Episode 015: Sandhya Espitia

Introduction:


Today we have with us none other than the ground breaking Sandhya
Espitia, who for the last year and a half has been busy moving
mountains as the senior VP of brokerage services for the Real
Estate Board of New York. Prior to her role with REBNY, Sandhya
spent the previous decade, first at Harvard University in program
development, and thereafter with the International Council of
Shopping Centers (ICSC), as VP of industry education and
certification. In line with her mantra of unlocking the status
quo, Sandhya thankfully is a way bigger fan of the Red Hot Chili
Peppers song “Power of Equality” when it comes to acquiring and
passing along knowledge to REBNY and its members, than she is of
the lyrics “We don’t need no education” by rock n’ roll hall of
famers Pink Floyd. And just as importantly, in doing so, she
accomplishes this in line with another one of her mantras, namely
that of “Wherever you are, smile.”


 


Episode Notes:


At 2:52, Sandhya Espitia describes her first job working for a
developer who specialized in buying distressed assets. At 4:26,
Sandhya shares her energy, work ethic, hustle, and hands on
involvement in every single project. At 5:45, she notes her love
for technology and the benefit of being connected. At 7:03,
Sandhya points out that she is very big on trust, and chats about
the advice she received from her former boss at Harvard
University that has stuck with her. At 8:15, she informs us of
her “Oh my!” moment (namely helping create a start-up within
Harvard University, and thereafter partnering with the Dominican
Republic to improve their education system). At 10:55, Sandhya
said, “Any intention or any aspiration for change requires
learning.” At 12:47, she discusses being a culprit and victim of
“phubbing.” At 13:47, Sandhya shares her passion for change
management, and her dislike of the status quo. At 14:41, she
notes the need to change old practices within the industry, and
adopt new ways of thinking. At 16:12, Sandhya believes in the
power of the collective, multidisciplinary teams, experimentation
and being ok with failure. At 17:37, she shares how she invests
in herself, her enjoyment of being busy, and having worked on 5
different continents. At 18:54, Sandhya dives into giving back,
and in particular, coaching friends and co-workers. At 21:14, she
touches upon gender biases in real estate, and creating access
and exposure for women. At 25:09, Sandhya mentions that life is
all about purpose - and waking up with a plan. At 26:35, she
highlights her attraction in solving complex issues and real
problems within organizations. At 28:15, Sandhya dishes on
coaching, human interaction, and why it is so critical to treat
people starting with a baseline of competence and intelligence
(until proven otherwise). At 29:43, she shares lessons learned
from her mother and father. At 32:15, Sandhya talks about change
of attitude and self-investment. At 33:21, she enlightens us on
her dream of going to space in her lifetime. At 34:06, Sandhya
informs us on how she finds the balance through exercise, going
on walks and spending time with her 3-year-old daughter. At
35:06, Espitia concludes the podcast with a statement on how she
is proud to be someone who’s always thinking with the future in
mind.