15 Questions with Women Lead Change: Rachel Flint

Women Lead Change (WLC): What is your name and title?
Rachel: “Rachel Flint, Vice President-Hubbell Homes”

Rachel Flint

WLC: What did your journey look like to get to where you are today?
Rachel: “A winding and curvy road. I started out with an undergraduate in Art History and worked in museums for seven years prior to getting into real estate. Once I was in real estate, I started in various roles, came up through marketing and then through sales to eventually lead the division for Hubbell Homes.”

WLC: Is this what you always wanted to do?
Rachel: “(Laughs) Absolutely not. I never imagined my life being like it is, whatsoever.” 

WLC: What does your morning routine look like?
Rachel: “I hit the snooze alarm at least twice. I get up and work out, then I have my coffee, get ready, start emails, get my thoughts together and then get to the office.” 

WLC: What is something you do everyday that makes you successful?
Rachel: “Plan.”

WLC: Who is your role model?
Rachel: “I would say my parents have definitely been role models of hard work, continuing to push yourself beyond what you think is possible.” 

WLC: What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Rachel: “The Great Recession of 2008. That was the hardest time. You had to downsize, you had to wear so many hats all at once. It was a hard time to get through.” 

WLC: What would you tell your 22-year-old self? 
Rachel: “Just breathe. That it all works out. You’re like a cat, you’ll always land on your feet. It will be ok.”

WLC: What gets you out of bed everyday?
Rachel: “I would say it’s the relationships that I’ve formed in my life. Whether it be through work, or my personal life, my family life. Those are things that give me the greatest joy by far.”

WLC: What is the most rewarding part of your career?
Rachel: “I would say that the incredible team we have built at Hubbell Homes. I think we have a whole lot of people that care immensely about the people that we serve. I think this team tackles tough challenges together and has fun doing it and that’s a rare thing. We all really like each other and really work hard for one another and that’s so cool.”

WLC: What is one thing that you did in your career that you believe got you to where you are today?
Rachel: “I think for me one of my superpowers is not giving up. I knew that I would outwork anybody else. I knew that my one year of hard work, and a lot of hours, was going to be equivalent to maybe someone else’s three years. I used every opportunity to learn, to grow, to ask questions of people who are experts.”

WLC: How do you measure success?
Rachel: “It depends. I start out the year and I have goals for the various areas of my life. Whether that be professional, personal, my health, finances, friends and family, and personal growth. I set goals for the year. I’m a huge believer in goal setting and then evaluating on a monthly basis. I base it on success in those areas. How am I doing on a scale from 1-10? I evaluate those areas and really I focus on who’s the Rachel that I want to become. What’s the best version of Rachel? Who do I aspire to be as a person in all of these areas of my life and I look at that and evaluate that.”

WLC: What was your biggest failure?
Rachel: “I spend a lot of time trying to be a people pleaser; at the sacrifice of my own mental health. You spend a lot of time trying to be that perfect person instead of just embracing who you are and using that to your advantage. I think that’s my biggest failure. I’ve always spent a whole lot of time trying to be someone I’m not instead of just loving the person I am.” 

WLC: What has been your biggest success?
Rachel: “The culture shift that we were able to achieve within Hubbell Homes. That’s been the biggest success I think of really fine tuning things and getting the right people who all believe in the same direction and really put the focus on the customer first and that’s been the biggest success I would say.” 

WLC: What is your most important piece of advice to a young professional that aspires to be like you someday?
Rachel: “Work for it. It’s not going to be handed to you. If you work for it, no one can ever take that away from you. If it’s just given to you it’s not the same as the blood, sweat and tears and the growth that occurs from struggle and finding your way. Don’t be afraid to work for it.” 

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