Uplift: Shares her story of survival, and resilience, tracing her journey from foster care and teen motherhood.

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Welcome to my show.

I'm Richa McDonnell, the host of Money Making Conversations

Masterclass, where we encourage people

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Now, let's get this podcast started.

My guest puts through some difficult circumstances

to achieve significant professional progress

and become a business mogul, M-O-G-U-L.

Please welcome the Money Making Conversation Masterclass,

Kimberly Kelly.

How you doing, Kimberly?

I'm doing phenomenal.

How are you doing?

I'm phenomenal.

Using all the positives, where you coming out the box?

Yeah, you got to say positives.

You got to say positives.

I'm a super woman.

I'm a super woman.

You're coming out the box.

I'm a super woman.

I'm phenomenal woman.

I love it.

I love it.

That positivity.

Is that where drives your success?

You being positive?

Yes.

Yes.

Absolutely.

That drives back.

Keeps me with perseverance.

Keep moving forward.

No matter what difficult moment happens.

Now, let's talk about you in difficult moments, you know,

because I think that that stops a lot of people, you know,

because we all have valleys, you know, you know,

COVID knocked out a whole country and created a difficult moment

and forced us to live from our home and also sent us

into a mental spiral, but difficult moments

or sometimes we can't control.

So what is a difficult moment that you can share with us?

I have, and that's a great question.

I have a pretty lot of difficult moments.

But just even if I start talking to just about my upbringing

and being coming from where I come from, South Florida,

and basically raising myself on my own,

since I was about six or seven years old, five, six or seven,

and being brought up in foster care,

and even after that, being able to live on my own

at the age of 15 and have kids

and being able to push through,

even though I was placed in foster care,

even though I had basically raised my brothers,

and even though with those obstacles I faced,

I pushed there and it became both of their cities

which kind of shaped me into being a resilient person I am today.

So I didn't let that be me coming from that having a mother

who was in a dating drug,

and not really having a support system

and things of that nation having to figure out how to raise myself.

So even with that I continued to move forward

because there was really no faith in that for me at that point.

So that was one of the things that kept me pushing forward

and pressure me and through the difficult moments.

No, you mentioned it at a very young age.

Explain to everybody what exactly is foster care.

So foster care is a place that they put you in basically

when the parent has either they have,

it can be from abuse.

My situation with my mom was the alcoholic and the drug abuse there.

And they put you there supposed to be a temporary placement,

but some of some kids can lost in the shuffle and some of them stay until they either age out

or either family member decides they want to take them.

And our kids who stayed for some years

and one of my aunts took us,

but she didn't realize having three kids

because it was me and my two younger brothers

and we were in that place with her out of foster care.

So foster care is a place that goes where kids are

and went from traumatic situations

and they have nowhere to go.

So that's supposed to be a temporary placement,

but sometimes it becomes permanent.

You know, it's really interesting that because I'm trying to get into your world, you know, a young person.

And was the faith play a role in your life at that early age?

Yeah, well, I didn't have the faith, but I gained it there while I was in foster care.

I did gain it there.

They would take us to like little outings and things

and one of the places we would go would be to church

and they had no idea of that during that time,

but I didn't learn it as a young adolescent during that time.

I didn't learn how to pray and it just seemed so natural.

Like I had been, it was a part of who I was and my essence

because I remember times where I'm like,

okay, I just feel like I had the presence of God with me

doing those difficult years and growing up.

Because you have to have something to believe in.

You've got to have something to hold on to

because your world, I think, is just spinning out of control

and you have the age where you can control in that belief

in your conversation early on.

You said you had a child of the young age?

Yes, I did.

I ended up, and it became like, you know,

the basically kind of stereotype,

that kind of thing.

My mom had me young.

I ended up in foster care.

My mother's ended up in foster care

because we really didn't have any directional one really raising us.

And then I became a young mother as well

at that time, even I was raising my brothers.

Because I didn't have anyone basically taking care of me.

I got in with wrong people,

not having any adult supervision

and made some,

made not for great choices at that time.

Right.

You know, the reason I'm just talking about this

because I want to,

because you're a very successful person today,

your business model.

Yeah.

But I just wanted to lay out,

because a lot of people don't know,

how did they get there?

You know what you get?

She's a real-to-reel storage agent.

She's just mobilizing out there.

She's running business.

But everybody's journey to that pathway is not the same.

Everybody's journey is not through college.

Everybody's journey is not PhD.

Everybody's journey is not to parents.

But it always amazes me when people like you,

I grew up with my parents,

stayed together my whole life, you know.

And that impacted me, you know.

Not saying I had the greatest parents,

but I had parents who were there to me

saw me through high school and saw me through college

and it forced me to be a better person

because I had two people I can communicate with.

You and foster care.

You have two brothers that you're trying younger brothers.

Then you become a young mom.

At what point in your life did you say enough?

It's enough or you start saying,

you know, I got to give my life together.

I got to control the narrative.

So to be transparently honest with you,

it wasn't even an option for me.

I always had that mindset because I had been taking care of my brothers

since I was so young.

So just to give you a clue when we got,

when we were taking into foster care,

I literally would not go inside the home of the foster mother

until because they had separated me and my two brothers.

I sat on the suit and just sat there

and begged them to please play my brothers with me.

And they put us all together to keep us together.

So it wasn't even a thought process of,

okay, it had all,

I just always had to be in that kind of survival mode.

Right.

So whatever I had to do,

it was like I had to make sure they was taking care

because there was nobody really,

I couldn't look and say,

okay, this person or these people

are going to make sure me and them are good.

Right.

And you know,

just ask you just,

you know,

because I have a very strong person.

Size-wise,

what were you like,

five, two, five, three, five, four,

when you were like,

will you leave me the person telling you,

I'm not going in.

This is me.

I'm sorry.

What were you at physically being this demonstrative?

And I said demonstrative in a good way,

demanding that you have standards

and you're not going to accept standards that you feel

is below,

below what you want,

living conditions you want,

for your brothers,

for yourself,

that's pretty

affirmable for somebody young.

Where did that come from?

So I think it just came from the mid-fact

of me taking care of them

and knowing that like,

say for instance,

if my mom will leave a call for a couple of days, right?

Right.

I just knew I just kind of automatically took that muggly role

to them.

So it was just like,

they were,

even though they were my brothers,

I was like,

they're big sisters

and I was a protector.

So when they came,

when they came and took me away from the school,

and then I didn't have my brothers,

it was like I was just sitting there,

and I was,

it was like,

where are my brothers?

Please find,

get me my brothers,

and it wasn't like a mean thing,

it was more so like I was in distress.

Right.

We give, please get my brothers.

I was about nine or ten at the time.

So I'd probably,

I'm 99 pounds,

five, five,

so I'm five, eight now.

So I would think I would be like five,

about five, five at the time.

So I know I was 99 pounds to be waiting that time.

So,

and then the thing,

and the blessing was,

I think,

I had a path at that time

because my foster mother,

she was,

she was kind enough,

and she saw

what I was experiencing,

and I was late to the right person

because she was able to facilitate that

and make sure me and my brothers stayed together.

Today?

But she went and called them.

Right.

And today, you know,

your real estate broker

with six agents,

tell us about your company.

Yes.

So I have a real estate broker

here in the south side,

and McDonald.

I thought I was a realtor,

and then I decided,

hey, you know,

I love what I do because my goal is

to educate, motivate,

and basically teach people,

you know,

that we can do this,

like we can all real estate,

and there's so much out here

that we can do as far as entrepreneurs,

or whatever it may be,

whatever your desires are,

so at the third year point,

I was like,

okay, Kimberly,

you don't have to be a broker.

You know?

And then as the market changes,

we went into COVID,

so many things transpired during that time,

so I'm always in the mindset of,

okay,

you want to be adaptable,

stay adaptable,

and then I tried to open up my brokerage,

and my brokerage,

I have six agents right now,

and I am so excited about that,

because when learning,

we're going together,

and I'm learning as well,

along with the path,

going with my agents,

and as it grows,

it's a beautiful thing.

Now, you know,

you own money making conversation,

master class now,

so we're about to go into master class here,

with Kimberly Kelly,

okay?

Now, you're a broker.

Now, you got agents under you.

How does that model work?

How does that financial model work?

I'm not trying to ask for any money in the day,

but for you to,

because you could just do it by yourself,

now you got agents.

How you convinced in the work under you,

how does that model work for your agency?

So, the model for my agency is more so like,

I am,

how can I articulate this properly?

I,

it's usually by word of mouth.

Okay.

I believe it or not.

It's usually by word of mouth,

and the agents that come to me are agents

who really who want that kind of,

that one-on-one.

I'm a small brokerage.

I'm not a big one yet.

Let's say yet.

I like that one-on-one,

I like that one-on-one personal touch with my,

with my model,

with my agents,

where I can sit down,

and I can talk to them.

I answer my phone every time.

So, as I'm growing,

I'm going with my,

with the agents,

and the model is,

it's not a,

a,

a,

a,

a big corporate model,

but it's a model that works for us,

model of brokers,

where I can do that one-on-one training.

I can do that one-on-one marketing strategy.

I can do that one-on-one.

We can do,

we can continue to visualize things,

celebrate small victories,

and it can continue to educate ourselves,

and grow,

whatever,

in the real estate space.

Even with,

even with,

with the trends.

Right.

Right.

When I,

when I listen to you,

you know,

it's about,

it's about relationships.

Okay.

It's about branding.

Absolutely.

It's about branding.

Yeah.

Is there a price range

that your firm handles

as far as houses do?

We're showing you how to houses

from 250 to half meter.

Are we how to houses

from half meter to me?

Is there a price range

in your agency?

Well, within my agency,

when I started out my agency,

it was more so about my goal

was to educate first-time home

by this,

because,

Okay.

Coming from where I come from,

that is,

that was very important for me,

because where I grew up,

it,

it really didn't see any home owners.

So that,

within myself,

that was a passion.

But now,

as I,

I've grown,

it is like 250 and above,

because of the changes within the market,

you really cannot find anything,

you know,

that's $100,000 price point.

So like,

250, 300,

and about,

up to a million,

and even farther than that,

now,

but both basically,

the main is 250 to about 750 right now.

Okay, great.

When we come back,

we're going to hear more

from the business mogul,

and it's important to understand her story,

because her story might be your story.

But what she didn't let

is adversity,

even at a young age,

stop up from being

the successful business mogul,

she is,

she's doing more than just,

real estate.

We're going to come back

and hear a whole lot more,

that my friend,

I'm going to call my friend now,

because she said,

Rishan,

I'm not corporate yet.

I'm hands on right now,

but I got big dreams,

because she's on money

making conversation,

Masterclass.

She's not reading other people's success stories.

She's planning her own.

Don't go anywhere.

We write back

for more,

Kimberly Kelly.

Please don't go anywhere.

We'll be right back

for more money making conversations,

Masterclass.

Now I need

for you to do me a favor.

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On the serving pancakes podcast,

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Presented by Capital One,

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Women's Sports.

Welcome back to Money

and Making Conversations

Masterglass with me,

Rishan Mechtop.

You know, she's successful.

But that's not the story

she wanted to tell.

She wanted to tell the part

about overcoming difficult

circumstances.

You know, going against the odds,

being a single mom,

team mom,

and still being successful,

which means that a lot of people

need to hear that side of the story

because that's what.

A lot of people dealing

with situations

where they might consider

catastrophic.

And she said,

living in foster care,

you know, her mom was

on drugs.

That didn't stop her.

You know,

she wanted to maintain her

family, her two young

brothers.

That didn't stop her.

You know, getting the clear

understanding that success

was somewhere out there for

you, Kimberly,

you just knew,

you just had to figure out

how to find it, correct?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Now tell us about your son.

Okay.

You had him at,

you said 15?

Yes, sir.

15?

Yes.

Okay.

Okay.

You could continue.

I'm sorry.

Yes.

And then I ended up having

another one.

By the time I was 18,

I had two.

Okay.

So here I am,

a mom,

I'm 18,

and I'm 18 basically,

we're two kids,

and then I also have

my brothers.

Right.

And how are they?

How are they at that time?

So,

one is,

I want to say about four years,

younger than me,

and then the other ones

probably like six years.

So,

we're all,

we're all,

like teenagers are

adolescents at this time.

Well, two young kids,

that you are the,

yeah,

we're two young kids.

Yes.

Yes, absolutely.

Yes.

So, we're all basically living.

So, so,

let's put this way.

The success sign is not hanging

over that door for you.

And it is not,

it is not at all.

At that point, it's like,

okay,

but it never dawned on me,

that I never dawned on me,

or ever was told,

was never told,

was never taught to me,

a dawn on me,

that I wouldn't be successful.

Doesn't make sense

because it was like,

I wasn't brought up with the,

okay, well,

you go to school,

you get a degree,

I kind of just had to figure out my own lane,

without,

what would work for me,

at that time.

And what,

just to help us out with the audience here.

Now, we got to get forward,

the forward motion,

the engine,

the train track,

it's starting to pick up steam.

When did you start getting on that track, Kimberly?

I actually,

it was like a situation,

where I totally,

like, looked around the,

one day,

and I was just like,

I had my brother,

my kids,

and I probably was like 19 at this time,

and I'm still trying to get my high school diploma,

even,

it's just so much what's happening,

and I was just like,

no, I got to,

I got to,

I got to get it together,

and at the time,

we used to call them,

shorties or whatever,

I got to take care of my kids,

and I went back and got my high school diploma,

I,

I,

this full play started going to me,

they had these teenage workshops

where you can go and learn how to do interviews,

how to write resumes,

that does,

you know,

the government had offered,

and I just threw myself into that started learning,

learning, learning, learning,

I knew that,

education was going to be,

I kind of spoke,

I outlet it for me at that time,

and with that,

I just,

anything that I could learn,

because I was an advert reader,

I just learned,

and I just picked up books,

and I just kind of carried it along,

went to me,

and so then I was like,

okay, I'm going to college,

and then I went to school,

and I got my degree in electronics engineering.

What college did you go to?

What college did you go to?

I actually,

I just went to,

I started going,

it's called Broward County Communication,

Broward County College,

and then I came up to Atlanta,

and I went to the cab pit,

and I got my technical degree

in electronic engineering,

and after that,

I just kind of just,

just went,

just full-fledged forward,

and just learning as much as I can about,

the IT world,

because that's what it was at that time.

Mm-hmm.

And so it's really,

thank you for sharing the story so far,

because of the fact that,

I always thought,

you got to figure out your path,

everybody who's listening to this conversation

or any conversation you hear on the show.

It's your path.

This is a path that she is going about doing it.

My previous interview,

she went to Spellman,

and went to University of Georgia.

That's not your story,

but she also didn't have two kids

before the age of 19.

She also wasn't in fourth foster care,

and that's the path that she went,

that nobody else can be successful.

There are people who have stories

that maybe even more dire

than Kimberly Kelly,

but her story deserves

a platform to be heard,

and that's what I'm allowing to happen

because I don't want excuses.

Not after hearing Kimberly's story.

Ain't that right, Kimberly?

Thank you very much.

Absolutely absolutely.

You can do anything.

There is nothing that you can do in this life,

and once you believe in yourself,

and you know that,

as long as there's an opportunity

you wake up in the morning,

you can do it.

You can absolutely do it.

It took me, if I did it,

for where I come from,

I promise you,

if you just believe in yourself,

if you just look in front of you,

you get up in the morning,

put one foot in front of the other,

and regardless,

irregardless,

you may feel like the world is caving in on you,

and sometimes it is caving in on you.

Give yourself a break to breathe in,

pray if you have a spiritual sense,

but practice resilient.

If you have a support system

seeks, you know,

a strong support network.

And even if you don't have that,

go look in a mirror and talk to yourself

and say, hey, you know what?

I can do this.

And then, especially if you have your children,

just look in their eyes,

and that should,

that in itself is motivation.

Wow.

You know, the one thing I really appreciate

that's conversation is that, you know,

it's a journey when you could have not

went and got your degree.

You could have not went to technical.

You could have not pursued,

because even when, you know,

you got to get a license

be a real estate broker.

You know, you got to study.

Yeah, you know,

and then not just passing it out

with a check,

and then the fact that,

you know,

now you're a leader,

you're a leader of people,

you know,

which means that that's even more important.

But when you're in business,

you have people who want to get in business

with your partnership,

spouses,

how does that work?

Are you in business by yourself?

Are you in business with another partner?

Are you just a solo entrepreneur?

I'm in business when I want my spouse.

I'm in business when my husband.

So we have a couple,

we have actually,

we have three businesses.

I have the real estate side,

which is, you know,

the real estate brokerage,

and we have something called,

we have a business called

Kate Kelly Ventures,

which is property preservation.

So,

with all the things that were happening

within the market,

I'm always on,

okay,

how can I,

how can I say,

a doubtable,

how can I,

if any change comes,

so I created,

the property preservation company,

and that is going wrong with sell.

So,

and that basically is something,

where you just go in

and work with paint

and asset management,

management to provide services,

such as repair,

inspections,

maintenance,

public,

and maintenance to make it properties

in the real estate world.

You're just something,

that's good.

You just want to make a machine.

Just want to make a machine.

That's all right.

You're on the right show, too,

to tell your story.

Kimberly Kelly,

I really get up, you know,

when I, when I,

I'm so happy that you're honest

about your life,

because so many people want to like,

tell a part of it,

that, that feels,

makes them feel good,

but then they leave out important information,

they don't help the average person understand,

it can be them, too,

that they can make it, too,

they can achieve success.

So, I want to thank you,

from bottom of my heart,

for coming on Monday,

making conversation,

sharing your story,

but also both sides,

the success of being a single mom,

the success of being a black woman,

who is being stereotyped,

the success of being a business on success,

of being married to a wonderful man,

success of being an entrepreneurial spirit,

with your husband,

continue success in your life,

Kimberly Kelly,

and thank you for coming

on Monday,

making conversation,

Masterclass.

And thank you so much,

I'm so honored that you have me on your show,

and thank you for all that you do,

and the porn,

and the people,

the way you do your shots.

Thank you for listening to this episode.

Now, I need for you to do me a favor.

Right now,

to follow or subscribe

to Monday,

making conversation,

keep winning.