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What does it look like to go from a graduating class of 30… to building a powerhouse real estate team that dominates market share?

In this episode of R.E.A.L. Real Estate Agent Life, Shane Kilby and Duane Murphy sit down with Matt Smith (Missouri team leader + John Cheplak coach) for a masterclass on work ethic, sales simplicity, leadership growth, and legacy.

Matt shares the raw backstory: working a sawmill at 12 years old, quitting the family business with no “perfect plan,” learning sales the hard way, then jumping into real estate and closing 70+ homes in his first year.

But the real value is what comes after the success how he hit leadership ceilings, lost great people, learned humility the hard way, and rebuilt his leadership identity around impact.

If you’re an agent, team leader, or future leader trying to grow without losing yourself (or your people), this one will light you up.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “sales = solving problems” (and how to go deeper than surface pain)
• The dangerous transition from top producer → leader (and why many fail it)
• The next jump: leader → leader of leaders
• How ego and “press clippings” can quietly wreck culture
• The mindset shift from proving people wrong to impacting lives
• The leadership concept that hit everyone: don’t pour from your cup—overflow it
• Why Matt says: stop living for your resume… start living for your eulogy

🔥 Smash subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with one agent who needs a push right now.

🎙 Thank You for Tuning in to the R.E.A.L. Real Estate Agent Life Podcast!

We appreciate you joining us for another powerful episode where we dive deep into the world of real estate, mindset, and business growth. If you found value in this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network!

👉 Never Miss an Episode!

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:

📍 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r-e-a-l-real-estate-agent-life-podcast/id1790088933

📍 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LAAYbtPUqYJdTVl83hZXS?si=bf6691d7eccf4688

📍 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@R.E.A.L.RealEstateAgentLif-l6z

📲 Stay Connected & Join the Conversation!

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shane.kilby

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanekilby/

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanekilby/

💡 Want to be a guest on the show?...

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This Thanksgiving episode hits different.

No guest. No script. Just two operators Shane from Alabama and Duane from Wisconsin getting brutally honest about the year we’ve all walked through:

• Why 2024/2025 felt like a storm for so many agents
• The power of small, uncomfortable rooms that sharpen leaders
• How consistency on social quietly compounds into DMs, belief, and business
• The truth about re-recruiting your own people (yes, it matters)
• Why AI is your half-million-dollar assistant, not your replacement
• Our bold prediction for the 2026 market
• And of course… drunken Green Egg turkey vs. deer-camp ribeyes 😅

If you’re leading people… or trying to lead yourself… this is the Thanksgiving reset you didn’t know you needed.

This episode reminds you:

You’re not alone.

You’ve survived 100% of your hardest days.

And 2026 belongs to the agents who run into the storm like bison not the ones who huddle like cattle.

🎙 Thank You for Tuning in to the R.E.A.L. Real Estate Agent Life Podcast!

We appreciate you joining us for another powerful episode where we dive deep into the world of real estate, mindset, and business growth. If you found value in this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network!

👉 Never Miss an Episode!

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:

📍 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r-e-a-l-real-estate-agent-life-podcast/id1790088933

📍 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LAAYbtPUqYJdTVl83hZXS?si=bf6691d7eccf4688

📍 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@R.E.A.L.RealEstateAgentLif-l6z

📲 Stay Connected & Join the Conversation!

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shane.kilby

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanekilby/

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanekilby/

💡 Want to be a guest on the show?...

Send us a text

Today’s episode features one of the most dynamic leaders in real estate, Tony Hanson of Better Homes & Gardens Paracle.

Tony doesn’t just talk success he lives discipline, systems, and execution at a level most agents never experience. From surviving the 2008 crash while carrying $60M in development loans to helping scale Paracle from 26 agents to over 400 strong, Tony’s journey is packed with life lessons, business fundamentals, and mindset breakthroughs.

Inside this episode:

🔥 The Catapult Program:
How Tony trains brand-new agents into professionals who understand the A–Z of real estate, belief systems, process, and discipline.

🔥 Three Days in One:
Tony's legendary routine for maximizing productivity, family, fitness, and business without sacrificing one for the other.

🔥 Words Matter:
The psychology of language in sales and why most agents stall deals without even realizing it.

🔥 Building Financial Walls:
The $60M mistake that turned into Tony’s greatest teacher and how it reshaped his entire outlook on business security and diversification.

🔥 Leadership Under Pressure:
What it means to charge into the storm like a rhino when fear, chaos, and uncertainty hit.

🔥 Legacy:
What Tony wants to be remembered for and why it has nothing to do with money or status.

This episode is packed with laughs, conviction, tactical strategies, and gut-check moments. Whether you're a brand-new agent or a seasoned leader, you will walk away with pages of notes and a fire in your chest.

🎙 Thank You for Tuning in to the R.E.A.L. Real Estate Agent Life Podcast!

We appreciate you joining us for another powerful episode where we dive deep into the world of real estate, mindset, and business growth. If you found value in this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network!

👉 Never Miss an Episode!

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:

📍 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r-e-a-l-real-estate-agent-life-podcast/id1790088933

📍 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LAAYbtPUqYJdTVl83hZXS?si=bf6691d7eccf4688

📍 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@R.E.A.L.RealEstateAgentLif-l6z

📲 Stay Connected & Join the Conversation!

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shane.kilby

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanekilby/

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanekilby/

💡 Want to be a guest on the show?...