UND alumna Brianna Castillo shares power of ‘giving it all away’

RE/MAX ‘40 under 40’ Realtor Brianna Castillo talks life lessons, generosity at annual Women for Philanthropy luncheon

“Philanthropy means the love of humanity. It’s not just about giving money; it’s about sharing your time, your talents and your wisdom to lift others up,” said Brianna Castillo, lead Realtor and partner at Haven Realty Group in Dallas and UND alumna, on stage at the 10th annual Women for Philanthropy luncheon.

Speaking with DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, Castillo made clear that, for her, philanthropy was a guiding force.

The event, celebrating 10 years of Women for Philanthropy, brought together alumni, students and friends of the University to honor women who lead through service and generosity to their communities.

From power tools to real estate

Castillo’s journey to philanthropy began in North Dakota, where her mother — one of two women in UND’s mechanical engineering program in 1984 — showed her that courage could open new paths.

“She has always empowered and encouraged me and said, ‘You can do whatever you want to do. You want to go walk on the moon? Start by flying airplanes,’” Castillo said.

Her mother’s encouragement led Castillo to consider attending UND’s School of Aerospace Sciences, where she planned to train for a career in commercial aviation. But after taking an aptitude test with her brother, she decided to change course.

“What we learned from the aptitude test is that I needed an environment with really high ideation, where I was really challenged every day with new things,” she said. “Entrepreneurship and business were a really big fit for that.”

She attended the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration and, after graduating in 2010, took a job in sales — something she once thought she’d never do.

“I loved everything about marketing — except for sales. ‘Somebody else can do the sales,’” she said with a laugh. But after working in sales for a while, she found she had an affinity for it.

“My first job was selling power tools. I thought sales was being pushy and trying to convince people of why they needed something, and that’s not it at all,” she said. “Sales is built on relationships. It’s all about making relationships with people, understanding who they are, what their needs are and then solving problems for them.”

She leveraged this experience to start her own photography business, but after a conversation with her cousin, who was a RE/MAX Realty agent in the Twin Cities, she decided to change gears. She become a Realtor in Dallas, where she lived then and still lives.

Humility and finding the balance

With the support of her husband, Oscar, Castillo built a successful real estate company and landed a spot on RE/MAX’s 40 under 40 list. Despite the success of her new venture, Castillo was candid about the challenges of building her business along with a family.

“I am naturally very competitive and super driven, often to a fault. I would put it first, and everything else could figure itself out,” she said. “I have learned the hard way that that is not productive. You can chase all the success in the world, and if your foundations are not set well and you are not putting the right things first, what does it matter?”

This realization came to Castillo after what she called a “raw moment” with her husband, as they struggled to find balance with two young daughters born just 14 months apart.

“We were standing in the kitchen, and he said, ‘What are you going to pick? What are you going to choose? Are you going to choose us, or are you going to choose to grow your business?” she recalled.

“I heard that as black and white — you can choose only one — and I was not ready to choose only one. So, I decided right then and there that there has to be a way. I’m obviously going to choose my family, but I’m not going to let that come at the cost of not growing a business.”

Finding the balance and making it work took a great deal of humility, but she said that consciously working to find a balance helped her grow professionally and personally.

“You have to ask for help. You have to surround yourself with people who help you and can help you — whether that be people who are further ahead of you, or people who you need to hire to come in and help support you so you can do it successfully.”

‘Give it all away’

Castillo adopted a simple motto to help her navigate her professional and personal life: “Give it all away.”

“Anything that I have of value, I want to give away,” she said. “I want to leave a legacy — whether that be wisdom that I’ve learned or influence that I have, or money that I received.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want to have held up any of it for myself.”

Through her company, Castillo donates a portion of every home sale to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which once cared for her daughters when they were young.

“I’ve seen them do things in a very excellent manner. I was happy to give back and support in that way,” she said. “We call upon our clients to do the same. Not only do we give with each transaction, but each year we also do some sort of drive to include our clients and challenge them to give to Children’s as well.”

Her generosity extends into her home life. Castillo and Oscar are raising their daughters, Kayla and Grace, to see entrepreneurship as a form of service.

“Each summer we want to empower them to start a business — a different business each summer,” she said. “Last summer it was a lemonade stand … and this summer, their business was origami. They folded a few different options, created an order sheet, went around to their summer camps and sold like crazy.”

Castillo said that she is trying to pass the spirit of philanthropy she’s developed to her daughters. From the company’s profits, the girls learn to repay their “family loan,” reinvest in their business and give part of their earnings to others.

“They’re learning that we can take a little bit of money and turn it into something more,” Castillo said.

Kindness, courage, generosity help communities flourish

Looking toward the future, Castillo said she has one “big audacious goal” that motivates her. Together, she and her husband seek to give away $100 million in their lifetimes.

“It sounds wild,” she said, “but for my personality, that keeps me going and pushes me to think outside the box. How on earth am I going to get there in this lifetime?”

And, as the luncheon drew to a close, Carlson Zink offered philanthropists, both current and aspiring, one last piece of advice.

“Philanthropy doesn’t begin with a grand gesture,” she said. “It begins with one decision — to act, to care, to give.

“Lead with kindness. Lead with courage. Lead with generosity. When we do that, our families, our communities and our university all flourish.”