During a late-night Facebook scroll, Chelsea Snyder saw a post asking for volunteers to coach tee ball at Live Oak Sports Complex. A friend tagged her, half joking because Chelsea grew up playing softball and watching her brothers excel at baseball. “Well, I’ll call just in case they still need someone,” Chelsea thought. “I was sure they would find a dad or someone with a bit more experience. But that’s how I became the first coach who doesn’t have a kid in the program,” she laughed.

 

One thing about Chelsea - she’s going to call.

 

In her two years in the industry, the 21-year-old said she’s had countless conversations with clients that have solidified her commitment to real estate. “Seeing that light bulb go off - it’s addicting.” Like many Realtors, Chelsea never envisioned herself in this career, but she always knew she would be different, do big things, and go far. She’s got rocket fuel in her soul.

 

At just seven years old, Chelsea Snyder’s mom sat her down to explain that her father would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

 

“Nobody else that I knew had something like that going on in their life, and I’ve become a lot more open with it as an adult, but throughout my childhood, I was not trying to offer up that information,” she said. “And while it’s something that has made me who I am, it doesn’t define me.”

 

She’s poured her all into building a solid foundation for her future. She signed up for a rigorous courseload while attending Baton Rouge High, played volleyball, and prides herself on being a good sister to her three brothers - one older and two younger. “I make sure they stay on track,” she said with a smile.

 

After graduation, college felt like a no-brainer for Chelsea. “I went to a prestigious school, and college was always the obvious next step,” she said. She enrolled in the pre-veterinary program at LSU and picked up several jobs to support herself. She waited tables, cleaned houses, and helped at the local animal shelter to make ends meet.

 

A paperwork fluke paused her tuition grants as she entered her sophomore year. Covering the $9,000 tuition for the semester was out of the question.

 

“I took a step back and gave myself a year to work and save before returning to school,” she explained. During that time, she bought a house, became a licensed Realtor and completed her first transaction. “That was it. I was all in. I knew then that I wasn’t going back to school.”

 

While looking for a brokerage as a newly minted Realtor, she dialed up dozens of real estate offices. “I didn’t have friends or family in the industry,” she said. “So I Googled, called and set up interviews.” After weeks of searching and talking to brokers across Greater Baton Rouge, Chelsea chose Smart Move Real Estate with broker Brandon Richoux.

 

Chelsea has made a home for herself with her boyfriend, three dogs and a hedgehog in Denham Springs. While she’s traded her days at the animal shelter for showing homes, she’ll always be an animal lover.

 

She’s a dedicated dog mom to three fur babies - Fergie, the pug; Chunk, the French bulldog; and Mogli, the American bully pit mix. When she has a moment to spare, she’s either playing with them in the backyard or finding solace in the hunt for the perfect antique in Denham Springs’ Antique Village.

 

Chelsea depends on a robust set of routines, systems, reminders and to-do lists to keep moving the needle forward. “There’s never not a reminder on my phone,” she laughed. Showings, lead generation, and, of course, tee ball practice are all set in her reminder system.

 

When she learned that the tee ball program did not offer photos, she booked a photographer to come before practice. “We had to have team pictures,” she said.

 

She stands proudly in the back of the photo with her assistant coach, her 16-year-old brother. Pouring into the team of young boys feels like her way of paying it forward for everyone who cheers her on along her journey.

 

“I want to build a career for myself, and I’ve realized in the past year that I can thrive and scale in this industry,” Chelsea said. “And I’m not saying it’s easy by any means. But it’s possible.”

 

Chelsea points to her mom, dad, brothers and boyfriend as her biggest supporters. “My mom is my biggest cheerleader and has been since day one,” she said. “My dad and I are also very close. He’s more of a father to me from prison than many people have who are out and free to be there with them.”

 

While many Rising Stars begin to strive for a broker’s license, Chelsea is taking the journey one step at a time. “I like being hands-on, personal and taking care of people,” she said. “I always want to grow and improve, but I don’t need to be a millionaire by 25. That’s not me - and it’s cool for others to strive for that, but I’m focused on showing people how much I care about them and how real estate can change their lives.”