COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS

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In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast, host Leanne Pilkington engages in a candid and inspiring discussion with Grant Turner, a real estate professional whose journey is marked by success and significant challenges.

Faced with the sudden onset of epilepsy mid career, Grant found himself grappling with the profound impact it had on his personal and professional life.

He shares the raw, unfiltered reality of his struggles, from the initial shock of the diagnosis to the daily challenges of managing a chronic condition while striving to maintain a successful career in real estate.

Yet, through this adversity, Grant discovered a well of resilience within himself.

He candidly discusses how he chose to confront his epilepsy head-on, refusing to let it define him or hinder his ambitions.

By embracing a mindset of acceptance and gratitude, Grant not only adapted to his new reality but also found renewed purpose and strength.

Grant’s story takes an even more inspiring turn as he reveals his upcoming 700km charity ride across Thailand to raise money for Hands Across The Water, an organization supporting underprivileged children.

This endeavour stands as a powerful testament to Grant’s determination to rise above his challenges and make a positive impact on the lives of others.

“Things have only got stronger and stronger from there, and right now, today, I’m filled with a lot of gratitude for having great people around me and great support.”

Epilepsy Awareness Month: Every 22 minutes, a life is turned upside down by Epilepsy. March is National Epilepsy Awareness Month in Australia. This is a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma and dispel myths about living with epilepsy. Purple Day is on the 26th of March; for more information on how to support and make March Purple, visit epilepsy.org.au

The post Back on track: Grant Turner on overcoming health hurdles, resilience in real estate and an inspiring cycling comeback appeared first on Elite Agent.

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KEY-UP is a power cry in martial arts.

Two-time Australian Hapkido Champion Mel Thomas created a program called KYUP! (pronounced the same way) with a powerful mission: to foster resilience in the next generation and break the cycle of family and intimate partner violence at a grassroots level.

In today’s episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast, hosted by Leanne Pilkington, the two-time Australian Hapkido Champion reveals the heartbreaking real-life story that inspired the KYUP Project and how her personal challenges became a force for change.

Emphasising that the KYUP Project is about so much more than just self-defence, Mel shares why the project is also zeroing in on embedding self-worth and defence components into the educational curriculum.

She also explores the heightened challenges that today’s youth face, explaining why establishing open dialogues can strengthen family bonds and bolster society’s resilience against violence and mental health issues.

“The sooner we can teach young girls that they have the right to take up space, the sooner we’ll see a shift in gender equality.”

The post From Trauma into Triumph: Mel Thomas’ Mission to Empower the Next Generation appeared first on Elite Agent.

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Rebecca Halton’s approach to leadership shatters conventional boundaries, marrying fierce ambition with a growth culture and a deep commitment to team wellbeing.

In today’s episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast, hosted by Leanne Pilkington, Rebecca recounts how her initial reluctance towards the real estate industry transformed into a drive to lead with passion and innovate.

Take a deep dive into how an unexpected phone call suddenly changed her career path and gain insight into how she expanded her business from managing 600 doors to an astounding 2500 properties, with plans for more.

Rebecca also reveals how she leads her team of 45, why empowering her team to make decisions is a must and how delivering feedback is a two-way process where the power of mistakes are embraced as learning opportunities.

She also shares her wisdom on wellness in the workplace, how she balances work and motherhood and what she hopes the rest of 2024 will hold.

“You find your comfort zone as an adult and a lot of people just stay in that, and that’s fine. (But) I like to feel a little bit of anxiety and nervousness and I like to overcome that. I think that helps me grow.” – Rebecca Halton

The post Fearless leadership: Rebecca Halton on pioneering growth, empowering your team and embracing wellness appeared first on Elite Agent.

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That’s the inspiring journey of Nicole Katsivelas, a true embodiment of determination and leadership in property management.

In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast, hosted by Leanne Pilkington, Nicole unveils her roadmap to real estate triumph.

Dive deep into her captivating story of building a career that defies the odds, fostering a company culture that’s not just about business, but about nurturing each other and cherishing clients.

She also delves into the art of confronting fears head-on, the power of not taking things personally in a high-stakes industry, and how to cultivate a vibrant team culture that’s the backbone of business growth.

Nicole also shares her insider strategies to push boundaries and break free of self-doubt, as well as how to lead by example in everything you do, proving you can go from ground zero to the pinnacle of success.

“If I take care of the people around me, they are going to take care of the people around them. So If I look after my team, my team are going to look after the clients and we’re going to be able to run a really successful business because everyone is happy and fulfilled.” – Nicole Katsivelas

The post From receptionist to real estate trailblazer: Nicole Katsivelas on leadership essentials, mastering company culture and overcoming self-limitations appeared first on Elite Agent.

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Resilience isn’t optional in the real estate industry; it’s a requirement for long-term success.

And one agent who has resilience in spades is My Agent Team’s Christine Ewin.

In today’s episode of Courageous Conversations, hosted by Leanne Pilkington,  Christine spills the secrets that skyrocketed her into the real estate stratosphere.

Christine reveals the year-one roadmap that shot her into the top 5 per cent of agents at a national franchise, how to become a magnet for top talent and why adaptability is the key to future-proofing your agency.

She also opens up about the impact of personal loss and how she overcame both personal and career challenges to come back stronger than ever.

Leanne and Christine also discuss the power of people, how Christine used her leadership skills and real estate knowledge to house 34 families in just 21 days after the Black Summer bushfires and why community is the currency that will supercharge your client relationships.

“I think that that’s where being a neighbour to somebody in the community (matters) and not just being the hyenas around it and just zapping in and selling a property and listing a property and zapping back out. Instead, I was there for the long haul.” – Christine Ewin

Some key highlights of this Courageous Conversation, hosted by Leanne Pilkington:

The post Courageous Conversations: Christine Ewin’s proven strategies for mastering real estate, navigating setbacks, and reclaiming the top spot appeared first on Elite Agent.

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Today, Jonny is able to turn his past struggles into relentless motivation and unmatched empathy for his team and business prospects, to build their success as much as his own.

In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast with Leanne Pilkington, Jonny Warren challenges the notion that one’s past struggles are weaknesses to be hidden, asserting that they are, in fact, sources of strength.

He also discusses how he goes above and beyond to help clients facing tough times, why he lets his team take five days off every six weeks, and the best way to develop a culture of work-life balance while still scaling your agency.

“For a lot of agents, it’s all about money, money, money. With us, it’s about helping our clients first. And if you do right by people, then you’ll be rewarded for the efforts and what we did behind the scenes for our clients.” – Jonny Warren.

The post Courageous Conversations: How Jonny Warren turned adversity into his greatest teacher appeared first on Elite Agent.

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She saw firsthand when her brother Shane, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, left school there was no real path for him into adult life.

Tragically, Shane died a few years after leaving school, and Laura established the not-for-profit, Fighting Chance, to help build social businesses to ensure other people with disabilities don’t have to face the battles her brother did.

In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast with Leanne Pilkington, Laura talks about why she feels people need opportunity, not charity, so they can contribute to the world.

She also reveals how she has developed as a leader of a large organisation, which she founded at a young age, how to learn on the job and how to survive moments of catastrophe in any business.

“I always embrace the really difficult moments and there are lots of them because they are the opportunities for improvement and refinement and clarifying what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and getting better at my craft.” – Laura O’Reilly.

The post Courageous Conversations: Laura O’Reilly reveals how she is helping people with disabilities have a fighting chance at a normal life appeared first on Elite Agent.

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The long-term leader, who was instrumental in expanding the brand around the world, was rapidly headed into a dark place and felt he had lost his passion and drive.

In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast with Leanne Pilkington, Mike talks about why he needed to get back to work and why retirement isn’t for everyone.

He discusses why taking on a role at the coalface helped him improve as a leader, how to overcome self-doubt and why there are no time limits on leadership.

He also talks about how he is bringing the industry together through Real Estate Industry Partners (REIP) and using data to help agents take back control.

“You’ve got to have purpose and passion in your life. You can’t get up in the morning with no real plan or nothing to do.” – Mike Green.

The post Courageous Conversations: Mike Green talks about passion and purpose and why you need something to drive you appeared first on Elite Agent.

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In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast with Leanne Pilkington, Romany talks about her passion for her community and how she is focused on raising money for a range of different causes including being on the fundraising committee of Australia’s longest running HIV charity the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation.

She also reveals how she manages her expectations and mindset when she hears the word “no” in her business, and why you need to develop a thick skin to succeed in the high-risk/high-reward world of real estate.

Romany explains why there’s always a solution for every hurdle in a real estate deal, the importance of building a strong office culture and why you can’t play the comparison game.

“The only thing I think that is worth pursuing is how you are comfortable with the way you do business yourself. You can only compare yourself to your last performance. Stop comparing yourself to anyone else.” – Romany Brooks

The post Courageous Conversations: Romany Brooks on how to handle people saying no and the importance of community appeared first on Elite Agent.

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Nathan Casserly can vividly remember the moment his business and life changed in a split second.

After successfully building one of Adelaide’s leading agencies, Ouwens Casserly Real Estate, a phone call from his business partner Alex, to tell him Alex’s son had been diagnosed with cancer and he needed to step away from the business, shook him to the core.

Just a few months later, his sales director’s child was also diagnosed with cancer and Nathan was left to run the business while his colleagues faced even bigger challenges.

In this episode of the Courageous Conversations podcast with Leanne Pilkington, Nathan talks about how he was able to hold his business and his life together and the mental struggles he had to overcome.

He talks about how he changed as a leader and a person during the hard times, how he restructured his business and why going into “Superman mode” isn’t always the right thing to do as a leader.

“Being vulnerable is really daunting, and you may see it as a weakness if you can show vulnerability to the others around you. But what then comes from that is the connection and trust. We have a hell of a lot of trust within the organisation, and that builds your key foundation of culture to a level I’ve never seen or felt before in any organisation” – Nathan Casserly

The post Courageous Conversations: Nathan Casserly talks “shared leadership” and tackling hard times beyond the business world appeared first on Elite Agent.