May 2, 2025 • 48 mins
In this episode, I sit down with Mike Roland, a top-producing Las Vegas real estate team leader and former football player, who shares his raw and inspiring journey from 350 pounds and bartending nights to becoming a respected leader in real estate and fitness. Mike opens up about the turning point that led him to quit drinking, lose over 100 pounds, and rewire his mindset for discipline, gratitude, and leadership. 💡 What you'll learn in this episode:
• How sobriety transformed Mike’s personal and professional life.
• Why fitness and mindset are key to success in real estate.
• Mike’s morning routine and how “mastering the mundane” builds momentum.
• The three traits he looks for in agents joining his high-performing team. • How to bounce back after rejection and use failure as fuel.
Mike’s story is a testament to the power of intentional change. Whether you're in real estate, looking for inspiration, or just trying to build better habits—this episode is for you.
📌 Mentioned in This Episode: • Go For No → https://www.amazon.com/s?k=go+for+no+book&hvadid=694037772693&hvdev=c&hvexpln=67&hvlocphy=9030797&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=18406131809205888147--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18406131809205888147&hvtargid=kwd-295404850700&hydadcr=24661_13626712&mcid=b03f80ae175236b7b139e3d6ab8945c8&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_41dhfg33r3_e_p67 • The Miracle Morning → https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Morning-Updated-Expanded-Not-So-Obvious/dp/163774434X/ref=asc_df_163774434X?mcid=24418e631281399d961b204cdb03046e&hvocijid=7871306351896057773-163774434X-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7871306351896057773&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030797&hvtargid=pla-2281435179298&psc=1 • Alcohol Lied to Me → https://www.amazon.com/Alcohol-Lied-Me-Intelligent-Addiction/dp/B09SFM96XC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1pTEg6JjtPwGP74RjtuXh1i8QXuo0GLfncOWBtyibogR8dtgxfhoWtcLIOl1BquAsqbI0M60ea2I4YeecGpDgqt2ZYXq3zwGs4yGBYHT-2xYWI9Mr2JcFbbWo6WCA1XZDI0WqcA4xQ0BD_RL2QWnYRBBnc_QUoAtoQpJNyhMmRq6Cujh2dMMqH05FqrYqJDXaGWNymJ-yk5E3o9cdPdrOUQN5ldDhgsaH89kjByJHzxRrmgs47JoskXi7Mar4s
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
My wife didn't really care for me when
I was intoxicated.
I wouldn't have the best memory when I
was drinking the night before and that was
embarrassing.
I was heavy.
I stunk.
You know, all these things were just like,
not really taking care of myself.
And it also bled into work.
Welcome to The Mindful Agent, where real estate
success meets health, mindfulness, and personal growth.
(00:22):
Join me, Michael Coxson, top performing agent and
broker owner of Magenta Real Estate, as I
explore the intersection of wellness and business excellence,
helping you thrive in both real estate and
life.
I'm sitting down today with someone whose journey
embodies transformation, both in business and in life.
(00:46):
Mike Roland, founder and owner of The Roland
Team, is a Las Vegas real estate leader
who oversees around 200 transactions per year.
He's a dedicated husband and a father to
his son, Titan, with another son, Tucker, on
the way.
But beyond the titles and transactions, Mike's story
is one of discipline, resilience, and accountability.
(01:07):
Five years ago, he made the decision to
give up drinking, a shift that not only
reshaped his body, shedding over 100 pounds from
his former 350-pound frame, but also transformed
his mindset, his business, and his role as
a husband and father.
In this episode, we explore what he calls
manufactured chaos, how intentionally creating discomfort in your
(01:29):
routine can build resilience.
This topic really made me think.
We also explore Mike's perspective on finding meaning
in the mundane, the power of showing up
and putting in the work daily, and why
he believes accountability is the ultimate game changer
in both personal growth and business success.
And frankly, I couldn't agree more.
(01:49):
Mike's journey is proof that change is possible,
no matter where you start.
So let's dive in.
All right, Mike Rowland, welcome to The Mindful
Agent.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
It's nice to meet you in person.
I was telling you earlier, I've been following
you on social media.
You're definitely a motivating guy.
Here in The Mindful Agent, we try to
talk with real estate agents who have a
mindfulness practice, a wellness practice.
(02:11):
For those listening, you might want to tune
into YouTube because Mike Rowland's a big guy.
According to his social media bio, he's a
lifter of heavy things, and that's very relevant
or prevalent.
I can see it right in front of
me.
Is that your main wellness routine is lifting
heavy weights?
Yeah.
I think that's the primary, I would say,
as far as my routine goes, is just
(02:31):
lifting weights.
In the morning, though, I do have a
nice routine.
It's been a little more difficult as of
late.
We were talking earlier.
I have a three-year-old, or almost
three-year-old next week.
And then we're expecting our second child in
about three weeks.
So that's been just upended.
But yeah, typically, I will wake up, I'll
do my five-minute journal.
It's great.
Just my daily gratitudes.
(02:52):
What's a five-minute journal?
Yeah, it's really cool.
You can find on Amazon.
I've probably gone through about seven or eight
of these at this point.
But it's about a year's worth.
And it will literally tell you things to
be grateful for.
What do you plan on doing this day?
It's just literally five minutes.
And you just jot down.
And then you can compartmentalize it from the
morning, and then at night, when you're reflecting
(03:12):
on your day, too.
I am not that organized.
I just do it all in the morning,
or else I won't do it at night.
But it's really cool, because it centers you,
especially when it's quiet, before things get going.
And you just can think and reflect on
what you can be grateful for.
And I try not to repeat myself, which
I think is key.
Once you've gone through the things that you're
always grateful for, like we're all grateful for
(03:33):
health, family, businesses, whatever.
But once you've covered that, and you realize
that you can't repeat it, you really have
to start searching.
And then you can really start being granular
with everything that you're grateful for.
And things that we may take for granted,
which is everything from having options in the
cereal aisle, or just having clean clothes, just
things that we may take for granted.
(03:55):
And when you're slowed down, and you have
to think about it, it really does make
you feel really grateful about what you do
have.
That's an awesome practice, and to test yourself
to go deeper.
I really like that.
I try to do something similar.
I do repeat myself, but if I go,
my health, which I am very grateful for,
I ask, what about it specifically?
That maybe my knees don't hurt.
(04:17):
I'm grateful for my toes.
I'm grateful for my sense of smell, and
get real granular.
How has that changed your mindset on life?
I mean, just overall, it just gives me
that approach for that morning.
Just like, man, you can feel sorry for
yourself.
Everyone can be bummed.
This market, the past 12 months, for example,
has been tough, probably for most real estate
agents, comparatively to the previous years.
(04:39):
And you could really, if you wanted to,
just focus on that.
Just like, man, it's really hard to get
business going, or man, that buyer stopped returning
my phone calls, or my listing canceled.
You can go through it, right?
We all can.
But instead, again, if you are focused, and
you're forced to almost sit there and just
be grateful, you can really just stop and
think, it's not that bad.
(05:00):
I've got it good compared to other people
and other things at the end of the
day, and just be grateful for what you
have.
And I have always done this, up until
I started doing this practice, was I took
everything for granted, like for everything.
I just almost felt like almost entitled, like
I should have these things.
And the reality is not everyone has these
things.
(05:20):
And who the hell am I to expect
these things, like everything from air conditioning, to
being able to, like a comfy pillow, just
all of these things.
Not everyone has these things.
And it's really important to have that perspective.
And again, if you're forced to really think
about it, you may realize it, and your
approach is that much better to that.
(05:40):
Every day is that much better.
So true, right?
Losing a listing is nothing compared to not
having a bed to sleep in tonight, right?
Totally, yeah.
Sometimes losing a listing, I try to remind
myself, is something to be grateful for.
Because no one knows what the future holds,
and that listing could have led to further
trouble.
That's a mindset I try to have, is
(06:01):
whenever something bad happens, how do I know
it was bad?
Yeah, nailed it.
I try to tell my agents that too.
Sometimes they have, especially if you're newer, and
like, you know, you're grinding, you're making your
phone calls, and you finally, I wouldn't say
convinced, but you have somebody that is willing
to work with you.
And you're just pumped.
And then maybe you have to, after like
a couple weeks or months, you realize like,
this isn't a good fit.
Maybe they're not realistic.
(06:22):
Maybe they're mean.
All of these things, right?
And it's like, they don't want to let
it go.
Because it's like, they worked so hard for
that escrow or for that listing.
But what it's doing to them mentally, just
like physically as well, sometimes, it's not worth
it.
And if they just learn to let it
go, and take that time that you would
have been servicing that buyer or that listing,
and make sure you're productive with it.
Just don't sit on your hands.
Go after, get back on the phones and
(06:44):
find another listing.
It's that much easier.
But it is, it's that scarcity mentality.
And again, going back to what the markets
look like, volume is down considerably, you know,
so there's not much to be had.
So when you get one, you desperately want
to hold on to it.
But if it's at the sake of your
peace of mind, and just like your mental
game, yeah, sometimes you just got to learn
to let it go.
Yeah.
And the energy of desperation is a negative
(07:04):
one that's felt by you and your client.
And the next phone call you make versus
that abundance mindset of there's always another client.
There's always another listing for me.
Yeah.
I mean, what you're putting out there comes
back to you.
Yeah.
Tell me more.
What else do you teach your agents and
tell us about your team?
Yeah.
So we are the Roland team.
There's about 15 of us.
We'll do on average between 150 to 200
(07:25):
transactions a year.
This year, probably on the lower end, just
because we're kind of rebuilding some of my
teammates, obviously, and this is one of the
things when you build up a team, right?
Eventually, it goes one or two ways when
you bring an agent on.
Either one, the agent's no good, it's not
working out.
And you can almost mutually agree or one
party agrees, like, let's go a different direction.
The other side is you build up a
(07:46):
really good agent.
And eventually, the agent becomes so good that
they don't want to work under the umbrella
of a team anymore, they want to go
solo.
So that's what I've been experiencing the past
12 months.
This year is really the reshaping, the regrowth
of our team, which I'm really excited about.
On one hand, I'm exhausted because I'm having
to restart almost everything.
But I'm also very grateful because I've got
perspective I didn't have when I did it
the first time.
(08:06):
I know exactly what to look out for.
I know exactly what works and what didn't
work.
And so we're in a really good spot
right now.
Everyone's just feeling good.
And that was another thing, too, for my
previous team.
A lot of times, the attitude was they
weren't exactly jazzed up.
They were kind of burned out almost.
That's not the case now.
Most of my team, they've been with me
less than 12 months.
Some of them are newer to the industry,
(08:26):
but they're just so excited.
And I remember feeling like that when I
was an agent.
And it's just nice because it's invigorating to
be around.
It feels great.
So that's where right now we're just building.
We are one of the six teams in
town that have partnered with Zillow.
We have a Zillow Flex account.
And so that's been pretty fun.
It's exhausting in its own right.
But it's great to be partnered with Zillow.
(08:47):
Zillow's the Amazon of real estate.
Everyone goes there to start their search.
That's really neat.
We lean heavily on tech, very organized in
our CRM.
We use a lot of artificial intelligence.
But overall, it's just people hungry, wanting to
work, wanting to be in front of buyers
and sellers.
Who's your avatar as far as agent?
What are you looking for?
You mentioned enthusiasm.
(09:08):
What does it take to be on your
team?
I'm going to steal this from my buddy
Chris.
He says the three Cs.
It's culture, coachability, and character.
Those are the three that we look for.
Culture is obviously, are you going to fit
in with the vibe of the team?
Character is like, are you showing a positive
or negative?
And then coachability, are you actually going to
(09:28):
listen and learn?
Sometimes you have people that think they know
better, even if they've never sold a house.
There's a lot of stubborn people in this
game.
It's weird.
I would think that if I didn't sell
a house or if I'm selling one or
two, I've probably got some stuff to learn.
So I would just probably be quiet and
be more eager to learn.
You're also looking for humility.
Correct.
Yeah.
I tie that into maybe all three, but
(09:49):
definitely coachability and character.
But you are right.
Yeah.
Humility is definitely important when you're looking for
an agent.
Can you take us back to when and
how you decided to get into real estate?
Yeah.
I'd like to tell you that I knew
when I was a baby that I was
going to grow up and run a real
estate company.
If you have a baby out there that
wants to be a real estate agent, you
(10:10):
have an odd problem.
I don't know how to get you help,
but seek help.
You messed up.
No, I agree.
When I was in high school, I mean,
I did the whole school thing right.
But my goal was always to be a
football player.
And that was my thing, like captain of
the football team.
I took a full-ride scholarship to Fresno
State.
Nice.
(10:30):
Thank you.
Yeah.
Were you there with the Devante Adams and
Derek Carr days?
Just after.
Derek Carr left.
I'm sorry, David Carr, his brother.
And then I was there for a year
and a half.
And then Derek came after.
So I was sandwiched between the Carr brothers.
So I didn't get to meet him.
But there were some players that made it
to the league quite a bit.
But they weren't like the big all-stars.
They were just like offensive linemen.
(10:51):
But it was great.
It was a great experience.
I really enjoyed it out there, but I
was homesick.
So after like two years, I said, I
want to come home.
I transferred to UNLV.
That was a mistake.
Just different type of programs.
And at that point, I think I was
just burnt out.
So I had to sit out a year
because I transferred.
I ended up hurting my knee.
And then that was that.
(11:12):
Just didn't feel like doing it anymore.
And then being in Vegas, got into the
nightlife industry.
I started as a bouncer, found out where
the money was at, got behind the bar,
worked as a bartender.
And then at the age of 30, when
me and my wife started to get really
serious, decided, hey, I'm just going to pump
the brakes.
I'm sick and tired of coming home at
three or four in the morning, reeking of
(11:32):
cigarette smoke, drinking with everybody.
And so decided to pivot.
And we had bought a house along the
way because I'd saved some money with tips.
And we were able to actually, we needed
to just sell that home in order to
be able to make it.
So we sold the house.
I sold my truck.
We carpooled.
My wife would drive me or I would
drive her to, because she was holding it
down back then to her job.
And then I'd go and do my real
(11:54):
estate stuff.
And then I'd come back.
It was stressful.
We did that for about two years.
Thankfully, we had a little bit of proceeds
to keep afloat while I was trying this
real estate thing.
And then eventually it started to take off.
But yeah, we sold the house, we sold
everything, went on and on real estate.
Before we go further, you mentioned something you
kind of touched upon, like this pivot moment.
What happened?
(12:15):
Because there's always something, like, I know it's
probably a lot of little things led to
that moment, but what was that, hey, I'm
doing this?
What came inside you that just fully made
you and your wife go all in on
switching careers and going into real estate?
I think I was kind of just floating
for a while.
(12:35):
I did the whole football thing and I
always thought my life would be destined for
greatness, but it would be athletic.
And then that ship sailed.
And then for a decade in my 20s
to 30s, when everyone's having fun, I was
having fun, but I was floating.
I was just drinking, partying too much, making
decent money behind the bar before I knew
what decent money was.
And then I think just, I don't know,
(12:56):
I'd like to tell you that there was
a one day I just like, I woke
up and I was sick of it.
They actually fired me.
They, I mean, if they didn't fire me,
I probably may still be there, you know
what I mean?
Or advanced to where I'd be a general
manager of a restaurant or bar.
Like this thought of that now is like,
oh God.
Well, think about what we said earlier.
You know, I didn't get the listing, I
got fired, poor me.
(13:17):
Well, if you ever got fired, you wouldn't
be who you are today.
That's right.
So there's something to be grateful for.
Yeah.
It's a funny story too about that.
Like, uh, I, so they fired me, they
sent, they, they kicked.
And then, so I was basically forced to
get into real estate.
And then I would, I would literally, I'd
come home.
I tell the story a lot, but like
I was doing rentals just to get by
making a couple hundred bucks, but just really
running and grinding.
And I used to come home to my
(13:38):
wife and I'd have to convince her, like,
I promise you I'm going to be good
at this.
I promise.
And then after about a year and a
half, like the check started becoming consistent and
I proved to her that I was going
to be good at this.
It worked out, but it didn't happen overnight.
And then the last part too.
And again, this is just a humble brag,
but, um, so I got fired from that,
that place is called Stoney's.
It's a country bar.
Sure.
(13:58):
Um, classic institution of Las Vegas.
Yeah.
The class is, um, a billboard went up,
um, with me and Steve Hawks.
He, uh, he does the billboards out here.
He's at my brokerage.
I really get one of my best friends
and I was on it.
So like, I went from getting fired to
like four months, four years later, being in
that, being in that parking lot on a
billboard, looking down at him.
So, I mean, like, again, it was more,
(14:18):
not exactly humble, but I was like, man,
I feel good about that.
I since pulled down the billboard, but it
was still kind of a cool story.
Yeah, definitely.
You know, to look down where you, where
you once were and that the guy that
fired you, he had to see your face
every single day.
That's right.
Nothing wrong with that.
That's your competitive spirit in you, which is
what it takes to be, you know, in
real estate.
I feel, uh, you know, a lot of
the best real estate agents I know did
(14:40):
play sports, um, have some sort of competitive
edge or, or at least that mindset.
How does, how does your athletics translate into
your success as an agent?
Oh, you nailed it too.
I look for that whenever I'm interviewing agents,
like a sports background, military, um, that's always
something like they just have that drive.
And then, you know, if you're used to,
uh, prac, you know, in sports, you're just
used to practice like mastering the mundane, you
(15:00):
know, the boring stuff.
Um, but doing it over and over and
over again until we get really good at
it.
If you don't have that background, it's a
little challenging, sometimes convincing people like you got
to make your calls and you got to
call the same person over and over until
they answer.
And they're like, well, I called him yesterday
and I called him today.
They're not interested.
It's not how it works.
You got to call them like seven to
13 times.
Um, and they just don't understand that.
(15:21):
So athletes, they already get it.
And they understand too, like you don't have
to hit a home run every time.
Sometimes singles doubles work, you know, but just
keep showing up, keep practicing and you'll get
better.
So I just think that never quit mentality
just flows really well from athletics into real
estate.
Excellent advice.
You know, falling, fall in love with the
process, right?
Uh, what position did you play?
I was defensive and defensive end, right?
(15:43):
I mean, hand techniques, very basic stuff repeated
over and over and over again.
And yeah, you're not always going to get
to the quarterback, but you might disrupt the
play.
That's right.
Yeah.
I love it.
I mean, it's something that's why I, I'm
so big on sports, uh, you know, with
the children in my life and people in
my life because of that.
I love that you said, mastering the mundane,
think about people in batting practice.
(16:04):
I mean, how many balls does Aaron judge
hit in practice?
I don't even know.
Thousands to try to get that one home
run during the game.
And I think you have to be in
love with the process.
You got to be in love with practice.
You got to go for no, which is
a great book.
Uh, I'll recommend to you about just instead
of trying to get that one listing appointment,
you know, if you get that, if you
(16:25):
start hitting the phones and you get a
listing appointment on the first call, you think
you're great.
You know, it was probably a mistake and
a bit of luck.
Right.
But, and then you stop calling for the
day.
I got my appointment.
I'm done where this book tells you have,
have a goal to be rejected a certain
number of times, go for no 50 times.
So if you get that first call, you're
like, well, I didn't hit my goal.
My goal wasn't a listing appointment.
(16:45):
It was to get rejected 50 times.
So I got to make 50 more phone
calls and maybe get rejected.
I love that.
I tell my team all the time.
My second favorite answer is no.
Like, obviously we all like that.
Yes.
But a lot of times like, you know,
leads or, you know, people you're trying to
call and contact, they don't answer the phone.
And like, that's not, that's not going to
work for me.
You know what I mean?
Like you're going to, there's going to be
some resolution here.
You're either going to buy with me or
you're going to tell me to F off.
(17:07):
I'll take that.
But like the silence part, that's not going
to work.
So either yes or no.
So no is my second favorite answer.
Okay.
I like it.
That means, yeah.
So that drives you to make more calls.
Yeah.
There's a, there's a consistent message here, you
know, for listeners of the podcast that the
most successful people have that mindset to go
for no.
You mentioned your morning routine earlier.
I'm a huge morning person.
(17:28):
Another one of my favorite books is the
miracle morning.
Yeah.
Almost every successful real estate agent has read
it.
What other habits have you formed in your,
in your day?
So you do your gratitude journal walk me
through other business type habits that you do
every single day.
So that's probably honestly, as far as my
day-to-day habits that are like non
-negotiable, it would be like my routine where
(17:49):
the morning gratitude and then hit the gym.
As far as like things that work for
me that I'm pretty rigid, it would be
just my diet.
I find the best success for me has
been tracking macros.
So I have this guy I've been working
with for like four years.
His name's Ty.
And he literally tells me every week what
macros to hit.
(18:10):
And it's pretty simple, you know, instead of
like some rigid diet where I have to
eat chicken and rice, I'm just, you got
to hit these numbers, certain amount of grams
for protein, fat and carbs.
So like you can have a really flexible,
you can eat whenever too.
I can load up and starve myself all
morning and eat it at night time, whatever
you want to do.
So it works for anybody's schedule.
And it almost like gamifies it because I
(18:31):
put everything on an app, my fitness pal.
And so it just tracks everything to where
like as a competitor, you know, just like
in your CRM, you start to see you
like to put things in plug it and
you start to see the results, same exact
thing.
So that's been kind of like habit that
I do.
It's just adhering to, you know, the macros
that are set forth by my coach, and
then just making sure I'm tracking all of
(18:51):
it.
That's that helps.
And it's the weirdest thing too, when I,
when I'm winning with my diet, I'm winning
in every other area when I'm struggling with
my diet and I'm not hitting the numbers,
I'm not tracking it.
Usually that means something off, something is off,
like either me and my wife are arguing
or business isn't going that well.
It's just interesting how like one thing leads
to the next.
Again, it sounds like you're in love with
(19:12):
the process of tracking.
You're not talking about the results or how
big you got or what you weigh.
You focus on the macros.
Yeah, it's the same thing.
Interesting.
And how does one bleed into the other?
So if business isn't good, do you slip
on your diet?
Maybe you're a little irritable at home?
Mentally, it's, it's weird.
I'm weird like that.
Like, I think, I don't know if this
is for everybody.
For me, it has been like, if I'm
not doing something right in one way, it
(19:33):
just trickles into all areas.
And when I'm just going strong, like they
ever, like everything's cohesive.
I don't know.
I'm weird like that.
Like if I don't get my, my workout
in like in the morning, I give myself
permission to cheat on my, my macros or
like to maybe leave work earlier, not make
my calls, like all of these things.
It's, it's fascinating.
I need like a therapist or something, but
like, it's weird because I'm just weird like
(19:55):
that.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, therapy certainly helps, but I
mean, I think it's also just, it's been
proven, especially with exercise, right?
You know, you just feel better.
Endorphins are firing and get the dopamine hit.
You're more energized.
You're like, you're willing to get rejected a
little bit.
You know, you just went through a painful
session and a few hangups means nothing.
But when you're, when you're kind of weak
and tired and no energy and someone says,
(20:17):
no, you go, okay.
You roll over a bit more.
I call it manufactured chaos.
You nailed it.
Like you're introduced a little bit of hectic,
a little bit of chaos, a little bit
of misery in your morning.
And when you do that through, you know,
sweating or working out or lifting heavy weights
to your point, like if I was to
go to the office and somebody yells at
me, I think I'll be okay.
How has your whole routine evolved to what
it is today?
(20:38):
Um, so not so like now I kind
of pumped the brakes a little bit.
Like I'm a little bit more during my
off season, I guess you'd say is, um,
I don't really focus on the cardio aspect.
I used to go off the reserve.
Like, again, if my, my coach says you
need to do this and this, like I'd
always throw in an extra cardio.
And then I realized like, that's, that's detrimental
to longterm because the reason is you're, you're,
(20:59):
you're removing that piece so that, you know,
it's more effective when you reintroduce it later.
So just being consistent, it's always lifting weights.
It's always resistance training.
If I have time, I'll throw in cardio.
Um, and then we talked earlier about reading.
Uh, one thing that I do is I
read while I'm on the treadmill and I'm
not like running.
I'm not sprinting.
It's just like a slight incline and like
a steady brisk walk.
(21:20):
So you can do both.
And that's really healthy by the time, you
know, already running releases endorphins to your point.
It's like kind of clears the cobwebs, but
when you're reading something to either to self
-help or real estate, man, you feel so
good.
You feel like you retained everything.
It's just great.
And like, that's the best part of like,
starting the day.
I mean, working out is great for the
muscles, but cardio is for the mind.
It's a killer combination.
(21:41):
Um, yeah, I, I'm a podcast guy when
I lift weights, you know, there's a lot
of time in between sets, you're supposed to
rest, you know, whatever, 16, 90, 120 seconds.
And instead of sitting there staring at my
phone on Instagram or staring into space, I
love to be listening to something I can
get better and learning.
It was funny.
Just the past two days, my, uh, my
AirPods died and I forgot to charge them.
So I worked out at the gym without
(22:01):
any sort of, uh, podcast.
And I was like, okay, I felt almost
like I'm wasting time that I don't have.
And then I, you know, took a deep
breath and I said, this is a meditation
for me to just be present in the
gym and hear the sounds.
And I turned, you know, my rest between
sets into meditations of just being present in
the moment.
Uh, cause I'm like, you know, I gotta
be doubling down on, I can't just be
(22:22):
at the gym doing nothing.
Uh, so yeah.
And it's, and it's great place to talk
to people and get back to that.
Everyone's around the gym with headphones on, which,
you know, is a good, I think it's
a good thing and a bad thing.
People forget to talk to each other.
I was going to mention that part.
Like, yeah, at least, you know, your headphones
are off, like you're more approachable.
People will come up and talk to you,
which isn't a bad thing.
Like it's nice to kind of just chat
with people like minded individuals who are also
(22:43):
there trying to improve their body or health.
I am not afraid to talk to somebody
about what they're doing at the gym.
Cause I mean, I I've been lifting weights
on and off my whole life.
I was a football player, um, believe it
or not quarterback, not at the end.
So, I mean, I've, I've had my moments,
you know, I've definitely had my downs and
ups in my fitness journey, but like, I
am humble enough to know there's guys in
(23:03):
there that know what they're doing more than
me, or I'll see somebody doing an exercise
I haven't seen before.
And just, yeah, going to have that human
connection.
Like, Hey, you mind telling me what's, what's
this for and why you do it?
You know, like I'm, uh, it's always being
a student.
So whether you're reading a book, a podcast
or talking to somebody, I feel like you
and I have that same mindset of just
always being a student, always having a growth
mindset.
Have you always lifted weights like your whole
(23:25):
life?
Um, I know you said you were drinking
a lot, like that you could stay fit
during that period of your twenties when you
were out partying and bartending.
Yeah.
I wish I could say I did.
I did not.
Um, so I did the football thing, you
know, all through college.
And then when I got out, um, I
kept eating like a defense alignment, but I
stopped working out like one.
And then of course the drinking came in
(23:47):
and the late night hours, my shifts were
like, you know, I'd sleep during the daytime,
so I wasn't getting any vitamin D.
Um, and then, yeah, that obviously led into
something pretty gnarly.
I was about 350.
This was like right when COVID hit, I
was 350 pounds.
Um, I'm a six five too.
So like, that's, you know, obviously I'm a
large guy.
Um, but you know, 350 pounds, I think
(24:07):
on anybody is not the most flattering.
And so I, you know, I say this
all the time, but if you go back
and you listen to some of my, when
I got into real estate, some of the,
uh, I used to do open house videos
and I do like the whole tour and
like, without, without a doubt, every time I've
hit headstairs, like I'd be wheezing like halfway,
like, Oh yeah.
Like looking back on it now, it's like
pretty humiliating, but uh, that was a big
(24:29):
thing that stuck out.
Like, man, you can't even do an open
house without getting winded if there's two stories.
Um, but yeah, it was a lot, a
lot to do with drinking.
Uh, and then everything else, just like I
mentioned earlier, if like my diet's not in
line, everything else falls off.
Um, I've always been that way.
So yeah, drinking too much, no vitamin D,
not active, bloomed up.
Um, and then when I was about 30,
right around, uh, maybe no, I'd say a
(24:51):
little bit later than that, but when COVID
was announced, uh, that's when I started to
get really serious again.
Okay.
Cause it was killing people.
I mean like, it was like one of
those things where I was like, especially the
heavy, the heavier people.
Um, and that was just, you know, eyeopening.
Like, okay, let's get it, let's get it
together.
So in spite of how difficult it was,
because like my, my gym was no different.
Like we had to wear masks.
Like we talked about the, the ear, the
(25:12):
earbuds.
Well, I mean the whole thing now I'm
just like, I can barely breathe.
It's hot.
Um, but I did that for about two
years in spite of it.
Cause like I was hell bent and determined
and then I fell in love with it.
And that's the main thing, like you have
to fall in love with it.
Um, you know, and I actually enjoy going,
it's like my, it's my hobby, but for
the longest time, that wasn't the case.
And you can build that for people out
there that are struggling to go to the
gym.
(25:32):
Like just don't do what everyone tells you
to do, explore, play with it.
Like see if meditation is your thing.
Pilates, yoga, pickleball, resistance training.
In my case, it's weightlifting.
I like to do that, but it's not
for everybody, but do something and then do
it so much that eventually you fall in
love with it because that's, what's going to
stick.
That's what's going to sustain.
That's wonderful advice.
(25:52):
Well said, Mike.
I mean, that's what it's all about.
Uh, to quote my good friend, Bruce Miller,
if you're moving, you're grooving, whatever it is
you choose to do.
And yeah, I feel like it can be
very intimidating to go into a gym.
So, you know, find a good gym, find
a good trainer, find a good accountability partner
and do what you love because just like
they say in work, you know, it's, it's
not work if you love it.
(26:12):
That's right.
Great advice.
So I want to go back to that
moment you decided to give up drinking.
What was that turning point?
Um, you know, a lot of things, my
wife didn't really care for me when I
was, uh, intoxicated.
Um, I wouldn't have the best memory when
I was drinking the night before and that
was embarrassing.
I was heavy.
I stunk, you know, all these things were
(26:34):
just like not really taking care of myself.
Um, and it also bled into work, you
know, like I would Friday night, have a
couple drinks.
My phone would ring at six 37.
I'd let it go to voicemail the next
morning or next afternoon.
Cause I'm waking up cause I got a
hangover.
Um, it was, you know, a million dollar
buyer that when I called him back, oh,
they found somebody.
So I was, it was costing me business
(26:54):
as well.
So it just was everything.
I started to look around.
I'm like, man, what am I doing?
What's the benefit of drinking?
And I couldn't find a really good excuse.
And I read this book called, um, alcohol
lied to me and it changes your perspective.
It's almost like hypnotizing yourself on alcohol.
So, you know, you could do the alcoholics
anonymous approach where you're basically throw your hands
(27:15):
up.
I'm powerless to alcohol.
I can't even be around it.
Um, I can't drive by a bar.
I have to change my, my, how I
get home now, like all these things.
I refused that anything could have that type
of power over me.
So I took this approach and it's worked
for me.
I've been, uh, I haven't had a drink
in over an almost six years in May.
Um, and it's just, I've changed my perspective
(27:35):
on it.
And if you really look at alcohol and
you really dive into it, you can dissect
almost everything that you consider positive with it.
And it's actually negative.
Like all of these things we look at
as a social lubricant or, you know, that
it relieves anxiety, but it causes anxiety.
You know what I mean?
Um, as far as like weight gaining, um,
I thought I would Mr. Cool when I
was drinking, like I thought I was so
charming.
My wife would tell me like, dude, you're
(27:56):
an idiot.
You know what I mean?
Like you, you know, you're laughing at yourself
and you're only around other drunk people that,
that find it fascinating.
But the reality is like, if you were
to watch that clear headed the next day,
you'd be kind of embarrassed.
Like she'd be a lot sweeter than that,
but that's the reality.
So every single illusion or thing that I
told myself was a benefit to drinking, I
was able to strip it away.
(28:16):
And so anybody who might be struggling with
that and just doesn't think a is the
approach, which I didn't either, but if it
works for you, it works for you.
Check out a different, um, method and try
those books.
Um, it's a alcohol light to me.
And there's another one like the killer clown,
um, but it's by the same author, but
I really enjoyed his approach.
And it's the same approach of how you
quit smoking as well as you're basically hypnotizing
yourself in a sense where it's just like,
(28:37):
it's not that you're powerless.
It's that it's repulsive and you're deprogramming.
It sounds like these thoughts about the positives.
Yep.
And these are, which are excuses.
That's all they are.
Yeah.
And then like alcohol stripped of like all
the flavors, it's toxic.
That's all it is.
If you were to drink just straight alcohol,
you're going to die.
You know what I mean?
But they have to add all this extra
shit in it, make it pretty, make it
smell good, make it taste good.
(28:59):
But if it's just like actual, what makes
you buzzed and what everyone's chasing, it's straight
poison.
And yet we're just like glorifying it.
I don't know if you've been catching this,
but like the younger generation, they're not partaking
in the alcohol.
Like the numbers for, um, alcohol, um, indulging
has gone way down, significant drop-offs.
And I wonder, I don't know if you
have any, I think maybe because they have
other options.
You know what I mean?
(29:19):
Like they have obviously weed and psychedelics are
a little bit more popular than they used
to be, but I also think that they're
just getting keen to the idea that like
alcohol is responsible for more deaths than meth
and fentanyl than all these things that we
demonize.
But yet for whatever reason in the West,
we've decided it's socially acceptable.
Yeah.
I think maybe every generation I believe is
smarter than the last, sorry, mom and dad,
(29:40):
but you know, but it's because of mom
and dad, you learn, you see lessons, perhaps
negative lessons regarding alcohol and how that affects
a parent, a grandparent.
I'm a virus descent.
I come from a long line of alcoholics.
I do still drink, but I'm extremely moderate
compared to my prior generations, very conscious of
it.
I think everything you're saying is valid.
So I
My wife didn't really care for me when
I was intoxicated.
I wouldn't have the best memory when I
was drinking the night before and that was
embarrassing.
I was heavy.
I stunk.
You know, all these things were just like,
not really taking care of myself.
And it also bled into work.
Welcome to The Mindful Agent, where real estate
success meets health, mindfulness, and personal growth.
(00:22):
Join me, Michael Coxson, top performing agent and
broker owner of Magenta Real Estate, as I
explore the intersection of wellness and business excellence,
helping you thrive in both real estate and
life.
I'm sitting down today with someone whose journey
embodies transformation, both in business and in life.
(00:46):
Mike Roland, founder and owner of The Roland
Team, is a Las Vegas real estate leader
who oversees around 200 transactions per year.
He's a dedicated husband and a father to
his son, Titan, with another son, Tucker, on
the way.
But beyond the titles and transactions, Mike's story
is one of discipline, resilience, and accountability.
(01:07):
Five years ago, he made the decision to
give up drinking, a shift that not only
reshaped his body, shedding over 100 pounds from
his former 350-pound frame, but also transformed
his mindset, his business, and his role as
a husband and father.
In this episode, we explore what he calls
manufactured chaos, how intentionally creating discomfort in your
(01:29):
routine can build resilience.
This topic really made me think.
We also explore Mike's perspective on finding meaning
in the mundane, the power of showing up
and putting in the work daily, and why
he believes accountability is the ultimate game changer
in both personal growth and business success.
And frankly, I couldn't agree more.
(01:49):
Mike's journey is proof that change is possible,
no matter where you start.
So let's dive in.
All right, Mike Rowland, welcome to The Mindful
Agent.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
It's nice to meet you in person.
I was telling you earlier, I've been following
you on social media.
You're definitely a motivating guy.
Here in The Mindful Agent, we try to
talk with real estate agents who have a
mindfulness practice, a wellness practice.
(02:11):
For those listening, you might want to tune
into YouTube because Mike Rowland's a big guy.
According to his social media bio, he's a
lifter of heavy things, and that's very relevant
or prevalent.
I can see it right in front of
me.
Is that your main wellness routine is lifting
heavy weights?
Yeah.
I think that's the primary, I would say,
as far as my routine goes, is just
(02:31):
lifting weights.
In the morning, though, I do have a
nice routine.
It's been a little more difficult as of
late.
We were talking earlier.
I have a three-year-old, or almost
three-year-old next week.
And then we're expecting our second child in
about three weeks.
So that's been just upended.
But yeah, typically, I will wake up, I'll
do my five-minute journal.
It's great.
Just my daily gratitudes.
(02:52):
What's a five-minute journal?
Yeah, it's really cool.
You can find on Amazon.
I've probably gone through about seven or eight
of these at this point.
But it's about a year's worth.
And it will literally tell you things to
be grateful for.
What do you plan on doing this day?
It's just literally five minutes.
And you just jot down.
And then you can compartmentalize it from the
morning, and then at night, when you're reflecting
(03:12):
on your day, too.
I am not that organized.
I just do it all in the morning,
or else I won't do it at night.
But it's really cool, because it centers you,
especially when it's quiet, before things get going.
And you just can think and reflect on
what you can be grateful for.
And I try not to repeat myself, which
I think is key.
Once you've gone through the things that you're
always grateful for, like we're all grateful for
(03:33):
health, family, businesses, whatever.
But once you've covered that, and you realize
that you can't repeat it, you really have
to start searching.
And then you can really start being granular
with everything that you're grateful for.
And things that we may take for granted,
which is everything from having options in the
cereal aisle, or just having clean clothes, just
things that we may take for granted.
(03:55):
And when you're slowed down, and you have
to think about it, it really does make
you feel really grateful about what you do
have.
That's an awesome practice, and to test yourself
to go deeper.
I really like that.
I try to do something similar.
I do repeat myself, but if I go,
my health, which I am very grateful for,
I ask, what about it specifically?
That maybe my knees don't hurt.
(04:17):
I'm grateful for my toes.
I'm grateful for my sense of smell, and
get real granular.
How has that changed your mindset on life?
I mean, just overall, it just gives me
that approach for that morning.
Just like, man, you can feel sorry for
yourself.
Everyone can be bummed.
This market, the past 12 months, for example,
has been tough, probably for most real estate
agents, comparatively to the previous years.
(04:39):
And you could really, if you wanted to,
just focus on that.
Just like, man, it's really hard to get
business going, or man, that buyer stopped returning
my phone calls, or my listing canceled.
You can go through it, right?
We all can.
But instead, again, if you are focused, and
you're forced to almost sit there and just
be grateful, you can really just stop and
think, it's not that bad.
(05:00):
I've got it good compared to other people
and other things at the end of the
day, and just be grateful for what you
have.
And I have always done this, up until
I started doing this practice, was I took
everything for granted, like for everything.
I just almost felt like almost entitled, like
I should have these things.
And the reality is not everyone has these
things.
(05:20):
And who the hell am I to expect
these things, like everything from air conditioning, to
being able to, like a comfy pillow, just
all of these things.
Not everyone has these things.
And it's really important to have that perspective.
And again, if you're forced to really think
about it, you may realize it, and your
approach is that much better to that.
(05:40):
Every day is that much better.
So true, right?
Losing a listing is nothing compared to not
having a bed to sleep in tonight, right?
Totally, yeah.
Sometimes losing a listing, I try to remind
myself, is something to be grateful for.
Because no one knows what the future holds,
and that listing could have led to further
trouble.
That's a mindset I try to have, is
(06:01):
whenever something bad happens, how do I know
it was bad?
Yeah, nailed it.
I try to tell my agents that too.
Sometimes they have, especially if you're newer, and
like, you know, you're grinding, you're making your
phone calls, and you finally, I wouldn't say
convinced, but you have somebody that is willing
to work with you.
And you're just pumped.
And then maybe you have to, after like
a couple weeks or months, you realize like,
this isn't a good fit.
Maybe they're not realistic.
(06:22):
Maybe they're mean.
All of these things, right?
And it's like, they don't want to let
it go.
Because it's like, they worked so hard for
that escrow or for that listing.
But what it's doing to them mentally, just
like physically as well, sometimes, it's not worth
it.
And if they just learn to let it
go, and take that time that you would
have been servicing that buyer or that listing,
and make sure you're productive with it.
Just don't sit on your hands.
Go after, get back on the phones and
(06:44):
find another listing.
It's that much easier.
But it is, it's that scarcity mentality.
And again, going back to what the markets
look like, volume is down considerably, you know,
so there's not much to be had.
So when you get one, you desperately want
to hold on to it.
But if it's at the sake of your
peace of mind, and just like your mental
game, yeah, sometimes you just got to learn
to let it go.
Yeah.
And the energy of desperation is a negative
(07:04):
one that's felt by you and your client.
And the next phone call you make versus
that abundance mindset of there's always another client.
There's always another listing for me.
Yeah.
I mean, what you're putting out there comes
back to you.
Yeah.
Tell me more.
What else do you teach your agents and
tell us about your team?
Yeah.
So we are the Roland team.
There's about 15 of us.
We'll do on average between 150 to 200
(07:25):
transactions a year.
This year, probably on the lower end, just
because we're kind of rebuilding some of my
teammates, obviously, and this is one of the
things when you build up a team, right?
Eventually, it goes one or two ways when
you bring an agent on.
Either one, the agent's no good, it's not
working out.
And you can almost mutually agree or one
party agrees, like, let's go a different direction.
The other side is you build up a
(07:46):
really good agent.
And eventually, the agent becomes so good that
they don't want to work under the umbrella
of a team anymore, they want to go
solo.
So that's what I've been experiencing the past
12 months.
This year is really the reshaping, the regrowth
of our team, which I'm really excited about.
On one hand, I'm exhausted because I'm having
to restart almost everything.
But I'm also very grateful because I've got
perspective I didn't have when I did it
the first time.
(08:06):
I know exactly what to look out for.
I know exactly what works and what didn't
work.
And so we're in a really good spot
right now.
Everyone's just feeling good.
And that was another thing, too, for my
previous team.
A lot of times, the attitude was they
weren't exactly jazzed up.
They were kind of burned out almost.
That's not the case now.
Most of my team, they've been with me
less than 12 months.
Some of them are newer to the industry,
(08:26):
but they're just so excited.
And I remember feeling like that when I
was an agent.
And it's just nice because it's invigorating to
be around.
It feels great.
So that's where right now we're just building.
We are one of the six teams in
town that have partnered with Zillow.
We have a Zillow Flex account.
And so that's been pretty fun.
It's exhausting in its own right.
But it's great to be partnered with Zillow.
(08:47):
Zillow's the Amazon of real estate.
Everyone goes there to start their search.
That's really neat.
We lean heavily on tech, very organized in
our CRM.
We use a lot of artificial intelligence.
But overall, it's just people hungry, wanting to
work, wanting to be in front of buyers
and sellers.
Who's your avatar as far as agent?
What are you looking for?
You mentioned enthusiasm.
(09:08):
What does it take to be on your
team?
I'm going to steal this from my buddy
Chris.
He says the three Cs.
It's culture, coachability, and character.
Those are the three that we look for.
Culture is obviously, are you going to fit
in with the vibe of the team?
Character is like, are you showing a positive
or negative?
And then coachability, are you actually going to
(09:28):
listen and learn?
Sometimes you have people that think they know
better, even if they've never sold a house.
There's a lot of stubborn people in this
game.
It's weird.
I would think that if I didn't sell
a house or if I'm selling one or
two, I've probably got some stuff to learn.
So I would just probably be quiet and
be more eager to learn.
You're also looking for humility.
Correct.
Yeah.
I tie that into maybe all three, but
(09:49):
definitely coachability and character.
But you are right.
Yeah.
Humility is definitely important when you're looking for
an agent.
Can you take us back to when and
how you decided to get into real estate?
Yeah.
I'd like to tell you that I knew
when I was a baby that I was
going to grow up and run a real
estate company.
If you have a baby out there that
wants to be a real estate agent, you
(10:10):
have an odd problem.
I don't know how to get you help,
but seek help.
You messed up.
No, I agree.
When I was in high school, I mean,
I did the whole school thing right.
But my goal was always to be a
football player.
And that was my thing, like captain of
the football team.
I took a full-ride scholarship to Fresno
State.
Nice.
(10:30):
Thank you.
Yeah.
Were you there with the Devante Adams and
Derek Carr days?
Just after.
Derek Carr left.
I'm sorry, David Carr, his brother.
And then I was there for a year
and a half.
And then Derek came after.
So I was sandwiched between the Carr brothers.
So I didn't get to meet him.
But there were some players that made it
to the league quite a bit.
But they weren't like the big all-stars.
They were just like offensive linemen.
(10:51):
But it was great.
It was a great experience.
I really enjoyed it out there, but I
was homesick.
So after like two years, I said, I
want to come home.
I transferred to UNLV.
That was a mistake.
Just different type of programs.
And at that point, I think I was
just burnt out.
So I had to sit out a year
because I transferred.
I ended up hurting my knee.
And then that was that.
(11:12):
Just didn't feel like doing it anymore.
And then being in Vegas, got into the
nightlife industry.
I started as a bouncer, found out where
the money was at, got behind the bar,
worked as a bartender.
And then at the age of 30, when
me and my wife started to get really
serious, decided, hey, I'm just going to pump
the brakes.
I'm sick and tired of coming home at
three or four in the morning, reeking of
(11:32):
cigarette smoke, drinking with everybody.
And so decided to pivot.
And we had bought a house along the
way because I'd saved some money with tips.
And we were able to actually, we needed
to just sell that home in order to
be able to make it.
So we sold the house.
I sold my truck.
We carpooled.
My wife would drive me or I would
drive her to, because she was holding it
down back then to her job.
And then I'd go and do my real
(11:54):
estate stuff.
And then I'd come back.
It was stressful.
We did that for about two years.
Thankfully, we had a little bit of proceeds
to keep afloat while I was trying this
real estate thing.
And then eventually it started to take off.
But yeah, we sold the house, we sold
everything, went on and on real estate.
Before we go further, you mentioned something you
kind of touched upon, like this pivot moment.
What happened?
(12:15):
Because there's always something, like, I know it's
probably a lot of little things led to
that moment, but what was that, hey, I'm
doing this?
What came inside you that just fully made
you and your wife go all in on
switching careers and going into real estate?
I think I was kind of just floating
for a while.
(12:35):
I did the whole football thing and I
always thought my life would be destined for
greatness, but it would be athletic.
And then that ship sailed.
And then for a decade in my 20s
to 30s, when everyone's having fun, I was
having fun, but I was floating.
I was just drinking, partying too much, making
decent money behind the bar before I knew
what decent money was.
And then I think just, I don't know,
(12:56):
I'd like to tell you that there was
a one day I just like, I woke
up and I was sick of it.
They actually fired me.
They, I mean, if they didn't fire me,
I probably may still be there, you know
what I mean?
Or advanced to where I'd be a general
manager of a restaurant or bar.
Like this thought of that now is like,
oh God.
Well, think about what we said earlier.
You know, I didn't get the listing, I
got fired, poor me.
(13:17):
Well, if you ever got fired, you wouldn't
be who you are today.
That's right.
So there's something to be grateful for.
Yeah.
It's a funny story too about that.
Like, uh, I, so they fired me, they
sent, they, they kicked.
And then, so I was basically forced to
get into real estate.
And then I would, I would literally, I'd
come home.
I tell the story a lot, but like
I was doing rentals just to get by
making a couple hundred bucks, but just really
running and grinding.
And I used to come home to my
(13:38):
wife and I'd have to convince her, like,
I promise you I'm going to be good
at this.
I promise.
And then after about a year and a
half, like the check started becoming consistent and
I proved to her that I was going
to be good at this.
It worked out, but it didn't happen overnight.
And then the last part too.
And again, this is just a humble brag,
but, um, so I got fired from that,
that place is called Stoney's.
It's a country bar.
Sure.
(13:58):
Um, classic institution of Las Vegas.
Yeah.
The class is, um, a billboard went up,
um, with me and Steve Hawks.
He, uh, he does the billboards out here.
He's at my brokerage.
I really get one of my best friends
and I was on it.
So like, I went from getting fired to
like four months, four years later, being in
that, being in that parking lot on a
billboard, looking down at him.
So, I mean, like, again, it was more,
(14:18):
not exactly humble, but I was like, man,
I feel good about that.
I since pulled down the billboard, but it
was still kind of a cool story.
Yeah, definitely.
You know, to look down where you, where
you once were and that the guy that
fired you, he had to see your face
every single day.
That's right.
Nothing wrong with that.
That's your competitive spirit in you, which is
what it takes to be, you know, in
real estate.
I feel, uh, you know, a lot of
the best real estate agents I know did
(14:40):
play sports, um, have some sort of competitive
edge or, or at least that mindset.
How does, how does your athletics translate into
your success as an agent?
Oh, you nailed it too.
I look for that whenever I'm interviewing agents,
like a sports background, military, um, that's always
something like they just have that drive.
And then, you know, if you're used to,
uh, prac, you know, in sports, you're just
used to practice like mastering the mundane, you
(15:00):
know, the boring stuff.
Um, but doing it over and over and
over again until we get really good at
it.
If you don't have that background, it's a
little challenging, sometimes convincing people like you got
to make your calls and you got to
call the same person over and over until
they answer.
And they're like, well, I called him yesterday
and I called him today.
They're not interested.
It's not how it works.
You got to call them like seven to
13 times.
Um, and they just don't understand that.
(15:21):
So athletes, they already get it.
And they understand too, like you don't have
to hit a home run every time.
Sometimes singles doubles work, you know, but just
keep showing up, keep practicing and you'll get
better.
So I just think that never quit mentality
just flows really well from athletics into real
estate.
Excellent advice.
You know, falling, fall in love with the
process, right?
Uh, what position did you play?
I was defensive and defensive end, right?
(15:43):
I mean, hand techniques, very basic stuff repeated
over and over and over again.
And yeah, you're not always going to get
to the quarterback, but you might disrupt the
play.
That's right.
Yeah.
I love it.
I mean, it's something that's why I, I'm
so big on sports, uh, you know, with
the children in my life and people in
my life because of that.
I love that you said, mastering the mundane,
think about people in batting practice.
(16:04):
I mean, how many balls does Aaron judge
hit in practice?
I don't even know.
Thousands to try to get that one home
run during the game.
And I think you have to be in
love with the process.
You got to be in love with practice.
You got to go for no, which is
a great book.
Uh, I'll recommend to you about just instead
of trying to get that one listing appointment,
you know, if you get that, if you
(16:25):
start hitting the phones and you get a
listing appointment on the first call, you think
you're great.
You know, it was probably a mistake and
a bit of luck.
Right.
But, and then you stop calling for the
day.
I got my appointment.
I'm done where this book tells you have,
have a goal to be rejected a certain
number of times, go for no 50 times.
So if you get that first call, you're
like, well, I didn't hit my goal.
My goal wasn't a listing appointment.
(16:45):
It was to get rejected 50 times.
So I got to make 50 more phone
calls and maybe get rejected.
I love that.
I tell my team all the time.
My second favorite answer is no.
Like, obviously we all like that.
Yes.
But a lot of times like, you know,
leads or, you know, people you're trying to
call and contact, they don't answer the phone.
And like, that's not, that's not going to
work for me.
You know what I mean?
Like you're going to, there's going to be
some resolution here.
You're either going to buy with me or
you're going to tell me to F off.
(17:07):
I'll take that.
But like the silence part, that's not going
to work.
So either yes or no.
So no is my second favorite answer.
Okay.
I like it.
That means, yeah.
So that drives you to make more calls.
Yeah.
There's a, there's a consistent message here, you
know, for listeners of the podcast that the
most successful people have that mindset to go
for no.
You mentioned your morning routine earlier.
I'm a huge morning person.
(17:28):
Another one of my favorite books is the
miracle morning.
Yeah.
Almost every successful real estate agent has read
it.
What other habits have you formed in your,
in your day?
So you do your gratitude journal walk me
through other business type habits that you do
every single day.
So that's probably honestly, as far as my
day-to-day habits that are like non
-negotiable, it would be like my routine where
(17:49):
the morning gratitude and then hit the gym.
As far as like things that work for
me that I'm pretty rigid, it would be
just my diet.
I find the best success for me has
been tracking macros.
So I have this guy I've been working
with for like four years.
His name's Ty.
And he literally tells me every week what
macros to hit.
(18:10):
And it's pretty simple, you know, instead of
like some rigid diet where I have to
eat chicken and rice, I'm just, you got
to hit these numbers, certain amount of grams
for protein, fat and carbs.
So like you can have a really flexible,
you can eat whenever too.
I can load up and starve myself all
morning and eat it at night time, whatever
you want to do.
So it works for anybody's schedule.
And it almost like gamifies it because I
(18:31):
put everything on an app, my fitness pal.
And so it just tracks everything to where
like as a competitor, you know, just like
in your CRM, you start to see you
like to put things in plug it and
you start to see the results, same exact
thing.
So that's been kind of like habit that
I do.
It's just adhering to, you know, the macros
that are set forth by my coach, and
then just making sure I'm tracking all of
(18:51):
it.
That's that helps.
And it's the weirdest thing too, when I,
when I'm winning with my diet, I'm winning
in every other area when I'm struggling with
my diet and I'm not hitting the numbers,
I'm not tracking it.
Usually that means something off, something is off,
like either me and my wife are arguing
or business isn't going that well.
It's just interesting how like one thing leads
to the next.
Again, it sounds like you're in love with
(19:12):
the process of tracking.
You're not talking about the results or how
big you got or what you weigh.
You focus on the macros.
Yeah, it's the same thing.
Interesting.
And how does one bleed into the other?
So if business isn't good, do you slip
on your diet?
Maybe you're a little irritable at home?
Mentally, it's, it's weird.
I'm weird like that.
Like, I think, I don't know if this
is for everybody.
For me, it has been like, if I'm
not doing something right in one way, it
(19:33):
just trickles into all areas.
And when I'm just going strong, like they
ever, like everything's cohesive.
I don't know.
I'm weird like that.
Like if I don't get my, my workout
in like in the morning, I give myself
permission to cheat on my, my macros or
like to maybe leave work earlier, not make
my calls, like all of these things.
It's, it's fascinating.
I need like a therapist or something, but
like, it's weird because I'm just weird like
(19:55):
that.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, therapy certainly helps, but I
mean, I think it's also just, it's been
proven, especially with exercise, right?
You know, you just feel better.
Endorphins are firing and get the dopamine hit.
You're more energized.
You're like, you're willing to get rejected a
little bit.
You know, you just went through a painful
session and a few hangups means nothing.
But when you're, when you're kind of weak
and tired and no energy and someone says,
(20:17):
no, you go, okay.
You roll over a bit more.
I call it manufactured chaos.
You nailed it.
Like you're introduced a little bit of hectic,
a little bit of chaos, a little bit
of misery in your morning.
And when you do that through, you know,
sweating or working out or lifting heavy weights
to your point, like if I was to
go to the office and somebody yells at
me, I think I'll be okay.
How has your whole routine evolved to what
it is today?
(20:38):
Um, so not so like now I kind
of pumped the brakes a little bit.
Like I'm a little bit more during my
off season, I guess you'd say is, um,
I don't really focus on the cardio aspect.
I used to go off the reserve.
Like, again, if my, my coach says you
need to do this and this, like I'd
always throw in an extra cardio.
And then I realized like, that's, that's detrimental
to longterm because the reason is you're, you're,
(20:59):
you're removing that piece so that, you know,
it's more effective when you reintroduce it later.
So just being consistent, it's always lifting weights.
It's always resistance training.
If I have time, I'll throw in cardio.
Um, and then we talked earlier about reading.
Uh, one thing that I do is I
read while I'm on the treadmill and I'm
not like running.
I'm not sprinting.
It's just like a slight incline and like
a steady brisk walk.
(21:20):
So you can do both.
And that's really healthy by the time, you
know, already running releases endorphins to your point.
It's like kind of clears the cobwebs, but
when you're reading something to either to self
-help or real estate, man, you feel so
good.
You feel like you retained everything.
It's just great.
And like, that's the best part of like,
starting the day.
I mean, working out is great for the
muscles, but cardio is for the mind.
It's a killer combination.
(21:41):
Um, yeah, I, I'm a podcast guy when
I lift weights, you know, there's a lot
of time in between sets, you're supposed to
rest, you know, whatever, 16, 90, 120 seconds.
And instead of sitting there staring at my
phone on Instagram or staring into space, I
love to be listening to something I can
get better and learning.
It was funny.
Just the past two days, my, uh, my
AirPods died and I forgot to charge them.
So I worked out at the gym without
(22:01):
any sort of, uh, podcast.
And I was like, okay, I felt almost
like I'm wasting time that I don't have.
And then I, you know, took a deep
breath and I said, this is a meditation
for me to just be present in the
gym and hear the sounds.
And I turned, you know, my rest between
sets into meditations of just being present in
the moment.
Uh, cause I'm like, you know, I gotta
be doubling down on, I can't just be
(22:22):
at the gym doing nothing.
Uh, so yeah.
And it's, and it's great place to talk
to people and get back to that.
Everyone's around the gym with headphones on, which,
you know, is a good, I think it's
a good thing and a bad thing.
People forget to talk to each other.
I was going to mention that part.
Like, yeah, at least, you know, your headphones
are off, like you're more approachable.
People will come up and talk to you,
which isn't a bad thing.
Like it's nice to kind of just chat
with people like minded individuals who are also
(22:43):
there trying to improve their body or health.
I am not afraid to talk to somebody
about what they're doing at the gym.
Cause I mean, I I've been lifting weights
on and off my whole life.
I was a football player, um, believe it
or not quarterback, not at the end.
So, I mean, I've, I've had my moments,
you know, I've definitely had my downs and
ups in my fitness journey, but like, I
am humble enough to know there's guys in
(23:03):
there that know what they're doing more than
me, or I'll see somebody doing an exercise
I haven't seen before.
And just, yeah, going to have that human
connection.
Like, Hey, you mind telling me what's, what's
this for and why you do it?
You know, like I'm, uh, it's always being
a student.
So whether you're reading a book, a podcast
or talking to somebody, I feel like you
and I have that same mindset of just
always being a student, always having a growth
mindset.
Have you always lifted weights like your whole
(23:25):
life?
Um, I know you said you were drinking
a lot, like that you could stay fit
during that period of your twenties when you
were out partying and bartending.
Yeah.
I wish I could say I did.
I did not.
Um, so I did the football thing, you
know, all through college.
And then when I got out, um, I
kept eating like a defense alignment, but I
stopped working out like one.
And then of course the drinking came in
(23:47):
and the late night hours, my shifts were
like, you know, I'd sleep during the daytime,
so I wasn't getting any vitamin D.
Um, and then, yeah, that obviously led into
something pretty gnarly.
I was about 350.
This was like right when COVID hit, I
was 350 pounds.
Um, I'm a six five too.
So like, that's, you know, obviously I'm a
large guy.
Um, but you know, 350 pounds, I think
(24:07):
on anybody is not the most flattering.
And so I, you know, I say this
all the time, but if you go back
and you listen to some of my, when
I got into real estate, some of the,
uh, I used to do open house videos
and I do like the whole tour and
like, without, without a doubt, every time I've
hit headstairs, like I'd be wheezing like halfway,
like, Oh yeah.
Like looking back on it now, it's like
pretty humiliating, but uh, that was a big
(24:29):
thing that stuck out.
Like, man, you can't even do an open
house without getting winded if there's two stories.
Um, but yeah, it was a lot, a
lot to do with drinking.
Uh, and then everything else, just like I
mentioned earlier, if like my diet's not in
line, everything else falls off.
Um, I've always been that way.
So yeah, drinking too much, no vitamin D,
not active, bloomed up.
Um, and then when I was about 30,
right around, uh, maybe no, I'd say a
(24:51):
little bit later than that, but when COVID
was announced, uh, that's when I started to
get really serious again.
Okay.
Cause it was killing people.
I mean like, it was like one of
those things where I was like, especially the
heavy, the heavier people.
Um, and that was just, you know, eyeopening.
Like, okay, let's get it, let's get it
together.
So in spite of how difficult it was,
because like my, my gym was no different.
Like we had to wear masks.
Like we talked about the, the ear, the
(25:12):
earbuds.
Well, I mean the whole thing now I'm
just like, I can barely breathe.
It's hot.
Um, but I did that for about two
years in spite of it.
Cause like I was hell bent and determined
and then I fell in love with it.
And that's the main thing, like you have
to fall in love with it.
Um, you know, and I actually enjoy going,
it's like my, it's my hobby, but for
the longest time, that wasn't the case.
And you can build that for people out
there that are struggling to go to the
gym.
(25:32):
Like just don't do what everyone tells you
to do, explore, play with it.
Like see if meditation is your thing.
Pilates, yoga, pickleball, resistance training.
In my case, it's weightlifting.
I like to do that, but it's not
for everybody, but do something and then do
it so much that eventually you fall in
love with it because that's, what's going to
stick.
That's what's going to sustain.
That's wonderful advice.
(25:52):
Well said, Mike.
I mean, that's what it's all about.
Uh, to quote my good friend, Bruce Miller,
if you're moving, you're grooving, whatever it is
you choose to do.
And yeah, I feel like it can be
very intimidating to go into a gym.
So, you know, find a good gym, find
a good trainer, find a good accountability partner
and do what you love because just like
they say in work, you know, it's, it's
not work if you love it.
(26:12):
That's right.
Great advice.
So I want to go back to that
moment you decided to give up drinking.
What was that turning point?
Um, you know, a lot of things, my
wife didn't really care for me when I
was, uh, intoxicated.
Um, I wouldn't have the best memory when
I was drinking the night before and that
was embarrassing.
I was heavy.
I stunk, you know, all these things were
(26:34):
just like not really taking care of myself.
Um, and it also bled into work, you
know, like I would Friday night, have a
couple drinks.
My phone would ring at six 37.
I'd let it go to voicemail the next
morning or next afternoon.
Cause I'm waking up cause I got a
hangover.
Um, it was, you know, a million dollar
buyer that when I called him back, oh,
they found somebody.
So I was, it was costing me business
(26:54):
as well.
So it just was everything.
I started to look around.
I'm like, man, what am I doing?
What's the benefit of drinking?
And I couldn't find a really good excuse.
And I read this book called, um, alcohol
lied to me and it changes your perspective.
It's almost like hypnotizing yourself on alcohol.
So, you know, you could do the alcoholics
anonymous approach where you're basically throw your hands
(27:15):
up.
I'm powerless to alcohol.
I can't even be around it.
Um, I can't drive by a bar.
I have to change my, my, how I
get home now, like all these things.
I refused that anything could have that type
of power over me.
So I took this approach and it's worked
for me.
I've been, uh, I haven't had a drink
in over an almost six years in May.
Um, and it's just, I've changed my perspective
(27:35):
on it.
And if you really look at alcohol and
you really dive into it, you can dissect
almost everything that you consider positive with it.
And it's actually negative.
Like all of these things we look at
as a social lubricant or, you know, that
it relieves anxiety, but it causes anxiety.
You know what I mean?
Um, as far as like weight gaining, um,
I thought I would Mr. Cool when I
was drinking, like I thought I was so
charming.
My wife would tell me like, dude, you're
(27:56):
an idiot.
You know what I mean?
Like you, you know, you're laughing at yourself
and you're only around other drunk people that,
that find it fascinating.
But the reality is like, if you were
to watch that clear headed the next day,
you'd be kind of embarrassed.
Like she'd be a lot sweeter than that,
but that's the reality.
So every single illusion or thing that I
told myself was a benefit to drinking, I
was able to strip it away.
(28:16):
And so anybody who might be struggling with
that and just doesn't think a is the
approach, which I didn't either, but if it
works for you, it works for you.
Check out a different, um, method and try
those books.
Um, it's a alcohol light to me.
And there's another one like the killer clown,
um, but it's by the same author, but
I really enjoyed his approach.
And it's the same approach of how you
quit smoking as well as you're basically hypnotizing
yourself in a sense where it's just like,
(28:37):
it's not that you're powerless.
It's that it's repulsive and you're deprogramming.
It sounds like these thoughts about the positives.
Yep.
And these are, which are excuses.
That's all they are.
Yeah.
And then like alcohol stripped of like all
the flavors, it's toxic.
That's all it is.
If you were to drink just straight alcohol,
you're going to die.
You know what I mean?
But they have to add all this extra
shit in it, make it pretty, make it
smell good, make it taste good.
(28:59):
But if it's just like actual, what makes
you buzzed and what everyone's chasing, it's straight
poison.
And yet we're just like glorifying it.
I don't know if you've been catching this,
but like the younger generation, they're not partaking
in the alcohol.
Like the numbers for, um, alcohol, um, indulging
has gone way down, significant drop-offs.
And I wonder, I don't know if you
have any, I think maybe because they have
other options.
You know what I mean?
(29:19):
Like they have obviously weed and psychedelics are
a little bit more popular than they used
to be, but I also think that they're
just getting keen to the idea that like
alcohol is responsible for more deaths than meth
and fentanyl than all these things that we
demonize.
But yet for whatever reason in the West,
we've decided it's socially acceptable.
Yeah.
I think maybe every generation I believe is
smarter than the last, sorry, mom and dad,
(29:40):
but you know, but it's because of mom
and dad, you learn, you see lessons, perhaps
negative lessons regarding alcohol and how that affects
a parent, a grandparent.
I'm a virus descent.
I come from a long line of alcoholics.
I do still drink, but I'm extremely moderate
compared to my prior generations, very conscious of
it.
I think everything you're saying is valid.
So I
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