Finding Your “Just Right” in Real Estate with Catherine Minor

In this episode, we sit down with Catherine Minor, Senior Portfolio Manager at DWS, to talk about the long game in commercial real estate—and what it really takes to build a career that lasts. Catherine’s path didn’t follow a straight line. She started in civil engineering and construction, moved into development, and ultimately found her place on the investment side of the business, where she now leads portfolio strategy at the intersection of global capital and local market insight. Along the way, she made intentional pivots, navigated challenging market cycles, and learned how to recognize when something wasn’t the right fit. A central theme throughout the conversation is the idea of finding your “just right.” From roles that were “too hot” or “too cold” to the environments and opportunities that ultimately clicked, Catherine shares how trial, risk-taking, and self-awareness shaped her career. We also dig into what a portfolio manager actually does day-to-day, the realities of today’s fundraising environment, and where she’s seeing opportunity as the next real estate cycle begins to take shape. She offers a candid perspective on mentorship versus sponsorship, the importance of having true allies in your career, and how technology—especially AI—is beginning to influence the industry. It’s an honest and thoughtful conversation about growth, resilience, and building a career with intention in an ever-changing market.   Timestamps 0:00 – Intro & career overview 3:00 – Finding your “just right” 4:30 – Starting in construction 6:00 – Business school & career pivot 7:00 – Walking away from the wrong opportunity 8:00 – Finding the right fit 11:00 – Global Financial Crisis lessons 12:30 – Google & large-scale development 14:30 – Transition to investment management 15:00 – What a portfolio manager does 16:00 – Market conditions & fundraising 18:00 – Where the market is heading 19:30 – NAIOP & leadership 22:00 – Work culture & AI 25:00 – Lightning round & closing