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?

Brandi: One thing about me, I like to keep my circle of friends small with people that I can trust. I didn’t have people around me who were negative or didn’t believe in me. More than anything, I really believed in myself. I’ve always had the belief that other people can’t impose their negative thoughts on me and I was resolute in that A lot of times, people don’t believe that they can obtain or do things because they haven’t seen other people have/do it. For me, having that exposure and seeing a successful real estate agent do the exact same thing I wanted to do was it for me. It made me think “If she could do it, so could I.” My advice to those moms: the enemy (satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy dreams so you have to mute that negativity, whether it be those around you or even yourself

I’ve been in this real estate business for 18 years now and I know that once that seed was planted that God would reward me for my obedience. I truly believe that God ordered my steps and anointed my business because of my obedience to Him in all that I did He opened doors and graced me because of my heart and my commitment to Him

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PM: What do you say to those single moms who desire to pursue their purpose but don’t have the belief that their life can be more than where they are right now?

Brandi: Well if I can do it then you can too? Who says you have to be another statistic? Why do you have to be another stereotype? I sincerely believed that I could shape my children’s future to be a success and not another statistic. If you can’t find the discipline to change your thinking, you’ll never be able to change your reality

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