In 2021, Mariana Pappalardo found herself at a crossroads. Over the two years prior, her business had exploded, taking her into the upper echelon of REALTORS® on a national level. As her team grew, her sales volume increased from $80 million in 2019 to $177 million in 2021.

And yet, something was missing. Mariana vividly remembers being in Sweden with her family when she went under contract on three homes for over $15 million. Always responsible and present for her clients, Mariana did what she thought was the right thing to do: she hopped on a plane to help close the deals. Meanwhile, her kids stayed with her then-husband while visiting her parents in Sweden. This decision was rooted in a desire for integrity, but it didn’t sit well with Mariana.

“I remember going back to my house in Woodside thinking I was the biggest loser in the world,” Mariana admits.

Around the same time, Mariana began taking regular trips to her beach house in Marin County to connect with nature. She would get in the car and drive to the beach, where she had no cell service, to watch the waves, seals, and stingrays. It became her refuge.

“I would go to the beach, then come back down and slay dragons in real estate,” Mariana continues. “The juxtaposition of having both worlds made me realize I had to be more intentional about the business.”

While the numbers presented a success story, Mariana struggled with balance. With three kids at home, she was still working 75-hour weeks. Something had to change.

What has happened since has been a beautiful movement toward more alignment and balance. Mariana took the lessons seriously, applied them to her business, and reshaped her business to be more sustainable.

“If you want to last in this business,” she says, “you have to find balance.”

“My family got left on the back burner. I took nine days off, including Saturdays and Sundays, in 2021, and I had a spiritual awakening. As much as it was fantastic that I was such a rising star and catapulted into being in the sphere of top producers, I realized that’s not what everything is about. You have to have both. You can have a family life and personal time and still run a great business.”

The turn in Mariana’s career has brought many blessings. She’s reclaimed time with her three sons, who are now 17, 16, and 11. She downsized her team and got more intentional about the business she took on. She began to focus on what really matters.

“The power of saying no and creating boundaries has been what my last few years have been about. But I'm not forgetting my revenue. I'm still running a strong business,” Mariana shares.

Indeed, she closed an impressive 41 homes for $101 million in 2023. She’s also expanded her new construction market share. She went under contract on Thomas James Homes's first Bay Area acquisition in 2018, and, over the ensuing years, has further developed her new construction niche. Mariana has also created more time for mentorship and enjoyment in business.

“My passion is mentoring women and doing so by helping my team members become a success. I have taken agents from four to twenty-seven million in one year after joining my team… Making a difference in someone’s growth curve as an agent gives me a lot of joy and fulfillment,” Mariana says. “We have a multicultural team with super cool diversity. We’re having a lot of fun. Team culture is everything, and having fun while working together is an amazing gift. We're all about empowering women. I’m super proud of my rockstar team members Heather Morch, Aleksandra Cybulska, Wendy Feng, and my fierce assistant, Anita Petit.”

As Mariana looks ahead, she’s transitioning back into growth mode, but this time, it won’t be at the expense of her personal life. She’s committed to running a sustainable business that allows her to enjoy life rather than just racing along on the hamster wheel.

“It is possible to have balance and still grow your team and business,” Mariana reminds us. “It’s all in the mindset and how you choose to use your time… Everything I do is authentic, organic, and intentional.”