In our journey through life, the support system we build around us plays a crucial role in overcoming challenges and achieving personal growth. Christine Cosentino, a passionate real estate professional and reality TV participant, has experienced firsthand the transformative power of a strong support system. Her commitment to listening to her intuition and overcoming significant health challenges highlights the profound impact of trust, patience, and community in shaping our lives.
Christine emphasizes the value of building a strong support system, both personally and professionally. As a commercial property manager and principal of a family business, Christine navigates a male-dominated industry with grace and resilience. Her involvement in FemCity, a community of like-minded women, has provided her with a network of support that fosters growth and collaboration.
Christine describes herself as 50% introverted and 50% extroverted, enjoying social interactions while also needing time to recharge. Her approach to building relationships is proactive and intentional. Whether it's attending unique events like goat yoga or engaging in professional networking, Christine values every connection and the lessons they bring.
A significant aspect of Christine's journey is her unwavering commitment to listening to her intuition. This inner guidance has played a vital role in her decisions, particularly concerning her health. Christine shares how she faced severe health challenges from her teenage years and chose a non-conventional path to healing. Trusting her intuition and being strong-willed, she navigated her health issues without relying on conventional medicine, leading to a profound sense of liberation and self-trust.
Christine's story underscores the importance of tuning into our inner voice. She believes that once we start listening to our intuition, magic happens. This practice requires trust and patience, qualities that Christine has cultivated over the years. Her experience highlights that our bodies often know what they need, and listening to that wisdom can lead to remarkable transformations.
Christine's journey through significant health challenges has been marked by patience and a strong support system. She describes her battle as a long journey, lasting seven or eight years, to reach a stable place. Her approach involved a holistic perspective, avoiding conventional medicine and instead focusing on what felt right for her body. This path required immense patience, a trait Christine identifies as one of her superpowers.
Her family's unwavering support was crucial during this time. Christine's parents and close relatives stood by her decisions, even when it would have been easier to follow conventional medical advice. This collective support reinforced her belief in her chosen path and contributed to her eventual recovery. Christine's story is a testament to the power of patience and the impact of a supportive community in overcoming life's challenges.
As a commercial property manager, Christine manages about two million square feet of property, ranging from large retailers like Target and Costco to small mom-and-pop stores. Her role involves tenant relations, legal compliance, and overseeing construction, among other responsibilities. Despite the stress and demands of her job, Christine remains bubbly and positive, attributing her resilience to her strong support system and personal practices.
Christine practices self-care through daily exercise, yoga, and mindful eating. She emphasizes the importance of listening to her body and taking breaks when needed. Whether it's staying in for a few days, journaling, or connecting with a friend, Christine prioritizes activities that help her recharge and maintain balance. She also practices grounding techniques, such as walking on the beach or spending time in nature, to stay centered and energized.
Christine's journey illustrates the transformative power of building a strong support system and listening to one's intuition. Her commitment to these principles has helped her overcome significant health challenges and thrive in her personal and professional life. By fostering a supportive community, practicing patience, and trusting our inner guidance, we can navigate life's challenges and achieve personal growth. Remember, the journey to self-discovery and fulfillment is enriched by the connections we build and the trust we place in ourselves.
Links:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Ready to live a more Life Intended? Get my Life Intended Journal to start your journey to a more purposeful and intentional life. And subscribe to my weekly newsletter to receive episode updates, inspiration and announcements.
Kelly Berry (00:01) Hello friends and welcome to Life Intended. I'm your host, Kelly Berry. Life Intended is a podcast that explores what it means to be true to yourself and live an authentic and purposeful life. Each episode explores my guest's version of personal growth, self-discovery, and the pursuit of becoming the best version of themselves, as well as how to find the joy in the journey. I am so excited for today's conversation with my guest, Christine Cosentino.
This should be a really fun one. A bubbly, energetic, witty woman who is passionate about all things real estate. Christine just recently filmed Farmer Wants a Wife, which is currently airing on Fox 5. She has overcome some serious health challenges, which paved the way for her to lead the life of her dreams. She's never one to lose faith. She consistently fulfills the promise that she made to herself to live each day as if it is a gift.
So welcome, Christine, I'm super happy to have you here.
Christine Cosentino (01:22) Kelly, I'm so excited to be here. I know we know each other through FemCity, which is such an amazing group of women, and meeting you and getting the opportunity to be here is just something that I've been looking forward to for a very long time.
Kelly Berry (01:36) Awesome. Yeah, it's been fun getting to know you. I'm going to admit, you know, this year has, it's just been a different year for me. I did not have on my bingo card starting a podcast and having a reality TV star on it. So this is super fun.
Christine Cosentino (01:54) You checked a box and I checked a box as well. And I know how we spoke in conversation before. I'm just so proud of you for doing something outside the box and even just cultivating all these relationships to me, it's exciting and it's inspiring. And I am just, I can't wait to watch the future unfold for you.
Kelly Berry (02:16) Thank you so much. Yeah, that I think that's a good segue into our first topic of conversation. You and I have talked about this a little bit, but you mentioned we met through Fem City and meeting new people and creating relationships. I think you called it your support system, which is so important to you. So tell me, how do you approach getting out there, meeting new people, and what purpose does that fulfill in your life?
Christine Cosentino (02:46) So for me, I would say I am like 50-50 introverted, extroverted. The part of me that's extroverted loves to be social and meet new people, come into contact with different personalities, and just learn from them. I believe every single person has something that they can give to me, whether that's a lesson or even just a new friendship. Whatever it may be, I take it with me. And it's something that really excites me and gets me going. For example, yesterday, I know you were there too. We had a great time at goat yoga, which is something I've never done before. I've been a yogi for almost 16 years. And this was quite a new experience, I have to say. I know the goats got up on your back and it was so cool to see them just jump on you.
Kelly Berry (03:41) Yeah, it was fun. Also not something I saw myself doing, but it was super fun.
Christine Cosentino (03:50) So we both kind of, you know, went out of our comfort zone and tried something new yesterday. But in general, my approach is always, hey, I never know what I'm going to get out of this, but, and I don't want to use the word worst case scenario, but it's always a new friend, a new connection, another door that's opening, whether it's me becoming someone's client, them becoming my client, us just exchanging referrals or references or a way that we can help each other in the professional or personal realm. I love that idea of community, especially down here in Jupiter. The women, I find them just to be so open and supportive of each other. It's really, really, really comforting.
Kelly Berry (04:40) Yeah, I think, as women in business, sometimes it can feel like you're lonely. I know we've also talked about this; you're a woman in an extremely male-dominated industry, commercial real estate. It can be so valuable to connect with people who have shared experiences, who are looking for women that they can connect with, like strong women, that they can get emotional support from, relational support, all of those types of things. It's been fun getting Fem City Jupiter off the ground and having that way to connect like-minded women. It's just led me to so many great conversations and friendships already. We're only about four months in, so it's awesome.
Christine Cosentino (05:37) It's definitely awesome.
Kelly Berry (05:39) Yeah, so tell us a little bit about what you do professionally and what that looks like.
Christine Cosentino (05:45) So for me, I am a commercial property manager. I'm the principal of the company. I work in the family business, which is commercial real estate development. It also spans probably every single facet of real estate. We have an in-house brokerage. We have the development side. We have the acquisition side. And then we have the property management arm, which, like I said, is my baby. So I manage about 2 million square feet of property. That is anything from a Target, a Costco, to a very small mom-and-pop liquor store. Some of these buildings are freestanding. Others are in big complexes. Others are in strip centers. There is a lot that goes into my job. We start out with basically, every day is something new, which is what I love. We deal with tenant relations, legal compliance, municipality issues. The biggest thing is preventative and regular maintenance, emergency maintenance, payables, budgeting, overseeing construction. I mean, everything under the sun that you can think of. And I have a team behind me. My job does not get done without them. They are imperative and integral to everything that we do in our office.
Kelly Berry (07:04) Yeah, that's awesome. And also it sounds like a lot. A lot of real estate and a lot to manage. But you're always so bubbly and so happy and it doesn't seem like you're overwhelmed or the stress that I imagine that that involves, you let it get to you.
Christine Cosentino (07:25) It definitely does get to me. Well, firstly, I'd like to say as women, no matter what you do, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or you're even a stay-at-home wife, supporting your husband and making sure that he's good every day, whatever we do, we do bear, we take on a lot of load. And I feel like we tend to put ourselves last. I think that's just like an innate thing that we do. So, you know, we should always remind ourselves that it's okay to make time for each other and self-care. For me, I do get stressed out and I'll tell you, I am extremely sensitive and emotional and it's something that I've battled with my entire life. And probably just recently, within the past five years, I've learned how to really channel that and be perceptive enough and aware to pick up on when it's happening and know, okay, I need to take a step back. And if that means staying home that night, journaling, or even staying home the next three days. And I don't mean all day, every day. I mean, maybe not going out at night, maybe taking a break from the gym, doing yoga at home or just talking with a girlfriend and not being so overstimulated. That's something that I do. But the one thing that I like to do every single day, no matter what, is some form of exercise. And I don't eat meat. That's one thing that has helped me. Everybody has their own things. It does not work for everybody. But, and I, side note, I do believe everybody needs certain things at different points in life. So that may be something that I need now. It may change very soon or in a couple of years from now, but listening to your heart and really trusting the goddess within, as cliché as that sounds, that voice is there if you tune into it. And once you start listening to her, magic erupts.
Kelly Berry (09:01) I love that you just said that in the very first episode of the podcast, my guest, Lindsey Vastola, we talked about, she called it listening to your gut, but I think it's the same principle that you're talking about. And her thing, somebody told her, is like, not only do you need to listen to your gut, but you need to obey your gut and just have that trust in yourself that what you're, you know, what you have inside of you or what you're thinking or you know, you are capable and you can make good decisions. You know what's best. And I think that's along the same lines of what you're saying. And I think that for a lot of women or a lot of people in general, that's just something over time that we lose or we stop listening to. And it's just really important to take a minute and start listening to yourself again. And I think what you just said, I love that because I do agree that that's super important.
Christine Cosentino (10:18) So if I could add one thing and just hearing you speak about it so eloquently, it's such a simple statement, but there's so much more behind it because it takes work to listen to yourself. And there's one word that's so big here and it's trust. You know, to trust that inner voice when you haven't done it in the past. And it's much easier to choose distraction, whether it's, you know,
Kelly Berry (10:20) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (10:45) I'm going to have to go. I can go watch TV or, you know, go eat whatever, you know, there's multiple things that you do to distract yourself from it. And, you know, I don't have kids, but the one thing that keeps coming to mind is, you know, you have children. There's a lot going on. If you're a working mother, you have kids, you know, even to get that time for self-care is so sacred, probably. And again, I'm not there. But I know right now it's so sacred to me, so I could just imagine how much more sacred it would be when I have little ones relying on me. But once you get there and you make the choice, it becomes easier and it's ultimately liberating. And what I mean by that is there's a sense of freedom in it because you no longer have to be held down by the bad decisions your subconscious or your ego knows that you're making. You just feel lighter. It's something that I can't explain to you. You kind of have to just go through it.
Kelly Berry (11:44) Yeah. Before we started going down that, you talked about how you feel emotion a lot. You know, you're sensitive and you talked about that being kind of a challenge or something that you've kind of tried to deal with. But how has that shown up in your life as a strength for you?
Christine Cosentino (12:12) My gosh, you know, I think every single person on this planet has a gift. No one is better than anyone else. It just depends on how much you really want to use that gift and spin it in a positive way. For me, being sensitive and being, you know, a quote-unquote empath, whether that's true or not, you know, like we spoke about in the past, is neither here nor there. All I know is that, hey, I am extremely sensitive. I think that I would like to get someone else's opinion, but the way I feel is I can relate to others very much so. And I feel very deeply. It used to affect me greatly because I felt like an outcast or an outsider. I felt very fragile at times. And now I look at it and I say, you know what? It's made me stronger in the sense that I have to think about this one for a second. In the sense that I feel I can connect to a lot of people. And for me, that's something that's important. I like people. I like understanding them. So I think that's where the power, the superpower comes from. But.
Kelly Berry (13:29) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (13:38) I won't lie to you, a lot of times I get very overstimulated. I have to unwind, I have to crawl into bed at night and just take a break. Even if I want to go to the gym or if I want to go for a long walk on the beach, I'm like, you know what? I just physically can't. And I have read a lot about this and the moon cycles are very indicative of, you know, especially for us as females, what, how we're feeling and how we're reacting to things.
Kelly Berry (13:53) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (14:06) So, you know, at certain periods of the month, I'm just like, you know what? I'm fried. Where as someone else, they're ready to go. And it's, we're just on, I'm drained.
Kelly Berry (14:14) Yeah. So I know we've spoken about, and I mentioned in your introduction, you've overcome some pretty significant health issues. So talk to us about what that journey has been like and the tools that you've used to get to where you are now.
Christine Cosentino (14:39) Probably since I was younger, in my teens, I started battling a health issue and it had presented itself and it was just, you know, the way I looked at it was surface. It was a textbook type of thing. It wasn't very significant at that point in time. It was significant enough that it needed to be dealt with, but it wasn't something that was interrupting my lifestyle. As I got older, and I noticed I was putting myself in college in toxic situations and being around toxic people. It really reared its ugly head. And it was like, everybody says it, but it was like, hey, my body was like, stop. Pay attention to me. It was not something I could ever turn from. And the journey started, and it was a very long journey, seven or eight years to get to a place where I was stable and living life without it interfering with my daily routine. That being said, I never took the conventional medicine route. That's one thing about me that's innate and I know it's different for everybody else. I'm extremely strong-willed and I have a little bit of this visionary gift. So I always knew that, okay, I saw myself getting healthy. My faith never wavered. I was very strong-willed and I really feel that sticking to that was ultimately the best decision for Christine. And then now, this is just going back to the support system. I had wonderful parents and family that 100% supported me when it would have been very easy to take the doctor's recommendations. And I am so happy I didn't because I am so everything clicks. Like if you're listening to my story, it's like, my God, the pieces. I'm overly sensitive. Any medicine I take, I get side effects. It never agrees with me. Certain foods just don't agree with me, especially quote-unquote dead foods like meat, which tastes amazing. I mean, you know, there's a lot of people who raise with me who doesn't like a piece of meat if you were raised with it. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it just doesn't agree with my system. So me making those decisions, I've come out on top and I have created this beautiful trust system within myself and my inner goddess who, you know, has really in the past two or three years come to light. And I feel that there was so much liberation in my pain and so much beauty. There were times where I didn't know if I was gonna make it. I didn't know how I was gonna make it through. And it was just me. You're facing yourself in the mirror. You're looking at this person saying, I don't know who you are anymore, but I'm gonna get you back to where you need to be. And you're never gonna be the same person, but I have faith you're gonna be a better person than you. But you have to just stick to your path and trust yourself. And it may take a very long time, but you will get there if you keep working at it. And if that's one message that comes out of this entire podcast, it's I promise you with every intensity and every cell in my body, everything that's coming out in this microphone, it will happen. Just have patience with yourself.
Kelly Berry (18:01) Yeah, you mentioned in our conversations that we've had offline, patience has come up several times. So I think you even said patience was one of your superpowers also. Talk to us a little bit about the things in life you feel like you've really had to practice patience for or with.
Christine Cosentino (18:25) So it's always, like the crazy thing is when it comes to my health issues, I've had to have patients that I could never explain to anybody. I mean, you have kids, you have to have patients, all facets of life. But this is different. When it comes to healing, and you really don't know, you're basically taking a risk. You're trusting your body. You're not sure which way it's gonna go. And every day you're like, you know what? I love you. Whatever's going on, it will go back to where it came from. Louise Hay, Heal Your Life, How to Heal Your Life was one of the best books I've ever read, just as a side note. She's incredible. She healed cancer with visions and positive affirmations. Whether people believe it or not, there's a lot of these stories out there. And I did not have what she had, but I can tell you, I was in a very bad place and it worked. But getting back to what you were talking about, I'm totally off track right now. Patience.
Kelly Berry (19:26) I think that was very along the lines. I agree with you. Patience in a health situation or any situation that you aren't in control of, and you're doing the things you think are best or the things that you think you need to do, and just kind of waiting.
Christine Cosentino (19:50) Yeah, and so for me, I have a lot of patients. I might trigger people that are sick. It's very hard for me to not get emotional. Even now talking about it, nobody deserves to feel pain like that. I understand that there's something good on the other side, the sun always shines, but sometimes it doesn't. People handle things differently. They're able to make their own decisions. For me, it worked out very well. But seeing anybody in pain, it hurts my heart, heart deeply. So I do happen to have a lot of patients in that regard, but when it comes to other things like work and maybe somebody not being on the same page as me, or I have a client who's 85 years old and he's very, very ill and sick and he owns 40 properties. He is the nicest man ever. It's just, for me, every day is a lesson and it's a beautiful thing. I see the gift in it. Of having to repeat myself, having to explain myself and just think to myself, hey, if I was in this man's shoes, what would I want? And I try very hard and I hope that I'm delivering to the best of my ability, but it is a test of my patience, absolutely. Even being around my family, we've worked together as a family unit and we're very strong. We're Italians, if you can't tell. So we...
Kelly Berry (21:06) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (21:17) We naturally have the Italian culture. However, I say it's a, it's a, it's a family that's dysfunctional at times, but so functional at others. Like there are times that we fight, absolutely. But we do not let it get far enough that it's going to interrupt business operations or our relationships with each other. Of course I get mad at my sister. She gets mad at me. We have a love-hate relationship. We're not talking one week. Then she gets hungry and she's like, I got a break, we gotta go to lunch. Can you please just come with me to lunch? And then that's it, it's over. And same thing with my brother. I mean, we don't fight as much, but my sis and my dad, it's... When you take yourself back, and I have this beautiful support system, it's growth. And I think that's what the journey's about. Whether it's your parent, your sibling, if you guys choose to grow together...
Kelly Berry (21:46) Huh.
Christine Cosentino (22:14) I think I was on hold with you or Amy and I said, day by day goes by and you feel like you're not making progress and then you look back a year later and it's like, so much has changed. And I've heard that before and the older I get, the more I'm like, my gosh, time is fine but things are happening.
Kelly Berry (22:24) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (22:46) Exactly, and you're so right, especially with a child, you're with them every day, you know? But it's, you know, my sister has a niece, Jules, my, you know, she's the light of everybody's life, especially my parents. Besides my baby Lulu, who is my Yorkie-poo and is my world. She gives me...
She's my best friend, my soulmate, my everything. She's been there with me through every storm and I get emotional thinking about it. But anyways, Jules and I know you have your daughter as well. When they start getting a personality and that personality continues to develop, you relate to them. It is just, it's exciting. It's fun. It's everything under the sun. You have something to look forward to every day. Like, what are they gonna do next? And then you have this little.
Kelly Berry (23:58) Right.
Christine Cosentino (24:10) this little sunshine that loves you so much. And it's just, it's a beautiful gift. It makes you realize what life's about. It's one of the reasons.
Kelly Berry (24:15) Yeah, it is. It is amazing. And it's, you know, part of it, it just takes you, you know, you get to live again. You get to see what it's like to see everything for the first time. And it's really, in my experience, and I think like my husband would probably agree with this too, like it's really caused us to slow down, you know, to just slow down and be where you are and enjoy the moment. And, you know, you're not trying to hustle from thing to thing because this is all, you know, right now at this time, at this age, like this is all you have and it's gonna be gone before you know it. So it's really caused us to just stop and savor this time that we have with her and being so little. But, you know, I remember feeling that way with my nieces and nephews and, you know, it's just so fun to watch.
Christine Cosentino (25:21) It sounds like you and Nick, that's your husband, right? Have really embraced the here and now, which is, I think that's one of the...
Kelly Berry (25:24) Yes.
Christine Cosentino (25:31) the goals in life, you know, to get there. And when you're there, you really see the beauty around you from a spiritual perspective. It's wild, but if you can do that, it's a beautiful thing and I commend you both.
Kelly Berry (25:33) Mm-hmm.
Kelly Berry (25:42) Yeah, thank you. It's a work in progress. I think it is for everybody. Yeah, but really the moment you're in is the only moment you have. So if you think about it that way, there doesn't seem like there should be any alternatives. But to your point earlier, we choose distraction a lot. And so I think that's a really just valid point and something that I would like people to take from this is just to stop and consider, when are you choosing distraction over the present? When are you choosing to not acknowledge what you're feeling, what your gut is telling you, and you're just trying to avoid by distraction?
Christine Cosentino (26:42) Exactly, you know, and it's just like choosing discomfort over comfort. You know, it's very easy to become complacent and make the wrong choices that feel good in the moment, but ultimately lead on in life or in that short period of time ahead of you, you start to realize these are not good decisions for myself. You know, choose the growth. That's what this life is about.
Kelly Berry (26:46) Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Kelly Berry (27:11) You know, it's not supposed to be easy. And once you choose it, get ready for the storm. Buckle up, because guess what? It is coming. That is why we're here. You know, that storm is planned. And you get through that storm and you get to a much better place.
Christine Cosentino (27:19) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (27:29) Why not? You know, you have the world at your fingertips. Grow. Explore what's out there. Try something different. Make something different in yourself. Gain a new perspective. Just like you said to me. You verbatim said, I'm open-minded and I want to be even more open-minded. And that's one of the things that I'm going to get out of being out of this podcast. I mean, you can speak on it further than me. But when you said that to me, I was like, you know, I admire Kelly so much because...
Kelly Berry (27:31) Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (27:58) That's something that I'd love to do. And the fact that you want to do that, it's just making you more empathetic, more relatable, and a better human. And that's ultimately what I feel another reason we're here to do is serve others and help to become a better service.
Kelly Berry (28:13) Mm-hmm. So let's change it up a little bit and talk about something I think is fun. And hopefully we'll get a few laughs from us. But I think it's the epitome of growth and getting a different perspective. Your decision to go on Farmer Wants a Wife. So tell us, what was your decision-making process? How did you come to that? And then what was that like?
Christine Cosentino (28:46) So there's a podcast out there that's very funny. And I think it sums it up real Christine. It was like, did Christine just have a glass of wine, which I don't drink. I've been sober for over four years, but it's very funny. Wake up, have a glass of wine, just say, I just want to go on Farmer Wants a Wife. Because it is so far from what I know being a New York girl who is halftime in Jupiter, who definitely is high maintenance, and I own that. I filled out the form. It popped up on my screen. I got a phone call the next day. The casting process went so fast. I think I was one of the, if not the last person cast on the show. It was late July and we were set to leave the first or second week in September and it had been pushed back multiple times and it didn't end up starting until the end of September. Anyways, I had said to myself, and I think I said this to you, you know, I filled out that form not knowing anything. I had been in front of the camera since I was little. It's something I just, I happen to love. It's not a novelty for me. It just excites me. I like talking to people for whatever reason. And the idea of going on a show, meeting new people, possibly meeting somebody who potentially, I could have a relationship with, which lo and behold, I don't think that's the case for many people that go on these shows. But the way that it was presented to me in this very nice package, it was very hard to kind of say no to. I initially was not going to go. They had called me. They were like, you're leaving tomorrow because they only give you less than 24 hours that you're leaving. They convinced me. I went down and as soon as I got there, I think I told you I was turning around. I was going home. It was really not in a place that I 100% felt confident. I was out of my comfort zone. Let's leave it at that. But anyways, the producers very nicely worked their magic and I ended up staying and filming. We were on set for very long hours. So you started at like five, six in the morning and you didn't end until 10 o'clock at night. And I had said to them, look, I don't think I'm going to make it to this farm. My phone is constantly ringing with work. I'm distracted. And to be honest with you, I'm bored. You're standing there without a phone for these long hours, like, and the food, you know, that was the other thing. There really wasn't much to eat. So I said, I don't know how I'm going to make it. But anyways, I, everything that happened was natural and it was just a really fun, wild ride. I got to meet so many girls. It was a total of 32 women. They were all beautiful. They all had something to offer, whether they stayed or they didn't stay or whether I got to know one more than another. It just was real. Everybody's there for their own reasons. I really didn't go necessarily for publicity or even to actually be in a band. I just went for the experience of it. I was like, this is in front of me. Why, why say no? Yes. And it turned out to be a vehicle for a lot of other things that I have going on in my life right now. And you know what? I'm going to take that vehicle and run with it and say, you know, this is a door that God has put in front of me or the universe and it's opened and I'm gonna walk through it and see what other doors it leads me to.
Kelly Berry (32:17) Yeah. And so I think I am not a reality TV fan. So when you told me you were on that show, I had never heard of it. And I just don't watch a lot of reality TV. But I have looked into some of the YouTube clips and things that are out there from your experience. And you made quite a splash, I think, when you were on it. Tell us a little bit about what happened.
Christine Cosentino (32:42) There was definitely controversy. I will tell everybody out there who's listening, every single thing that I said and did on that show was completely natural. Nothing was made up. I was not paid to do any of it. I knew if I was going to leave, this was my mindset and I have not really divulged this to anybody. I was going to do it with Christine. I was going to be authentically myself. And I was. And you know what? Some people think my comment was very out of the box, out of line, but I'm going to be honest with you. That's something I probably would say on our first date. What turned me on. And I don't necessarily mean sexually, but on the surface, anybody watching it would say, that's probably what she means. But I kind of meant, what do you do that excites you, that you're passionate about? Let's see if we have something in common. And I think even when a man is talking about something they're passionate about, to me that's attractive. So I was kind of looking to start the conversation from there, but clearly it did not go that way.
Kelly Berry (33:21) Thank you.
Christine Cosentino (33:32) He fumbled on his words and there were crickets.
Kelly Berry (34:00) Mm-hmm. So then I guess what was the rest of your experience like after that?
Christine Cosentino (34:02) So after that, I stayed for a little bit and I made the decision, you know, I think it was time for me to go. I knew if I wanted to, I could go to the farm in Missouri, but I didn't think it was the right place for me. So that was it. I said, this is how I'm gonna leave. And that's when I said, you know what, I did my, I'm out thing. But I really think I left on very good terms with him. We had a very nice conversation that was on camera and I really wish him all the best, whatever it is he wanted to get out of the show. I hope that he gets out of it and, I hope a lot more doors open for him.
Kelly Berry (34:51) Yeah. So you, I know you've mentioned a few times, you made friends during the show. And I think that's probably not something a lot of people think of that happens in those situations. So what does that look like since you stopped filming?
Christine Cosentino (35:08) This is the second season of the show. If you go back to the first season, there are two girls specifically, I really have not watched the whole thing, but Megan and another girl, I think her name is Sydney, who really became very close. And the cool thing about Farmer Wants a Wife is it does cultivate friendships. Not only those two girls, those are just the two that stand out. They made it to the end. But a lot of the other girls have, some of them are on similar paths, so they all kind of support each other. It's not as much of this bachelorette culture or bachelor culture. I have become very close with a girl who lives in North Palm. Her name is Amy, and she is just a beautiful soul. If anybody's heart shines bright, it's Amy. She is a sweetheart of a woman. She's an instructor at Lifetime. We have a lot in common and I couldn't be more grateful for our friendship.
Kelly Berry (36:13) Nice. So what's next? Do you have anything else in the pipeline for reality TV or anything else?
Christine Cosentino (36:20) As far as reality TV goes, I think I might be one and done on that end, but I do have some other things in the real estate realm that I'm working on. I can only hope they come to life. If they don't, I promise you it's not the last you're gonna see of me because I'm out there and I wanna do something else. Any opportunity that comes my way, I'm ready to take.
Kelly Berry (36:40) Yeah. I think that's inspiring too, just being open to trying new things and those are things I think that take a lot of guts to put yourself out there. Because you don't talk about things you can control and can't control. The way I think about it is you don't really control how they're gonna portray you or what type of person they're gonna make you look like. So, you know, you just kind of have to be willing to stick your neck out there and see what the ride is like.
Christine Cosentino (37:18) You hit it right on the head. I was very apprehensive watching the first episode, but we spoke about this. I don't know what it is, but I have such a strong sense of faith within myself. And I really have learned to trust my feelings through everything I went through. And prior to going on the show, even any type of application coming my way, I would wake up every morning so excited. I don't know what it was. I was so excited about life and I love my job. So that brings me a huge amount of excitement, but there was this other layer and I felt it coming. And then we filmed and I was nervous, but I ultimately knew it was going to be okay. And I got the best surprise ever. I was on that first episode. They put me on air for so long. And I was like, I can't believe the amount of time I got. And I'm so grateful to every single one of the producers there because that's why I was there. It wasn't even to get publicity. I just enjoyed being in front of the camera.
Kelly Berry (38:26) That's funny. So, I think from here we can talk about, to go on Farmer Wants a Wife means that you're single and you're looking for someone. Can you talk to that part of your life and where you are and what you envision for yourself for the future?
Christine Cosentino (38:54) Yeah, I had a boyfriend and he's still in the picture. We're in a place where we're both leading our own lives and we're not together. It's hard. It's very hard being a 37-year-old female who feels the pressure of having children and wanting to settle down, but also wanting to... You know, I struggle. I'm a Gemini. I pull, you know. I also have this fire in me that you can't put out. I'm so strong-willed. I'm like, okay, I want to continue to blaze this path. Let's see what we can do to up the ante next year or in the next six months. And, you know, I really need an alpha man who can ground me because I do have a lot of energy. I think a tornado. And it's hard to find. It really is very difficult and I'm envious or, you know, I shouldn't use the word envious, but women who have met their soulmates or somebody who they feel really is a great companion to them. There's so much beauty in seeing that type of relationship because I don't have that in my life. And it's something I aspire to have. And I know and trust that God is going to get me there. But there are days that it does get to me. It's not easy. You come home, and you're by yourself. You don't have anybody to talk about your day even just to throw some ideas around with and just travel with. I'd love that and I want that.
Kelly Berry (40:25) Mm-hmm. Another thing that you've told me is you have made a decision that every single day you're gonna wake up and be excited about life. You have confidence and faith in your future that it's going to pan out the way that you want it to. How do you cultivate that mindset within yourself? What does that look like for you?
Christine Cosentino (41:21) I can't speak for anybody else. All I can say, Kel, is, hey, I've been through a lot of shit and I got through it. That's given me an insane amount of confidence. If I get through what I got through, the rest is gravy. I'll figure it out. I don't know what it looks like for someone who hasn't had major storms in their life, who hasn't done the digging. They may have to start there. But for me, I am just so grateful. I do yoga almost every day. When I'm on my mat, I thank myself. I thank my body that I'm able to be there, be able to move the way that I want to move. It is such a gift. You see other people who weren't born that way or something has happened to them and they can't do that. We have to appreciate every single day and look at it as its secret. I really believe that.
One of the big things is manifestation. For me, it's something that I do often, but it's not a vision, it's not a prayer, it's embodying the actual emotion of where I want to be in the future. And that's just where my mind is. It's set there now. I've done it so many times that it's now on autopilot that I'm always excited. I'm like, what's the next thing? Okay, if something comes at me, I'm going to get upset, but I'm not going to continue to harp on it. You had to move on and you have to move forward. Yeah, you take a couple of days, you let it sit and then that's it. What's next?
Kelly Berry (43:09) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (43:11) I wish I had more to offer, but it's the tools that you choose to get you to where you need to be. Your why in life is very big. Why do you want to be there? Why do you wake up every day? Find your why and then go from there.
Kelly Berry (43:29) Mm-hmm. Do you mind sharing what your why is?
Christine Cosentino (43:35) My why is my family. They've done everything for me and I want to be there for them. I want to show up for them. I want to be an amazing sister, an amazing daughter. I want to be an amazing boss to my employees and my team. But my why is also my health. I want to live. Longevity is so important to me, into my 90s and be healthy and be strong every single day. We're aging and I get that, but I'm in the gym, I'm eating healthy, I'm on top of my supplements, I have a community, there's social support around me. I really believe in this concept of Ikigai, which is a Japanese concept that you have all the simplistic terms and principles that I just mentioned to help you to lead an amazing life as you get older. That's really my why, my health. It's everything to me.
Kelly Berry (44:42) I love that. I love that you talked a lot about exercise, food, but then you talked about community and relationships. And that is such a, it is a part of your health. And I think that a lot of people don't look at it like that, but we're, as humans, we need relationships and we need community. And when you don't nurture those things or when you're in the wrong relationships or the wrong community, the impact on your physical health that that can have is just incredible in a good way.
Christine Cosentino (45:19) It's detrimental. Being alone is great for some people, but ultimately it does. I don't think it's very fulfilling and I don't think it's very healthy. You have to push yourself to get out of your comfort zone, have a conversation with somebody. It will make you feel better. We're humans. We were tribes back in the day. We were meant to interact. We were meant to converse. We're meant to relate to one another.
I forgot where I was going with this. There was something I thought I was going to put with. I lost my train of thought.
Kelly Berry (46:03) Okay, it's like relationships as a part of your physical health? I don't know that.
Christine Cosentino (46:09) Yes. Relationships are an exchange of energy, which is the way I look at it. I had a very traumatic breakup. And that was another illness symptom that had presented itself that I had to get through. I was at my lowest point. I was in a relationship with someone who... I was very happy, or I thought I was. And for whatever reason, it didn't work out. But the energy stays with you. Even when you have sex, it's an exchange of energy. You have to be careful about your exchange of energy and who you're putting yourself in contact with. Toxic relationships are really great to cultivate growth, but they also can hurt you. Listening to your body. If you're in a relationship with a man and you feel like something's not right, just listen to yourself. It doesn't mean you have to get out of it, but just pay attention to the signs. It would be quite difficult to stay in a toxic relationship and be happy for the rest of your life.
Kelly Berry (47:24) Yeah.
Christine Cosentino (47:34) If you want to live and be excited about life, you need somebody who's going to lift you up and pump you up and be positive. It's impossible to be positive all the time, but if their general demeanor is that way, I think you have a good shot at having a long-lasting happy relationship, or at least that's how I look at it.
Kelly Berry (47:54) Yeah, a lot of good stuff in there for sure. We're about at time to wrap up. Anything else that we haven't touched on today that you feel is really important to who you are as a person and how you navigate life?
Christine Cosentino (48:16) Just embrace every day. I love my Chanel. I love all the glitz and the shopping and being a girl, but that's not what it's about. Every day really is a gift. If I had one way to leave off, it's just I'm so grateful to be here and I'm grateful for the opportunity that you have given me with this beautiful podcast that you have started this new door. And I thank you so much for having me.
Kelly Berry (48:52) Thank you. It's been fun. It's been great to get to know you in general. I do have two surprise end of the podcast questions. One you've kind of already touched on, but another one we haven't talked about at all. Tell me, what is one thing personally or professionally that you would like to accomplish this year?
Christine Cosentino (49:20) That's a good one because I'm checking a lot of boxes right now. I wanted to do the podcast. I got my social media up and running for my company and today we shot 20 reels in three hours, which is crazy. I'd say by the end of the year, I'd like to know that me and my team professionally completed one big capital improvement project, which we have in the works. It's a very big roof project. So that'll be nice to look back and say, we did that. Personally, I'd really love to meet somebody. If they're not my husband, at least somebody who I enjoy spending time with, who brings a new outlook and perspective to my life. I'd really like that.
Kelly Berry (50:09) I would like that for you. I think your heart is big and pure and there's someone there that can be that person for you. Next question. You kind of touched on this, but tell us how do you recharge?
Christine Cosentino (50:21) So for me, again, I get overstimulated very, very easy. I always say I'm like my Yorkie-poo. I go for like three hours, high energy. I don't even drink coffee and then I need to unwind for a second. So recharging really is me staying in balance. Again, I do yoga almost every day. I make sure I try to do another form of exercise. Grounding is huge. Every morning I have a smoothie, I try to sit in the sun and keep my feet in the grass. If I don't do that, I absolutely take a walk on the beach. I like to journal. One of my favorite things is writing and sometimes just laying in bed for a half hour and meditating or just not doing anything is the best form of recharge for me. Shutting my phone off. Best idea ever. I don't know if it's mental or if there's like EMFs coming out of the phone or what it is, but I shut off for a half hour and it's like peace. I just need it and it recharges me and fills up my cup and I'm like, okay, I can let go of all the emotions that have been holding onto for the day and I can kind of just sit and be in the here and now. And then I have one last thing and that's take a shower every night. The meaning behind that is to wash off all the energy of the day, whether it's good or bad, the next day is a new day. You want to start fresh.
Kelly Berry (51:27) Nice, I like that.
Christine Cosentino (51:58) I'll plug my favorite book, The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma. He is a phenomenal writer. He's worked with some of the top entrepreneurs and CEOs. He has this idea of waking up at 5 AM when pretty much nothing is going on and you can get done what you need to get done. For me, it looks like going to the gym and getting through a host of emails that are my critical emails. I can have my breakfast, my smoothie, and peace, and then I can start my day. I just feel so much more accomplished. You would never think waking up that early makes you more energetic, but for me, it 100% does. I can power through the day and feel good. It might just be having that sense of accomplishment that I've accomplished so much in such a short period of time because I've gotten it done so early.
Kelly Berry (52:50) I've not read that book. I am familiar with it, but I am an early bird and always have been. I know it's not for everybody and you can't force something if it just doesn't work for you. But that time that I have in the morning to myself, whether it's on work to get a big chunk of things done or on other things without interruption, it is so fulfilling. The day feels different when you can step into it without feeling like, okay, now the gates are going to open and chaos is going to ensue and I've got this amount of time to get everything done. I'm a big fan. I'm most of the time a 4:30 person, but it is a game changer, I think.
Christine Cosentino (53:45) I commend you. It's very hard to wake up that early, especially if you're in New York and it's freezing out. I will be honest, that's the time that I'm like, I don't think I could do this today. There's snow on the ground and I'm like, geez, it's super early. But it does feel good when there's no distractions. Even if you wake up with a big to-do list, you wake up that early, you can start checking a few of them off. So when your day actually starts, for me, I'm not as overwhelmed. I'm like, okay, I got some of it done. I can handle the rest. We can absolutely get that done today. Just to bring another point into this, that gives me more freedom to recharge and to do what fills up my cup. That balance, that work-life balance is so important to maintaining a healthy attitude, a healthy mindset, being excited about life.
Kelly Berry (54:16) Mm-hmm.
Kelly Berry (54:42) Mm-hmm.
Christine Cosentino (54:43) and being creative, which as a woman and as someone who really loves truly being creative, I get to paint or do whatever it is that I like to do. It's contagious because then I'm happy, my cup is filled, now I'm at work and my team is happy because I'm happy and it's a domino effect.
Kelly Berry (55:05) It sure is. Thank you so much, Christine. There's so much good in here. My goal for this is for people to see you as who you are and the heart that you have and take some things away from how you've approached life and how you've gotten through things. I think you have a lot of really great things to share and this was a lot of fun. I'm glad we did it.
Christine Cosentino (55:35) Kel, I'm so glad that we did it and I can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity. You are such an amazing listener and you know the questions to ask to really make somebody shine, but also to help them show how deep they are, to get those layers out of them. I'm so excited to see what the future holds.
Kelly Berry (55:59) Thank you so much. You have great things to come. Thank you and I'll talk to you later.
Kelly Berry is a strategic business leader and business coach. She is known for her operational excellence and her ability to drive growth and results across multiple industries.
She is also hosting her own podcast, Life Intended.
