Tamara Alexander-Johnson: Leading Global CRE & Breaking Glass Ceilings

Karen Conde: Trust Your Gut (Lessons from Business, Marriage & Rebirth)

Welcome to this episode of The Tori Nook Talk Show! In this episode, Tori sits down with Karen Conde, an entrepreneur, mentor, and advocate for personal empowerment. Karen is the founder of the Conde Group, Forgotten Victims, Rise with Karen, and Karen Conde Coaching and Transformation. Karen was an Air Force brat who graduated from the University of Arizona, then moved to LA to chase fashion as a buyer at May Company. By 26 she pivoted into outside sales, eventually landing in tech as a VP of sales who grew a startup from zero to millions in a year. At 45, while traveling constantly for a large Atlanta company, she was involved in a catastrophic car accident that severely injured a young woman at a gas station. Her company fired her the same day, she was sued for millions, and from her fetal position on the floor she got up, sent one email to her contacts, and Toyota North America replied: where are you going, we're going with you. The Conde Group was born that afternoon with no business plan, grew to 115+ employees, and sold 21 years later. They discuss proving herself in male-dominated tech, founding Forgotten Victims to support people who unintentionally cause serious injury, surviving COVID by absorbing consultants onto her own payroll, marrying a narcissistic sociopath at 60+ and escaping after 10 months, the signs of narcissistic abuse, and launching Rise with Karen and her coaching practice for silenced corporate women. 🎯 Topics covered: * Air Force brat to fashion buyer at May Company in LA * Tech VP of sales: zero to millions in a year * The catastrophic car accident that changed everything * Toyota North America's email that started Conde Group * Building to 115+ employees over 21 years * Founding Forgotten Victims nonprofit * Surviving COVID by absorbing consultants onto her payroll * Selling the Conde Group in 2024 * Marrying a narcissistic sociopath at 60+ * Recognizing love bombing, mirroring, gaslighting * Healing in Tuscany and launching Rise with Karen * Final advice: Trust your instincts, have boundaries 📌 Timestamps: 02:30 – Fashion buyer in LA 07:00 – Tech VP of sales growing a startup 12:14 – The car accident that changed everything 20:35 – Starting Conde Group from her fetal position 22:30 – Toyota North America's life-changing email 33:18 – Selling the company in 2024 40:07 – Marrying a narcissistic sociopath at 60+ 46:27 – Love bombing, charm, mirroring 49:17 – Gaslighting after the mask falls 57:21 – Launching Rise with Karen 01:00:06 – Trust your instincts, have boundaries ⸻ 👤 Connect with Karen Conde LinkedIn: Karen Conde Instagram: @RiseWithKaren ⸻ 👤 Connect with Tori Nook Website: https://torinook.com [https://torinook.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/ [https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/] X: https://x.com/ToriNook [https://x.com/ToriNook] Email: hello@torinook.com [hello@torinook.com] ⸻ 🎧 The Tori Nook Talk Show is where real conversations meet real success. Subscribe for episodes exploring how leaders build personal and professional fulfillment on their own terms.

Nina Steiner: From PBS Producer to LA's Go-To Writer’s Room Broker

Welcome to this episode of The Tori Nook Talk Show! In this episode, Tori sits down with Nina Steiner, an office and retail tenant rep broker in Los Angeles with a former life as a television producer. Nina worked on PBS's Great Performances, producing dance and music programs with artists like Pavarotti and Placido Domingo before moving from New York to LA with eight suitcases and no contacts. She freelanced in production for years, and about 10 years ago, she pivoted into commercial real estate. Today Nina has carved out a distinctive niche representing Hollywood studios and production companies, finding writer’s rooms and creative office space, while also building deep expertise in flexible workspace with providers like Industrious, Regis, and WeWork. They discuss working alongside Pavarotti on PBS, the early days of new media, why entertainment clients don't sign exclusives, working with Douglas Emmett buildings, explaining holdover rent to Fortune 100 clients, blogging for the 2028 LA Olympics, co-brokering across borders, trusting your gut on red flag clients, and her mantra that God is the CEO of her business. 🎯 Topics covered: * Moving from NY to LA with 8 suitcases and no contacts * Producing Great Performances on PBS with Pavarotti and Placido Domingo * Pivoting into commercial real estate 10 years ago * Carving a niche in writer’s rooms and production studio spaces * Why entertainment clients don't sign exclusives * Signing 8 leases in Sherman Oaks in one quarter * Ed Winslow's Proof Stacking methodology * Blogging for the 2028 LA Olympics * The $14M wedding designer deal with Joe Bolognese * Co-brokering a writer;s room deal in the UK * Trusting your gut on red flag clients * Final advice: God is the CEO of my business 📌 Timestamps: 04:23 – From PBS producer to LA with 8 suitcases 06:01 – Working on Great Performances with Pavarotti 09:08 – Pivoting into commercial real estate at a meetup 12:23 – Carving a niche in writer’s rooms and flexible workspace 15:09 – 8 leases in Sherman Oaks in one quarter 17:23 – Blogging for the 2028 LA Olympics 23:03 – Explaining holdover rent to Fortune 100 studios 26:50 – The $14M wedding designer deal 33:36 – The UK writer’s room deal 38:30 – Trusting your gut on red flag clients 47:00 – God is the CEO of my business ⸻ 👤 Connect with Nina Steiner Website: tenantrepla.com [http://tenantrepla.com] Email: nsteiner@saxonwest.com [nsteiner@saxonwest.com] LinkedIn: Nina Steiner ⸻ 👤 Connect with Tori Nook Website: https://torinook.com [https://torinook.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/ [https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/] X: https://x.com/ToriNook [https://x.com/ToriNook] Email: hello@torinook.com [hello@torinook.com] ⸻ 🎧 The Tori Nook Talk Show is where real conversations meet real success. Subscribe for episodes exploring how leaders build personal and professional fulfillment on their own terms.

Gabriel Einhorn: The 24-Year-Old Solving Real Estate Fraud with VryfID

Welcome to this episode of The Tori Nook Talk Show! In this episode, Tori sits down with Gabriel Einhorn, a 24-year-old startup founder and entrepreneur based in New York City. He's co-founder and CEO of VryfID, a platform building a secure trust layer for real estate transactions by verifying identity, income, and documents directly at the source to reduce fraud and streamline the process. He's also the founder of Praise, a faith-driven apparel brand and media platform focused on conversations about belief, discipline, and purpose. Gabe grew up in suburban New Jersey, played college soccer at Yeshiva University, and played internationally before going all-in on business. At 21, he downloaded LinkedIn and cold-messaged real estate companies asking for work. He landed a commission-based job as a debt finance broker (mortgage broker), worked for two companies doing deals nationwide, and graduated with a year of experience already under his belt. Last summer he started Praise as a passion project. This past July, he and his younger brother (still at NYU) launched VryfID. They just hit over 300 clients and are expanding from New York City into Nashville, Atlanta, and St. Louis. Three months ago, Gabe left his brokerage job to go all-in on both companies. They discuss entrepreneurial roots (his dad wakes up at 4 a.m., built furniture business, restaurants, retail centers), starting a sneaker resale business at 15, the fraud problem in real estate (anyone can fake a $5M bank statement), posting 50-100 videos a week across platforms, and finding your why (positive and negative). 🎯 Topics covered: * Growing up in New Jersey watching his dad build businesses * Selling sneakers at 15, e-commerce drop shipping at 18 * Cold-messaging companies on LinkedIn at 21 to break into brokerage * Three years as a debt finance broker doing deals nationwide * Starting Praise last summer: faith-driven apparel and conversations * Launching VryfID with his brother in July (9 months ago) * 300+ clients, expanding beyond NYC to Nashville, Atlanta, St. Louis * Why brokers waste time on fraudulent tenants and lose money * Observing Sabbath: 25-hour phone-free reset every Friday-Saturday night * Building Praise around universal faith (not religion-specific) * Find your why: positive (provide for future family) + negative (prove doubters wrong) ⸻ 👤 Connect with Gabriel Einhorn LinkedIn: Gabriel Einhorn Instagram: @gabe_einhorn [https://www.instagram.com/gabe_einhorn/] X: @EinhornGabe [https://x.com/EinhornGabe] ⸻ 👤 Connect with Tori Nook Website: https://torinook.com [https://torinook.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/ [https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/] X: https://x.com/ToriNook [https://x.com/ToriNook] Email: hello@torinook.com [hello@torinook.com] ⸻ 🎧 The Tori Nook Talk Show is where real conversations meet real success. Subscribe for episodes exploring how leaders build personal and professional fulfillment on their own terms.

Tamara Alexander-Johnson: Leading Global CRE & Breaking Glass Ceilings

Welcome to this episode of The Tori Nook Talk Show! In this episode, Tori sits down with Tamara Alexander-Johnson, an accomplished executive, independent board director, and strategic advisor with over 30 years of experience in global markets. She's CEO of Corporate Real Estate Advisory Services and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business. Over her career, she's led and advised on more than $5 billion in corporate real estate transactions across office, retail, industrial, mixed-use, medical, land development, and ground leases. Tamara started by studying for her broker's license in Colorado, sitting next to two women in office leasing who introduced her to the industry. She worked for Etkin Equities during the S&L crisis in the early 1990s, buying distressed assets across the front range—office, industrial, retail, vacant land, bulk condo units. They bought at 50% occupancy, did CapEx, leased them to 100%, and turned a $250M portfolio into $600M by 2019. She then spent eight years at Western Union (2011-2019) managing 3-4 million square feet globally, negotiating leases in Moscow (half Russian, half English), consolidating offices across Canada and Europe, and creating Workplace of the Future standards. She moved to VF Corp (Vans, North Face, Timberland), negotiated airport hangars for private jets, then led real estate for Colorado State University System before launching her advisory practice and teaching at DU. They discuss buying distressed assets during the S&L crisis, navigating international deals (Italy shuts down in August, Europe from mid-December to mid-January), forming a Lean In circle at Western Union in 2014, why boards desperately need more women and diverse backgrounds, maternity leave battles (U.S. third worst globally), servant leadership, and always having Plan B. 🎯 Topics covered: * Buying distressed S&L assets in the 1990s: $250M to $600M * Eight years at Western Union managing 3-4M SF globally * Negotiating leases half in Russian, half in English * Creating Workplace of the Future standards across global offices * VF Corp: Vans, North Face, Timberland (negotiating airport hangars) * Leading real estate for Colorado State University System * Forming a Lean In circle at Western Union in 2014 * Why boards need more women and diverse backgrounds * Servant leadership and mentoring the next generation * Teaching at University of Denver: whole-person development * Final advice: Find your voice, always have Plan B ⸻ 👤 Connect with Tamara Alexander-Johnson LinkedIn: Tamara Alexander-Johnson University of Denver: Faculty bio page Company: Corporate Real Estate Advisory Services ⸻ 👤 Connect with Tori Nook Website: https://torinook.com [https://torinook.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/ [https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/] X: https://x.com/ToriNook [https://x.com/ToriNook] Email: hello@torinook.com [hello@torinook.com] ⸻ 🎧 The Tori Nook Talk Show is where real conversations meet real success. Subscribe for episodes exploring how leaders build personal and professional fulfillment on their own terms.

Andy Hunt: The Academic Building Tomorrow's CRE Talent Pipeline

Welcome to this episode of The Tori Nook Talk Show! In this episode, Tori sits down with Andy Hunt, Executive Director of the Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership at Marquette University, ranked in the top 12 by U.S. News & World Report. Andy leads interdisciplinary initiatives across business, engineering, and law while shaping the next generation of real estate leaders. He's also co-founder of REAP (Real Estate Asset Program), the first undergraduate-focused real estate investment program of its kind. Andy grew up in Minneapolis watching his civil engineer father build buildings. In 2004, during a classic fall day on campus, he sat in a class about a new major called Commercial Real Estate. After graduating, he started as a tenant rep broker at UGL Equis (later acquired by Cushman & Wakefield) on November 3, 2008, —the day before the presidential election, just as the market was cratering. He spent two years in brokerage, then moved to Real Capital Solutions and Prologis in acquisitions and investment roles, completing over $1 billion in transactions. In 2018, Marquette called him back to lead their real estate program. He's now building the talent pipeline, teaching students financial modeling, AI integration, and the skills they need to succeed. They discuss why 9 out of 10 students know someone in CRE, starting a brokerage career during the 2008 crash, the pivot from deals to academia, how AI is changing real estate education, the importance of mentorship and guest lecturing, and his final advice: showing up is undefeated. 🎯 Topics covered: * Growing up watching his civil engineer dad build buildings * Starting as a broker November 3, 2008 (the worst possible time) * Two years in brokerage, then acquisitions and institutional investing * Over $1 billion in real estate transactions * Returning to Marquette in 2018 to lead the Vieth Institute * Co-founding REAP: the first undergraduate real estate investment program * Teaching financial modeling and AI skills * Why universities desperately need industry involvement * The power of mentorship, guest lecturing, and site tours * "You get more out of it than you put in" * Showing up is undefeated 👤 Connect with Andy Hunt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andydhunt/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andydhunt/]  Website: https://www.marquette.edu/business/directory/andrew-hunt.php [https://www.marquette.edu/business/directory/andrew-hunt.php]  Email: andrew.hunt@marquette.edu [andrew.hunt@marquette.edu]  ⸻ 👤 Connect with Tori Nook Website: https://torinook.com [https://torinook.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/torirendanonook/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/ [https://www.instagram.com/tori_nook/] X: https://x.com/ToriNook [https://x.com/ToriNook] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@torinook [https://www.tiktok.com/@torinook] ⸻ 🎧 The Tori Nook Talk Show is where real conversations meet real success. Subscribe for episodes exploring how leaders build personal and professional fulfillment on their own terms.