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Two weeks into her first job at Ray White in Queensland, Valentina Parra was certain her career was over. She was 18, helping set up for a White Family meeting in Brisbane, when a tray of hot coffee went everywhere - including over Sam White, LMG's executive director.
She fled to the kitchenette and cried. Tomomi Smith, EA to the White Family Group CFO, found her there. "You've got to pull it together and keep going." Valentina did - she finished her tasks and spent the rest of the day convinced she'd be fired. Later she was pulled into a meeting room, she braced herself for the worst…
"Please don't stress, it's just a suit. Don't worry about it."
That moment stayed with her. 15 years later, as head of network performance for Victoria and Tasmania, it still shapes how she approaches her work with agents and principals across the network.
Too loud for law
Valentina never planned to work in real estate. She wanted to be a detective. While studying criminology, she applied to law firms for experience. After three interviews, her recruiter delivered the same feedback: "They love you, but you're just too loud and too outgoing for a law environment."
The recruiter had one more opportunity but wouldn't say where. When Valentina arrived at Brisbane’s Eagle Street office wearing her Valley Girl pencil skirt and jacket, she realised she'd walked into Ray White's corporate headquarters.
"I remember thinking, what the hell have I walked into? I didn't sign up for a real estate company."
15 years later, that quality law firms found excessive has become one of her greatest assets.
Learning everything
The corporate assistant role at 18 gave Valentina exposure to every corner of the business. She worked across finance, auctions, marketing, events, IT, legal, commercial. She saw how a 120-year-old family business actually operated from the inside.
"That was my favourite role because I got to see the full experience of what I could do and where I could go."
At 19, she wanted an advertising and marketing position that typically went to 30-year-olds with degrees. She had neither. She walked into Peter Camphin's office - Queensland CEO at the time: "I can do this. I know I can do this."
He gave her a three-month trial. She got the job.
But it was something else during those early years that would quietly shape the next decade of her career.
The Audi benchmark
A 34-year-old business development executive drove an Audi. Valentina, 18, drove a little green Mazda she'd keep for another ten years.
Sitting in that Audi, Valentina set herself a private goal: if she could reach that position by 34, she'd have made it. The car wasn't the point. It represented success, proof that she belonged in a space where she'd initially felt uncertain about her place. She silently carried this goal with her.
Years passed. By 2019, she was back at Ray White working in the digital space, but she could sense herself plateauing. "I remember thinking, I'm not going to get the respect or go further in the company if I don't become a salesperson. You can't really teach it if you haven't done it yourself."
Domenic Belfiore, her biggest mentor and CEO Victoria and Tasmania, was opening an office in Werribee. Still her leader to this day, his take on Valentina's journey is sharp and clear:
"What sets Val and her journey apart is her phenomenal work ethic. She's super ambitious, always keen to learn and a total do-er - I really enjoy working with her. She just gets the job done."
With Dom's support, she took the bold leap into sales.
Into the arena
Joining a predominantly male sales team meant quickly adapting to a competitive environment. "When we recruited new people, the energy was intense. I remember thinking, I need to hold my own and prove I can deliver."
She reached Alan White Premier status, but the real education was in understanding that every transaction represented someone's biggest asset. "They're human. It's not just about the commission. It's the experience you give them."
This lesson changed how she approached her work going back to corporate. " When I get frustrated at decisions, I try to remember who our client is and what they're experiencing."
Life brought Valentina back to corporate when her commute became impossible after meeting her now-husband. She kept selling homes until 2024, maintaining that connection to the work.
Stepping into her sales performance role at 32, the realisation hit her. She'd done it. That goal she'd set sitting in someone else's Audi at 18. "I've actually gotten where I wanted to be. It took me all that time."
Uphill progress
Two years into auctioneering, Valentina finds herself in territory she never expected to occupy. "I still don't feel like I'm someone that people look up to, but it's quite humbling when people reach out."
After calling just five auctions, she was encouraged to enter the seniors competition. Colleagues told her: "You've got to do it because people are looking to you. If there's no female representation, people aren't going to feel seen, heard or inspired."
The Auction Academy for Women has seen graduates go on to call auctions across Victoria, making a huge difference for women in real estate.
But representation work requires persistence. "About two months ago, I wondered if this was all for nothing. It can be tiring pushing for change when progress feels slow.” The challenges are real. "I've found I need to work harder to get into some offices and prove myself. It's a reality that many women in this space experience."
Valentina acknowledges her own internal barriers too. "This is myself, not them. I still don't always feel confident in the space." Her parents, immigrants who raised her to be resilient, gave her the tools for this challenge. "It's always been instilled in me to have so much grit and just keep going. You will get there. It will take longer, but you just keep going."
Recently, Queensland announced their auction panel with three women featured prominently. "This is exactly what I'd hoped to see. More representation." The progress is happening - slowly, but surely.
A lesson in longevity
Ask Valentina what keeps her at Ray White after 15 years, and the answer comes immediately: "My team. We support each other so much. We work together with every intention to grow and be the best in the market."
She acknowledges the power of a strong support system. "If I didn't have such a strong team around me, I wouldn't feel supported or motivated to keep pushing forward."
Looking ahead, Valentina faces the uncertainties many professional women navigate. "That's probably my biggest concern about having a family. I'm very lucky I have a CEO who'll support that. But I don't think the broader industry is quite there yet in terms of supporting mothers returning to work."
She hopes the conversations she's starting now will make the path easier for those who follow.
Through fifteen years of growth at Ray White - from 150 people in the corporate team to over 400 today - one thing has stayed constant. "What hasn't changed is the humility of the family. Dan and Brian would always say hello to everyone. Even when I was 18 on reception. That's still the case."
Still too loud
From the teenager deemed "too loud" for law firms to the leader shaping network performance and championing women across Ray White, Valentina's journey shows that finding the right fit matters more than fitting in.
After just hitting her 16 year milestone at the company, she's still working to create opportunities for others, especially for women who need to see someone like themselves succeed before they believe it's possible.
Still energetic, outgoing, and bringing her full self to work - Valentina feels she is exactly where she's supposed to be.
