Meet Gina Chai | Realtor at The Shelhamer Group & Pilates/GYROTONIC Instructor

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

Hi Gina, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
A little known fact about Gen Xers is that we are referred to as the ‘Latch Key’ generation. Basically my domineering memory of coming home from school as a young child is that of an empty house because both of my parents worked 9-5 jobs. Now whether that played a direct hand into how I have created my life is up for discussion but I’m pretty sure it has. I feel that maybe after seeing my parents being stuck to a grind that left them with little energy to spend time with me during my formative years, on some level influenced how I have created my work life balance.
In my 20’s I definitely formatted my days in such a way that I didn’t have any free time but these days, even though I basically have two careers, I am able to pull it off in a way where I very much still have time to actually live my life and do all the things that I enjoy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been teaching Pilates and GYROTONIC for over 16 years. I started teaching classical Pilates and moved into a medical setting teaching pilates and GYROTONIC as physical therapy. I originally got into that line of work due to my own set of injuries and physical limitations but as it goes, I ended up teaching so much that I never practiced it myself and often experienced burnout. I taught, on average, 40 hours a week. Now, I Know 40 hours a week may not seem like a lot but these were one on one sessions, often with people who carried their emotions in their physical body. Anyone who has worked with “bodies” will know what I’m talking about and will understand the toll 40 hours in this line of work is A LOT. Anyway, cut to February of 2020, I’m about to go on a much needed vacation from teaching at the medical clinic and COVID hits.
I all of a sudden I had time on my hands. A LOT of time. My bf and I had often talked about my getting my real estate license and I decided that if I didn’t do SOMETHING constructive with all my free time that we were going to gain a ton of weight from all the baking I was doing. So I studied for my California Real Estate license . . . and it was torture.
Teaching my brain how to study again was no small feat. But I did (and complained the entire way through it- ask my bf) and when I was ready to take the exam, there was no exam date in sight because we were still in lockdown. Eventually I flew to Sacramento to take the test because I chose the first date available when they Became available and passed. and yay, right? But the reality was that now I really needed to LEARN the business!
You know, I know that people give realtors a bad rap bc of how they are shallowly portrayed on TV but the reality is, even though there are thousands of realtors out there, only a very small percentage can actually make it happen.
I wasted my first year as a licensed realtor with a brokerage that was not the right fit for me. And I have only myself to blame. I knew in my gut that it wasn’t the right fit and I convinced myself that I needed them because they were big and flashy and most definitely outside my wheelhouse and I thought that’s what I needed to shake things up. And because I have a stick-to-it-ness when it comes to trying new things, I stayed. Much too long. oof. But I guess that’s ok because that meant I was really ready when I met my new broker through a mutual friend. (This friend, btw, is also a long time GYROTONIC client who just happened to deliver my Broker’s two babies)
Now mind you, I had been thinking of changing brokers for SEVERAL months but what I discovered in retrospect was that I was terrified that I would change brokers and still fail. Then I would have no one to blame but myself. And I would also have the added stress of making my friend look bad by being a terrible realtor.
Anyway, change is hard. Learning is hard. Especially as an adult making a hard pivot. But I have learned so much from the choices I’ve made these past few years and it makes me a little frustrated that I waited so long to make these changes but now that I have I can’t wait to do more and learn more and I can see it all unfold and take shape before my eyes. And I’m still teaching. Probably always will because I enjoy the work and the feedback I get from my clients- it’s very rewarding. But maybe just 10 hours a week now. . . not 40 🙂

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooh this is a tough one. But my boyfriend and I are big on just getting in the car and seeing where the road takes us. . . and we do this several evening a week at the end of the work day to unwind. Kind of like the way my life is going, I’ve decided to try saying yes to everything and seeing where it gets me. But a friend visiting. . . I’m not touristy nor am I a foodie. I think if a friend visited from out of town I would start with maybe dinner in Koreatown. Start somewhere like chapman plaza and then walk around and find an unexpected little tea house /cafe that’s very specific in that area. There’s a lot of small places to eat or drink in ktown at night that you would never know was there if you just drive through or rely on yelp or google. So that’s fun.
If that’s not their bag, Santa Monica blvd in weho is tons of fun with different bars often hosting different theme nights like movies or trivia or just cocktail specials on different nights of the week. And of course, all the dancing.
I personally would want to get out of the city…
If it was winter I’d most likely force them to go to Mammoth Mtn with me haha and snowboard. They’d have no choice if it was winter. No but really, it’s a stunning drive and we could stop at Vasquez rocks or convict lake.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My boyfriend, Devin Weisberg, has supported and nurtured my transition into the business of real estate and helped me grow my business in Pilates & GYROTONIC. I never knew what positive reinforcement and absolute emotional support felt like before him. And I have to thank my Broker Glenn Shelhamer for being such an incredible source of guidance and motivation. He is exactly what I was looking for in a Mentor.

Website: shelhamergroup.com

Instagram: @realginachai @gyrotonicwithgina

Image Credits
Adam Baz Glenn Shelhamer Devin Weisberg