Chiseled with Rob Commodari

I have been in real estate a long time, but Danny Hicks taught me something new this week. Many of us in the real estate industry know the trifecta of the deal — location, price, and condition. For most homebuyers, you usually have to sacrifice one criterion to get into a home. But as Danny explains this week, you can actually get all three, when you can change the location of a home. His perspective on how to make that happen is not only creative but also demonstrates the acumen of a true businessman.
Danny isn't just a businessman, however. He's an artist too. While coming from a family of entrepreneurs in the construction industry, he set his own course, studying art in college and becoming an art teacher in the Richmond, Virginia, county school system. It was only because of his frustration with a school administrator's inability to think outside the box that Danny pursued his real estate passion and found the nexus between art and business.
For Danny, combining the elements of real estate, art, and educating first-time homebuyers on how to achieve their dreams has been a reward years in the making. As he says, nothing feels better than being able to help someone get to where they want to be. He has taken it to the next level, combining real estate with rentals, renovations, and business development.
I shouldn't be surprised by Danny's ingenuity. As he shares in this week's episode, real estate doesn't just put people in homes or revitalize old neighborhoods. It also helps people find their joy and helps him refine his spiritual, moral, and ethical codes.
Danny is doing great, and it is no surprise. We should all be so lucky to find his level of clarity in our pursuits. I hope hearing Danny describe his path on this week's episode of Chiseled will help you discover how to combine your passions to achieve your ultimate success. 

Eric A. Clayton is a born storyteller. Writing fiction as a child, his grandmother would edit Eric's fantastical stories about elves and dragons, teaching him the skills of imaginary world-building.
It is no wonder, then, that as an adult, Eric loves borrowing from the colorful St. Ignatius, who helped Eric find his spirituality as a writer, first for Catholic Relief Services and now as the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, here in Baltimore.
As Eric explains in this week's podcast, St. Ignatius of Loyola was a soldier and minor noble who "was all about winning wars and wooing women" until he was hit by a cannonball during the Battle of Pamplona. The ordeal led him to put down his sword, become a pilgrim, and found the Jesuit order of priests.
"We're talking about these trajectory-changing instances in our lives," he said. "And they can be pretty brutal, pretty tragic and traumatic."
Eric draws from the inspirational type of prayer that Ignatius taught the Jesuits to pursue — imaginative, contemplative, and most of all experiential.
"He's really big on getting out into the world," Eric said. "The Jesuits, founded in the mid 1500s, were different than other religious orders because they lived in the world. They didn't live in monasteries."
The story of St. Ignatius' self-discovery is where the phrase Cannonball Moments, the title of Eric's second book, comes from.
"It's kind of a flippant term that folks use in the wider Ignatian community," he said.
Aside from Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith, Eric also has written My Life With the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars. His third book, Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness, is due out in 2025.
Meanwhile, he also writes the award-winning weekly column, "Now Discern This," and has a Substack channel with some very entertaining headlines. It may be trite, Eric says, but for him writing is a form of prayer.
Eric is not only a gifted writer — and you can learn more about his work on his website — but he is also an engaging conversationalist who will have you instantly tuned in when you listen to this week's episode of Chiseled. Enjoy.

It's funny. When I reflected on my conversation with Carol Foderick, this week's guest on Chiseled, I was amused that she is known as "the hardest working woman in realestate," yet she prioritizes her life outside the office.

And then it made sense to me. Working hard at a career is one thing, but creating work-life balance is a whole other level of effort. As you will learn this week, Carol is the epitome of discovering the balance between leadershipand friendship, mothering and managing, and reflection and action. 

Carol started out in real estate working as a front deskreceptionist while finishing college. Now, her real estate group has 32 people and closes 354 transactions in a year. She has invested in recreational, rental, and multi-unit real estate, owns a renovation company and a staging company,and 90 percent of her business comes from repeat customers and direct referrals.

"It truly takes a community effort of a lot of like-minded individuals coming together," she said.

Carol is also one of the Buffini White Hats, which, if you regularly listen to this program, you know is part of the elite coaching group I have been connected to for 25 years.  

"I always tell people the first check that I write of the year is to my Buffini coach and for my Buffini system because they have gotten me here. They are going to be the absolute last thing I abandon," she said.

That's a business decision. Personally, Carol is even more committed to her family. As a woman, it is a constant juggle to be successful in the workplace while also putting family first. But as she explains in a very poignant story, being the hardest working woman in real estate isn't going to make it on herepitaph.

"My tombstone is (not) going to say 'Ran a team of 32,'" she said.

Carol has a lot on her plate, and being a fast talker with an entrepreneurial mindset she gives listeners a lot to digest this week. I am sure you will gain many valuable insights from her. You can connect with Carol at her email address:[email protected]

When we hear the word "intimacy," most of us thinkabout sex. But in reality, intimacy refers to honest connections with others,whether they be with a partner, child, friend, or even God.

Dr. Stormy Hill, whom I met while working on my book chapter for NextLevel Your Life, takes a broad approach to enhancing intimacy.An occupational therapist, mental health and substance abuse specialist, andintimacy coach, Dr. Stormy dove into studies on intimacy while navigating thewaters of raising an autistic son.

"It was interesting, sort of a mom-world collision with aprofessional-world collision," she said.

Dr. Stormy, who is one of the celebrity authors of The Transformational Journey: Lessons from Business, Life,and Happiness, now helps individuals and couples explore how to buildintimacy through self-confidence, self-love, bliss, and pleasure in and outsidethe bedroom. Dr. Stormy says having a growth mindset for life, love, and sexteaches us how to develop relationships for maximum satisfaction and spiritualfulfillment.

"The only thing about emotions is that they will change,which is why I don't think love is an emotion, it's a force," she told me.

In this week's Chiseled podcast, Dr. Stormyshares effective tools to connect with your partner, children, friends, andGod, and to overcome the challenges that confront us every day withpsychological and physical mastery. If you're interested in how your brain andbody work together, you must hear her insights.

Once you listen to this podcast, which is full of tips andexercises for building intimacy, you will probably want to learn more. On her website, Dr. Stormy offers a free"Compassionate Self-Care Guide," which is full of practices, videos,guided mediations and links to additional resources for developing intimacymore deeply. I'm betting you will want to check it out.

If you have questions or want even more of her incredibleguidance, you can reach Dr. Stormy by email or follow her on Instagram. Meanwhile, I hope you hope thisenlightening episode of Chiseled.

It's our 100th episode of Chiseled and I'm so excited to have Paul Hutchinson join me for this milestone. You may have heard of Paul, the executive producer and inspiration for the movie, The Sound of Freedom. 
Paul was living the high life building a multi-billion dollar company, Bridge Investment Group. He had a house with 10 bathrooms, seven fireplaces, three kitchens, and a closet larger than most people's apartments. A basketball court and a full-on DJ booth with light structures and a stage were set up in his basement.
He was also on his way to his second divorce, his kids wouldn't talk to him, and he had lost his relationship with God.
The parties every other weekend with NBA players and half-naked women kept him busy, but his soul wasn't fulfilled. However, his reputation as a flashy playboy with a disarming charm made him the kind of recruit that spy agencies look for.
Paul turned down the CIA's overtures, but when he got a call from the attorney general asking him to insinuate himself into a child trafficking ring, the challenge motivated him to action.  
"I didn't want to put my life in danger for some white-collar crime guys in Dubai, but when it came to kids, if there was something I could do to help, great," he said.
Two days after a follow-up chat with a homeland security agent stationed in Cartagena, Paul was in Colombia making a deal to "purchase" young virgins.
"Then things became really real. I mean these guys knew who I was, and I realized the depth of darkness that they were engulfed in, and I realized how dangerous it really was, but I said to myself, 'If that was my child, if that 11-year-old was my daughter, I would take a bullet to get her out. I would give everything I have to destroy the lives of whoever tried to take her,'" he said.
The successful mission saving a group of children from a sex trafficker profoundly moved Paul. But it still hadn't quite renewed his soul. That would take another two years engaging in some mind-bending experiences with the operators who helped him save so many lives.
"I had what I call an 'ego death' and that ego death was absolutely necessary for 'Paul Effing Hutchinson' to go away," he said. "That's what brought me back to God."
Paul completed 70 missions in 15 countries during his 10 years undercover. He has earned the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the International Medal of Freedom. He has been knighted three times, earned 12 honorary doctorate degrees, is the founder of Child Liberation Foundation, and personally donates millions of dollars to rescue children from enslavement.
As if his story needed any more drama, it has been brought to life on the big screen. The Sound of Freedom, starring Jim Caviezel and Eduardo Verástegui, who plays Paul's character is a must-watch. In fact, watching the film moved me to call Paul up and ask him to be my guest on this 100th episode of Chiseled. 
I could not be more honored, he agreed. When you hear Paul's story, when you hear how bad human trafficking still is, particularly in the United States, you won't believe that Paul could remain as humble as he is. But as he says, "a piece of coal doesn't become a diamond if it's just sitting out there in the sun. It's gotta go through some pressure, it's gotta go through some heat."
You can learn more about Paul and the efforts to end human trafficking at Liberating- humanity.com, ChildLiberation.org, and the SoundofFreedombook.com. You can also follow him on his Instagram and Facebook pages.
But first, hear him on this week's episode share some of his darkest nights and most dangerous missions. Afterward, let me know if you were able to get through this episode without crying. I wasn't.

Pastors Don and Ethel Rucker both heard the voice of God when they first laid eyes on each other. Meeting in a church — she was there because church was always her "safe haven" and he was there because he wanted to "appease" his sister — the word reached them as a whisper in their hearts acknowledging they had met their life partner.

It wasn't long afterward that they married. But even though they were destined for each other, they admit the first three years of marriage were lousy.

"I had no positive role models on how to submit to men, how to respect them, how to honor them. What was that?" Pastor Ethel said.
"I didn't have any tools. And neither did he because his father walked away as well."

But the glue they shared was commitment and faith.

"The turning point for us was that we realized this is not God's will. He did not bring us together for us to be miserable," Don said.

The two set out investigating what they needed to build a strong marriage, and with God's help, developed 10 principles that laid the foundation for their union.

"If you look at your marriage as a business, you have towork that thing. That means there's got to be policies ... to govern that relationship," Don said. "It can failproof your relationship, the principles that God gave us."

Now, 41 years married, Ethel and Don teach these principles in couples' workshops. They have also written a book about their journey, From Misery to Marital Bliss.

That's not all they achieved. Through a program called "Reach One, Teach One, and Grow One," they are building on God's messages of transformation. In 2014, they founded the Christian Development Center in Montclair, California, and now feed and clothe 600 families monthly. They conductparenting and other educational classes and collaborate with local businesses to serve the greater San Bernadino County. They've even started down the path of investment to build affordable housing that can serve neighbors based ontheir income levels, rather than market value.

"(God) said, 'You will always have the poor. You will not always have me.' So, from Ethel and our perspective, what we're doing in the community is really doing what He would be doing if He was here," Don said.

I met Ethel and Don through Kyle Wilson's Inner Circle group, and I am struck by their ministry and their amazing accomplishments. I do believe they are transforming behaviors and outcomes in the lives of many, helping to build the kingdom of God. 

You can learn more about them on their website, Facebook and Instagram. Meanwhile, I hope you click the button below to learn about their journey and enjoy this inspirational episode of Chiseled.

The conversation is 50 minutes, but Kyle is so expansive and so abundant-minded that he's offering to give Chiseled listeners a box full of marketing tools for free. You just have to listen to the end of the podcast to hear all that he is giving away, including books, recordings, and access to his Inner Circle. He will explain HOW to claim it

Jim Keyes has an outstanding resume. A former CEO of 7-Eleven and Blockbuster, former head of planning at Citgo, a pilot, a sculptor, and a published author, Keyes learned from a challenging childhood that curiosity is the key not merely to get through life, but to grab the reins and run with it.
Jim's start wasn't easy. One of six kids, he grew up in a three-room shack with no running water in Grafton, Mass. Overwhelmed by it all, his mother walked out on the family when he was a child, and according to Jim, the family faced crisis after crisis. But these crises never deterred Jim from wanting to discover his place in the world.
"I didn't see myself as a victim, and said I will get through this and there's going to be another opportunity on the other side of this crisis, and there always was," he said.
Born to a Baptist father and a Catholic mother, at an early age Jim was swept away by the "uniqueness" of the Catholic Church, despite its familiar lessons.
"I learned the Bible verse James 1:12, 'Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,' and I kind of own that," he said.
That verse would pop up in Jim's life repeatedly. But on the Christmas morning right after he was appointed CEO of 7-Eleven, Jim had a dream in which he successfully conquered three trials, and he knew that embodying change, confidence, and clarity would lead him wherever he wanted to go.
Jim has taken his classical education and faith lessons and put them in a book called, Education is Freedom: The Future is in Your Hands. He has gone on an international speaking tour with the book, and with the help of social media giant Mr. Beast, has created scholarship opportunities for children around the world.
Jim said that freedom has taught him to enjoy the richness of life and the beauty and peace of nature. But freedom can mean something different to everyone.
"Every day is literally a new adventure if you're open to it," he said.
A self-avowed "space geek," Jim is also a lover of the Star Wars franchise, which "preaches" about "the antidote to darkness." So, if you understand Yoda-speak or want to tap into the words of Pope John Paul II, you're going to love the conversation on this week's podcast.
You can learn more about James Keyes at his website, JamesWKeyes.com, or reach out to him on his Instagram. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Chiseled.

The "King of Sales," Jeffrey Gitomer, is the author of 17 bestselling books on sales and personal development, including How to Make Sales Forever and The Little Red Book of Selling. He is an icon in the personal growth and development industry so when he said he would cut out some of his time to record a podcast with me, I was all in.

I have a question for all the business owners out there: Is your 2025 business plan ready? It's nearly Christmas. You should be done with your list and checked it twice.