Episode 243: From Teacher to Transaction Coordinator with Kristi Winfree

Full Episode Transcription

Arianna Vernier: [00:00:00] Hey, y’all. Welcome back to the Virtual Assistant Mama Podcast. I’m so excited to share with you this interview I did today with Kristi Winfree. She is a former teacher turned transaction coordinator. So she’s talking all about her journey out of teaching how she got into transaction coordination. Is that the word? And how you can do that too, if that’s something you’re interested in. So I’m super excited for y’all to listen. Let’s just go ahead and jump right in.

Hey, Kristi, thank you so much for coming on the show with me today.

Kristi Winfree: My pleasure.. Thank you so much for having me.

Arianna Vernier: I would love it if you would just start by sharing with my listeners a little bit about you, a little bit about your teaching journey and just all the things.

Kristi Winfree: Yeah, absolutely. So I am based out of Texas and I, like you said, I was a former teacher. I currently own a transaction coordination business now, which is. Every time I say that people don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, it is kind of like a virtual assistant in the real estate world. But we only focus on the transaction part of the contract. So once a contract is executed by the agents, then they send it over to us and we handle it all. Like details, documents and deadlines and all the communication back and forth, just to make sure that the transaction is running smoothly. So a virtual assistant or an assistant and the real estate world might be doing the agent’s marketing and helping them write contracts, you know, do all types of things. Answer phone calls. We don’t do that. We just are solely, you know, we’ve got that 1 piece of the puzzle that we’re fully focused on so yeah, that’s what I do now, but I was a teacher for 3 years and it’s been a while now. I think my last year of teaching was 2009. so it has been quite a while, but I taught 8th grade math and my 1st year. I taught like a bridge program for the 6th and 7th graders and I was teaching math and English. But then my next 2 years, I taught 8th grade math. 

Arianna Vernier: Awesome. So you talked a little bit about becoming a transaction coordinator, what led you into that space? What made you think like, oh, this I think would be a good fit for me. What are some of the benefits of it?

Kristi Winfree: Yeah, so, I kind of stumbled on it to be honest. It wasn’t something that I even knew about, you know, just like a lot of. A lot of people that we talked to, they don’t know what a transaction coordinator is. And when I first got into real estate, I guess I was kind of on a self discovery path of trying to figure out what I wanted to do because when I was a teacher, I became a teacher shortly after I got out of college. I got my teaching certification and thought that would be something I really loved doing. And I did love it in the teaching aspect. But I found that for me, it was so much more classroom management than it was. The actual teaching, I think I probably if now being older, I think I probably would have been able to manage that better. But whenever I was younger, like, early 20s and stuff, I just, you know, that was not a strong suit for me at the time of the classroom management. But I did really enjoy the teaching aspect and being able to make a difference in some of the kids’ lives. You know, I helped some of them pass the state test, you know, when they had never passed it previously, but I did start kind of going down a soul searching path, okay. What would I enjoy? What’s my next steps throughout college? I waited tables. So I kind of, I went back into that for a little while, while I was trying to figure out what those next steps were and kept, they kept trying to move me up into management, but I knew that wasn’t something I wanted to do.

Kristi Winfree: But the regional, I think, is a regional director for the restaurant worked out of our restaurant. So I ended up becoming his assistant for about a year, year and a half. And I really enjoyed it, but it was kind of there wasn’t really much growth opportunity. I was kind of capped at where pay-wise, I was at the highest of that position would actually pay. So I started looking again, you know, what, what do I want to do with my life? And I found this book called 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller and he really challenged me in the book to think about, okay, what is it that I’m passionate about? I knew I loved music and I knew I, or at least I thought I loved real estate because I had read that book, rich dad, poor dad. And that really sparked like the, passion for real estate and music. I’m not musically inclined, but I always thought it would be really fun to be in the music industry.

Kristi Winfree: However, I thought real estate was probably a safer bet and to get into it, it was like a low risk. You know, it only cost me about 1200 dollars to take my real estate classes and the test. So I pursued that path and then whenever I got into real estate, I did find out I really, really enjoyed it. I was pretty good at it. However, in my 1st year as an agent, I realized I wasn’t skilled in real estate sales. Like, that’s not a strong suit for me, but I was really good at teaching and helping other agents. And so that led me on a path of becoming an assistant coach. So I was training agents on contracts, training them, how to get more business, setting up their systems, their processes. And then I did that for about a year and a half, but it wasn’t enough to pay my living expenses. And so even though it was something I loved. It just, I financially couldn’t make it work and one of my other friends had told me about the transaction coordination position whenever I first got into real estate and she was like, if you don’t like being an agent, there’s so many other directions in real estate that you can go and so she shared the opportunity with me and then I got into becoming a transaction coordinator and really didn’t know if it was something I was going to like, or if it’s what I really wanted to do. But after getting in it, I realized, like, that’s truly where I was gifted and building the systems, it allows me to still teach and train and mentor. And I finally found my sweet spot, but it was kind of stumbling into it that I did. I don’t know. That’s a very long winded answer.

Arianna Vernier: No, I love that. I just want to speak to how amazing it is that you didn’t just stay stuck where you knew it wasn’t a good fit for you. You kept changing and adapting and trying to figure out like, where is my sweet spot? What makes me happy? What makes me excited to work every day? I think a lot of people, they go to school, they get a degree and then they’re too afraid when it’s not a good fit to change because they went to school and got that degree. But it’s so cliche, but you only get one life to live and are you going to do it doing something that isn’t like, maybe you love it. You love pieces of it. But if it’s not something that lights you up to do every day, why are you going to stay stuck doing it for years on end?

Kristi Winfree: Right. Yeah, absolutely. And I do. I think even in my 20s and 30s, I was that person who like stability in my life. And I felt so unstable being so unsure of what I am going to do and jumping from one thing to the next. And I’m sure my parents probably thought, like, what in the world? You know, I could hold a job. I always excelled in every job I did, but I was just never like, happy. You know, or fully fulfilled. And I always felt like something was missing.

Arianna Vernier: Yeah, I felt the same way about teaching. So I totally get what you’re saying. And it’s hard. Like, we feel like we’re going to disappoint our parents too, but we have to do what’s best for us.

Kristi Winfree: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And like you said, now I’m so open to like, try it and see if it works. And if you don’t like, that’s okay. I learned something during that experience that I can take into the next thing that I move into.

Arianna Vernier: I love that. So what would you say When you made the decision to leave teaching, what would you say was the biggest thing that you had to overcome?

Kristi Winfree: I think fear of the unknown. Because I did leave not having something, like, something else set up that was secure. You know, I stepped out in faith and knowing that. I did not want to do another year of teaching because, you know, with teaching to you’re signing a contract to say, you’re going to be there for a full year. It’s and you don’t want to leave anybody high and dry or the children or anything like that. So that’s a big commitment to to sign on for a whole another year. And so I think that was this. That was the hardest thing to overcome was being willing to have the faith to say, I’m going to leave this and not know what’s next.

Arianna Vernier: Yeah, I did the same exact thing. It’s not totally what I recommend. I recommend trying to line something up first because then it’s a little overwhelming, but I did the same thing as you. I, my plan was to take a year off of teaching when I had my daughter, but then I was going to go back, but then God plopped virtual assistants in my lap. So yeah, I, I’ve, Totally connect with you there of like, just stepping out in faith and trusting that the right thing is going to come and you’re going to figure out what that is.

Kristi Winfree: Yeah, sometimes too, I think that to sometimes to hear God and get put in the positions where. Maybe where we can hear him a little bit clearer, sometimes we really do have to lean on that faith and it takes more faith and not have a plan than to have something that you’re going to go into. So, when I found transaction coordinating, or whenever I made that jump to with the coaching position that I was in, like I said, I I did not have. I didn’t have the transaction coordination thing lined up, or I didn’t, I didn’t know what my next plane was, but I really felt like God speaking to me and saying, I don’t want you here anymore. And so that was, like, super, super scary to, to say, okay, well, I’m going to leave this, but I don’t know what’s next. But I think by doing that, it’s, it’s opened up greater opportunities than I could have possibly expected.

Arianna Vernier: Yeah, because, you’re taking that step of faith and you’re saying, God, I trust in you. You know what’s best for me. And I’m just going to clear my plate and put on it what you have for me. So I love that.

Kristi Winfree: Right. Yeah, but it is scary. It is.

Arianna Vernier: So you mentioned already the book that you read that helped you in your journey out of teaching, and that was the 48 Days to the Work You Love, which I’m so thankful you recommended that. I’m a big book junkie, so I’ll definitely check that out. Are there any other resources that helped you in your journey out of teaching and or do you have any resources that my listeners? Could use to help them get into transaction coordination and all that.

Kristi Winfree: Yeah. As far as like resources, I think books are such a great thing, you know, because you’re really getting so much of somebody’s knowledge, for what, maybe 25, you know, like that doesn’t for I’ve learned so much more from books and podcasts than I ever did in college. And, you know, I’ve spent a whole lot more money on college and I would never give up that experience. Like, I loved my experience, but I know so much more about business now from the books I’ve read, the podcasts I’ve listened to and then just implementing. Then the business degree I got in college and so and as far as to help people become a transaction coordinator, I actually am launching a course at the end of September to teach people how to set up and run a very successful transaction coordination business and it’s going to go from A to Z, like how to set it up, how to get clients, how to run the files and then how to just have a great work life balance. So that is definitely something that if your listeners are interested in. Thank you. You know, we can, I can get more information to them about that.

Arianna Vernier [00:11:46] That’s awesome. And I think that’s going to be such a good resource because like I’ve been in this virtual assistant world for a while now, and I didn’t even know that was a thing, the transaction coordinator. So it’s cool what you’re doing. And I think there’s so many people who would love to do what you’re doing. So I know they’re going to be super grateful for you for creating that. What would be the best way for them to contact you? About if they’re interested in that program.

Kristi Winfree: Yeah, absolutely. So they could email me at hello@kristiwinfree.com and that’s K. R. I. S. T. I. W. I. N. F. R. E. E. they could also go to kristiwinfree.com/tcquiz. And they can actually take a real short quiz there that will tell them if, you know, if they’re a great fit for becoming a transaction coordinator, or maybe they’ve got the skills, but they can enhance them a little bit. And then they can also find me on Instagram @kristiwinfree.

Arianna Vernier: Okay, perfect. And I will have all that linked in the show notes for those of you listening. So you can easily go and connect with Christy because I know her resources are going to be awesome. So it has been such a pleasure having you on with me today, Kristi. I have one more question for you that I ask every guest that comes on the show. And that is if someone wanted to start their journey out of teaching or their 9 to 5 in general, but they just felt too overwhelmed. What would you tell them?

Kristi Winfree: That’s a great question. So I would say 1st, listen to your heart. You know, what is, what is your heart saying and don’t ignore what, you know, the feelings that you’re having and then just take it 1 step at a time. You know, like, we can only do so much every day. Your checklist. If you’re like me, my checklist is forever long. I can’t possibly get everything accomplished in 1 day, but 1 percent better every day will make you 37 times better within a year’s time. So, and this year has all been about growth for me, and it’s been 1 step at a time.

Arianna Vernier: That’s awesome. I love that advice. And I think we all need to just take that step of faith and keep working to better ourselves. And that’s all we can do right?

Kristi Winfree: Yeah, absolutely.

Arianna Vernier: All right. Well, thank you so much for coming on and to those of you listening, make sure you go check out Kristi’s resources. If you’re interested in learning about the world of becoming a transaction coordinator, go check it out because I know it’s going to be awesome. All right, y’all. I love you so much and we will see you in the next episode.