Episode Details

Before real estate, Vanessa Maldonado was still trying to figure out where life was taking her. In Part 1 of our conversation, Vanessa takes us back to her upbringing in San Antonio, the challenges that shaped her early years, losing her father shortly after high school, her experience with college, and the jobs she worked before eventually finding her way into real estate.

Vanessa and I also go back to the beginning of our friendship and our early days as Realtors, when neither of us had everything figured out. It’s an honest conversation about growing up, adapting to circumstances you never planned for, and the experiences that eventually shape who you become.

🎙️ In this episode:
• How Vanessa and Matt first became friends through real estate
• The reality of Vanessa’s first year as a Realtor
• Starting out doing rentals and working with her sphere
• Growing up on the Northeast Side of San Antonio
• Moving to the South Side after her parents’ divorce
• Adjusting to a completely different environment in middle school
• Vanessa’s high school years and early ambitions
• Her original plan to leave San Antonio for college
• Losing her father shortly after graduating high school
• Why she ultimately stayed in San Antonio
• Attending the University of the Incarnate Word
• Realizing college wasn’t the right path at the time
• Working multiple jobs while trying to figure out her future
• Becoming a lifeguard instructor and teaching people how to swim
• Matt and Vanessa looking back on growing up in San Antonio

🧠 What you'll learn:
• Why successful careers rarely begin with a perfect plan
• How Vanessa’s upbringing helped shape the person she became
• What the early days of real estate actually looked like for her
• How major life events can completely redirect your plans
• Why your career path doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s
• How seemingly unrelated jobs and experiences can become part of your story
• Why figuring out what you don’t want can be just as important as knowing exactly what you want

⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro
00:48 Meet Vanessa Maldonado
01:30 The Early Days of Real Estate
02:57 Vanessa’s Life Before Real Estate
03:14 Growing Up in San Antonio
03:38 Family Struggles & Moving to the South Side
04:36 Adjusting to a New School
07:22 Vanessa’s High School Years
08:01 Plans to Leave San Antonio
08:13 Losing Her Father & Changing Course
08:38 College, Work & Trying to Find Her Path
09:50 Studying Psychology & Business
10:12 Leaving College & Working Multiple Jobs
10:57 Becoming a Lifeguard & Swim Instructor
11:17 Growing Up Around San Antonio Pools

📢 About the Podcast

Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna is a long-form conversation podcast where nothing is off limits. Matt sits down with friends, entrepreneurs, professionals, and interesting people to talk about their journeys, successes, failures, relationships, business, personal growth, and everything in between.

📌 Connect With Matt Reyna

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattreyna2023/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattreynaspodcast

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