Stephanie Shojaee brings the perfect mix of intelligence, charisma, and fearless energy to Real Housewives Of Miami, fitting seamlessly into this lively group of women in the vibrant city. As a real estate developer and the president of Shoma Group, she stands out not just for being married to influential mogul Masoud Shojaee but for her self-made accomplishments, including earning a spot on a popular reality TV show. Before joining the Bravo series, Shojaee had filmed two pilots focused on female real estate developers, but neither made it to air. “I loved the experience so much,” she shared, which inspired her decision to give Housewives a shot.

Shojaee made a splashy entrance on the show with her memorable arrival. She took a private jet trip with friend Larsa Pippen from Miami to Orlando and back merely to collect her cherished dog, Pebbles, from her parents. “The best babysitters for my dogs are definitely my parents,” Shojaee commented. Although such a venture may seem luxurious to many, Shojaee views it as a judicious use of time. “Driving from Miami to Orlando takes three and a half hours, but flying is just 43 minutes,” she pointed out. “Time is precious.”

Despite winning over fellow cast members like Julia Lemigova, Shojaee’s interactions with co-star Alexia Nepola were rocky from the start. During their initial conversation, she referred to Nepola’s estranged husband Todd as “garbage.” When questioned if she regrets her choice of words, Shojaee acknowledged that her straightforward nature has been challenging throughout her life. “I am very direct. I don’t sugarcoat anything,” she admitted. “This season, how I communicate is a major issue. Major.”

Shojaee stopped by the DECIDER studio to talk about her inaugural season, her humble beginnings, and why she hates it when people are late.

DECIDER: You’re running an empire, you’re in a happy marriage, you have a great family, and you seem to know exactly who you are. Why join the Real Housewives of Miami?

STEPHANIE SHOJAEE: I was approached a couple years ago to do a show about female real estate developers. We shot the pilot with a group of girls. I was like: “oh my gosh, I actually enjoy having the cameras around. I want to show the world like who I am, what I do.” I have a team of 10 girls who are all Latinas working for me. It’s just so fun to build the real estate that all the world buys. Unfortunately, it didn’t get picked up, but the reviews were that they really liked me. So, a year went by, they found another cast. I shot it again. I was even more into it. Unfortunately, it didn’t get picked up again because of the rest of the cast, but I loved the experience so much. That’s why I was like, “let’s give the Housewives a try.” The girls seemed like they could be nice, and I would get to show my life.

3rd times a charm! Your parents came from Colombia with only a backpack and the desire to build a better life for their family. What do they make of your success?

That question makes me emotional because my mom was just texting me like 10 seconds ago. We have a group chat with everybody. I feel my success solidifies that she made a good decision all those years ago. She left her parents–she had nine brothers and sisters–she left them all. She came to this country not knowing English so her kids could have a better life. To see that I am happy and fulfilling my goals makes her and my dad really proud.

Will we see more of them on the show?

Yes, you will. Funny enough, you said that I have a great family. I do have a great mom and dad. Unfortunately, I do have identical twin sisters whom I haven’t spoken to for the last three or four years. I think the show will showcase why things went so wrong between us. Hopefully in the future, we fix it.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed. You revealed that you met your husband at a Miami Heat game. What initially drew you to him?

Nothing drew me to him at first [laughs]. He sent his friend to approach me at the bar. His friend was like, “oh, Mr. Masoud Shojaee would like to meet you.” I looked over and I was like, “oh, well I’m not walking over to the guy, and he looks like a little bit older than what I’m aiming for here.” Fast forward, the guy went back and told him that I was not going to walk over, and he walked over to me. We exchanged numbers because I wanted to sell his houses [laughs]. We planned dinner, and I canceled on him twice. I just wasn’t really feeling like going out to dinner with him, as much as people say that I’m a gold digger. If I really was a gold digger, I probably would have gone the first two times that he asked me. A year went by, and we ran into each other again at a Miami Heat game. The rest is history. It happens when it’s supposed to happen.

Will we see him in future episodes?

A little bit. He’s not super into being a house husband. You’ll see him at Shoma, and we do go on a double date with Martina and Julia because he loves Martina. He used to watch Martina play, so I wanted them to meet.

Your introduction on the show involves your flying Larsa Pippen from Miami to Orlando to pick up your dog. Is this a normal errand for you?

Let me explain. People that have babies, they want their parents to take care of their baby, right? You know your parents are gonna take care your kid. So, the best nanny that I could have for my dogs would be my parents. My parents live in Orlando. Well, if I go on the Brightline [Miami’s high speed train], the dog has to go into the little bag. My dog is a diva; she’s not going into the bag. And if I drive… like I’m not driving [laughs]. So, I just fly.

Is it extravagant or time efficient?

It’s time efficient. Time is money. It takes three and a half hours to drive from Miami to Orlando. Flying only taking 43 minutes.

You hate it when people are late, which is going to be a problem for you on this show because glam takes forever with these women. By the end of the season, did you learn you had to give them some grace? Or did you hold firm?

I held firm. I don’t think it’s glam that delays them. I think they’re late to the glam. The glam teams are, for the most part, on time. I’ve seen it. Like, the glam teams are usually there waiting for the girls. I just have zero patience for people that are late like that because I feel like they are sending a message. The message is: “I’m so important that you should wait for me. My time’s more valuable and you’re gonna sit there and wait.” I just think that is really rude.

You give Alexia some free advice about Todd, which she took well in person but not in her confessional. Do you wish you had been softer in your messaging? Will that come up again this season?

Every day [laughs]. My messaging is very direct. I am very to the point. I’m a “rip the band-aid off” type of personality. I don’t sugarcoat anything. You know exactly where you stand when you’re with me. That’s how I conduct business. I don’t like people who are bullshitters. My messaging is a huge problem this season. Huge. I also think my messaging was the real reason for the demise of my relationship with my sisters.

I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t love the reasons that Lisa was giving about why she wanted to be friends with you. What was your initial reaction?

No, no, no. I mean, listen, I’m gonna be honest with you. People like to have rich friends. Like, I don’t know why people are so scared to talk about money. It’s nice to have friends that have nice things. I mean I like nice things. I just don’t want you to only want to be my friend because of that. Okay, so you want a friend who will fly you places, but at the same time, I am pretty cool and I am very funny. Get to know that side of me too.

Which friendship was tested the most this season and why: Geurdy and Julia or Lisa and Larsa?

That’s a close one, but I believe it’s Lisa’s and Larsa’s friendship. I’m so close to Larsa, and I know deep down how much hurt she has felt because of what Lisa’s done.

Which RHOM housewife made the best first impression and why?

Kiki [St Barth]. I didn’t think I was going to have much in common with Kiki. She talks about dicks a lot, and that’s something that makes me a bit uncomfortable. Within the first three minutes of meeting her, I was struck by her aura and her energy. I was immediately drawn to her. She brings out a side of me that not many people can bring out. She makes me loosen up a bit, and I never loosen up. I just love her.

What can you tease about the rest of the season? Do you feel good about your decision to join the show?

It’s wild; it’s crazy. I didn’t know that girls could be so mean. I didn’t know that there could be so much gossip behind your back. But I also realized as the season went on that it’s like a sisterhood. You really do fight like you fight with your sisters. You pull each other’s hair one minute and then are hugging the next minute. I’m really thankful for all of them. They did teach me a lot, and I’m very happy that I joined this season.

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Miami air every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.