In the latest episode of The Echo Effect's ‘Spotlight Series: Women of Influence,’ Deanay Cox, co-owner of Cox Signature Homes, shares her journey from her career in sports to the forefront of real estate. Her story is one of resilience, adaptability, and breaking barriers in male-dominated industries.
Interview and article by Jenny Cline featuring Deanay Cox of Cox Signature Homes
By the time Deanay Cox walks into her first real estate development meeting, she already understands the quiet weight of being the only woman in the room. Years earlier, she learned to navigate that kind of silence, working in the high-intensity, hyper-masculine world of the NFL. There, she'd hone the skills she’d later use in a different field: resilience, decisiveness, and the kind of presence that doesn’t ask for permission.
“I didn’t always know I’d end up in real estate,” Deanay admits, her voice steady but warm. “But I always knew I wanted to build something lasting.” Perhaps she didn’t expect concrete and contracts rather than draft picks and playbooks.
Her transition from the sports world into real estate might sound like a jump, but it is a strategic pivot. To her, both spaces demand the same thing: vision and the will to execute it. It is a leap of faith in herself.
Deanay quickly realizes that competence is her greatest ally. She makes it a point to know her craft intimately from zoning codes to permits, architectural plans, and cost projections.
“You have to know what you’re doing; you can’t just skate by. You’re handling what may be the biggest financial transaction of someone’s life.”
The lessons Deanay shares are universal, even if the context is specific. She speaks of the importance of emotional endurance, especially in environments that weren’t built with you in mind.
When you work in a silo, it’s difficult to navigate those waters when you may feel isolated due to your background. Be a student of your craft, surround yourself with allies, and you can pave your own path; it makes it hard to be criticized.
When asked what advice she’d give to women trying to carve out space in male-dominated fields, Deanay doesn’t hesitate. “You must advocate for yourself, but reach a hand back to elevate other women, especially when the structure isn’t designed for us.”
Her metaphorical proposals become real ones. Today, Deanay works not just in real estate, but in reshaping the culture around it. She advocates for other women and makes decisions with representation in mind. It’s beyond who has a seat at the table, but who’s building it.
What makes Deanay’s journey so captivating isn’t access and influence, it’s the way she perseveres through the unknown. She reminds us that we’re allowed to reinvent, redirect, and make offers in life because we have value.
Her beliefs are a blueprint, not for buildings, but for bravery. They’re a benchmark to start where you are, bring all of who you are, and to develop into something more.
“To be able to maneuver throughout this life is a really powerful thing,” she reflects, “once you take hold of it.”
