Time Tested Mastery

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan sits down with Darren Smith, a high-ticket home improvement sales professional with more than 25 years of commission-based sales experience.

Darren’s story is not a theory. Earlier in his career, he was working hard, burning out, struggling with negativity, and still not getting the results he wanted. Everything began to change after a life-shaping trip to the mountains of Nepal and a blunt wake-up call from a coworker who told him, “Darren, you’re the most negative person I know.”

That moment forced Darren to look at his mindset, identity, self-talk, habits, and the way he was showing up in both life and sales.

In this conversation, Darren shares how he went from being a below-average salesperson to becoming a top producer with multiple years selling over $8–10 million in a highly competitive home-improvement industry. In 2025, he had his best sales year ever.

Mark and Darren discuss:

One of Darren’s strongest reminders is simple: before he walks into a meeting or picks up the phone, he asks himself, “What’s the purpose of this meeting?” That question changes the conversation from pressure to understanding — and that is where trust begins.

This episode is valuable for real estate agents, sales professionals, team leaders, and anyone who wants to build confidence without becoming pushy, scripted, or manipulative.

Website: bestlifegrowth.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-smith-8363258b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenthurmansmith/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darren.t.smith.7
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dtsmithbc
Email: [email protected]

Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell is hosted by Mark Dolan, founder of Time Tested Mastery. The show focuses on trust-based selling, leadership, discipline, personal development, and real-world lessons that hold up under pressure.

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan sits down with Dr. Rob Yonover, a Ph.D. geochemist, volcanologist, inventor, author, big-wave surfer, rough-water fisherman, and creator of life-saving survival technologies used around the world.

Dr. Yonover’s story is not theory. It is lived experience.

His Ph.D. work included multiple ALVIN submersible dives two miles deep off the Galapagos Islands to retrieve submarine lava samples, with laboratory work performed at NASA Johnson Space Center and MIT. He later went on to invent survival technologies that earned U.S. Military/DARPA funding and multiple U.S. patents, including the SeeRescueStreamer, a life-saving visual signaling device designed to help people be seen and rescued in extreme conditions.

His media credits include Shark Tank, CNN, PBS, Discovery Channel, CBS Innovation Nation, and more. He is also the author of Hardcore Inventing, Caregiver’s Survival Guide, Hardcore Health, and the children’s book Brainstorm Islands.

But this conversation goes far beyond science and invention.

Mark and Dr. Yonover talk about what it really means to stay calm under pressure, why persistence matters in sales and life, how rejection becomes practice, and why belief in what you are selling makes all the difference. Dr. Yonover shares lessons from selling as a young kid, pitching the military, navigating Shark Tank, caring for his paralyzed wife for 19 years while raising two children, and learning from the ocean as his laboratory.

This episode is for salespeople, entrepreneurs, leaders, inventors, and anyone carrying real pressure while trying to keep moving forward with clarity, discipline, and character.

Dr. Yonover reminds us that pressure does not have to destroy us. Properly handled, pressure can reveal what we are made of and train us to think, adapt, and move.

Learn more about Dr. Rob Yonover and the SeeRescueStreamer at:
www.SeeRescueStreamer.com

Connect with Dr. Rob Yonover:
Instagram: @RobYonover
Facebook: RobYonover
YouTube: RobYonover
LinkedIn: Dr. Robert Yonover

Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell is hosted by Mark Dolan, founder of Time Tested Mastery, where trust-based selling, leadership, discipline, and timeless principles come together for real-world growth in business and life.

More from Mark Dolan:
www.TimeTestedMastery.com

Most real estate agents do not fail because they lack potential. They fail because their habits, expectations, and daily behaviors do not match the reality of the business.

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery, Mark Dolan sits down with Monte Reyment, broker/owner of Take Action Realty Group in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and host of Why Do I Suck As A Real Estate Agent?

Monte brings a direct, honest challenge to the real estate industry: stop hiding behind the traditional playbook if it is not truly serving people. This conversation is about raising the bar through better standards, better strategy, better communication, and stronger relationships.

Mark and Monte discuss why so many new real estate agents struggle in the first few years, why consistency and patience matter more than hype, and why real estate is still a human business built on math and relationships. Monte also shares how his background in investing, flipping, and renovation helps him price homes more transparently with sellers.

They also talk about the role of AI in real estate and why technology should make agents sharper, faster, and more prepared — not less human.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why many agents give up too early
• The importance of consistency, patience, and curiosity
• Why showing up at closing still matters
• How agents create unnecessary friction in transactions
• Why pricing should be transparent and collaborative
• How investor knowledge helps agents serve clients better
• Why AI will not replace real relationships
• What struggling agents need to hear right now

Monte’s message is clear: you may not “suck” as an agent — but your behaviors may need to change. If you want to build a lasting real estate career, you need better habits, better standards, and a stronger commitment to the people you serve.

Connect with Monte Reyment:

Take Action Realty Group:
https://www.tarealtygroup.com/

Monte on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/montereyment/

Monte on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/montereygb/

Monte on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/montereyment/

Monte’s podcast — Why Do I Suck As A Real Estate Agent:
https://open.spotify.com/show/6XCxpBgZsZ8wtA0Hvm0PNE

Email Monte:
[email protected]

Call Monte:
920-680-8532

Connect with Mark Dolan and Time Tested Mastery:

Website:
https://www.TimeTestedMastery.com

If this episode challenged the way you lead, sell, serve, or show up for your clients, share it with someone in real estate or sales who needs to hear it.

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan brings together lessons from three powerful conversations with Alan Langer, Neil Rogers, and Tom Holland. Though they come from different backgrounds and industries, the message is the same: better sales results do not come from more pressure, more polish, or more clever lines. They come from better behavior.

Mark breaks down what these three guests revealed about trust, service, first impressions, active listening, habit correction, and the human side of selling. From Alan’s warning about “commission breath,” to Neil’s reminder that hospitality is a business advantage, to Tom’s hard truth that information does not change people—behavior does—this episode is packed with real-world insight for agents, sales professionals, business owners, and leaders who want stronger results without sounding scripted or pushy.

This is a practical episode about showing up better: asking stronger questions, listening with more discipline, lowering defensiveness, and improving one habit at a time. If you want to grow your sales without manipulation, this one is worth your time.

And if you want to go deeper with each guest, be sure to listen to Mark’s full interviews with Alan Langer, Neil Rogers, and Tom Holland, available anywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan sits down with Richard Blank, CEO of Costa Rica’s Call Center and a telemarketing trainer who has coached more than 10,000 telemarketers.

This conversation gets into the real mechanics of performance on the phone: how to onboard people fast, reduce fear, build confidence, ask better questions, and create consistency without turning people into robots. Richard shares what makes someone effective in live conversations, how to lower resistance early, why listening is still a competitive advantage, and what most salespeople get wrong when they pick up the phone.

They also talk about soft skills, conflict management, body language, practice routines, environment, and the role AI will play in sales and support moving forward.

If you are in real estate, sales, leadership, or any business where conversations matter, this episode is packed with practical insight you can use right away.

In this episode, Mark and Richard discuss:

Calling people on the phone still works—if you build the skill.
The phone is not dead. Poor communication is the problem. Richard makes the case that trust, timing, tone, listening, and real human connection are what separate effective salespeople from the crowd.

Richard Blank is the CEO of Costa Rica’s Call Center, where he has led and trained teams since 2008. Originally from Philadelphia, Richard moved to Costa Rica at age 27 and built his company from scratch. He is known for his work in telemarketing strategy, onboarding, conflict management, interpersonal communication, soft skills, customer support, and sales training. Over the years, he has trained more than 10,000 telemarketers and built a reputation for combining structure, performance, and human connection in live conversations.

I would not publish his mobile number unless he specifically asked you to make it public.

Website: www.costaricascallcenter.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/costaricascallcenter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardblank44/
X: https://x.com/Richard15050746
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ST99AEp7COEWS4q4VUw4Q

Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell is hosted by Mark Dolan and focuses on trust-based selling, leadership, discipline, and real-world lessons that hold up under pressure—especially in real estate and sales.

In this monthly review episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan pulls together the strongest lessons from conversations with Bob Thompson, George Gonzalez, and Savio Clemente.

This is a straight-talk episode about adversity, reinvention, trust-based selling, leadership, and the human edge in a world obsessed with speed, noise, and AI. Mark breaks down what these three very different stories reveal about rebuilding after hardship, using your life experience with purpose, protecting people instead of pressuring them, and becoming the kind of person who can stay steady when life hits hard.

If you work in sales, real estate, leadership, or you are simply in a season where you need to rebuild something important, this episode will remind you that you are not starting from zero. You are starting from experience.

You will hear why trust still compounds, why disruption can become a teacher, and why AI may help with information but can never replace discernment, courage, presence, and the ability to make another human being feel safe.

In this episode:

If this episode helped you, share it with someone who needs a reset, a reminder, and a little straight talk.

Show notes

Episode theme:
Real mastery is not built in comfort. It is built under pressure. In this episode, Mark brings together the lessons of three guests and shows how honesty, reinvention, trust, and emotional steadiness create lasting success.

Key takeaways:

Timestamps

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan talks with Zac Russell, a facilitator who helps people experience more peace, presence, and contentment by letting go of limiting beliefs, stories, and mental loops. Together, they explore how overthinking, past experiences, and unconscious patterns keep people stuck—and why present moment awareness matters so much in sales, leadership, real estate, and everyday life.

If you’ve ever carried yesterday’s rejection into today’s conversation, replayed old losses before a new opportunity, or felt physically safe but mentally unsettled, this episode will hit home. Mark and Zac discuss how people bring the past into the present, how triggers work, why “just let it go” usually does not work in the moment, and what real peace actually looks like when the mind is no longer running the show.

You’ll hear practical insight on present moment consciousness, awareness, acceptance, emotional triggers, peace under pressure, trust-based communication, and staying grounded in high-stakes conversations. This is not hype, and it is not surface-level motivation. It is a deeper conversation about how to show up clean, listen better, and build trust without force.

In this episode, Mark Dolan sits down with Zac Russell to talk about peace, presence, awareness, and the stories people carry into their work, relationships, and conversations. Zac explains why so many people are not actually living in the present moment, how old emotional patterns distort current experiences, and why awareness and acceptance are the starting points for real freedom.

00:00 – Mark introduces Zac Russell and the idea that performance and relationships are often drained by the story we attach to events
00:44 – Why this conversation matters for sales, leadership, and real estate
04:03 – Zac’s background and how suffering led him to this work
06:06 – Why “struggle” may be more about interpretation than objective reality
09:18 – Present moment consciousness and letting go of the story
11:54 – Why Zac focuses on experience rather than advice or thought exercises
13:29 – How recent triggers often connect to much earlier emotional patterns
14:27 – The backpack metaphor for letting go
16:21 – The tequila analogy: why you cannot simply “let it go” in the moment
21:52 – How people bring past fear and rejection into present business situations
22:42 – Why most people are not actually living in the present moment
24:25 – What peace looks like in everyday life
26:26 – “I’m safe, so why don’t I feel safe?”
28:02 – How to connect with Zac Russell
32:12 – Final takeaway: awareness and acceptance

Zac Russell
Facilitator helping people experience peace, presence, and contentment through awareness and letting go of limiting beliefs and narratives.

Website / Links:
https://linktr.ee/zacrussell

YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@zacrussell-?si=4W_zBWMzDKLkEJUN

If this episode helped you, share it with someone who is living in their head and paying for it in their business, relationships, or peace. And be sure to follow Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell so you do not miss the next conversation. That listener assignment and closing call to awareness are consistent with the episode’s outro.

What keeps smart, capable, motivated people stuck at the same invisible ceiling?

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan talks with Paul Salter about the mindset patterns that quietly limit performance, confidence, income, and growth. Paul is a mindset and performance coach, hypnotherapist, keynote speaker, and host of the Scratch Golfers Mindset podcast. With 17 years of coaching experience, work with nearly 4,000 people, a background teaching advanced human performance, and three books to his name, Paul brings a powerful perspective on what really drives high performance under pressure.

This conversation goes deeper than tactics. Paul explains why self-sabotage is often not a discipline problem but a belief and safety problem. He breaks down the hidden fear of standing out, the core beliefs underneath imposter syndrome, and why people often know what to do but still do not do it consistently. Mark and Paul also explore what it takes to build self-trust, how daily silence strengthens mental fitness, and why curiosity without judgment is essential if you want lasting change.

If you are in real estate, sales, leadership, business, or any high-pressure environment, this episode will help you understand the inner patterns that affect outer performance.

Show Notes

In this episode, Mark sits down with Paul Salter, a high-performance hypnotherapist and mindset coach known as The Golf Hypnotherapist. Paul shares how his path moved from competitive athletics and sports nutrition into mindset coaching, and how his own experience in poker and performance pressure led him to the deeper work of dismantling self-sabotage, rewiring beliefs, and helping people perform with confidence when the stakes are high.

Mark and Paul discuss:

Why many people hit an “invisible ceiling” even when they are smart, capable, and motivated

The belief underneath high-performance struggles: “I’m not worthy, deserving, or capable”

Why success can feel unsafe when standing out threatens belonging

How imposter syndrome shows up during growth and reinvention

The difference between being interested and being committed

How self-sabotage shows up in both obvious and subtle ways

Why breaking promises to yourself destroys self-trust

What a daily mental fitness practice can look like

Why silence, journaling, breathwork, and reflection help reconnect you with yourself

How non-judgmental curiosity becomes the starting point for real change

Memorable ideas from the episode

Paul explains that many destructive patterns are learned, which means they can be unlearned. He also makes the point that high performers often do not have a knowledge problem. They have a mindset problem underneath the behavior. Another strong takeaway: small wins matter. Keeping small commitments to yourself builds trust, confidence, and consistency over time.

Connect with Paul Salter

Instagram: @thepaulsalter

Website: thegolfhypnotherapist.com

Book: The Sustainable Weight Loss Code

Podcast: Scratch Golfers Mindset

About Paul Salter

Paul Salter is a mindset and performance coach, hypnotherapist, keynote speaker, and podcast host with 17 years of coaching experience. He has coached nearly 4,000 people, taught advanced human performance, and written three books. His work focuses on the deeper internal patterns beneath performance: self-sabotage, emotional regulation, confidence, and the beliefs that shape behavior.

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan sits down with Jorge V. Gonzalez—agent, investor, property management professional, inventor, speaker, and author of Answer the Call: Life Lessons From Family Origins Through Invention and Struggle.

Jorge shares how disability forced him to reinvent his life, how family values and faith shaped his response, and why obedience, purpose, and resilience matter in both business and life. This conversation goes deeper than motivation. It’s about rebuilding when life doesn’t go according to plan and learning to move forward with meaning.

If you’ve ever faced a setback, questioned your next step, or needed the courage to begin again, this episode will speak to you.

In this episode, we discuss:

Reinvention after adversity

Why obedience and purpose matter

Building resilience through hardship

Family influence and personal calling

Trust, ethics, and service in real estate

Jorge’s book, Answer the Call

Jorge V. Gonzalez
Agent, Investor, Property Management Professional, Author, Inventor, and Speaker

Website: www.jorgevgonzalez.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 805.283.9977
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgevgonzalez805
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorge_v_gonzalez
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jorge.v.gonzalez.50

Answer the Call: Life Lessons From Family Origins Through Invention and Struggle

A book about reinvention, resilience, purpose, and answering the call on your life.

Most people don’t need more information. They need better behavior.

In this episode, Mark sits down with Thomas R. Holland, a sales behavior specialist with decades of experience in high-pressure environments—from military leadership to automotive retail and national sales training. Together they break down why training often fails to “stick,” and why behavior change is the real lever behind consistent performance.

You’ll also hear the idea behind “The Folder Effect”—how we unconsciously assign people to mental “folders” the moment we meet them, and how those assumptions shape our tone, decisions, and outcomes. The good news is you can rewrite those patterns—and when you do, your conversations, leadership, and results change with them.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

Why knowing what to do doesn’t mean you’ll do it

How small behavioral corrections compound into big results

Why consistency beats intensity when you want mastery

How your assumptions can quietly steer the first moments of every interaction

If you want something practical and time-tested—this episode will give you a clear path to better execution.

Guest: Thomas R. Holland

What we cover:

Why training fails when behavior doesn’t change

The “Folder Effect” and how assumptions shape interactions

Conditioning better habits through small daily corrections

Consistency vs. intensity (and why one actually produces mastery)

How to build automatic better decisions under pressure

Guest contact + links:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 682-667-7606

Websites: www.mysalessolutions.com | www.theyesprotocol.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-holland-11592324/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammy.hadawayholland

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tomhollandinc