Lessons from Local Leaders:

Kristi Hardy

Ever faced a moment where someone underestimated you, and it propelled you to soar to new heights? Kristi Hardy from Atlantic Coast Mortgage turns a brush with condescension into a thriving career, ensuring no client feels belittled on her watch. Our conversation with Kristi is a tour through her inspiring journey, revealing the competitive advantages and client-centric philosophy that underpin her team’s success. She peels back the curtain on her transition from Enterprise Rent-A-Car to finance manager, and finally to the mortgage industry, where rapid closings and strategic loan structuring have become her calling cards.

Life, as we navigate its twists and turns, often demands a delicate dance between career ambition and the joys of personal pursuits. Kristi embodies this, sharing how she juggles expanding her business footprint with the simple pleasures of parenting, pickleball, and Pilates. Her insights remind us that being a workaholic isn’t a badge of honor, gently encouraging the art of setting boundaries. For those of us chasing our dreams while trying to stay grounded, Kristi offers a playbook for avoiding burnout and keeping the flame of passion alive in both our professional and private lives.

Closing our engaging exchange, Kristi highlights the power of positivity and gratitude, elements as crucial to her business as they are to her personal wellbeing. Her tales of recognizing faces from social media to her philosophy of hiring team members illuminate a culture that values connection and character. Kristi leaves us not just with strategies for navigating the competitive housing market, but also with a parting message that resonates far beyond business: gratitude is a guiding star, and when we let it lead the way, both our careers and our lives are richer for it. Join us for this heartfelt conversation that’s as much about mortgages as it is about the mortgage of life’s happiness.

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