It’s been a little over a month since the 2025 Rent Manager User Conference, and we’re still reminiscing about all the amazing learning opportunities our property management peers experienced in San Diego.
One of our favorite moments of the week was the Closing Ceremony, where attendees heard An Uncompromised Life presented by Lisa Marvin, CEO & Partner of Essence Property Management, Inc. In this inspiring presentation, Lisa shared her top tips for living authentically, achieving personal fulfillment, and reaching your best every day. While RMUC attendees received advice tailored to their specific niches within property management, Lisa’s message offered valuable insights that could apply to any role or industry.
Here are our top career takeaways from Lisa’s An Uncompromised Life—and how you can apply these principles to your own career and life.
Regrets and The Let Them Theory
Lisa opened her presentation with a collection of quotes taken from hospice nurses. Many people at the end of their lives expressed regrets—from working too much and not sharing their feelings to wishing they had taken better care of themselves, and more. These regrets often shared a central theme: caring too much about what others thought.
Lisa referenced The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins. Instead of putting disproportionate weight on others’ opinions, people should make decisions that align with their own values and desires. With this mindset—allowing other people to have opinions but not letting those opinions guide your every decision—you can navigate your life in a way that makes you proud of yourself.
In the workplace, the “let them” theory may mean letting go of the fear of judgment, criticism, or the need to be well-liked. Taking feedback from managers or peers too personally can hinder your growth and send you down a shame spiral, rather than helping you improve. You can be friendly and professional with your coworkers, but don’t feel pressured to change yourself entirely to fit in or be the most popular person on your team. Being true to yourself and sticking to your values helps you be more authentic—which, in turn, can make you a better, more confident employee.
Get Comfortable with Yourself
So, how do you stop letting what others think bother you? The key, Lisa said, is to romanticize your alone time and get comfortable with yourself. Creating small rituals focused on being alone—like drinking a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, going on walks, or listening to music—helps teach your nervous system that solitude, and by extension being with your own thoughts, means safety.
You can build moments of quiet, reflective alone time into even the busiest workdays. Take a walk during lunch, write in a journal first thing in the morning, or develop a wind-down playlist as you wrap up your tasks for the day. The more you practice being alone without the distractions of technology, the more comfortable you’ll become with the company of your own thoughts.
Invest Your Time Wisely
Your time is a finite resource. If you spread yourself too thin or focus on the wrong things, it can prevent you from reaching your full potential. Lisa said a key skill is learning the distinction between when you need to observe and when you need to absorb. Not every situation needs your energy—being able to let go of interpersonal stressors and understanding the power of the word “no” is crucial to protecting your time and energy.
At work, this can look like maintaining proper boundaries and knowing your limits. If you’re already overwhelmed with projects, don’t agree to take on another one just because you were asked. Be honest about your capacity with your supervisor, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate when necessary.
Don’t Fall into Perfectionism
“Perfectionism is a myth,” Lisa said—and it’s one that can trap you in negative self-talk and unnecessary stress. Thoughts and feelings are not facts, and while you may feel you have to be perfect, well-liked, and constantly productive to be successful, striving for an unachievable ideal and comparing yourself to others is a recipe for burnout. Lisa emphasized the importance of focusing on what you can control rather than what you can’t. Making mistakes and learning from them are evidence of growth and essential for moving forward instead of staying stagnant. While you should take care to prevent errors in your work whenever possible, we are all human—if you do happen to make a mistake, don’t dwell on it. Instead, reflect on what you could have done differently and apply that knowledge in future scenarios.
Finally, practice self-compassion and be gentle with yourself. Perfectionists tend to engage in excessive self-criticism, often being harder on themselves than they would be on a friend or coworker. Lisa’s final point was to show up for yourself like you would for someone you love—because you deserve to be cared for, whether or not you have achieved perfection.
Living an Uncompromised Life at Work
Altogether, Lisa’s presentation reminded us that the best strategy for both work and your personal life is to show up as yourself. It’s a waste of energy to invest too much in the opinions of others, chase perfectionism, or focus on things that don’t matter in the long run. As long as you are being true to yourself, that is the key to success.
Lisa left RMUC.25 attendees with a final exercise to help frame each “uncompromised” day on a positive note: every morning, sit on the edge of your bed and start the day with a few positive affirmations. Here are a few examples that you can try on your own journey to living an uncompromised life:
