Count on Campo! Meet Monica Del Campo, State Farm Agent

Pasionarias, sometimes you meet someone whose fire and drive can spark everyone around them to drive themself to connect, inspire, and lead those around them. It’s like a ring of fire around this person.  One by one, everyone in her reach becomes consumed with being the best versions of themselves because they know SHE believes they can be.  That someone is my bestie, my sister from another mister, Monica Del Campo.  Monica and I met when we were both selling Scentsy and our love for our hometown and drive to please our customers connected us right away.  But it was her passion to realize her dream that has drawn us closer, and her mentorship that has kept me moving towards mine.  

Monica grew up like me in El Paso, Texas and after high school, began attending night school for nursing at the local community college, while working during the day as a receptionist for State Farm.  Little did she know that State Farm would someday be her stage.  

After almost 15 years working in personal lines, small business commercial insurance, and personal lines underwriting, a door opened wide open for Monica when a close friend of hers, Yvette, was contacted by a recruiter for State Farm, and told the recruiter she knew just the right person. .  

I still remember when Monica told me seven years ago that she had been selected to start training to become a State Farm agent.  I watched her go through months and months of intensive training and testing and the tedious search for just the right place to call her own.  She and I both believe in “God things” and it was completely a God thing when a retiring agent offered to let her take the reins and serve the Westside of San Antonio.  God has also had a hand in each and every one of the people who staff her office, and it is their heart for service that has grown her business and landed Monica top awards throughout the State Farm world, most recently being appointed to the Chairman’s Circle, an honor achieved by only the top 3% of agents nationwide.  

Join us to hear about what makes Monica a champion and how her passion for serving others has helped her grow into one of the top State Farm agents in San Antonio.  She inspires me everyday by balancing heart and drive and always pushing to be the best while bringing those she loves up right alongside her.  Vamonos– juntas somos pasionarias! . 

Transcript

Nena Contreras Barnett  0:02  
All right, welcome Moni, I am so glad that you're here with me today. I know between having two teenagers and your agency, time is such a precious commodity to you. So, thank you, thank you that you're giving me this time to share your story, and for all the ways that you support me.  I'm so excited that you bought a sweatshirt and some stickers. So, super excited, 

Monica Del Campo  0:23  
Yes, my dear friend, of course, of course. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  0:26  
Alright, so let's get started with where you came from. You grew up in a very similar Hispanic household like I did in El Paso. Tell me a little bit about the women in your home?

Monica Del Campo  0:36  
Yes, well, my mom, she raised us as a single mom. My parents divorced when I was five years old. So, I've always known her as such a hard worker, a strong woman, a woman that would sacrifice for her family. And family is everything. And she taught me you know, never go anywhere empty handed. Always, always, you know, help anybody who needs it. As far as... it reminds me of you and and I, like when I go to your house, "How can I help you, Nena? What could I take?" And the same when I go anywhere.  I always take something and I always help the hostess. So those are the family values that my mom taught me and we never, ever, ever went hungry. I always had new school clothes. And she would always tell me, "Well, Santa, you know, he will bring three gifts. So I I had three gifts to choose from. I know that a lot of kids in my neighborhood, they could only pick one. So whatever it took, my mom got it done. And I have two older sisters, Melinda and Charlotte. So they were huge, huge mentors of mine growing up and selfless, independent women. And then when I think about my aunt's-  my Tia Rita, she came from Italy. She learned English, she got her GED, she she got a job, and raised her kids.  Those were the women that I was surrounded with. And they raised the same leaders, independent, strong women that I still to this day look up to.

Nena Contreras Barnett  3:03  
And and you're so close, I mean, just I see the relationship between you and the cousins, and your sister and your nieces and all that. And all of that is just embedded in you guys that the family has to come first. So... 

Monica Del Campo  3:17  
Tight knit, tight knit.

Nena Contreras Barnett  3:18  
Yeah, absolutely. So tell me a little bit about college. So we talked a little bit about this the other day that you know, you started off, you were going to do nursing. So, how did that change?

Monica Del Campo  3:31  
Well, my mom, she worked in a hospital for about 20 years. She was in medical billing and collections. She worked in the business office so I loved going to the hospital and just visiting her and visiting the gift shop.  Of course I would always get a little special teddy bear or whatever she would, she would spoil me.  I just had something of like a passion to see these nurses and doctors and I wanted to be a nurse, I wanted to help people. So Nena, I wanted to be a registered nurse. I had my sights set on that. And I started you know attending EPCC- El Paso Community College to get my basics. And I was very fortunate to get a part time job at State Farm. So I would work eight to five every day and then I would go to school..

Nena Contreras Barnett  4:31  
it's not part time, that's full time

Monica Del Campo  4:34  
That's what I kept telling myself-- I'm going to to work part time, go to school full time but it turned out to be a full time job and full time school and you know, I just got used to it. I just dealt with it because you know Nena, I needed to pay for my gas I needed to pay for my car payment I needed to pay for my own insurance. You know my mom she couldn't help me much. Of course she supported me with everything she could. I mean, I was just thinking about it the other day in and I opened my first checking account at GECU when I was 18. I still have that account there. And I remember when I got my first vehicle- This is crazy, but my car payment was $35 every two weeks. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  5:23  
Wow. 

Monica Del Campo  5:25  
So what we did is, I worked at State Farm part time, well full time. I did work there. And there was a teacher that was selling her 300ZX. It was a 1984. And she was selling it for three grand. So my mom put in 1500 and then I financed 1500. My car payment was $35 every two weeks. Listen, I had a nice little sports car going on.

Nena Contreras Barnett  5:55  
Yeah. Sounds like a great car. 

Monica Del Campo  5:58  
Everything I had, everything I've ever owned I worked for. So that's why, you know, I went to school at night and it worked out. I don't I don't even know what it's like going to school during the day. So I... little did I know that working at State Farm was something that I really loved. I absolutely had this connection with all my customers, like, as soon as they met me,we became instant friends. I felt like I have a talent for this. I have a talent for this. Possibly, I could do this as a career. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  6:43  
Okay, 

Monica Del Campo  6:44  
So, I started making money and selling insurance, I got licensed. And that's when it happened. I switched career paths. And I decided to stick with sales. And the rest is history. I tell you.

Nena Contreras Barnett  7:04  
Okay, so you...  so now you're working in insurance in El Paso?

Monica Del Campo  7:07  
No, actually, we lived in El Paso, for, gosh, my entire life until 2008, when my husband Gabriel, he got this wonderful opportunity to move to San Antonio, he got this great job offer. And you know, he knows how tight knit my family is-  my aunts, my uncles, my mom, and a couple of best friends from my high school, Rebecca, and Lori. And he said, "Listen, I got this great job opportunity. I know how close you are to your mom. And what do you think about moving over there? You know, we don't have to move." I said, "Gabe, I love my mom with all my heart and soul. But I didn't marry my mom, I married you. So I'm not the type of girl to hold a man back. Let's do it. Let's be brave and courageous together." I was thinking, I'm not gonna hold this guy back. This guy, he was a hard worker. And there's only so, so much that he could do at the job he was at, you know. He had reached his maximum opportunity. And when he offered this other job, it was just, it was going to be just the beginning and he could grow the company. So why not? We took a leap of faith Nena and we did it. My daughter was one. And my son Angel was four. So we did move here in 2008. And we just moved on faith. All our family helped us pack everything in a UHaul. You know the funny part is, we sold our home in two days, in El Paso.  We sold our home immediately. I'm a firm believer that I pray about it. And I say "God lead me. You tell me the path to take. And I'll follow." So things seemed relatively easy. As soon as I got to San Antonio, I had four job interviews lined up.

Nena Contreras Barnett  9:38  
Wow.

Monica Del Campo  9:41  
I knew I wouldn't have a problem finding a job. So immediately what I did was look for a pediatrician for a daycare and look for a job for myself. It was not a problem whatsoever. And things have been good since we moved here.

Nena Contreras Barnett  9:57  
I think it's crazy how you and I are almost exactly 10 years apart. You're 10 years younger than me. And but we moved here almost exactly 10 years before you did. And my kids were also one and four and six, when we moved here. And you know, we just we said, You know what San Antonio is just, it just seems like a really great place to to raise a family. And there's so much to do. We had fallen in love with the city, and it just has been such a blessing to us. And, you know, it's we're kind of like you guys, you know, you had half of your family up in Dallas, half of the family in El Paso. We were the same way except it was El Paso and Texarkana. So we were kind of in the middle.

Monica Del Campo  10:46  
Yeah. And I know you , you're the same. You know what? Fear is a liar, so.. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  10:55  
Absolutely. 

Monica Del Campo  10:55  
We cannot fear by getting ahead. If we listen to fear. Fear doesn't come from God. You know, we can't be held back by fear. So I'm a firm believer in "Let go, let God," and it's worked. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  11:16  
So then how did you go into commercial insurance?

Monica Del Campo  11:21  
So as soon as I got here, I went to the job interviews. By the second interview. I was hired at Insurance One Agency, and they are on Embassy Suites. Small commercial, that was going to be my department, small commercial. And I really loved it. I loved it so much. I met so many people there. And you know what I, I had plans to stay there. I have no intention of leaving. I even got the Employee of the Year award there. And they they had a party and a ceremony, I even won a trip to Escondida.  It's a beautiful place owned by the Texas Country Reporter. And that was the first time that anybody has ever gotten this award their first year. But I loved that job so much. I loved it. I was grateful. I did, you know, I did translate because they did need Spanish speaking. So I remember translating a lot for different producers that didn't speak Spanish. And lo and behold, my former employer in El Paso, he had recommended me to the president of National Unity Insurance Company, Ramon Rodriguez, and he said, "Hey, Monica moved to El Paso about a year ago. And she would be great if you ever need a personal lines expert." So I was kind of leaving the personal lines business behind which is auto, home, motorcycle, and going more into the commercial. Because I wanted to learn more, of course, the more you know.  But, Ramon Rodriguez, he was relentless. He wanted to hire me as a personal lines underwriter for his insurance company. And it was just down the street. So I said, I'll tell you what, I'm so happy here. I'm learning a lot, but I'll go over there and I'll interview and you know, whatever you need help with, I'll help you. You don't have to pay me. And he's from El Paso too. And he used to go door to door selling insurance. And you know, I was highly recommended from my former boss in El Paso. So I went I felt like I was at home when I went to interview and he gave me such a wonderful feeling. I believe in that, you know, when you make a connection with somebody and you just know? I immediately, immediately knew that I had to pursue this opportunity as an underwriter. So it would be something different that I've never done before. I'm usually face to face with the client but this time, I was just dealing with agents and underwriting home and auto, and guess what, that I really honestly feel that job prepared me for becoming a State Farm agent because we started that department from the ground up. We started everything as far as even the programming, the, you know, hiring a marketing person to help us with the product, to even hiring somebody to help me.  I felt like I got the leadership skills that I needed. And, you know, I just believe that it was God's plan, the way everything worked out. I had other plans, you know, I had plans to sell small commercial, and be happy with that. But I know that some of those challenges that I faced at National Unity were to help me get stronger, in my future role as a State Farm agent, leading a team. I'd never led a team before. And national unity gave me that. So I really enjoyed it for five years, Nena. But it just, I don't know, I feel like maybe I was a little bit restless. I missed the interaction with the people. I love people so much, I love people. And it shows because as soon as someone walks into my office, you know, I offer him a doughnut or a cookie, and coffee, and we sit down and we talk. If somebody wants to come into my office, or they want to say hi, of course, I greet them with a big hug. And I always buy little gifts, when I see something, and that reminds me of someone and I put them in my desk. And if I see a customer that I haven't seen in such a long time, I just, "Look, I bought this candle, it reminded me of you, and I want you to have it." So that's what I missed. I missed the people. And when I had the opportunity to become a State Farm agent. I was scared. Of course, I was. I was so worried, like, ME becoming a State Farm agent? I would be the boss? Oh my goodness, I don't even know. I don't even know. No, I think you have the wrong person.

Nena Contreras Barnett  17:19  
So tell us a little bit about how that came about. And like what were.. what kind of hoops did you have to jump through just to get accepted?

Monica Del Campo  17:28  
Well, well.. my good friend Yvette Cheesebrew, she's from El Paso. And we've become very good friends. She lived in San Antonio. She was recruited by a State Farm recruiter. And she's like, "Nope, you know what? I am not interested. But I know somebody who is." So she told me, "Do you mind if I gave you this guy's phone number? He's looking for a State Farm agent. And I think you'd be perfect."  So I said, "Well, sure. I guess it wouldn't hurt. You know, and.. but I don't know if I don't think I have what it takes." Well, she said just call him. So I called him. I told him the same thing. And he's like, "Girl, how do you know? Why don't we just do a phone interview together? Let's just start there a phone interview? Nothing to lose 15 minutes." So we did the phone interview in. And of course, I love this guy. We bonded instantly. He's like, "I don't see why you couldn't do this." I said, "Well, you know, what's the next step?" He told me "Look, there's 10 Steps to Becoming an agent. You're going to take a series of personality tests. And then I'm going to teach you how to go for, like, let's just say you're you're going to have these opportunities available. There's one at Helotes. There's another one at at 1604 and Braun. There's another opportunity available at Bandera on the west side. These are all opportunities of agents that are retiring. So we will take you to these opportunities and see, you know, what you think would be the right place for you.  And if this this gentleman, named Jake Jacobson, if he likes you, he will take you around town showing you these opportunities." So I said okay, let's meet this guy, Jake. Let's meet him. And we met at, I'll never forget this, we met at BJs at The Rim. And I remember getting off work. And I was in such a rush because I was so busy at my job, dedicated, busy. I went into the restroom at the Palladium movie theater to freshen up. And then I met him at The Rim, real quick, like, just..  By the end of that meeting, he said, "Are you available Saturday? So we can go look at these opportunities that are right now? They are open." I said "Okay. Yes, I'm available on Saturday." And that's when he took me around town. So I'll tell you would, this is hilarious, but I called the recruiter and I said, So what do you think? Did this man Jake Jacobson, did he like me?  Do I go on to the next step?"  He's like, "Girl, are you kidding? Yes, he liked you. Yes! He's taken you around town.

Nena Contreras Barnett  20:55  
So you like fast-tracked.

Monica Del Campo  20:56  
He's taking you to these places, because these places could be your next office. So I was like, what?  Well all right, well, let's do it. What's next? And so I just kept saying what's next. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  21:17  
Yeah. And you mentioned that one of them was in Helotes, one of them is was on 1604. But you ended up on the west side. So what about having your office on the west side drew you there?

Monica Del Campo  21:31  
Well, of course, I wanted Helotes because I live very close to it and my churches is there-- Our Lady of Guadalupe, that's my community. My daughter, she went to dance in Helotes. So I wanted Helotes, that was my first choice. But Jake said, I want you to meet Elva Garza. She is on the west side of San Antonio. She was one of the first women, San Antonio agents- Hispanic, former teacher at Edgemere. And she was an agent for 30 years, Monica, and she loves people like you. She takes care of her people.  Just meet her. I said, Okay. Well, then I when I met her, I said, this is everything I believe in.  This woman, she said, "I don't want to just leave my office to anyone. I want to leave my office to somebody that is going to take care of my customers." She's like, "I've been there from the beginning. When my customers, they had kids. And now, you know, like I attend funerals. I'm retiring.  She retired to spend more time with her family. And she said, "There's nothing I would love more than someone like you to take over my agency." We prayed over my business plan. That's when I knew, Nena, that I had to be on the west side. It's an underserved community. There's not that many State Farm agents around. But you know what? I said, those are my people. Who better than me, to help them. Because that's where I came from. And people feel it, Nena, they feel it. They feel loved. They feel important. And I do my... I do my darndest to make sure that my team has the same exact passion and feeling towards our customers that I do. They know the customer is everything. Without them, we wouldn't have a job. So it was... it was decided for me. I just.. I leave it to my intuition.

Nena Contreras Barnett  24:12  
So tell me about your team that you just mentioned. You call them your "Dream Team." Tell me about the qualities that you look for in the people that staff your office.

Monica Del Campo  24:21  
You know, Nena, in this business. You know, I had a very good friend of mine. His name is Dan and he had told me 'Listen, he went to my graduation when we graduated from internship to become agents. He said, "You're going to get knocked down. I guarantee it. You will fall. Maybe it will be an employee that something went wrong. It could be financial it could be the death of, your first death benefit, you know, because, of course, we sell life insurance, and we're there when they need us most on their worst days, you get close to these people. So he said, "Something will happen, you will fall. But I want you to know, what's most important is, how quickly will you get back up? You have got to get back up, you have to get back up." It's like, perseverance times 10. He told me that I'd never, ever forget. So my dream team, Nena, they are strong, independent women. I have hired men in the past, and they have been hard workers, knowledgeable. A. J. Mireles, he was a blessing in disguise. And he was all about the customer as well. But when I look for somebody, to work on my team, I look for strength.  They have to be passionate. And, you know, caring, they have to have empathy.  Empathy, because we have to put ourselves in our customers shoes, what are they going through? How do they feel after the accident? How are they doing after they lost their job, or their loved one? So the people that are on my team, Nena, it just so happens that they have been through a lot. And they have prevailed, big. And it's just..  getting, getting to know them. Of course, I don't know everything. As soon as I interview them, I don't know all of their life. But I make it a point to serve my team, get to know my team. And I know by learning about their strengths, their weaknesses, I know by what they've been through, and what they've overcome, that they're the right person for the job. And everybody has a story. Everybody is fighting a battle. Let me tell you, these women on my team, they are strong women, strong women with a lot of challenges that they have overcome. And that's when I know they're going to make it because in this business, you have to be strong. You have to be compassionate. And hardworking, driven, motivated. So what motivates them? You know what motivates them? It's their family, just like you and I, we work so hard, because we want to make the next generation better than ours, right? That's what I want is to prepare my kids for whatever they are facing in the future, to educate them, to teach them, "Hey, work hard, sacrifice. You can do anything you want to." And they've seen it firsthand, through me. So of course I believe in leading by example. There's no other way.

Nena Contreras Barnett  29:00  
Tell me about the... we talked about how proud you are of your friends, Pat Cantu and Lily Hernandez becoming agents. What did you see in them? And how did you mentor them as they were coming through the training and opening their agencies? I mean, obviously, you know, they, they maybe went through a different path than you did. But how did you help lead them?

Monica Del Campo  29:25  
Let me tell you.  Pat Cantu became an agent a little bit after I did. And I even spoke to my sales leader about this. I think it was maybe last week when we were in Houston. And I told him when I first started on the team, which was San Antonio West, there was only two women and myself. Two women. One was a young Hispanic woman and she was wonderful, a total rock star. And the other woman was an experienced 30 year old, talented agent. But I really didn't fit in like, like, I am just brand new. And really, nobody looks like me. Nobody has the background I do. You know, I just felt very, "Am I enough? Do I have what it takes, because these young brilliant women, one with so much experience, the other with so much education. Ummm... I wonder how I'm ever going to do this." But lo and behold, Nena, more and more women are getting hired. Women I could relate to.  When Pat came in, she had two young children like I did. Hard working. I could relate to her. And we bonded instantly, we helped each other through everything. Even if it was like a little bit of advice with an employee or a little bit of advice even with our own kids.  We have kids the same age, we had something in common- that we were going to do whatever it took to get our permanent State Farm contracts. And that's what it takes is, like, sacrifice, working seven days a week if we have to, whatever it takes to get the job done. That's what Pat had. So I noticed this.  Lilly Hernandez, she opened her agency a little bit after me. This woman is from El Paso. Lily started from the bottom, worked herself up. Lily worked at the bank center in El Paso, she became a supervisor. And then she became a recruiter, she recruited agents and she went through the corporate ladder, and finally became an agent when she felt the time was right.

And I just love that theses stories, of these women, pretty much the same background as you and I- what we go through, balancing children, balancing our husbands, balancing our current jobs. But you know what? We do whatever it takes to get the job done.

So I really...  I relate with women like us. You know, women with children, women that are married, women that are balancing everything. And having somebody by your side, supporting you, guiding you, telling you, "You are enough." It makes all the difference in the world. It makes all the difference in the world. Because even in my internship class, I went to school for about nine months before I was able to become an agent. Nena, there were 24 students.  Only four were female. I was the only Hispanic woman. We had two white women, one black woman. So I said, "I've got to make it. Because I'm representing. I am representing and I'm going to make it no matter what. I'm not going to give up."

Nena Contreras Barnett  34:07  
And I think that's.. 

Monica Del Campo  34:07  
I'm representing the Latinas.

Nena Contreras Barnett  34:09  
 Yeah, that's so important. What you said that, you know, when you started, nobody looked like you. And now, you know, there was there was a billboard with your face on it in the middle of the west side. Your face was like 15 feet tall, you know? And little girls are driving by and going "Look, Mom (you know) there's a Latina up there." So I think that's just so awesome that you are paving the way. So speaking of little girls, let's talk about your family for a minute. So we are about to celebrate your daughter Anna's Quinceanera.  Pretty in Pink. So how are you raising her to be a Pasionaria?

Monica Del Campo  34:50  
She's my pride and joy. So is my son, Angel. You know what, Nena, I always tell him like, "Everything I do, it's... it's for you guys, I am showing you what you have to do in life. If you want something, you have to work for it. Nobody is going to just give it to you. You have to go for it, believe in it, believe in yourself, work hard and do it." So my kids have seen me, Nena, when I would wake up in the morning going to...  I was in the agent internship program. You had to get so many licenses to become an agent, to even qualify. I remember studying from 7am. They would come home at about 3pm. I would take a break and eat with them, and then get back to studying until midnight. You know, my husband, Gabe, even joked with me and said, "Oh my gosh, you're still in your pajamas. And it's already 5pm." I said, "I know I just.. I have so much to do. I want to make sure I pass the first time." These are, you know, Series 6, Series 63, financial tests that I had never, ever had any experience with. So, of course, they give you three chances to pass it. I knew I had to pass the first time.  I wasn't going to let something like a test stop me. So the kids, they saw me, they saw me, you know, dedicate myself to this cause that I believed in, to making my dream come true. I've always wanted to run my own agency, I always wanted to be a business owner. I always wanted financial freedom. And I always wanted the opportunity to just leave if I have to. If my mom gets sick, then I'm going to leave, or if my kids need me, I'm going to leave. And I struggled with that in my previous jobs because I I do have my elderly parents in El Paso. And I remember when, you know, my kids were sick. When we moved here, my daughter was one and she would have an earache. The nurse would call me, and I would ask, "My daughter's sick, could I please go and take the afternoon off to pick her up?" And you know, I had a hard time getting off work. I had a hard time like, "If you leave, you'll lose your job," or "Can't your neighbor pick them up or your husband? Aren't you married?" Like I said, If I ever have my own business, I will never, ever treat anybody like that. I will make sure they have the flexibility and the freedom to work from home, even bring their kids home if they have something that's not contagious, like an ear infection. So just to get back to the story, is I believed in having my own agency, treating people, right, supporting people. So I told my daughter, "This is something I really want. And I'm going to work for it and I'm going to get it." You know, I remember and I learned. I.. I'm still taking tests. I just passed a test last year for becoming a mortgage loan originator. And I remember I studied so hard for one week. When I came home, my daughter had made a homemade chocolate cake for me and she had written "Congratulations, mom." And I said, "Mija, how did you know I was gonna pass, baby? How did you know it was going to pass? You know, it was a hard test and a lot of people don't pass the first time." And she's like, "Mom, you're the type of person, Mom, you taught me that whatever you want, you can do it. And you've studied so much. Of course you are going to pass." So I took a picture of her holding the cake and I sent it to my boss, my sales leader. I said, "Look, my daughter, she made me the cake, before she knew I would pass." and he's like, "Monica, what you are teaching your daughter right now is priceless. Way to go Mom." You know, I just.. they're watching us right? They're watching. So that was a proud mom moment. I am just, I think the most I like about making my dreams come true is not making my dreams come true. Is my kids watching me? That is everything.

Nena Contreras Barnett  40:22  
That is so awesome. So I imagine that there are a lot of busting ideas out there that are still punching a clock, still pushing pencils around still, you know, shooting daggers through their eyes and dreaming of having their own business, what is your advice for them?

Monica Del Campo  40:43  
My advice would be, do it, take a leap of faith. If you're good at it, you believe in it. You believe in yourself. You could do it, there is so much help out there. And then there is help for small business owners, small business loans, especially minority women, black owned business, Latino owned business, women owned business. It's just all about getting to know what resources are available to you. And of course, you can come to me and I will help you, I will guide you because I believe in paying it forward. For all the blessings and all the favor bestowed on me, I am ready to pay this forward. So my advice would be go for it. And I promote small business owners, women, young men, it doesn't matter. The youth in general, and I want to make myself available to anybody that needs help. Just fear is fear is a liar. Don't ever let fear or money, you know, then I almost didn't become an agent because I said you don't have the money to open an office and

what am I going to do? I know that's what there's loans for. You know, of course, we have to, you know, spend a little money to make a little money.

But if you do things right, you could do it. You can do it. And we need more, more women out there.

Nena Contreras Barnett  42:49  
Well, you and I always talk about surrounding yourselves with people that recognize your greatness. So I for one, I recognize your greatness and I'm so grateful to have you as a friend and for your support of my business, whatever that may be, at the time. So now with Somos Pasionarias. And I know that you can see my vision and that.. you know, it's gonna be... even though it's all consuming at first, with success comes more time with all of those that you, that are important to us. And I'm looking forward to time around your pool very soon. That's, that's a true reward- is being able, like you said, to have the freedom to spend time with those people that you love and reap the rewards. And so I can't wait to see you break more barriers as a Latina agent and to continue to lead and mentor so many other people. So thank you so much for being a part of my podcast today.

Unknown Speaker  43:45  
Nena, I am so proud you chose me. I am very proud of you. You are definitely an educated Chingona and I look up to you so much. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  43:58  
Well, thank you, 

You're always there for me. 

We'll have to take a picture with our Pasionaria T shirts on. 

Monica Del Campo  44:03  
Yes, girl, I ordered mine today, girl.

Unknown Speaker  44:07  
All right, well have a good night. Thank you. Bye. 

Monica Del Campo  44:10  
Good night, Nena, Love you, girl. 

Nena Contreras Barnett  44:12  
Love you too. Bye. 

Transcribed by https://otter.ai