Christy Cooper Whitlock of The Litchfield Company

CW: When did you decide to go into the business you are in?
“I spent half of my adult career building a pharmacy business that provides medications to assisted living centers and nursing homes while raising our three kids (now 29, 26 and 21). After taking a break from the pharmacy grind, I was managing our family’s real estate holdings company. I continued to write commission checks to other people and decided I’d just get my real estate license so I could participate and get paid instead of paying others to do what I knew I could be doing as well. That was four years ago when I decided to go get my license. One year into receiving my license, my siblings and I decided to purchase the real estate company where I hung my license — The Lachicotte Company. I then stepped into the CEO position and found that I loved real estate. Later, we decided to merge with a larger company, and I happily stepped out of the management role and into sales. I have now found where I always belonged.”

CW: Tell us about how you grew up and what or whom shaped you into the woman you are today.
“My dad was my hero and mentor. I lost him too soon but am very grateful for the example of hard work and the dream big attitude he instilled in me. He worked endlessly and took care of so many people. My mother has been steady as a rock and always looks great no matter what is going on. Did I mention my sister is my hero?”

CW: If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or passed away), who would it be and why?
“My grandmother, my dad’s mom. She was the most influential person in my life, albeit short because she passed away at 60 years old. She was the first person who told me about Jesus and she always read the Bible to me. I can still feel her worn down hands holding my little hands as she read the Bible. She was a very strong woman who ran an entire farm single-handedly after losing her husband who died at 61.”

CW: Tell us about your family.
“I am married to the love of my life for 31 years. I’ve wanted to strangle him some days, but most days I am grateful for him and could not live without him. I can be a lot to live with. We have three kids, all adults now. Wes is 29 years old and lives and works in Nashville with a master’s degree in commercial real estate. Caroline is 26 years old who has her master’s in clinical mental health counseling and is pursuing a career being a counselor. Cooper Anne is 21 and a rising senior at Ole Miss. We have two four-legged children, Wyatt Earp and Camp. They are angels on earth.”