The Katie Lance Podcast

There is perhaps nothing more empowering than homeownership. In today’s podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with Roy Machado, Founder of All City Homes, about his passion for promoting home ownership and empowering people in his community.

At All City Homes they saw that there was a small number of black or brown real estate agents in many companies and asked themselves, “where is the space for black and brown?” They wanted to create that space.

Their mission is to promote a workforce development program for black and brown agents and focus on how they can increase black and brown homeownership.

I absolutely loved this conversation with Roy and know you will too!

About Roy:

Roy Machado is the Founder and Owner of All City Homes, a boutique real estate brokerage with a mission of empowering people through home ownership.

Last year in 2021, Roy and All City, helped 207 families selling over $84M in real estate volume throughout northern California. While some may define success through accolades, sales volume, and commissions, Roy is concerned about delivering an exceptional home buying and selling experience.

Improving the relationship between the realtor and the community they serve through social responsibility is the heart of Roy's success.

Roy’s experience as a community advocate has transcended over to his passion, serving as a realtor through a social justice lens creating generation wealth and legacy for everyone.

Additional links:

• All City Homes
• Roy on Instagram
• All City Homes on Instagram
• Podcast: The Color of Law
• Check out lots more interviews on the podcast here
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our # GetSocialSmart Academy
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

How can you be seen everywhere? In this #GetSocialSmart Academy Spotlight Interview, Tom Pietsch and Susan Hall share some of their best tips for being seen and building a thriving real estate business.

Tom and Susan have been a part of our Academy family for quite some time now and also attended our high-level Mastermind a few years back.

They are doing some incredible work with video and social media marketing and I’m honored to have them on the podcast to share their tips and insights. Thank you, Tom and Susan!

About Tom:

Tom Pietsch is the co-Managing Partner of Tom & Cindy and Associates at Long & Foster. Their team is a long-time powerhouse located in Alexandria, Virginia. They consistently sell 250-300 homes each year!

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Tom worked as a ski instructor, then on Capitol Hill, and then in the airline industry.

Tom concentrates on the marketing and lead generation side of the business. He sees his job as "making the phone ring" and his goal is for new clients to say "we see you everywhere".

Tom is currently designing a new flagship office for the team and adding some new agents to grow a new generation of Tom & Cindy teammates.

When he isn't working Tom is either swimming, checking out new restaurants, playing his guitar, watching Ted Lasso on Netflix or planning some fun international travel.

About Susan:

Susan Hall is Tom and Cindy’s Marketing Director. Originally from the Mt Vernon area of Alexandria. Susan is a graduate of the University of Virginia and has been with their team over 15 years. She and Tom & Cindy constantly research, test and tweak new methods and platforms that help their sellers achieve consistently superior results.

Susan's a fanatic for detail and is the team's voice on social media and directs their extensive video projects. In her free time, she is an avid runner, a Peloton queen, loves a fast-paced mystery book, and travelling to the clear waters of the Caribbean.

Additional links:

• Connect with Tom and Cindy (and Susan too!) on their website
• Tom and Cindy on Instagram
• Tom and Cindy’s YouTube Channel
• Video Examples 1 | 2 | 3
• Check out lots more interviews on the podcast here
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

At the end of our lives, no one will wish that we “spent more time at the office.” Quality of life and leading a family first business is what it is all about!

I had the pleasure of speaking with dear friend and long-time Realtor, Stephanie Lanier, about how she switched from a career in social work into real estate after a devastating medical diagnosis for her son.

Stephanie is a true inspiration and in this podcast, she shares her experience as a special needs mom and how her and her husband Andrew built their real estate business around the idea of family first. From Sunday night weekly dinners to building a team early-on to support their goals - it’s all about family!

As Stephanie says, “It’s messy and hard but you can do both with a team.”

Stephanie talks about how she balances work and family and how it’s less about hustle culture and more about designing the life you love and wrapping your goals in grace. Grace for team members when they are going through something challenging, grace for clients and grace for each other.

Stephanie is also so incredibly smart and creative when it comes to marketing and providing true value to her clients and her referral partners. I loved hearing her talk about her passion project, The Inspiration Lab, and how she is impacting her fellow colleagues.

Also, make sure you listen to the end to hear how she has developed unique guides that have helped her clients in so many ways. This one idea is something I think so many Realtors could implement in their local markets.

Thank you Stephanie for being on our show!

About Stephanie:

Many words describe Stephanie Lanier: wife, mom, REALTOR®, entrepreneur, blogger, special needs advocate. Yet being a “wholehearted tribe builder” is the thread connecting all of the experiences and creations in her life.

Stephanie’s life-changing moments have fueled a search for connection, purpose, and spaces for vulnerability. In 2012, she co-founded the Wilmington-based Lanier Property

Group alongside her husband, Andrew. In 2020, Lanier Property Group merged with Intracoastal Realty.

In 2015, Stephanie created The Inspiration Lab, which offers an authentic place for women to learn and be inspired by one another, by helping women foster meaningful connections through events, online workshops, and original workbooks.

Additional links:

• Connect with Stephanie on Instagram
• Lanier Property Group
• The Inspiration Lab
• Stephanie’s Guides: Hurricane Guide | Waterfront Property Guide
• Check out lots more interviews on the podcast here
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

In this podcast, I share a few thoughts about how events have evolved, my thoughts around in-person and virtual events, what it was like to be back onstage, and some behind-the-scenes into how I prepare for a new keynote.

Helpful tips to prepare for a keynote:

• Get to the venue early - do a sound and tech check. Get onstage. Walk the stage. Get to know your A/V team - they are your best friends. Ask ahead of time what the stage set-up will look like - where are the screens? What is the seating?
• Go through your slides onstage - check your videos if you are playing videos.
• Rehearse - physically practice, stand up, wear the shoes you will wear onstage.
• I start creating a keynote by doing a brain dump first: my older content, stats, stories, examples, etc. What do you already have that you can repurpose?
• Be cognizant of your time constraints with your presentation. Prepare to have to cut or add time. Be respectful and do not go over with your time!
• What you wear onstage is important - can you move? Are you comfortable?
• I don’t script my talks - prepared but not scripted. I do heavily prepare for my opening and closing. I rehearse those over and over!
• Be prepared for anything! You never know what will happen!
• I use slides - but less is more. I use PowerPoint - but I create all of my slides within Canva. Slides are essentially images - so they don’t look distorted on someone else’s computer. Your slides should be a prompt.

Additional thoughts:

As we move into this ‘post-pandemic’ era - I think it’s important personally to be prepared for events by understanding the protocols in place, be prepared with items such as masks, sanitizer, and your vaccination card. Also, be prepared ahead of time with your own personal boundaries. What are you comfortable with? Handshaking? Hugs? Selfies? How will you navigate that? I think it’s important to make those decisions ahead of time.

What events are you going to? If you are looking for a speaker - I would love to be considered!

Additional links:

• My view from the stage at Side - check this out!
• Looking for a speaker? Click here for more info and reach out to [email protected] to check my availability, topics and fees.
• Here is a link to the Speaker App I use
• Video: Canva Basics
• How to be a better storyteller (interview with Mike Ganino)
• How to improve your virtual presentations
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

In this podcast, I share a few insights on what it takes to improve your graphics on Instagram. If we are not yet connected on Instagram - please give me a follow and message me to let me know you listened to the podcast!

Lessons Learned:

• Look at your life as content
• When possible, highlight others in your content
• What is funny or relevant? This is more likely to be liked and shared!
• Can you share educational and/or instructional content? This is more likely to be saved!
• Edutainment is on the rise - can you be creative with Reels and be of value? (YES!)
• The IG “aesthetic” is important (but not AS important)
• When in doubt - less is more!
• Not everything has to go on your graphics - this is what your captions are for
• Look at the data - review your IG insights to see what content performed well in the past. Rinse and repeat!

Additional links:

• Podcast: Recap from My Call with Instagram
• Canva
• Videoshop
• Wordswag
• Video: Canva Basics for Real Estate Pros
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Are you doing what brings you joy? In this podcast episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with long-time #GetSocialSmart Academy member, Alana Corso. Alana is a Realtor in my local San Francisco Bay area and in this interview we talk about how she got into real estate from financial services, motherhood, marketing, life hacks and more!

Alana is doing an amazing job with video marketing and Instagram! If you are a real estate professional interested in using social media to grow your business, you’ll love this conversation.

About Alana:

Alana Corso was the Managing Broker and Co-Founding Partner at Dwell Realtors which is now partnered with Sereno. She is now the Vice President of Experience for the San Carlos & Burlingame Sereno offices.

Raised by a residential architect/contractor, Alana has been surrounded with the real estate process from childhood. With a background working on one of the largest wealth management teams in the United States, Alana has a sophisticated understanding of the markets, numerous financing options and supporting a home purchase - which is often one of her client’s biggest investments.

Alana has also been recognized as a top 1% agent for San Mateo County and the State of California based upon sales volume from RealTrends. Alana has also been a member of our #GetSocialSmart Academy for about 4 1⁄2 years and it’s been awesome to see her business grow over the years!

Additional links:

• AlanaCorso.com
• Connect with Alana on Instagram
• Alana’s YouTube channel
• Check out lots more interviews on the podcast here
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Is it possible to achieve balance between work and family? Where does health and wellness come into play? Can you be the hero for your clients and your family at the same time? In our recent podcast, I had a great conversation with my dear friend and incredibly awesome Realtor, Nicole Nicolay.

I’ve known Nicole for years and first met Nicole on social media and then on the speaker circuit when we both spoke at many events for Inman, NAR and others. Since then she has joined ‘the family business’ (real estate) and in our interview, she shares candidly her thoughts around the ‘ebb and flow’ of her life, how she thrives in flexibility, how she prioritizes being a triathlete and why health is so important to her, how she communicates with her family and clients and more.

I have also long-admired Nicole for the incredible marketer that she is. We chatted about how marketing has changed and what marketing is working for her right now. If you aren’t following her or checking out her awesome videos - you are missing out!

I know you will love this interview! Thank you Nicole!

About Nicole:

Nicole Nicolay is a full-time REALTOR® passionate about helping her clients love where they live, even more.

Growing up in the business, Nicole found her calling in real estate marketing. She traveled for nearly a decade training and speaking to over 200,000 agents nationwide. She created and delivered educational programs for nearly every major real estate brand, as well as for the National Association of REALTORS®. After both of her companies were acquired in 2013, Nicole joined the family business as a local REALTOR®.

Nicole has been recognized as "Rookie of the Year" and "Grand Master" by the BayEast Association of Realtors for outstanding achievement in sales and service to her clients. She co-founded the popular movement "Love Livermore" in order to facilitate a greater sense of community both online and offline. She has also been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate.

Additional links:

• Love Livermore
• Connect with Nicole on Instagram
• Check out lots more interviews on the podcast here
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

I think it’s safe to say that most parents and guardians I know feel a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to their kids being back in the classroom. Our two boys were home 17 months from the beginning of the pandemic to now. 17 months!

They spent their entire school year last year in remote learning.

As school approached - my husband and I had some mixed feelings - excitement, elation, nervousness and more. In this podcast, I share some of my unfiltered thoughts and would love your thoughts too.

I know we are not out of the woods and I am so grateful that our school district has so many important safety precautions in place including masking, social distancing, new ventilation systems and so much more.

Seeing all the teachers applauded that first day back brings tears to my eyes. I am so grateful for all the great teachers.

I am grateful that our kids are off Zoom and at least for now can be safely back in school with their friends. I’m grateful for our teachers recognizing that most kids have not been in a physical classroom in sometime. I’m grateful for them focusing not just on grades but on the social and relational part of school and interacting that feels a bit new and foreign now even to adults.

I am grateful! How are you feeling about all of this? I would love to hear from you - send me a message or tag me in a post over on IG @katielance.

Additional links:

• LA Times: Back-to-school 2021 marks the third academic year the education of California’s 6 million children has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
• Podcast: Thoughts on ‘Getting Back to Normal’
• Podcast: Parenting During a Pandemic (an Update)
• Life 360 app
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

When it comes to video marketing - Raj Qsar is the king! I had the pleasure of interviewing Raj for our podcast and I loved hearing his story of how he got into real estate. The light bulb moment is really incredible (and funny too!) Raj started in real estate really at the beginning of social media in about 2006 and it’s been incredible to see how he and now his brokerage leverages the power of video marketing and social media.

We had a great conversation about what is working now for him and how social media and video has made him and his agents stand out heads and tails against the competition. We chat about Facebook and what the early days were like compared to now with Tik Tok and Instagram Reels. So much has changed but so much has stayed the same. Showing up, doing good work, being authentic and having a plan are still the name of the game!

About Raj:

Raj is the Principal/Owner of Boutique Real Estate Group in Orange County, CA. He is also a dear friend and sought-after national speaker.

From Raj’s LinkedIn profile, “Our story goes a little something like this. Beautiful design evokes emotion. Emotion stirs the soul and creates a connection between client, agent and the home buying & selling process.”

Additional links:

• The Boutique Real Estate Group
• Connect with Raj on Instagram
• Check out lots more interviews on the podcast here
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)

Branding is so much more than your logo or the colors on your sign - it’s what you sound like and stand for - and more importantly, how you make people feel! I had the pleasure of interviewing long-time Academy member, Leslie MacRossie, about her business, how she got into real estate and how she uses social media to grow her business.

I love that she believes in not being all things to all people. Her focus with social media is on Facebook and Instagram and in this interview - she shares what she is doing to build the know, like and trust factor. All of her business comes from referrals and word of mouth! She also shares how she has stepped outside of her comfort zone with creating Reels and how the Academy has helped her bottom line!

About Leslie:

Leslie is the Broker/owner of Lark Realty Group in the Denver, Colorado area. She is also a dear friend, long-time Academy member and one of our Mastermind attendees.

When I went to Leslie’s LinkedIn - I love what she said about her philosophy - she says:

Additional links:

• Connect with Leslie on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
• #GetSocialSmart Book
• Watch this interview on YouTube
• Do you have ideas for topics for our podcast? Email me at [email protected]
• Visit me at KatieLance.com for more info about my speaking, consulting and our #​GetSocialSmart Academy​
• Follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes into my life and business @katielance (Enjoying this podcast? Tag me on IG and let me know!)