Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another S&D media, your host, Alvaro, to bring you another exciting guest. Today we're going to speak with Mackenzie Ryan, she's a real estate professional, based in New York, and she's been named from America's Best in the 1.5% of top agents in the nation. She was a professional athlete. She's going to tell us all about that athlete mindset transitioning into real estate.
Let's get her here. There she is. I'm very impressed with your trajectory. Myself as a former athlete, I can tell on how the mindset plays a huge role in this industry.
And now you've been ranked among the top agents in the nation. So congratulations on that. Just tell us a little bit about your story and how you were an athlete before. Domestic, actually, like training for the Olympics.
And then transition to this. So how did all this start? Let's rewind the clock to the 90s. When all great things started, I'm born and raised in New York, which already was a great platform to launch from.
And I got into gymnastics when I was three years old. And I was recognized just during a regular summer camp program by one of the coaches who was on the national team and had an incredible career in gymnastics. She was like, wow, your daughter's really good. I think she should go train with one of the top coaches in New York.
And that's how it all started. And from there, I think a lot of it had to do with early self-belief and also just really great support from my coach, from my parents. And I got my first start in the kind of TV media world when I was seven. And I was selected by Random House.
They were writing books about child prodigy athletes. So I wanted to write their series on gymnastics about me and my career and my dreams of going to the Olympics. So from the time I was five, I was already competing. By the time I was seven, I was in books.
By the time I was eight, I was on a media circuit tour on all the morning news channels promoting rhythmic gymnastics, promoting the Olympics because of summer 2000. And I was just out and about signing books. That's like an age-old. I mean, what a life.
What a different life on the usual seven-year-old thing, right? It was very different. And what was best about it was getting exposure to all certain types and different types of people and talking to adults from a really young age and being on this kind of Olympic track from the time, just a little wee one. I went to the Junior Olympics in 2000, won a silver medal.
I competed all over the country. I did it all. I also danced as a ballerina during that entire time. And then I figured if I'm good at all these sorts, why not just add on a couple others?
So I started playing basketball, I ran track, I was captain of the basketball team. So I just have an athletic background, but the biggest thing I got from it was mindset, mental strength. I mean, mental strength is like a number one for me. And then having discipline and consistency.
Consistency is something that I don't think a lot of humans are born with. So being able to find that within myself from a young age, because being a real estate broker is truly a lot of mental fortitude and a lot of consistency, which is why it's such a challenging industry on top of the, all the crazy things we deal with. I love the way that you described it, all those skill sets that are required to become successful in this hectic and competitive industry. It's another animal, it's a different sport.
But coming from the background, it built your resilience, that mental fortitude that made you just look at it as another challenge, right? And keep on building upon that. Now, I have a question within that period where you were an athlete, how do you do the jump into real things? Yeah, it's a great question.
So when I was in middle school, by that point, I was at a very high level in terms of being a gymnast. I was still dancing as a ballerina simultaneously, which is like totally crazy. Because even though they require flexibility, they're two very different types of your, two different sports completely. And like you don't want to be hyper-expending as a ballerina the same way that you do as a gymnast.
So needless to say, my body was a little a T by the time I reached like 13, 14. And I also just had such a great career. Like I have wall full of medals. I have two blocks.
I've been all over the country. I've competed. I've done it all. And so I've reached a really great point in my life where I felt I felt really happy with what I'd done and with what I achieved.
And I did not feel the drive within me. That was my passion to give up the rest of my life to keep going on that track. Like I just, I didn't. And it was never my parents' decision to get any into gymnastics or to get me out.
It was all my doing. And so I just had a conversation with them that I was ready to do something else. And I was ready to start my next career that would take me into my adulthood. And at that time, I'd taken a New York City history class in some grade.
And I fell in love with history. So I started going around to every museum. There was the Museum of the City of New York, which is my favorite. And once I exhausted all the museums in New York, and I still wanted to get more architecture.
And the Gilded Age is actually my favorite period in New York. I started going to open houses because they're basically like many museums. A lot of other work is constructed between 1880 and 1930 in terms of like New York's original real estate landscape. So I started going to open houses when I was 14.
And my parents and family had always been involved in real estate investing and flipping and all sorts of real estate. So I started just going to see what other brokers were up to. She's another landscape, seeing who my competition was. And what I learned very quickly was that New York real estate and brokerage in general just felt a bit stagnant.
Like it was basically you open a door and walk people in between each room. And so a performer, I think of real estate as a production. So how can I produce the best possible experience in showcase and whether it's a showing or a tour relationship with a buyer seller? How can I make this production as special and memorable as possible while also enjoying it?
Because you have to remember when you compete and perform for 14 years, you don't just lose that need and that want anything to stop. So real estate is very much like a sport for me. And I always say real estate is my Olympics. And so when I was 14, I started a new resume.
And I just went around to all of the shops in Manhattan at the time. And I'd give my resume to the front desk perception and I'd ask if there are any brokers who wanted an intern for the summer or someone who would show or market. Because by 14, I was already like 30 years old. Right.
And maturity that you're developing throughout entire journeys. I was ready. And so that's how I got into real estate. And by 15, I was just talking to whomever who listened to me about the market and what I was seeing in Manhattan.
And now before long, I started putting deals together. And I'd run them through my dad's brokerage in LLC. And by the time I was 17, I'd done my first basically $2 million transaction. I was in high school.
And then I was licensed by the time I was 18, which is now fully licensed in real estate for 13 years. And so anytime someone's like, oh, you knew? I'm like, no. I'm not going to make that.
But that's the thing. Because you're so young and you have done so much already. And not just in real estate, but in general as a professional. And it's very fascinating in the transition.
And at what age you did that transition. Because you already built that momentum, whether it's in gymnastics as a ballerina, now with real estate. And I love to see that transition. But also the journey that you've created that path.
And look, I know we don't have too much time. So I wanted to touch base on a couple of points that you mentioned. Because as an athlete, and especially now coming back from this 10 day silent retreat, it was all about working on your mind, strengthening your thoughts. And real estate can be such a painful industry for so many.
For those that have been for a long time and for those that are starting, it's something that might eat you alive if you don't take control over your own thoughts. So how do you, with everything that you've done, keep on building that strength, that resilience, so that you can stay afloat? Yeah. First of all, kudos to you for going on a silent retreat.
If it's any telltale sign, I'm about to go on one as well. I think a lot of people don't realize with real estate that there is just constant communication, constant demand. It's not just like you can respond to someone without having to think. It's not that type of career.
Every piece of communication that you put out has to be thoughtful and it has to be mindful. And likely, if you want to be successful, it needs to be strategic. And so in terms of maintaining my own mental health and fortitude and being able to continue to sharpen my skills, I do a lot of work in the morning where it's just silent time. Going through things that I'm grateful for, going through affirmations.
I do affirmations pretty much all day long in my head when I walk in places. Yeah. And one thing I actually did like about having a mask on during COVID was I would just talk to her. I would just talk to affirmations out loud.
That's it. No one would know. But it's New York. I mean, I guess you can talk to yourself out loud.
Yeah, nobody's going to put things that you're crazy. Yeah, it's pretty standard. And then above that is also disconnecting. So I don't use social media a lot, except for really my work.
But it's not on my home screen. So I'm not on looking at what other people are doing. Life is very special. And it's very tender, though.
Even if you're a tough person, you have to remember that we're malleable and we're emotional human beings. And so you need to really actively protect yourself without being defensive. So what does that look like? Well, you need to carve out time for just silence and just no phone, no TV.
It's called non-time. And non-time, you'll hear a lot of CEOs talk about it. But for me, non-time is just staring out the window. So I'll just sit in my apartment.
And I'll just look out and just listen to the sounds of the city. Watch the clouds. Just very simple things that actually let your mind relax. And also, more importantly, let's your mind clear out toxins.
Because toxins filled up in your brain all day long. And the less sleep you get and the more communication and the more stress you have, the more toxins that build up. So you need to be thoughtful about that at night as well. And so I think just having some quiet time, I like to do five minutes of stretching.
Just stretching your neck out, stretching your back, letting your spine actually relax and not be like this all day. It releases a lot. You can feel like your body tingling. And then you're sleepy because you've just released all this crazy stuff in your body.
So it's small things that we have to do that a lot of people, I would say probably the majority of our society bypassed that make my brain and make me a much better balanced human being. I just love everything that you just said. I mean, speaking the language of what I've been just going through in the last 10 days, it's so important. So it's just music.
And I appreciate you sharing all of that because it's so important. People forget to train this muscle right here. And sometimes it doesn't need to be work that is so stressful. It could be just relaxing and going through your own feelings and sensations, just relax and whine.
Wow, it's very powerful. So look, I appreciate your time. Just one last question before we let you go. We always ask these guests.
And it could be any type of answer for this. But what is luxury to you? Luxury to me is getting to be myself and getting to give my joint love to others without expectation or return. Wow.
Very profound. It really follows through the conversation. And I think that that's right on point. So I can see congratulations on everything you're doing.
For everybody watching or listening, please make sure to follow her. She's amazing, very successful, very knowledgeable. And also a lot of entertaining to see what you're doing. So thanks again.
Thanks again. Thank you. That's a lot. And I can wait to meet you again.
All right. Thank you so much. Bye. Bye.
Bye. Thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it. And remember, embrace it's beautiful success in life.
My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.