Egypt Sherrod

Starring as Co-Host Alongside Her Husband in The New HGTV Series Married to Real Estate

Q: Was real estate a pathway to design for you or the other way around?

ES: I was a real estate broker first and organically began to evolve into the design space. It started with architecture, then focusing on floor plan layout and functionality, now I love all things design. There is something so amazing about turning a plain-Jane room into a curated work of art.

Q: Whose room was the first you were asked to decorate?

ES: My first design projects were actually [for] my own flip homes, so I guess I asked myself! It truly came out of a necessity for increasing my profit margin and keeping costs low. I decided, “Hey, let me go ahead and give myself the job and really step up my game and be cost effective with design.” Those homes would sell very fast with a lot of compliments from the buyers on my finishes and staging. So, that’s when I recognized I had an eye for it.

Q: How did your experience at New York University Tisch School of the Arts impact your path to success?

ES: Actually, I only went to Tisch for a year. I was there with a scholarship and, unfortunately, they did not extend my scholarship past my freshman year. Much of my proving ground was at Temple University in Philadelphia, which is my hometown. Temple was an excellent school. I majored in broadcasting, which took me down the road of working as a radio personality and then further blossoming into a TV career. It was the perfect foundation for me. I had the love of real estate and design, but then I also had a background in broadcasting, and it brought me to where I am today: doing design and educating people about real estate, all on television.

Q: How did you make the leap from real estate and design to being an author and speaker?

ES: I think it all kind of came at the same time, to be honest with you. I was hosting the show Property Virgins and then went on to executive produce Flipping Virgins. I had goals to further brand myself in that space and cement myself as an authority. At that time, I took notice that those who were being booked for conferences and making six figures just from speaking engagements, also had a book as [their] calling card. Viewers would often e-mail me or DM me with questions about real estate, so it made sense to put it in a book as a one-stop shop. That’s how everything evolved, and I’m often booked to speak on design panels, real estate conferences, and in the motivational space. I love it! I enjoy it and every day looks different.

Q: With family in the real estate business, do you ‘talk shop’ very often?

ES: That was the very reason I ran away from real estate early on because I had a family of real estate brokers. My uncles at Thanksgiving dinner would overtake the entire conversation and, instead of pass the turkey, it was pass the house on Brown street, which was very annoying. I ran away from real estate early on only to circle back. I try not to dominate every conversation and I certainly try not to make every moment about real estate, because there is more to life. It’s great to know and have that foundation, but that’s not all that I am!

Q: What role does your faith play in your day-to-day inspiration?

ES: Without a spiritual foundation, I doubt that I could have fallen as many times as I have and gotten back up even stronger! I really am grateful that I grew up in church and had that foundation, so I know when the times get tough, that it’s only a season. I know who I am and whose I am – and that’s important. I still have a sense of spirituality of God, of knowing that through all things it is Christ who strengthens me. It plays a huge part in my personal life and in my career because, just like anyone else, I come up against rough periods of time where I have to dig deep and find my base to recenter myself.

Q: What would you like to tell us about the Egypt Cares Family Foundation?

ES: The Egypt Cares Family Foundation really was a labor of love for me. I started it because I wanted to create something that was an extension of what I stand for, so we started creating financial boot camps, financial literacy camps, [and] raising goods and resources for people who needed them. We’ve been very successful!

Q: You’ve done a variety of radio hosting. What was that like and would you like to do it again?

ES: I had an almost 20-year radio career. I retired just before I hit 20 years and it was a wonderful, incredible season for my life, but that’s exactly what it was. Onward and upward. I’m grateful for it but I’ve redefined myself and my interests lie elsewhere at the moment.

Q: More recently, you’ve hosted a few episodes of ‘Black Love.’ How was that as a departure from real estate and design?

ES: I did not host ‘Black Love,’ my husband and I were featured on ‘Black Love.’ Cody and Tommy Oliver are the producers and hosts.

Q: Who would you like to interview?

ES: Folks that were on my bucket list, I’ve interviewed. Oprah, Prince, James Brown, Beyoncé, and Tyler Perry. It’s just about everybody that I want to interview, I have. But of course, you know I couldn’t close out that list without saying the Obamas.

Q: Who would you like to have interview you?

ES: Trevor Noah, because he makes me laugh so much! I think we’d have a lot of fun.

Q: What stone is still unturned for you as an author and speaker?

ES: Well, I’m working on another book. So, I guess you can [say] that the stone left unturned will soon be flipped on its head.

A Trust Strategist, Body Language Expert, Former Undercover Police Officer & Federal Prosecuting Attorney

Q: After high school, where did you feel your career path would take you?

PB: After high school, I attended university to study politics and economics. I wanted to have a degree completed before entering law enforcement. My grandmother and mother did not have the opportunity to attend college or university. They were adamant that I go and at least get a bachelor’s degree before becoming a police officer. I was the first person in my family to attend university.

Q: What was your first job? And how did it shape or impact you?

PB: I had several part-time jobs and full-time summer jobs while I was a student. Everything from being an operator for the phone company to working at a bookstore and a beer store. However, my first “real” job was as a uniform police officer. I know from experience that policing is one of the most challenging and underappreciated jobs there is. But it is also the most rewarding. One moment you may be in a life-threatening situation, and the next, you’re responding to a call about a minor event. In policing, you learn a lot about people, and at the same time, you learn a lot about yourself. Specifically, that you can accomplish more than you ever thought you could because you have to. You’re the police. You can’t wait for someone to come and save you – that’s why you’re there.

Q: Can you share with our audience about the opportunity you had to become an undercover police officer?

PB: I started my policing career as a uniform patrol officer. I worked with a great platoon and had the opportunity to respond to everything from murder to traffic stops and everything in-between. But I was always drawn to criminal investigations, especially narcotics work. After completing three years in uniform, I was transferred to the drug enforcement section, where I worked as an undercover officer. Working as an undercover police officer is not for everyone. You’re required to work odd hours and live away from home for months at a time, which is probably one of the reasons why I was one of two women in a unit of eighty-nine officers.

Q: While working full-time undercover, you also completed law school … was this always your career goal?

PB: Practicing law was not always my career goal. I’ve always enjoyed being a student. When I finished my B.A., I began my studies at Police College. After graduation, I enrolled in graduate school and attended classes at night and on my days off. After completing my master’s degree, I enrolled in law school. That was a bit more challenging to manage because I was enrolled in law school full-time (they didn’t allow part-time studies), and I was working full-time as an undercover police officer. I couldn’t tell my professors or classmates what I did for a living, which made conversations interesting, especially in my criminal law classes. I married my undercover partner in what we jokingly call our government prearranged marriage. Fortunately, I graduated from law school just as we were starting a family. Being an undercover police officer is not a very mom-friendly job, and my law degree allowed me to leave policing and begin a career as a prosecutor.

Q: Tell us about the responsibilities you had as a Federal Prosecuting Attorney.

PB: I primarily prosecuted drug offenses like trafficking and importing. It was an exciting career, and I enjoyed the new challenges that came with it. My experience as an undercover police officer gave me a perspective that most attorneys do not have.

Q: You’re writing a book and are doing a lot of speaking engagements … what else do you have on the horizon?

PB: I am currently writing a book about the negotiation and communication techniques I learned and developed over a twenty-year career in the criminal justice system. Pre-COVID-19, I traveled throughout North America, delivering keynotes on negotiating, communicating, and building trust through intentional communication and body language. Now, I am delivering virtual keynotes and workshops. Although I miss the live interaction of in-person events, I can manage more events now that I don’t have to leave my home studio.

Q: What’s your advice for women in male-dominated fields?

PB: Care more about being respected than being liked. Being heard and seen in male-dominated professions is more effective when you communicate confidence and empathy with what you say and with your body language.

Q: What do you like doing in your spare time?

PB: I love spending time with my husband Kevin and our son Kaleb. We enjoy hiking and skiing in the beautiful Rocky Mountains where we live. I also enjoy reading mystery novels and anything by Malcolm Gladwell.