MaryAnne Gilmartin on Grit, Guts, and Building Through Backlash

Episode Insight

In the third and final part of this deeply personal series, Leo Jacobs sits down with MaryAnne Gilmartin to confront the emotional costs and fierce resilience behind her most controversial project — the Barclays Center.

She doesn’t hold back.

We hear what it’s like to be publicly targeted (literally), professionally doubted, and personally torn between building empires and being a present mother.

And still — she delivered.

Highlights

• When home becomes a battleground:
  MaryAnne moved her children into Park Slope — ground zero for opposition to the Barclays project. On her daughter's first day of school, the view from their brownstone was a giant sign saying, “F**k You MaryAnne.”
• Building amidst backlash:
  From public protests to private doubts, she kept going. She didn’t hide her kids from the fire — she raised them in it. And they emerged proud, grounded, and strong.
• Success, not entitlement:
  MaryAnne reflects on the fear of raising children without grit after building a life of stability. “Entitlement is a bugaboo I can’t stand,” she says. Every part of her parenting was designed to instill resilience.
• Money, power, and trade-offs:
  She didn’t come from wealth. She earned it the hard way — balancing student loans, New York rents, and big dreams. “I knew I had to know where my lunch money was. That instability from childhood? It never leaves you.”
• On being a woman in a man’s game:
  She never tried to be “a man in a skirt.” She did it her way — unapologetically. And thanks to visionary mentor Bruce Ratner, she was treated as a franchise player, not a token..

Quote of the Episode

“I’m a dragon slayer. I don’t spend time thinking about success. I think about what’s next.”

Final Takeaway

Success doesn’t mean safety. It doesn’t mean silence.
MaryAnne Gilmartin’s story is proof that building your legacy often requires confronting rejection, parenting through controversy, and pushing forward even when you’re hated for it.

In the heart of New York City, MaryAnne didn’t just build skyscrapers.
She built a life — fierce, fearless, and undeniably hers.

🎧 Watch the Full Episode Now
And see what it really means to slay dragons.

PODCAST - Confronting the Impossible with Leo Jacobs.

Leo Jacobs, Founder and CEO of Jacobs PC

Known for finding creative, expedient solutions to complex and high-profile cases, Leo excels in matters including distressed investment and asset management, real estate law, corporate law, dispute resolution, business divorces, negotiation, and more. Leo’s extensive expertise in debt and equity structures enables him to employ a full spectrum of legal tools to achieve swift, optimal results for clients. His practice, Jacobs P.C., bridges commercial litigation, corporate transactions, and financial rehabilitation, handling cases across federal, state, and bankruptcy courts, as well as administrative tribunals.

If you would like to join the podcast email requests to pr@jacobspc.com