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 became one of the country's top agents.

Top Takeaways:

(1:53) Leo's real estate and tech journey

(6:22) Entering tech at the worst possible time

(8:32) The first big real estate win

(10:19) The two ways to scale in real estate

(11:27) Why should agents not copy top producers?

(13:38) The importance of relationships

(19:15) Why eXp changed everything

(20:49) Why franchises are dying

(21:53) What makes eXp 2.0 different?

(24:54) Real estate market growth predictions

(27:43) What agents should focus on now

(29:42) Adapting to change in business

(31:08) Controlling your own success

Leo Pareja started his real estate career at 19 and became the #1 Keller Williams Agent worldwide by 28. Over 15 years, he sold around 4,000 homes before co-founding Washington Capital Partners in 2012, which grew into one of the largest private lending firms on the East Coast. In 2016, he co-founded Remine, a real estate tech platform that reached 80% market share and over 1.1 million users. 

Connect with Leo:

Website

LinkedIn

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.

(4:02) How to build stamina for real estate success 

(5:36) Why do some agents lose their edge?

(6:23) What happens when agents make their first $30k? 

(8:39) What’s the “DoorDash” model for real estate? 

(10:49) How do agents escape repetitive routines?

(14:18) Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

(17:56) Innovating in Small Markets

(22:55) How does staging impact listing performance?

(26:52) The Power of CRMs in Small Markets

(31:07) Overcoming Self-Doubt and Burnout

(36:02) The Impact of Networking and Growth Events

Tune in to discover how these innovative leaders have built multimillion-dollar businesses in markets others might overlook, and learn their strategies for maintaining exceptional performance regardless of market size. 

About Desi Williams

Connect with Desi:

Website

LinkedIn

About Elizabeth McNally

Connect with Elizabeth:

Website

LinkedIn

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.

Top Takeaways:

(2:07) Simplicity and sustainability in real estate leadership

(3:58) The dangers of chasing shiny objects in business

(8:06) Why recruiting never stops in real estate

(8:59) Why team standards should never be negotiable

(10:29) The cost of becoming too transactional

(12:04) Can outsourcing leadership hurt your company’s culture?

(15:53) What happens when your team isn’t ready for a shifting market?

(20:01) How does a strong culture attract top agents?

(25:14) How Sisu eliminated redundancies and saved thousands

(28:15) Filling operational gaps with vision and talent

This is a must-listen for anyone looking to simplify operations, build a winning culture, and lead with purpose in today’s competitive real estate market.

The Figueroa Team

LinkedIn

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.

(3:40) What happens when you step into leadership at 23?

(7:46) How did the grocery store experience help scale a real estate team?

(9:34) Can hiring a business expert beat hiring a top realtor?

(12:46) Why is making a million dollars now just the starting point?

(13:28) Is manual data entry holding real estate teams back?

(15:12) The chaos of manual data collection

(17:05) How did adopting Sisu solve major visibility issues in deal tracking?

(21:39) The power of daily training meetings

(22:30) The benefits of automated insights in coaching

(29:41) Combining Sisu and Follow Up Boss for results

(31:13) What’s the formula for a $10 million goal?

(34:02) Why are Thanksgiving pies part of the client experience?

(36:36) Why focus on quality over quantity in team growth?

(37:58) How does feedback shape team growth?

(39:05) Why is growth always messy?

Best Life & Co.

Ken Hirschmann

Brandon Verlinden

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.

(1:39) The role of mental toughness play in personal growth

(4:12) Can losing teach more than winning?

(8:46) How can hitting rock bottom ignite unstoppable growth?

(14:06) How do easy wins make agents unprepared for real challenges?

(17:08) How does owning your past lead to personal transformation?

(18:56) Why is "forced suffering" essential for true progress

(20:58) The role of personal values in breaking free from stagnation

(23:20) Why does "Who am I becoming?" matter more than achievements?

(26:21) How vulnerability makes you a stronger leader

(30:12) How does focusing on daily victories fuel personal growth?

(33:56) The true power of an abundance mindset

(36:02) How does teaching others make you an expert

(40:54) How visualizing others' happiness impacts work relationships

(43:46) The purpose behind creating real community in business

(45:49) How do events open doors for emerging leaders?

(47:35) Why do small style choices matter in building confidence

LinkedIn 

YouTube

The Real Recruiter

Cheplak Live

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.

(2:31) The chaos that nearly cost $3 million

(4:55) Is better pipeline management the key to team success?

(7:45) Are agents getting out-scripted by their leads?

(10:24) How does willpower affect business outcomes? 

(15:01) How do messy business breakups lead to owning your success?

(16:20) The power behind automating transactions with Sisu

(20:26) Why are spreadsheets holding back business growth

(26:07) What happens when agents don’t track their business numbers

(30:20) What’s the real focus of successful team leaders?

(33:42) What makes onboarding multiple people at once more effective?

(35:48) Why does building a five-agent team lead to a rollercoaster

(40:11) The must-have steps for onboarding new agents 

(43:12) One activity that can win your day in real estate

LinkedIn 

Matt Smith Real Estate Group

All or Nothing in Real Estate

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.

(3:39) From aerospace projects to real estate success

(6:05) What happened when the corporate job said "no more real estate"?

(9:02) The shift from flipping houses to going all-in on sales.

(12:53) Why ditch spreadsheets to build a real business system?

(15:52) Building the right systems before scaling a team.

(18:49) How did this team grow from 0 to 60 agents in just 4 years? 

(20:59) Why do systems only work if you have the right people?

(24:09) A $1.7 trillion opportunity that sparked a change

(29:52) How does Sisu’s data lead to a million-dollar difference?

(31:33) What do your metrics reveal about your business gaps? 

(35:01) Spotting changes early to keep growth on track

(39:20) Why 2025 is about conversations and service. 

(40:22) How does Sisu help deliver that "white glove" customer service?

(42:44) Why is spending on tech crucial for agent success?

Urban Cool Homes

LinkedIn

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.

(4:27) Why real-time financial planning beats last-minute tax fixes. 

(9:47) Making sense of real estate taxes—Depreciation, aggregation, and more.

(11:19) How does having a dream team simplify real estate investing?

(12:27) The untapped tax benefits for 1099 real estate agents. 

(18:10) Automating 90% of real estate tasks

(23:01) Why live financial data is the key to business confidence. 

(24:21) Sisu and Formations—The integration every real estate agent needs. 

(28:08) How to eliminate data friction with Sisu’s seamless integration.

(33:27) What are the benefits of S Corps for real estate agents? 

Shahar Plinner is a tax and accounting expert with over 20 years of experience. After moving from Israel to Seattle, he built and sold one of the top tax firms in the area. Now, as the founder and CEO of Formations, he focuses on helping self-employed professionals manage their taxes and maximize financial efficiency.

Connect with Shahar Plinner

Formations

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.

(2:29) The secrets behind selling over 150 homes a year.

(7:34) Can you hit your income goals by prospecting every day?

(13:29) Why the right CRM is your new best friend in real estate. 

(17:20) Is data the key to a team that never drops the ball? 

(18:00) What’s the real edge of 24/7 reporting for agents? 

(25:26) What’s the real cost of wearing too many hats in real estate?

(29:43) How did training turn market challenges into opportunities? 

(31:31) AI, PPC, and Facebook—How to use all to win. 

(34:28) How do open house registrations boost conversions? 

(36:07) How do proper SOPs transform lead management?

(38:41) Why Every Real Estate Deal Needs a "Pizza Tracker" System. 

LinkedIn 

JD Reese - Instagram

The Genuine Group - Instagram

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 fell apart fast.” This experience taught them that growth without structure isn’t sustainable.

(4:44) Why do team leaders with five agents often struggle?

(5:49) Can rapid growth really destroy your team?

(7:50) What’s the cost of being a ‘cowboy’ in business?

(9:28) How was a hot lead list created from cold contacts?

(13:03) The crash-and-burn after adding 30 agents.

(17:54) What’s the secret sauce in a 30-60-90 day plan?

(20:32) What happens when a whole team goes paperless?

(23:30) Turning leads into wins with the Sisu pipeline

(27:46) Roleplay, coaching, and conversions: a winning combo

(31:33) How did aggressive prospecting dominate the $5m market?

(36:42) What daily habits are driving massive success in sales?

(41:51) Turning accountability into a growth catalyst

If you’re looking to scale your real estate business or just want to hear how a team can grow and thrive, this episode is full of practical tips and insights you won’t want to miss.

LinkedIn 

Instagram