Stephanie Shojaee talks marriage to Masoud, rejection and sexism

Scroll through Stephanie Shojaee’s Instagram and you’ll come across photos and videos of her and her husband Masoud around the world, in Qatar, France, Greece and Miami. She frequently documents her lavish lifestyle with her spouse, co-founder of Shoma Group, and their dog, Pebbles.

But she’s shared little about the backlash they faced from Masoud’s adult daughters and ex-wife, as well as his friends — or how she met Masoud and rose the ranks at Coral Gables-based Shoma Group to be promoted last year to president — until now.

On a recent “Divorced Not Dead” podcast with TV personality Caroline Stanbury, Shojaee, who has nearly half a million followers on Instagram, pushed back against being labeled a “gold digger.” She said Masoud’s children, Lilibet and Analise, stopped speaking to Masoud years ago because of his relationship with Stephanie, despite her and Masoud’s attempts to reconcile with them.

Masoud Shojaee and his ex, Maria Lamas, finalized their divorce in 2018. Lamas and her children, through trusts and other entities, sued the Shoma Group developer over the years. Lamas co-founded Shoma in 1988.

Stephanie Shojaee said Masoud “gave each one of them like a $4 million home paid in cash. They would get G Wagons, Range Rovers, black cards, everything they wanted” and “a lot of affection.” But their relationship took a turn once they learned about their father’s girlfriend and future wife, Stephanie recounted.

“There’s been no communication for the last maybe six years. It’s definitely upsetting, heart wrenching, to say the least for him,” she said. “I tried really hard to fix it. But I feel like they never gave me the chance whatsoever.”

Shojaee said Masoud’s friends from his previous marriage urged him to break up with her.

Read more

South Florida

The making of Masoud Shojaee’s empire

South Florida

Trusts benefitting Masoud Shojaee’s daughters sue to access his company’s financial records

Stephanie Shojaee said she met her husband when his divorce was being finalized, and that Masoud pursued her after spotting her at a Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers game. She was hesitant at first, citing the 25-year age gap between the two of them, but after a year went by they ran into each other again at the same game, and she agreed to go on a date. After two or three years of working independently, she joined Shoma in the sales division, working under a different boss, she said.

“My husband’s never been happier. He’s never been healthier. He’s never been making more money than he was before he met me. [I’m] not saying that I am the reason for that solely. But when you put me and him together, we’re an unstoppable force versus when he was with his ex-wife.”

She also said that she believes Masoud’s infatuation with their dog likely stems from “the emptiness he feels of losing his daughters.” If they were to have a child, Stephanie said she would want a boy named Masoud who would take over the family empire one day, but that it scares her to have to adjust their lifestyle.

“We live such a great life. We work so hard,” she said. “We party hard, in the sense of vacationing. Do I really want to add one more human that my husband is going to be so crazy about that it’s just gonna take away my attention? I don’t know if I’m really willing to share it.”

Shojaee discussed her start in real estate, helping to sell her father’s real estate after college, and sexism she’s faced in the industry.

“I tell my husband all the time. ‘Is it ever going to stop? Is it ever going to get better, where people don’t assume that [I] slept [my] way to the top?’” she said, noting that she has been working in real estate for almost 20 years.

Shojaee called being underestimated by others her “superpower.”

“I feel like till this day, I’m still underestimated,” she said. “And I feel like it’s what keeps me going.”