This One Time in Real Estate...

Hosted by Mark Gellman

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171

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Real Estate Agent & Team Leader Mark Gellman recall things he's learned over the years along with memorable events and people he's met along the way.

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60 recent

June 12, 2026Episode 7114 min

Other People’s Problems Are Not Your Problems

"Other people's problems are not your problems."At first glance, it sounds cold. It sounds harsh. But in reality? It is one of the most compassionate and liberating lessons you can ever learn as a business owner, real estate agent, leader, or parent.In this episode, we dive deep into a powerful piece of advice from St. Louis real estate veteran Daniel Bergjans, who has sold over 600 homes and remains completely unbothered in today's challenging market. How does he do it? By drawing a firm line between empathy and ownership.When you absorb the stress, anxiety, and drama of your buyers, sellers, or team members, you don't solve the issue; you just become emotionally exhausted. True leadership isn't about carrying the obstacle; it’s about guiding people around it.In this episode, we cover:The Trap of Ownership: Compassion means listening, not taking on someone else's burden. If you absorb their anxiety, you lose the energy needed to find a solution.The "Tour Guide" Mentality: When the trail gets rough, people don't need you to panic with them. They need a calm leader focused entirely on the destination.Protecting Your Morning: A structured routine of gratitude and movement grounds your mind before the daily fires and emails that can derail your energy.Empathy vs. Burden: You can deeply care for and support clients through high-friction moments without internalizing their personal stress.Your responsibility is not to carry their burden. Your responsibility is to help them achieve their goal.Tune in to discover how stepping back from other people's drama will drastically improve your leadership, productivity, and peace of mind.

June 5, 2026Episode 7016 min

The Power of Brand Loyalty

Why do I choose to stay at a Marriott time and time again, even when it's not the host hotel at a conference or event? It’s not just about the points; it’s about the consistency. When a brand delivers a predictable, high-quality experience, it lowers friction for the customer. That consistency creates trust, and trust creates unwavering loyalty.In this episode, we break down how top-down leadership and clear operating standards shape the customer experience, whether you're running a global giant like McDonald's or a local real estate team. We’re diving into why your culture dictates your reviews, and how to build a business where excellence becomes repeatable.In this episode, we cover:The "Marriott Effect": Why predictable customer experiences win every time.Top-Down Culture: How leadership values directly impact 5-star (and 2-star) reviews.The Power of SOPs: Why documented systems and training are the secret to scaling excellence.The Fragility of Referrals: Why every team member carries your reputation and how to protect it.The Ultimate Business Question: Are you creating a predictable experience that makes people know, like, and trust you?The greatest compliment any business can receive is when a customer says, "I knew exactly what to expect, and you delivered." Tune in, audit your systems, and let's get to work!

May 29, 2026Episode 6911 min

AI Won’t Replace You. Being Unprepared Will.

There is a lot of fear and noise right now about artificial intelligence replacing jobs. But let’s clear up the biggest misconception in the industry: AI will not replace great agents. It is going to make great agents more prepared.AI isn't "cheating" or "disingenuous"; it is quite literally the greatest preparation tool ever created. If you are still just pulling basic comps and reacting to problems as they happen, you are missing massive opportunities. The future belongs to the professionals who leverage AI as the ultimate research assistant while keeping their unique human value at the center of their business.This episode covers:The Ultimate Prep Tool: How a prospective agent used ChatGPT to prep for an interview, and why it was a brilliant display of proactive business.Bulletproof Listing Appointments: Why you need to run property addresses through ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini before you walk through the door to anticipate client objections and competitive positioning.Mastering Difficult Negotiations: How to use AI to channel world-class experts (like FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss) to script tough conversations, inspection hurdles, and low appraisals.Next-Level Recruiting & Leadership: How leaders can use AI to analyze production history and uncover real pain points before a one-on-one meeting.Where AI Fails: The critical line between leveraging technology and losing your authenticity. Discover why you need to stop using AI to write your social media posts, and why it can never replace judgment, trust, and heart.Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. AI simply gives us the opportunity to be more prepared. The leader, investor, and agent who is more prepared will always win.Stop reacting. Start anticipating. Tune in to learn how to put AI to work for your business today so you can stay irreplaceable tomorrow.

May 22, 2026Episode 6817 min

The Silent Killer of Success

It’s Friday, May 22nd, Memorial Day weekend. While a lot of people are already clocked out, heading to the beach, and checking out for the holiday, we are leaning in. Consistency doesn’t take a long weekend.Welcome to Season 3, Episode 68. Today, we are confronting a hard truth that keeps top leaders up at night, and it’s an insecurity we need to talk about openly: Your business decays the exact same way people gain weight.Nobody wakes up 40 pounds heavier overnight. It’s a slow, drift. It’s a couple of bad meals, a few skipped workouts, late-night eating, and small compromises. You gain a single pound and think, "It’s fine, I’ll lose it next week." But day after day, it compounds.We always talk about the positive power of compounding: saving money, atomic habits, daily wins. But we rarely talk about negative compounding.Companies rarely implode overnight. Cultures don't collapse in a day. Teams don't become dysfunctional instantly. Instead, it’s a slow drift caused by small, tolerated problems that compound over time. As leaders, we tolerate them because it’s easier than confronting them. We avoid the elephant in the room because we’re afraid to lose people or disrupt the peace. But let's be clear: ignoring a problem never solved it.In this episode, we break down:The Trap of Market Excuses: Why blaming a down market for your dropping sales is a leadership trap that will break your business.The Reality of Firing: Why cutting loose a culture misfit or a toxic attitude has never made a great company worse.Curiosity vs. Conflict: How to address a high-performer whose standards are slipping without being an asshole.The Power of "Boring" Consistency: Why true organizational strength is built on the repetitive, invisible habits that standard people underestimate.Your habits, your culture, your leadership, and your standards are compounding right now. One day, the mirror will tell you the absolute truth about your business, your health, and your relationships.What are you allowing to compound today?

May 15, 2026Episode 6719 min

What Happens When Nobody’s Watching

What does your company, or even you, look like when no one is watching? Imagine a camera following every decision, every interaction, every moment at work. Would it reveal integrity, consistency, and accountability, or shortcuts, chaos, and ego-driven choices?In this episode, we explore the power of core values as the ultimate foundation for any thriving organization. Core values go beyond rules, policies, or slogans; they act as an operating system that guides decision-making, protects your brand, and builds trust across every level of your team.We dive into the real stress tests for values: tough decisions when deals fall apart, employees make mistakes, clients push back, or doing the right thing costs money. Learn why principle-driven leadership outperforms personality-driven or fear-driven decisions, and why cultural alignment is far more important than talent alone.Hear stories of hiring and firing based on values, how accountability becomes easier when tied to agreed-upon principles, and how living your values consistently accelerates growth, reduces confusion, and creates organizational speed. Whether it’s short-term challenges or long-term market shifts, core values are the guardrails that ensure your organization thrives, internally and externally.If you lead, work in, or aspire to grow a high-performing organization, this episode will challenge the way you think about culture, leadership, accountability, and doing the right thing, even when it’s uncomfortable or unseen.Listen in and discover why organizations built on values last decades, while those built on transactions and shortcuts rarely survive.

May 8, 2026Episode 6616 min

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

When the market gets tough, most people freeze. But what if that nervous feeling in your stomach is actually the exact signal you need?In this episode, we are tackling the raw truth about growth, leadership, and why everything you want in your business sits entirely on the other side of discomfort. With real estate trending toward a low watermark of under 4 million homes sold this year, it’s easy to feel insecure about where your next deal is coming from.Last year, a massive $12 million double-ended deal in April set a massive benchmark for our team. This year, we had to make up that gap without relying on a lucky break. We didn't freeze, and we didn't wait for perfect conditions. We restructured our team, leaned into the discomfort, and drove our company to the biggest first five months in our history.What you will learn in this episode:The Freeze vs. Fight Response: Why overanalyzing and stalling will kill your momentum faster than a bad market.Closing the Gap: How we handled the pressure of overcoming a massive $12M sales month from the previous year by pouring into our listings department.Chunking Down the Problem: Why you don't need to solve the whole puzzle right away, you just need to take the next uncomfortable action.Leading Through Uncertainty: Why your team needs to see you run towards accountability and discomfort, rather than pulling back.Growth happens outside of your comfort zone. Stop overthinking and start doing the work.

May 1, 2026Episode 6517 min

The Gap Between Knowing and Doing

Let's be honest, you don't have an "I don't know" problem; you have an "I don't want to do it" problem.In today’s tricky "tale of two markets," having access to endless scripts, AI tools, market data, and coaching won't generate income. Only execution will.We break down why information overload leads to analysis paralysis and why the top-producing agents aren't relying on fleeting motivation, but on ironclad discipline.In this episode, we dive into:The Tale of Two Markets: Why we are simultaneously in a buyer's and a seller's market, and why over-communication is non-negotiable right now.The Trap of Information Overload: Why having access to too much training can actually freeze you in your tracks.The Cost of Inconsistency: Why skipping your calls today will wreck your pipeline 30, 60, and 90 days from now.Why "Boring" Scales: The truth about doing the monotonous, unsexy, basic tasks at a high level every single day.Actionable Steps to Close the Gap: How to start small, clean out the energy-drainers in your database, track your metrics, and find genuine accountability.Stop waiting to feel motivated and stop focusing only on your best days. It’s time to build systems so your worst days are still productive, and get back to the basics.Listen in, hold yourself accountable, and let's get to work.

April 24, 2026Episode 6414 min

Improvise, Adjust, and Execute

There is a profound difference between a professional who operates well when the calendar is clear and an industry leader who thrives when circumstances are chaotic. This episode delves into the mindset required to become the latter.This week’s installment explores the danger of tying execution to ideal conditions. In real estate, transactions rarely go exactly as planned. Deals encounter friction, schedules get derailed, and unexpected variables arise daily. The professionals who secure the best outcomes and the highest client reviews are those who view these disruptions not as insurmountable obstacles, but as standard operating procedures. They bypass complaining and move immediately to solutions.Interestingly, the recording of this episode mirrors its core lesson. Bypassing the traditional studio environment due to emergent business priorities, the delivery method was improvised to ensure consistency for the listeners. It stands as a testament to the fact that while the environment may change, the standard of showing up remains non-negotiable.Listeners will discover:The three choices available when business plans fail, and why high-performers immediately eliminate the first two.How to maintain a high standard of service even when the operational approach has to shift entirely.The critical importance of imperfect consistency over perfect inconsistency in building a lasting business.Why the simple act of putting in the work, regardless of the circumstances, is the ultimate differentiator in today's market.Simple solutions often resolve complex problems. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to build resilience, stop overthinking, and focus on relentless execution.

April 17, 2026Episode 6315 min

The Ego Trap

Stop worrying about your feelings, and start worrying about your client's feelings.In a high-stakes market, emotions run high for both you and your clients. When a buyer questions your strategy or a seller sends a frustrated email, your natural instinct might be to push back and defend your expertise. But here is the hard truth: the second you get defensive, you’ve already lost.In Season 3, Episode 63, we break down the ultimate ego check for anyone in a relationship-based business. We explore the massive gap between knowing your industry and actually understanding your client's underlying fears. You'll learn why protecting your ego is the fastest way to break trust, and how shifting from defensiveness to genuine curiosity will completely transform your conversion rates.

April 10, 2026Episode 6216 min

Trust the Process

After showing up for over 150 weeks in a row, I’m coming at you today with the exact reason why showing up works: trusting the process.In our instant-gratification society, we want closings, listings, and money right now. But here is the hard truth: agents who constantly chase immediate outcomes are the ones who fail.Bouncing from strategy to strategy and shiny object to shiny object will destroy your pipeline. Today, we are breaking down why locking into a monotonous, unsexy, defined process is the ultimate cheat code for long-term success.In this episode, we dive into:Why doing an open house "every few months" is a complete waste of time.The single word you need to eliminate from your vocabulary immediately.A real-life client story that proves why speed does not always equal success.How to audit your daily execution and stop letting emotion drive your business.The process is what creates predictable, repeatable success. Not emotion, not luck, not one-offs.If you’ve been feeling frustrated by a lack of immediate validation, this episode is your wake-up call. Tune in, audit your systems, and commit to the process.