Mauricio Umansky's Toughest Challenge Yet: Lessons from Special Forces

Lucía Torres · 2026-09-23

Mauricio Umansky has closed multi-million dollar deals and negotiated high-stakes contracts. But nothing prepared him for a reality competition modeled after actual military selection—in the Malaysian jungle. In this exclusive Q&A, The Agency's Founder & CEO opens up about his time on "Special Forces," which he calls the toughest challenge of his life. He shares what it taught him about leadership, what it revealed about his resilience, and what it meant to watch his daughter, Alexia, rise to the challenge right beside him. ### Pressure That Changes You In real estate, reading people and staying calm under pressure is essential. Did those instincts kick in out there? Absolutely. But this was pressure on an entirely different level. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, physically and mentally. What I learned very quickly was that you couldn't let your mind get too far ahead of you. You had to stay calm, focus on what was directly in front of you, and get through the next challenge. That actually translates very closely to business. As a CEO, there are always going to be difficult moments, decisions, and things outside of your control. You can't panic. You assess the situation, make the best decision you can, and keep moving forward. This experience reinforced for me just how powerful mindset is. ### Family and Work Dynamics As members of The Umansky Team, you and Alexia deal with challenges together for a living. Did your work dynamic show up in this competition? Or your family dynamic? Definitely both. Alexia and I know each other extremely well, so there was an instinctive understanding of when the other person needed encouragement and when they needed space to push through something themselves. But what was really special for me was getting to experience Alexia outside of our normal father-daughter and work relationship. I got to see her resilience and strength in an entirely different environment. There were moments when I wanted to protect her as her dad, but I also had to let her compete and find that strength within herself. I was incredibly proud of her. ### Strengths That Transfer You and Alexia are in tune with each other's strengths in real estate. Which of those strengths came into play in this competition? Resilience, communication, and being able to perform under pressure. In real estate, you can prepare as much as you want, but something unexpected will always happen. You have to adapt quickly without losing focus. That was true every single day on Special Forces. You never really knew what was coming next, so you couldn't waste energy worrying about it. You had to trust yourself, trust the people around you, and deal with the challenge in front of you. > "The biggest thing I learned is that your mind gives up before your body does. Whether you're competing on Special Forces or leading a company through a difficult moment, resilience is deciding you're going to keep moving forward." — Mauricio Umansky ### Mind Over Matter Did this competition reveal new strengths that might translate to your work life? It reminded me that we're all capable of a lot more than we think we are. Your mind will sometimes tell you that you're done before your body actually is. Learning to push beyond that voice was incredibly powerful. As a CEO and entrepreneur, resilience has always been important to me, but this gave me a completely different understanding of it. Building a company comes with highs and lows. There are moments when things are incredibly difficult, and you have to keep believing in what you're building and keep moving forward. That's mind over matter in a different form. ### What This Means for Real Estate Professionals For those of us in the real estate world, Mauricio's experience is a powerful reminder. The skills we hone daily—negotiation, empathy, staying cool under fire—are more than just business tools. They're life skills that can carry us through the most unexpected challenges. As Mauricio puts it, "You assess the situation, make the best decision you can, and keep moving forward." That's advice that works whether you're facing a tough client, a market downturn, or a jungle obstacle course. Catch the full journey when "Special Forces" premieres Thursday, September 24th at 9 PM EST & PST on Fox (streaming live on YouTube TV, and the next day on Hulu and Disney+).