FROM TRAILER PARK

FROM TRAILER PARK TO RED CARPET

BY KIM HAYDEN

The road of life is often a bumpy one, full of twists and turns that can be difficult to navigate.

Kim Hayden is a prime example of resilience and strength in the face of adversity.

Born in a trailer park and the eldest of four girls, Kim was raised in an environment of generational abuse and trauma but has risen to become a 21-year award-winning real estate entrepreneur, and the host of a podcast inspiring women everywhere.

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When I was 19 I got pregnant. I was in an abusive marriage. I married the first guy who was actually nice to me and I thought he could protect me from my father because even at 19 I was still dealing with him and his abuse.

By 21 I was divorced, a single mother, and basically financially destitute. My son was born needing medical insurance, and this was back in the 1980s. It was not the easiest thing to get, as he had a pre-existing condition, so I had $9,200 worth of debt and I had to figure out a solution.

Vegas was booming in 1990. It had the highest pay scale for the lowest education level. So I moved to Kansas and I ended up waiting tables graveyard shift. I was doing everything I could to support myself and my son.

So it's Vegas, and we all know what happens in Vegas could actually follow you home and live with you for the next 29 years so. But this is where I actually met my husband of 29 years. Picture this: he comes in with his friends. They're all drunk. It's 3:00am. It was a dare date. But he asked if I wanted to go on a date, and I was like, you know, it's not going to happen and I'm never dating again. I've written off men. But by the end of their dinner, his friends had convinced me and I finally agreed. I said, fine, I'll take a free meal. I mean what single mom out there wouldn't? I'll take free.

Remember, I was homeless when I met my husband. He showed up the door to pick me up at my babysitters house and didn't know I had a kid because I forgot to mention that. Hey, I wanted a free meal you didn't ask for details!

So fast forward, we got married and I moved to Canada. My husband adopted my son and we had two more children together. We built incredible wealth together. We have gone bankrupt together. We have struggled aand supported each other through thick and thin. When I met my husband, I just knew this was a man that I could trust and he's helped me become who I am now.

I started off my journey in Canada and Toronto, and then ended up coming to Calgary. And in Calgary, I had a couple little ones. And I was sitting there going, I need a job, because I've never not worked. And I'm not. It takes a special kind of woman to be able to be a really high productive, full time domestic engineer.

And I'm not that woman. I mean, I have absolute utmost respect for those moms that pack balanced, healthy lunches and volunteer at schools, and I'm not that gal. So I looked at my husband, I said, I need a job. And I said, I think I want to open a coffee shop. I love talking to people and baking for them.

He goes, you have to be up at, like, 3:00 a.m. And I said, well, maybe I don't want a coffee shop, a lunch counter kind of gal. But he said the infamous words which will go on his grave, tombstone. Why don't you go into real estate? It looks easy.

Infamous last words. I went into real estate. I knew no one. I was in a new city, new country, young mom in a new community. I had no past work experience.

I mean, I literally was the opposite of what everybody tells you you need to have in order to be a successful real estate agent. But I kind of view myself as almost like an accidental real estate agent because my whole thing was about creating community. I've always been about community. And the first thing I did was start a mom's and tots group because I saw a need, a need. I needed to meet other women in my community, this new community that had no infrastructure, no association, nothing to support the residents.

So I went to the local church, and I said, by the way, could we borrow one of your rooms one morning a week to do a non denominational community outreach for moms and tots? And we had a couple of dads in there, too.

I said, by the way, I want to be doing this moms and tots thing. Would you by chance sponsor tea and cookies? And they said, absolutely. And that started my first community initiative. And from there it literally grew into picnics in the park and the parade of garage sales and the pumpkin getaway.

In fact, the community was so new that you could watch your dog run away for days. And actually one of

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the first years we did a pumpkin chunkin. We decided that we would invite teams to build build a catapult. We took everybody's pumpkins and we chucked them. We had a pumpkin chunkin contest to see how far we could throw these pumpkins. But from these events, not only did I love what I was doing, I wasn't planning events for profit. I was creating community.

And from there I built six and seven figure 22 year business. And it was so organic. It wasn't like I was every month pressure to pick up the phone and dial, you know, ten people a day or to chase after for sale by owner because for sale by owners just want to be respected in a decision.

So the moral of my story is: be kind to everyone you meet, as you never know who they may be. This is a great lesson to live by. My husband was the second person in my life who said I was going to shine. He saw something in me that I couldn't even see in myself yet and he believed in me despite my difficult, dysfunctional childhood.

Being kind to everyone you meet doesn't mean you have to be a pushover, it simply means that you are open to getting to know people and giving them the benefit of the doubt. You don't know what someone is going through or what they have been through, so it is important to be respectful and treat them with kindness. Kindness can be shown through simple actions such as smiling at someone, listening to their story, or offering help or advice. You never know what impact your kindness will have on someone. You could be the one to change their life or they could be the one to change yours.

And then, give back to your community. What working in real estate has taught me is that it isn’t about the deal or the paperwork. It’s about listening and compassion. It’s about connection on a human level, and it’s about giving back.

While a successful career in real estate requires drive, commitment and an affinity for sales, without the support of the local community, you’ll only get so far. After all, they’re the ones that buy and sell the properties you’re hoping to list. While self-motivation is a must, at the end of the day, real estate is a community-driven profession, so should we be giving back to those who made us who we are?

The answer is yes – both for sales, and your soul. Better community connections and personal relationships will build your network for future business. It also feels great to know you’re doing something good.

So give back to your local community, and say thanks to those who helped you make your mark.

At one of my pumpkin giveaways a few years back, this gal shows up and she's got these four kids all the way from like 15 years of the age down to probably like seven. And she comes up to me and says I just want you to know that this the pumpkin giveaway that you do every year for the food bank. My kids think that this is part of our Halloween tradition. And they know that we can decorate. As soon as they see the billboards go there, your bold signs go up for the pumpkin giveaway.

She wanted to say thank you. I think this is a really cool thing you do. Those kids are going to grow up with an example of community service.

And this doesn't just apply to the real estate field. Small businesses, entrepreneurs, and anybody trying to reach success should remember where they came from, who supported them to get there and who has your back when you need help.

The doors matter. The people that live behind the doors matter. I can't think of a greater legacy to leave behind than the work I have done to give back to my community, I truly can't. Because at the end of the day, money comes and goes, businesses come and go. Yet community, from the day the cavemen first walked upright, has been the core of human survival.

Connect with Kim Website: resilientseries.com Instagram: instagram.com/resilientseries Facebook: fb.com/groups/realestatesuccess500doors Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/500doors-real-estate-podcast/id1563251565 LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/kim-hayden-74a203181

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PYTHON HUNTRESS HELPS SAVE THE EVERGLADES IN FASHION

Meet Amy Siewe. Amy is a professional python hunter contracted by the South Florida Water Management District to capture and euthanize the invasive Burmese pythons that are decimating the mammal and bird population in the area.

Amy's fascination with snakes started when her dad took her to a creek as a kid and taught her how to catch all kinds of critters, including her first snake. In 2019, Amy took a vacation to Florida and caught her first python there, which hooked her on the new hobby. In less than two months, she dropped her successful 13 year career in real estate and moved to Florida to become a python hunter.

Clearly an avid reptile and snake lover, Siewe said following her heart, moving to Florida, becoming a professional python hunter and opening her own business was the best decision she’s ever made.

“I had no idea how I was going to do it but I trusted myself. I knew I was going to figure it out and I did and this is just the beginning. I mean this is just the beginning game, it’s going up from here,” Siewe said.

Amy loves snakes and hates that they have to be killed, but there is no other way. That's why she's made it her mission to figure out how to use as much of the python as possible. She has learned how to skin the snakes and uses the tanned skins to make her own product line of beautiful bracelets and Apple watch bands. She's caught over 400 pythons and raised nearly $300,000 for charity through the sale of her python-skin products.

She hopes every python bracelet and Apple Watch band she sells reminds people that they’re helping contribute to a bigger cause.

“If they know that by buying products that are made from the Florida python, they’re actually helping the efforts and the conservation and preservation of the Everglades…and it’s kind of a big deal,” Siewe said

Connect with Amy Website: pythonhuntress.com Facebook: fb.com/amy.siewe

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