Overcoming Challenges and Empowering Others: Stories from the R.E.A.L. International Women’s Day Event

The glare from the glass ceiling rarely reflects the true potential or ambition of women. That’s why the global R.E.A.L. group, with the support of RE/MAX HQ, is helping women shatter any barriers they may encounter, regardless of where they are in the world. R.E.A.L. Co-Founder Michelle Goodridge, Senior Executive Administrator for RE/MAX INTEGRA and RE/MAX Europe, continues to yield the hammer.

On International Women’s Day, March 8, Goodridge gathered a panel of women leaders for a special virtual event for R.E.A.L., which stands for RE/MAX Empowering Ambitious Ladies. Adopting a theme of “Choose to Challenge,” the event featured four speakers – Fiona Petrie, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the U.S.A. for RE/MAX INTEGRA; Dotti Peñate Sosa, Region Owner of RE/MAX Argentina and Uruguay; Georgina Ramos, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Prima Classe in Italy; and Meni Mancini, Founding Partner, TradeWorks Environmental – who each shared a personal example of a time when they overcame a challenge.

“From challenge comes change,” Goodridge said during the call, which was attended by more than 300 RE/MAX affiliates worldwide. “Collectively, we can help create a more inclusive world.”

Below are stories and words of advice offered during the call.

“I needed to take all of my fear and turn it into courage.” – Georgina Ramos, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Prima Classe in Italy

Georgina Ramos recalled to the audience the day she opened her wallet and realized she had only 10 euros left to her name. Originally from Mexico, Ramos had moved to Italy for a fresh start after a traumatic experience left her feeling unsafe in her hometown. She struggled to find a job without knowing the local language, but giving up was not an option.

Ramos taught herself to cook so she could get a job as a caretaker, which she then leveraged into a job at a restaurant. It was there that she met Andrea Russo, her now husband and business partner in running RE/MAX Prima Classe.

Today, Ramos is committed to using her success to elevate other women.

“I’m driven by the desire to live my life and help other women,” Ramos said. “We need to recognize the beauty within other women and look for the opportunity to lift them up.”

“I had to overcome the filters that other people had about who I am and what the circumstances I was in meant about me. That was one of the biggest challenges – embracing all of me and finding my greatness inside of that adversity.” – Meni Mancini, Founding Partner TradeWorks Environmental

When Mancini became a mother at a young age, there were many, including her traditional immigrant family, who assumed her life would look completely different than it does now.

“In the world I was raised in, being a teen mom was the worst thing you could have done to yourself, for your child’s life and for your family. I was shut out completely with no support,” Mancini said.

But Mancini had a vision for herself that was greater than the perception of others. Through hard work and perseverance Mancini is now a Founding Partner of TradeWorks Environmental, a company committed to developing, producing and introducing technologies to divert waste from landfills and create access to cleaner waters in communities.

“There is no glass ceiling except for the one you put on yourself,” she said. “You can create and be anything you want in your life. We all have our own version of our stories or challenges that could stop us, but the real story is choosing to challenge ourselves and keep going forward.”

“I had a ceiling around me that said I needed to act a certain way or be a certain way, and I rose above that – I chose happiness and doing the things that weren’t accepted to make sure I had the most out of my life.” – Fiona Petrie, Executive Vice President, RE/MAX Integra

Petrie shared her story of becoming the first person in her family to go through a divorce, despite objections from her family. More important than anyone’s opinions, she said, was being a role model to her daughter.

“I wanted to set the best example possible for my daughter, that it was better to be alone than to be in a lonely marriage,” she says.

Once she was free of other’s expectations, Petrie said she was free to pursue a life that she loved. She asked the attendees to work together to lift other women up so they can do the same.

“We have so many fears that we create that are just in our head,” she said. “I think we just need to get uncomfortable together, figure out what’s holding us back so we can move forward without fear and be fierce,” Petrie said.

Petrie said the R.E.A.L. call was “cathartic.” She encouraged the attendees to share their own challenging moments so they could gather inspiration from each other’s stories.

“We need to take the time to come together to truly share experiences,” she said.

“Many people don’t achieve success rapidly, but I think once you make decisions and you resiliently move forward, you will be able to challenge the status quo.” – Dotti Peñate Sosa, Region Owner of RE/MAX Argentina and Uruguay

Peñate Sosa knows all about risk. Originally from Spain, she met her husband and business partner Sebastian while attending graduate school in the U.S. Just one year after their wedding, Peñate Sosa said the couple sold everything to move to Argentina and bring RE/MAX to a new part of the world. It wasn’t an easy journey – she says their business almost failed within the first five years. Yet after years of hard work, the couple have transformed real estate within the region and contribute to RE/MAX being a leading global brand.

When faced with turning points, Peñate Sosa advised the audience to “go with their gut.”

“There’s a lot of fear in life, both women and men feel fear, but once we step through the things we are afraid of, you’ll find you can do what you were scared of.”

She also said that professional women shouldn’t let guilt be a limitation in their lives. Recently, Peñate Sosa was considering leaving the country for a few months to care for her mother, but she was worried about her ability to manage the business from afar. She chose to push through her fear. With a strong support team back home in Argentina, Peñate Sosa says she was able to balance leading the business while still helping her mother.

“Women are amazing – we do so many things, you really can get through anything,” Peñate Sosa said.

At the end of the call, Goodridge asked the panel how women can continue to work together to create change. In her closing words of advice, Peñate Sosa asked listeners to share their own stories of overcoming challenges.

“Each woman that shared today is quite strong, and we really don’t know how strong we are,” she said. “Facing your own difficulty and conquering fears might be your future story that helps one person or many when you share it, just like we had the opportunity to do today.”

RE/MAX affiliates can stay up to date on the latest events and news from the R.E.A.L. group by following @remax_r.e.a.l on Instagram or requesting to join the “R.E.A.L. – RE/MAX Empowering Ambitious Ladies” group on Facebook.

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