What do you do when the safe path stops being safe?

Jess Lane spent 20 years building iconic brands like Jim Beam, Visa, Miller, and Porsche. She helped a fintech company reach billion-dollar unicorn status. That same year, she was laid off with 150 other people, and then applied to 496 jobs.

That low point became her turning point.

In this episode, Jess joins Christine to share how she combined two decades of go-to-market experience with a master's in psychology to build The Full Cup Co, a career design company that helps people choose themselves and design what comes next.

Jess shares her philosophy on why your unique blueprint is the best way to stand out in a world that sounds more and more like AI, how self-determination theory explains what actually keeps you motivated for the long haul, and why real estate agents are uniquely positioned to solve one of the biggest human problems out there: loneliness.

If you have ever felt stuck, boxed in by who you were "supposed" to be, or unsure how to build something durable enough to weather a slow year, this one is for you.

Connect with Jess:

• Website: fullcupco.com
• LinkedIn: Jess Lane
• Instagram: @thefullcupco

Connect with Christine:

Sign up for The SunBeam newsletter at postandbeamcreative.com.

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This episode is supported by BKeeperAI. Learn more at bkeeperai.com.

Can you really build a real estate business on Instagram without chasing viral fame or a massive follower count? Chris Wannamaker says yes, and he has the numbers to prove it.

In this episode, Christine George sits down with Chris Wannamaker, co-team leader at The W Group at RE/MAX Connect in Toronto. After a successful career in PR and advertising at Edelman, the world's largest PR firm, Chris moved into real estate eight years ago and now earns 30% of his personal book of business through Instagram.

Chris shares exactly how he does it: a modest ad spend of $100 to $150 behind each listing video, a same-day personal message to every new follower, and a simple iPhone shortcut that lets him do it all in about five minutes a day. No bots, no autoresponders, no 200,000 purchased followers. Just a targeted, engaged audience of around 9,000 people who actually know him.

We also get into the personal-versus-professional content mix, the content systems that keep his team consistent without burnout, and why he invests real money in client events and his CRM to take those online relationships offline.

Chris Wannamaker, Co-Team Leader, The W Group at RE/MAX Connect

Website: wgrouprealestate.ca

Instagram: @cwans

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This is the season's Best Of, where Christine went back through some of her favorite conversations and pulled together seven tips that really resonated. They're sorted into the three things your whole business runs on: getting people to know you, like you, and trust you.

In the KNOW section, Angie Javier from realtor.com shares the slightly nerve-wracking thing she does when an agent says business has slowed down, Google expert Tasia Custode demystifies the Google Workspace ecosystem, and SEO expert Emily Gertenbach explains why your first-person expertise is the one thing AI can't copy.

In the LIKE section, brand strategist Scott Coligan makes the case for looking outside real estate to stand out, and Marc Davison challenges what you think personal branding really is.

In the TRUST section, happiness expert Valerie Alexander gives you a simple framework for the culture behind your brand, and we close a little closer to home with BKeeperAI co-founders on why human verification is our non-negotiable.

Show Notes

Featured in this episode:

• Angie Javier, (from Ep. 136)
• Tasia Custode, Google expert (from Ep. 137)
• Emily Gertenbach, SEO, EG Creative Content (from Ep. 139)
• Scott Coligan, fractional CMO, Human Experience Method (from Ep. 135)
• Marc Davison, 1000 Watt (from Ep. 134)
• Valerie Alexander, Speak Happiness (from Ep. 138)
• Laura O'Connor and Eric Hunsberger, BKeeperAI co-founders (from Ep. 140)

Chapters:

• 00:00 A look back at the season
• 00:36 Welcome: three sections, seven tips
• 01:30 Angie Javier: can buyers actually find you online?
• 04:42 Tasia Custode: the Google Workspace ecosystem, explained
• 06:46 Emily Gertenbach: why your first-person expertise is the real SEO
• 11:50 A quick word: BKeeperAI early access
• 12:48 Scott Coligan: stand out by looking outside real estate
• 14:37 Marc Davison: the brand assets you're already sitting on
• 19:07 Valerie Alexander: the three things that build trust behind the scenes
• 23:00 Closer to home: BKeeperAI and human verification
• 23:50 Close

Links:

• Subscribe to The SunBeam newsletter
• BKeeperAI

Your website might be beautiful and still not be working. This week, website developer and brand strategist Katy Martin of Joyful Design Co. joins Christine to make a case that surprises a lot of agents: content matters more than color.

Katy shares the simple litmus test for whether your headline is actually unique, why photography is the most important investment you can make in your site, and what a website is even for now that AI answers most questions before someone ever clicks through. You'll also learn how to read the story hiding in your website data, and the one thing to go check on your homepage today.

This conversation will show you how to make your website communicate, connect, and convert.

Visit Katy: https://joyfuldesign.co/

Check out our branding and website collaboration packages: https://www.postandbeamcreative.com/real-estate-branding

Most startup conversations happen after the success. This one's different. I'm sitting down with my two BKeeperAI co-founders, Laura O'Connor and Eric Hunsberger, right in the middle of our launch.

We get into where the idea actually came from (it starts with a box of receipts and a lot of dread), why we built an expense tool with no app to open — just text — and the one thing we decided we'd never compromise on, even though it costs more: real human support.

We also talk about the decision we debated longer than anyone would guess, the difference between tension and conflict on a founding team, and what success actually looks like 12 months from now. If you've ever wanted to build something - or you just dread tax season - this take a listen.

SEO might be the most misunderstood topic in real estate marketing, and honestly, a lot of what you've heard about it is either wrong or already outdated.

In this episode, Christine sits down with Emily Gertenbach, a content writer and SEO expert who has a lot to say about what's actually working in search right now and a lot to say about AI.

They break down what SEO really is in easy-to-understand terms, why your blog is more critical than ever, and what Google just said that essentially debunked the entire concept of "GEO" as a separate strategy. Emily also explains why AI-generated content is likely hurting your search performance rather than helping it, and what to do instead.

Resources mentioned:

• Emily Gertenbach's website: egcreativecontent.com
• Emily on LinkedIn: Emily Gertenbach
• Fathom Analytics: usefathom.com
• Google Search Console: search.google.com/search-console
• BkeeperAI (Christine's expense tracking tool for solopreneurs): bkeeperai.com

What happens behind the counter or behind the scenes of your brokerage shows up at the front door. In this episode, I'm joined by returning guest Valerie Alexander, happiness expert, TED Talk speaker (over 1 million views!), author of Happiness as a Second Language, and founder of the Science of Workplace Happiness.

Valerie and unwrap why unhappy workforces are costing U.S. businesses $700 billion a year, and what that means for your real estate business specifically. We talk about the three things every employee (and contractor) needs to feel engaged: accomplishment, autonomy, and acknowledgment. We get into why so many leaders are "accidental managers," what happens when you let your top producer behave badly, and how to protect your brand even when you're not in the room.

Whether you're a solo agent with a VA and a transaction coordinator or a team leader managing a full brokerage, this conversation will shift how you think about culture, leadership, and what your brand is really saying when you're not the one saying it.

Make sure to follow Valerie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakhappiness-keynotespeaker/

Visit her website:

https://www.speakhappiness.com/

Think you know Google? Think again. In this episode, Christine sits down with Tasia Custode, Google expert, content creator, and host of Talk Techie to Me, to break down how real estate agents can use the Google ecosystem to get found faster, build trust, and streamline their business. From optimizing your Google Business Profile to leveraging Gemini inside Gmail, this conversation is packed with practical tools you can start using today. You'll walk away knowing exactly where you're leaving time and opportunity on the table and what to do about it.

Real estate success isn't about choosing between old-school and new-school; it's about blending both. In this episode, Christine sits down with Angie Javier, national speaker and content creator at realtor.com, to talk about what separates thriving agents from struggling ones in today's market.

Angie brings a rare perspective: she's worked at the agent level, the brokerage level, and at a hyper-local print marketing company, before landing at one of real estate's most recognized platforms. Her answer to what agents most commonly get wrong? They're either fully offline or fully online, and that split is costing them business.

In this conversation, you'll hear how to build a marketing plan that actually motivates you, why your bio needs to be optimized not just for clients but for AI, the difference between GEO and AEO (and why every agent needs to know it), and why the most successful agents never let technology replace the human touch.

Most real estate agents look to other real estate agents for inspiration. That's the problem.

In this episode, I'm joined by Scott Coligan, fractional CMO, former Miller Coors brand strategist, and one of the smartest consumer insights minds I know (and someone I've had the privilege of knowing since I hired him in 2007). Scott developed something called the Human Experience Method, a disruptive approach to consumer research that replaced sterile focus groups with deep ethnographic immersion, and the lessons he learned apply directly to how real estate agents can build brands that people actually feel something about.

We talk about what it really means to understand your client at a human level, why distinction is something you can intentionally create (and how industries like bereavement can actually help you), what Heywell's scrappy startup success can teach agents about investing in the right things early, and why your personality is your packaging.

If you've ever wondered how to stand out in a commodity market, take a listen.