We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tara Polley. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Tara, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Right now, I’m being called to step fully into visibility in a way I haven’t allowed myself to before. I have spent years helping other people and places shine on camera, on stage, and in their own stories. What I’m stepping into now is the courage to claim that space for myself with the same intention and confidence I give to everyone else.
For a long time, I danced around the edges of bigger stages, bigger conversations, and bigger platforms. Not because I wasn’t ready, but because I felt a responsibility to stay behind the scenes and keep the focus on others. What I’m realizing is that leadership requires presence. You cannot inspire people to be seen if you’re still hiding parts of yourself.
I’m being called to expand on The American Dream with The Hautesheet, grow my speaking work with The Confidence Conspiracy, and say yes to opportunities that stretch me creatively and personally. I’m being called to trust my voice, own my expertise, and lead from the front with the same authenticity I ask of my audiences.
And honestly, I’m being called to let the work get bigger than my comfort zone. That’s where the impact is. The fear is still there at times, but so is the clarity. It’s no longer about whether I’m ready. It’s about whether I’m willing to step into the responsibility of using my experiences, my platform, and my story in a way that elevates others.
This season is about expansion, not perfection. It’s about choosing courage over hiding, and walking into the opportunities that align with the person I’ve already become.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I work at the intersection of media, storytelling, and real estate, and what excites me most is using those worlds together to elevate the people, places, and ideas that make communities thrive. I’m a Telly Award–winning television host and on-air personality with The American Dream TV, an Emmy-nominated lifestyle show syndicated on HGTV, the Travel Channel, and major streaming platforms. I specialize in creating story-driven segments that spotlight luxury lifestyle, local culture, and the people shaping Wine Country and beyond.
My background as a long-time Realtor and real estate broker gives me a unique advantage on screen and on stage, I understand markets, I understand people, and I understand how to translate complex information into something engaging, human, and meaningful. That lens has led me into keynote speaking, podcast guesting, and now executive producing original content.
This year marks an exciting expansion of my media work. I’m launching The Hautesheet, a new 30-minute lifestyle series that blends luxury living, curated experiences, and conversations with innovators, creators, and cultural leaders. The first season is rooted in the Bay Area and Wine Country, with national distribution on streaming platforms. It’s an elevated, cinematic look at the way people design their lives with intention.
Alongside that, I’m on the North Bay Cancer Alliance Board of Directors, where we’re growing direct-impact support services, including new pediatric cancer initiatives for families in the region. Community impact has always been central to my brand, and it informs everything from my real estate work to the stories I choose to tell on camera.
At its core, my work is about authenticity, connection, and visibility. Whether I’m hosting a show, speaking on stage, consulting with a real estate client, or sitting down for a podcast conversation, my mission is always the same: help people feel seen, help communities feel connected, and bring stories forward that genuinely make a difference.
If readers take one thing away, I hope it’s this: the best opportunities come from sharing the truth of who you are and the work that lights you up. That’s the through-line of my entire brand and everything new I’m building this year.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
The person who taught me everything I know about work is my mom. She became a single mother at twenty-one and built our entire life from sheer determination. She worked three and sometimes four jobs at a time, put herself through school, and never missed a day of work in her life. She refused public assistance, not out of pride, but out of a belief that self-reliance would shape the future she wanted for both of us.
Watching her move through the world with that level of discipline and independence shaped me long before I ever understood what entrepreneurship or leadership even meant. Her work ethic wasn’t loud. It wasn’t performative. It was consistent, steady, and rooted in responsibility. She showed me that showing up is a skill, perseverance is a choice, and excuses don’t build the life you want.
Everything I do today — in real estate, in media, on stage, and behind the scenes — comes from the example she set. The long hours, the grit, the follow-through, the ability to adapt and keep going, even when life throws curveballs. That foundation is the reason I can thrive in high-pressure environments, take risks, and reinvent myself when needed.
My mom didn’t just teach me how to work. She taught me how to work with integrity, purpose, and resilience. Her life is the blueprint I carry with me in every chapter of my career.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Growing up the way I did – with instability, constant change, and a mother who had to fight for every inch of ground we stood on, taught me adaptability long before it was a leadership skill. But more than anything, suffering taught me gratitude.
Everything I have today feels sweeter because I can vividly remember the seasons when I didn’t have it. The stability. The opportunities. The calm. The ability to create instead of just survive. Suffering gave me the contrast that makes success meaningful. Without that contrast, even the biggest accomplishments would feel flat.
It also taught me that discomfort is not the enemy. Discomfort is the doorway, and failing is actually a win. Every moment of struggle forced me to grow in ways comfort never would have asked of me. It pushed me outside the familiar and into the unknown, and that is where every major shift in my life has come from. The magic has always been on the other side of the hard parts.
Suffering gave me compassion and empathy in a way no achievement ever could. It taught me how to see people deeply, how to understand their stories, and how to recognize pain even when it’s hidden under a polished surface. That understanding is what makes me the storyteller, the speaker, and the leader I am today.
I’ve come to believe that suffering isn’t a detour on the path to success. It’s part of the foundation. It’s one of the stepping stones that shapes your character, your perspective, and your capacity to appreciate where you eventually land. You need both the struggle and the success to feel whole. And when you embrace the full journey, it changes not only how you move through the world, but also how you show up for the people walking beside you.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Some of the smartest people I meet are getting one thing completely wrong. They think confidence is a personality trait. They think it’s something you’re either born with or lucky enough to stumble into. In reality, confidence is not the starting point. It’s the byproduct. And that misunderstanding keeps a lot of brilliant people playing small.
This is exactly what I explore in my keynote, The Confidence Conspiracy. We were raised to believe that confidence comes after we feel ready, after we’ve perfected something, or after we’ve earned the right to take up space. The truth is that confidence doesn’t show up at the end. It’s built in the middle — in the messy, imperfect, uncertain parts that most people avoid.
Smart people often overthink their way out of their own growth. They wait until they have all the answers. They assume preparation alone creates confidence. They confuse competence with visibility, and they underestimate how powerful they already are because they’re so busy trying to “deserve” their seat at the table.
What they miss is that confidence is created through action, repetition, and willingness to be seen before everything is fully polished. It’s built through micro-courage — the small, unglamorous decisions to show up anyway. And ironically, the people who doubt themselves the most are often the ones with the most to offer.
The real misunderstanding isn’t about talent. It’s about timing. People think they need confidence before they step forward, but confidence is actually the reward for stepping forward. That shift changes everything, and it’s the heart of the work I’m doing now.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Absolutely. I grew up in poverty; we moved every time my mom wanted to put her finger down on a map, so we owned very little, and for most of my childhood I believed that success meant material security. I thought the house, the car, the lifestyle… those were the markers of “making it.” When you grow up with very little, it’s easy to imagine that the things you don’t have hold the key to happiness.
And when I eventually reached a level of success where I could afford the things I once only dreamed about, I was surprised by how hollow it felt. The house didn’t change my sense of worth. The car didn’t heal old wounds. The achievements didn’t fill the spaces I thought they would. They were accomplishments, but they weren’t fulfillment.
In 2008 I lost everything: my home, my marriage, my sense of security, and I did it while raising little kids. Having to rebuild from nothing, became one of the most important chapters of my life. It stripped away the illusion that what I owned had anything to do with who I was. When you’ve rebuilt your life more than once, you learn quickly that you are not defined by your circumstances. You are defined by your resilience. Your character. Your integrity. Your ability to rise again.
What truly satisfies me now is far simpler and infinitely more valuable. It’s the relationships I’ve built. The people who stand with me, not because of what I have, but because of who I am. It’s the conversations, the shared moments, the work that impacts others, and the legacy that lives beyond material possessions.
Success taught me how to achieve. Suffering taught me how to appreciate. But losing everything taught me what actually matters. I could lose every physical thing in my life and still trust myself to rebuild. That kind of internal stability is worth more than anything I could ever buy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.WelcomeHomeSonoma.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/polleysproperties
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarapolley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polleysproperties/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@polleysproperties
Image Credits
Will Bucquoy Photography, Barry Bierman- Lockstone Media
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