How to Real Estate Today
Raw, unfiltered real estate conversations about how to win in real estate today. We're here for real estate agents, investors, flippers, buyers and sellers.
How to Real Estate Today
23: The Go-Giver Approach to Business with Erin Bradley
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Is this hustle really what I signed up for?”—this episode is for you. Kim Borcherding and Rebecca Green sit down with Erin Bradley, a former snowboard instructor turned top-producing mortgage broker, who discovered the magic of designing a business that actually supports your life. Erin’s journey into the mortgage industry wasn’t traditional, but it led her to the Go-Giver philosophy and ultimately to building a coaching community focused on freedom, fulfillment, and flow.
In this conversation, Erin shares how building authentic relationships, setting intentional boundaries, and systematizing your business can transform not just your income—but your energy, mindset, and joy. She opens up about the myths of busyness, the power of being proactive, and why you don’t have to choose between success and sanity. We also talk about how customizing communication and honoring your energy rhythms can radically improve your results—and your quality of life.
Erin is the author of Pursuing Freedom, host of the podcast by the same name, and the founder of The Collective, a national community for agents and lenders who are ready to grow a business without burning out. She’s not here to sell you anything—just to bring her full self, real talk, and loads of value.
So whether you're driving between showings or sipping your morning coffee, join us for a conversation that might just change the way you think about real estate, success, and what’s truly possible when you build your business on purpose.
Click HERE for 5 Steps to More Referrals
Website: www.pursuingfreedom.com
@pursuingfreedomofficial
Kim Borcherding (00:01.148)
there, welcome to today's episode of How to Real Estate Today. I'm Kim Borcharding with my co-host Rebecca Green, where we talk about all things real estate related. And today we have a very special guest that I'm so excited to talk to, Aaron Bradley, who I was connected to through a mutual friend who was like, you guys have got to meet. And it's been on my list to have a really intentional conversation with Aaron.
She's a wealth of knowledge and I'm so excited she's here today. So thank you, Erin, for joining us. For those of you who don't know who you are, can you share a little bit about who you are, your story, your background? Yeah, and why you're here maybe.
Erin Bradley (00:45.07)
Yes, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to finally share this space with you and your energy. It's contagious. And we were getting so rambly before we started to record. We're like, wait, pump the brakes. Maybe people want to be a part of this too. So yeah, my backstory is that I fell into the mortgage space, the mortgage side of the real estate space back in 2006 on the heels of spending a couple years after college.
traveling, living in Spain for a couple of years, kayaking the coast of Mexico for a month, and really just avoiding the quote unquote real world. And as the youngest of five kids, all of us from the East Coast went to good colleges, went to corporate America, got good jobs, climbed the ladder, followed the plan, right? Well, I deviated. And once I deviated, I realized I probably wasn't gonna fit the mold. So I fell into mortgage business and I saw the salespeople, the loan officers.
coming into work in jeans and a t-shirt and going to yoga in the middle of the day and then putting on their suit and going to closing, coming home with a big fat check. And I thought that is the life for me. I am gonna take the leap, go 100 % commission and it's gonna be footloose and fancy free. I can't wait. All the freedom and flexibility. Well, unfortunately I fell flat on my face and for anybody who's ever heard the story knows it's a funny one because within a year I'm maxed out on tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, get a referral for a client.
I have to ride my bike five miles across town in the middle of summer because I don't have enough money for gas. And I had to figure out what to wear as a young female professional who was trying to play the part and wear the female suit instead of the big mahogany desk. Like, what am going to wear to ride a bike and look professional and get not be all sweaty? So I get there early to let the sweat dry off. And unfortunately the client got there early as well. And he introduces himself to me at the counter as my credit card is being declined for a $2 cup of coffee.
So I was not rookie of the year. And the worst part is that's the card I thought would work. So I was just mortified and lied and said, that's so weird. It's my debit card. I'll have to call the bank. And anyhow, long story short, I was at financial rock bottom. I called my dad for advice. He asked me, do you think you're going to be good at this someday? And I thought, I think I could. think I could. So he said, you have to do whatever it takes. And so I opened another credit card.
Erin Bradley (03:03.874)
I bought internet leads, whatever that means in 2008, and I hired my first coach. And a lot of people say they can't afford to hire a coach. Well, I couldn't afford not to. I mean, I was at rock bottom. I was desperate. And for a couple of years, I did whatever it takes, right? We all know the playbook. Make this many calls, write this many notes, see the people, ask for referrals. And I just struggled with it. I forced myself out of desperation and I got some traction and closed some deals, but I wasn't really feeling like I...
fit into this business until four years and I read The Go Giver. And if someone's listening and has not read it yet, highly recommend it was a major paradigm shift for me because I realized what was missing with the playbook that we've all been given was the authenticity piece, right? And I know that's a bit of a buzzword and can shut people off, but I realized all those years I was scared. You know, I was in fear and I was in worry and uncertainty and
looking at my bank account or my credit card debt and thinking, I really need to fix my problem. And they told me what to do to fix my problem. The sales trainer said, make the calls, write the notes, see the people. And so I was always activating from this place of need to fill my own void. And as a result, there was resistance in it naturally. And I was always feeling like mustering up the courage and muscling through the activity to get the leads, to get the deals, to get the money, to solve my problem.
And so I always say to people now, you know, if that's where you're at and you're struggling to act on the plan because it feels self-serving or because you think to yourself, they don't want to buy or sell right now, you're probably right. And that's a you problem. So with the go-giver philosophy, I ended up developing a different approach and it allowed me to engage with my community from a place of being of value. And I saw my business more than double overnight.
And unfortunately, at first it felt like a good problem to have. I went from averaging like 30 transactions a year to doing nearly 80. But I was pregnant with my second child. I was working 24 seven. If I close the year at almost 20 million, I asked some of my colleagues how they were doing it at 30 million and they all admitted they work until midnight. And I just remember with my toddler at home and another one on the way thinking, I don't know if I'm cut out for this. If this is what success means.
Erin Bradley (05:26.518)
I don't feel very free here either. Like I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to be grateful and say, I'm fine. I'm fine. But I wasn't fine. I was becoming a shell of myself. So long story short, I ended up almost quitting the business because I realized that I didn't have any freedom when I was financially stressed and having my credit card declined. I didn't feel free tethered to my phone 24 seven, never present mentally or emotionally with anybody ever.
And I thought I can either suck it up and survive. can shrink, which didn't work either, or I can learn to scale. So I took the ladder and I started learning to put better systems in place and get some support. And I was able to continue to grow. And I just started teaching real estate agents what I was doing. And it was interesting because back then and even today, know, lenders are always told to cold call realtors, get a cup, get them for a cup of coffee and get you to send us our leads. And I would never do it because it felt ridiculous.
and dreadful. And so I remember just starting to have conversations with realtors and realizing we're all in this together. The job title doesn't define us. Like we're all sitting here with these hopes and dreams of freedom and flexibility and struggling with self doubt and uncertainty and overwhelm and burnout. And if we're willing to talk about it, we can find solutions. But if we're just going to suck it up and survive, what's the point? So
Kim Borcherding (06:25.566)
Thank
Erin Bradley (06:50.156)
Long-winded answer to a short question. That's the story. It evolved into me publishing a book called Pursuing Freedom and starting the Pursuing Freedom podcast. And my passion is just helping real estate agents and lenders be unapologetic in the pursuit of that freedom and flexibility and the willingness to make decisions in your business to align it with the life you want to live today and into the future. So that's what I'm passionate about. That's what I could nerd out on all of it.
Rebecca Green (07:10.921)
Thank
Rebecca Green (07:14.985)
How much? doubt.
Kim Borcherding (07:15.319)
Yeah, I love it. my God, there's so much we can dive into. So let me back there. So when you actually again took the philosophy of the GoGiver and actually implemented, what exactly did that look like in action? Like what steps did you do to grow your business with the lessons of the GoGiver?
Erin Bradley (07:35.2)
Yeah, so it's a couple simple steps and it can be applied anytime you are looking to create momentum in your business. And I will tell you that it's never a straight line. We all know this, right? Whether it was babies being born or the loss of a loved one or a shift in a market, our pipeline can dry up for a various number of reasons, right? So we want to be empowered that we have a process that works in any market.
And it doesn't look like hustle and grind. It doesn't look like inauthenticity or imposter syndrome. It's really about knowing who you are, your personality, your interests, your skills, your geographic location, whatever, and who you want to serve and then developing a process to be of value to them. So the go-giver philosophy is that the goal is to give more in value than you hope to receive in payment or give value above and beyond what you get paid to do. And so it was this click that happened because I realized up until now,
I was following the plan and the plan involved a lot of push marketing, a lot of top of mind, Mailers, e-newsletters, emails, calls, whatever. And none of what I was pushing out there, like home improvement tips and turn back the clock reminders, had really anything to do with what could be a value to the recipient. And so I thought to myself, if our clients don't need our services except every three or five or seven years,
What does it really mean to be of value to them, even when they don't need our services? So I came up with this idea of being a resource before, during, and long after closing, and I started calling my clients and simply saying, what's been going on? And I'm working on a project. I want you to think of me when you need anything, not just real estate. So I'm building a referral directory of trusted local service providers. And I have a gap in the directory for fill in the blank, a financial advisor, a home contractor, a handyman, a cleaner.
health and wellness professionals, and I would ask my clients and friends to introduce me to their top people that they refer, that they know, and trust. And then I would build relationships with those individuals. And again, where realtors often miss the boat is they have a vendor list. And that's not the same thing as having relationships. So as I built what I refer to as my tribe of trusted local service providers,
Rebecca Green (09:33.17)
huh.
Rebecca Green (09:38.622)
people.
Rebecca Green (09:53.459)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (09:58.828)
You know, as you connect with people, you don't connect with all of them. They don't always return your call. They may not be hungry to grow, but you will find people that love the idea of collaborating, linking arms and growing together. And so when I would meet really cool business owners, would instinctively want to be of value to them. So the go-giver applies as you're building referral partnerships, your client relationships, your team members. How can I be of value to this person? And so I started promoting these business owners back.
to my community. So the content, instead of promoting me, was promoting other business owners. And there was no limit then to the content. And because I took the work hat off, meaning if I'm calling Kim and I was told to call Kim because my manager or sales trainer said I should make these calls to get the deals to get the leads. And then I have all this resistance and dread because I'm thinking Kim doesn't need to buy a house right now. Kim has a rate of three percent. Like that's a me problem.
Kim Borcherding (10:57.598)
you
Erin Bradley (10:57.954)
So let's just assume, Kim doesn't need anything. And that's not the reason for my call. The reason for my call is to talk to her about the resources I'm developing, to enlist her help in getting connected to the resources that she refers and trusts. In doing so, I'm building my database and then I'm promoting these people back. And it could look like creating events. It could look like social media content. It can look like...
Rebecca Green (10:58.739)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (11:23.362)
providing education, doing an event with an estate attorney, talking about the importance of a will and trust. mean, there's no end in sight. So it's a snowball that gains momentum. And that's why I say this works in every single market. I've seen people that are in my community apply this strategy to the T and get 17 new referrals in two weeks, this year. Okay, so it works and it never feels salesy because I'm not calling about me.
Rebecca Green (11:43.913)
Yeah.
Erin Bradley (11:51.382)
And since I'm not calling about me, there's no resistance and I can become unleashed. So it's really that those who are thriving right now in this market, every single one of them, a hundred percent across the board. If you talk to any real estate agent or lender that's having their best year ever, they will tell you they're in a massive amount of conversation and they're finding ways to be of value to people. They're not trying to promote themselves. They're just promoting the resources and...
there's a ripple effect that happens and it's so much easier and so much more enjoyable.
Kim Borcherding (12:22.898)
Totally, I love that. So true, I mean, so true. That's very much like what I'm doing in my work. I'm obviously, I'm like, I'm just trying to add value, add value, add value. I mean, at this point, and again, I was just talking to an agent yesterday, it was like, I feel so bad. Like you give me so much value and I've not been able to receive, I was like, I'm not worried about it. I go, you know what? I actually would prefer you to feel like I have over delivered.
Rebecca Green (12:23.273)
For sure. Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (12:50.31)
And when I need something or there's an opportunity or there's an opportunity to like, it's gonna work out. And I trust that, but that's, I love that. And not enough people talking about. So that's an incredible philosophy and incredible philosophy. And I love what an impact it made on your business now, but also, but then you quit. You're not in the lending business right now, are you Erin?
Rebecca Green (13:06.558)
Yeah.
Erin Bradley (13:15.192)
So I ended up growing a small but mighty team and then I started the real estate podcast, Pursuing Freedom in 2018. And we were also investing in real estate all along the way. And so I am in the intense freedom category. Okay, that was what one of my personality profile tests told me. So I'm all about designing a business that gives me the freedom to adventure, be present with my kids.
We did a six month RV road trip during COVID and homeschooled our kids in 2020. We moved to a ski town, which I thought would put me out of business. It doubled the business. So all these years, I was preaching how to practice the art of subtraction when you feel like you've overcommitted or overconnected or you're overwhelmed. And so in 2022, I was on a stage at a real estate conference talking about the idea that
Rebecca Green (14:01.897)
Thank you.
Erin Bradley (14:08.258)
We need to listen to our intuition when you feel like you said earlier, before we started recording, Kim, it's either a hell yes or it's a no. And I was feeling really fulfilled by the coaching and speaking. And I was starting to feel less fulfilled by my responsibilities in the mortgage space. And so I kept firing myself from things within my business that I didn't like. And I kept thinking it would put me out of business and the business kept growing. And so it became more evidence to the contrary of our fear.
I wish I could do this, but right. Or I can't because. And so I was standing on the stage talking about how, you know, we often say I can't because we're worried about what people will think of us. We don't want to let people down. And that's exactly where I was at. I want, felt called to release the vine of the mortgage business, even though we were doing, I don't know, 75 million at the peak of my career. When I walked away from it, I was
I was only working 50 to 20 hours a week in the business because I was spending my time coaching and speaking and podcasting and traveling, but I did it. I took the leap. I burned the ship and I've been pursuing freedom ever since. And this is my primary mission for as long as the foreseeable future will allow is to help more real estate agents and mortgage lenders believe that.
we can stop defending the limitation of our mind. We can make decisions. We can choose to run a business that feels like hell yes energy and it's fun and the future can be enjoyable. It doesn't have to be something we settle for just because we've built something that's sucking the life out of us.
Rebecca Green (15:46.793)
Amazing. Amazing. One thing I want to go back to.
Kim Borcherding (15:46.878)
That's where I found myself. I was gonna throw my phone in the river. And at this point, was like, I just, and then I didn't know how to, which I wanna, I didn't know how to pivot or essentially, so I had to take a sabbatical. Cause I was like, I am going to lose my mind. This is not, and I joke when people like, I was like, this is a successful real estate agent? No, thank you. If this is what success looks like, I'm not interested anymore.
Rebecca Green (16:06.345)
Is that the way to do
Rebecca Green (16:15.655)
Erin, can I go back, and yeah, that's the art of the pause. I talk a lot about the art of the pause. You have to sometimes step away in order to see a clearer picture. I wanna go back to something that you said earlier about operations, because it's one thing to have vision, I'm super, operations are near and dear to what I coach too.
You can have all of these visions and all of these ideas for growth and for scaling, but you mentioned like you operationally have to be in a space and in a mindset and have structure in order for those things to be able to see those things through. And you mentioned, you you started with operationally teaching folks to learning how to scale. Can you talk a little bit about that? Because operations is not something a lot of real estate agents or mortgage brokers focus on.
Erin Bradley (17:06.53)
Yeah, if I, mean, full disclosure, I rode the roller coaster of feast or famine for eight years before I really felt like enough is enough. You know, when I experienced the massive burnout in 2012, as I mentioned, I was pregnant with my second child. I was asking advice for those around me in my office that were doing more business. Their kids were a little older and
they all admitted that, you know, they put their kids to bed and they go into their home office and work until 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night. And so the first thing that happened was I felt like I only had two choices. I could either suck it up, pretend to be fine when everyone around me knows I'm not. But I think we're masterful at giving from an empty well and putting on the game face to deliver the service to the client while depleting ourselves energetically and emotionally. And
The second option, which I tried in 2013 was I'll just do less business. It's fine. It's fine. I'll just do less because that was too much for me. So I'm going to resist abundance and growth because it represents pain and burnout. And I tried to slow down and the business dried up again. I don't believe we're here to shrink. I think as human beings, we're here to expand. And I know this because we all know this because every time any one of us has ever achieved a goal,
How long do we celebrate before we feel called to a new desire? So expansion is part of the experience, right? And so I almost quit the business and someone gave me the advice to get some help. And I went into 2014. And if I'm honest, that Christmas, my pipeline had dried up. I found myself back in credit card debt. I was stressed out at the holidays and I was so fed up. And I think sometimes there's one of two ways people can take this message.
You can wait for desperation to affect change, which I did when I was riding my bike to the client meeting and when I was drowning in my own quote unquote success, which I don't define success as money either. think it's success is unlimited present moments with the people I care about personally and professionally and the ability to do the things I want to do with them, which requires money. So there is a money piece to it. But I remember just looking into 2014 and saying, I'm so
Rebecca Green (19:15.753)
Amazing.
Erin Bradley (19:26.402)
done with this, I am going to be financially successful and I'm not willing to compromise my sanity for it. So I made a plan to apply the same strategy that I outlined in my book and that I used to teach in workshops. I still do, but I was going to use that strategy to grow the volume. And by June, I was going to hire my first team member. So I ended up bringing on my first team member and it's scary, right? Like, are we able to afford this person? Am I going to have enough work for them? All the fears, right?
Rebecca Green (19:46.259)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (19:56.14)
So I chose to hire one of my best friends and pay her out of my compensation. My manager wasn't willing to hire me help, so it was up to me. This requires decisiveness in spite of fear. So desperation can affect change, so can decisiveness. You can decide at any point how you want your business to look and feel, and you don't have to wait until you're at rock bottom to make a change.
Rebecca Green (20:16.489)
gonna say.
Rebecca Green (20:23.721)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (20:24.684)
And I think some of us lose sight of that when we become 100 % commission. We become self-employed in theory because we want to be our own boss, but we don't act like a boss. We act like a passenger on the agenda of the external world and we allow our energy and attention to be hijacked all day, every day with no direction whatsoever. And we wonder why we're in a perpetual state of exhaustion. And I'll tell you what, my number one fear came true. Within three months, my pipeline dried up because I was training her.
Rebecca Green (20:34.675)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (20:53.932)
I wasn't doing the lead generating activities. So I looked at her and I was like, all right, we got this. And it was August of 2014. I had two closings that month. That doesn't really justify a full-time team member, right? But by December, we had 12 closings in December. We six times the volume in four months by me offloading everything that wasn't energizing and everything that could be handled by somebody else. So I went from spending 80 % of my day in energy draining activities
to 20 % left on my plate that I still have to do, but I learned how to batch that activity so that it wouldn't hijack me. And 80 % of my time was spent doing things that are energizing, that move the needle. And it was incredible. We ended up more than doubling the business from 18 million in 2014 to 38 million in 2015. So it was very clear I had been the bottleneck. And...
At that point, I joke, I started dragging bodies onto a speeding train. I hired my nanny after two and a half years. I hired my neighbor. I'm like, you could do this, you could do this. Everybody get on the crazy train.
Kim Borcherding (22:03.134)
I've done that too. I got a reflection. I'm listening. I gotta close my blinds.
Erin Bradley (22:08.791)
It was fun!
Rebecca Green (22:09.161)
But it's interesting because what you're talking about, know, busyness is something that I think agents in our space, in the real estate space, they misinterpret busyness as efficiency. And I've said that more than once on this podcast because it rings true in so many scenarios, in so many situations, and effectively.
we just get bogged down on the stuff that's not moving the needle, the stuff that's not important. And that's really the, to me, that's the very first, that's the starting point for actually implementing efficiencies that help you scale. And without the realization that the busyness is not it, I don't know how you get from being crazed and the up and down and the yo-yo effect.
You know, I don't know how you get to that place without recognizing that. And that's really hard for agents to get their head around.
Erin Bradley (23:09.528)
Well, it's funny you say this, because one of my sayings is that busyness is laziness, disguised as productivity, because it means you're unwilling to discern what really matters. And when you think about busyness, it's usually because we're avoiding the thing that could move the needle, because we're afraid for some, there's something there. There's a block, there's a fear, there's a story, a narrative.
Rebecca Green (23:16.36)
Yes!
Erin Bradley (23:35.874)
So we avoid right by doing other things. And I had somebody ask me recently, well, how do I know when my day is done? Like, when do I have permission to shut off? I have four kids, I have a successful business, all this stuff. And I said, well, that's where we need to learn how to simplify success. If we really want freedom and flexibility, we have to look at the calendar and create a schedule, not time blocked every hour of the day. That's a not realistic nor that sounds pretty suffocating, but more like
themes for the days and then knowing when your peak energy and then protecting that time like your life depends on it because it does because your business depends on it and your business funds and finances your life, right? So there's no excuse for not doing the things that are going to create the momentum in my business because if I'm avoiding it, then my actions aren't reflecting what I say my priorities are. So anyone who can go from struggling to thriving so fast in our business,
Rebecca Green (24:07.486)
Thank
Erin Bradley (24:34.176)
if they are willing to commit to these non-negotiables, but then figuring out how to customize that communication plan so that it feels true for you. Like if you're trying to be like somebody else and you're trying to follow the plan that was assigned to you by someone who's not like you, you're gonna struggle with the execution regardless. And even though the market may have been challenging, is challenging right now, the outcome is always a byproduct of the execution.
Rebecca Green (24:56.265)
Totally.
Erin Bradley (25:03.32)
So if you're busy, busy, busy and you're exhausted and you're running on fumes, and even if you do execute on the things that can bring value to your clients, your community, but you're doing it from an empty well, it's gonna fall flat. So protecting your time and energy is number one, because I don't think the bottleneck is knowing what to do. I think the bottleneck is energy and enthusiasm. It's wanting to do it, it's enjoying it, it's customizing it so that it feels true for you and your personality and your people.
And that's a little bit of deeper work.
Kim Borcherding (25:34.45)
Totally.
Rebecca Green (25:36.296)
Love that.
Kim Borcherding (25:37.182)
Absolutely. I talk with a lot of agents, again, very much about energy. And I've been on a journey really just to optimize my energy and figure out what that is. Because I know when I'm in flow or I'm excited, I'm passionate, business opportunities, everything, you know, things just come to me and I attract a lot more. We talk right now, Rebecca and I are talking to lot of agents who are feeling burnout. I'd be curious if that's in your circles, Erin, too, you're hearing. And I'd love to know any advice.
Rebecca Green (26:00.435)
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (26:06.906)
you have or words of wisdom for somebody who's just an agent who's feeling burnt out.
Erin Bradley (26:12.878)
Yeah, so nobody wants to hear this, but we have to slow down in order to speed up. When you think about if you were to take a job because you need some consistent income, you think that that would be the solution. You would be taking a job working for somebody else because you suspect that the person who hires you has a plan for profitability, right? And if you come to work on time and do what's expected of you, you're going to get paid. Far too many real estate professionals don't
Rebecca Green (26:18.673)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (26:42.168)
have that? Like I always say, would you trust you? Can you rattle off your formula, your recipe for success? Can you tell me what your schedule looks like? When do you do the things you intend to do? And then the other piece of it is if you've been in the business a long time and you're feeling bored and burned out, a lot of the advice in the marketplace right now is go back, go back to the fundamentals, go back to the basics. And I completely disagree. I think sometimes we have to recognize how far we've come.
Rebecca Green (27:07.003)
six.
Erin Bradley (27:11.884)
And then uproot the garden, meaning your garden in the springtime, it has weeds, it has things that have been there since you moved in that you've never evaluated. It has things that you plant that are pretty. It has things that come up every year that you kind of like. Sometimes we have to uproot all of it and cut the fat and let's redesign the future landscape of your business to be something that you feel excited to enjoy. So what that could look like is very small number of relationships in your life that energize you, that bring a smile to your face. And then
doing some work to peel back the layers to figure out what does it mean to be a value to that person given the stage of life they're in, the events that they've navigated in their life, what their interests are, what their goals are, what they're worried about, what they're excited about. If we can get to the bottom of that, then life, the work becomes more interesting and lighter because we're not coming from a place of hopefully fingers crossed this solves my problem. We're coming from a place of I love this person. They bring a smile to my face.
I can get creative on how to be of value to them. That energizes me. And as I start to give more, I start to receive more energy. And that becomes like a light within you that becomes ignited. And you can share that light with the people you care about, your referral partners. Just lighten up, honestly. Like, I mean that, lighten up. Like, find a way to turn the light on from within. Share the light and you can create a wildfire. But it usually requires a significant amount of subtraction. And then not...
arbitrarily logging hours for the sake of feeling busy, but working way less hours with hyper-focused energy and enthusiasm. And it's so much more effective. And then you have the ability to say, I did what I set out to do today, or I did what I set out to do this week. I'm going to go have some fun. I how many of us go on vacation and our business picks up, right? We call that vacation energy. Well, I like to help people curate vacation energy every damn day.
What does it mean to have a good time today? Lighten up. Why is it when I take try to take a day off and ski with my kids, my phone rings or I pick up business on the left? It's because my light is on. I'm like a lighthouse in the storm. The ships are coming to port. I'm trying to have some fun, you know?
Kim Borcherding (29:22.824)
Totally. I mean, I'm so intentional right now about things that bring me joy and like adding in more. like, okay, yes to that. Yes to that. Cause that's joy. And if it doesn't, because like it makes such an impact. Like for me, like super small, like I have this little hippie van that I drive that I love. It puts me in a good mood, you know? And I have certain playlists. puts me like, I'm like,
Everything that's, yes, I love to watch, my kids get on the bus at school, because I stand there for that five minutes and it brings me joy seeing my kids like chit chat with other children and get on the bus. And so I tell people like more joy, more fun, whatever that is, say yes to that. And that looks different for everybody. So that is a great piece of advice.
Rebecca Green (30:10.857)
Yeah, what you're talking about too, like that busyness, going back to the busyness component is real estate agents or anyone in this space, I think their nervous system is wired for constantly being checking, like checking the email, checking the phone. There's this constant reaction. Reaction is, I talk a lot about being proactive instead of reactive, and that's what you're talking about.
Kim Borcherding (30:30.046)
or fright or a fright.
Rebecca Green (30:40.841)
operating from the proactive space and operating in a proactive way is so much more, enjoyable, but also it moves the needle quicker and further. And I think that is a whole mindset change that so many agents I know in my space really need constant reminders of.
Erin Bradley (31:04.568)
I also think there's an aspect of this underlying expectation that the solution to burnout is action. When I feel depleted and not in the mood, I've learned to acknowledge it and respect it and figure out what I need to do from the inside out to recognize my light is extinguished, it's dim. And I'm not going to be as effective as I might think.
Rebecca Green (31:31.101)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (31:34.904)
putting a bandaid of activity over this. I'm not saying lay around and do nothing. I'm saying listen to a podcast like this, pick up a book, call a friend for the sake of calling a friend because they energize you every time you hang out with them. Figure out a way to fill your cup first and business owners take time to slow down, to evaluate, to reflect, to plan and to strategize and to pivot.
Rebecca Green (31:38.867)
great advice.
Erin Bradley (32:01.928)
And we need to be doing that in this market right now. We need to be evaluating and pivoting. We need to be designing the future to align with the world we live in, what our clients' worries are, what their interests are, what their stages of life are. There is opportunity to be found, but we're not going to find it if we're in the darkness. And it's OK to be there. Like, you can find yourself in the valley of despair and know that you're temporarily there. We've all been there before and we'll be there again.
but we can't let it define us. We can't let it be our excuse. And we can't just muscle through and think that we're gonna find fulfillment by muscling through. It doesn't work that way. And it's hard because it does require like a slingshot. You have to pull it back a little bit before you launch it. And if you're just gonna keep on grinding, you're gonna perpetuate the cycle of unfulfillment and exhaustion. And there is a better way. There is a better way, but we have to really choose and choose again and again and again.
Kim Borcherding (33:00.008)
So absolutely. Erin, can you share with us, would you say? mean, what do you think your superpower is?
Rebecca Green (33:01.833)
Mm-hmm, that's great advice.
Erin Bradley (33:12.246)
Mine is probably connecting and community. My favorite thing is to get to the bottom of what is going on with somebody and then give ideas and resources on who I can connect them with and then support others. feel that is the go-giver like to the core. That's why my life completely changed after developing this approach. I never felt like I had to talk about me ever again. I didn't feel like it was about me, but my business would.
would explode every time I re-engaged the process of replacing my own insecurity with curiosity, replacing my fear with love, not wasting time with people that suck the life out of me, not talking myself into activity that feels inauthentic and not talking myself out of leaps of faith that feels scary because I now understand that in this journey of expansion, we're always on the leading edge of unfamiliar territory. It's always gonna feel uncomfortable.
If I don't have imposter syndrome, I'm probably not in the right room. So just go with it. Like lighten up. I keep saying lighten up. I tell myself, lighten up a little bit. It could be a lot more fun than this. It doesn't have to feel like a slog. And if I'm going to be self-employed, I didn't take the easy route and neither did you. So don't suck it up and settle for mediocrity. Create something awesome.
Rebecca Green (34:14.471)
Ha ha ha!
Kim Borcherding (34:33.202)
Yeah.
Rebecca Green (34:33.725)
and create something that's authentic to you and something that works for your life and your family because there are a million different ways to succeed in this business. And the way somebody else has done it won't likely work the same way for you.
Erin Bradley (34:47.426)
Yeah, 100%.
Kim Borcherding (34:47.987)
Yeah, and Rebecca and I are both on that journey right now ourselves. So that very much resonates with the both of us. people, what are the ways that people can, if they are listening to this podcast, like, sweet, I love this, I dig this Erin Bradley gal, what are ways that they can work with you?
Erin Bradley (35:07.896)
So first of all, wanna share there's a free resource on my website, pursuingfreedom.com. And it's a free five step guide to more referrals. And it outlines that strategy in a very abbreviated version of how to be yourself, increase your referrals and have more fun growing your business. And I just love connecting with people. So if you wanna DM me on Instagram at pursuingfreedomofficial or connect with me directly.
Rebecca Green (35:08.477)
we find you.
Erin Bradley (35:33.47)
I am a huge connector and I have a national community of realtors and lenders that we are intentionally connecting to create referral partnerships and collaboration because I truly believe it can feel really lonely out there and you're not alone. There's nothing that we've talked about today that the listener hasn't been able to relate to in some capacity because it's just part of being human. We're not special.
Rebecca Green (35:49.191)
Yeah. Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (35:57.662)
you
Rebecca Green (35:57.775)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (35:59.534)
And if I could figure any of this out, it's only because I put myself in the room with people that remind me of my future. So if you want to expand your life, hang around people that remind you of your future or that are on the expansion journey with you. And you will watch your own belief system evolve and expand alongside those you spend time with. If you hang around complainers, you're not going to get out of where you are. So pay attention to your environment.
Rebecca Green (36:06.537)
Mm-hmm.
Erin Bradley (36:26.031)
and put yourself in proximity with people that light you up and then go share that light with others and you really cannot fail.
Rebecca Green (36:34.537)
Amazing. Amazing. What a great, I know, what wise words. Goodness. Thank you so much for, yeah, for sharing all of that. You know, I'm certain it's had an impact on everyone listening. I'm super grateful for our time together for sure. Kim, is there anything you want to wrap up with?
Kim Borcherding (36:35.814)
Wise advice, wise advice.
Kim Borcherding (36:41.114)
I know!
Kim Borcherding (36:55.612)
Yeah, let's get one last, what right now, Erin, what are you excited about in your future, near term? What's lighting you up right now?
Erin Bradley (37:04.398)
Oh my gosh, well, always it's the experiences that the business can afford me. I've always said that when you're thinking about your goals, for me, if I make my goals financial, there's no emotional connection. I don't know why. I just can't chase money as the object. But if I get excited about the experiences, the money can afford me. I get really fired up. So we're going to Costa Rica for a couple of weeks in June. We're gonna be...
going to see a lot of live music this summer, going to see family, we're hosting a festival, camping. I these are the things that light me up. Professionally, it's just connecting with more agents and lenders that want to live a life by design and they want to love their business again. I love helping reignite the flame in others because I've been there before. I'm sure I'll be there again, but I love connecting with people when they maybe feel like they're in that valley and they're feeling stuck and I know they're not.
Kim Borcherding (37:38.034)
So
Erin Bradley (38:01.294)
And I heard this analogy of the barrel of monkeys. I'm always looking to add to my barrel of monkeys, the little plastic monkeys, they have one hand reaching up and one hand reaching down. So I always have imposter syndrome. I'm always in the room with people that blow my mind and impress me and make me feel inferior. And I'm always trying to reach my hand to pull others along with me. So that's where I feel like connecting is my superpower. just...
I want to bring all the knowledge that I invest in to find for myself and give it away to anyone who's here listening.
Kim Borcherding (38:36.296)
Totally, yeah. I love that. That resonates. mean, again, I love when so much, again, clearly I'm like, love Erin, Rachel, when she connected us and was like, you guys are like so, so similar in so many ways. So very much a reflection of my journey. And I think you're from the East coast originally too, right? Yeah. So me too.
Rebecca Green (38:37.139)
That's just great.
Erin Bradley (38:59.8)
Yep. I say you can take the girl out of Philadelphia, but you can't take Philadelphia out of the girl, out of the girl. Go Eagles.
Rebecca Green (39:06.257)
Where is your little...
Kim Borcherding (39:07.026)
Really, I'm saying but I'm Jersey. So I
Rebecca Green (39:12.967)
Erin, where are you originally from? I said Erin, where are you originally
Kim Borcherding (39:13.074)
What was that?
Erin Bradley (39:15.884)
outside Philadelphia. Daddy Howard Philadelphia Eagles fans. It's been a good year.
Rebecca Green (39:21.715)
I went to, I went side note here, but yeah, go Philly. I went to high school in Cherry Hill.
Erin Bradley (39:30.582)
no way. I also realized I just could have turned some potential fans into enemies by saying, Eagles. But you know what? I'm wearing green. I'm wearing green today.
Kim Borcherding (39:39.23)
You do you. So, yeah.
Rebecca Green (39:39.901)
Cut that out!
Rebecca Green (39:44.297)
Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much. I'm just sorry, we're overlapping a lot here, but your journey is super inspiring and all that you have brought today are things that anyone can implement at any time. I also love that. We talk a lot about making small intentional shifts and those small intentional shifts can change your entire trajectory. And you touched on so many ways where people really can just
sit with their thoughts, their vision, and make those small changes in order to build the life by design. And that I love.
Kim Borcherding (40:24.35)
And you just need to decide. And again, you don't have to hit rock bottom. love it. Just decisiveness. Again, so many great tips. Thank you, Erin, for sharing your knowledge. We'll link some, your contact here in the show notes. Thank you for sharing and doing the work that you do. We really appreciate you.
Rebecca Green (40:26.377)
No time.
Erin Bradley (40:42.798)
Thank you for having me.
Kim Borcherding (40:44.776)
Good.
Rebecca Green (40:45.353)
Thank you so much.
