From the outside, Marvetta looked like the picture of success. She is a respected leader in real estate as president of the Empire Board of Realtists—the nation’s oldest Black real estate trade association. She’s also the holder of three degrees, including a doctorate in business administration. Marvetta’s career has been spent helping others prepare for homeownership and financial stability.
But behind the polished image, Marvetta was quietly unraveling.
“I was slowly crumbling inside,” she shared. “On the outside, I’m helping everybody else and making sure they’re okay—but I had suffered a huge financial loss after the pandemic.”
Like so many Americans, Marvetta’s life was upended by COVID. She became severely ill, was hospitalized, and faced mounting medical bills alongside time away from work. The struggle felt especially isolating because of her profession. In real estate—an industry where image is everything—there’s little room for vulnerability. “People look at you and think you have it all together,” she explained. “But when you suffer in silence, anxiety comes. Depression comes. Marital issues come. All kinds of things happen because you don’t want to speak up.”
Marvetta first encountered Operation HOPE through her professional work. As president of the Empire Board of Realtists, she met members of the HOPE team while exploring a future collaboration to help prepare first-time homebuyers. Curious, she began digging deeper into the organization—and into the work of its founder, John Hope Bryant.
What began as research quickly became personal.
She started listening to Bryant’s podcasts, journaling, signing up for classes, and reading his books. One line from The Memo stopped her cold: The most dangerous person in the world is a person with no hope. “That hit me to my core,” she said. “Because that’s how I felt—like my hope was gone because of my finances.”
For Marvetta, that renewal meant letting go of the image she felt pressured to maintain and being honest about where she really was. “You have to break some things off,” she explained. “Some habits, some ways of thinking, even some relationships. But once you do, you can fly again.”
Through Operation HOPE’s emphasis on mindset, she began to reframe what wealth truly meant. “He talks about how wealth isn’t just in your wallet,” she said. “It’s your mind, your relationships, your skill set. And I realized—I have an abundance of wealth.”
In that shift, Marvetta began to see her setback not as the end of her story, but as a moment to reset and rebuild. That realization was transformative. “I’m so thankful,” she shared. “Those resources put me back on a path. I’m learning every day now. My mindset is wealthy.”
Marvetta eventually met John Hope Bryant in person at a gala where she honored him before more than 500 members of her organization. When she thanked him for saving her, his response reframed everything: “No—you saved you.”
“That moment stayed with me,” she said. “I am totally the driver now. I control my mindset. I’ve dealt with imposter syndrome, but that’s buried. When you top this mindset off with my skill set—I’m unstoppable.”
Today, Marvetta is ready for the next chapter. While many Operation HOPE clients begin their journey with a coach, hers started with self-work—mindset, courage, and vulnerability. Now, she’s starting her work with a Financial Wellbeing Coach to tackle the tactical steps: managing debt, rebuilding her credit, and creating a diversified financial plan that can withstand the ups and downs of a commission-based industry.
“I want a roadmap,” she said. “What do I do first, second, and third? How do I rebuild—and how do I make sure I’m prepared so this never happens again?”
Perhaps most importantly, Marvetta is no longer hiding. “I feel comfortable now,” she said. “I can take the mask off. I feel good. I’m on the journey.”
Her story is a reminder that setbacks can happen to anyone—no matter how educated, accomplished, or successful they appear. What matters is the willingness to be honest with yourself and ask for help.
For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.