Rylie Behr: Embracing Her Passion

It was in the middle of cutting open a dead cat that Rylie Behr decided it was time for a change. 

After high school, Rylie knew she wanted to make an impact on the world. She wanted to leave a legacy behind. Rylie chose nursing and began studying in a small college town in Iowa. But during that fateful anatomy class, she realized the dead cat wasn’t it

She was feeling lost while she tried to figure out her next steps. 

Very reluctantly, the next summer in 2019, Rylie found herself (slightly coerced) into attending Auctioneering School. 

It was her grandpa’s idea, she told TeamWomen. 

“He forced me in the sweetest way to go to auction school,” she said. “I would do anything for him, but I was dreading it.” 

By the end, Rylie said, she didn’t want to leave. 

“I was a hot mess! I had made all these friends and I had finally figured out what I wanted to do!” she said. 

And so it was an unconventional path that led Rylie to an unconventional career as a Fundraising Auctioneer– it’s a male-dominated industry where women make up only 14%. 

Rylie dropped out of college and pursued her newfound passion of working to serve meaningful charity organizations all over the country. 

But unfortunately, her career change came right as COVID hit the country in early 2020. Success in the world of auctioneering hinges on a good mentor. School is vital, but highlights only on the basics. Rylie tried to find a mentor, but locating people in her industry who were willing to work with her during the uncertainty of a global pandemic was nearly impossible. 

“I was feeling really down and out until all the sudden I thought, ‘What am I doing?!’ I have the best mentor I could think of! My sister!”

Rylie’s sister, Halie, had previously attended auction school and already had nine years of industry experience under her belt. Halie lived in Colorado but the virtual shift of the pandemic had opened a door and Rylie found great mentorship in her sister. 

Rylie was living in Iowa when she first connected with TeamWomen. Halie, her sister and mentor, was the one who referred Rylie as a great option for an auctioneer for TeamWomen’s virtual event. 

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Rylie joined the Empower Gala via livestream. 

Rylie returned to TeamWomen (virtually, that is) in 2021. That year Minnesota had been hit with another COVID variant, so Rylie joined again for the second livestream of the auction for the Empower Gala. 

Though she returned home to her new home in Colorado, Rylie said the work of TeamWomen stayed with her– especially about the importance of finding mentorship. 

“TeamWomen is a light for women of all ages. They are all about empowering and building connections in the community. No matter the profession, mentorship is so beneficial. No matter how old you are, you really need someone who is going to be honest with you who will be your guiding light.”

Rylie is the Chief Brand Ambassador & Auctioneer for Behr Benefits, a charity auctioneering company she runs with her sister Halie. 

Rylie is passionate about the fundraising work she does and looks for the story behind every dollar she helps to raise. Working with organizations like TeamWomen are incredible she says because of the scope of their impact. 

“It’s the most wholesome organization that’s all about building fruitful relationships and connections, Rylie said. “I owe a lot to TeamWomen. They’ve really empowered me.”

Rylie will reprise her role as auctioneer for TeamWomen (finally in-person) this November for TeamWomen’s EmpowerGala. Learn more about the live auction and event here.