You started the business for freedom. But somewhere along the way, the business started owning you. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Host Sana sits down with Dr. Shenetta Malkia, a real estate entrepreneur, mental health advocate, and suicide attempt survivor who has built multiple companies across several states while staying grounded in purpose and wellness.
In this conversation, Dr. Malkia gets honest about what burnout really looks like behind the scenes of entrepreneurship, why saying yes to everyone is one of the fastest roads to breaking down, and how to build boundaries, SMART goals, and a morning routine that actually protect your mental health as your business grows. This is business talk with the human layer left in.
About the Guest:
Dr. Shenetta Malkia is the CEO of Sable Edge Management and Sable Edge Realty, a full-service property management and real estate brokerage operating across Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Georgia. She is also the Founding President of Empowerment Essence, a nonprofit focused on mental health advocacy, suicide prevention, and anti-bullying. A survivor of a suicide attempt herself, Dr. Malkia brings a rare blend of business leadership and deep personal resilience to everything she does.
Key Takeaways:
- Entrepreneurship as a "freedom move" can quietly become a trap. Going from employee to business owner means shifting from receiving income to generating it, and that requires a full mindset reset before you start.
- Saying yes to every client early on is one of the most common paths to burnout. Getting honest about your niche, your boundaries, and your office hours is not weakness, it is strategy.
- Burnout is not inevitable. You can have balance, you can have boundaries, and you do not have to burn out. The key is choosing your mental health before crisis forces you to.
- Protect your mornings. If they do not pay your mortgage, they do not get your morning. Starting the day in a balanced state through affirmations, intention-setting, and stillness changes how you handle everything that follows.
- Purpose is a business asset. Knowing your "why" does not just feel good, it speeds up decisions, reduces second-guessing, and helps you build a team that is actually invested in what you are building.
- Celebrate small wins, not just big ones. SMART goals broken into monthly, weekly, or daily milestones mean you are never just waiting for the finish line to feel like you are succeeding.
Connect With Dr. Shenetta Malkia:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drshenettamalkia
Website (Real Estate): sableedge.com
Email: smalkia@sableedge.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SMalkia
Instagram: Search "Dr. Shenetta Malkia" on Instagram
Book: The Resilient Asset — available on Amazon (for those starting out or working in real estate)
Episode Chapters:
[00:00] The Story Nobody Sees: What entrepreneurship really costs behind closed doors
[03:40] Meet Dr. Shenetta Malkia: Real estate, mental health, and why she does what she does
[09:18] The Freedom Trap: Why starting a business can feel more limiting than a 9-to-5
[12:42] The Breaking Point: When saying yes to everyone nearly broke her
[15:50] Balance Is Possible: How to build boundaries without sacrificing business growth
[19:07] Purpose-Driven Leadership in a Numbers-First Industry: Leading with humanity in real estate
[26:00] Hold On and Breathe: Final reflections on staying in for the long haul
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