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A pair of real estate and tech vets who are passionate about elevating women in the industry have launched a new female-centered coaching platform called “The Helm.”
Cofounded by Danielle Wilkie and Heather Frick, the platform will emphasize developing a diverse community of women coaches “offering a fresh and nuanced approach to professional development within the real estate industry,” a press release sent to Inman stated.
Wilkie and Frick noted that 65 percent of real estate agents are women, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), yet only about 25 percent of top coaches in the industry are women, according to a list of top coaches compiled by Luxury Presence.
Danielle Wilkie | The Helm
The Helm aims to fill a gap in real estate coaching options to specifically address the needs of women working in real estate through targeted coaching methodologies and leadership guidance. In addition, the platform will seek to guide would-be female real estate coaches to cultivate their coaching skills and teach them how to balance coaching opportunities with their other career aspirations.
“Women make up more than half of the real estate agents in the United States, yet women make up less than a third of nationally recognized real estate coaches — The Helm aims to change that,” Wilkie, who is CEO and cofounder of The Helm, said in a statement. “We are eager to bridge this industry gap, not only by offering more female-centric coaches and coaching, but also by elevating the standard of the coaching provided and promoted.”
As the new platform gets off the ground this week (it officially launched on Tuesday), a number of female industry leaders have signed on to advise the company as it grows, including Coldwell Banker Realty CEO Kamini Lane, former Countrywide Mortgage COO Jodi Hall, veteran real estate coach Monica Reynolds, WomenUp! cofounder Leslie Appleton-Young, and others.
Heather Frick | The Helm
“Oftentimes, leading women within the real estate industry believe that they can’t continue to run their successful business while also being a real estate coach,” The Helm cofounder Heather Frick said in a statement. “At The Helm, we will help uncover and pave the way for these women to both establish a strong coaching practice and also continue the prosperous trajectory of their businesses.”
Wilkie’s background includes a nearly four-year stint at Compass in various regional president roles. She also has extensive experience in marketing and scaling B2B and B2C businesses across a variety of sectors, including property management and e-commerce.
Meanwhile, Frick is a certified coach with two decades of experience in senior leadership and executive marketing roles at tech companies like Oracle, Assent and Merkle. In recent years, her focus has been on coaching “conscious leadership” with individuals and teams at major organizations like BP, Adobe and Microsoft.
The platform will feature one-on-one coaching, collaborative group workshops, leadership tracks, exclusive events and more. To uphold high standards within the organization and maintain accountability for coaches, new certifications and accreditations will be developed internally at The Helm as well.
Pricing for the platform’s offerings will vary from free to a few thousand dollars, depending on the program. Highlights include a 90-day coaching kickstarter, coaching memberships and a 12-month program for top female agents and CEOs.
Although the platform was created by and for women in real estate, anyone who is interested may sign up for The Helm’s biweekly newsletter, “Wisdom from The Helm,” on the company’s website. The cofounders also noted that The Helm’s coaches ultimately determine what clients they serve and anticipate opportunities “for those who share the commitment to inclusivity, and are looking for expert guidance from seasoned female leaders.”
