Leading and Giving Back with Openness and Sincerity

BY LEE NELSON

You might find Leigh Brown gathering eggs on her family’s want-to-be farm, playing the piano, running through the countryside, cooking a meal with ingredients grown in the garden or attending one of her two teenagers’ events. Other times, she’s leading two successful businesses, including One Community Real Estate® in Concord and her motivational keynote speaker company, Leigh Thomas Brown, Inc.

All of that doesn’t include her time now as the 2023 President of NC REALTORS® or all of her other volunteer commitments. It may seem wild to understand how she fits all of this into her schedule, but for Brown, it’s part of her DNA and her mission to enrich the lives of fellow REALTORS® and their communities.

“I find joy in service alongside my colleagues who pour their hearts and souls into neighbors they may never meet,” she says.

Her Personality

On her Facebook page, Brown stated three New Year’s resolutions for REALTORS®:

• Answer the phone every time it rings.

• Read your emails.

• Stop bragging about your earnings.

Being upfront and honest with a lot of humor has helped push Brown to many of her successes, including owning her own brokerage, her own public speaking business and being a leader in many community and REALTOR® organizations.

“I’m a little different than other leaders. I’m very visible on social media. My goal is to provide value, knowing I will never know who is watching and listening,” she adds.

Brown hopes that one day someone comes along who is the creative, imaginative, thoughtful person that changes real estate forever.

“It’s that person that comes behind you and eclipses you. I’m always looking for somebody that blows past me. I hope that happens while I’m in leadership. I want to open a door, and they plow right past me,” she emphasizes.

Her Real Estate Business and Volunteerism

She began 23 years ago as a second-generation REALTOR®. Her father, a very successful REALTOR® in the state, got his license in 1978. She was honored to have him install her as president of NC REALTORS® in January.

“He proved that REALTORS® can retire, but most don’t,” she laughs.

One month before the pandemic began in 2020, Brown started her own real estate company—One Community Real Estate in Concord.

“Why not?” she says. “It actually was great timing, to be honest. In North Carolina, REALTORS® were not considered essential until the end of April.”

That extra month gave her time to work things out, and “my client base came with me.” She built a team of ten agents for her boutique firm in the heart of Concord’s historical area.

“The revitalization of Concord is the core of our business. Half of the downtown Concord businesses are womenowned,” she adds.

She and her team are active members of the community. “We give back. We are partners with Habitat for Humanity, and we partner heavily with other community organizations.”

Brown also serves as a board member of the REALTORS® Relief Foundation, which began after 9/11 to provide housing-related assistance to disaster victims.

Her Other Business

In 2009, Brown did something she never thought she would. She started her own keynote speaking company— Leigh Thomas Brown, Inc. And now, she’s an international, motivational keynote speaker for early-career and experienced REALTORS® looking to build their industry presence. Her goal is to help REALTORS® define and communicate their value and become impactful in building their business.

“That was all by accident,” she states. “In the first part of my career, my only goal was to sell. I went to every conference and Mastermind session, making notes on how to sell more houses.”

But in 2007, an instructor of a Mastermind group from Virginia kept asking her to talk.

“I don’t speak in front of people,” she would tell him over and over again. “I don’t want the microphone. I don’t have anything to give.”

She finally agreed to be on a panel with three gentlemen.

“It was wildly successful. But part of the audience resonated with me and not them,” she adds. “Part of the audience needed to hear from a woman and a southern voice.”

After the event, Brown realized she had something to give to other REALTORS®.

“For all the years prior, I was receiving without giving. There’s a point you can’t just keep taking. My career trajectory changed. If someone else sees something in you, they might be right. I wish he was alive today to see all this.”

One of the joys for her of being an instructor and speaker is traveling to five countries and 49 states so far.

“My husband is plagued by me always saying, ‘I could live here’ everywhere we go. I love the history and the unique characteristics of all these places,” she states.

Her Heart

Brown loves so many things in life, including the 20 years as a wife and her two teenagers—one a junior and one a senior in high school. Even though Brown admits she is an open book, her quiet time at home becomes her salvation. The ten acres she and her husband bought hold a special place for her.

“We have 35 chickens and a turkey. We are trying to live a sustainable path and are being thoughtful about what we eat. We have a garden and a composting pile.”

Her son sells the eggs at a farmer’s market, and dozens of eggs have been given to Brown’s clients as a closing gift, if they want them. She even gave away eggs to two lucky guests at her Inauguration in January.

She loves gardening, cooking, needlepoint and running, but singing and playing the piano have been her passion since she was young. Her childhood home was equipped with an orange baby grand piano her mother got from the tv station she worked at.

“My sister and I were set up with piano lessons from Gertrude—the lady that slapped your hands with rulers. I loved her. I never let it go.”

Brown became the accompanist starting at her middle school. She thought she’d end up a high school choir director. She quickly discovered she was “so outclassed at top music schools.”

But she still plays now at church sometimes, at weddings and funerals and for her own enjoyment.

When all the churches shut down during the beginning of the pandemic, her mother and father would come to her house, and they’d take requests from people online for their favorite hymn.

“I started my live streams. My dad would sing with me. People sent me hymn books from all faiths and religions.”

Her Mind

It’s hard for many who know Brown to believe she’s an introvert. But being introverted isn’t the same as shyness or reservedness. It has to do with how you gather energy.

“People drain us. It takes a lot out of us to deal with people. By 9 p.m., my meter is empty. I wrap up my day.”

She’s learned that to be successful as an introvert you must mirror the people you are with and surround yourself with all types of personalities and perspectives. It’s something she picked up as a bartender in college.

“I was so shy. I didn’t have any desire to work with the general public. Yet, I waited tables and bartended in college and became a bar manager after college.”

One of her regulars was a stockbroker. He hired her and took her to Manhattan.

“I didn’t belong there. I didn’t like the ‘money people’ and the way they were when they were dealing with money.”

When Brown moved to Texas as a young woman to sell chain saws for Husqvarna, she wanted to buy a house. Her father referred her to a Dallas-area REALTOR® he had met at a conference.

“I was a young, single female. This was pre-internet. The guy calls me on the landline, I told him my price point, and he blew me off.”

So, she took things into her own hands and started touring around the suburb of Grapevine. She saw a brick ranch and called the number on the Century 21 sign. Quickly, the chain- smoking, deep-voiced REALTOR® came cruising up in her gold car, showed Brown the house, and sold her the house.

“I didn’t even know if that REALTOR® was good or bad. I had a question about the house, and it fit my price point. Her level of knowledge didn’t even matter then or her ethics.”

The woman was willing to help Brown because the other guy didn’t treat her like she was important. That experience, plus her dad’s guidance, taught her never to discriminate on price point.

“Technology may have moved on, but people haven’t changed a lot,” she states. “We want to be valued and noticed. We want somebody to talk to us and not at us.”

Her Year as President

Brown’s hopes as president of NC REALTORS® include helping all North Carolinians who strive to achieve the American Dream and representing all REALTORS® who choose to uphold and live by the oldest Code of Ethics in the United States.

Her theme, “We Open Doors,” spotlights how REALTORS® are opening doors across North Carolina. Not just physical doors, but doors of opportunity and change. She’s spent the last few months traveling to local associations across the state, spreading this message and connecting with members on a more personal level.

“I want people to remember me as somebody that lifted them up. I want to be that person that reached out to them and listened when they talked,” she adds. “I want people to know I genuinely care.”

Brown was installed as the 2023 NC REALTORS® President by her father, Darrell Thomas, during her Inaugural Installation on Thursday, January 26, 2023

Leigh Brown & Associates team during the 2022 NC REALTORS® Give Back event

Brown spoke with Tommy Choi at the 2021 RPAC President’s Circle Conference

Brown proudly shows off her custom brick paver located at the NC REALTORS® Raleigh office

Brown spoke at the 2022 National Association of REALTORS® Legislative Meetings

Amy Barringer and Brown after the Run Sunset Beach half marathon

Tony Harrington, 2023 NC REALTORS® President-Elect, and Brown at the NC REALTORS® Raleigh office

Tanya Monroe (left) and Stacie Gosiene (middle) pose with two of Brown’s books—”The Seven Deadly Sins of Sales” and “Outrageous Authenticity”