Interview with Marcia Hubbs, Realtor, Hello Collingwood Real Estate Team, Canada

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In this episode, we explore:

Building Communities and Empowering Women: Marcia Hubbs’ Inspiring Journey

Join Suzanne F. Stevens on the You Me We Amplified podcast as she speaks with Marcia Hubbs, a trusted real estate professional and community champion with over 40 years of experience. Discover Marcia’s unwavering commitment to supporting women and children escaping violence through the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and her local shelter, My Friend’s House. Learn about Marcia’s collaborative effort in creating the awareness song ‘A Hand Up’ and her various community-driven initiatives, including innovative client gifts and youth engagement on her property. Explore the significant impact of integrating social purpose into professional life and the profound difference it can make.

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Host

00:58 Meet Marcia Hubbs: Real Estate Professional and Community Champion

02:45 Marcia’s Journey into Real Estate

03:57 Extending Real Estate to Social Impact

05:18 Personal Connection to Shelter Foundation

08:25 Innovative Client Gifts for Charity

11:19 Community Contributions and Personal Stories

20:10 Queen M and the Power of Music for Social Causes

26:48 Challenges and Future Goals for Shelters

28:00 Integrating Community Giving in Real Estate

28:33 National Campaign for Social Impact

29:28 Marketing Social Impact for Women Entrepreneurs

31:39 Community Support and Acts of Kindness

37:10 Sustaining Energy and Passion

41:23 Rapid Fire Questions and Personal Insights

51:02 Final Thoughts and Contact Information 

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Interview with Marcia Hubbs, Realtor, Hello Collingwood Real Estate Team; Canada

Marcia Hubbs, a trusted real estate professional and community champion with over 40 years of experience helping people find not just houses—but homes.

United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal(s) addressed:
#5. Gender Equality, #10. Reduced Inequalities

Social impact:
Marcia brings warmth, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to her clients and community. As one of the top 1% contributors to Royal LePage’s Shelter Foundation, she turns every transaction into a lifeline—supporting My Friend’s House, a local shelter for women and children escaping violence. Beyond being part of the Hello Collingwood real estate team, Marcia is a musician and the voice behind *A Hand Up*, an original song raising awareness and funds for women impacted by abuse. Through her performances and fundraisers, she proves that passion and profession can harmonize to make a lasting social impact.

Website: https://www.hellocollingwood.ca/

Marcia Hubbs, Realtor, Royal Lepage _Hello Collingwood Real Estate Team

Note: This conversation is transcribed using AI software, which means the transcription is not perfect. Watch the video or listen to the podcast to hear our guest’s wisdom in her own words. If you want to see more interviews like this, please comment below!

To learn about Difference-Makers International, read Suzanne’s book Make Your Contribution Count for You, Me, and We. 

DOWNLOAD a funding toolkit for women nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs https://youmeweamplified.com/signup

Introduction to YouMeWe Amplified Podcast

Marcia Hubbs interview- Oct 30 2025 SquadCast

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[00:00:23] Suzanne F Stevens: Welcome to the You Me We Amplified podcast, real conversations with wave making women entrepreneurs generating sustainable social impact and transforming how we lead and contribute. I’m Suzanne f Stevens, Wavemaker at you me We social impact group, speaker, author, community builder, and multi-award winning social entrepreneur. yes, you guessed it. Your host for you, me, we amplified podcast. Today we’re in for a treat because I have never interviewed anyone that does this and there are so many of them all over the world. So today we’re speaking with Marcia Hubbs, a trusted real estate professional and community champion.

With over 40 years experience helping people find not just houses, but Homes. Marcia brings warmth, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to her clients and community. As one of the top 1% contributors to Royal LePage’s Shelter Foundation, she turns every transaction into a lifeline supporting locally My Friend’s House, a local shelter for women and children escaping violence. Beyond being part of the Hello Collingwood Real Estate team.

Marcia is a musician and the voice behind A Hand Up, which we’ll talk more about, an original song, raising Awareness and Funds for Women impacted by Abuse. Her performance and fundraising, she proves that passion and profession can harmonize to make a lasting social impact.

[00:02:00] Marcia Hubbs: Thank you, Suzanne. it’s a beautiful opportunity to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart, so thank you.

[00:02:05] Suzanne F Stevens: it’s interesting, even when I talk about your intro, I got shivers because as much as it’s near and dear to your heart, it’s also near and dear to my heart. And you’re doing incredible work. So thank you for that. For the community we both live in. So let’s start with that.

[00:02:22] Marcia Hubbs: Hmm.

[00:02:22] Suzanne F Stevens: a remarkable real estate career spanning four decades, right?

[00:02:30] Marcia Hubbs: I’m old.

[00:02:31] Suzanne F Stevens: I’m not gonna say you only look 20 ’cause I do not

[00:02:34] Marcia Hubbs: No.

[00:02:37] Suzanne F Stevens: We earn our stripes, but you look fabulous.

[00:02:39] Marcia Hubbs: Thank you. I’m 60 and I’m owning it and loving it.

[00:02:44] Suzanne F Stevens: Is awesome,. So what inspired you to choose a career that connects people to home and community?

[00:02:53] Marcia Hubbs: I believe I was born into it. My father was a real estate agent, George Hubs, and that is what I grew up knowing, and that’s what put food on our table and paid the mortgage and bought the bikes. And, you know. You also knew the ups and downs of real estate when the new bike didn’t come one year, but that man was definitely part of his community.

He passed when I was 17. I got into real estate at 20. I found his old client list, which was a little exercise book, like, you know, primary school, just handwritten. And I contacted those people and they were able to tell me so much about my father in the business world. It was, it was quite an incredible, it, it just was quite incredible to hear from client’s perspective and just a new found respect.

So, yeah, I know it was absolutely a gift. I wish I’d had the opportunity to work with him, but I’ve just carried on in it’s honor, so we do our best.

[00:03:57] Suzanne F Stevens: At what point did you realize your work could extend beyond real estate into creating safety and stability for others, particularly women?

[00:04:08] Marcia Hubbs: Ironically, my dad was a real estate with Royal Trust. And Royal Trust merged with LaPage to form Royal LaPage. When I joined Royal LaPage, I learned about their Shelter Foundation, and that is when it really started to hit home with me. there’s a personal side to it too, you know, but,Royal LaPage is Shelter Foundation.

I learned about that. I learned about our local shelter through my divorce lawyer, and putting those two things together, it has been my mission to make sure that every woman that calls, gets help. That’s what we try to raise funds for. There’s a hundred and something royal pagers out there right now, trekking in the hot jungles of Cambodia, raising funds for the Shelter Foundation.

When I tell you it’s part of our soul and our culture, I’m very proud of that. If I can’t go, I can at least sing for them.

[00:05:11] Suzanne F Stevens: So before we dive into that, An instinct,

You made the comment that it was personal.

Were you contributing to the Shelter Foundation realizing it was personal?

[00:05:28] Marcia Hubbs: Yes. As soon as I joined Royal LePage, I Thought this was the best initiative I’d heard of. I was contributing a percentage of each deal to them and sponsoring, anybody who was doing things like the trek or things like we have a motorcycle club that rides I just thought anybody that puts their lives on hold.

My first big one actually was who I call my shelter sister Linda Murphy, who was a Royal Pager. She’s now retired. But she decided to trek the Pacific Coast Trail, from Mexico through the US up to Canada, and raise money for My Friend’s House. It just amazed me that this woman would do that.

For a cause. And that’s really what sparked, my passion for this. I supported her trek Something I can’t do,I have a bad knee. Maybe I’ll get that checked out. But unfortunately, I also an epileptic and I really shouldn’t go into the jungles of Cambodia, my doctor told me.

So we find other ways, but Linda Murphy per trek was the first one. She’s done a few and,inspired me.

What does the achievement represent for you, personally and professionally being that top 1% contributed to the shelter foundation.

The award. means something to me. I’ve had four decades of real estate. You get awards for, for making money, for selling houses, for this, for that, yes. All well and good. And if you don’t make money, it’s hard to contribute. What I love about the culture of Royal LaPage is you are as celebrated for the amount of money you give to the foundation as you are for the money you make or the deals you do.

There’s different levels of awards, but that is celebrated and as it should be.

[00:07:18] Suzanne F Stevens: I love that. I love what you’re saying there for a company to celebrate both of those things equally.

Where I received a philanthropy award from an association and it was not celebrated equally to being on stage, like

[00:07:37] Marcia Hubbs: Right?

[00:07:37] Suzanne F Stevens: because being a speaker that’s what we celebrated and this was sort

It’s celebrated kind of, and

that way.

And my goal was always to shift that, that

Celebrate equally people who are contributing

[00:07:51] Marcia Hubbs: absolutely.

[00:07:51] Suzanne F Stevens: Which leads me to the next question. You alluded to you give a percentage of your sales. Have you done that since the beginning?

And do you still do that today?

[00:08:03] Marcia Hubbs: Yes. not only that,you can set up an automatic donation, per transaction, which I continued to do. We came up with another idea. When I joined the Hello calling, which real estate team at Royal Page in Collingwood. I spoke with my team lead, Leanne, and we’ve worked together for years before and then formed this team.

What we’re doing now is I think clients are tired of the, closing gift, the fruit basket, the bottle of wine, the bottle of champagne, the cheeseboard, the gift certificate, whatever. And what we’re doing now is doing a charitable donation to either, and that’s on top of, that’s on top of, but that’s to me, it’s closing gift for shelter.

So given a choice, my first choice is we automatically donate it to the Shelter Foundation and 100% of that goes to our local shelter, My Friend’s House. Or if they have another charity that means something to them. We’re happy enough as long as we can contribute to our community. And nobody needs another fruit basket, I gotta tell you.

[00:09:11] Suzanne F Stevens: Oh, and Marcia, I’m loving what you’re saying so much and I was really hoping you weren’t gonna say something. because often what, people end up doing is they don’t need the fruit basket with a lot of people needing to eat these days, maybe they do, but the point

[00:09:27] Marcia Hubbs: Maybe they do.

[00:09:27] Suzanne F Stevens: not

[00:09:27] Marcia Hubbs: Right.

[00:09:29] Suzanne F Stevens: A lot of times when people give to somebody, they contribute to something they care about. You care about shelters.

[00:09:39] Marcia Hubbs: Right,

[00:09:39] Suzanne F Stevens: doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what the other person cares about.

[00:09:43] Marcia Hubbs: right.

[00:09:44] Suzanne F Stevens: I mean, it’d be terrible for me to say, oh, I don’t care about the shelter. and sometimes people feel guilted into saying, oh, give it to the shelter.

[00:09:52] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah,

[00:09:52] Suzanne F Stevens: has done is absolutely brilliant, will contribute to who you want to. But if you don’t know someone, we’ll do our local My Friend’s House.

[00:10:02] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah,

[00:10:02] Suzanne F Stevens: Does that still go through the foundation?

the Royal LePage Foundation?

[00:10:07] Marcia Hubbs: Yes. And a hundred percent goes to my friend’s house through the Royal Page Shelter Foundation. With no questions asked. What I love is I’m, you know, had conversations with the, with the, the, my friend’s house director and there’s no conditions. It’s just a check sent 100% to them.

[00:10:23] Suzanne F Stevens: That’s a really good business case for people to take away from our conversation today and we’ve just gotten started, is

These things up, include what you care about, but give them an option to give it to who

[00:10:39] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah,

[00:10:39] Suzanne F Stevens: about,

[00:10:40] Marcia Hubbs: exactly.

[00:10:41] Suzanne F Stevens: then they feel empowered rather than

[00:10:44] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:10:45] Suzanne F Stevens: they feel like they’re doing you a favor.

[00:10:47] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:10:47] Suzanne F Stevens: It really does matter. And I think that’s where a lot of these things fall down is because we

We care about. And if I don’t care about it, do you know how many gifts I’ve received to other foundations for speaking? I have a foundation give it to mine,

[00:11:03] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:11:03] Suzanne F Stevens: Women empowerment and some of that does go to a shelter.

[00:11:06] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:11:07] Suzanne F Stevens: that,

[00:11:07] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:11:08] Suzanne F Stevens: a gift to me

Not that I care about

[00:11:12] Marcia Hubbs: No, no,

[00:11:13] Suzanne F Stevens: but it’s just not where I want my money to go.

[00:11:16] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly. Like you said, when you give people a choice, you will empower them. This, this really all started. the idea of giving a client gift as a donation started with my 60th birthday this year. And I don’t need any more stuff. I don’t want any more stuff.

So I put it out there. please don’t give me stuff for my birthday. Please do an act of kindness to a neighbor. I gave some examples, donate if you can, but if you can’t, go bring somebody brought soup to their neighbor. Somebody brought, you know, shovel the neighbor’s driveway. I’m born in January, so, you know, that kind of thing.

And what happened was a friend of mine, Mary Mitchell, looked up our local shelter ’cause she knew that meant something to me. she made a donation and sent me the email receipt of it and I put that on social media. It just started to take off, and that’s the best birthday I’ve ever had Linda Murphy, for example, at my birthday party, did a 50 50 draw, for the shelter.

Everybody had a part and all you have to say is, do some kindness. I really think that’s all. That’s what this world needs. A little bit of kindness.

[00:12:31] Suzanne F Stevens: I think we need a lot of kindness right now. This is called Real Talk. So how many shelters does the foundation actually support?

[00:12:46] Marcia Hubbs: I believe it’s over 200.

[00:12:47] Suzanne F Stevens: So across,

[00:12:48] Marcia Hubbs: And they raised in since 19, don’t quote me exactly, but I think since 1998, over $52 million for shelters. What I love is there are no admin fees. Royal Page covers the admin fees, and 100% goes to shelters. If you’re an agent in Collingwood, it goes to my shelter.

Somebody else in bc, they raise money, goes to their shelter so you can control it. And I, I love this.

[00:13:15] Suzanne F Stevens: it makes it personal to the community that you’re actually making money from.

[00:13:20] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:13:21] Suzanne F Stevens: So

[00:13:22] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:13:22] Suzanne F Stevens: As someone who has built both homes and hope through amplifying various social causes.

I was kind of getting tired of seeing you, Marcia, every weekend. And as I do my doom scrolling promoting another charity. elevating someone doing well. Now of course, Common Thread is one, but that supports my friend’s house.

[00:13:44] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:13:44] Suzanne F Stevens: But there was a few

[00:13:45] Marcia Hubbs: Yep.

[00:13:45] Suzanne F Stevens: you were supporting too. tell us about that.

How has that impacted you and your business?

[00:13:53] Marcia Hubbs: I built a bit of a social media presence in this town and being a musician as well as a real estate agent. I’m not exactly shy, you might have noticed. So if I can shine a light, that’s where my strength is. one of the ones that really comes to mind is called the mobile Soup Kitchen.

Rhonda Day is a woman in, this area that with a few friends started this and goes out and feeds people. It is absolutely incredible and I’ve had the honor of riding on that bus and going around seeing the people come up. There’s something about the dignity that she provides and her whole crew.

And when I tell you the volunteers in this town, it’s amazing what they give. To have something that fills an immediate need, it may be just a warm cup of soup, but she also, will deliver food to people’s homes that maybe just are having a hard time making ends meet.

Andto see somebody do something to that magnitude. You have you the Barbara wider house, which I love to support as well which takes kids that are maybe experiencing homelessness or couch surfing or what have you. But you know, they provide home and training and,it’s just incredible the amount of, of people in this town that are doing such good from their own hearts, sometimes from their own pockets.

[00:15:30] Suzanne F Stevens: You know, and I,

not that long ago, a few months ago when we were sitting outside in your backyard getting to know each other better.

[00:15:38] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:15:38] Suzanne F Stevens: All of a sudden there was a bunch of little boys playing basketball, playing hoops on your property. it took me by surprise.

I went, What’s going on here? You didn’t care if I was there. You didn’t care if you had guests. Long as they didn’t swear

[00:15:57] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:15:57] Suzanne F Stevens: they didn’t.

[00:15:58] Marcia Hubbs: Caribbean discipline.

[00:16:00] Suzanne F Stevens: there’s respect

[00:16:02] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:16:03] Suzanne F Stevens: But the point is, these kids always come up and play right in your yard.

[00:16:08] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:16:09] Suzanne F Stevens: Your son is a lot older now, so he’s not playing with them.

[00:16:11] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:16:12] Suzanne F Stevens: But even, creating community on your property, which you’ve done with these young kids, you’ve done it also when you’ve held fundraisers for my friend’s house,. Tell us,a little bit about doing that for the boys and the fundraisers and what sort of impact that has on you and the community.

[00:16:36] Marcia Hubbs: I was married for over 30 years. It was a 40 year relationship from 15 to 55 when the divorce was final. I then bought this little bungalow on my own for myself and my son. COVID hit right after that. And the basketball court was born becausethe video gamer came upstairs one day as we were designing the outside building a deck slash stage.

That was the plan. Always the plan. And said, is there anything we can put in there that I can come out and play outside? And I stopped the presses. Oh my God. And the only thing I could find was a built-in basketball net. So I purchased that and we made a little half court.

I’m on a corner lot at Maple and Semi. We made a little half court, and Matthew was out there nonstop when Matthew went to university the next year. The court was sitting there empty now, and I saw one little boy looked like he was heading for high school and he happened to have a basketball on him.

Go figure that out. You know, I guess it was a time when it was open. And I saw him run up and sink a basket, look around and scamper away. And I, I opened the door and I shut it out and I just went. Dude, like, you can come play here anytime. And he was like, really? And that afternoon after school got out, I think I had six kids on the court.

And it was amazing. But as you said, there are rules to Queen M’s court. There is kindness, no swearing. Nobody’s gonna hear that Came from my yard. Respect the court. Come out, clean up after yourself. Put the balls away. And it’s taken a few years that I don’t have to go out like a screaming Banshee all the time.

But this year was amazing. The boys were so good. And my rule is less screen time, more court time.

[00:18:26] Suzanne F Stevens: Yes.

[00:18:27] Marcia Hubbs: And to see them all out there playing it just fills my heart along with the deck that I built on this corner lot, which was a purposely built stage. To use

for events that would support the community. That was always the idea. It also is a lovely deck to have drinks on, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also a stage. Any musician is welcome to come and use it for a good cause. Anytime I have some musician friends.

That event you were at when was it? July I think. I started out with maybe three musicians, Chuck Baker, Molly Fisher, myself, and we’re like, okay, we can do this. By the time the event rolled around, we had 13 musicians donating their time to play, to raise funds for common thread to support my friend’s house and what a community we have up here.

How does it affect me? It fills my heart and soul. To see this in our community. I truly believe If you wanna create, you wanna, Collingwood is someplace you wanna live. You have to contribute, you have to find ways to contribute to build the community you wanna live in.

And at this age, after 40 years, I get to spend the time doing that.

[00:19:45] Suzanne F Stevens: Yeah, do have a lot of generous musicians in the community, and sure you know this as a real estate agent. Collingwood was nominated number one happiest place in Ontario this year. And that’s not because we’re doing weed, it’s because it is really that does come together and it is very,active community as well.

And,youthful regardless of age.

[00:20:09] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:20:10] Suzanne F Stevens: that’s the case. Now we brought up Queen M and just for our audience,Marcia is known in the music business as Queen M, and I know you did not write a Hand-Up, Bob

[00:20:24] Marcia Hubbs: Woodcock

[00:20:25] Suzanne F Stevens: It’s a beautiful song. for our audience, I have a link to that song, included with this podcast.

So if to actually Marcia’s page on podcast dot you dot ca, you will see that link. this song you’ve

to raise awareness for violence against women, tell us what it

[00:20:46] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:20:46] Suzanne F Stevens: to be able to collaborate and be one of the voices behind this incredibly powerful song.

[00:20:54] Marcia Hubbs: Thank you. Thank you Bob. Bob came to me with this song that he had started and. said to me I can hear you singing it. We worked on it together. It’s Bob’s song. I might have cut out half his lyrics, but we just pared it down and made it all come together. He came to me because Molly Fisher, another musician, held her birthday party at Harbor Fish Bar, and she supports my friend’s house and wanted it to be about that.

And so I reached out to my friend’s house and brought a few other assets over so that it was really, very obvious that,that was the contributions that were most wished for. And Bob came to me with that, not knowing my story. And,we worked on this together and he started asking some questions and I answered them.

I went through a few things. There was never a blow thrown in my house. There was barely a voice raised, but there were threats. When I went to my divorce lawyer, she made me take it seriously. I’m glad I did because we’ve lost a few women since then in our town. She made me call my friend’s house to ask for advice as of to how to get out safely.

That’s one of the things I wanna convey to women too. And that was a quote from Nicole Vine Court, my divorce lawyer, who told me, when I looked at her, like she had three heads But she said to me, and I will never forget it, abuse is more than just a black eye.

And man, did that resonate? I picked up the phone, which is not easy. And called, they gave me some great advice about, how to safely protect yourself and passwords And that’s all I needed. but they were there. It made me realize that I had resources. I had family support and dear friends who stood by me.

It was still harder than hell to, to make this happen and to get out safely and to get my child out. But there are so many women that don’t have any of that. They’ve been isolated, they have nothing. My Friend’s House is probably the only safe haven in Southern Georgian Bay.

So my goal is to promote as much as possible. They’re caused so that women know where to go. Women know where to reach out for help, whether they don’t have a friend left or not, and all calls are answered. So that gives me purpose in life. And Bob came out with this song A Hand Up, because that’s really, all these women need is a hand up.

They just need a hand up. They don’t need your pity, they just need a hand up. And this song, I had my son, Matthew, who went to film school, do the video for us. And that was a moment because we went through this together. And for him to film that video and us to put it out there, and now the Royal of Page Shelter Foundation, one of the proudest things of my life, has adopted that as their theme song. They just did it last week their nightlight Walk sponsored by TD. They raised over a million dollars last year at it. And they used one of my songs, evolution of Queen M. This year they are using a hand up. And so when they said that to me after I played it,just a rough version for them and they said, do you have this recorded properly, we’d like to use it. I ran to Craig and Bacon Studio, my writing partner, Craig Smith from Queen M, and we got that down and recorded. Matthew did the video and now we have a fundraising link Royal Page Shelter Foundation is going to use it my friend’s house and collaborate with Bob Woodcock somebody who deeply cares about our community.

[00:24:48] Suzanne F Stevens: He

[00:24:49] Marcia Hubbs: and we will show up anywhere

[00:24:52] Suzanne F Stevens: he

[00:24:52] Marcia Hubbs: to perform this or, and if not, we’ll send the video, which we did to one of our Royal Page Treckers out near Quebec.

She used it in one of her fund ready events. So it’s, yeah, it’s fills the soul.

[00:25:03] Suzanne F Stevens: The point you bring up. I’m really glad you brought it up Whole mental health element and the mental threat. Matter of fact, when I,

[00:25:12] Marcia Hubbs: Hmm.

[00:25:12] Suzanne F Stevens: applied to be on the board for my friend’s house, but when I applied, one of the questions I did ask is, how do you see,violence?

And they were checking, did I actually understand? And I said, well, it’s physical and it’s also mental. A lot of people don’t realize the importance, mental

[00:25:33] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:25:34] Suzanne F Stevens: threat. In coaching and working and listening to women. I am well aware of the mental threat, I see it. but also the way we’ve been conditioned through time, our

history is often not women’s friends.

[00:25:49] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:25:49] Suzanne F Stevens: And we’ve been conditioned. So we, push it aside, because we’ve been conditioned to do that. and those voices now are getting louder, which is why we actually exist to amplify the voices of women because we’re not second class citizens,

[00:26:08] Marcia Hubbs: you.

[00:26:08] Suzanne F Stevens: And we’ve been conditioned. To be obvious, but not so obvious, especially when we’re looking south of the border.

[00:26:15] Marcia Hubbs: We’ll need.

[00:26:16] Suzanne F Stevens: Yeah. I’m really glad you brought that up. One of the things I would suspect because you’re a donor to,a shelter, you don’t actually know the people that go there and you don’t really know your impact either, that you actually have. Have you heard of any stories that if a woman does go to a shelter, her likelihood of survival and changing her trajectory? Do you know any of that stuff, Marcia

[00:26:49] Marcia Hubbs: I’m not really an expert on that end, but I know right now what my friend’s house is working on is transitional housing. They’ve got 12 beds, but people are staying longer than they need to because there’s no place to go. There’s no affordable rentals, what have you. So that’s the next step to find some transitional housing so that they can open up more beds.

Also they need a bigger shelter, there were over a hundred women that called last year that they didn’t have beds for. They still helped. But can you imagine making that call? ’cause I know. And not having a bed to go to? I don’t know if they were able to find the another. It keeps me up at night wondering what happened.

[00:27:34] Suzanne F Stevens: Hmm.

[00:27:35] Marcia Hubbs: Were they able to find something? I don’t have that information. All we can do is keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully things get better. And would more mothers and fathers please talk to their sons and raise some good sons? Believe me, I have.

[00:27:52] Suzanne F Stevens: And to your point, we wanna see the stop.

[00:27:55] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:27:56] Suzanne F Stevens: And getting to kids earlier.

 We’re gonna switch gears for a little bit before we get to our rapid fire. Being a real estate agent, there are so many real estate agents and,such an opportunity. How can others in the industry integrate community giving into their business model?

How do you think, do you have any suggestions for that?

[00:28:15] Marcia Hubbs: Well, I’m actually talking with, Royal Page Shelter Foundation, and one of the things I told them about the initiative of us, instead of giving, you know, the fruit basket and client gifts, giving that the shelter foundation or, or, or whatever the client wants. I’m 60 now.

so I can only donate so much and I have to find ways to make an exponential difference. One of the things we’re talking about is turning that into a national campaign hello agents. Let’s make it really simple for you, and let’s come up with something that maybe is a gift club for shelter, the same thing that we’re doing on our team.

I would love to see it go nationally. If you have agents from all over, find a charity. Find something to do, because believe me, I don’t knock on doors. I probably won’t even pick up the phone and call you this list of business. comes to me because of my impact on the community.

People call and say, I want somebody that is involved with the community. It’s important to them. I really believe people want to know,how to do some good. They want to be shown how. And that I think is my job. Show them how.

[00:29:28] Suzanne F Stevens: One of the things that is my biggest pet peeve about women entrepreneurs that have a social impact is they do not market that they have a social impact.

Problem with that is then people, it’s humility, right? I

It’s humility. We don’t wanna brag that we’re making a difference, and yet, by you sharing the difference you make.

Only will introduce you too many clients and build your business, but it also makes them aware of issues in that community.

[00:30:02] Marcia Hubbs: Yes.

[00:30:03] Suzanne F Stevens: And

[00:30:03] Marcia Hubbs: Yes.

[00:30:04] Suzanne F Stevens: we’re a conduit for education and

This is what we support because it’s an issue in our community. However, there’s a lot of different issues in the community, so you can actually

be educator and an amplifier of those issues, as you know so well. There is just such a huge opportunity, you don’t have to say, look at me, look what I’m doing.

[00:30:25] Marcia Hubbs: No.

[00:30:25] Suzanne F Stevens: you can

[00:30:26] Marcia Hubbs: No.

[00:30:26] Suzanne F Stevens: I’m a real estate agent and I support our local shelter through any sale that I make.

That’s not. Saying, Marcia, I’m the greatest woman on earth, and we know she’s, but we’re not saying that. Right?

[00:30:45] Marcia Hubbs: Love you.

[00:30:46] Suzanne F Stevens: and so it’s just one of those things that we need to incorporate in our unique selling proposition,Pitches is what we’re actually doing. I love that you’re doing that and I wanna hook you up with somebody

[00:31:00] Marcia Hubbs: Mm.

[00:31:00] Suzanne F Stevens: I think there’s a local gentleman that is doing incredible things in technology and him and I have been talking about creating systems His name’s John Hillis

[00:31:13] Marcia Hubbs: Okay.

[00:31:13] Suzanne F Stevens: And you probably have that through your foundation, but if people wanna donate somewhere else, they can choose.

[00:31:20] Marcia Hubbs: Ooh,

[00:31:21] Suzanne F Stevens: So.

[00:31:22] Marcia Hubbs: this could be good.

[00:31:23] Suzanne F Stevens: So I have been

[00:31:24] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:31:24] Suzanne F Stevens: to him about that and I said, you create it. I will advocate for it. when you get choice, it

To get it to the Founda Foundation.

So we’re gonna set up a conversation with him,

[00:31:35] Marcia Hubbs: Love it.

[00:31:36] Suzanne F Stevens: on that,

[00:31:37] Marcia Hubbs: Love it.

[00:31:38] Suzanne F Stevens: that note.

that’s a great opportunity.

What are some of the changes that you have seen, in the social space, and where do you think the greatest opportunity for positive impact lies?

[00:31:51] Marcia Hubbs: I don’t know if it’s seen changes or it’s me that’s changed, since my newfound freedom where I can be my own banker and I can support the causes that I want without anybody going, Hey, what are you sure about that? No, I get, I get, it’s empowerment for me. I have just witnessed incredible acts of giving,you know, even go back to what’s, what’s just happened in Jamaica right now with this massive hurricane Melissa that was bigger than my island.

I stopped by Grandma Lamb’s, a little apple and store thing in Meafor just to see what pies they had or some of their jams and what have you. I’ve been on a real estate appointment and it’s the day after Melissa struck Jamaica.

I had just found out that my family was safe. Let me tell you the relief. And I’m going to cash out and I see a donation box with a Jamaican flag on it. They’re supporting their farm workers. 17 of them that are stuck here. and their families, some haven’t heard from them. Some are from the Black River, the St.

Elizabeth area, which got devastated and they have a GoFundMe. Look at the kindness. That fundraiser, when I went on it, the GoFundMe yesterday was, the goal was $4,500 and there was, you know, a thousand or 2000 collected, which I thought was amazing.

The goal is now to 12,000. Last I looked at was over 8,000 already. These are people donating 20, 50, a hundred dollars, whatever they can afford, because times are tough right now. We all know that. But people are caring about other people in their community and their inner community. You know, this is their second home for harvest time, for springtime, what have you.

Some of these guys have been coming here since the eighties, I put a post on there, highlighting the donation box, which just hit my heart. And then I saw another farm worker there with a smile on his face, packing apples away. And I asked, I said, hi, how are you? And he big smile.

He comes over and I’m like, dude, how you doing? Have you heard from your family? big smile, Steven, my new friend, told me he’s been here, since the eighties. These people are like his family. To see people create this way to give. And I put it out on social media people were like, thank you for sharing that and showing us how to give because people just need to be shown.

I believe that there is goodness in this community. Like I’ve never seen, there was goodness. Common thread the volunteers started before our concert. It was a concept. You know, they just hadn’t quite gotten the rental space, the whole thing. My God. Now, the first day they opened for donations, they had 35 cars pull up to the back door in two hours.

They were so overwhelmed with giving and volunteers. The energy in that place. I, yeah, this community is incredible.

[00:35:00] Suzanne F Stevens: just for our audience, ’cause this is a neat story. Where Common Thread is created by Amy, what’s Amy’s last name?

[00:35:08] Marcia Hubbs: Amy Gilpen.

[00:35:09] Suzanne F Stevens: The idea is non-for-profit, but with all the funds that it makes. it’s a thrift store that anything

[00:35:17] Marcia Hubbs: Yep.

[00:35:17] Suzanne F Stevens: of course it’s

[00:35:18] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:35:19] Suzanne F Stevens: So she’s gotta take

[00:35:20] Marcia Hubbs: Yep.

[00:35:21] Suzanne F Stevens: as all nonprofits do or most of them. The money goes to help sustain my friend’s house.

[00:35:29] Marcia Hubbs: Incredible.

[00:35:30] Suzanne F Stevens: are the ultimate designs that you want to

[00:35:33] Marcia Hubbs: Yes.

[00:35:33] Suzanne F Stevens: a lot of non-for-profits are looking for,way

Sustain their business

[00:35:39] Marcia Hubbs: Yes.

[00:35:40] Suzanne F Stevens: they’re going because he can’t rely on government funding with governments changing, it does become a big thing. Funny enough, I went there Monday, haven’t had a chance to donate. I went Monday and I brought a bunch of stuff and I saw we’re not taking any donations.

[00:35:54] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:35:54] Suzanne F Stevens: I have a $700. Dress that I’m never gonna wear again. I wore it once. I have suits that I guarantee you do not have in here.

[00:36:06] Marcia Hubbs: No,

[00:36:06] Suzanne F Stevens: you know ’cause

[00:36:07] Marcia Hubbs: And you’re not wearing them in Collingwood.

[00:36:09] Suzanne F Stevens: and I may if I go to a client, but they don’t fit me anymore that size is behind me.

[00:36:15] Marcia Hubbs: Hi.

[00:36:16] Suzanne F Stevens: but they’re in great shape. I said, listen, these

[00:36:18] Marcia Hubbs: Yep.

[00:36:19] Suzanne F Stevens: clothes.

Want to take this bag. Like there was two bags said you want

[00:36:23] Marcia Hubbs: Yep.

[00:36:24] Suzanne F Stevens: So she said, okay.

[00:36:28] Marcia Hubbs: I still have 20 bags from a colleague whose mother passed away she was stylish and they had to get it out of their house. Nobody can sleep in my guest room right now ’cause they’re just waiting for donations to open up. But it’s just, it’s that kind of generosity and also, what a heck of a place to shop.

The labels I saw going in there, like you said, there were coach purses. my job and I’ve learned to, be careful with my energy, I can only do so much and what is the highest and best use and that is doing things like this and amplifying.

Bringing coffee to those who can sort and hang up clothes and do all of that. I go in there just to feel the energy and it is incredible. It’s a gathering place for women helping women Just go. It is incredible.

[00:37:11] Suzanne F Stevens: ironically, that was gonna be my next question, how do you sustain your energy and passion while staying grounded in your purpose? Because it can be a lot,

[00:37:21] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:37:21] Suzanne F Stevens: crashed from contributing outward.

 Is there anything that helps keep you grounded?

[00:37:28] Marcia Hubbs: i sing, that’s for sure. That helps. I’ve learned recently to kind of like real estate, highest and best use. What is the highest and best use of my time? What is the highest and best use of my energy? And I think that is. Helping to make other people aware of how they can help what’s available out there.

Shining a light on these organizations, probably not. The highest and best use of my time is trying to sort out some clothes, which I have very little skill at. But every once in a while, maybe once every month or two, I don’t leave my couch for a day. I just calm down

[00:38:10] Suzanne F Stevens: Perfect.

[00:38:11] Marcia Hubbs: I’m the world’s biggest extrovert and I feed off of other people’s energy.

You and I together in a room is almost dangerous. But you’ve also taught me things like you know you have to have all the pieces. You have to be able to sustain it. And that’s one of the things that I love about getting back to common thread, is sustainable help for my friend’s house.

Things like the Royal Page Shelter Foundation. if you get all the agents on there to donate a part of what they earn, you know what you can count on. It’s not random. Those are the things that I try to, to, to profess to it. My entire team, they’re all commission donors, every single one.

This is what we do. We as a team, Hello Collingwood in our community. That’s what I want it to be known for,

[00:39:04] Suzanne F Stevens: Yeah.

What you’re saying though is picking those things where you can have. the highest impact and,

What you’re Good at. I call it your genius.

[00:39:14] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:39:15] Suzanne F Stevens: Looking ahead, how do you envision continuing to use your platform, your business, and your voice, to create more ripples.

you have given us one idea already how your team is doing that. Other ideas that you have or envision, or is this, what you’re doing next and you haven’t thought beyond that?

[00:39:34] Marcia Hubbs: I haven’t thought too far beyond that, but what I am thinking of is more on a national scale with the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. How can we make changes that extend long beyond my life in real estate or my life on this planet? How do we make changes so that more agents participate so that more agents are giving back so that more agents see the value?

You know, I’ve worked for a, a number of companies, I’ve never felt so connected to, our charitable piece as I do in this one, because we provide shelter for people. Shelter needs to be a safe place. And if it’s not, I need to make sure that those women have a place to go.

So if I can make changes and help, from the agent perspective and they’re very willing to listen and I’ve had some wonderful meetings with the chair and lunches and just what can we do to make this something that all agents see the value in, make it easy for all agents and that it serves our communities.

We are very good at it already, but we can be better. We can always be better.

[00:40:47] Suzanne F Stevens: The other message I just wanna pluck out of that is, for all companies especially when you’re a small business, find the natural fit if you can.

You wanna find something you care about, but sometimes it’s

Difficult for a consumer to see the connection. You’re a real estate company. You provide shelter.

hopefully safe shelter. And therefore, it’s a natural link to

for women and children,

victimized. it is a natural and ideally that’s what you want to have, but it doesn’t always work that way because

[00:41:19] Marcia Hubbs: Cool.

[00:41:20] Suzanne F Stevens: as an owner you may care about something else.

But it’s funny how

Does.

My friend, we’re going into the rapid fire. Short, sharp. One,

or two sentences.

[00:41:30] Marcia Hubbs: Hit me with your best shot, baby.

[00:41:31] Suzanne F Stevens: What’s one thing you wish you knew when you first started in real estate?

[00:41:36] Marcia Hubbs: I wish I knew earlier on that you can make a real social difference. It’s not just about selling houses.

[00:41:44] Suzanne F Stevens: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received about contributing?

[00:41:51] Marcia Hubbs: uh, from you. And it is to keep all those pieces, you have to be able to sustain it. You have to be able to have the funds to sustain it. You have to have all of the pieces. You can give, give, give, and give. And then you’re out. Need to find a way to make this lasting and to make it go beyond me on this earth.

[00:42:15] Suzanne F Stevens: Thank you very much. I’ve noticed an obvious change you have made since that time. I’ll leave it at that. A value you’ll never compromise?

[00:42:24] Marcia Hubbs: Oh, none of them. I will never compromise my values for anything. I won’t cross a border right now.

I won’t cross the US border.

 I won’t compromise that value. I’ll walk away from a great job if there’s something in there that is not aligned with my values. There’s nothing more important than that. My values are everything. Helping people being aboveboard. I may not tell you what you want to hear, but I’ll tell you what you need to hear.

[00:42:59] Suzanne F Stevens: I am struggling now,with two of your answers because it’s not your answer, but it’s my struggle.

One of them is sustainability and the other one is going to the us.

I haven’t gone to the US either. I hadn’t pursued business. Somebody’s found me and they found me, they’ve hired me and I,

Sending them the contract right now,

[00:43:28] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah,

[00:43:28] Suzanne F Stevens: need to be sustainable.

[00:43:29] Marcia Hubbs: exactly.

[00:43:30] Suzanne F Stevens: I will figure it out by the end of the night.

[00:43:32] Marcia Hubbs: No, for me it’s a privilege. Like I can say that not everybody can, it’s different for everybody.

[00:43:37] Suzanne F Stevens: What’s interesting about this, and I’ve often talked about this, when your two, two values you feel very strongly about,is presented to you, which one’s going to weigh itself out? And I actually don’t know right this moment,

[00:43:53] Marcia Hubbs: I,

[00:43:53] Suzanne F Stevens: and I need to

[00:43:54] Marcia Hubbs: I hear.

[00:43:54] Suzanne F Stevens: for the client by tomorrow. So I am going to reflect with my husband and talk it through. But,

[00:44:02] Marcia Hubbs: I hear you.

[00:44:02] Suzanne F Stevens: but these are things that when you create social impact, these are things that you’re presented with all the time. And there are some times where you need to say, I have to feed my family.

And there are some times where you say, you know what? We’ll have peanut butter and jam this month.

[00:44:23] Marcia Hubbs: Absolutely.

[00:44:24] Suzanne F Stevens: So who

the greatest influence on your life and why?

[00:44:29] Marcia Hubbs: My mother, absolutely. My mother,She passed away in 2018, but I’m also glad that. I hung onto this marriage thinking I can’t put her through this ending this, it’s gonna be awful. And I was right, it was. But I was pushed to the edge and I left in April and she passed away in November, and I’m so glad she got to see me stand on my own two damn feet.

And I know she’s watching because the evolution I have become somebody I’m proud of now,

[00:45:13] Suzanne F Stevens: Hmm.

[00:45:14] Marcia Hubbs: But I’m proud of me. And I think she would be.

[00:45:20] Suzanne F Stevens: Thank you for sharing that that’s beautiful. So if you had to sum up your life philosophy

in three Words,

[00:45:28] Marcia Hubbs: Oh, three words.

[00:45:29] Suzanne F Stevens: what would they be?

[00:45:31] Marcia Hubbs: three words, I live by one philosophy. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. So it’s more than three words, kindness, giving, and values.

[00:45:46] Suzanne F Stevens: Oh, you’re setting me up so powerfully. So can I, I’m gonna challenge, I know the philosophy do onto others as you want them to do on to you.

I challenge the philosophy

[00:46:00] Marcia Hubbs: Hmm.

[00:46:00] Suzanne F Stevens: and the reason I do is not everyone wants what you do

[00:46:04] Marcia Hubbs: True.

[00:46:05] Suzanne F Stevens: and

[00:46:06] Marcia Hubbs: True.

[00:46:08] Suzanne F Stevens: I threw a surprise party for a boyfriend years ago. Well.

[00:46:14] Marcia Hubbs: Yep.

[00:46:16] Suzanne F Stevens: And so the reason I say that, and I’m bringing it to this podcast is because when it comes to conscious contributions, is not the time. This is your belief system, but I share it because it’s an opportunity

[00:46:29] Marcia Hubbs: Hmm.

[00:46:29] Suzanne F Stevens: to conscious contributions. is a lot of what they want or need, not what we want or need.

And we’ve all grown up with that powerful philosophy that once we take our head out of it, we sometimes see, oh yeah,

[00:46:45] Marcia Hubbs: Mm.

[00:46:45] Suzanne F Stevens: that person doesn’t wanna be bothered. To be left alone. you know it. It’s an opportunity to share when we really wanna contribute.

Not everybody wants what we do.

[00:46:55] Marcia Hubbs: That’s very true. And then it goes back to the other thing that, we discussed about, yeah, great to make a client contribution for a gift to the Shelter Foundation, but give them choice.

[00:47:05] Suzanne F Stevens: exactly.

[00:47:07] Marcia Hubbs: Give them choice. And that was cemented by you again. So, yeah. You’ve been a great coach.

Thanks, darling.

Went to one of your seminars and came out with so many things.

[00:47:16] Suzanne F Stevens: You’re the one who’s listening. I was hoping someone was

Thank you for that. Just a couple more quick questions.

[00:47:26] Marcia Hubbs: Yeah.

[00:47:26] Suzanne F Stevens: one thing you’ve done that scared you, but helped you grow most?

[00:47:33] Marcia Hubbs: Leave a 40 year relationship,

[00:47:35] Suzanne F Stevens: I was gonna

[00:47:35] Marcia Hubbs: Boy, that was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, because we weren’t just married, we were real estate partners. We had a son together. My mother, up until, a few years before, had lived with us. Everything was entwined.

I didn’t know anything else. And to leave that, no matter how, bad it was, or how threatened I was, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. And it was also the best thing I’ve ever done. Because I am my own woman now, and my son has. you know. I’m glad he saw because I’ve taught him that it is not okay to live in a relationship like that.

That’s not okay.

And he’s a good human.

[00:48:23] Suzanne F Stevens: I think that’s a really brave thing that you did, because anyone who would meet you would not know this to be true. it just is a good message for our audience that,

no one knows what goes on in that marriage. So I’m always telling people that when they say, oh, you have such a perfect marriage, I said, no one knows what goes on in the marriage. No one.

[00:48:45] Marcia Hubbs: Nope.

[00:48:46] Suzanne F Stevens: There’s a reason for that. We don’t want you to know what’s going on.

[00:48:49] Marcia Hubbs: Exactly.

[00:48:50] Suzanne F Stevens: One song that always lifts you up.

[00:48:54] Marcia Hubbs: No woman, no cry, Bob Marley.

[00:48:55] Suzanne F Stevens: If you could put one phrase on a billboard for every woman facing adversity, what would it say?

[00:49:04] Marcia Hubbs: Believe in yourself.

[00:49:05] Suzanne F Stevens: what advice would you give to entrepreneurs about weaving purpose into their profession?

[00:49:12] Marcia Hubbs: You will never regret this. If I look at some, and I’ll just take my my Royal LePage, colleagues that are big shelter supporters, this is a huge part of their business. It’s throwing charity events. For me, it’s doing concerts on this deck stage.

it’s amplifying, writing songs about the journey. There is a million real estate agents out there that put signs on the lawn and will sell your house. But I think people are looking for more now. This part of my life didn’t really have anything to do. You’ve made me aware that, it is something connected with business. For me, it might have been a reaction to finally, I’m free and I can do what I want and I can help women. The result of that is that my business has grown. It was kind of surprising and shocking to me. Because I don’t do the normal things. I was on a panel last summer you know, a real estate event and they’re talking about, what people do and I’m like, I don’t know if I can really help you, but this is what I do.

it’s combined with singing and writing songs and being active in your community. Everybody can do that. If you invest yourself in your community, your community will give back to you. That’s just how it works. It has for me, and I’m so grateful to this community.

They are an incredibly giving and kind bunch, I’m very lucky to live here.

[00:50:47] Suzanne F Stevens: Royal and LePage my friend’s house,common thread, the,

The soup kitchen

[00:50:54] Marcia Hubbs: Mobile soup kitchen.

[00:50:55] Suzanne F Stevens: all the singers and community

This could be an ad, this podcast for all of them. On that note, Marcia, thank you for sharing your heart, your story, your voice both spoken and sung. those who’d like to connect, where is it best to connect with you, Marcia.

[00:51:16] Marcia Hubbs: You can reach me at the Hello Collingwood Real Estate team at Royal LaPage. My email is marcia@hellocallingwood.ca. And we’re right on here. Ontario Street, we’re of Royal LePage locations north and you know, if it’s Queen M, it’s Queen m do ca We’re on Facebook, we’re on Instagram. Give us a listen.

Just dropped our first album on Friday and we’re. Having so much fun, you’ll see me on, you know, CB, C has even picked it up. I’m just, I’m so excited my 60th year is one heck of a year, let me tell you.

[00:51:48] Suzanne F Stevens: Good. I’m looking forward to it ’cause I’m not that far behind you, friend. Thanks for listening.

[00:51:54] Marcia Hubbs: Freedom.

[00:51:56] Suzanne F Stevens: For more real conversations with Wave, making women entrepreneurs generating sustainable social impact, visit podcast

YouMeWe dot ca. And don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I’m Suzanne f Stevens reminding you to make your contribution count for you. Me, we.

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[00:52:41] Suzanne F Stevens: