353: NAR's Campaign to Rebuild the Realtor Brand
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Have you ever wondered if anyone at NAR is actually paying attention to what's happening out here in the trenches? This one's for you. We recently had the opportunity to visit NAR headquarters in Chicago for their inaugural Creator Summit, and we walked away genuinely surprised. Not in a cynical way. In a good way. The visit was so eye-opening that we knew we had to bring one of the people behind the shift directly to you. In this episode, we sit down with Bennett Richardson, NAR's Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. Bennett came to NAR about nine months ago after more...
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352: What to Do When Money is Tight in Real Estate
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Are you hanging on by a thread but not quite ready to call it quits? This episode is for you. We keep getting messages from agents who are struggling financially but who are not ready to throw in the towel. We get it. Real estate has a way of pulling you in, making you believe the next deal is right around the corner. But when money is actually tight, hope alone is not a business plan. We start with a real story about Erica, a Hustle Humbly Community member who moved from California to Texas knowing absolutely no one. Instead of white-knuckling real estate with zero network and...
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351: Secret Agent Problems Killing Your Business
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Are you a secret agent? No, not the cool James Bond kind. We are talking about the Realtor kind who hides behind postcards, online leads, and busy work instead of actually talking to real people. We keep getting messages from agents who are spending thousands of dollars on lead generation, farming, and marketing while avoiding the one thing that actually works: being visible. So we are revisiting this topic because clearly, y'all need to hear it again. We start with a really honest message from a listener who spent $6,500 on a lead generation program that produced zero leads. She has been in...
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350: Mortgage and Realtor Myths and Misconceptions
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Think you know everything about how mortgages work? What about what Realtors actually do all day? Think again! This is the final installment in our myths and misconceptions series, and we saved some good ones for last. We already tackled buyer myths and seller myths in previous episodes, and now we are wrapping it all up with the myths that surround lenders, loans, and agents. We are kicking things off with a story about two very different lenders and why the one sending automated text messages is actually winning. (Spoiler: it has nothing to do with buying lunch.) Then we are diving into the...
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349: How to Price a Listing
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Is there a magical number when it comes to pricing a listing? No, not really. But there IS a way to walk into every listing appointment confident, prepared, and ready to have a real conversation about price with your sellers. In this episode, we are finally tackling the how-to of pricing a listing. We have touched on it before, but today we are getting into the actual nuts and bolts of how we prep, what we bring, what we say, and how we guide sellers through one of the most important (and emotional) parts of the listing process. We are sharing the exact questions we ask on that first...
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348: Real Estate Seller Myths and Misconceptions
Hustle Humbly Podcast
This is the follow up to our buyer myths episode, and y'all, sellers have some misconceptions of their own that we need to talk about. We kick things off with a hilarious story about Alissa's seller who found the podcast, started listening to staging episodes while packing boxes, and voluntarily took down more decor than they even discussed. (If only every seller came with a built-in podcast habit, right?) This episode is a great one to share with your sellers, especially first timers who might need a little myth busting before they list. From Zestimates and spring selling to price reductions...
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347: The Housing Shortage Explained
Hustle Humbly Podcast
We finally did it. We sat down with the man behind the numbers AND we recorded it live at the NAR podcast studio in Chicago. If you've ever been at a dinner party, a showing, or a closing table and gotten hit with "so... how's the market?", this episode is for you. We got to chat with Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors, and y'all, we had SO many questions. We're the data nerds who cover the NAR Home Buyers and Sellers Profile Report every single year, so getting face time with the person behind all that research? It was kind of a big deal for us....
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346: Desperate Agent Do’s and Don’ts
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Feeling a little desperate in your real estate business lately? You are not alone—and this episode is your mindset reset. Katy and Alissa are diving into the behaviors that show up when agents feel pressure to make money… and how those “desperate” decisions can quietly damage your reputation, confidence, and long-term success. From overpricing listings just to win them, to chasing every shiny lead source, to dropping your professional standards, this episode is your honest (and loving) wake-up call. The truth? Acting like a desperate real estate agent doesn’t...
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345.5: BONUS: We Got Invited to NAR and Here’s What Happened
Hustle Humbly Podcast
We got invited to NAR headquarters in Chicago for a small influencer summit and honestly? We thought the first email was fake and deleted it. 😂 But once we realized this was a real invitation, we packed our bags, flew out on Katy’s birthday, and headed to the “mothership” to hear directly from NAR’s leadership team about what has gone wrong, what they’re trying to fix, and where they think the Realtor brand is headed next. In this bonus episode, we’re giving you the full download. No sugarcoating. No blind praise. Just our honest take on what we saw, what we heard,...
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345: Real Estate Buyer Myths & Misconceptions
Hustle Humbly Podcast
There are a lot of opinions floating around about buying a house and, unfortunately, many of them are just plain wrong. In this episode, Katy and Alissa dive into some of the most common home buying myths they hear from buyers and break down what’s actually true. From the classic “you need 20% down” to the idea that new construction doesn’t need an inspection, these myths can cause confusion, hesitation, and sometimes costly mistakes. The truth is that buying a home is full of nuance, and having the right information (and the right Realtor!) makes all the difference. To...
info_outlineThe truth is: buying or selling a house can feel like a full-blown identity crisis. Realtors know it, clients feel it, and now we have a licensed therapist here to explain *why* it all gets so emotionally messy.
In this episode we welcome Katy’s former client and current number one referrer, Mary Ruiz, LPC. She’s not just a real estate success story — she’s now a licensed professional counselor (and a great one at that). We chat about the mental health rollercoaster that often comes with real estate: from renovations and relocations to the unexpected triggers that show up when people face big change. Mary shares why even competent, confident people often spiral emotionally during a transaction, and how *Realtors can support clients* without carrying the weight of everyone’s emotions.
We’re talking about therapy, boundaries, client meltdowns, and the emotional expectations people carry into real estate decisions. This is a must-listen for any Realtor who’s ever felt like an untrained therapist.
Mary Ruiz, LPC is a licensed professional counselor and the practice owner of Ruiz Counseling and Consulting. Counseling is a second career for Mary and she has been practicing since May of 2022. Mary works with teens and adults seeking a safe and empowering therapy space. While she works with a variety of mental health concerns, Mary is passionate about working with autistic people, and those diagnosed with ADHD and/or OCD.
Here’s what we cover in this episode:
- Why therapy and real estate overlap more than you think
- The mental toll of buying, selling, building, and renovating
- What neurodivergent clients may struggle with during moves
- Why confident people often break down during transactions
- Tips for helping clients regulate their emotions
- When (and how) to set boundaries with difficult clients
- Grounding techniques to use during emotional conversations
- What Realtors can do to protect their own mental well-being
Key Quotes & Takeaways
“The kindest thing you can do is tell someone the truth.” — Mary Ruiz
Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:
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Learn more about Mary’s practice: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/mary-ruiz-lpc-ruiz-counseling-and-consulting-baton-rouge-la/1015858
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Contact Mary: mary.ruiz.therapy@gmail.com
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Realtor Resources: https://hustlehumblypodcast.com/resources
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Join the Hustle Humbly Community: https://www.hustlehumblypodcast.com/membership
Want to toast someone on the show?
Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you’re toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com.
Music:
“Straight A’s” by Connor Price → https://connorprice.shop/
“The Good Life” by Summer Kennedy → https://soundcloud.com/summerkennedy/the-good-life
“Be The One” by Matrika → https://uppbeat.io/t/matrika/be-the-one