The Onward Nation podcast has given me the opportunity to speak to amazing people from all walks of life. I’ve talked to real estate investors, lawyers, and agency owners; you name them, and I’ve probably spoken to them.
Through all of the conversations, the ones that really stuck with me are the ones with the most inspiring stories. Us business folk tend to think we know it all when we find our success. Lucky for us, it only takes a great story to knock us off our feet and remind us we have much to learn. And I have learned so much from the spectacular woman, Dixie Decker, my guest for Episode 644 of Onward Nation.
Dixie’s story leaves me speechless no matter how many times I hear it. Like a lot of us, Dixie was born and raised to live the American Dream: go to college, get married, and own a home with a white picket fence and a few kids. Thanks to her own grit and a credit score over 700, Dixie got exactly that: two kids and a husband she could support.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Over the 15 years of the relationship, Dixie endured mental, physical, and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband. Alcohol and drugs were involved, and Dixie saw the relationship crumbling as she realized she had lost herself and her voice to support a man who put her through horrible trauma for years.
All she could hope for was a clean break, and that’s what she got. Her husband left her the house, the cars, the kids, and an awful surprise: a mountain of $150,000 in credit card debt in her name. Left with a broken home, two kids to feed, and enough debt to drown in, Dixie didn’t know who she was and had lost hope. Wouldn’t any of us?
That spark of hope continued to fade as she sacrificed her dreams to support her family as any mother in her spot would. She was making $30,000 a year and eating at her parents’ house every night. Just as things looked bleak, that spark began to grow; Dixie received a free gift to attend a workshop with real estate genius Ron LeGrand. Through the power of Ron’s mentorship and her own tenacity, Dixie began to put her life back on track and find her voice again.
Dixie began selling houses and building her confidence and portfolio.The journey was long and not easy. But Dixie knocked my socks off when she told me she sold 37 houses after her first year in real estate. That’s incredible, right? She didn’t stop there either. Dixie partnered with a high school friend and began buying and renting out properties to students at a local college. After traveling the long and winding road with nothing but her grit to guide her, Dixie and her partners became millionaires with over $100,000 coming in each month. That’s insanity in the best way.
Dixie’s success hasn’t stopped and neither has her generosity. More than anybody, she knows the battle of chasing your dreams uphill and the despair that can creep in. To give back, Dixie mentors people just like Ron mentored her.
The wisdom of this woman could fill pages, but her unified message is this: trust yourself. Find your voice and face your fears, no matter how terrible they may be. With the right mentors and the right mindset, the rest will fall into place. Have a system, stick with it, and stay hungry for success.
A good story can inspire anybody, so I hope a great story like Dixie’s inspires all of you as much as it did me. I hope her message of perseverance and strength motivates you to find your voice and be yourself. Never give up; after all, Dixie sure didn’t.