Alissa Gardner

Owner & Principal Broker
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Corridor
AGE: 38

What was your first job?

Pollinating corn for the Pioneer Hybrid Marion research farm.

Who are your local mentors?

Dr. Terri Cooper, owner of Wholistic Wellness Clinic & Spa of Marion.

What is the best advice you ever received?

Wherever you are, be there.

What would most people be surprised to learn about you?

We donโ€™t have a TV in our home. The average American watches about 30 hours a week. Iโ€™m a business owner, and with five kids, we just donโ€™t have time.

What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?

I am already enough.

How do you ensure a balance between work and your personal life?

Prayer โ€“ just a conversation with God throughout the day, reading and nightly campfires. Weโ€™re a blended family and we need to communicate. Having a campfire is our way of doing it โ€“ we talk to each other then.

Whatโ€™s something people should know about your generation in the workplace?

We are capable of great things let us do them and support us doing them.