Ali On The Run Show

“I’ve just been struggling to survive. To figure out how to survive. I want people to see me and say, ‘OK, let’s not look at what we think people are.’ Because everybody has their own struggles. Life is tough!” Earlier this month, I found myself glued to my phone, rabidly refreshing the Humans of New York Instagram account, waiting for updates in the 13-part story about a woman in Augusta, GA. The woman was Venus Morris Griffin. Today, she's a hugely successful realtor and mom of seven. But the road to becoming one of Meybohm Real Estate's leading agents (Venus has closed more than $500 million in sales she she started with the agency) has been anything but easy. In fact, it still isn't easy, Venus says. In this conversation, Venus talks about her difficult childhood, about falling in love with a man at USC, and about having six children together. She talks about being home with the kids — the youngest was just one year old, and the oldest was 15 — while her husband was away on a work trip, and getting a