The Benefits of Yes
Opportunities are everywhere, says Hazel Emlen, if you’re open to them. For Emlen, 28, a former soccer player who planned to play in college, a career-ending injury shifted her focus to local pageants. “Pageants had never been my thing, but then I realized how big an impact you could make on people’s lives.” As a sexual abuse survivor, Emlen used her platforms as Miss Vacaville, Miss Napa County, and America’s Miss California to advocate on behalf of fellow survivors. Attending a charity event in 2013, she met broker Tom Rapisarda. Three years later, she transitioned from work as a property manager, and he became her broker. Now, she’s among the top 1% in production among agents in her county. For the hard-working Emlen, opportunities keep coming: She’s now appearing on a real estate reality show on American Dream TV and hosting a podcast called “Real Life and Real Estate.”