Good morning, podcast world. This is Dan Dan, your payroll man with Landmark Payroll. And my very, very special guest today is a good friend of mine, colleague, networking pro, Crystal woods, account executive, AKA boss lady with Florida Agency Network.

Okay. And Crystal, can you tell me what Florida Agency Network is? We are a parent company, so we have multiple different title companies. There is 10 title companies within our network.

We are able to service the title and real estate realm for all of state of Florida. So it’s a collaboration of multiple title companies to provide the best service to our real estate agents. Beautiful.

And as an account executive, I know that you do much more than sales, because I believe yesterday you told me that you went in and redesigned one of the offices. Yes. So part of my role is not only just to bring in the business, but it’s also to maintain our offices, making sure that they’re presentable for not just our real estate agents, but the customers coming in as well.

So I went into our office and it was not to par. My OCD kicked in high level and I rearranged all the furniture and desks just to make it more presentable. I love it.

This podcast is going to go out to many, many people. What is a good, good referral for Crystal and her agency? Real estate agents are my bread and butter. I also look to talk with lenders, mortgage brokers.

Refinances are going to start coming back now that there’s been a change in some rates. So definitely looking to connect with those builders, developers, anyone who’s wanting to buy or sell properties, homeowners that don’t want to use real estate agents, people that just need some real estate advice. So anyone from A to Z in the real estate world.

Beautiful. Well, you heard that world. When you’re ready or when you’re not ready, give Crystal a call and she will guide you in the right direction.

So. Absolutely, absolutely. Good.

So with your permission, Crystal, I would love to start this podcast. And as we spoke earlier, it is really centered around diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace. Okay.

And you’ve been in the workplace for just a little while. Much less than I have. But one of the questions that I always.

Well, that we actually reach during our conversation say is what does it look like today versus yesterday? What does it look like today versus when you first started in the workplace? Okay. So, but I’m going to come to that. I’m going to come back to that.

That’s kind of just a cliffhanger. All right. I’m going to go right into it with you because with you being an ally.

Okay. An ally to the LGBT community and, of course, world. You know what ally means? That means a support person, an individual, and Crystal is one of the best allies out there.

What does diversity mean to you in the context of the workplace? Diversity means that everyone should have a fair chance. There should be no turning away. There should be, you know, if.

If I’m a female, you’re a male, we should be looked at it the same. You know, the diversity should be everyone’s included. So you could be a purple unicorn and you should be able to be included in a workplace.

So regardless of who you are, what you are, where you are, and, you know, your education shouldn’t make a difference, in my opinion. I feel like everyone should have anyone and everyone should have a fair chance to prove themselves in the workplace. I love it and I agree with you a hundred percent.

You know, as you know, a lot of my podcasts are centered around the LGBTQ community, but I’ve had many allies on my podcast and they experience discrimination just like we would. Okay. Different levels, of course, but, you know, discrimination seems to be rampant today as it was, you know, many, many years ago.

So have you. Without giving us your age, how long have you been in the workplace? Since I was 14. Okay, so you’ve been in the workplace, what, 10 years? I mean, maybe, sure, plus a few.

But yes. Yeah, it’s been 26 years in the work, you know, yes, everyone, you can do the math. Just turned 40 this year.

I’m actually starting to get proud of my age and accepting it. You should be. Well, thank you.

You should be. Absolutely. Viewers, if you could see how beautiful Crystal is right now, you would say she does not look 40 at all.

That’s the goal. I don’t want to look my age. Good.

And I don’t act my age either. Well, we shouldn’t. I know I don’t have you.

And this comes right. And brings me into my next question. Have you ever been privy or even seen any discrimination or bias in any of the jobs that you’ve had? Whether they were part time jobs when you first started at the age of 14, or as you were growing up and doing other things, have you ever seen situations where there was discrimination against somebody? And what did you feel when.

When you saw that? If you saw that my very first job, there was actually discrimination just because of my age. I was 14. There was another coworker who was in her 40s, and the owner gave her more hours because of her age.

I understand. You know, I was Brand new to the workforce, but I am an old soul, so I’ve always. I was raised with a work ethic.

You get out there, you grind, you bust your butt, you give them everything you’ve. So at the age of 14, to get my first job, right out the gate, interview process was like, all right, you’re hired. Right.

Right on the spot. I thought I proved myself and to get less hours because of my age was. It was disheartening.

It was very eye opening at the age of 14, thinking, wow, is this really what happens to not just females? Because we were both females, you know, it was me and another 40 year old woman. And so it was my first time seeing anything like that because again, my first time in the workforce, it was very, very disheartening. Curious to see what it would be in the future.

Since then, I don’t think I’ve really seen it as much prominently. Maybe it’s happening in the background, or maybe it’s happening to people that don’t feel their voice is able to be heard, and that’s even worse of a feeling. So not only have you observed discrimination in the workplace, you were a victim of discrimination in the workplace.

Now, did you. Did you had anyone that you could talk to about that? Were you able to go to your boss? Was it your boss that perhaps was the one that gave the 40 year old more hours? What. How did you handle that? Well, I did my best.

And then I received another job offer from another business because I worked out on the boardwalk down in Madeira beach and got an offer from another owner over there. So I took on a second job. Here’s where the other discrimination came in.

I wasn’t allowed to have a second job. And so my first employer fired me. Wow.

Yes. Wow. Now that just opens up a whole other can of worms that, that, you know, we can get into.

But it would. It would go way over the time that we have. But I would like to maybe have you on another podcast and talk about that experience so we could.

I would be honored. We can definitely go deep into that. So it’s not the first time I’ve heard something like that before.

Probably won’t be the last. And like I said, a lot of my. A lot of my podcasts do center around the LGBT community.

And I know that with you being such an incredibly supportive ally, have you encountered a situation where maybe a colleague, a counterpart or friend outside of, you know, your circle, who is gay, trans, bisexual, whatever? Have you experienced through their voice, any type of discrimination that they’ve gone through over the past years, especially in the years that I’ve been in the real estate industry, I have become very, very close with a lot of the LGBTQ community. So I surround myself with
everyone. I’m a very loving person.

I am a very social butterfly. So everyone is my cup of tea until they’re not. So I have yet to find somebody to act in a disheartening mannerism towards any of the people I know.

I know it’s out there, and if my voice today can help, you know, to support this community, then let’s do it. But not anything that comes off the top of my head that I’ve seen. Okay.

And I’m not blind to it. I definitely have my eye out for. For all of my people.

Right. No, I love that. And I know that.

I know in just speaking with you, you do have. You have all people’s backs, and I love that because it tells me that you are, you know, truly non discriminatory at all. Oh, that was a big word.

Non discriminatory at all. That was a $10 word today. Dollar word.

And I use $9.50 of it, trying to correct myself. So now in.

In real estate. Let’s go. Let’s go into real estate a little bit.

Okay. I have a ton of real estate friends that are gay or. Or lesbian.

Do you think that helps, hinders or makes no difference at all to people out there that are looking to buy or sell a home? I mean, I feel like there’s a comfort level if you’re gay, lesbian, whatever your origin is. I feel like there’s a comfort level when you align with somebody who is in that same, you know, Persona, so to say. But I still think that, you know, it’s all about how you project yourself.

You can be a heterosexual person and help a gay client, because as long as you have the morals and values that you treat everyone exactly the same across the board, then I feel like that comfort level adds your value. Right, so it’s. Is everybody that way? No.

Are all realtors created equally known, just like all title agents? I mean, everywhere, every business, everyone is different. But in this. This industry, it’s dog eat dog.

There is thousands of realtors. You can throw a pebble across the street and hit a realtor. I noticed that when I moved here.

I thought that, you know, I came from Atlanta, Georgia, by way of New York, but when I was in Atlanta, I thought there were a lot of realtors there. There are so many realtors here in St. Pete in Florida. I mean, almost Overly saturated in, in, in.

In realtors. But I guess there’s a reason for it. I don’t know what the reason is, but that’s not for me to, for me to figure out.

Let me ask you, have you worked for. I, I don’t want to talk about your, your, your, your current employer. I know your current employer.

Incredibly supportive with the LGBT community. Incredibly supportive with, with diversity, you know, inclusion, et cetera, et cetera. But have you worked for a company or known of a company that just did not embrace that at all? No, because I personally align myself with people that have the same views as me.

I love it. I cannot work for someone or work someone who we don’t mash up. If you can’t see eye to eye with me, then how are we gonna.

We can’t work well together like that. So I’ve always put myself in a, in a great company. I keep my professionalism at a high level and that includes my personal beliefs and views.

I may not stand on the street corner and project all of it, but those who know me, they know how I align. I love it. Thank you.

Thank you. And speaking of. Because you know, we do know that your company is, is an absolutely all inclusive company.

Yes. Do you know or I mean, how does your company handle, like the inclusion or its recruitment and hiring practices? I mean, do they. I don’t, I don’t want to assume that everyone is straight within your organization, but do they embrace all cultures and all walks of life? Yes, they do.

Yes, they do. We do not have a hundred percent straight employment record. There are close co workers of mine that are lgbtq and it’s not about just what their origin is, it’s about who they are and what they bring to the table.

So again, if you are a purple unicorn, if you can produce the job, then you’re in. I love it. I love it.

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Have you seen any positive examples of LGBTQ inclusion initiatives at your organization? I have, folks, I have. Don’t forget that Florida Agency Network is an all inclusive family of title agents, etc. And they love everyone.

So remember that when you’re out shopping for a home and you get to pick your title company, give Crystal a call because she has the guy or the girl for you, okay? Absolutely. That’s just a little plug for you. Thank you.

Alrighty, let’s. Let’s move things a little bit, okay? You have three wonderful children. Yes, I do.

You are raising your children in a world that we would hope is diverse, that we would hope is accepting of diversity. How do you feel about the world that your children live in today? I actually get schooled by my children all the time. I. There’s different lingos and not just in the sexual origin side of things, just in general.

I. The other day they talked about somebody being woke. I said, what time did they get up? And it was. They’re like, mom, that’s not what that means.

I was like, I don’t know. I can’t keep up. So I’m on.

And I shouldn’t say schooled. I am learning from my children. I mean, I guess that’s kind of the same thing.

So it’s like schooled. Yeah, yeah. So.

But in a positive way. So we, we constantly have these open dialogue conversations. My.

I have all girls, all three girls. They are very open with me and I am a comfort space. I’m a safe place for them.

I’ve told them that since they were little. Because of how things have evolved with our communities, I feel like they are going to make it. They’re going to be okay.

The voices are heard. And now it’s becoming more acceptable to hear these voices. So they go to the pride, the pride parades.

And I support that now that they’re a little older, when they were not so young, you know, still like 13, 14 years old, I’m like, eh, maybe not right, But I took them to one of their first pride parades. I love it. And I love it.

They’re addicted. They love it. An ally mom.

I love it. A supportive mom, which I think is. Which I think is fantastic.

And then when it comes to the friends, okay, when, when you meet their friends, I think that kids, teens, your daughter’s age, again, they’re very, very open. They’re very Accepting they’re, they question very little. But was that like that when you were growing up? I mean, I feel like when I was growing up, everything was questioned.

Everything. When I, as I was raised in a very heavy Catholic family, my grandparents, their parents, the, you know, everyone in my family was heavy Catholic. So, you know, without having to go into detail, I’m pretty sure anybody listening to this knows what the Catholics align with.

I don’t go to church. I have my beliefs, I pray. I believe in higher power.

But I cannot go into that, that life and just seeing what this is, what you have to do this now God’s going to love me regardless, regardless of who I see, who I love, and that I just have to pour that love out and I have lots of it to give. So I forgot the question. What’s the question? The question basically was how do you see the world through your kids eyes now versus how you grew up? If it’s easier, if it’s harder, if you think that we were questioned, I should say you were questioned more
growing up than the kid than your kids are now.

Oh, absolutely. I mean, back when I was growing up, like I said, Catholics, you know, I was raised Catholic, Catholic school, the whole nine. You could not do anything outside of the normal steps.

Like the Bible says, you do this and you stick with that. And so as I’ve grown older, able to develop my own opinions and my own beliefs, I allow my children to do the same thing. And that has been proven to be exceptional for them.

They, I feel like they transition better in the changes in society than most people do because of being raised that strict religious life. You don’t have the ability to expand your mind. Right, right.

And it’s. That limitation is, is just deafening. And you’re a cool parent because, yeah, you grew up under that strict Catholic rule.

You did not or do not want to inflict that upon your kids. And you do not. Which I think is absolutely amazing and really a testament to you, you know, as a, as a parent.

So let’s, you know what? I’m gonna, I’m gonna do something that I don’t usually do because I always feel like I’m asking a lot of questions. Do you have any questions of me? I mean, you know a lot about me. I’m pretty much an open book.

Anything that. And I’m older than you. Much older than you.

Oh, stop. Anything. No, I mean, you have this charismatic personality is just, it’s a, you’re just a beautiful soul.

So regardless of who you are, what you are, who you love. I feel like if. If you and I did not know each other and we met in the street, we’d have an instant connection.

Oh, I know we would. I know we would. Because you’re just, You’re.

You’re. You have the same heart and giving soul that I have. You heard that people, okay, I am a nice guy.

Okay. I’m not always that hard ass that you think I am. When it’s warranted and when my employees listen to this, I really am a nice guy.

I’m driven. So I’m driven. I’m driven, you know, I’m driven for work.

I’m driven for my causes. You know, as you know, and you’ve been to some of our LGBT plus B2B businesses, you know, as an ally. And we appreciate that big time that you, that you’re there to support us, but that’s just all we’re really looking for.

It’s an honor to be included. Yeah. Well, it’s.

Thank you. Not everyone thinks that, but I’m glad that you do. I’m glad that you do.

I mean, you know, for those who don’t have the time or the. The availability to. To be a part of that, they’re really missing out because it’s.

It has. At the end of the day, it has. It has everything and nothing to do with lgbtq.

Right, right. It’s just being a good person. No, I get it.

I get it. Let me ask you this. Have you ever had a co worker that just did not embrace any type of diversity, any type of inclusivity? A co worker, not an employer.

Okay. But someone that you may have worked with. But I know that you align yourselves with really good people.

So you may say, oh, yeah, I had one, but I knew immediately not to speak to him or her. But have you ever had someone that you just knew was not such a nice person? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, and that’s unfortunate because I’m not a quiet person.

I. I may not try to change your point of views on things, but I. If I feel something passionately, I’m going to say it. So, yeah, I mean, in, you know, the couple workplaces I’ve been in, I know that there’s people that don’t support and they’re entitled to that, but they need to be a kind person about it. Right, I’m with you there.

I’m with you there. And I was kind of hoping that you would say that because I didn’t want to say, listen, folks, I know Crystal, you know, she’s definitely supportive. If, if someone needs a friend, you know, they’ve got one in crystal and she’ll help that person stand up for themselves.

But you know, more importantly, she’ll, she’ll voice her opinion in a professional manner. Absolutely. There you go.

There you go. Does your current employer. Okay, do they have rules? Do they have.

I don’t, I don’t mean rules like company, company guidelines. When it comes to how to deal with diversity. I know that everyone says, oh yeah, we have a diversity and you know, diversity training.

We have diversity and inclusion training at, at work. But are there any programs at work that you can think of that would help those that don’t quite understand about the exclusivity of diverse individuals? Is there any type of training materials within your agency? Well, one of the first things that they tell you when you’re hired is that it’s an open door policy. So anyone can go to the president of the company, they can go to the CEO, they can go to the regional managers.

So there’s so many different levels now. You may feel more comfortable talking to one than the other and that’s perfectly fine. But they have this open door policy that regardless of what you think, what you feel, there’s no judgment zone.

It’s just you come in and you lay it on the line. We don’t have any formal trainings on diversity, but it is absolutely drilled in that. It’s our, our motto is Faith, Friends, Fan, Family.

Oh, I love it. Yes. Say that again for that’s not the right order.

That’s okay. Amy Gregory would be very mad at me right now. No, no, she won’t.

It’s Faith, Faith, family, Friends, fan. I love it. And fan is our acronym for Florida Agency Network.

So at least I got all four of them. Should be. Ma should be proud of that.

You got all four of them. I mean, you were put on the, you know, you were put on the spot. So I think you did great.

Yeah. So I, it’s, you know, it’s, it’s all about just. The biggest thing is just be a good person.

I mean, that’s one of the biggest mottos in there. And you know, you can, you can see things differently and you can feel comfortable with saying like, this is what I just encountered. I didn’t feel great about this.

And they will come up with solutions. There’s been not diversity type situations, but other situations in the company that have been brought up and addressed and handled in a professional manner. Good.

There’s great ways to handle it. It’s Just a matter of speaking up first. Right, right.

I think speaking up, stand your ground. All that stuff I think is. Is definitely important.

Definitely important. So thank you for sharing that. Gosh, you know, I don’t really have a lot more.

Oh, I know what I wanted to ask you. So within, within your family and the, and the dynamics, if one of your kids came home and said, hey, mom, I’m going to introduce you to my girlfriend, that wouldn’t phase you one bit, would it? No, actually, all three of my girls have brought. Have come home with some type of different lifestyle.

I have one that is bisexual, one that’s lesbian, and one that is non binary. And so I try, you know, I have to grow with this. I mean, the non binary was definitely a new one for me because I didn’t know.

So I’ve been educated and it’s very, I’m very supportive. And one of the things I hate when people say is I love you no matter what. That, no matter what means that there’s a reason to not love.

Right? Right. There’s a condition. Yes, There’s a condition like, oh, well, you did this, but I still love you no matter what you did.

I just love you is what I constantly tell them. I just love you, and I don’t care if you want to date that bush outside. If that’s what you like, that’s what you like.

I might give you a weird look at first, but I’ll accept it. Right. And just loving them through this, you know, they’re young and it’s.

It’s a very weird world right now, so just gotta love them through it. I think that is so important because we literally just passed what was, I think, Suicide Prevention Month last month, I believe, because June is Gay Pride month. Okay.

July, I believe, is Suicide Prevention month, because so many bad things follow Gay Pride, okay, around the country in a, In a negative way. Being a cool mom and an open mom and an accepting mom I think helps a lot. And I think that if more families or more moms were like you, I think that there would be less attempted suicides, less, you know, overdoses.

I mean, the gay community, the LGBT community, has the highest statistics of suicide overdose of any, I guess you would say, class of people, any group of people. And it always seems to be worse After Gay Pride. A lot of it is stress.

A lot of it is non acceptance. A lot of it is, you know, having a parent that is judgmental and you’re anything but that. Anything but that.

And, and gosh, I love you for It. And my girls have brought home friends that are trans and I respect their pronouns, you know, and my youngest one, you know, with she’s feeling that she’s non binary and as she grows, will that change? Possibly. And in the meantime, I ask, I try to respect those pronouns.

I mean, that’s. It’s a big thing now. It’s still hard.

But she’s also told me it’s okay to call her she her and they them. You know, she’s like, mom, I understand. Like, you know, it’s been my whole life as a female and now I’m not feeling anything right now.

And I was like, that’s okay. I don’t have to understand it. I just have to respect it.

Right? And that’s the respect. I respect anyone who comes in my house. And that’s why not trying to be a cool mom, just trying to be a respectful person.

And these kids always have a safe place to come home to if they are turned away by their own parents, they can come to me and I will give them the hugs and loves and kisses that they need. It’s just being a good person. Everyone deserves that.

Everyone. And you said, you said the magic word, and I love the fact that you said it multiple times, but it is respect. It’s just respect.

Respect the person, respect the situation. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to love it. Just give that person respect.

Okay, I’m going to give you my favorite line that I use for everything. Anything past my nose is none of my business. Ooh, I like that.

Everyone should live by that. Say that one more time. Anything past my nose is none of my business.

You hear that, people? You hear that? Write that on your mirror. Yeah, exactly. Read that every day because.

Because that goes across the board for so many aspects of life. Agreed? Agreed. And I. I drill that into my own mother because she gets all bent out of shape because of the people in apartment complex.

I said anything past your nose is none of your business. And unless it is directly hurting you or your family, just keep walking. Oh, I love it.

I should have had you on this podcast months ago. Crystal, you know what? I truthfully don’t have a lot more. I, I absolutely am ecstatic that you joined me and joined us this morning.

Tell us one more time. Tell the audience one more time who you are, what you do best. Referral, and just how to get a hold of you.

Absolutely. So my name is Crystal Woods. I am an account executive for Florida Agency Network, which I have multiple title brands that I work with.

The best way to get in touch with me is email or phone. I can give you my cell phone because that’s a very, very public number. 727-58045.

And a great referral for me is anyone who wants to be in the real estate realm, whether it’s be a real estate agent or if they want to buy or sell a house or if they’re looking to refinance, I have connections that can get everyone started in this journey. Well, thank you so much. And I’m literally hugging you across the table without making any noises right now.

I appreciate this so much and audience thank you. This is Dan. Dan, your payroll man with Landmark payroll.

Y’ all know how to get a hold of me. Okay? So email, phone, smoke signals. But thank you for listening and thank you so much for your time today and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Sam.