To have a well-balanced life in all aspects of my being (such as God, country, 
professional & personal) is my aspiration in life.  But until now, I’m a work in progress.   

I try my best.  I find time to serve God (as a lector) and our community (as one of 
pastoral members handling our village religious activities and as a chorale 
member).  Apart from earning as a real estate broker, part of my advocacy is to teach 
and share my experience (as a CPD lecturer and as an author of two real estate 
books).  I spend quality dtime with my loved ones by traveling, eating out and 
sometimes, hiking.  For me-time, I walk and I dance hip-hop.   

As what I always do, I am sharing Five (5) MLRA Tips emanating from the word PAREB 
so it would be easy to remember.  And to make this topic more credible, I am featuring 
some PAREB brokers who are great testimonies to each tip.  

P - rayer 

Prayer is a way to connect with a higher power, whether to express needs,  thank the 
deity, confess sins or simply to commune with the divine.  In short, it is an 
acknowledgement that there is an almighty higher than us.   

Dr. Mary Gaw So is only one real estate practitioner I know who has the courage to talk 
about Christ and inspire us to pray.  I’ve met Dr. Mary during the CPD seminar of 
PLAREB in 2019 which I chaired.  I remember being very excited as I am going to meet 
the famous Dr. Mary Gaw So.  But my expectation went beyond the adjective, 
famous.  What struck me about her was her being down to earth (apart of course from 
being witty and funny) and her being proud of sharing Jesus Christ.  

But she does not only talk about Jesus Christ. She also gives souvenirs to make sure 
we remember.  Until now, I still have me the stress ball she gave the first time I met her 
bearing her favorite verse:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me 
(Philippians 4:13). 

Dr. Mary is not afraid to share Christ through her thousands of talks because she 
considers her encounter with Christ as a relationship and not as a religion. She 
encourages us to put God first and be thankful for everything comes from Him! There 
were times that there seemed to be impossible transactions, but she would be surprised 
that God would move them. On top of these, referrals are overflowing!  

When asked what is her secret to thriving in the industry:  She said, she has healing 
power. Hiling as in Hiling ng hiling kay Lord. Funny it seems, but to me, it’s a sign of 
humility that there is someone mightier than her. Dr. Mary’s message: Hold on. Keep 
your faith. Pray.  

As a takeaway from my first tip, PRAYER: 

We are God’s stewards.  If we will always remember our ultimate responsibility as 
human beings – which is to responsibly manage and care for all that God has entrusted 
to humanity, including resources, relationships, and even one's own life – we will always 
do everything for His glory and not for ours.  

A - gility 

Agility is the ability to move quickly, easily and nimbly often requiring flexibility, 
coordination, and speed.  It does not only pertain to the physical aspects.  It also 
includes quick thinking, adaptability, problem-solving, organizational flexibility and 
responsiveness to change.   

There is no one that I can think of who exudes the ability to move quickly or easily both 
mentally or physically than Mitch Razote, the Rockstar Seller.  

I’ve met Mitch during pandemic through another broker who looks up to her. I was then 
looking for the best of the best real estate brokers across the country to feature in my 
second book. Meeting her made me very curious -- even if just online at that time! 
I have never met a broker as very driven (parang everyday puro sales), focused (they 
follow a plan to the dot) and customer-centric (her clients were all very happy with 
her!) like Mitch! The accolade “Rockstar Seller” is just perfect for her that I am happy 
that this year, she decided to embrace this as her brand thru KW ROCKTARS PH.   

What I like about Mitch apart from the way she values her tandem with husband, 
Dennis, is her “work hard, play harder” mantra. They hit pause once a year — for 30 
days! For Mitch, work & play go hand in hand. Work fuels her purpose, play fuels her 
passion. Anyway, even if they are away, they have a system that keeps their business 
running.  

Even though you think she knows everything, she still values and participates in real 
estate organizations in order to grow. And mind you, she is not greedy to share her 
secrets to her successes with other brokers! I invited her twice and she did not think 
twice — even on her birthday!  

Over-all, this is Mitch’s advice to all of us:  The magic happens when you treat your life 
like your most important client.  When you’re recharged, your energy becomes magnetic 
— and that’s what attracts the next big deal. STAY SHARP, STAY FLEXIBLE, & KEEP 
MOVING.” 

As my takeaway from this second tip, AGILITY:  There is a time for everything 
(Ecclesiastes 3:1). A time to rest, a time to work.  

R – esilience  

Resilience is the ability to withstand, adapt, and bounce back from challenges, setbacks 
or adversity.” 

A real estate broker for 37 years, one of the pioneer & exclusive brokers of Avida and a 
lifetime achievement awardee, Ms. Guada Gabriel is a true testimony of 
resilience.  What made her stay in the business: 

1) Cashflow - she’s an accountant and when she realized the financial rewards in 
brokerage, she left the corporate and started her own business which became 
Macroville Realty; 
2) Relationships with clients and agents/brokers who eventually became true friends 
and some as repeat clients; 
3) Being her own boss thus having the flexibility; and 
4) Sense of accomplishment and leaving a lasting legacy 

Being in the industry for almost four decades, she experienced the high’s and low’s of 
the business. Her high moment came in 1996. Though it was a recession, she got her 
first big deal worth P135m!  

Her low moment was during pandemic which further affected her brokerage — her 
agents started moving somewhere else, after years of coaching newbies, they also 
transferred. And after 15 years, she made the painful decision of closing her office in 
Makati and moving to Nuvali.  

In her 37 years in real estate, I have known Ms. Guada for 30 years since my first job 
was with Avida, or Laguna Properties Holdings Inc. or LPHI then. When I decided to 
jump the fence, she was the one I consulted to. Her unforgettable advice: Lui in this 
business, you need EQ. Hindi pa sikat nun si Jack Ma, Ms. Guada already taught me 
the importance of Emotional Intelligence which by the way, not only became my 
constant guide, it also became one of my CPD modules during pandemic and even my 
topic in PAREB’s conference!  

Now, even though she had lie low and enjoying retirement here in the South, she has 
never stopped being a real estate broker. In fact, she is one of the officers of STAREB of 
which she is immensely enjoying!  

Ms. Guada’s simple advice on how to stay resilient: 

Do your best. 
Treat clients well.  
Keep your values intact. 
Don’t be obsessed with money but take care of your cashflow. 
Enjoy life but stay connected.  

Right now, at 73, she no longer asks, “What more can I get?” But instead, “What more 
can I give?”  

As my takeaway for my third tip, RESILIENCE, psychologists confirm that there are four 
types of intelligence that will help us go through life:  
1. Intelligent Quotient (IQ): measures your level of comprehension 
2. Emotional Quotient (EQ): measures your ability to maintain peace with others 
3. Social Quotient (SQ): measures your ability to build a network of friends and 
maintain it 
4. Adversity Quotient (AQ): measures your ability to go through a rough patch in 
life, and come out of it without losing your mind 

E – nergy 

Energy is defined as the ability or capacity to do work:  physical, emotional or mental.  
There is truth to what my husband jokingly says that energy “is the key to success” 
because without energy, we cannot work.    

“No to idle life because doing nothing is a waste of time!” This is the mantra of Ms. 
Cindy Solano, one of PAREB’s current national directors. This is her secret to leads, 
knowledge and information so why be idle?  

I’ve met Ms. Cindy when I joined PLAREB in 2016. An epitome of Ms. Energy, Ms. 
Cindy is almost everywhere. Doing trippings, closing deals and even title processing. 
Then makita mo na lang, nasa out of town trip na and even out of the country! But wait 
there’s more, she’s an active PAREB officer and PLAREB’s very supportive past 
president! What’s amazing is, she finds time to spend quality time with both her loved 
ones and herself, doing yoga, biking, and hiking!  

But you know what’s more inspiring? She was a cancer survivor. She courageously 
dealt with cancer without disrupting her life and with head high openly sharing her 
journey in beating this disease. How she overcame this? Do what you love to do. Invest 
time, money and energy on self-improvement and wellness.  

As my takeaway for my fourth tip, ENERGY, let us be reminded of the 10 doctors we 
should always listen to courtesy of the book Whole Again: 

7 Doctors of the Body: 
1. Dr. SLEEP 
2. Dr. BREATHE 
3. Dr. DRINK 
4. Dr. FOOD 
5. Dr. SUN 
6. Dr. MOVE 
7. Dr. GREEN 

3 Doctors of the Mind: 
1. Dr. LAUGHTER 
2. Dr. TRUST 
3. Dr. PURPOSE 

Bu literally, let us not forget to consult with our doctors regularly because Health is 
Wealth! Let us not be part of the statistics who spent the first 40 years of their life 
destroying their bodies and the next 40 repairing them.   

B – reath 

Breath is the process of taking air in and out of your lungs.   

For this topic, I will be sharing my Breathwork experience.  In 2023, my husband 
encouraged me, my eldest sister and my nephew to experience Breathwork program in 
Zambales.  

There, we went hiking, sat at the top of the mountain,  enjoyed the relaxing sound of the 
river went swimming at the beach and even had bonfire at night. We communed with 
nature while learning how to breathe properly. I’m not into yoga or meditation but 
participating in this program made me realize the importance of proper breathing….. 

IT WILL BUILD YOUR STAMINA  
Our first activity was hiking in Mt. Calib-ungan, Botolan, Zambales. It took us almost 3 
hours to finish the hike. I never had any cardio exercises for several months prior to this 
but never did I gasp or had difficulty climbing. Why? I did the first breathing tip: breath 
through my nose. Apart from this amazing experience, breathwork on top of the summit 
was heaven!  

IT WILL CALM YOU  
We were supposed to see lahar for our second day but the recent rain prevented us. 
We went instead to Bucao River. The sound of water running through the stones was 
really relaxing. We were given some personal moments before moving to our next 
exercise. The running water while breathing really calmed me as this was the time my 
laptop went missing! Another breathing tip: it is better to breathe through stomach 
instead of chest.  

IT WILL RE-ENERGIZE YOU  
We went to the beach on our 3rd and last day. The nice sea air and splashing waves 
were really refreshing. Though nothing will replace my breathwork experience on top of 
the summit and along the river, communing with the ocean is also incomparable! Third 
breathing tip: if you need to stay awake, exhale 3x.  

Breathwork Coach Reef Liggayu, the man behind Breathwork Philippines quipped, 
“Breathing is speechless.” And it sure is! We had a very wonderful time communing not only 

with nature but with ourselves too. Apart from fellow brokers, employees, entrepreneurs, 
leaders, athletes, singers or ordinary individuals, need this too because with BREATHING, 
calm is conquered.  

this program away from the city is more ideal, he can also facilitate breathwork to a group or 
even via one-on-one>  

To achieve Wellness and Work Life Balance, just remember PAREB.   

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
Dr. Mary Gaw So, for courageously reminding us to always honor God and pray; 
Mitch Razote, for sharing with us the value of agility and how to attain it in our work; 
Ms. Guada Gabriel, for teaching us how to be resilient given your 37 years in the 
industry; 
Ms. Cindy Solano, for inspiring us that energy is the key to success in spite of any 
obstacles; 
Coach Miguel Paul Reef Liggayu, for teaching us to breathe and that Calm conquers 
all. 

Maria Luisa R. Alversado is a real estate broker and  book author of ”A Broker’s Vow.”  Her focus is in general brokerage within Laguna and nearby areas.   She is PAREB-STAREB’s charter president.  Aside from being a broker, she is also an accredited CPD lecturer with topics on EQ and Management in Real Estate Selling and Co -brokering. Currently, she is also the president of At Home Realty & Property Management Corporation based in Biñan. Laguna.

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