Tracy Gardner is a Type A Overachiever in all the right ways! She parlayed her love of music, global business, and law, into her dream job as Head of Label Licensing and Partnerships at TikTok. Tracy gets real on several topics, including:

• Her upcoming nuptials (4:00)

• How her Nicaraguan mom inspired her to dream big and work hard (4:55)

• The importance of being around people who open your eyes to the world (10:30)

• Her undergrad experience at NYU (13:35)

• Going from intern to lawyer at Warner Music (22:30)

• Leaning into the thing that scares you the most (27:00)

• The podcast industry (30:30)

• Enjoying a seven-year "spring break" in London (34:00)

• Joining Bytedance/TikTok (38:30)

• Giving new artists a place to be discovered (50:20)

REAL TALK IS SPONSORED BY:

VIP Mortgage https://ryanmadrid.vipmtginc.com/

sGrow CRM https://sgrowcrm.com/

Xunami https://xunami.net/

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Alex Smith is hardcore, both in business and life. He and his wife Lesleigh run SmithRE, a North&Co team that has seen tremendous growth in the last five years. When he discovered the program "75 Hard" everything that mattered started to take on greater meaning and the success followed - completely transformative. On this episode of Real Talk, Alex gets real on several topics, including:

• snowboarding - his "happy place" (1:55)

• 75 Hard (5:30)

• partnering with wife Lesleigh – "Spouses That Sells Houses" (10:50)

• leveling up (16:40)

• moving into development, flipping, and wholesaling (23:20)

• his morning routine (32:00)

• getting into the business (37:00)

• the importance of great relationships with other agents in the Valley (39:50)

• incorporating video into marketing (43:00)

• raising hardcore/disciplined kids (47:45)

• the role that fitness plays in personal success (52:25)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

SmithRE website https://smithphx.com/

Instagram: @thealexsmith https://www.instagram.com/theealexsmith/ @spousesthatsellhousesaz https://www.instagram.com/spousesthatsellhousesaz/

75 Hard - Transformative Mental Toughness Program – Andy Frisella https://andyfrisella.com/pages/75hard-info

The Ed Mylett Show (podcast) https://www.edmylett.com/podcasts/

Do The F*cking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-Level Creativity by Brian Buirge, Jason Bacher, and Jason Richburg https://tinyurl.com/3sx6s6wm

Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover https://tinyurl.com/vpbbhs4x

I AM Athlete podcast with Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, Fred Taylor, Channing Crowder https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-am-athlete-podcast/id1537836233

REAL TALK IS SPONSORED BY:

VIP Mortgage https://ryanmadrid.vipmtginc.com/

sGrow CRM https://sgrowcrm.com/

Xunami https://xunami.net/

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Eric Kilstrom is a leader, educator, and podcaster with heart. He developed the Young Guns program at VIP Mortgage to help create opportunities for "kids" to become loan officers without the pain of starting off with zero income. When he moved to Anthem in the early development years, he recognized the struggle of families and children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and his nonprofit, We Care Anthem, was founded. His podcast, "Eric's Eye on Anthem" generously spotlights local entrepreneurs and community members, giving them an opportunity to promote their businesses. He does all this with absolute quiet humility and a belief that it is an honor to help others.

On this episode of Real Talk, we dive into many topics, including:

• getting into the mortgage business (3:07)

• becoming a VIP OG (7:40)

• Rapid Fire: fighter pilot (9:40)

• developing the Young Guns Program (13:20)

• his role as Branch Manager "Camp Kilstrom" (24:10)

• Rapid Fire: LOL at Pebble Beach (27:05)

• pricing (28:45)

• We Care Anthem foundation (30:40)

• marketing (38:40)

• social media (40:00)

• developing humility (43:30)

• Rapid Fire: morning routine (45:14)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

"Eric's Eye on Anthem" podcast https://soundcloud.com/eric-kilstrom

We Care Anthem foundation https://www.facebook.com/wecareanthem/

VIP Mortgage https://erickilstrom.vipmtginc.com/

REAL TALK IS SPONSORED BY:

VIP Mortgage https://ryanmadrid.vipmtginc.com/

sGrow CRM https://sgrowcrm.com/

Xunami https://xunami.net/

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Andrew Rafal has dedicated more than a decade to helping clients achieve their retirement dreams. He specializes in creating strategic financial plans and retirement income strategies for retirees and pre-retirees that preserve and maximize their retirement savings. It's not easy to break into the wealth management industry, especially in your early 20s. After all, what successful middle-aged+ man or woman is going to take advice from a fresh faced kid? Andrew overcame that obstacle through educating and developing deep bonds with leads and clients, as well as focusing tremendously on ROR.

During this episode, Andrew gets real on several topics, including:

Bayntree's new office location (2:10)

Overcoming the youth objection (10:00)

Breaking out on his own (12:20)

Launching on the tails of the recession (15:50)

Importance of team (19:00)

Marketing/Branding (22:30)

Pre (25:35)

Giftology and Return on Relationships (34:30)

Staying in touch with former clients; CRM (43:30)

preparing for a podcast (55:16)

favorite episodes (56:48)

Brian Mohr – anthym (58:00) (include link)

What you can learn from Grateful Dead in Business (1:01:54)

Rapid Fire – Rejection, Authenticity, Work Ethic, James Michener (1:06:05)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Bayntree Wealth Advisors https://www.bayntree.com/

Check out Andrew's podcast, Your Wealth & Beyond, available on Apple Podcasts, Libsyn, and Podbean. Specifically referenced on the show: Episode 40 - What the Grateful Dead Can Teach Us About Business https://www.bayntree.com/podcasts/what-the-grateful-dead-can-teach-us-about-business-with-brian-mohr/

anthym - a fresh new experience that creates authentic, long-lasting human connections essential to building cohesive, high-performing teams https://anthym.life/

Giftology by John Rulin https://giftologygroup.com/giftologybook/

REAL TALK IS SPONSORED BY:

VIP Mortgage https://ryanmadrid.vipmtginc.com/

sGrow CRM https://sgrowcrm.com/

Xunami https://xunami.net/

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Growing up in the Grand Canyon (3:00)

Filming his vasectomy and putting it on Instagram (5:30)

Soulpod (11:00)

the BRRR method (13:15) Buy Rehab Rent Refinance Repeat

His focus on Chandler (19:20)

Transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle (20:00)

Becoming a father at 19 years old (28:45)

Getting into the real estate industry (33:00)

Rapid Fire – Morning Routine, Mark Wahlberg, Kauai, and Love (46:55)

Resources:

Templeton's Instagram @templeton_walker

https://www.instagram.com/templeton_walker/?hl=en

Goodbye Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Things-New-Japanese-Minimalism/dp/0393609030

BRRR Method

https://www.nav.com/blog/brrrr-method-375122/

The Templeton Walker Podcast

https://thetempletonwalkerpodcast.libsyn.com/

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Austin Bates struggles with work-life balance. He is the hardest working person in our company - the first to arrive each day (still dark outside) and the last to leave. A self-proclaimed workaholic with an acute quality of client care, he has established himself as the go-to guy for several of the top production builders in the state. But running at a breakneck speed for over a decade can challenge anyone's physical and mental well-being...

On this episode, Austing gets real on several topics, including:

episode Do-over (2:18)

playing football with Antonio Pierce (4:00)

mom's influence (10:57)

moving to Phoenix (13:08)

trial by fire (16:20)

jumping to VIP (20:00)

trying to get out of the mortgage business (20:00)

getting into the builder business (32:28)

his transition to VIP Mortgage (45:22)

the loss of his mom needing mom (55:55)

Rapid Fire Questions: PE Teacher/Coach, Cheetah, and Maxwell

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Troy Conrad is our first "famous" guest. Another friend from back in the day who has gone on to create an enviable career as a comic, producer, writer, and first officla photographer for The Comedy Store.

On this episode of Real Talk, we discuss a variety of topics, including:

his early standup comedy days (9:30)

the creation of "Set List: Stand Up Without a Net" - guests including Robin Williams, TJ Miller, Drew Carey, Gilbert Godfried, and more (19:45)

"Lizard Brain" (34:00)

mental health in the comic community (39:00)

contributing to "The Comedy Store" documentary (1:00)

becoming the first-ever official photographer of The Comedy Store

Rapid Fire: high school, "Pleasantville," and Instagram (1:23)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Instagram @troyconrads https://www.instagram.com/troyconrads/

Troy Conrad Photography https://tcphoto.photoshelter.com/index

"The Comedy Store" documentary series https://www.sho.com/the-comedy-store

Seth Godin: Quieting the Lizard Brain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtZfTpV4KPE

ROBIN WILLIAMS: The Introvert Dictator - Set List: Stand-Up Without a Net https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ZrNS_HwOQ

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On any given day, more than 10,000 people in Arizona find themselves homeless. Howard Epstein, CEO of the Arizona Housing fund, dives into why the organization was founded and how the private sector and individuals can help bring the homeless home.

• During our conversation with Howard got real on several topics, including:
• What is Arizona Housing Fund and who it serves (3:51)
• Escrow Donation Program – how it works (10:22)
• Establishing the VIP Foundation (16:30)
• AZ Homelessness Stats (26:24)
• Shoutouts to current fundraising partners HomeSmart, North&Co, The Brokery, and Pioneer Title (36:22)
• Rapid Fire Questions: COVID vaccine, Twitter, and Dream Jobs (37:18)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Arizona Housing Fund website https://arizonahousingfund.org/
• Are you interested in getting your organization involved? Email [email protected]
• Maricopa County COVID Vaccine Resources https://www.maricopa.gov/5641/COVID-19-Vaccine

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Jeremy Brown is like the Clark Kent of REALTORS® - polished, Scottsdale real estate professional juxtaposed with backwoods grease monkey ultra-athlete. A perpetual seeker of adventure, Jeremy is truly living his best life and if you check him out on Instagram (@jeremiah_jonathan) you'll see what we mean.

On this episode of Real Talk, we discuss a variety of topics, including:

• growing up on a farm with a "hippie" mom
• entering the real estate industry and meeting his mentor
• building relationships with referral partners
• extreme sports
• how health and adventure have benefitted his business
• the rocky start to 2020
• the dangers of comparing yourself to other agents

EPISODE NOTES AND RESOURCES:

• Unstoppable by Ben Angel https://www.areyouunstoppable.com/updated-expanded
• RE/MAX Fine Properties https://www.fineprop.com/
• Natural Grocers https://www.naturalgrocers.com/

REAL TALK IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

• VIP Mortgage https://ryanmadrid.vipmtginc.com/
• sGrow CRM https://sgrowcrm.com/
• Xunami https://xunami.net/

FOLLOW US @realtalkwithryanmadrid

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Andrew Beardsley

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