Say What Needs to Be Said: Lessons from My Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Conversation

I recently had the immense pleasure of sitting down with James and Keith on the Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered podcast, and I'll be honest, I walked in a little intimidated. (Also, they’re two of the most entertaining people I’ve met in this industry!) These two have a way of getting right to the heart of what our industry is wrestling with, and they didn't let me off easy. We talked about crisis, change, leadership, the lawsuits, consolidation, personal branding, and what agents can do right now to get ahead.

I've spent my career in marketing, communications and leadership roles, and this past year I stepped into the role of President alongside my CMO role. That vantage point has given me a front-row seat to how much our industry has been through, and how much opportunity is still in front of us. I wanted to share a few of the ideas from our conversation that I think matters most for any real estate professional, no matter where you hang your license.

When the pressure is on, pause before you swing

Keith joked that our industry seems tolive in a state of perpetual crisis, and he's not wrong. Before real estate, mybackground was in PR and crisis communications, so when he asked how I handle acrisis, both tactically and emotionally, I didn't have to think long. Iactually completed a week-long certificate program in crisis communicationmanagement which also put the word “crisis” into persepective.

The first thing you do in almost anyemergency is assess what you're actually dealing with. I see so many people comeout of the gate swinging, reacting fast because it feels like action. But themost important move is the hardest one, which is to pause. Take a minute tounderstand where you are, how you're feeling, and how your leadership team isfeeling, and get aligned on your thinking before you say a word publicly.

That pause is where the emotional sidecomes in.

You have to stay calm and genuinely believe that you can get through it, becausemost things really are recoverable.

I've lived through more than a fewsituations where it felt like the sky was falling, and the ones that turned outwell were always handled with a steady hand rather than a loud one. Whetheryou're a broker navigating a tough moment in your office or an agent managing adeal that's going sideways, calm is contagious, and so is panic.

Some of our best answers live outside real estate

One thing our leadership team doesintentionally is seek advice from people who aren't in real estate. James askedwhy our industry doesn't do more of that, and I think the honest answer is thatwe get comfortable. We go to the same events, see the same faces, and talk tothe people we already know. It's easier, but the learning that happens when youpush yourself outside those circles is impressive, because other industriesoften face the very same challenges and simply approach them differently.

Here's a real example. For years, we’ve had the guidance of someone who owns and franchises a chain of gyms. That got me thinking so I started studying gym membership fatigue. Too many agents leave the business within their first six months to a year, and I wanted to understand the emotional cause behind it. It turns out the pattern is strikingly similar. People sign up for a gym feeling like they've joined a great team and they're going to crush it. Then reality sets in. You can learn every machine on the floor, but without a real community around you, the motivation fades. That insight has shaped how we think about supporting agents from their very first day.

Ifyou're a broker or a team leader, I'd encourage you to find your own version ofthat. Serve on a nonprofit board, join a forum group, or invite local businessowners into your thinking. The fit won't always be hand in glove, but theperspective will make you sharper.

Patience, your gut, and celebrating the journey

When they asked what surprised me mostin my first full year as President, the answer was easy. I'm a doer and a fixerby nature, and I want to solve every problem for our offices tomorrow. WhatI've had to learn is a lot of patience, because not everything can be fixedovernight. I've also had to let go of much of the doing, trust the talented forceof passionate people around me, and spend far more of my time talking withpeople and, most importantly, listening.

Keith pushed on that, asking how youbalance patience with the need to push. I laughed because I'm middle-aged andstill learning this ONE, but what I've come to rely on is my gut. Sometimes Iwant to push hard and my gut tells me to give it a minute. Other times my guttells me that if I don't push faster, we're going to end up in a bad place.Learning to listen to that voice has made me a better leader.

Andwhichever way a decision goes, celebrate it together. The best brands and thebest organizations celebrate the wins, don't punish the mistakes, and trust inwhat they learn from both. Your team will take bigger swings when they know youhave their back.

Don't be afraid to take a stand

This was the most important ONE for me-- James asked why so many voices in our industry have gone quiet. I think thecommission lawsuits broke open the idea that real estate was somehowimpenetrable, and some people retreated after that. But that moment also forcedall of us to pay closer attention, not just to our own businesses, but toconsumers and what matters most to them. My view is simple.

Ifsaying what needs to be said pushes the industry forward and makes us better,then say it. Some people will be upset with you either way.

I learned that lesson early at RealtyONE Group. A few months into the job, we parted ways with a high-producing team that was no longer aligned with our values, and I drafted the polished, wish-them-the-best statement I'd been trained to write for twenty years. Kuba Jewgieniew, our founder and CEO, sent it back and asked me to try again, then again. This wasn't about smoothing things over. It was about protecting the brand and doing the right thing for the people inside it. That's when I understood that we're willing to take a stand.

That same spirit is why I love brands that care so deeply about their loyalists that they'll take a stand on their behalf. At Realty ONE Group, we build the brand, hand it to our Broker/Owners and agents, and ask them to be proud of it and make it their own. Our offices in Boise look different from our offices in Tampa, and seeing the brand come to life in Argentina and Portugal this year was something special. When people infuse their own story into a brand they believe in, it becomes stronger, not weaker.

Keep the consumer, and the relationship, at the center

When they put me on the spot about what concerns me most right now, I kept coming back to ONE question. Are we paying attention to the right things? The lawsuits prompted real changes, and some of them were good, but my worry is whether we stopped there. Are we still looking at everything we do to make sure we're protecting both consumers and agents, before the next lawsuit forces us to? I also openly shared that consolidation concerns me. I love choice, and I worry about agents who end up in a move they never chose.

Private listings are part of that same conversation. I was recently explaining all of this to my parents, who are smart people but not in the business every day, and their reaction said it all.They wanted everyone to be able to see their listing, and they wanted the freedom to work with any agent, not be limited to whoever controls a privatepool of homes.

Whenyou strip away the industry jargon, consumers can tell us a lot about what'sfair.

It reminded me of Betty, our family's REALTOR® for every home my parents bought when I was growing up. Betty came over for Easter. She was at our house whether we were buying, selling, or neither, and she worked hard to get us into those homes. In a world of AI, virtual tours, and endless technology, I never want us to lose that. The relationship still matters, and there's a Betty in every market.

You are more than real estate

The biggest mistake I see agents makewith their personal brand is that they still aren't being authenticallythemselves. I talked with an agent recently who told me, "I'm just realestate." And I told her, no, you're so much more than that. If you fosterdogs, people are going to love you for fostering dogs. Posting somethingpersonal can feel like a leap of faith, but that's how you build the authenticyou, and that's what people want to connect with. "Hey, I have a newlisting" is only one small piece of who you are.

I understand why it's hard. I'msomeone who cares what people think, and we've all trained our brains tomeasure our worth in likes and comments.

But the agents who connect most deeply are the ones braveenough to show up as real people.

Lean into what you're not good at

To close, Keith asked the question they end every episode with: what's the one thing an agent should implementright now? My answer is to lean into whatever you know you're not good at. Some agents have dived deep into AI and they're great at it, but they're avoidingthe calls. Others don't follow up, or they never ask for referrals. We all know where our gaps are. Push yourself over that ledge and go do the hard thing, because that's where the real growth happens.

Pull up a chair and listen in

These are just a few highlights from aconversation that was honest, a little unfiltered (as promised), and a lot offun. James and Keith brought great energy and even sharper questions, andthere's plenty more in the full episode, from leading through change to whereour industry goes from here. I'd love for you to grab a coffee, take a walk,and listen to the fullconversation on YouTube.Then tell me which part resonated with you most.

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