Born and raised in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Miriam Galarza Holland is no stranger to overcoming difficult situations. She reflects on how those experiences shaped the person she is today. A Real Estate Broker by trade, she’s also become an advocate for mental health.
As Miriam vulnerably shares, growing up wasn’t always easy for her. With struggles at home, her situation wasn’t much better outside in her community. Yet, Miriam has never allowed her circumstances to dictate who she is.
“I was surrounded by many friends that were involved in cocaine, heroin… you name it. I was around it, but it was not who I was. I didn't judge anyone. That's, that's the lifestyle they chose, but that was just not for me.
I wouldn't say money was my motivation, but I wanted something better for me.”
With that hopeful optimism, Miriam worked in different industries before falling in love with real estate. For her it’s helping people that motivates her to work harder each day.
“The gratifying part about real estate is those smiles, the text messages that I receive like ’thank you so much... my family is so happy.’ Money cannot buy that.”
With a thriving real estate business, Miriam stays grounded in her pursuit to serve others outside of her profession. With her parents still living in the neighborhood she grew up in, she has a deep connection to her culture and community. Though she’s very honest about how she’s still learning to navigate life’s challenges, it’s clear to see that Miriam is inspiring Latinas with her courage to tackle challenges head on.
When it comes to making tough decisions, the toughest can be removing yourself from toxic situations. Miriam offers advice on relieving the fears that come with leaving relationships that don’t serve you by replacing them with those that do.
“I mean, there's memes about ‘who's at your table?’ That's it. It's not a joke… Who is at your table? And Who are you surrounding yourself with? I'm not telling you to go with a bunch of rich people. I'm not saying that I'm telling you, surround yourself with intelligent people. I'm telling you to surround yourself with good hearted people.”
Tune in to hear more on Miriam’s story of courage and triumph; and how she's learning to embrace the journey she’s on.
