In this episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset, Brian Charlesworth sits down with Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty, to talk about the journey from selling nearly 4,000 homes to leading one of the fastest-growing brokerages in the industry. Leo shares how he started in real estate at 19, thinking he would be an investor, and ended up becoming one of the top agents in the country. Leo dives into how market cycles shaped his career, from making over $300,000 as a college student to nearly goi...
Mar 11, 2025•34 min•Ep. 154
In this episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset, Brian Charlesworth welcomes Desi Williams and Elizabeth McNally, two high-performing team leaders who are breaking records in small markets. Desi Williams from Burley, Idaho, and Elizabeth McNally from Medicine Hat, Alberta, share how they've captured over 40% market share in communities where most agents settle for 20 deals a year. Desi shares her journey of moving to Idaho and starting her real estate career with no sphere of influence. ...
Jan 21, 2025•41 min•Ep. 153
In this episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset, Brian Charlesworth talks with Veronica Figueroa, a leader in real estate team operations and growth. Veronica shares her journey from managing a complex business that sold over 2,200 homes a year to building a streamlined, sustainable model. Veronica opens up about the challenges of scaling too quickly, explaining how a focus on simplicity transformed her team’s operations. "We realized the business was too heavy, and simplicity became our...
Jan 14, 2025•32 min•Ep. 152
In this episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset, Brian Charlesworth hosts Ken Hirschmann and Brandon Verlinden from Best Life & Co., a rapidly growing real estate team in Michigan. Ken and Brandon share their unconventional journey from managing grocery stores to leading one of the most productive teams in the state, highlighting how their background in high-accountability roles shaped their leadership style. The duo dives into their focus on agent productivity over agent count, shar...
Nov 12, 2024•41 min•Ep. 151
In this celebratory 150th episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset, host Brian Charlesworth welcomes Jon Cheplak for a powerful conversation on mental resilience, personal accountability, and building a business that lasts. In this special episode, Jon dives into the highs and lows of his career and shares how his journey from addiction to success shaped his approach to life and work. Jon discusses the critical role of mindset in today's market, emphasizing the power of discipline and res...
Nov 05, 2024•51 min•Ep. 150
Join Brian Charlesworth on this episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset as he talks with Matt Smith, a real estate leader whose journey from managing a small team to becoming one of the top performers in the Missouri market offers invaluable lessons in leadership, strategy, and accountability. Starting with just 8-10 agents in 2018, Matt now oversees a team of 27, but his success hasn’t come without challenges. Matt opens up about how using Sisu transformed how he tracks performance, sha...
Oct 22, 2024•46 min•Ep. 149
Join Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, as he interviews Steven Myers, the visionary owner of Urban Cool Brokerage. Steven shares his journey from corporate aerospace engineer to leading real estate investor and team owner in Wichita, Kansas. From selling his first property to growing a team of over 60 agents, Steven’s story is a testament to the power of grit and resilience. In this episode, Steven discusses the challenges of leaving a high-paying corporate career and the risks he took to fol...
Oct 01, 2024•46 min•Ep. 148
This week on GRIT, host Brian Charlesworth welcomes Shahar Plinner, founder and CEO of Formations, to discuss an often-overlooked aspect of running a real estate business: taxes. Shahar brings decades of expertise in tax planning for the self-employed, particularly real estate agents and team leaders. From his roots in Israel to building one of Seattle’s top accounting firms, Shahar has always been driven by one goal—helping entrepreneurs keep more of their hard-earned money. In this insightful ...
Sep 25, 2024•39 min•Ep. 147
In this episode of GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset, Brian Charlesworth sits down with JD Reese, founder of The Genuine Group, one of Southern Utah’s rising stars in real estate. JD shares his evolution from selling over 1,000 homes as a builder agent to creating and leading a team that’s now ranked in the top five in just three years. How did he do it? JD credits much of his success to the systems and processes he built from the ground up. JD takes us back to when he worked long days as a b...
Sep 10, 2024•43 min•Ep. 146
In this episode of the "GRIT" podcast, Brian Charlesworth sits down with Zach Geisendorfer, Director of Client Relations at FAM Realty Group, which started with five agents and is now at nearly 40 in Orange County, California. Zach shares the ups and downs of growing quickly, including the hard lessons learned about the need for solid systems and a strong team culture. “We thought we were on top of the world when we added 25 agents in two weeks,” Zach says, “but without a solid system, things fe...
Sep 04, 2024•44 min•Ep. 145
In this episode of "GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset," Brian Charlesworth welcomes Glen Baker, founder of the MorrisAgent Team, for a conversation about growing a business when the odds seem stacked against you. Glen shares his fascinating journey from selling a tech company for $91 million to diving into real estate after a personal tragedy, driven by a passion for improving customer experience. Glen opens up about the challenges of expanding into new markets like Massachusetts, where he ha...
Aug 27, 2024•32 min•Ep. 144
This week on the "GRIT" podcast, Brian Charlesworth is joined by Ryan Young, a third-generation real estate expert and the innovative mind behind Fello. Ryan's journey is anything but typical—from a burnt-out chef to leading a team selling hundreds of homes yearly. He looks back at how starting in a down market gave him the grit and know-how to tackle today's challenges. Ryan dives deep into the current state of the real estate market, pointing out how it can mess with your emotions if you need ...
Aug 20, 2024•29 min•Ep. 143
In this week's episode of "GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset," host Brian Charlesworth sits down with Quintavius Burdette, a top-performing real estate agent who’s breaking records and defying the odds, and who recently made waves on Survivor. From humble beginnings in Mississippi, Q, as he is known, has made a name for himself in the real estate industry by selling over 900 homes in his first five years. Q shares his incredible journey, from growing up in a family of 17 to choosing a path in...
Aug 13, 2024•39 min•Ep. 142
Join Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, and George Laughton, founder of The Laughton Team. George shares his remarkable journey from entering real estate during the challenging 2007 market to building a team that handles over a billion dollars in transactions annually. George discusses the importance of identifying market opportunities and adapting quickly. He emphasizes building a strong core business while remaining adaptable to capture bigger opportunities. "Every market presents its opport...
Jul 16, 2024•33 min•Ep. 141
Join Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, as he interviews Desi and Tyson Williams, a powerhouse couple in the real estate world. They discuss their move from Orange County to Burley, Idaho, and how they turned a part-time real estate venture into a full-time success story. Desi shares her journey from starting in real estate as a stay-at-home mom in 2013, selling homes as a hobby, to making a significant career move in 2019. Her decision to go full-time in real estate was driven by the desire t...
Jun 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 140
In this episode of GRIT, Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, talks with Jeff Glover of Glover U, Michigan's #1 realtor for nearly a decade. Jeff takes listeners on a tour of his daily life, managing a high-volume listing schedule while also leading one of the top real estate coaching programs in the nation. He discusses his entry into the real estate world and how he has managed to stay on top through both booming and challenging times. At the Glover Agency, where a team of over 25 agents sells...
May 28, 2024•34 min•Ep. 139
Join Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, as he interviews Kelly Cardenas, a renowned speaker and former owner of Kelly Cardenas Salons. They discuss Kelly's fascinating journey from the beauty industry to becoming a keynote speaker and podcaster. Kelly shares his insights on the importance of focusing on people and creating a positive vibe in every interaction. Kelly explains the philosophy his father taught him: the only true business is the people business. This belief has shaped his approach...
May 21, 2024•34 min•Ep. 138
Join Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, and William Lam, founder of UPGRD®, as they explore the concept of upgrading the mind. They delve into William's journey with Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and how it transformed his life and led to the founding of UPGRD®, a system designed to elevate the mental operating system of individuals worldwide. William shares the four phases of the UPGRD® process, “Resolve, Evolution, Acceleration, and Omniscience,” highlighting how each phase is crucial i...
May 14, 2024•46 min•Ep. 137
In the latest episode of the "Grit" podcast, host Brian Charlesworth shares a conversation with the team behind Speedy Offers: Coby Socher, Sharon Socher and Katy Goetz. The Speedy Offers team share their personal and professional journeys and how they transitioned to real estate investment. With diverse backgrounds, they share a unified goal of exploring untapped potential of real estate investment business. The team talks about their joint efforts that have greatly advanced Speedy Offers, stre...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 136
Join Brian Charlesworth, the founder of Sisu, and Ieasha Larkpor, Managing Broker and owner of Thunder Team Realty, as they explore the resilience of the real estate world. All of us remember the famous crash of 2008. Well, Ieasha entered the scene right after it. Instead of backing down, she saw an opportunity, and her story on the GRIT episode is all about bouncing back. With a background in a military family and having moved from Hawaii to Germany, she mastered adaptability, which became the ...
Oct 17, 2023•31 min•Ep. 135
When Beth Matthews started in real estate in 2009, she explored both residential and commercial areas. But she took a different route for a while, getting into pharmaceutical sales. However, her love for real estate pulled her back. Beth saw something missing in the Buffalo, New York, real estate market: a strong focus on excellence and customer service. Growing up, she learned the value of hard work and dedication. She wanted to bring these values into her business. Beth decided to put her clie...
Aug 29, 2023•39 min•Ep. 134
Join Brian Charlesworth, founder of Sisu, and Melanie Meier, COO of the Atkinson Team at eXp Realty and Co-founder of Real Estate Growth Solutions, as they discuss Melanie's unique role in the Canadian Real Estate industry, sharing the intricacies of the Canadian real estate market, the transformative power of automation with Sisu, and the nuances of real estate coaching. Melanie has a sharp focus on operations and systems, she bridges critical gaps in the industry. Her team's structured onboard...
Aug 22, 2023•34 min•Ep. 133
In this engaging episode of "Grit: The Real Estate Growth Mindset" podcast, host Brian Charlesworth sat down with Kory Prince, the successful co-founder of CountryWide Real Estate Group, Canada. The pair delve into Kory's real estate journey, discuss the unique characteristics of the Canadian real estate market, share practical business strategies, and emphasize the value of maintaining a balance between work and personal life. Kory Prince kicked off the conversation by tracing his path to real ...
Aug 01, 2023•32 min•Ep. 132
In this week’s episode of Grit Podcast, host Brian Charlesworth converses with the dynamic duo of Josh and Dani Hampton, the founders of Dani Hampton Group. Sharing their entrepreneurial journey, the Hamptons disclose their lessons, strategies, and best practices for building a thriving real estate team. Josh and Dani start the discussion by highlighting the vital role of systems and processes in their business operations. They credit their efficient systems for helping them maintain a balance b...
Jul 18, 2023•36 min•Ep. 131
In this intriguing podcast episode of the Grit Podcast, Brian Charlesworth welcomes Michael St. Jean, a real estate industry veteran and founder of Michael St. Jean Realty, based in Hamilton, Ontario. Michael takes listeners through his fascinating journey in the real estate sector, focusing on the evolution of his business, key strategies that contributed to his success, and the benefits of leveraging technology. Michael dives into the fundamental strategies that have significantly driven his c...
Jul 11, 2023•50 min•Ep. 130
Let’s jump in to this weeks episode of "GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset", where we explore the intricacies of team development and leadership in the complex world of real estate. Host, Brian Charlesworth, steers an insightful dialogue with the distinguished figures in the industry, Brett Jennings and Beth Lazar. In an era where effective leadership sets the pace for success, understanding how to lead with vision and influence becomes paramount. Brett, with his profound expertise and experie...
May 30, 2023•38 min•Ep. 129
In an era where client expectations are at an all-time high, creating meaningful experiences and delivering unparalleled service can make all the difference in the real estate industry. As market dynamics continue to evolve, agents who genuinely understand their client's needs and adapt swiftly are the ones who will thrive. But how can agents reshape the industry standards and redefine client experience? And what role does mindset play in all this? In this episode, we delve into these questions ...
May 23, 2023•39 min•Ep. 128
In today’s ever-evolving market, real estate teams who fail to utilize their systems properly risk being left behind and losing market share. That is why in order to scale and grow the business, and gain competitive advantage, fully leveraging systems is a must. Because with a well-integrated system, teams can streamline their operations and workflows. Thus allowing them to focus more of their time and resources on building relationships with clients and closing deals. And with the right systems...
Apr 11, 2023•45 min•Ep. 127
The traditional brokerage model typically found its strength in individual realtors working independently to manage their clients and transactions. But with the emergence of the full-service brokerage model has proven to offer several advantages over its conventional counterpart. By providing real estate agents the autonomy in building their businesses while providing “team-like” support, these full-service brokerages are able to keep and attract those agents who approach their production and tr...
Mar 15, 2023•43 min•Ep. 126
The number of people in their 20’s who are living with roommates have more than doubled on a percentage basis over the last 30 years. As a result, people are going on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace to find rooms or roommates. But without a reliable background check, this process can be a major safety concern. What if there was a more elegant way to fine-tune the process and put technology on top of it to elevate the rental investing and home sharing process to a whole new-level? Brian Charle...
Jan 31, 2023•36 min•Ep. 125
