Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Miranda Keeler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Miranda, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Experiences and relationships throughout childhood, teen years, and early adulthood absolutely shaped my way of thinking, how I saw myself, and impacted the way I view the world. These interactions throughout my life I still carry with me – some have planted those little seeds of doubt along the way and others have helped me rise to the occasion and opportunity. Those little seeds were comments people made and many times in life I have heard “you can’t do that” or “that’s impossible”. Not really a positive reinforcement or supportive feeling, right? Well for some odd reason, I always thought that was a challenge and I don’t handle being ‘challenged’ very well (LOL). These comments have aided into my own personal version of imposter syndrome, which was once a very foreign concept to me now lives with me daily.
To this day, as a small business owner, I still feel imposter syndrome daily. And I think being a small business owner and operator, there will always be times where you have imposter syndrome. It’s less about “How can I cure this thought or feeling inside me?” and more of “How can I navigate this hurdle to get to the next opportunity?” When I’m having a bout of imposter syndrome, I know it’s temporary, it will pass *eventually*, and that there will be an opportunity on the other side of that.
So in short, and with all honesty, I don’t feel that I have overcome imposter syndrome completely. Part of me, probably the pessimistic or realist in me, believes that imposter syndrome will always be alive and well in my life or business, it just morphs into different shapes, voices, thoughts, images, people, or concepts. I’ve faced imposter syndrome episodes time and time again by having a bit of grit, maybe a few tears, a lot of resilience, and hope. And I will continue to do so.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Growing up, I lived in a small, close-knit, and quite rural community south of Omaha. I was around the same people and friends from Kindergarten to 8th grade and had a projected graduating class of 27 people. It was a relatively easy way to grow up; I knew what to expect and knew that I would follow on the same course as the older generations in the area did that also grew up there. I didn’t quite see my life as a farmer or huge lake dweller.
Luckily, opportunities presented themselves when my parents allowed my older brother and I to co-op to the “city” school. This meant we were driving 45 minutes one way, twice a day as high schoolers to attend a completely different school district where our graduating class was 400+ and constantly evolving because the school was very popular among Military families since the base was just down the street. My parents chose to co-op for education and future opportunities – mine being the potential for scholarships to play collegiate level golf. Which gratefully happened for me!
After my first year at my college in Des Moines, news hit that university would be closed after the current school year due to lack of funding – basically, they went bankrupt. Then I was on the hunt again (and had 3 months) to find a new college, sign a new letter of intent, and move all over again. This was a huge turning point in my life as I was accepted to William Penn University; a small town, liberal arts college with a strong NAIA division golf team. A lot of the big life moments happened while in college – the good and the bad. Learning to live with LOTS of different people, having a job while being a full-time student and director of a media group, moving into multiple rental properties over the years, lots of social commitments, and tons of traveling across the state and country for golf. I learned life lessons like time management, resilience, discipline, ethic, integrity, authenticity, respect, and punctuality – huge things that stuck with me through the years and shaped me into who I am and how I operate.
Moving back to the Omaha metro area in 2019, I got a new job in Corporate Marketing but we all know how that ends once COVID impacts the world. I spent a few months unemployed when I received an opportunity to get into the world of real estate – something I was always interested in (thanks HGTV!). I spent 18 months working for someone else when I realized I could make this concept so much bigger than what I was in front of me. After many, many hours of conversing with my partner, Jack, and planning out how this would work for us, I knew I could do it with his support. Thus, Mirato Co. was born.
At the very start, this was something I could do just to call my own and make some money working from home and helping people. Things that all really attracted me to the idea. But after creating this business and spending countless months of 90+ hour weeks, it transformed and grew into something magical. I was never known for doing something halfway… so I went ALL in. The company has grown in over three short years into a small but mighty team of 3 (soon to be 4) amazing women who support countless real estate agents in Nebraska and Iowa through all of their real estate administration and transaction coordination (TC) needs. I always loved helping people – it’s the people pleaser in me – but I never realized how fulfilling it would be to give back and be a small part of something so much bigger than myself. I’m proud of where I came from to get to this point in both my life and career. All of the challenges, what if’s, and opportunities led me here and I am so thankful to be right where I am in this season of life!
My team at Mirato Co. is comprised of Whitney Phelps and Allayna Stolp at this moment. We are currently hiring a 4th member to the team who will be invaluable with their experience and knowledge in the TC world. I’ve learned I do a lot of crazy things in an unconventional way in business, but we see results with happy clients, so that’s all that matters at the end of the day. Alone in 2022, I was assisting 8 real estate agents and assisted in closing 85 transactions on my own. In 2023, I spent most of the year solo yet again until I hired Whitney – my literal righthand and savior – we closed 195 files while assisting 18 agents. This year… wow. I am already shocked. We hired Allayna in May ’24 after the school year was done to be our Marketing & Virtual Assistant (VA) Specialist. We are on track to assist 36 agents this year close just under 500 transactions this year. MIND BLOWN! These women are my backbone and I attribute a lot of the success over the last 12 months to both of them. Since getting into real estate during COVID in 2020, I have successfully assisted agents close 853 real estate transactions and counting!! Most TCs in the industry – especially in the midwest region – don’t see that level of service until year 5, we did it in 2.5… Proud of my team (and myself!) is an understatement! Jack has been my ROCK over the last 3 years while believing in this little dream of mine. He owns a successful commercial construction company, so we get to have a lot of ‘business talks’ at dinner and throughout the day – something I am truly grateful for.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Integrity: This is something that I had to learn, and thanks to my experiences in college and the corporate media world, it means a lot more to me. When someone can present themselves with a sense of integrity while entering a room, that speaks volumes. Having the wherewithal to develop and strengthen your morals is an ongoing process for most humans. Constantly asking yourself “am I doing the right thing?” can breed different answers at different times of your life – but there will always be the absolutes in life. Taking the moral high-ground and ensuring that how you act and treat people is constant in public or behind closed doors. Integrity and authenticity I feel go hand in hand.
Authenticity: It’s one thing to say you are who you say you are; but it’s another to actually DO and BE that person. I know it’s easy to say “Well be a good human”, but are you looking in the mirror? Are you being a good human? Being true to who you are and being courageous about it is infectious. Those of you that know me, know I swear a little, make funny voices, work hard, and always try to help others. I don’t show up on social media everyday portraying to be someone I’m not. In fact, I rarely get on social media anymore. But the point is, I will always say what I mean and mean what I say. Being unapologetically true to your authentic self is important and I do strive to do that every day.
Grit: It’s going to get you places. I believe that in my soul. If you can have a little grit when addressing a problem or navigating through an opportunity, the results will be so much more bountiful. One will face so many hardships in life; whether financial, physically, health-related, spiritually, or within your family and relationships, having grit to persevere, build your own strength, and find your way to the other side… Well, life can reward you in pretty cool ways.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Over the last 3 years, I have felt growth in my personal life, business, and relationships. And it has been exhausting, but also so wonderful! I think that’s the beauty of growth – in the moment it can be ugly, hard, overwhelming, and oh so emotional. But after the time has passed and you have entered a different season of life, reflecting back on that moment in time when you were overwhelmed or scared or defeated, well it’s beautiful. That’s because that moment in time led you to where you are now.
If I was to be asked this a few years ago, my answer would be very different. I feel like I was living in a constant state of overwhelm and thoroughly enjoyed it – sadistic, I know. It was great for my anxiety too (LOL). Now, if I feel overwhelmed I take time away from work and find something I can enjoy for 15-30 minutes to calm my mind. Could be anything from calling Jack and chatting to going for a drive, brain dumping ALL the things onto a Post-It or simply taking my pup on a walk
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.miratoco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miratocompany
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miratocompany
Image Credits
Neutral Team/Studio Photos: August & Ivy, Erin Dunagan
Blue Top Photo: Kasie Marie Creative
Champagne Pop: Humble Bee Media, Jordan Carda
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
