May 14, 2025 • 9 mins
Ever wanted to quit within your first 6-months of real estate? Lana Samuels was in the same position.
She was sitting on Marty Fox's kitchen floor, bawling her eyes out, convinced she’d made the biggest mistake leaving an executive job in London and moving her family to join a brand in its infancy.
Today, she’s the Director at WHITEFOX Bayside, specialising in luxury property sales, with an average sale price of $2.38 M - and she’ll be speaking at AREC25.
The next time you feel like giving up, remember: winners are just losers who tried one extra time. What if you’re closer than you realise?
In this training, you’ll learn:
- The one tough conversation that flipped Lana’s mindset from quitting to crushing it
- How being an EA gave her a “Golden Ticket" to fast-track her career
- How to push through the 6-month slump
- The growth hack of getting comfortable with discomfort
- How to turn your toughest challenges into your greatest accelerators
The full interview is exclusively available in the Real Estate Gym
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tom Panos (00:00):
Ladies and gentlemen, I've got with me.
Lana Samuels, who is the mainwriter in the White Fox brand,
was in fact working as the PA toMarty Fox.
Marty Fox has been in the realestate gym as a student, but
(00:21):
also as a contributor, I thinkone, two, three, so many times.
And Lana, you worked as hispersonal assistant.
But the good news is thatyou've then moved on and
progressed and just in a quickone or two minute summary, tell
us about who you are, what youdo, where you work.
Lana Samuels (00:45):
So I've got to start off by telling you this
and this is something that youdon't know, tom One of the
reasons that I'm actually inreal estate is because of you,
believe it or not.
I'll go into the story in amoment, but essentially what
happened is I was living inLondon for 10 years, working in
luxury sales in Mayfair.
I came back for a holiday andmy dad introduced me to Marty,
(01:07):
who was his neighbor.
His next door neighbor at thetime Connected us.
We bought my first propertythat day from Marty.
I was actually the first WhiteFox client ever, believe it or
not.
Tom Panos (01:18):
Wow.
Lana Samuels (01:19):
Two weeks away from launching the brand and he
told me about his ideas.
He showed me the first logo,showed me the first office.
And I went back to London andmy husband made me watch the
interview that you did withMarty, like nine years ago when
he was super, super young, hewas in a big suit.
Yeah, that was my introductionto real estate.
(01:41):
It was actually with you and myhusband said it's amazing, this
is a real estate coach andtrainer and Marty obviously we'd
connected with because we'dbought through him.
But my first introduction toreal estate was you believe it
or not?
Tom Panos (01:55):
So, susan, send White Fox attention.
Marty Fox a recruitment invoice25 grand.
He's made up the money off Lana.
She's an incredible performer.
She came in to speak at anaudition that we had for Eric.
By the way, everyone's gettinga first move advantage at glance
at Lana Samuels, who's one ofthe speakers at Eric 2025.
(02:19):
And it's been a remarkablegrowth because you've gone off
from being a PA and tell me inyour own words, it happened in a
very short period of time.
You've gone from personalassistant to having to look
after an office.
Lana Samuels (02:33):
You say it in your way I had no real estate
experience, mind you, had alwaysbeen in sales and working in
luxury sales, but I'd never doneproperty before.
So after months of him callingme on FaceTime and trying to
convince me I did it, I quit myjob.
I moved my husband and I andour entire world back to
Melbourne, moved in with myparents at the time and started
(02:56):
in real estate 24 hours later,in this tiny little office in
South Melbourne, and I thoughtit would be so easy, because it
looks so glamorous and so manypeople have that perception of
real estate that it you knowsuits, ties, nice dresses, nice
bags, cars, and if you've got agreat personality you're going
to fly.
And I learned very quickly thatthat was just not the case and
(03:17):
within four months I quit.
I was an actual, I was came inas an agent, Tom, so I went
straight in before I becameMarty's EA as an agent and I had
no network, no database, noexperience whatsoever and
because I'd been away for 10years, um, I really had no touch
points along the way on who togravitate to and try and build
(03:41):
my business.
So I found it really hard and Iquit.
I went to Marty's house.
I sat on his kitchen floorbawling my eyes out, said I'd
made the biggest mistake.
I can't work like this.
No one's giving me anyopportunity.
This is too hard, and I think alot of agents in their first
six months hit that breakingpoint where the bubble bursts
(04:04):
and you've got that fatigue andyou feel like it doesn't matter
what you do, you're just notgetting anywhere.
You're in sinking sand and Ithink that's very common in what
we do and I'm glad you'veshared that.
Tom Panos (04:17):
And the reason I say it is that often the people that
I'm training are emergingagents or growth agents.
Normally the one-on-ones arewith attraction agents, but in
group settings they're normallythe younger agents and they
often think to themselves man,am I suited to it?
Do I have enough context?
(04:38):
Do I look good enough?
Have I got the brains for it?
Do I have enough context?
Do I look good enough?
Have I got the brains for it?
Like there's a million thingsthat go through people's mind
and I always think, lana, when Irun into people that say to me
I used to be in real estate, andI think to myself, like, did
you get out a touch too soon toactually know?
(04:59):
Were you working at the rightplace?
Was there something that youweren't doing that if you had
been doing it, you wouldn't besaying I used to be in real
estate?
And what you're saying is thishappened after what?
Four or five months, did it?
Lana Samuels (05:12):
Five months.
But I was lucky, tom, because Ithink a lot of people dip out
because they don't have theright mentor or person in their
environment to get them by thecollar and rein them back in.
And that's exactly what Martydid.
He essentially said to meenough, pull yourself together.
I've been where you are manytimes over the last 15 years and
(05:33):
we need to think of a way totrain you correctly.
And I was really lucky becauseit was such a small team.
There was four of us.
Back then Marty said no, you'renot quitting on me, you're
going to be my EA.
And my ego stepped in and Isaid to him well, I've been
running a team of 20 people inMayfair in London for 10 years.
I'm not an EA.
And he said to me don't bestupid, this is the golden
(05:57):
ticket.
You need to stand next tosomeone and you need to learn
everything.
And, honestly, that momentchanged my life because I got
access and I got a fast trackexperience with, in my opinion,
one of the best operators inAustralia.
Tom Panos (06:15):
I was so lucky.
Lana Samuels (06:16):
I was the first and the last to get that chance
and I know how lucky I am tohave had that opportunity.
But it was a really interestingtime because I wasn't just his
EA, I became his shadow partnerand I was part of the evolution,
the growth, the hiring, thetrial, the error, and I got
exposure to clients that I wouldnever have had the opportunity
(06:38):
to be standing next to, toclients that I would never have
had the opportunity to bestanding next to.
So being that second agentalongside him over the years and
really learning the intricaciesof the business and the
industry was just so impactfuland it really gave me a fast
track speed course in arelatively short period of time.
So I was Marty's EA for fouryears and then he sat me down
(07:03):
one day at breakfast and he saidto me this is ridiculous.
I adore you and I would haveyou next to me forever, but I'd
be doing you a disservice inyour career if I didn't let you
fly.
You've got to go now and you'vegot to be a standalone agent.
And I was beside myself.
I doubted myself.
I didn't think that I was, youknow, capable to take to the
(07:23):
next level.
But then I did it and within aweek I'd moved on as being a
standalone agent, from being hisEA and having that safety
blanket for four years to hiringan EA that week, opening up the
Brighton office in Melbournewith a team of eight young men,
(07:44):
and I became basically abusiness owner, a standalone
agent and responsible for otherhumans and myself.
To list, write and close allwithin a very short period of
time and it was a whirlwind, tosay the least.
Tom Panos (07:57):
Yeah, but, lana, I get the impression you're the
kind of person that said I'm inthis situation, there's no get
out clause.
I have to make this work nowbecause I'm in it and you get
stretched.
Lana Samuels (08:12):
Yep.
Tom Panos (08:13):
But that's the value of it, that's the best way to
grow.
Yes.
Lana Samuels (08:18):
And to be uncomfortable is the best thing,
and for me, my objective everysingle day is to be slightly
uncomfortable.
I'm so comfortable with beinguncomfortable now.
Nothing can rattle me.
I think we deal with suchhighly stressful situations and
you know stressful vendors andthe whole process of what we do
(08:40):
and having to generate businessdaily.
It's not given to you on aplate.
I've got the capacity, likeeveryone sitting on this call or
in the background, to makesomething of myself, but if it's
meant to be, it's up to me.
That's the mindset that.
I think I've had from the verybeginning.
But I've hit roadblocks andI've had that self-doubt and
that creeps in from time to time.
(09:00):
But I think it keeps you stableand it keeps you thriving and
hungry every single day to neverbe comfortable.
Tom Panos (09:17):
It's very easy for the audience to turn around and
say she or he has something thatI don't, and I actually think
that 95% of the time, the onlything they had was oh no, the
video has just ended.
But I've got good news for you.
If you resonated with this andyou want to take the next step
and move from just being a sayerto a doer, this is your sign to
join the real estate gym, whereyou can get enormous amounts of
(09:38):
content, scripts, dialogues,techniques, processes to help
you build an ELF businessEffortless, lucrative and fun.
Press the link right now.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've got with me.
Lana Samuels, who is the mainwriter in the White Fox brand,
was in fact working as the PA toMarty Fox.
Marty Fox has been in the realestate gym as a student, but
(00:21):
also as a contributor, I thinkone, two, three, so many times.
And Lana, you worked as hispersonal assistant.
But the good news is thatyou've then moved on and
progressed and just in a quickone or two minute summary, tell
us about who you are, what youdo, where you work.
Lana Samuels (00:45):
So I've got to start off by telling you this
and this is something that youdon't know, tom One of the
reasons that I'm actually inreal estate is because of you,
believe it or not.
I'll go into the story in amoment, but essentially what
happened is I was living inLondon for 10 years, working in
luxury sales in Mayfair.
I came back for a holiday andmy dad introduced me to Marty,
(01:07):
who was his neighbor.
His next door neighbor at thetime Connected us.
We bought my first propertythat day from Marty.
I was actually the first WhiteFox client ever, believe it or
not.
Tom Panos (01:18):
Wow.
Lana Samuels (01:19):
Two weeks away from launching the brand and he
told me about his ideas.
He showed me the first logo,showed me the first office.
And I went back to London andmy husband made me watch the
interview that you did withMarty, like nine years ago when
he was super, super young, hewas in a big suit.
Yeah, that was my introductionto real estate.
(01:41):
It was actually with you and myhusband said it's amazing, this
is a real estate coach andtrainer and Marty obviously we'd
connected with because we'dbought through him.
But my first introduction toreal estate was you believe it
or not?
Tom Panos (01:55):
So, susan, send White Fox attention.
Marty Fox a recruitment invoice25 grand.
He's made up the money off Lana.
She's an incredible performer.
She came in to speak at anaudition that we had for Eric.
By the way, everyone's gettinga first move advantage at glance
at Lana Samuels, who's one ofthe speakers at Eric 2025.
(02:19):
And it's been a remarkablegrowth because you've gone off
from being a PA and tell me inyour own words, it happened in a
very short period of time.
You've gone from personalassistant to having to look
after an office.
Lana Samuels (02:33):
You say it in your way I had no real estate
experience, mind you, had alwaysbeen in sales and working in
luxury sales, but I'd never doneproperty before.
So after months of him callingme on FaceTime and trying to
convince me I did it, I quit myjob.
I moved my husband and I andour entire world back to
Melbourne, moved in with myparents at the time and started
(02:56):
in real estate 24 hours later,in this tiny little office in
South Melbourne, and I thoughtit would be so easy, because it
looks so glamorous and so manypeople have that perception of
real estate that it you knowsuits, ties, nice dresses, nice
bags, cars, and if you've got agreat personality you're going
to fly.
And I learned very quickly thatthat was just not the case and
(03:17):
within four months I quit.
I was an actual, I was came inas an agent, Tom, so I went
straight in before I becameMarty's EA as an agent and I had
no network, no database, noexperience whatsoever and
because I'd been away for 10years, um, I really had no touch
points along the way on who togravitate to and try and build
(03:41):
my business.
So I found it really hard and Iquit.
I went to Marty's house.
I sat on his kitchen floorbawling my eyes out, said I'd
made the biggest mistake.
I can't work like this.
No one's giving me anyopportunity.
This is too hard, and I think alot of agents in their first
six months hit that breakingpoint where the bubble bursts
(04:04):
and you've got that fatigue andyou feel like it doesn't matter
what you do, you're just notgetting anywhere.
You're in sinking sand and Ithink that's very common in what
we do and I'm glad you'veshared that.
Tom Panos (04:17):
And the reason I say it is that often the people that
I'm training are emergingagents or growth agents.
Normally the one-on-ones arewith attraction agents, but in
group settings they're normallythe younger agents and they
often think to themselves man,am I suited to it?
Do I have enough context?
(04:38):
Do I look good enough?
Have I got the brains for it?
Do I have enough context?
Do I look good enough?
Have I got the brains for it?
Like there's a million thingsthat go through people's mind
and I always think, lana, when Irun into people that say to me
I used to be in real estate, andI think to myself, like, did
you get out a touch too soon toactually know?
(04:59):
Were you working at the rightplace?
Was there something that youweren't doing that if you had
been doing it, you wouldn't besaying I used to be in real
estate?
And what you're saying is thishappened after what?
Four or five months, did it?
Lana Samuels (05:12):
Five months.
But I was lucky, tom, because Ithink a lot of people dip out
because they don't have theright mentor or person in their
environment to get them by thecollar and rein them back in.
And that's exactly what Martydid.
He essentially said to meenough, pull yourself together.
I've been where you are manytimes over the last 15 years and
(05:33):
we need to think of a way totrain you correctly.
And I was really lucky becauseit was such a small team.
There was four of us.
Back then Marty said no, you'renot quitting on me, you're
going to be my EA.
And my ego stepped in and Isaid to him well, I've been
running a team of 20 people inMayfair in London for 10 years.
I'm not an EA.
And he said to me don't bestupid, this is the golden
(05:57):
ticket.
You need to stand next tosomeone and you need to learn
everything.
And, honestly, that momentchanged my life because I got
access and I got a fast trackexperience with, in my opinion,
one of the best operators inAustralia.
Tom Panos (06:15):
I was so lucky.
Lana Samuels (06:16):
I was the first and the last to get that chance
and I know how lucky I am tohave had that opportunity.
But it was a really interestingtime because I wasn't just his
EA, I became his shadow partnerand I was part of the evolution,
the growth, the hiring, thetrial, the error, and I got
exposure to clients that I wouldnever have had the opportunity
(06:38):
to be standing next to, toclients that I would never have
had the opportunity to bestanding next to.
So being that second agentalongside him over the years and
really learning the intricaciesof the business and the
industry was just so impactfuland it really gave me a fast
track speed course in arelatively short period of time.
So I was Marty's EA for fouryears and then he sat me down
(07:03):
one day at breakfast and he saidto me this is ridiculous.
I adore you and I would haveyou next to me forever, but I'd
be doing you a disservice inyour career if I didn't let you
fly.
You've got to go now and you'vegot to be a standalone agent.
And I was beside myself.
I doubted myself.
I didn't think that I was, youknow, capable to take to the
(07:23):
next level.
But then I did it and within aweek I'd moved on as being a
standalone agent, from being hisEA and having that safety
blanket for four years to hiringan EA that week, opening up the
Brighton office in Melbournewith a team of eight young men,
(07:44):
and I became basically abusiness owner, a standalone
agent and responsible for otherhumans and myself.
To list, write and close allwithin a very short period of
time and it was a whirlwind, tosay the least.
Tom Panos (07:57):
Yeah, but, lana, I get the impression you're the
kind of person that said I'm inthis situation, there's no get
out clause.
I have to make this work nowbecause I'm in it and you get
stretched.
Lana Samuels (08:12):
Yep.
Tom Panos (08:13):
But that's the value of it, that's the best way to
grow.
Yes.
Lana Samuels (08:18):
And to be uncomfortable is the best thing,
and for me, my objective everysingle day is to be slightly
uncomfortable.
I'm so comfortable with beinguncomfortable now.
Nothing can rattle me.
I think we deal with suchhighly stressful situations and
you know stressful vendors andthe whole process of what we do
(08:40):
and having to generate businessdaily.
It's not given to you on aplate.
I've got the capacity, likeeveryone sitting on this call or
in the background, to makesomething of myself, but if it's
meant to be, it's up to me.
That's the mindset that.
I think I've had from the verybeginning.
But I've hit roadblocks andI've had that self-doubt and
that creeps in from time to time.
(09:00):
But I think it keeps you stableand it keeps you thriving and
hungry every single day to neverbe comfortable.
Tom Panos (09:17):
It's very easy for the audience to turn around and
say she or he has something thatI don't, and I actually think
that 95% of the time, the onlything they had was oh no, the
video has just ended.
But I've got good news for you.
If you resonated with this andyou want to take the next step
and move from just being a sayerto a doer, this is your sign to
join the real estate gym, whereyou can get enormous amounts of
(09:38):
content, scripts, dialogues,techniques, processes to help
you build an ELF businessEffortless, lucrative and fun.
Press the link right now.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.