Heather Kirkwood had been working in the dental field for 16 years until a major frustration at work served as a catalyst for her to pursue something better for herself. She remembers sitting in her room feeling deeply upset and frustrated about the situation that had transpired at work, but instead of wallowing, she leveraged those emotions to create a new plan. “I made the decision to pursue my real estate license and to propel myself into action. I had no idea at first how I was going to do it. I just knew this is what I'm going to do.” Heather had two busy school-aged kids at the time, so she chose online school. 

Once she got her license and launched her new career in 2016, she worked as an independent agent for a short while before Heather joined Treasure Davis’s team. Over the course of three years working with Treasure and her team, she refined her skills, structure, and systems and shared, “that is where I learned how to be a business owner and what it actually takes to be successful in real estate.” Later, she joined The Cutting Edge, and then ultimately ended up meeting Andrew and Wendy Weber, with whom she started 6035. She met the Webers through a Facebook page: “It was a funny page and I’m a funny person, so I would post funny stuff on there; that’s how we first met. Eventually I became their team lead to help with systems and structure and then we started 6035 together. I'm now one of the equal partners there along with Ashley Reed.” 

Heather attributes her transformations and successes to her mindset and the power of turning adversity into opportunity. “I firmly believe if you can hone in and figure out what emotion you’re experiencing - disgust or unwillingness to accept the bare minimum - it can propel you to make moves in your life. Even though adversity never feels good, anytime I’ve experienced adversity, it has created an opportunity for me to level up and grow to the next level. Rather than wallowing, I have chosen to dig myself out of the holes. I am always going to choose to do something better because I believe that I deserve something better.” 

Heather also grounds into a belief that “everything is figure-outable.” She explained, “When you’re a brand new agent, everything is stressful and you can feel like you are the biggest failure. There’s a lot of self-doubt. But you get to a point where you realize you can figure it out and you rely on the resources around you. In real estate, one minute you're winning and the next minute you're not sure what you’re doing with your life. It’s important to learn to manage those extremes. So I just learned to tell myself that I can figure anything out.”

It’s also important not to attach yourself to someone else’s outcome. “You can’t want something for someone more than they want it for themselves. When you can learn to be neutral about things and realize that while a closing may be beneficial to you, it's not going to completely make or break you. That has been a key lesson.” Heather has also learned the importance of being adaptable through changing markets, and how critical it is to handle rejection well. “While rejection never feels good, I've gotten to the point where if something doesn't work out I tell myself that it was not meant for me.”

Heather initially built a lot of her business based on Zillow and then maintained that business through referrals. She believes in having four pillars of business - her sphere of influence, past clients, online leads, and social media - because you never know when one of those pillars will dry up. 

Heather works with all different types of people and discovered her “why” through one transaction. “I was working with a single mother who was going to be homeless. It’s probably the lowest income-generating transaction I’ve ever done, but helping her get to the finish line will always be embedded in my memory. That transaction was how I discovered I do what I do through love. I genuinely love my clients and I want to see them win. When you can operate out of a place of love and understanding for people, and an appreciation for where they are in their journey, it’s a powerful thing to help them accomplish their goals. These moments help you get through those tougher transactions. It's about meeting people where they are in their journey and honoring their motivations for why they move through life the way they do.”

Heather doesn’t take herself too seriously and is a self-proclaimed “goofball.” She continued, “This translates to the way I communicate with my clients. I make the process fun for them. It also allows them the space to let down their guard and have a more open dialogue with me about their worries, concerns, and objections, and the communication helps me better understand their needs.” 

Outside of work, Heather enjoys taking herself out for fancy dinners. She also loves the serenity and skill of flyfishing, and enjoys being outside. She has two adult children, ages 22 and 19, and adores them both.

While real estate wasn’t necessarily a life-long dream for Heather, she remembers her childhood dream was to be a business owner. Being an action-oriented person, she has made that dream come true. Now, being featured in Real Producers, Heather shared that it’s hard to grasp the reality of it. “It feels really good to be recognized for the hard work that you do and the way that you choose to lovingly serve people. It's such an honor to be featured alongside some of the bigger names in real estate. It is extremely humbling.” Heather is grateful for the team she has created with the Webers, too. “They were another catalyst for forcing me to level up. It is amazing to be surrounded by friends that force you to level up in life. I make it a point to spend time with people who can teach me to be a better person.”