Hoda Harjinia embodies beauty, brains and business finesse. This savvy, luxury real estate agent has achieved epic success in just over two years as a real estate broker with The McMonigle Team in Orange County, and with the launch of Bravo’s, Real Estate Wars, business is booming.
Hoda Harjinia
“My business has been like an avalanche. It keeps growing and growing,” Harjinia told me in a telephone interview. “My social media interactions have increased, and I am being recognized in various places around town.”
“Shooting Real Estate Wars was fun and interesting, but something more significant and meaningful came out of the experience,” Harjinia said in reference to a series of green screen edits where she spoke about her struggle with bulimia and anorexia several years ago. The footage ended up not airing.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and I hated it. I would leave the studio feeling very depressed,” Harjinia said. “Putting myself out there like that was painful, and reliving that darkest period in my life was psychologically draining. It was the first time I had ever talked about my eating disorder.”
At one point in her struggle, she weighed only 87 pounds.
Although Harjinia was drained, she was also inspired. She wanted to share this side of her life with the world, hoping that her story would encourage and help others battling the same issues.
And the response has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging.
She was flooded with messages from people of all ages who wanted to reach out to her about their addictions and say thank you for sharing her story. She even took two days off at one point to respond to every single message she received.
Where did she find the strength to change her life?
“I literally woke up, and I said, ‘That’s it; enough is enough!’” Harjinia said
She had been laying in bed, listening to her heart beating and thinking about how painful it would be for her family if she died. She had already been struggling with massive hair loss and extensive dental damage due to vomiting.
From there, Harjinia made the decision to overcome this struggle, relying primarily on eating healthy and working out. She said she did not work with therapists or doctors for her case.
“It was a long, long road and a lot of hard work,” she explained. “I work out every day to stay healthy and fit. It’s my therapy and stress relief. Working out is the key to my success, and it’s how I am able to manage all the things I have going on in my life.”
If someone is suffering with an addiction, Harjinia hopes that he or she will understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“If I can overcome hitting rock bottom, I know that they can to,” she said.
Harjinia knows how to maintain balance in her life. She has a thriving real estate career, a top-rated show and gives back to her community. Triumphing over serious addictions is an amazing accomplishment, and sharing a story like Harjinia’s takes a lot of courage.
“People struggling with addictions have to have hope and faith and know that with hard work, anything is possible,” Harjinia said.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder or know someone who is, reach out to the National Eating Disorder helpline.
Bravo’s Real Estate Wars season finale airs on Nov. 30.
Debbie Biery is the Expansion Ambassador with eXp Realty. You can follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.