Meet MaQuade’ Allen | Actor, California Real Estate Agent, Writer, Makeup Artist & Student of life

We had the good fortune of connecting with MaQuade’ Allen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi MaQuade’, how do you think about risk?
When haven’t I had to take a risk? Life itself is a big risk, but I’ve never been the one too shy away from a challenge! I look forward to every single risk life has to throw at me. The last risk I can recall, was not having a single dime, but a tank full of gas and a dream in my heart to continue my acting career, no matter what so me and my partner and my mother packed up everything we had from our extended stay in Georgia and we slowly made our journey to California! It’s been almost two years now and that risk is leading me to constant success and doors being open too me, I used to only dream about.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business journey didn’t come from privilege, stability, or a straight path it came from persistence under pressure.

Real estate, for me, wasn’t something I just stepped into and succeeded at. I failed publicly, repeatedly, and humbly. When I was in Texas, I took my exam through Pearson VUE five times and didn’t pass. That alone could’ve been the end of the story for a lot of people. But for me, it was just the beginning of understanding what resilience actually costs.

Then life took me to Atlanta, where things didn’t get easier they got harder. I was trying to complete my real estate education, but I was also in survival mode. I missed classes not because I didn’t care, but because I was doing what I had to do to eat, to survive, to exist. I attempted to restart that process three different times. One time, I got so close to finishing, but I ran out of hours. That moment taught me something deep: sometimes you can give everything you have and still fall short and you have to decide if you’re going to try again anyway.

Fast forward to California. I took the state exam and failed. Again. But this time was different. Four days later, I went back in and passed.

That moment wasn’t just about real estate it was about identity. It was proof that I’m not defined by how many times I fall short, but by how quickly I’m willing to stand back up and refine my approach.

What sets me apart in this business isn’t just knowledge of contracts or markets it’s lived experience. I understand instability. I understand what it means to not feel secure in your own home. So when I work with clients, especially those who feel overlooked or underserved, I’m not just selling property I’m helping create safety, dignity, and ownership in a way that’s deeply personal.

What I’m most proud of is that I didn’t quit when it would’ve made perfect sense to. I kept going when there was no applause, no guarantee, and no clear path.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is this: failure isn’t a sign to stop it’s information. Every loss taught me where I needed to grow, where I needed discipline, and where I needed to believe in myself a little longer.

What I want the world to know about me and my brand is simple: I am built, not born. Everything I represent resilience, transformation, elevation was earned the hard way. And because of that, when I say I’m here to help people build a better life, I mean it on every level.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came to visit, I wouldn’t try to impress them with all of LA I’d show them Long Beach. That’s where the real magic is for me.

We’d start simple. There’s this red taco truck off Pine Ave no frills, just incredible food. That’s the kind of place that tells you everything about a city. Then we’d walk down Pine , just taking in the energy music, people, little moments happening everywhere.

One of my favorite things to do is just skate. We’d spend time along Broadway, going in and out of shops, talking, people-watching. Long Beach has this personality that feels unfiltered and creative it’s not trying too hard, and that’s what makes it special.

There has to be a beach day. We’re going straight to Rosie’s Dog Beach. I love bringing my pets there it’s open, it’s freeing, and there’s something really healing about watching dogs run wild by the ocean. It reminds you to loosen up a little.

We’d also spend time by the water just watching the boats at the docks, especially near Shoreline Marina. That’s one of those quiet moments where everything slows down and you can actually feel where you are.

What makes Long Beach stand out to me isn’t just the places it’s the people. There’s a real sense of community here. It can feel like family… most days. And then, of course, you’ve got your occasional “Kevins” but that’s part of the character of any city. We’ll save those stories for another time.

At the end of the day, I’d want my friend to experience Long Beach the way I do not as a tourist, but as someone living in it. It’s a place where you can just exist, be yourself, and find beauty in the everyday.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I don’t think my story belongs to just me it’s a mosaic of people, energies, and moments that carried me when I couldn’t carry myself.

First, my partner, Kali. For over a decade, they’ve been my anchor and my mirror someone who has seen me at my most broken and still insisted on my greatness. That kind of love changes you. It forces you to keep going, even when you don’t want to.

I also have to shout out my mother. Our journey hasn’t been easy, we’ve been through instability, survival, and moments that would break most people but her resilience is in my blood. Everything I am is shaped by that.

And then there are the unseen teachers the authors, spiritual systems, and esoteric traditions that gave me language for what I was experiencing internally. The works of William Mistele and Rawn Clark, Hermetic philosophy, those studies helped me understand discipline, energy, and transformation in a way nothing else could. They gave me structure when my external world had none.

But I also want to acknowledge the versions of myself that survived things I don’t always speak about. The version of me that did what it had to do to make it through the day. That version deserves credit too.

If I’m standing anywhere today, it’s because of love, pressure, survival, and a refusal mine and others’ to let me disappear.

Instagram: Datdamn_angel

Facebook: MaQuade Allen

Youtube: MaQuade & Kali

Image Credits
All the photos are taken by me or my loving partner Kali!