Real Estate Success Beyond Sales with Varsha Pasel

In this episode of Better Your Business, Cher sits down with Varsha Pasel, a real estate advisor and host of the Life in Conversation podcast. Varsha shares her journey into real estate, shaped by personal life experiences and a desire to show up more intentionally for the people in her life. The conversation explores how her definition of success has evolved, the importance of self-trust, and how alignment in business leads to stronger client relationships. 

In this episode you will hear: 

• [02:17] Varsha shares her journey into real estate, highlighting how personal life experiences and navigating family health challenges influenced her decision to pursue a more purpose-driven career
• [04:33] Transitioning from a legal career into real estate, and how foundational knowledge in contracts and client advocacy shaped her approach to serving clients
• [06:35] The importance of recognizing when you’ve outgrown environments in business, and how personal and professional growth requires evolving
• [08:12] How Varsha’s definition of success evolved from traditional real estate metrics like transactions and awards to a values-based, client-centered approach
• [13:19] Identifying key gaps in the real estate industry, including education standards, representation, and the quality of client experience
• [15:32] The need for new voices in real estate, and how prioritizing authentic connection over transactional thinking creates stronger client relationships
• [16:45] Strategies for attracting aligned real estate clients through relationship marketing, open houses, and intentional social media presence
• [22:52] How self-awareness and internal work contribute to building a sustainable real estate business that feels aligned and authentic
• [23:25] Practical ways to build self-trust in business, including consistency, discipline, and following through on commitments to yourself
• [32:20] Varsha reflects on her unique edge in real estate, emphasizing service, attention to detail, and a client-first mindset
• [40:05] The importance of curiosity in real estate, especially when working with diverse clients 
• [56:30] Letting go of a results-driven mindset and learning to embrace the process of growth in both business and personal development

Connect with Varsha:

Instagram: @varsha.pasel

Website: https://varshapasel.com/

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

Cheryl Goetz has been a Realtor since 2016 and knows firsthand what it feels like to build a business filled with anxiety, confusion, and constant pressure. After raising two kids, navigating a transition from new construction to resale, and adapting through shifting markets, she transformed her career into one that now feels intentional, joyful, and ease-filled. Today, Cheryl helps women in real estate do the same — creating businesses that reflect their authentic selves, attract aligned clients, and grow sustainably. Her mission is simple: to help women drop the industry “shoulds” and build businesses that fuel their lives.

Instagram: @chergoetz_
Website: www.athomecompany.ca
Email Community: https://athomeco.myflodesk.com/bybpodcast
Contact: hello@athomecompany.ca

Thank you to our Sponsors:

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:01

Welcome to the Better Your Business Podcast, the show for realtors who want to build a business that fuels their life, not takes from it. I'm your host, Charles Getz, and around here we mix humor, honesty, and real-world strategy to help you create systems, work with clients you love, and achieve your definition of success. Together, we will chat with inspiring fellow realtors and industry experts, sharing stories, insights, strategies, and mindset shifts so you can grow with confidence, clarity, and ease. Let's dive in. Today on the podcast, we have Varsha Pazel. She is a trusted real estate advisor and host of the Life in Conversation podcast. With a background in public service and currently completing her ICF coaching designation, Varsha is known for humanizing the real estate process and helping people feel seen, calmer, and clearer as they navigate major life transitions. She supports clients buying their first home, selling a family property, or investing in the future, believing these decisions aren't just about numbers, but about who you're choosing to become in the next chapter of your life. Varsha brings a rare blend of empathy, strategic guidance, and a sharp eye for the details within homes, contracts, and people that protect her clients and help them move forward with confidence.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Welcome, Varsha. Thank you, Cher. It's a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_03 1:20

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for being here. Such a fangirl moment.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Oh my God, same. And this place is incredible. It's such a good story. I love that you have this place. It's beautiful. It really evokes such warm conversations. Like, look at where we are right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

I know. I can't take any credit for the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

No, no, but you found it, right? So, and you trusted it. So it's good.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I love to start off with uh how you stumbled into this wonderful and interesting world of real estate because I find all of us have such a unique path of how we landed here. You know, like when you think of accountants, it's like, okay, you probably went to university for accounting and then you became an accountant, where it's like we all have such rich backgrounds.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Uh side note, my father did try to send my sister and I say, Do you not want to go into accounting? It's like, dad, no, just because you have been a banker his whole life, like the numbers guy, right? Um, so real estate, you know, I wish I could sit here and say real estate is something I've always loved, I've always thought about. That is not the case. Um, you know, of course, investing in real estate came fairly young to us once we got married, but uh about 10, 12, longer years ago, um in 2016, my father was diagnosed. Um, he was actually diagnosed even before that in 2011 uh with brain cancer. And so watching his, you know, faculties start to deteriorate, him starting to lose, you know, control, uh, simple things like even just being able to drive, being able to trust himself in the driver's seat or anywhere, you know, and all of those things really came to a point where in my late 20s, when he got diagnosed, it was okay, um, I want to show up more for the people that I value in my life. And that's something truly that comes from my parents. It is, okay, well, if the relationship is of value, you will show up, right? You'll do what's needed. So being a young mom at that point as well, I distinctly remember Cher on my 30th birthday. My husband planned a small little get-together in a restaurant. And I remember standing up, I had a one-year-old at that point. And, you know, I looked around and I said, I'm so grateful to be here. I have a baby, I have a husband, I have my parents here. And as I said parents, I remember the trigger thinking, what if dad's not here for my 40th? Because they gave us sort of that lifespan of how long he'll be around, right? And these are thoughts when you're in your 20s and 30s, like, I'm a new mom. I'm focusing on motherhood, not my dad's deterioration. Um, and then I had to adjust, adjust, adjust, pivot. And I had a fabulous realtor, and I give her so much credit, and and uh, she was really such a beautiful force, like for me, at least even in my earlier years in real estate, Tanya, she's lovely. And uh, I had she was my realtor, and I had such a good experience with her that were it not for that and all of this background stuff happening with health and longevity and life, um, that really had me look at the profession of real estate differently. Up until then, I was always so legal focused. The goal was always law school, except I fell in love and got married. I wrote the LSAT, except I was falling in love at that point. Like, you know what I mean? Um but I still worked in the legal industry for 16 years and it was time for a pivot. And I thought real estate, because I had a great interaction. I thought, okay, I have good legal contract knowledge. You know, mistakes just jump out on the paper. I'm sure they do for you too, right? When you're so in tune. And uh that's where it stemmed from. I had a good interaction. I said, let me see what it's like. It wasn't some deep longing. Yeah. You know, and here we are.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

That's what I love about real estate though, is because like we all I mean, I don't I don't know if I've met someone who's just always knew they wanted to be a realtor. It's this sequence of life events that land us here. And then it's, I mean, like it's a whole other story of why we keep doing this to ourselves by staying in this industry. We all have our different reasons. But I love that part of your story was another realtor who was such a force. Mine's the opposite. Mine is the amount of experiences with incompetent realtors that was just like infuriating.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

And like, I can't believe customers are trusting such like a huge life event with these people. I can't believe these people are getting the checks that they are and they're not being as considerate and as intentional and as invested honestly in it, you know, as as their clients are probably invested in it. So I love that she was such a force for you. It can really make or break massive life decisions.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Who you partner with in those early years is everything. Yeah. Because without that foundation, you literally don't know how to operate in this business. Like you need that solid foundation, that mentorship. It's everything. And I give her so much credit. And uh in the same vein, I'd say, know when you have outgrown a situation too. Right? That's just as important. It is not that the one person that you uh want to emulate is going to be the same person as you grow. Give yourself credit that you're changing, you're evolving, you're in something new, and then you get to create it how you want it to show up, you know, in the world. So yeah, absolutely. You're right.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Yeah. I think outgrowing people and places, you know, we put too much meaning on it sometimes. Like it's okay to outgrow people and places and and move on. It doesn't have to mean like we're burning a bridge or we're cutting ties or anything like that. It can just mean like, no, I'm ready to step into this situation, right? Everybody comes in for seasons and reasons, right?

SPEAKER_00 7:24

So some wisdom as we get older too, you know, as I'm okay, right? Like it does. Some life experience helps us in that regard too.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

So, how many years exactly have you been a realtor?

SPEAKER_00 7:35

So, in another couple months, it'll be seven years. Seven years. Seven years in March. Yeah. Seven years. We're both March babies for real estate. Yeah, it'll be ten years in March for my gosh, celebration.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

We should have a celebration, right? Yeah, for sure. So in the past seven years, I'd be so curious to know like how you define success based on the different years you were in it. When I started, I defined success one way, and now I define it in a completely different way. How is that for you? Has it always been the same or is it totally transformed throughout the years?

SPEAKER_00 8:12

Oh, it has transformed, much like you. You're so self-aware, Cher. Like, as the older we get, the more self-aware we are. That initial success, you know, when we got in, because let's be honest, uh, real estate, you know, the showiness of it, the reductive nature in which we have to introduce ourselves and just be like, I'm a realtor, like always introducing yourself with your job. Like all of that happens in the early years. And it's almost like it needs to happen that way. You need to feel a little embarrassed, a little uneasy. Um, and in those earlier success to me, as I am an achiever, um, we actually did a gallop test. Have you done some of those like disc assessments and things like that?

SPEAKER_03 8:54

So I lean a little more woo. Okay, I go into human design. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

No, that's totally fine. Because actually, um, oh, they said it on the weekend. I'll tell you what it stands for. It's not uh some flu foo thing out there, it's all energetically intertwined. Um, and so you know, some of the things that came up in Gallup was achiever, learner, belief, and those are some of my strengths, okay? And I try not to embod like be like, okay, this is who I am, this is my identity, because I've been stuck in someone else's identity or versions of me for so much of my life that now I'm so certain with, okay, this is who I am actually. This is what I want to bring forth. So, success in the early years for me was very much achievement. It was, okay, well, these people are 10Xing it. They're all so successful. They've got all these awards, they've made all these GCI, again, a term I had to learn, like, you know, how much income you make. It's all out there. It's so, ugh, that feeling is just it's very reductive for an industry that really has such big impact. We really have such big impact, you know? Um, and so of course, success to me was okay, well, I'm gonna keep chasing that next award. I'm gonna keep chasing that next transaction even. How am I going to get that next lead? Not even thinking about are we gonna connect? Are we actually gonna be right for each other? And so that was success in the early years. And then, you know, as I got older, but really older, what I mean is like time spent in the business. It was very quickly it came to me that okay, um, I left something where I was an expert at my previous uh job. And here I sort of expected that I would just become an expert overnight. So not the case. It is so humbling. You're in business for yourself, and then it's evolved so much. And of course, we have seen the highest of highs. You've been in this for 10 years. There are years that you couldn't even imagine. I was like, wait, that's my income?

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Like, oh my goodness. But you know, there was a part of me that thought that that was gonna be my income. Right. And hi, no, you actually fall back to your systems and your strengths and what you're putting out there, and it's not the case all the time. And so success quickly changed for me because I started looking at what's happening in our industry, much like you. You were so motivated to come in and and see that like you want it to be the change in our industry. And I'd say for me, it's very obvious some of the gaps in our industry and where people are suffering, and most of that suffering happens within themselves. You know, whether it's a consumer that can't move the needle forward to make a decision, or whether it's a realtor that's just around the wrong people and they don't realize it in their environment, like dictates so much of who they become, right? Both consumers and realtors, that now I too, much like you, have more of a mission where it's okay, well, I see the gap, I want to build the bridge and I don't want to do it alone. Right. Um, and so to me, success today, of course, is I'm still an achiever. I'm still gonna want to shape and help many consumers in real estate because we have the expertise share. We read contracts for breakfast. Yeah. You know what I mean? We know how to protect. Protection is important, belonging is important. Those are the values. I'm very like in tune to my values more so today than I was seven years ago. And they're my guiding force.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

I think you you wrapped it up perfectly by saying before it was numbers and achievements was was based on the definition of success. And now it's probably how close are you running your business based on values as you're achieving your sex success. And that goes back to something I'm obsessed with with like your business should feel as good as it might look. Where I found a lot of years like it looked good and it feeled felt terrible, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

And you have young kids, Cher. Like, and when it felt bad, it felt really bad. But on the outside, you were so successful, you know, and I would bet there was a disconnect there. And I have felt that too. Like, why am I not happy by this achievement that I said I wanted?

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

You know?

SPEAKER_03 13:11

Yeah, yeah, because it was an all-encompassing of life. No. So you mentioned you see gaps. What gaps are you seeing?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

So I'd say, you know, first off, um the threshold, and I and I know I say this with love, but you know, sometimes the threshold to get into our industry is is so low. Sometimes. You're being very polite, right? I'm being polite because you know, I know for some people that can still feel like a mountain, but the threshold is too low for the quality of work that we do. The threshold to get into thank you for calling me up.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

The importance of the work.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

The work is so important and it is so diluted with the volume of people coming in and parking their licenses. So, you know, even these stats that come out and say so many agents didn't do any transactions, so many agents, you know, did these many. It's like great. And then, okay, but who are the appraisers in there? Who are the people, you know, hired by banks that just park their licenses because they have actual jobs? Like they're all skewed. I know, it doesn't matter. So I can't fix that gap. But the gaps that I see are even in terms of say representation, like I want to see more, not just South Asian realtors, but realtors who just feel that, hey, my story is different. I've had these challenges, you know, from an access standpoint to whether it's information, because I can't get into that conference because the threshold to get in is too high. Some of these conferences are too expensive, right? Or, hey, I can't um access this person because this mentor seems light years away from me. And, you know, I want to shorten that gap, whether it's information to people in our industry, um, and definitely it's how we treat our consumers, the people that we serve. It cannot be that they're gonna trust us with the with a place that they're gonna call home for years to come, which is their safety. It cannot be that they're questioning whether or not they can trust us. Are we gonna serve them? Like, do we even know uh the legalities of these contracts? You know, are we actually looking out for them beyond our fiduciary duty? Like, are we, you know, like there's so many layers there. So there's so many gaps in several areas. Those are just a few that come quickly to me. And how would I fill it? Um, you know, much like you, Cher, you're here, you're having conversations, you're creating these community outreach opportunities and events and the goal of improving the industry and the people that serve within it. So, same. I mirror that.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

It's just creating a different voice. I feel like both of us have this mission. We're like, let's just bring a different voice to something that has had the same voice for so long. And not only the same voice, but like they're saying the same shit. And it's like the world is different than it was 20 years ago, 30 years ago in real estate. And yet we're listening to such maybe not always the same voice, but similar, same voice, similar voices. I can't tell the difference between the two voices. It's just in a different package.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

You know?

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yeah. Oh my gosh, that's so well said. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

So you talk about one thing you you spoke about is when you're thinking about where's my next lead? And then you started asking myself, well, isn't it more important to feel like I'm connected to my la my my next lead, if you, if you will. How do you attract the kind of clients you're truly aligned with?

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Yeah. And that is the question that's constantly through my mind in the last year and a half since switching brokerages, right? Um, while I've always been a solo agent, I also was in a different environment. And then I uprooted myself and put myself in a new environment. And that is the question that every realtor should be asking. Like, how are you going to attract the people that you work with? And for so long, I thought it had to be external. I thought it had to be always things that were coming, you know, whether it's marketing this way, emailing this way, and all of those things really do matter, but you can't do all the things. Um instead, I I genuinely asked a question. I said, okay, in this era of Varsha knowing herself, what does Varsha even like to do? Okay. I know that I am an asset to this industry. I know that I am here to impact lives and help guide them through one of the most impactful, important decisions of their lives. So, knowing that, what do I like to do so that I can work with more people that believe in the impact that we have to offer? That really is it. You know, it's not necessarily the person's gonna want to wake up at 5 a.m. and write and meditate and do all those things. That may not be the case, but they believe in the value of the service that we offer, and that's important to me. And so I my strengths are connection. I like people face to face. So for me, face to face equates to immediate, quick, you know, wins, warm leads are open houses. Yeah, they're quick. And I know there's so many people that don't believe in the value of open houses. I love an open house. And I love it because if we're only looking at it at the lens of what is this gonna do for my seller, I think we're not looking at it big enough. We need to look at it at okay, we need to be in that open house as professional realtors, as agents with data-specific knowledge of the neighborhood. And the worst thing that could happen is you have practiced your knowledge on someone who has walked in and you've made an impression. And that's the best thing that could happen to you because you're in your craft, you're in your element, right? So I'd say open houses have been a really good dumb in terms of the traditional leads for me. Um, and then I love video, much like you. Um, one of my strengths, and I again it's only a strength seven years in.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Yes. So important to say.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

It was not a strength in 2019 or 2018. It was so uncomfortable. I couldn't even croak out my voice at some point.

unknown 19:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Yeah. Um, but I believe in the power of video. I actually believe in the positive impacts of social media marketing because I like connecting with people where they are just hanging out. You know, and I respect that people go on social certain platforms for education, and I want to show up there too, because one of my strengths, I think, is also talking about the really boring stuff in real estate. But I enjoy that for some odd reason. Yeah. So I know what platform to go do that. You know, I'll go to YouTube to do that. But the DMs on Instagram is kind of my happy place because I can't pick up the phone and call everybody at every time and nobody, you know what I mean? Even within my circle, right? But we're sending memes, we're texting, we're chatting, they're paying attention. It's so warm there.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

You know, so I said, okay, I'm gonna focus on that. I'm gonna continue to do my open houses, and I'm fine-tuning some of the ways that I do show up in the world. So I've gone through um in the last um end of last year, a whole rebrand in the sense when I switched brokerages, I didn't pay attention to any of that. I really haven't paid attention to any of that for the first five years. And that was such solid advice, which a lot of people I should share this. Yeah. It was such solid advice that I got from my then managing broker who said, don't focus on all that. That will come with time.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

Just use the brokerage's branding, which I know is gonna irritate so many people. But when you have no business under your belt, you don't even know who you are in the business. Right. You need to start securing some knowledge, some confidence, some deals. And only through that process do you really realize who you are in the business and what impact you want to have. So I thought that was solid advice. Maybe I waited too long. I know, I know I did, Cher. I know I did.

SPEAKER_03 21:07

I give the opposite advice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

I know Betsy, and I get that too, right? But I I there is place for that too, and I so get that. So I'd say those things, you know, the open house, uh, rebranding, because now I'm not great at always like this is great. I'm not great at always being like, oh, I do this and I do that and I've done this. Like talking about myself, especially I'm sure for you too, like as you're having conversations about other people, it is sometimes hard to talk about yourself.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

And branding just does that for me.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

It closes the gap for the consumer. It says, This is Varsha, this is what she's about. Do you want to work with her? Here are what she's achieved. Here's what she's got going on. Connect. You know, and that's branding. And it's truly an extension of me. And I love my brand right now. It's still in, it's still coming out, but I'm like obsessed with it, which I've never felt before. For.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

It's so funny when you were saying um warm. Yeah. And I that is literally how I describe your whole brand is warmth.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Ah.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Is warmth. Like you as a person, obviously, is the brand. And then like, but together, it's just all warmth. Um, so what you're saying and how you like to get business and aligned clients is truly also aligned with who you are, which probably brings it along a lot more easily.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Finally. Finally. Finally, I open my eyes though. Yeah. Right? Like, I didn't know that. I thought I had to be this like blazer-wearing person that just only spoke professionally, that never let her guard down. Her shoulders were always up by her ears, you know, so tense about knowing every answer. I've been that person for a very long time. And so, like, this ease that I feel within myself didn't come from external things, is I guess what I'm trying to get at. I had to do a lot of internal work to get to this point where I'm so comfortable that I can sit here in my skin and say, I feel good, and I know that will then extend to my business because I know myself.

SPEAKER_03 23:11

But it sounds like you developed self-trust.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 23:15

What advice would you give someone else in real estate who has not?

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Oh Yeah, that is such a good question. Um, see, trust within yourself has to also be built. I don't think there's just uh there's one way to build trust. If you're trying to become, you know, just to get like if you're trying to become a better content creator in real estate, if you don't put in the reps and you're just sitting back saying, I don't have the equipment, the lighting's off, I missed the window with my physical window and the sun, right? Um, those are excuses. You cannot become a better content creator in real estate if you don't go put in the reps. The more you do, you become better. And you know what happens in that process of embarrassing yourself and realizing you didn't die that day. You pressed, you pressed upload or whatever, and you just were like, okay, a nobody really saw it, which is great. I love that when that happens too, because sometimes I'm super uneasy. And um, and the act of doing that over and over again quite literally trains your brain into like these new patterns. I don't have all of the words, I read a lot about this. I should probably come prepared. I'm obsessed with that stuff. Um, you're training yourself, you're building trust with yourself, right? For me personally, and you share, because we both shared um this earlier as I'm I brought you that ginger shot, right? I am training myself to make better choices from a nutrition standpoint, from a movement standpoint, because I've been stuck in this broken, injured identity for so long. I have lost trust with myself and my body. I used to be so active. Injury and long-term injury can do that to a person, right? Yeah. And no, I said, no, actually, like I'm not gonna do that anymore. So what do I need to do? And literally, it's making a smoothie every morning, other than this morning. Um, it is drinking these healthy shots, making anti-inflammatory choices, making it a point to actually walk and keeping promises to myself builds self-respect. And the more you build that self-respect within yourself, that builds your trust within yourself. It is not a okay, I'm just gonna trust this and do what I need to do. It's built in those really small, like granular moments, right? So for a realtor, um, it really depends on the stage of life that they're at, the stage of business that they're at. It's not so simple. If they want more um deals, then maybe start with open houses. Start with your email, start with the people you know in your circle that genuinely you have a good relationship with. Because remember, each person has a network, right? Um and start talking about your craft. Don't be shy about it and lead from a place of you know, the same place we come from.

unknown 26:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Share. From a place of, oh my gosh, no one should have to go through like an awful real estate experience. This is what I offer. And oh my goodness, I saw this listing the other day. I can't believe what prices are today in that neighborhood. Right. You start sharing from a genuine place of wanting to serve. I think it just comes to you. The confidence comes, but you have to share.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

I think it's uh also from a place which uh is just rewording what you said of just keeping promises to yourself. Yeah, you know, like we say, okay, this year I'm gonna do X, and then you don't do it. So you can't build that self-trust if you can't even keep a promise to yourself, right? Yeah. So then it is really hard to show up confidently and keep promises to others if you can't keep promises to yourself. Yes. And then I find it so interesting how you said, I identified as this for so long. And at any moment, it is just a choice where you can choose just not to identify that anymore any longer. And I think there's so much power in how you speak to yourself. And so I've been telling myself, so the we're gonna pause that for a moment, and I'm just gonna tell the truth and be like, I'm not good at remembering names. I'm terrible at it.

SPEAKER_00 27:36

Like, what's my last name? Puzzle. You're so good at close, you're good, you're good. You'd said it way better than like most people. So there you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:48

Oh my God. So what I do instead, though, is in my own private moments, I tell myself, I'm like, I'm so good with names, I'm so good with names, I'm so good with names. And then this year I'm trying to be more intentional with like before bed, I read instead of watch TV. Maybe I go to bed a little early or whatever. And so I'm telling myself, oh, I'm someone, as if as if you're in a conversation, oh, I'm someone who actually goes to bed early. Oh, I'm someone who like, I don't really watch TV. You know what I mean? Like I'm just trying to like trick my brain into becoming the person I want to be by telling my brain I am already that person and identifying as that person.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

You nails it. That's the cheat code, right? That's the cheat code. That's it. Make up these stories until yourself believe it. But there is something to it because I do, and much like you, I do believe that the more we ruminate on the things that don't work for us, the more we worry, worry, worry, worry. That is the energy. We're gonna take places all the time. And that means we're gonna invoke those, invoke those conversations around people. We're gonna see people and opportunities through that same lens. And if you're in the business of outreach and helping people, you have to manage your energy. And oh my goodness, you can really only do that if you trust yourself. And trust is built over time. But they are built, like you said, on these tiny, tiny promises to yourself. Like even eating well, going back to why we make these choices, is a form of self-respect. Yes. And self-respect builds self-trust.

SPEAKER_02 29:24

Just a quick break to thank the sponsors that make this podcast possible.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

Hey Realtors, I want to quickly chat about my experience with Thrive Accounting, who is a proud sponsor of this podcast and a supporter of honestly everything I have done to help realtors better their business. First thing I notice is how Stacy and her team are so patient and so generous with their time. They never make you feel bad about asking questions or when I needed a quick call. Second, I feel like I'm always ahead. I'm not surprised by a big tax bill because they have more than just one meeting a year kind of process. Lastly, and honestly the biggest reason that sets them apart, they feel like a true partner. Almost like having a CFO I can chat out goals and projections with and get guidance on without any confusing jargon. Thrive is more than accounting and bookkeeping. They're a partner in your corner all year round. Make sure you check out the show notes to learn more. I want to take a moment to share about EFV Legal, another incredible sponsor of the podcast. What I love about EFV Legal is how their approach to legal services is strategic to real estate industry professionals and yet feels so grounded. They help you figure out if incorporating actually makes sense for your business, not just because everyone else is talking about PRECS like they are some trendy buzzword, but they work with you to make sure a PREC actually aligns with your goals. And just as importantly, they make sure you're staying on top of the annual legal duties required to keep your PREC in good standing with a concierge legal experience. Yes, there are annual legal duties on top of just paying taxes. EFB is a virtual boutique female-founded firm with a modern approach that supports growth on your terms. Clear, supportive, and empowering. So if that feels like something you need and you're ready to stop stumbling through the legal, check out the links in the show notes to learn more. Realtors meet Amanda Walchuk, also known as Saltbox Mortgage Agent with DLC National Limited FISRA 12360. Amanda isn't just a mortgage agent, she's a partner who actually makes your job easier. From first-time buyers to tricky financing situations, she helps clients and realtors navigate challenges, save money, and stay sane. Calm, confident, solution focused, Amanda shows up so you don't have to worry about the mortgage side of things. If you want a mortgage expert who adds real value, check out Saltbox Mortgages. Seriously, she's the partner every realtor wishes they had. What do you feel is your edge? Like, what do you like what do you do that other realtors don't do? Or who are you that you see different than other realtors? Why clients have chosen you, maybe, maybe others? Like what do you see is like your little superpower?

SPEAKER_00 32:12

I don't know if I've even thought about this. Truly.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Okay. Um, you know, and you know, my default mode is to say, no, no, there's no real edge. Oh my gosh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:24

Right?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

But we all have one. But we all have an edge. You know, for a long time, I thought my edge, and I think it still is, um, is the finer details. Like um back then, it used to be if I was looking at like court documents or jail, but like if things would just jump off. The mistakes literally jump off.

SPEAKER_03 32:47

You don't really have to look for them. You don't have to look.

SPEAKER_00 32:49

It looks like it's like your eyes laser down and the mistakes are highlighted and they jump out. And I thought that would be my biggest edge because we're gonna be doing nothing but contracts and real estate all the time.

SPEAKER_03 33:02

Like 10% of our job.

unknown 33:04

I know.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

It's like, okay, so oh, I'm in sales. I didn't know that. So maybe my edge, really, though, Cher is just the fact that I want to serve. I come from a place like, and this goes back to my upbringing in a traditional Indian household. It's like we have service built into our like spiritual guidance, into our way of living, right? My parents did it best, to tell you the truth. And so I'm there to help. And in this process of knowing myself more, I know that I'm someone that shouldn't work in isolation, that actually draws energy off of good, like-minded people around her. And I want to genuinely help people, right? And maybe it's that, maybe it's that self-awareness is my edge. And in being so self-aware, I can then help guide people. Right. Right. And truly, it's guide people to make decisions for themselves. You know, it's not like me saying you have to do this, other than if it's in the contract and we're trying to look at a swimming pool in the winter. I'm like, no, no, you have to put this in. You know? Um, other than that, so I'd say, yeah, that's a tough question. I haven't really thought about that.

SPEAKER_03 34:17

Jump the mistakes jumping off for sure is a huge gift, considering the contracts that I've reviewed from other agents in the last year. And just like our group chat of like, hey, so this agent's trying to tell me that that this is right. And but I'm thinking this is wrong. And we're all like, yep, that's wrong. Yeah. Yeah. And it goes back to the the education that you need to become. It's just not enough, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

Um, but I'd be so curious to know what you saw your parents do from a place of service that you think like trickled down almost just naturally. Like you didn't even know that it was happening.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

It it's just their being. Like, you know, so it was never a question, like, even just take my mother, for example. Like the love language from my mother is is food. Like she will, it doesn't even matter if I'm like, hey, mom, I'm I'm driving through Mississauga on my way here for work. Okay, come sit, eat. What do you want me to make? You know, it's not a, oh, maybe I'll be home, but help yourself. It's like a, oh my God, you're coming. Like, I can't wait to see you. Let me make your favorites. No matter what. That is her default mode. And for my father, it used to be that we would, even if we called each other, if we saw each other, it doesn't matter what time of day. Number one question was, Russia, have you eaten? Oh my gosh. That's amazing. My sister and I go through life being like, man, I didn't know that one of the things I was gonna miss about dad was that there's nobody asking me if I'm taking care of myself. Have I eaten? Was it weird when they asked me? I was like, oh my God, somebody wants to know. Thank you, Dad. You know, no, so I'd say service is part of the culture in the sense that we are taught that to be good humans, you must be in service of others. It is literally the undercurrent of the upbringing in my house. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And so, and it's not that I was always there being like, here, let me do this for you, let me do that for you as a child. No, but I saw it in the way my parents treated their own parents, their siblings, their friend circles, and the way they generously, generosity was just part of their being. It still is. There's no question. Generous of heart, generous of worldly things, like just generous people, you know. But from a point where it's, hey, I'm gonna do this because it's my duty to do this. You do what you want with it.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

It's fine. It doesn't always have to be reciprocal, but it's beautiful when it is, you know?

unknown 36:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

And you find that other person who's also just always coming from a place of like abundance and generosity and service.

SPEAKER_00 37:05

Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Oh, they have um, you know, we're immigrants here to this country. So my parents um went through my goodness, they went through the task of they got married in India and then they immigrated out of India and they moved to the Middle East. So they were there as babies, you know, freshly married, young babies. So they in the Middle East, and then um my mom, it was per the Indian cul customs and culture that when she's pregnant, she would go back to her parents' home for the baby and delivery and care of the mom and baby for that initial phase. So when she was pregnant with me, she went back to India um and delivered, and then soon after came back to the Middle East. So I was fully raised in the Middle East. I haven't really lived in India, and then uh we immigrated here to Canada, right? And for so long, Cher, I was not aware of the weight of that word, immigrant. Um because for so long I was trying to fit in. Okay. My whole story of being in Canada, or even being in the Middle East, if I'm honest, is I have never lived in the place that I was born. And so I always identified or associated with outside you know, feelings and outside sort of stories of who I needed to be in that environment, right? And in the Middle East, side note at the time that we lived there, immigrants like we were not even allowed to own property back then.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

So my parents coming here, immigrating here, and finally roots here and buying a home is a huge transitional point.

SPEAKER_02 38:46

I just got goosebumps, right?

SPEAKER_00 38:47

It's a huge transitional point for most immigrant families here. And uh homeownership is a big like it just sends out this huge signal of belonging for people. Yeah. It's like, okay, I've come here, I've worked hard, I've bought property, I belong here. Here's my stake in the ground, you know? And so I now being in this industry, I'm able to sort of reflect and look back and see just how pivotal that moment was for our family. Uh and so yeah, the the immigrant roots, uh, so much of my time spent trying to fit in was really me just trying to find belonging, I think. And now I think I've just become so comfortable in the fact that, hey, actually, that is that might even just be part of my superpower, is that I have immigrant experience and I know how to connect with you on a different level because of that.

SPEAKER_03 39:35

No, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to. It's not your place to answer this like for other people. But is there something that you wish uh realtors knew about working with immigrants? Just like in terms of consideration that like we can't conceptualize because that's not how we identify. I know we've never had that life experience.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Yeah, that's such a good question. Oh my gosh, that is such a good question. You know, the first thing that comes to mind is even just knowing that the hardships and the and the challenges that they had to face just to get to the point of saying, I want to buy a home. Right? It is not that they don't value our service, it is not that they don't value protection and all those things. It's just quite literally there are people running away from wars in their countries to come and start over in life again. And I think if we could just come, I'd say curiosity, if I'm honest. Yeah share the more I think about it. I'd say maybe not going in with so many preconceived notions about the person. And, you know, just because of um maybe their last name or you know what they look like, small things like that, coming in with a little bit of a blank slate, but knowing the services that you offer and the protections that you know we offer as realtors, but some curiosity about them. Because I promise you that they probably aren't even aware of the hoops and the challenges that got them there because they've never had time to reflect on that.

SPEAKER_03 41:14

Right.

SPEAKER_00 41:15

And and just building that's such a beautiful way to even just build rapport, right? Like bringing that curiosity, saying, okay, well, why is this important or not even why, like what about this home is important to you, right? And for so many, it's stability. For so many, it's belonging. You know, we know that having a home and a stable place to land and raise your children is probably one of the number one immigrant values you live so your kids can have a bigger, brighter future. That's truly it.

SPEAKER_03 41:46

I love that you said curiosity because it's literally one of the very few pillars of my business when it comes to any client. Because when you when you take a client to see a house and they don't like it and you're not curious about why, you can't really better serve them going forward. You're you just go like, okay, yeah, that's fine. Like on to the next. Like, I'm not gonna pressure you and blah, blah, blah, which is a great quality. You're not gonna pressure them. You want them to feel comfortable, but like get curious, ask questions. Yeah. And so, for example, I took someone to see a house and it was in the neighborhood that they wanted, and it was like a hard no. And I was like, okay, great. Like, what's standing out as you as a hard no? The condition of it. Like it was really beat up. Maybe it was full of renters, or I'm not sure. Like, I think that it was. But um, it was really beat up. And um I said, okay, well, let's pretend the condition was absolutely pristine. Would you offer on the house? They're like, no, because like I'm not vibing with the backyard. And it's like, okay.

SPEAKER_00 42:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 42:54

We're getting, you know, like we're now getting to the root.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:58

What they tell me bothers them right off the hop. Yeah. I say, well, let's pretend that's gone. Now what? Well, even if the conditions are pristine, we wouldn't do it because it's a single car garage. All right, now I got something that's like also another priority. Right. And so that curiosity is so important. And like I found curiosity was really helpful working in new builds with immigrants too, because it was so fascinating learning what was important to them in a home versus what was important to others in a home, down to like the layout. Even the number. The numbers, yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:34

Like the numbers have to align. The the the position of the home, the front facing where it's front, like those things have to align, right? But that comes once sometimes people will just offer it up right off the bat, but sometimes they will be shy to share that information with you for fear of judgment. And you just have to slowly build rapport and get to that.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:54

You know?

SPEAKER_02 43:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:55

Um, yeah. But it it happens often. In my early days, I was like, Oh man, here we go. It's just like shopping with my mom, house shopping with my mom yet again. These numbers have to add up. They have to, you know, be something. They have to face a certain way and all that fun sh-like. I guess it's feng shui in some way. And the inside, the you can't put your headboard this way, and you know, all these things. It's so interesting now. It's so interesting coming from a place of like feeling more self-assured and feeling like, oh, okay, I see it this way. And it's actually really awesome. Your reasonings are very they're grounded in something important to you, and I want to know that.

SPEAKER_03 44:31

Yeah, yeah. I think you you nailed the right on the head where you were like, they don't share in fear of being judged potentially, or it's like, well, they won't care. You know, it's like, all right, well, let's just save everybody time actually and like figure this out first, right? So we're all working on the same mission rather than like two separate ones that we're not together, right? We're in two different cars going in the same direction rather than the same car.

SPEAKER_00 44:56

And that's literally it. It's like we're not working separately, we're working together. Yeah. And that, you know, sometimes when we say we're building this is a relationship. This is not just a transaction, but that's really the feeling we're trying to convey is hey, we're not like separate here. Like I'm gonna like come right into your passenger seat, sit with you, and this is together we go down this road. You know, maybe we need to be driving our clients. Do you think that's upset? No client should see the state of my car. Oh my god. Same, especially in the winter. I can't anymore. I can't.

SPEAKER_03 45:34

I'm loaded. It's it's too much. It's too much. I have it's none of my business what's in the backseat. That's my girls own a third of my car. My girls own the back seat, I own the front seat, I own the trunk. Okay, baby. And it's none of my business what happens in their part of the vehicle.

SPEAKER_00 45:52

I'm gonna use that because I have made it all my business to worry about every aspect of my vehicle and no longer, no longer.

SPEAKER_03 45:59

Yeah, it's the same with our. We have a playroom in the basement, and a babysitter came over, and it was actually so cute because my oldest daughter, Rhea, was like, Do you want to come downstairs? Like, let's play. And she goes, just so you know it's messy. Babysitter looks at me and she goes, Oh my god, she's so your daughter. It's none of my business what happens down there. Like, there's science experiments, there's water, we're gonna have to redo the carpets at one point, whatever. What a gift like just go, you know, just go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:27

I can so see that. But good for you. Yeah. Good for you, good for those girls.

SPEAKER_03 46:33

Um, okay, let's get really tactical. Do you have routines? Yes. Habits.

SPEAKER_00 46:42

I do.

SPEAKER_03 46:43

Hit me.

SPEAKER_00 46:44

Yeah, I do. And um, before I used to be so hard on myself that I had to keep this routine. I had to keep it because that's what top performers do. And even be before real estate, if I'm honest, I am driven by routine. I know that I'm a creature of habit. And so just to give you some insight, like before this injury, which was 2016, um, before that, I was the and before children, I suppose, I was the 5 a.m. gym girl. Okay. Like that was because I grew up in a family where my dad would wake us up as young kids when we lived in the Middle East, guys. Like in Dubai, we would go around that um the marina. They wake us up at 5 a.m. and we would go for a walk. Wow. My father, okay. I'm like single digits at this point. And I remember we would go in this big circle, go for a walk, because my father was such that man, early morning, breathing exercises, walking, right? Mom is no different. And like only the watchman for that park would be awake, and he probably looked at my sister and I being like, oh, these poor girls with this military-esque man. When you say your father is a military, I think my father was mentally in a military. In a previous life. In a previous life. Right? So and he ran us that way. So whether it was for school, like I was always, you know, the person that would highlight with all these color codes and like stud, like that was me. Okay. Gym, prioritize, working out. At some point, working out really started feeding my mind over everything else. You know, maybe at one point it was super unhealthy, but then it became really healthy because I started to feel better. Like, you know, all of those things happened. So for find that balance. Right?

SPEAKER_03 48:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:27

Routine for me was always starts with movement. It has for a very long time. And then after children, I couldn't be 5 a.m. girl because I am the default parent at my house. And my husband's out the door sometimes by 4, 4:30 in the morning. And so I was like, I can't leave my newborn.

unknown 48:43

Right.

SPEAKER_00 48:43

Damn it. Uh, and so I had to find something else. And then I found this gym and it was lovely. But yeah, I'm drenched in routine. And today I'd say, um, for me, waking up when it's dark and quiet is like the best time of day for me. I am not the night owl. I don't want to go out late at night. Like that doesn't speak to me. I don't want to stay up all night. Not that I'm really disciplined with my sleep. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. Um, but waking up when it's dark out, I love so in the summer, maybe that's earlier. You know, now it's like at 5 45-ish. And I like feeding my mind because I know that I have had such limitations with movement in my body that I'm like, what else can I do? So I feed my mind. I read, I do meditate, I write. Have you read The Artist's Way?

SPEAKER_01 49:38

No.

SPEAKER_00 49:39

Okay. Oh, how can you not read it? I'm sending it to you. Okay. You have to read it. And, you know, it only because you're such a creative too. And it actually tells you one of the things that you have to do in it is write every morning, kind of like a brain dump into your journal every day, three pages, minimum. Like it has to be three pages.

SPEAKER_03 49:57

That is so interesting that you say that. Because literally, like, I will have the worst battle royale at bedtime. And I, my nervous system is shot through the roof. Yeah. And I will grab a pen and a paper and I will write, and I don't know what I'm writing. I could be writing like my to-dos. I could just be, I don't know. It's sometimes it, I don't know what I write. I just write. Yeah. And immediately I feel better. Look at that. Yes. That's so interesting.

SPEAKER_00 50:26

You're literally processing as you're writing. Oh, this book is.

SPEAKER_03 50:30

But like I'm not journaling about my feeling. No. Like that's the difference, is I think people think you have to, when you say, like, oh, you should journal, you have to be like, hi, today I felt this way. It's like, no, I'm not doing that. How exhausted. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:45

I don't want to do that either. And this is all this says. It's like, you want to write your shopping list, write your shopping list. I don't care. You have to write three pages, right? So it's evoking a little bit of discipline too. And so I do do that. I do write, and I'll tell you, you know, once I get to a point where I'm coupling that with movement, because do you not find when you're walking somewhere, when you're driving somewhere, um, your best downloads and your ideas just come flowing? Yeah. So this morning activity for me brings me to that place. Okay. And I am drenched in ideas. I'm like, I have to get this out of my brain somehow and capture it. So that's very important to me because some of the work we do is very creative. We're always giving so much of ourselves. And then if we're talking about real estate, like I do live on the MLS in the early parts of the day. I do live in my CRM in the early parts of the day, only from a standpoint of I have certain goals that I want to meet. And if I peel it back, how many people would I like to connect with on a daily basis? And truly it's become who in my friend circle do I want to talk to more, or who have I not responded to sometimes, right? Or maybe there's someone on Instagram or YouTube that has asked me a really good question and that has prompted such a good educational video for me to create, right? So then I spend some time looking at okay, what relationships do I need to pay attention to on that day? And it's really only five. Like I cut myself off. I can easily get sidetracked into a project for too long, and I'm trying to time block and say, okay, if it doesn't finish in this amount of time here, move on. Yeah. Okay. And that is not easy to do.

SPEAKER_01 52:20

No.

SPEAKER_00 52:21

Especially if I'm like a let's try this version of this. You know, I don't want to be sucked anymore. And then of course, um if like working actively with buyers and sellers, I'm I am checking in. Even if it's, hey, we haven't had any showings in the last couple of days, but here's what has happened in your neighborhood. I am telling them that because they are sitting there wondering, what is she even doing for us?

SPEAKER_01 52:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:46

You know, they could be. Absolutely. And I'm gonna beat them to it.

SPEAKER_01 52:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:49

Right? And if it's for buyers, honestly, right now, I know we have a lot of inventory, but we don't have enough good inventory.

SPEAKER_03 52:59

Tell me about it.

SPEAKER_00 53:00

But the pricing the pricing doesn't match the product. Yeah. And it's really finding that bridge. So if something really good comes up, we are going ASAP.

SPEAKER_01 53:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:12

Because those properties are flying off the shelves. You know? So I am spending some time on active clients. I am spending some time on nurturing clients because that's really what's gonna feed our business. And hey, you and I are in this business to be successful from a monetary standpoint, too, because that means we have a bigger impact. And and then I have considered myself, I told myself, okay, this is the year I'm going full steam on my YouTube. Instagram's a fun playground, it's very distracting for me. So I have put severe limits on my my um like how I show up there and how much I consume. I really don't want to consume. Side note, um, have you put the Instagram widget on your phone? You know what you can do if you go into the widgets on Instagram, you can literally have one that is a square and it's just create. So when it sits on your home page, you can open it up and you hit create, it takes you straight into creation mode. So you're either creating a story or a real or whatever you want to create. You don't even have to look at your feed. Okay. So just small things.

SPEAKER_03 54:13

Create over consume.

SPEAKER_00 54:14

Yeah, so and you know, in doing all of this, what in inadvertently ends up happening is you just become a stronger real real estate professional. Okay. Because you know your data, you know your clients, you have actual like oh, this is what my clients are asking me, which then becomes a jumping off point for oh, here's what I should create, because if they're asking me, so many are asking me, right? And the cycle continues and you just become so strong in your craft. And so I'd say that takes up the biggest chunk in my day is nurturing, prospecting in a way, um, creating the educational piece. And then, of course, showings as they come up later on in the day, right? But I do have a hard stop. I like to be home by 3:30 in the afternoon, even though my kids are older now, um, you know, one's in high school, one's in elementary. I want and I like to be there when they come home right from school. That's important to me too. As much that's also built into my routine.

SPEAKER_03 55:12

Yes, and that's a boundary. Yeah. And boundaries require self-trust.

SPEAKER_00 55:17

Yeah. It all comes, isn't that like you know when you ask at a surface level and like sometimes if you're just sitting somewhere or like on a panel, like I have been on Aurea, right? And things like that, and they'll and if I say something like that and say it all begins with how much you believe yourself, people would think I'm super woo to say something like that. And they're like, well, but what CRM do you use?

SPEAKER_03 55:37

Yeah, yeah. Guys, it's all connected. It's all connected. Every decision that you make. It's all connected back to that. Yeah. Yeah. If you were to name a struggle that you're currently facing in your business right now, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 55:53

Okay, Metapic one. Uh, probably wanting too much.

SPEAKER_03 55:59

In what way?

SPEAKER_00 56:00

Like being a little impatient also with myself. Maybe that's what I mean. Um, you know, I know that good things take great things take time. To be a master at something takes time invested. And I'm impatient because um I just expect, okay, well, I've I've put in this time and so I need to see this result. And I have for so long been so results-driven, share, that I the biggest struggle for me is actually not to focus on what's gonna come from this and to just realize that doing this dang thing, like doing the thing I said I was gonna do, and the process of maybe getting to that result is something where I need to focus some of my energy, enjoy, and draw good things from that process. And that is hard for me because I have been um results driven. Like also, that was very celebrated in my house growing up, you know. So, and not to say I still raise my kids saying, Hey, you gotta show up as your best self. Because at this stage, your job is getting a good education, being a kind human in your class. I need to know that you made good choices. Like, those are important things of being a good human. And when you're young, be curious and gain knowledge, right? Um, so yeah, I'd say joy in the process.

SPEAKER_03 57:18

Oh, yeah. Falling in love with the journey.

SPEAKER_00 57:20

Oh God. You're like, no, not interesting. That stupid journey and all the pivots, like I'm over it.

SPEAKER_03 57:29

But I mean, you admitted yourself, like I achieved what I was supposed to achieve, and then it's like, okay, like now what, right? No. It's the chase of the goal that's actually so fun. Yeah. If you're doing it in a way that you enjoy, right? Like if someone's chasing a goal through YouTube and they hate showing up on camera, they're not gonna fall in love with the journey, right? But you're gonna fall in love with this journey because you're doing it in the way that lights you up.

SPEAKER_00 57:57

And I'm so aligned. Like I feel so aligned today. The choices that I make, the people that I love, like get to share, you know, even this bit with. Like it just feels like, of course, I'm able to see this now. Of course, I'm able to connect with people now because I can see differently, because I'm aligned with who I am and the impact I want to have. Right? So, yeah. I love that. How about you? What are you finding is one of the most challenging? I know that's coming back. You there will be a time on life and conversation where that happens.

SPEAKER_03 58:33

I'm gonna be in the hot seat. I am trying to think, like, you know what? I'll I will share just quickly. Not that this is about me, but um the struggle because I was asked this funny enough, yesterday. My photographer, I was at a branding sheet yesterday, and my photographer was like, What do you like hate about your job? And I was like, I don't uh like I like froze. I didn't know, which is a great sign. Yes. And I was like, I think the only thing I could think of is from the past, and it's when I worked with people who like weren't a good fit.

SPEAKER_01 59:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 59:05

So, but then like all night I was reflecting on it.

SPEAKER_00 59:09

Did you write three pages?

SPEAKER_03 59:11

So it's funny that you're asking me this. And I think a struggle, I I am so close to getting there. I'm so I feel like I'm like 98% there. But the struggle is the boundaries. You know, the struggle is like they want to see a house. I feel like I have to see it that day. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 59:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 59:30

But I'm getting so much better. Like, I think it was yesterday or the day before. Someone was like, oh, like, when can you see this house? And I offered them like Friday or Tuesday, which is just like now I feel like I need to justify it and be like, we're in a slow market, people, and it was listed for day. Like, I feel like I have to like, and I think I don't think it's their house.

SPEAKER_00 59:53

Like, I'm like, oh my God. Thank you for being so honest because these are the thoughts that I too have.

SPEAKER_03 59:59

Right. I'm like, I can't even admit like I'm not a I I'm not a good realtor if I don't see that offer that house for that night because like what they could have lost it. Like all of these things like enter in my head, right? But I think after so many years in the business, you also do learn how to pry like you know when you have to see that house that night.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:22

Oh yeah. You know, oh yeah, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:25

You know when a house can be seen in in two days. And then, and I just find that the more I'm leaning into that the last couple of years, the more I'm attracting people who like truly care. And so last night a client emailed me and she was like, Hey, I'm still ruminating over this house. Like we put in an offer, they said no to it, they didn't even want to counter. And so we're like, let's give some breathing room. Circle back, right? Yeah. So she emails me, she goes, I'm still ruminating, like I'm spiraling, blah, blah, blah. I would love to chat this out. She goes, let me know when you're free. I know you're probably like in the midst of family time.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:07

Right? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:08

She is a gold star client.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:10

This is now all my clients. This is now all of them. They all care about my kids' schedule and my time with my kids. And then they thank me when it, they're like, Thank you so much for like taking time away from your family to like show us these houses on the weekend. And then last night, I just rang her up at like 8:30. She was like, Oh my gosh, I didn't expect it, blah, blah. And I was like, nope, they're both sound asleep. Like, but thank you for so much for like being considerate of that.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:39

And even just to have the trust and saying, Hey, I want to talk this out, Cheryl, please.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:43

You know, like that is such beautiful, like, such an amazing client to say, I'm not over this house yet. So maybe let's chat it out. To trust in your expertise and to know that it's not a closed door is such a beautiful thing.

unknown 1:01:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:58

That's a great like client.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:00

Yeah. And I think the more you get to know yourself and what makes you happy and build that self-trust, the more that you're speaking from a place of that self-trust. And therefore, the more you're going to attract people who trust you. And just they make your job so much easier when they trust you and respect you and value you.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:20

And you are a true guide, Cheryl. You are a true guide in that way. You know, she's saying, I want to talk this out with you because you are my trusted advisor. How beautiful. Yeah. Right? It's great. Oh. It's great. Okay, to many more of these clients. Right. Yes. All things aligning.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:39

Okay, we will wrap up with um kind of like two and a half questions. One is just name like one thing if a realtor is listening to this and maybe they're brand new or maybe they're reinventing yourself. Like you kind of reinvented yourself recently. Just one piece of advice. Like, what should they be? What should they do today? They're gonna finish this podcast and then they're gonna do this. What is it?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:06

Honestly, they're gonna reflect on what they want to achieve in this business. What do they want in this business?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:14

Not what everybody else says is success in this business.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:18

And not because the team next to you has achieved some crazy amount of success, or you know, what do you want in this business? How are you going to serve in this business? I would say that's it.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:33

Perfect. That's a good reflection for sure. Define your success. Yes. What's your definition? I'd like you to then share a fellow woman in real estate that's either really helped you, you feel like it's killing it right now, you look up to, or you just genuinely love.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:50

There's too many. Cheryl, there's so many.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:53

I know we're very lucky. There's so much. For the listeners, uh, Varsha's in Guelph, I'm in Waterloo. We're like 20, 30 minutes away, and we are so lucky around here.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:03

So lucky. And I want to get to know more women in our area, to tell you the truth as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:09

Um, some of the people that had the biggest influence in my life weren't always in real estate, I should say. But if I'm picking realtors, of course, my initial managing broker, I referenced her, Tanya, for sure. Um, and then there's people that you know you connect. So Shalony Henriquez. Oh yeah. Shalony, because she was the first realtor that I saw doing video.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:31

Right in 2018. And then she shared one of the connections. And so then I both of us did like this 30 and 30 video challenge, and we did all of that, right? So it was just to have another woman openly sharing.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:44

Right? So shout out to Shell. And um, and of course, there's been adjacent people, you know, like even knowing what branding might look like, like Sabina Mullock is just such a force in this industry with M industries. Um, and I mean, there's so many women. I'm sorry you said name one, I can't name one. Well, you don't have to name one. It's like saying, Do I like silver or gold? I can't today's game silver, tomorrow it's gold. Okay, like that's it, right? Like I love there's too many share. And I'm so grateful that you and I are connected because what you're doing, openly sharing and creating community, is a huge gap in our industry because so much of this is a closed book. So much of this is that scarce, fear-driven business that people don't want to share. But hello, we live in the information age. Everything is out there. It's so much better with people, like-minded people. And that's what you're doing. So I'm very grateful to just be sitting here and for us to be connected to. Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:45

I feel the same way. So we will wrap up with sharing where people can find you.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:51

Oh, goodness. Um, yes, where else do we land? So, Instagram for sure, just my first and last name, VarshaPasel, and on YouTube if you're so inclined. But please also go to my website. It's brand new, varshausle.com. It's in the works. I would love to hear your thoughts there.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:06

DM her and tell her how beautiful it is. Please be honest. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining. It was a pleasure.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:12

Thank you, Cher. Truly.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:15

That's a wrap on today's episode of the Better Your Business Podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you haven't subscribed to the email list, make sure you do that right now. No spammy messages, just easy to implement goodies sent your way, along with new episode alerts. If you like today's episode, hit follow, leave a quick review, share it on social media, or just send it to a fellow realtor so we can continue to grow this amazing community. Until next time, keep working towards building that dream life. I know you can do it.