not necessarily have earned it. And so just kind of thought, you know, I, you know, some people say they have imposter syndrome, like, you know, when they do things and they feel like they're not qualified or they don't deserve it. I'm like, I have whatever the opposite is. Like I look at most stuff and I go, I think I could do it. You know, like if I watched the Olympics and I'm like, but if I trained for. 10 hours a day. And I did that for two years. I, maybe I could do that. So I almost have just the opposite of like, instead of assuming that I can't do all these things, I kind of assume that I can. Uh, and you'd be surprised you're, you're, you're, you could do a lot more than you think that you can most of the time. Like there's a lot of stuff that I've tried not thinking it would work. And I'd be like, Oh my God, that worked. So, um, I don't know. I think it's just kind of a mindset. I don't know where necessarily it came from, but I think I've just always kind of been that way.
Caytie Langford:Well, I love that we have shifted a little bit to mindset. Having known you as long as I have and having seen you go through this journey I've actually been a witness to other people looking at you and saying oh jennifer's really lucky, right? Jennifer's really lucky that her You know She she was able to land in an area where real estate is good And she was really lucky that she has a supportive partner and she was really lucky that Her daughters have been pretty flexible and allowed her, you know, to, to be this badass realtor. Um, I've heard people call you lucky, and yet I've also been on a trip with you. We were roommates on one of our girls' trips, and I remember this was a weekend, right? We're in Mexico and you were on the phone. a lot. You were on the phone doing deals, making things happen, talking back to your team. Um, and so when you hear this idea that you're really lucky, what do you have to say about that? And what do you have to say to any other woman who someone has looked at them and been like, you're just really lucky?
Jennifer Wauhob:well, I mean, I think you and I both know like you never know what's going on behind the scenes, especially in the social media world. We live in right now where you only see the highlight reel and you only see the great stuff. Um, so much work goes on behind the scenes. Like, none of it is luck. I mean, of course, there are There are times in my life where like something has come my way that maybe was kind of a fluke or luck, but I think that's, what's the saying? Maybe, you know, it's like, we're like preparation, like, yeah, there you go. Like when those two meet, well, I do feel like I was always preparing and I was always, I like to work. Um, you know, so. Working hard to me is I enjoy it. Like when I don't want to get up and do nothing every day. Like I want to have something to go do. Uh, and even on vacation, I don't, I don't mind it. You know, some people, they're like, Oh, I'm so burned out. I don't want to look at my phone. And I'm like, I don't mind if a client texts me and I just need to get back to them really quick, or I just need to delegate something, give me five minutes to hop on the phone and delegate something like that doesn't bother me. Because to me, I'm like. Back to the mindset thing. I'm like, how cool is it that I'm in Mexico and get to make a living while I'm hanging out with my girlfriends in Mexico. And all it does is take me five minutes to get up and just make a quick phone call. I used to be a teacher. I mean, I had to be in the building. Live by the bell. No flexibility in my schedule. So now I look at those things like with a sense of gratitude, like how cool is it that I get to be here and do this and I can still maintain a business and keep my job going even though I'm not sitting in the office five days a week. So it is kind of back to how you look at it. Like maybe it's not lucky. It's just I look at things from like a perspective of you know, Gratitude. And I'm excited that I get to do this. And so I don't mind putting in the hours and everything behind the scenes. Um, awesome. I really love it. Yeah, I think
Caytie Langford:Yeah
Jennifer Wauhob:big difference to like, I really enjoy what I do. Um, whoever said love what you do and you never work in your day, work a day in your life is that's ridiculous. Like I worked my ass off, but, um, but I like it, you know, and so I think it's just a combination of those things like finding something that you enjoy that you're passionate about. Again, I feel like I'm helping people. It's not hard for me to take a few minutes away from my family or a vacation if, if I feel like I'm being of service to somebody else and then just having that mentality that like, you know what, like a lot of people have to work a lot harder than me and do a lot crappier jobs. So, like, I can be grateful that I can be sipping a margarita while, while replying back to an email. I think it's just all about how you look at it.
Caytie Langford:well and that is one of the things that I appreciate you is that I don't know what it is in you if this Is something that's just innate or if you've worked on it You've built this muscle, but you always tend to look at things at least for my perspective Like you can do it There is something to be grateful for. Life is going well. Um, I rarely have ever heard you complain about things or be woe as me. Um, be down on yourself and, and obviously you're like every single other human. You have had ups and downs. You have had your own crosses to bear in life. It's not like everything has always gone perfect for you. And so, um, I just want to honor in you that, that that's. That's the energy that you bring, and I think that that is often a magnet because people are like, wow, she is always looking on the bright side. And they want to, again, when you're buying a house, even as an investor now, right, because I'm looking at it from a very different lens than I even was before, when you're buying it as your own home, you obviously get attached, you see your family there, you see yourself raising your kids, having special
Jennifer Wauhob:lot more emotion.
Caytie Langford:Exactly. But even still, even when you buy as an investor, there are definitely things, it's a different kind of emotion because you start to think, how much money can I make? What, you know, tax savings can I have? Whatever it is
Jennifer Wauhob:possibility and opportunity for you.
Caytie Langford:exactly. And, and being the person on the other side of that who can manage that, and manage those emotions and help people, I mean, It's almost like being a therapist in some ways. Some of the stuff that, I'm sure you've had people cry and scream and all the things.
Jennifer Wauhob:of it. I, yes, have dealt with all the emotions. It's a hundred percent. Therapy is, um, a huge part of our job, but, um, yeah, I think, like you said, what you focus on expands. I mean, I could today think back on my day and find little things that didn't go perfectly or something like that. And I could focus on those and be like, Oh my God, today's been such a crappy day. Or I can focus on, you know, the things that, That did go right. And for me, I just, it's perspective. I try to just bring it back to like, well, what really matters? Like, you know, what's going to matter at the end of your life, your health, your family, like, you know, so I just always kind of, I'm like, are those things? Okay. Oh, okay. Then. Yeah, I guess we're, we're in good shape. So I think it's just focusing your time and energy on if you do. Think of the positive things and the possibilities and what could come out of what could come out of every day, you know, maybe I meet somebody and I get excited because I'm like, you know, we could work together in the future and we could maybe do this together. Um, I think just having hope and, and being excited about future possibilities, I think that helps a lot too, just your overall mental state. And so, yeah, I try to be positive. I believe in manifesting things. I'm like, you know, if I think of. If I focus on these things, like they are going to come to me and I just choose to believe the best. And then if I'm disappointed, then I'll deal with that then. But like I said, you actually find out you, you, you win more than you lose. A lot of times when you do that,
Caytie Langford:So, one of the reasons why I started this podcast is because so many women at some point in their life get to the place where they say, is this it? Is this really what it's supposed to be? And obviously you've probably had different points in your life where you might have said this. But one of the areas I see you probably came to and said, is this it is you could have absolutely stopped at yourself. You could have said, I'm going to have this great, you know, business on my own. I'm going to be a single producer. I'm going to go win all these single producer awards. I'm going to be the top 1 percent et cetera, et cetera. But you have in fact been growing your team. And so, help us understand, especially to the woman who is sitting there saying, Is this it? What did you have to do to push yourself to go from yourself to this amazing, incredible team that you have right now? And how has that journey been, the ups and the downs of getting to that point?
Jennifer Wauhob:I love this question because you know, you talked a little bit earlier about like things seeming so great or so easy and not looking at like all the things it took to get there. And I mean, I remember when I was a solo agent, I would look at agents with teams and they had like this huge production and I'd be like, Oh my gosh, I just, I don't think that I could do it. And. All along the way, like as I've been doing this and like failing forward and screwing things up and being like, Oh, okay, well, don't do that again. And let me, let me back up and try this again. Like, as I've been doing all that, um, you know, sometimes you stop and you just feel like everything is uphill and then you stop and you look back and you go, wait a second, like, look how far I've come and you should just be me. And now it's, you know, it's. First, it was just, I brought on a, um, a transaction coordinator and assistant. So it was just the three of us. And we were just kind of getting the, uh, the, the foundation of the business in place. Well, that is not fun at all. I feel like, cause like you're not
Caytie Langford:No!
Jennifer Wauhob:the growth. You're not seeing success. I mean, it's like literally the boring, not sexy. Like we need our platform set up. We need all this stuff that, I mean, that phase felt like it took forever. Even in hindsight, I can look back and it didn't. So there was that. And then it was time to start bringing on other agents. And I had a horrible time finding agents to bring on at first because the ones that I interviewed that would come to me, cause I wanted to join a team. I was like, well, when I met with them, I'm like, I can see why you need to join a team. And you're not selling any houses on your own. Like you said, So I was only getting people who sucked. And so that was like, I'd be on a call with my coach. I did have a coach throughout this whole process. Uh, you know, and every week you'd be like, have you hired anybody? Have you hired anybody? Like here I am trying to grow a team. And like every week I'm like, no, I haven't hired anybody because I haven't met anybody that I liked or that I felt like aligned with my values or was going to take care of people. Like I take care of people that phase felt like it took forever. Um, and so, you know, in the beginning, it was, like I said, it was just a grind and you're not seeing any of the. The glitzy, like, marketing photos with now I have, you know, this team full of what, 11 of us now, and, you know, we're all smiling and dressed up. Like you see that now, but I mean, back then it was like, still just me and my two little staff people I'd hired and, and nothing to show for it. And so it just took a long time to get those things done. And then. We hit a point where everything started clicking. And I think this happens for most people in their business. Like, I mean, you know, none of it is a straight uphill climb. Like you go up and then you go down. And so then we hit a period where we like, we, we hit this big increase and the market kind of took off. And we just happened to be like poised now. Cause I had all the pieces in place, all that work that I had done. And so we, I mean, we doubled our production in one year. With just me and a couple agents, I was like, Oh, and then when we started having success, other good agents wanted to come join us. So then I wasn't having to work so hard to find people like we were attracting people. Um, and then, you know, again, we had years that have been hard and then you're kind of back to, should we try this? Or I tried this and it didn't really work. And now I'm trying to go from this level to this level, which is also really hard. And you're back to doing all those boring, non sexy things to try to get to the next level. So none of it is. As easy as it looks, uh, you know, do not go off of somebody's social media highlights to think that that's, that's it. They just decided to start a team and all of a sudden here, here's what they have. I mean, it was a lot of years of trying things, not being successful, getting frustrated, but every day just being like, well, this is what I decided to do. So I guess I'm just going to keep doing it. And, um, and it really wasn't until that first time that we really started to have success that I was like. Oh, now I get it. Like you do all this work and then eventually it clicks and it takes off. And I think most people give up before they hit that first little, that little. What do you want to call it? Inclined in the stress graph. Yeah.
Caytie Langford:The place where it takes off.
Jennifer Wauhob:Yeah.
Caytie Langford:So, you have mentioned multiple times people just give up. This idea of just giving up. One of the things that our community would probably be very interested in hearing and learning about you is that you put yourself in positions where you get really uncomfortable. You've trained for marathons, you've trained for half marathons, you have a cold plunge at your house, you know, you do these kinds of things. Um, you tell us a little bit about how do you make yourself uncomfortable in places that others may even deem safe so that you can really show up and be uncomfortable in those other places where you want to take your life, um, and your business to the next level.
Jennifer Wauhob:right. So I kind of geek out on mental toughness and you know, I read books on it and I'm, I'm fascinated by like Navy Seals and Hell Week and all that kind of stuff just because, you know, they put these people through stuff and it is not the physical challenges that get them. Like it is all Mental toughness. And so I'm like, man, like, I just want to be with people. It's like so tough. Like you can't break me like no matter what, no matter how hard it is or how uncomfortable. So I read, but I don't know if you're familiar with David Goggins.
Caytie Langford:I was going to say he's coming to Dallas.
Jennifer Wauhob:Oh, he is.
Caytie Langford:Like maybe we need to come see him. I like cuz I've started following him. Yeah. Okay. We'll talk about that
Jennifer Wauhob:so hard if I met him, because yeah, if you haven't read his book, I mean, he just has this great story of how, I mean, he grew up with nothing. He was in poverty. He did terrible in school and how he just completely transformed himself, uh, into, uh, a Navy SEAL. And now he's like this elite athlete. He does these hundred mile run. Anyway, it's just, it's a crazy story. And it was literally all in his head. You know, it was just getting control of his mind. So you mentioned the marathon. I am not a fast runner by any means. Not even, I would not call myself a runner, but that the whole reason I chose to run a marathon is because of the mental challenge. I was like, I want to see if I can keep going. I know if I have to run 26 miles, I'm going to want to quit. Like, can I make myself keep going? Even though I want to quit. I get in my cold plunge every morning. I have an ice pod on my back porch. Uh, got in it this morning for three minutes, 45 degrees and the whole three minutes This sucks. This hurts. I want to get out. Um, especially the minute before it is actually probably the most important minute because I'm thinking, I don't want to get in this. I don't want to do it. And just strengthening that muscle of like, I'm just going to do it. Like, I don't want to do it. And I'm just going to do it, making myself do that. So I actually am fascinated by the brain and just. Like I said, mental toughness in my mind, I'm like this warrior that could be a Navy SEAL and could get through hell week. Um, so I just, I think it's really important. Like I mentioned before, we just, we have gotten so comfortable as a society and you just, sometimes you need to do something hard. Like even if you fail at it just to see maybe, but maybe you got farther than you thought you would, you know? Um, so just. The whole not giving up mentality is our bodies can handle way more than, than we allow. And that's what I really learned through marathon training is you look at it and you go, there's no way I can, my, my body can do this. I am not a runner. I'm not built for this. But, um, your body totally can, if you just follow the steps to get it ready to get there. So it's just realizing that, you know, it's our brains that are the problem or the things that get in the way. And so kind of training yourself and practicing doing things. Like I said, the cold plunge every day is just like a practice and I don't want to do it. It sucks. And then I make myself do it and then I get out and I feel great because I did it. So, so I think it's really, it's just about finding ways to, to try to strengthen that muscle when you can.
Caytie Langford:Well and I also really I love this idea because I also geek out on the brain and what we do. Um, is that our brain, when we celebrate things, when we give it rewards, it looks for more of them. So the cool thing to me about the cold plunge is, once it's done, You do it first thing in the morning. You've already like gotten a check mark for the day You've already set yourself up for success and then your brain is like great more of that more of that And and that's actually where like real live dopamine real live serotonin, right? not this fake stuff from All the things that, that people do. Um, but those are real ways that your body and your brain say, Ooh, yes, more of that, more of that. And so, um, I love this idea.
Jennifer Wauhob:because it sucks so bad. And then yet I'm actually kind of excited to get into it the next day. And then for about a minute ahead, I'm like, I don't want to do it. And then I do it. And then I'm excited again. So you're right. It makes total sense.
Caytie Langford:Well, I'm dying to get one. I've only done it a couple of times. Um, and I remember the first time that I did it, I was about to get in and I thought, Oh my gosh, this is horrible. And the first like 30 seconds when you get in, it
Jennifer Wauhob:It's the worst part
Caytie Langford:the worst. And then you get to a place. Yeah, and then you get to a place where you're like, this actually isn't really bad. This isn't like, you, you kind of, and I've done cryotherapy and it is also very similar in that. Yeah. Um, okay. So I want to kind of take a right for a minute. One of the things that, again, I feel like maybe I haven't even just expressed some of these things to you, so I'm honored that I get to do it, is that you were one of our first friends when you had children that went back to work, that said, I'm going to have a career. Many of the women that we have been friends with for a long time. They left, they said, I'm not gonna do this. You have two daughters. Um, I cannot believe that one is about to go to college. That is insanity.
Jennifer Wauhob:You were telling me.
Caytie Langford:I mean,'cause you know, she was born five weeks before my wedding. And so now I just look
Jennifer Wauhob:That's true. Yeah, that's true.
Caytie Langford:I'm like, oh my gosh. Ella is like our, as old as our marriage. Um. But you have two girls. They obviously have been watching you for the last 13 years as you have been growing this business. How do you do it? Like, for real, how do you do it? And, and what have you been willing to say, I'm not gonna be the expert in that. I'm not gonna actually win at that. Like, what have you taken off of your plate to be like, this is the kind of mom that I'm gonna be? Ha ha ha ha ha!
Jennifer Wauhob:because I am terrible at it. And so we, my children do not get home cooked meals very often. We, we doordash and we eat out a lot. But, um,
Caytie Langford:Every time Jen posts something that there's a pot on the stove, all I think is, Oh my gosh,
Jennifer Wauhob:badly. It always ends
Caytie Langford:it's, yeah, I, I, yeah. I love
Jennifer Wauhob:so that would be one
Caytie Langford:not your strength!
Jennifer Wauhob:that that is not something I'm great at at life and that's fine. I'm going to focus on other things. But yeah, like you mentioned, so I'm, I'm raising two girls, you know, two that are going to be women one day. I was fortunate, uh, I think like you too, to be raised by a strong woman who had a career and who worked and she was raised by a. Super strong woman, you know, so I, I did have these examples in my life. Uh, but yeah, I was, I, I was actually one of the first ones of us to have kids. I think, I
Caytie Langford:You were!
Jennifer Wauhob:was the very first one to have a baby. Uh, and then I did and I went back to work and like you mentioned, I stayed home for a little bit, uh, at some point in between careers, so I've done both. And for me personally, I said before, I enjoy working, you know, I stayed home and I mean, it was great to have that, that time with Ella when she was little. But every day I was kind of like, what else are we going to do? You know, just like filling the time and okay, like we will go to the park again. And I just was, for me, I was craving like a little bit more activity. And for some people they don't, and they're perfectly happy at home. And that is perfectly fine. But, but I, I wanted to go back to work and, you know, we, we do still live in a society where I do feel like there's still kind of a divide. Between, you know, working women and moms that stay at home. I don't know, do you remember when I got mailed the anonymous note?
Caytie Langford:Yes
Jennifer Wauhob:Okay.
Caytie Langford:Tell the tell
Jennifer Wauhob:story. I have to tell this
Caytie Langford:cuz this this blew my mind. Yes. I totally remember
Jennifer Wauhob:me too. Okay. So another mom, she was the mom of one of my daughter's friends, uh, who did not work. She, she stayed home. She mailed me an anonymous note and it was anonymous and typed. Because apparently she thought I was going to like take it to a handwriting analysis place to, to find out who sent it to me. I was like, I remember like the movies growing up with a serial killer would
Caytie Langford:Yeah.
Jennifer Wauhob:letters from like, that's what I felt like it was like, um, so it was anonymous and it was typed and it was telling me that I don't spend enough time with my children. And that, you know, I think with some therapy, they'll probably be okay when they grow up. And they basically telling me that I was a bad mom. Uh, and hindsight now is 20 20. I knew who it was. I could tell despite the fact that she didn't use her handwriting. I could deduce who it was, who who wrote me that note. And now I can look back very shortly thereafter. We found out from her daughter that, you know, they were in the process going through a divorce. Her daughter would actually asked to come over to our house because her parents were fighting and it was getting so bad. So yeah, When that kind of stuff happened and I looked back, I was like, Oh, okay. Like now it makes sense. You know, hurting people, hurt people, things weren't going so great in her life. I think she was looking for other people to be like, but you're not doing good at this either. So she wrote me this note telling me that I was a terrible mom. Um, because she would see. Back to social media. I know we keep coming to this today, but you know, I would maybe be in an event or I'm very involved in the real estate industry here. So there's a lot of stuff going on in the evening. So I would be in an event and I would post about it. And the problem to me with social media today is people take these tiny little snippets they see of your day and then they assume that's like your whole life. So maybe I would post I was at something for an hour or two and I would post about it. And then maybe the next week I was at something else and I post and people take those two little 10 second clips and go, Oh my gosh, she is out every night of the week. She was never home. She's not taking care of her kids. Um, it did not Bob. It did not bother me. Deeply, like it did not rock my world because I knew that, you know, I have a great relationship with my daughters. Yes, I'm not here all the time. Um, but you know, they, they are loved and they are taken care of and I'm present in their lives. So it didn't upset me. I was more like you just blown away that somebody would go through, one, mom would go through all that trouble to tell another mom that, that she was doing a bad job. So. So there is criticism from it, and it did make me kind of just sit and think about it a little bit, and you know, my girls, I'm not here. Um, I was just traveling last month. I was gone on my daughter's 18th birthday. That sucks. Like, I'm not gonna lie and say that I didn't feel guilty about it, and it didn't suck. I would have loved to have been there, and I tried everything I could, and I just couldn't make it work. But, um, they also understand that The world doesn't revolve around them. I kind of feel like when you're raising kids, you need to let them know that. Like I, I'm going to be at your play and I'm going to cheer you on. Cause I know this is super important to you, but you know what other people have, mommy has some stuff that she does. That's really important to her. And so, you know, thank you for giving me the time to be able to go and do those things. And, um. When they get to see some of the rewards or the accolades, things like that. Um, I think then it really clicks for them like, Oh, like this is what she's off doing. There's a reason that she isn't with us all the time. And you know, I, I think my personal belief is, I mean, kids just need parents that are happy. If you're happy being at home, then by all means do that. But if you have a passion or being cool to go do something else, go do that because your kids are going to be better off when they see their parents being happy and pursuing things that, that bring them happiness and enjoy and being of service to others. So I don't think it matters which one, just as long as, as you are happy. And for me, this makes me happy and been fortunate now that I've been in some. Situations where, you know, they've gotten to come see me speak or come see me be on a stage or come see me get a big reward. And so they can also see, you know, like what can happen when, when they put in the work. And I mentioned being of service to others. That's what I just kind of try to drill home with them is like, you know, I am giving back to my industry. Like I'm off doing these things because I'm trying to, this is an industry I care about and I'm trying to make it better. And being, I think a life of service to others is you were always going to it. I don't know anybody that spent their whole life pouring into other people and then got to their life. I was like, well, that sucks. You know, what did I get out of that? Um, you know, so just setting those examples for them and then just hoping that one day when they grow into women, that they're going to take some of that with them.
Caytie Langford:Yeah. Well, and it's funny when we say, like, grow into women. I mean Your oldest is there. Like she's, she's, you know, she's going to be out in the workforce and doing her own thing. And one of the cool things though that I've also seen in your girls is they've started businesses. Like they've, they've actually like created ideas and gone out and tried to make money and, um, and tried to, to do good in the world. They also, I think have seen you and, and can understand, you know, women making their own money and financial independence and all of those things. Like, you know, you're not, you're not relying on everything that Todd does. You, you get to spoil your family from
Jennifer Wauhob:every, every now and then they say they're going to marry rich. And I'm always like, you don't need to marry rich. You make your own money.
Caytie Langford:That's
Jennifer Wauhob:you're right. They, they, sometimes it's doing good. Sometimes they have been running like candy rings at school. I found out I'll like be in their backpack. I'll be like, why do you have this giant bag of like gum or candy? And they'll be like, yes, I sell it. They take it to school and they sell it to other kids. Um, one day Ava was doing a lemonade stand out front and I wasn't out there with her. I was in my office working and I looked out there and I could see cans. On the table. And so I went out there and she had gotten beer out of, we'd had a Christmas party and we'd had a cooler full of beer. And she was like, well, people will buy this. Like people like to drink this too. And I'm like, that's actually a way better business model, except I hate to tell you you have to have a license to sell beer, but she was, you know, again, this explains why I get letters from the, from the neighbors, but yeah, I like to think that those are like little seeds of things that are going to work out well for them in the future.
Caytie Langford:well I, I think so. I mean, I think your girls are so cool. And, and one of the other things that I think is a success as a parent is, you know, when you guys come to Dallas and you bring your girls, they actually hang out with us. You know, we saw them this summer or earlier this fall in an event and I got to hang out with them and talk to them and see how life is going. And they're not just looking at you as their parents going, Oh my gosh, I can't believe we were dragged to this event and we have to hang out with mom and dad's friends. I mean, and they did all night and it was awesome. So kudos to, to everything that you guys are doing. Um, so we want to end with this. I think that you are a badass. I think that every woman is a badass. I think that we as women, we have big, bold things to do in our world. And for some of us, that bold thing happens within our families. Some of it happens within our communities. Some of it might happen in the world, right? I see you doing bold things at each of these events. places within your family, within, you know, the Houston Realtors Association at the national level. Um, but I wanted to ask you, like when you hear the word badass and you think about, you know, wearing that as your own badge of honor, what comes to mind for you and how do you think that other women can also own that as a badge of honor on their own journey?
Jennifer Wauhob:To me, it means like just not being afraid to go try things. You know, a lot of it is I've just tried things and sometimes they worked out and sometimes they haven't, but just like not being afraid to try and put yourself out there. And I mean, and you, you are really good at that too. You know, you're saying all these nice things about me, but I mean, you too, you have, you have tried new things and you've gotten way outside of your comfort zone. I remember being with you when you quit your job and you were a hot mess. Like we were in New Orleans and you were freaking out because you were trying to go off on your own. Like don't ever let anybody think it was easy. Like you were, you were a mess
Caytie Langford:That was, I was a hot mess. Yes.
Jennifer Wauhob:were trying something new and you had the courage to go do it. And so when I hear badass women, I'm like, just, just go freaking do it. Like, don't let somebody tell you you can't and don't let your. You know, inner self doubt or fear. Like, so what? Like if you try and you fail, then you fail. I think we way overestimate what failure is going to do to us. Like it really doesn't do anything. I try, if nobody ever listens to this podcast, like, are you Physically going to be hurt by it. No, like you're going to go, well, okay, I spent some time and hour hours doing that and it didn't work out and I'm going to go do something else. Like you are going to be just fine. And so, so just not being afraid to try something new, to put yourself out there, to not worry about what people are going to think. And like I said, you'll, you'll be surprised sometimes at how things will work out.
Caytie Langford:Yeah. So, don't be afraid. And don't give up. Don't give up. I love both of those messages. Well, Jen, as always, I'm just honored to have this conversation with you because here's what's cool. As you said, you know, what if nobody listens to this? All I think is, well, that's
Jennifer Wauhob:I mean, I should have hyped you up more than that. I'm sure a lot of people are going to listen to this, but not
Caytie Langford:if they don't, I just got to have a 45 minute conversation with a friend of mine who I admire and look up to. And now I'm like, okay, all right, there's, there's some things on my to do list that I'm going to put on there. Cause I'm like, well, that's one of Jen's secret sauces, right? Like not giving up doing something every day. Who cares if I only add eight people to my database every week, that's eight more people than I had. Um, you know, and, and that whole compounding over time. So. You know, if no one listens to it, I'm still gonna take all of this and be super pumped
Jennifer Wauhob:Well, yeah, you and I, it's worked out
Caytie Langford:Right! Exactly, exactly. Well, as a reminder, if this has been an episode that has helped you, if you know that there's another woman that needs to hear this message, needs to hear about the fact that she needs to just try, she needs to put herself out there, that failure is not the be all end all, and that she should never give up, Forward this to your friends. Also like and subscribe. Rate us. Let us know what you're liking. And Jen, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for pouring into our community. And thank you for just getting out there and being you. Being the bold version of you. Because the what you are doing is impacting the lives of so many. And I, for one, am honored to call you a friend.
Jennifer Wauhob:Oh, well, same to you.
Thank you for joining us on today's episode of Not Made To Be Subtle. Remember, we're not just a podcast. No, we are a movement for women just like you. And if today's episode resonated with you, please don't keep it to yourself. I promise that there is a woman in your sphere of influence who also needs to hear this message. Please help us spread the word. that it is time to break free from those societal expectations that tell us to stay small. Also, I would love for you to hit that like button, hit subscribe, and please give us your feedback by leaving a comment. Your feedback is the fuel that helps us in our mission to bring you content that you love, that you want, and that you crave. Here's the thing. We want to hear your thoughts. We want to know your story and we want to understand your journey toward unapologetic boldness. Remember, you are never alone on your path. We are here for you as you go about your day, carry this unapologetic boldness within you. And until next time I want you to stay fierce, stay bad ass and always remember that you, you, my dear, were not made to be subtle.