Episode 031: Mariel Ebrahimi

Introduction: Today I am absolutely thrilled to have with us Mariel Ebrahimi, a true innovator who has - in just a short five years since she co-founded DisruptCRE in 2014 - truly made a difference for those with a thirst for knowledge. Mariel takes the great poet W. B. Yeats' line of "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire" to a whole new level, given her passion as CEO of DisruptCRE to provide her following a better understanding of not only how the business of commercial real estate is evolving, but also as to what's here now and what's coming next when it comes to where, CRE and technology collide. Episode Notes: At 1:51, Mariel Ebrahimi discusses the evolution of the real estate industry since DisruptCRE started five years ago. At 3:26, Mariel speaks about a landlord's ability to set up infrastructure internally to evaluate technology opportunities. At 5:03, Ebrahimi shares the biggest part of her job is that of creating a platform and community for discussion where seasoned industry executives, as well as students can connect, share and evolve. At 7:15, she touches upon AI in commercial real estate, and her interest in seeing it play out in the physical operation of a building. At 9:06, Mariel highlights DisruptCRE doubling down on short, sweet and engaging video content. At 11:19, Ebrahimi stresses that it is crucial to know what you are solving for given the abundance of data and information available at one's disposal. At 13:24, she notes the privilege she has in learning as her full time job. At 14:56, Mariel talks about being a young woman who doesn't see boundaries in the real estate industry. At 19:07, Ebrahimi dives into garnering respect, staying true to yourself, and doubling down on the value that you bring to the table. At 21:51, she mentions the privilege and luxury to take risks and not having to color within the lines all of the time. At 23:06, Mariel points out that by taking risks, you can measure success, and thus have the ability to measure and recalibrate. At 25:33, Ebrahimi discusses the resilience of start-up founders. At 27:53, she shares that she is "always going to be a student" and constantly learning. At 29:54, Mariel speaks on the importance of being clear and direct in asking for what you want. At 32:06, Ebrahimi touches upon best return for energy spent, working smarter, and the challenge and necessity of saying no. At 33:16, she advises on discipline and delegation. At 34:30, Mariel talks about the mindset of being comfortable in a world of perpetual change. At 36:05, Ebrahimi chats about implementing healthy methods of procrastination throughout the day. At 36:45, she conveys that "work" and "play" are blended for her. At 38:38, Mariel Ebrahimi closes out the podcast with a message on building technology around cultural trends, and pushing the boundaries of the conversations of where CRE tech can go in the future.