Boss Talks: Episode 57 with Tara Samuels

While math was never Tara’s best subject in school, she knows the formula for networking success which is one-part passion + one-part tenacity.  As the Founder & Chief Networking Officer for Amplified Connections, a niched networking group, her mission is to help apartment management professionals "AMP Up" their network one connection at a time!Like most in the multifamily industry, Tara got her start by accident.  She spent so much time in the leasing office at her first apartment community that the property manager called her and said since you’re in the leasing office all the time, you might as well get paid for it and the rest was history!She has worked in multifamily for over 20 years.  Half of her experience was working and living on-site in various roles.  She went over to the “dark side,” as they say, in 2009 and has been an industry supplier ever since.  Well, except that time she tried to “escape” but boomeranged right back in!Tara is a HUGE advocate for apartment associations!  Before moving to Georgia, she was an active participant for over 15 years at the Chicagoland Apartment Association (CAA) where she served on countless committees and completed two terms as a board member (once as a property manager and the other as a supplier). The CAA celebrated her tireless contributions by appointing her as the first recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award.Her most recent passion project is Multifamily Mentor Matchmaking, a group she launched in January 2023 to help break down the barriers of finding a mentor in the industry.A Chicago native, she recently moved to the Atlanta area after a 5 ½ year, long-distance marriage with her husband, Rob – who’s also in the industry!  They are a blended family of five, well…six if you count their miniature schnauzer, Tigger.  Tara loves peanut butter, podcasts, a full-bodied cab, and is one of the last people to still write in a notebook (with a pen) and carry an actual calendar. More about Project 66:Mental health has never been more top-of-mind than right now!  I was really disappointed in my own self-talk and mental health, so I decided to get off my rear end and do something about it.  My inspiration came from James Clear, the famous author of several books including "Atomic Habits."He once said that on average it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.  After learning this, I decided to try something to test my internal monologue and mental strength.This is how Project 66 was born and here's how it worked:Starting on November 7, 2021, and for 66 consecutive days thereafter, I selected a situation in my past where I've mentally flogged myself (nearly to death) and publicly shared on LinkedIn how I am reframing negative self-talk into something positive.This was quite the exercise in vulnerability and bravery, and I was so humbled at the number of supporters (men and women) I had throughout this journey.  However, I’m not going to lie.  It was hard as hell — but I never missed one day!