Fiona McMahon-Hughes

RAY WHITE INVERLOCH, VIC

Fiona is an Elite agent and the principal of Ray White Inverloch, a seaside town along Victoria ' s Gippsland coastline home to more than 6,000 residents.

Coffee or tea – and what’ s your go-to order?

A flat white coffee on full fat milk, three quarters full.

What’ s a simple habit or mindset shift that’ s helped you succeed?

Stick to a routine for key important matters and then the rest will follow.

What’ s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

I love paper tooling- it’ s where you cut out paper and make 3D art from it( pictured right).

If you weren’ t in real estate, what would you be doing?

Possibly politics because I like to be able to make a difference in people’ s lives. It’ s why I love real estate too,

you are able to help people with some of the biggest and most important decisions of their lives.

What’ s the best book or podcast you’ ve recently enjoyed?

Saltwater Cure by Ali Gripper. True stories of the transformative power of the ocean.

How do you stay ahead in such a competitive market?

Do what you say you’ re going to do and say what you’ re going to do. In real estate, people are let down too often and communication is a huge part of that.

What’ s your secret to building strong client relationships?

Building trust and having knowledge

of what you are doing. And always be nurturing them along the line. Not everyone is buying or selling right now, but they will always know someone who is so if you’ re on people ' s minds they’ ll recommend you.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Believe in yourself and give it a go. Don’ t be afraid.

Elly McCullock

RAY WHITE WEST END, QLD

Elly McCullock is the head property manager at Ray White West End in Brisbane. Elly oversees all aspects of property operations, ensuring efficient leasing, maintenance, and compliance.

What inspired you to start a career in property management?

My mum is in real estate and when I began working with her, I quickly realised that I loved the industry but wasn ' t in the right time in my

life to be working with family. So, I began working with Ray White and absolutely love it.

If you weren’ t in real estate, what would you be doing?

If I wasn ' t in real estate, I would have loved to be a dog handler in the police force, which is what I wanted to do my entire life growing up. I started working in a dog grooming salon when I was 11 because I loved dogs so much( I have two golden retrievers at home) and after I graduated school, I did a diploma in criminology, all with the goal of getting into the police force.

What’ s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

I can draw! I started drawing when I was very young and as I got older and better, I started commissioning my artwork in my early teens. I learnt a lot about human and animal portraiture. Those are my favourite things to draw.

What’ s your dream holiday destination?

Any countries in Asia. I ' m obsessed with Asian food and culture.

What’ s your guilty pleasure?

Mukbangs. It’ s very controversial, but I find something incredibly fascinating about watching people eat super large amounts of food.

What’ s the biggest challenge you’ ve faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?

Although most people tell me not to worry about it, my age is my biggest internal challenge. I ' m constantly finding myself worried that people aren ' t going to take me seriously, because I ' m so young. But I am learning to be confident in myself and that at my age has no impact on anything at all if I perform well.

What’ s your secret to building strong client relationships?

Kindness and imperfection. Treating other people the exact same way that you want to be treated and treating them with kindness. It ' s very easy to forget how much of an impact being kind to someone can be.

What’ s a simple habit or mindset shift that’ s helped you succeed?

I come into work before most of the team each morning and the quiet time before the storm every day helps me prepare and get a grasp of what the day has ahead.

What’ s the best piece of advice you’ ve ever received?

It ' s not that deep. The challenges you ' re facing today won’ t be an issue in six months. No matter how tough the day may seem, it will end, and a new one will begin. The hardships you’ re going through right now will pass.