Meet Fly Jamerson

We recently connected with Fly Jamerson and have shared our conversation below.

Fly, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

Discipline.

I used to think that Optimism was just a way of looking at things. A throwaway aphorism: “Glass half full.” It never worked for me until I surrounded myself with people who were bona fide Optimists. People who study, practice, train, and choose to see good in the world, in others, and in themselves.

Even when it’s hard. Especially then.

On the days when the heavy lift of optimism seems impossible, I reframe how I’m talking to myself. Words like “challenge” and “problem” becomes “opportunity.” I literally change the words in my sentence.

Times at work where there’s conflict or I’m behind? Opportunities to get stronger and faster.

Sadness or anger at the circumstances of my life? Opportunities to focus on gratitude and progress.

Optimism is in part “just a way of looking at things.” But if you make it a discipline, your perspective slowly becomes a reality. I learned this from my mother, and from the leaders at ELIFIN® where I work. Like any discipline, some days are easier than others. But you have to commit, and outsource when you need support!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I start conversations about commercial real estate on social media. I have a background in Academia and the Arts & Entertainment industry. I was a writer and producer in theatre, film, and television for 15 years. I thought I was going to be a college professor, but when I became a parent during the pandemic my priorities changed. I worked with a clarity coach and read career books to identify my core values, which are:

Connection, Learning, Meaning, Freedom, and Joy. In that order (one leads to another).

I also discovered I was unhappy and suffered from deep victim mentality. I had a nervous breakdown because I was denying my purpose. I started working on my money, my mindset, and my marriage, and accidentally found commercial real estate.

For my whole life I had been creating fiction, and here was a community dedicated to building reality.

The through line for me was conversation, which is what I care about the most. It turns out that relationships and conversation fuels this industry. So now I engineer situations in which remarkable conversations can occur.

I’m the Content Marketing Coorindator at ELIFIN® Realty in Ohio and Louisiana. I help brokers share their experiences on social media to help businesses, investors, and our community flourish.

I’m the 2025 Co-Chair of Programming for the CREi Summit, an organization that helps CRE professionals leverage social media and digital tools. I’m also a content creator for ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), and collaborate with thought leaders and brands nationwide to create content that is engaging and entertaining.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Staying curious: Knowing how to ask the right questions, and asking the right people. Reading and listening to as much as possible, especially from people or cultures I haven’t been exposed to.

Accepting criticism: it sounds wild but my life changed when I started listening to people who said I was wrong or needed improvement. It turns out that my inability to take criticism meant that I dismissed and at times resented people who were actually my biggest cheerleaders. Not all criticism is valuable, but my ego and my stubbornness were holding me back.

Becoming fearless: I keep a running list of all of my fears (everything from “being wrong” to “heights”). Every week I force myself to cross something off that list by facing it head on. The simple act of keeping the list means I’m more honest with myself about what I need to work on or what’s holding me back. Facing them means I’m in a constant state of growing and reducing my anxiety. Since starting the list, I find that I will review its contents and can simply cross things off.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I’m feeling overwhelmed I do one of these things:

Take action, or take a break.

I used to just sit and shame spiral when there was too much going on. When I felt out of control or incapable.

Now if I get stuck, I know I either need to take a step back to clear my mind and refocus –

Or go with my gut and tackle the next logical step. However small.

There’s always something to be done.

So either do it now – or retreat to recover and attack it when you’ve had some rest.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Haylee Folmar

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society

Confidence
Stories of Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Learning from one another is what BoldJourney is all about. Below, we’ve shared stories and

Resilience
The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Haters and Doubters

Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made