For most people, the lockdown era of the pandemic is defined by their time spent inside—time on hobbies, time with their immediate family, time spent working in their homes. Kate Johnson isn’t most people though. That period of time for her is defined by reaching out, connecting with people outside of her immediate network. 

“I just remember sitting there and wondering about how my clients were doing,” she said. “So I started reaching out to connect one-on-one. No ulterior motive, I just wanted to know how their families were and what they were up to.”

“In real estate, these relationships are more personal than professional, and when I think back on that time and reconnecting with all those people, I felt so reassured to know that people felt comfortable opening up to me.”

As the youngest of six children, Kate has always marched to the beat of her own drum, carving the path that works best for her family and her network every step of the way. 

Raised in Rhode Island, Kate left to attend Boston College and joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps after graduation. From there, Kate forged a career for herself in sales and marketing—serving as Director of Marketing at Fidelity. 

And along the way, she started dating her now-husband, Rob, also a BC grad from Hingham. 

She first dipped her toes in real estate thanks to her mom, who sourced Kate’s first property purchase: a beautiful brownstone in Boston.

“I didn’t even like coffee, but I remember sitting there, sipping coffee and thinking: this is mine.”

In 2000, Kate and her husband married and by 2001, they had purchased their first home in Hingham. While she was expecting their second child, things took a turn for the worse and Kate was in a horrific accident. During emergency surgery, she went into labor and delivered their healthy second child. 

Between the recovery and a restructuring at Fidelity, Kate decided to walk away from her career and focus on her family. 

“It was really a challenging time. I was in a full leg brace holding my newborn in a Baby Bjorn while my 16-month-old was playing and I caught myself thinking: What’s my next thing?” 

“But then I thought: You know what, I need to be in this moment. If I were working, I’d be asking the nanny about what this moment was like instead of experiencing it myself.”

Of course, Kate’s independence and self-starter attitude meant that being a stay-at-home mom wouldn’t last forever. In 2009, she took to the career that her mom had modeled for her and earned her real estate license. 

“I wanted to be the mom who’s the girl scout troop leader, the CCD teacher, the coach for my kids’ sports teams. I didn’t want to miss any of that.”

So when she and her husband had three children under the age of 3, she dove into the career that could afford her the opportunity to give all the effort she has to offer in both her home and professional arenas. 

“I’m competitive and goal-oriented. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to give it 1000%.”

That 1000% has come back to Kate in spades. 

Thanks to the time, energy, and effort she put into all of her relationships at Boston College, at Fidelity, and in her Hingham community, real estate came naturally to Kate. 

And it didn’t take long for others to notice. Seven years ago, after finishing breast cancer treatment and unexpectedly losing her father, Kate had the option to lay low and stay at her original brokerage—but then Compass called.

“They asked me to be a founding member of their Hingham office, and it was a leap of faith, but I loved every moment of it.”

She credits much of her success at Compass and in real estate to her background in sales and marketing, but family, friends, and clients will tell you that’s just one small piece of the puzzle. 

Kate’s magnetic vibrancy, her sense of humor, her ability to keep things real but fun, and her authenticity make her much more than a realtor to clients. 

“People won’t remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel. I do what I do because I love it and I love making people feel comfortable, supported, and heard every step of the way.”

And she never loses sight of what motivated her to break into the industry. “I’m an incredibly proud mom and wife. We’ve got our health, our family, and good friends—what more could we ask for?”

pullquote: “People won’t remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel."