BRANDI HUNTER-LEWIS

I believed that Atlanta would be a better opportunity for us but when I made that decision I knew that I wouldn’t have any family here to support us

I knew that I wanted to pursue real estate before we moved especially after seeing that amazing article. Primarily because I knew I needed a schedule that would allow me the flexibility to be active for my kids and their activities while also providing the lifestyle we wanted.

PM: I’m sure this is a question that can go without asking, but I’m going to ask anyway. Was it easy to pursue being an entrepreneur while being a single mom to young children? And how did you know you could push through without getting stuck?

Brandi: When I look back on those times, I often ask myself “How did I do it?” but I knew that it was nothing but the grace of God. Once we relocated, I was making the daily commute to Sandy Springs (a 30-mile distance) from South Fulton to pick up my children from school. Since I was still grieving my husband's death, I must be fully transparent and tell people that behind this story of glory, there were a lot of challenges. One of the most humbling moments of my life came when I had a conference with my son's kindergarten teacher concerning his tardiness Talking about a wake-up call! That moment set off an alarm to let me know that I needed to make adjustments because I couldn’t keep going the way I was. I couldn’t use the excuse of “it’s just me ” to stop me from becoming more disciplined and structured. Needless to say, we had a much better school year after that.

My schedule as an entrepreneur was very rigid given that I also had to juggle my kids’ activities as well Of course, I knew I couldn’t do it all alone so I was extremely grateful for the support of my teenage nanny, Alicia, she was a true Godsend. On those nights that I had to attend networking events or had late showings, she was there to assist me with getting the kids fed and in bed to keep them on schedule.

My schedule as an entrepreneur was very rigid given that I also had to juggle my kids’ activities as well. Of course, I knew I couldn’t do it all alone so I was extremely grateful for the support of my teenage nanny, Alicia, she was a true Godsend. On those nights that I had to attend networking events or had late showings, she was there to assist me with getting the kids fed and in bed to keep them on schedule.

I look back on those moments and recognize how different my children’s upbringing was different from mine I had the privilege of going to visit my father during the summers since my parents divorced when I was young I didn’t get any of those “breaks” since my family was still in Chicago. You know terms like “selfcare ” and “soft life” weren’t a thing when I was raising my kids but I’m sure my mental health would’ve benefited from some scheduled me-time. However, when time allotted, I did make time to connect with my college girlfriends as often as I could to unwind.

PM: What you were able to accomplish was no small feat, Brandi. How were you able to navigate through all of the noise of naysayers?