Say Yes When You Feel Unprepared: Leadership Lessons from eXp's Chief Brokerage Officer

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Holly Mabery shares her journey from small-town agent to leading 89,000+ real estate professionals

I've had the privilege of working alongside Holly Mabery for nearly two years now, and I can tell you this: she has an extraordinary ability to deliver hard truths wrapped in kindness.

She'll give you a hug and a kick in the butt simultaneously—and somehow, you'll walk away feeling empowered and ready to tackle whatever challenge you're facing.

That's her X Factor.

In my latest X Factor Marketing conversation, I sat down with Holly to talk about authentic leadership, the power of saying yes to opportunities that terrify you, and why the best leaders build bigger tables instead of barriers.

"If I Can't Be Myself, I Shouldn't Be in the Room"

When I asked Holly what her X Factor is, she didn't hesitate.

"I'm just myself in every situation," she said. "And if I can't be myself, then I probably shouldn't be in the room."

That might sound simple. But in an industry—and especially in corporate leadership—where so many people feel pressure to perform, to fit a mold, to be someone they're not, Holly's commitment to authenticity is radical.

She comes from a place of contribution and service. She helps people feel at ease. She focuses on what others need, not on proving herself.

And that approach has carried her from a small-town brokerage in her 20s all the way to Chief Brokerage Officer for eXp Realty in the United States.

The Origin Story: Being Told "No" and Deciding to Be Undeniable

Holly's family has deep roots in real estate. Her grandparents were in the business back in the 1970s. Her uncle ran a brokerage. Her dad specialized in real estate law.

After college (where she studied radio, which as she puts it, "does not pay unless you are Howard Stern"), Holly joined her uncle's brokerage in Cottonwood, Arizona.

She was young. She was from a small town. She was from a small office.

And she was constantly told no.

"You may not be aware just because you're from a small brokerage," people would say. "You may not know these things."

Instead of accepting those limitations, Holly made a choice.

"I'm going to be so good you can't ignore me."

That became her mantra. In everything she did, she committed to outworking and outlearning everyone around her.

She drove to Phoenix to serve on government affairs committees. She brought water rights to the forefront. She taught national classes. She helped develop the leadership training academy for Arizona Realtors.

She said yes to every opportunity to learn, to serve, to grow—even when she felt unprepared.

Especially when she felt unprepared.

Say Yes When You Feel Unprepared

This is one of the most powerful pieces of advice Holly shared in our conversation.

"When you are asked, say yes. Especially when you feel unprepared."

Why? Because that's when the door opens to something amazing on the other side.

Case in point: Holly was asked to testify before Congress.

A realtor from a small Arizona community. No preparation. No roadmap. No support.

She said yes.

She stayed up all night condensing 30 minutes of material into 5 minutes. She walked into that room terrified. And she delivered testimony that helped defeat a bill that would have negatively impacted her community.

"It went well," she said with characteristic humility. "And we defeated the bill."

That's what happens when you say yes to the opportunities that scare you.

You rise to the occasion. You learn. You grow. You make a difference.

And you prove to yourself that you're capable of far more than you thought.

Building Bigger Tables: Women in Leadership

One of the challenges Holly and I both face—one that many women in leadership face—is the pressure to compete with other women instead of championing them.

"It's very easy to be pitted against somebody else," Holly said. "And it's always another woman."

This is unacceptable. And both of us are committed to changing it.

"You and I build a bigger table," Holly said.

When someone comes to her team and says, "How do I learn this?" her response is: "Great. What do you want to learn? Let's figure this out together."

Her goal is to build a bigger boat. To help her team members grow. To expose them to new opportunities and connect them with people who can teach them what she can't.

"I may not have the skill set to teach you that," she said. "Cool. Let's go find that person."

This is what leadership looks like. Not hoarding knowledge. Not protecting your position. Not viewing other talented women as threats.

Building bigger tables. Making space for everyone. Championing each other.

As Holly put it: "I don't have to make big waves. I'm going to be a ripple. And if I can do those things, that's how we change."

She's right. We may not see the change as fast as we'd like. But if we create the foundation, if we build the tables, if we plant the trees for future generations—that's how transformation happens.

The Kitchen Cabinet: Surrounding Yourself with Truth-Tellers

Every leader needs what Holly calls a "kitchen cabinet."

These are the people at your dining room table. Your constant cheerleaders. The ones who tell you the truth—even when it's hard to hear.

Early in her career, Holly had people close to her—people she loved and trusted—tell her no.

"You shouldn't do that. That's not good for you. That's not good for the family."

It was hard. These were people she cared about deeply.

But she had to find her true North Star. She had to ask herself: What do I believe in my core? What is the right thing for me to pursue?

And she had to surround herself with people who would support that vision.

"I have a very close kitchen cabinet," she said. "These are the people you want at your dining room table that you're always having consult with."

She doesn't see some of them for a year at a time. But they have frequent conversations. They support each other. They tell each other the truth.

Who is in your kitchen cabinet?

If you don't have one, build it. Find the people who will champion you, challenge you, and celebrate you. The people who want you to win—and will tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear.

Navigating Industry Change with Compliance and Heart

As Chief Brokerage Officer, Holly is laser-focused on two things: how agents adapt to the changes coming, and how eXp can support them through it.

The changes are coming from two fronts:

1. Legal challenges and lawsuits (like the buyer broker requirements that emerged in 2024)

2. State-level regulation (as lawmakers insert themselves more into the industry)

Holly anticipates more legal stipulations, more proactive oversight from departments of real estate and real estate commissions.

The industry, she explained, is shifting from self-governance to more external regulation. And as a company, eXp's goal is to be in good partnership with regulators.

"We are going to be the poster child for doing things well," she said.

That's why eXp has been proactive—getting ahead of requirements like referral disclosure before states legislated it. Creating forms and toolkits. Building resources that help agents navigate complexity.

"If I can be proactive in that way for our agents, we all win," Holly said.

And she's right. When you're known as the agent who does things right, who's easy to work with, who takes care of the consumer—you get more deals. Other agents want to work with you.

"At the end of the day, how do you take care of the consumer? That's all that matters."

AI, Empathy, and Why Consumers Still Need Us

One of the most insightful parts of our conversation was Holly's take on the changing landscape—COVID, market shifts, lawsuits, AI advances.

"We've been on this hyperloop of what's possible," she said.

But here's the thing: the consumer hasn't changed.

They still need a trusted advisor through each step of the process. They have more data and information available now. But they need someone to help them make sense of it. To guide them. To support them emotionally through one of the biggest transactions of their lives.

"Our emotional intelligence has to be higher now than ever," Holly said.

This is where eXp's leadership—Glenn, Leo, Holly, myself—sets the company apart. We've all been agents. We've all sat at kitchen tables during the dark times of 2008, talking foreclosures and short sales with families in tears.

We remember what that was like.

And that experience—that heart-to-heart connection—is what prepares us to lead in the age of AI.

"At the end of the day, how we take care of the consumer doesn't change," Holly said. "It's that heart-to-heart connection. That's the game changer."

The Whole Person: VW Bugs, Chickens, and Mountain Biking

One of my favorite parts of our conversation was hearing about Holly's life outside of real estate.

She and her wife Jen restore classic Volkswagens. They have a '69 bus, a '68 beetle (which they gave to their son when he turned 18), and "The Thing"—a sunshine yellow Type 181 convertible that Holly might name Stevie.

They started a V-Dub club in their town. They attend Buses by the Bridge, the biggest bus event in North America (500 people camping out at Lake Havasu). They just did a Christmas light parade with 15 VW cars.

Oh, and Holly has chickens. Their names are Rosie, Dolly, and Pants.

(The Volkswagens don't have names yet, but the chickens do. Priorities.)

She and Jen also mountain bike and just got ebikes to make the hills in their area a little easier.

Why does this matter?

Because Holly shows up as her whole self. She doesn't compartmentalize. She doesn't pretend to be someone different at work than she is at home.

She's the same person restoring VW buses, riding mountain bikes, caring for chickens, and leading 89,000 agents across the country.

And that authenticity is magnetic.

Final Advice: 30-Day Cycles and Unapologetic Authenticity

I asked Holly for one piece of advice to close out our conversation.

Here's what she said:

"Take everything in 30-day cycles."

Focus on one thing you're going to implement in your business. Go after it with passion and fever. After 30 days, it becomes routine.

But here's the key: If it's not passion for you, it will never be passion when you meet a client.

You can't fake it. You can't manufacture enthusiasm. You have to find what lights you up and lean into it.

And you have to be unapologetically yourself.

Always.

My Takeaways

Listening to Holly share her journey reminded me of why I love this industry and why I'm so grateful to work alongside leaders like her.

She's lived the "no's." She's climbed the ladder by being undeniable. She's said yes to opportunities that terrified her. She's built bigger tables. She's championed other women. She's stayed true to herself.

And she's proven that authentic leadership—the kind that comes from service, contribution, and showing up as your whole self—is the most powerful kind.

Here's what I want you to take away from this:

Say yes when you feel unprepared. That's where the magic happens.

Build your kitchen cabinet. Surround yourself with truth-tellers.

Be unapologetically yourself. In every room. In every situation.

Focus on 30-day cycles. Pick one thing, go all in, make it routine.

And remember: You don't have to make big waves. Be a ripple. Plant trees for future generations. Build bigger tables.

That's how change happens.

Let’s grow,

Wendy

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