We recently had the chance to connect with Anna Papoutsakis and have shared our conversation below.
Anna, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Commiserating about New York sports. It’s been abysmal, from the Mets and Yankees to the Jets and Giants, the only thing that brings a bit of joy being a New York sports fan is the Knicks. It’s all so ridiculous that you have to laugh, and in turn, that brings me joy.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Greek girl from Jersey. Being a first generation Greek-American raised in Waldwick, I am a bit unpolished, but can morph to many situations. For the last decade, I have been working Real Estate as an Agent and a Productivity Coach, guiding new agents and getting the acclimated to this crazy business. My Real Estate career was influenced by my many years as a chef, food service, and retail worker. In my career I am most known for my loyalty, passion, authenticity, and work ethic. Currently, I am growing my coaching program within my office and continuing to grow my sales as well. Real estate is a lead generation business, and I am always looking for ways to connect with new people and strengthen existing relationships so I can assist people with all their real estate needs.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I did not think I was smart. All my relatives, particularly on my mother’s side of the family, are highly intelligent people. My sister is an ivy league grad and I have highly accomplished cousins. I never felt my intelligence matched up. I no longer believe that as I have learned there are all different types of intellectual abilities. For example, my EQ is probably the strongest of everyone in my family. It’s like the Albert Einstein quote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I don’t really think there are lessons in success. The lessons are all in the struggles and suffering that lead to the success. I see it all the time when I am coaching new agents. They don’t want to fail, they don’t want to mess up, they don’t want to say the wrong thing. Embrace that you will make mistakes. It’s not that you have to know everything, you have to handle what you do not know with grace and your clients need to feel taken care of. You will not learn the business in a classroom and you will not learn if it all comes easy to you. All the lessons are in the failures.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version is of me is absolutely the real me. I have a very hard time acting a certain way and being something I am not. My face is very expressive and I am easy to read – good, bad, ugly, it’s hard to hide who I am. As I get older, I refuse to be put in a box or told I have to act or be a certain way. So I don’t.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I often say my love language is recognition, aka, words of affirmation. A simple thank you or acknowledgement goes a long way with me. It is not my only motivator, though, so I could still give everything my best because ultimately I have to answer to myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/therealannapaps
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- Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealannapaps
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