March 19, 2024 • 36 mins
Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from the high-stakes world of fashion marketing to topping the charts in real estate? Join me, Amy Bennett, as I share an invigorating conversation with the formidable Jodie Hedley-Ward. From her eclectic career that spans business conferences to fashion marketing, and her eventual rise in the real estate sector, Jodie has a tale that will both educate and inspire. We delve into her story, unpacking how she skillfully harnessed her diverse skill set to become not only the Sunshine Coast Corporate Business Woman of the Year but also a top figure within the McGrath Network.
The real estate industry often appears wrapped in glitz and glamour, maskings its true depth and the dedication it demands. As Jodie and I dissect, you'll discover that this world is about more than just buying and selling property; it's about community, strategy, and genuine service. Prepare to have your preconceptions of real estate shattered as we discuss the misconceptions and the unvarnished truths of what it takes to succeed. The episode also spotlights our personal commitment to community service, including our team's initiative to support local charities, emphasizing how integral giving back is to our professional ethos.
Finally, we address a significant facet of the real estate industry that deserves more limelight: the empowerment of women. Jodie and I explore the mentorship dynamic, the impact of real estate on family life, and the importance of financial literacy. Through candid discussions, we aim to empower not just women in real estate but anyone with aspirations that reach beyond their immediate horizon.
Listen as we also touch on life's simple joys and my anticipation for a dream trip to Uluru, reminding listeners that life and career success can harmoniously coexist with personal passions and adventure.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Beyond the Syme Board, where you get the
opportunity to learn all thereis to know about your real
estate journey fromprofessionals who are passionate
about property.
I'm Amy Bennett, your host, andI look forward to providing you
with education, inspiration anda behind the scenes look at the
world of real estate.
Well, mrs Jody Hadley Ward,welcome to Beyond the Syme Board
(00:33):
.
Thank you, amy, great to behere.
I am so excited.
It's been on my vision board tohave you sitting across from me
for this podcast since the ideacame into my mind.
So we're going to have a reallyexciting conversation.
We're going to talk about ourshared journey, our shared
(00:53):
passion, obsession for ourindustry and then, yeah, we're
going to get a little bit deepinto a little bit more about
your journey very much yourpassion for the team.
We're going to dispel a littlebit of myths and misconceptions
about our industry.
Yeah, we'll let the audienceenjoy.
(01:14):
So, jody, before we get deepinto it, I would just love to
share a few of your accolades.
So I know this is not in yourwheelhouse, but I've worked
alongside you for seven yearsand I've seen you win countless
awards.
Some of them really stand outto me.
So you were awarded theSunshine Coast Corporate
(01:37):
Business Woman of the Year.
You've won some amazing resultsin our McGraw Network, so in
the top 10 females across ourwhole network and you were the
number one female agent inMcGraw for Queensland.
So whilst I know that's verymuch not why you do what you do,
I think it's really importantto acknowledge that and also for
(02:00):
me to be really grateful tohave such an amazing mentor.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Amy, my pleasure.
So, jody, before we get intoreal estate, it's really
important for our audience tounderstand how you got to be
here.
Would you just be able to shareus through your career journey?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Sure, I didn't start in real estate until my mid 30s,
so there was quite a bit oftime prior to that.
I finished my business degreein New Zealand and pretty much
took off straight away to HongKong, where I ended up producing
business conferences, of allthings, and, most importantly,
(02:41):
met my husband, david, who is,as you know, the principal of
our offices.
So that was an exciting year,and from there Dave and I lived
in the UK for a number of yearsand I landed my dream job,
working in the women's fashionindustry.
It was actually for a mailorder catalogue, which you know
(03:02):
that really doesn't existanymore.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
It's amazing, isn't it to think, With the catalogs,
were they sent out to people?
Did peoplehow did that work?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Look there were.
We had a huge call centre thatsort of fed off around 20
catalogs a year.
So we had the standard women'swear catalogue.
It was all sort of Italianfashion.
And when I came on board theywanted somebody to spearhead the
marketing and research side fora plus size sister catalogue.
(03:34):
Now we don't call it plus sizenow, but at that time it was
quite.
You know, it was quite anadvanced sort of concept that
they were doing and I was sopassionate about it because I'd
actually done research on thefashion industry as part of my
thesis at university.
So it was, yeah, some greatyears, really enjoyed what I was
(03:57):
doing there.
They have photo shoots, stilldoing photo shoots now.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
It's just that they're houses Lot of
transferable skills.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
It was exactly.
I was doing a lot ofcopywriting, which obviously we
do in real estate, and justreally connecting with people
and working with a large team ofaround 66 people, and the
majority of them were all female.
And you look at what we've gottoday across the two offices,
we've got close to 30 teammembers and all but two of them
(04:28):
are female.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So, oh look, it's a funny thing, isn't it?
So many people comment on that.
I guess it's all we've everknown, isn't it?
That is a funny thing.
But so from fashion to realestate, how did you get there?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So look in between, in between times I got pregnant
with my daughter Lily, went hometo New Zealand, had Lily and
then Josh and David, and Idecided New Zealand was a little
chilly to raise kids so we madethe move over to the Sunshine
Coast and during that time, whenI became a mum, I decided to
(05:02):
fulfill one of my other goals,which was to become an author.
I wanted to be a bestsellingauthor.
That was on my bucket list andI look, I did, which was a
really exciting experience.
It was three books ormotherhood related, really about
the emotional journey of beinga mum which at that time was
(05:25):
just wasn't written about.
There really weren't the books.
We have such incredibleconversations of books and
resources and podcasts aroundthat now, but back in my day, we
didn't.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
It's amazing.
So I guess that was you know,that courageous conversation,
perhaps sharing with other mums.
You know you obviously feltisolated or you knew that people
weren't having the support thatthey needed.
So I know with that journey ittook you.
I know the book's been writtenin publishing other languages.
Was there a 60 Minutes article?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, we were on 60.
The book was on 60 Minutes.
And then I ended up workingwith the University of the
Sunshine Coast on a really largescale motherhood research study
which was, yeah, thousands ofmums were involved and that was
across Australia and New Zealandand the US.
So we were on 60 Minutestalking about that.
(06:22):
So, look, it was a big part ofmy life at that time and you
sort of think, gosh, how did Iget from that to real estate?
But, like you say, so many ofthe skills that I learned, I did
a lot of public speaking aspart of writing books.
It sort of goes hand in hand.
And all of all of that when Idid eventually land in real
(06:44):
estate with my husband, david,you know prodding yes you should
do this.
You'd be great in real estate.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
He was already in real estate, right, he was.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
He was.
So David started his journeywith Bailey's real estate group
in New Zealand, which heabsolutely loved, and they
weren't here in Australia whenwe moved, so it was a fantastic
foundation for him and he hadbeen, you know, trying to gently
nudge me towards the industryfor a long time and, you know,
(07:15):
eventually I got brave enoughreally was a big thing for me.
I was, I was scared of the ideaof you know something new in
this industry and having tonegotiate and learn everything
possible about houses and howthey were built and building and
pest inspections.
I just thought, gosh, I don'tknow that I can do this, but
(07:37):
eventually, or in a very shortspace of time, probably after my
first six months, I justsomething sort of clicked and I
realized that all of the jobsthat I'd had prior to real
estate, all of the skills andexperiences had sort of led me
perfectly to an industry that Iwas just felt absolutely in love
with, and it's incrediblebecause I think, in addition to
(08:00):
all of those skills that you had, it's continual learning, isn't
it?
Speaker 1 (08:04):
That's you know?
We just spoke about off air.
Is that you know, 15 years downthe track, there's still.
You know, no two homes are thesame.
You know it.
Always, every day is a new day,which is, I think, what we both
really enjoy and like.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
I just never thought there'd besomething where I would be
challenged and excited and thispassionate about for such a long
period of time and honestly,you know it must be at least 15
years now since I started Amyand I.
Every year I'm like I'm asexcited as I've ever been.
I'm more passionate.
(08:37):
There's something else to learnevery day.
You never stop learning and,like you say, it is new homes,
but probably even moreImportantly, it's different
people.
And for me and I know it's thesame for you, you know, when
you're selling, it's the journeywith people taking them from A
(08:58):
to B, trying to help them getthere in the smoothest, most
stress-free way, and, I guess,feeling like you're really
making a difference in someone'slife.
There's just no better feelingon earth than that.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I think, yeah, we were both probably destined to
be able to be those people tohelp people guide through.
And I know you say stress-free,which is often difficult, but
we like the term stress less,don't we?
And really helping, we try,yeah, we try our best, so we've
got you into real estate.
You're now a principal of sevenyears here, nearly actually
(09:33):
eight.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, we just celebrated eight years with
McGraw, which is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Seven years with me here.
So what was your inspiration tojoin the McGraw business?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Well, great question, because we mentioned
manifesting off air earlier.
And, honestly, it startedprobably 20 years ago when Dave
and I were back in New Zealandand Dave found the book of John
McGraw, wrote you ink, yes, saidyou've got to read this.
I love books, I love anything.
(10:08):
You know personal developmentand we devoured John's book.
We just both clicked andresonated with it and one day
David announced to me we will beworking with this man in our
future and that was it.
We just both sort of knew thatit was an inevitable and there
(10:28):
was no McGraw in New Zealand atthat time.
But we just kept, you know,working on what we were doing.
We moved to the Sunshine Coast.
Eventually, after we'd beenhere for some time, mcgraw came
to the Sunshine Coast and then,when the stars aligned, dave
picked up the phone and Before Iknew it, we were down at John
McGraw's Office with his teamhigh-fiving and going right.
(10:51):
When do we open this office?
Incredible.
We never look back absolutelyincredible.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
It's John's a very special person to all of us and,
and you know, has been doingincredible things since 1988.
You were able to obtain him asa guest for an event that I
Attended it and hosted, actually, and it was a real game changer
for me and I think that'sprobably a real commonality is
that shared values.
(11:17):
You know, those things arereally felt not just with our
team but across the wholebusiness, which is really
exciting and very much whereboth of us feel destined to be,
which is exciting.
You mentioned there too, thatyou'd both read the book.
A book's a big part of yourjourney.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I know you've written some, but also reading books
huge part of my journey and Ican't imagine that ever stopping
.
So, yes, we've got a libraryhere at the office for everybody
to you know.
Just come and dip in and dipout and and get whatever it
might be that they need at thattime.
So, yeah, books are Irring, youknow, incredible and podcasts,
(11:58):
and I just believe in topping upyour tank Every single day with
as much positivity andinspiration as you can, because
in our industry there arechallenges, there are tough days
, and you know, and everybody'slife, that that is life and you,
I just try to balance that outwith as much good stuff that
(12:20):
makes you feel good.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
So I think that's been something that I've really
learned from you is also howmuch reading and absorbing
personal Stories, books,everything how that has such a
big impact in our careers aswell.
So thank you for that gift.
Like you said, we've got lotsof books in the library here,
and sometimes you read the samebook over and over.
(12:43):
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, I think you just have to trust your, your
instincts and your intuition.
Sometimes you just Drawn tosomething I'm rereading atomic
habits, for example, at themoment which is just such an
inspirational book and thenpractical as well.
So you know, napoleon Hillthink and grow rich a total
(13:04):
classic.
You could read that probably amillion times.
You'll.
You'll pick somethingIncredible up every time you do.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Yeah, and I'm always inspired every week when we have
our weekly sales meeting.
There's always an inspirationalquote, something that always
really resonates with with theteam and also some good food for
thought for us.
Jodi, we're going to delve intoa really special Program that
we have here at McGraw, which isour community give back program
(13:33):
.
That's that's been part of yourwhole journey with McGraw and
something that we're both superpassionate about.
I'd love you to share just alittle bit of an insight into
the program and maybe a specialmemory sure.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Well, amy, honestly, when I think about our community
give back program, like,without doubt, you are the
shining star that you've beenwith Dave and I since the
inception and the beginning ofthat program.
We all shared the same valuesat the beginning and I think you
know, as our teams grow, and westill share those values now
(14:06):
that in order to operate inbusiness and the stay in age,
you have to be an Incrediblecontributor to your community.
I just you know, I just thinkI'd rather close the doors than
do it any other way, like wehave to.
We have to be a role model andwe have to inspire and create a
ripple effect that hopefullyother people will pick up on.
(14:27):
So, yes, our community giveback is something that was there
from the very beginning, andone of the best memories that I
have is when we celebrated ourone hundred thousand dollar
milestone huge was huge.
We had a much smaller team atthe time.
Amy, you organized that.
You know the most beautifulevent.
We had the founder of orangesky laundry join us, who was one
(14:53):
of our key Charities that wewere dealing with at that time,
along with gosh, probably ahundred plus other charities in
our local area.
But we, yeah, we had.
We had speeches, we hadcontributions, we had tears, we
had emotions with channel seven,I think cupcakes.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I think every everything it was really special
.
Yeah, we.
We just spoke as well about howthat program also brought other
charities together, which wasreally special and probably
unexpected.
One thing I I think is reallyspecial is that for everybody's
birthday, you allow the teammembers to choose an
organization to receive, acommunity give back donation.
(15:32):
So that's really special, isn'tit?
To get a bit of an insight intothe team's passions and hobbies
outside of work.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yes, and you know just getting back to orange sky
is one example.
So we have one of our salesteam is deeply involved on a
personal level in that andanother team member is involved
in a Charity that you know helpswith our homeless or those
sleeping rough at nights in ourlocal community.
So it extends way beyond themonetary contribution.
(16:02):
I honestly think Giving money,if you have it, is actually
quite easy, but it's so muchmore.
We've been educating ourcommunity.
We've been sharing the visionof our different charities to
our whole community, sharingwhatever needs they might have.
At the time we'll send that outand just trying to act as a
conduit, I guess in a channelfor great things to flow.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Yeah, and I think it's probably something that
just comes naturally to us.
So I think that was justsomething we wanted to highlight
, because we provide our officespace to community groups and
know the team does things likewishlist giving day or a gift
wrapping.
So it's really in our DNA is togive back, and I think that's
probably a really unique pointof difference.
(16:47):
It's just second nature for us,but it's really nice for us to
be able to share a little bitmore about that.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, and look, it just fuels our culture, doesn't
it here in the office?
And it's also from arecruitment perspective.
It makes it really easy to justget the right people to join us
and on our team, because eitherthey have those aligned values
and they have a true desire togive and to make a difference
(17:15):
and make an impact, or theydon't.
So it's sort of an in or outfor us, because there's not one
person that works within ourteam that doesn't have a huge
heart and genuinely care aboutthe people we serve.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Yeah, I think that's such a magic.
I guess it's probably an auraor an energy that people often
comment on when they are in theoffice or they meet the team.
We are really lucky, and that'swhy I wanted to take that extra
bit of time, what I'd love youto share.
You know, real estate's a veryinteresting industry.
(17:47):
There's lots of myths andmisconceptions, but I just
wanted to ask what you would sayis probably the number one that
you have come across.
Sure.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Look, I think that's an easy one for me, and it's
actually speaking of easy.
It's that people think it'seasy what we do in our industry,
that you know we get to drive anice car and you know wear nice
clothes and zip around and openthe door at properties and
suddenly there's a sold sticker.
And what I love about yourpodcast and what you're doing,
(18:18):
amy, is you are, you know,really taking a look behind the
scenes and shining a light onthe incredible group of people
the network that we have aroundus to, you know, make it all
possible, because you can't doit on your own as an agent.
You need incredible people,whether that's building a pest
inspector's, mortgage brokersand your team lawyers.
(18:42):
You know conveyances, justpeople in your corner that are
going to help your clients andget you to where you need to be.
So you know, I think there's alot of agents that maybe don't
take it to the level that we doin terms of how much we deliver
and we give.
That's fine, but in order to beexceptional in our industry,
(19:04):
there is a myriad of skills andyou know, strategies and a work
ethic that you need to reallymake it and become exceptional
in our industry?
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Absolutely, and I think that's something that we
are always identifying andrefining and looking out.
So what would you say tosomebody that's potentially
thinking about real estate It'dbe awesome if there was anyone
that's listening in or watching.
Just give them a bit of aninsight into.
You know, I guess, what you'relooking for in team members, but
(19:38):
also, I guess, a bit of aninsight into the reality of real
estate, sure.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Look, I do meet with people almost every day who want
to get into our industry andwant to have a catch up in
coffee, and I love to do thatbecause I love to just have
really honest chats with themand see if perhaps it is a fit
for them and direct them on thatpath.
I think I would recommend, firstand foremost, that they get
(20:06):
their qualifications, that theyget their salesperson
certificate and they find outare they enjoying that for a
starting point, because youreally do need that in order to
be of value to any office in ourindustry now.
And secondly, for anyonewanting to be a sales agent, I
would encourage them to get afoot in the door, just whether
(20:29):
that's you know a frontreception or you know an
assistant, an administration,anything they can do like.
Get a foot in the door becauseyou'll get a feel for the pace,
for the energy, for what we do,and it'll either be a yes or a
no, because it's quite a uniqueindustry.
And from there, ideally, to getthe best start, I would say try
(20:53):
to work for a team, for a greatagent and learn from them and
contribute as much as you canand then step off.
Obviously from that point wouldput you in a really good place
for long-term success.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Amazing, such incredible advice and I think as
well, there's just so manydifferent roles, isn't there
within the industry and evenwithin an office, and various
different skill sets andeverything like that.
I mean, certainly, my journeyhas been three different roles
within the business and I thinkthat's really wonderful.
So ultimately it gives you ataste, but you also get to learn
(21:28):
from other people as well andcertainly hone your unique skill
set, and really obviously thatfirst listing presentation or
first listing is pretty daunting.
So if you've got that skill set, knowledge and confidence all
of those things really help.
So, Jodi, I'm really curiousreal estate's obviously been in
(21:49):
your DNA in the last 15 years,but if you weren't a real estate
professional, what would you bedoing?
Speaker 2 (21:57):
The two things spring to mind.
Writing I still you know theremay be another book in me yet
that is definitely a passion,but otherwise I think I'd be
painting and just trying my handat art, which is completely
random, I know, compared to realestate.
But when I first met my husbandone night out in Hong Kong and
(22:21):
he asked me what I wanted to dowith my life, I remember saying
to him I just want to paint andmake babies.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Wow, well, you've done one of those.
I paint the babies.
Are you painting?
Do you do that as a hobby?
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Look, the last attempt at painting that I've
done was a paint and sip classwith the property management
team Awesome, and I had anabsolute ball, and it did make
me realise I need to get thosepaint brushes out.
Good, it's been too long.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I think it's a really .
I mean, my grandma was aprolific artist and she would
always say you know, it'simportant to have those creative
outlets, to stop and smell theroses and to enjoy.
What kind of medium would youuse or what would you like to
paint?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I think I'd like to do large scale oils and just
yeah, colorful abstract and justyeah, just sort of hit that
canvas with whatever I've got.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Amazing, I love that.
And the book.
Do you have a sort of ambitionof what the next book looks like
?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Look, I think I've got about 10 real estate
inspired books in me.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
We certainly.
We see it all, we experience itall, and we have some
incredible encounters along thejourney, don't we?
Speaker 1 (23:42):
But stories we could tell Stories we could tell.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Time will tell.
Perfect, Look amazing to havethose creative outlets.
We will just shift gears alittle bit.
I'd love to give a little bitof an insight into Jodi outside
of the real estate world.
What would be your dreamholiday destination?
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Well, I am ticking one off my bucket list in a
couple of months.
So I've been wanting to go toUluru and I'm off on a week long
hiking trip with fivegirlfriends and I'm super
excited, a little scared, Ithink I've not done anything
like that before, but I just Ilove nature and I just think
(24:27):
it's going to be a really sacredspecial holiday Amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
So I did joke and say to you before will you have
your like B-suit or the flyproof hat?
I think you need to have an allof the gear.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Yeah, I'll have all the gear.
I'm not organised yet, but I'vegot time.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
That'll be amazing.
And, uluru, they've got somebeautiful.
You can do the.
Is it the dining under thestars?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
and all of those special things.
Yes, I am.
I am on my final night.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Beautiful, so five days of hiking.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
I think it was six days of hiking and then, yeah,
we'll have our final night, adining under the stars, and just
be a magical way to end thetrip Beautiful.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
That sounds like a really inspirational goal.
We both have spoken over theyears about having those goals
to look forward to, holidays,things to keep us centred what
we were just talking about thereat Uluru what kind of food and
drink do you enjoy?
I'm always intrigued bysomebody's favourite meal.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Well, this may or may not surprise you, but of all
the things that spring to mind,I just cannot walk past the
sausage.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
I love it Bunning sausage or gourmet.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I love them.
I love a gourmet sausage ofbunning sausage.
I had a few years as avegetarian as a teenager and
that was the hardest thing thatI had to give up at that time.
Love a sausage and love a glassof bubbles.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Perfect.
Well, I think Uluru willdefinitely have the bubbles,
Maybe the sausage, maybesomething a bit more fancy.
Jodi, before we move to ourfinal question, it would be
remiss of me not to ask.
I really wanted to delve intoyour leadership skills and
(26:17):
really who you are as a person.
I know that what you do is areally strong passion.
We've journeyed through yourcareer.
There's been a lot ofinspirational moments.
You've been really led andreally clear with what you
wanted to do, but there's been acommon theme really there.
I guess probably you've movedto where you are now.
(26:40):
You've manifested thiscomponent really empowering
women, supporting, leading,Maybe being at the forefront.
That's really what I've alwayspicked up.
You're not afraid to stand,even if it means standing alone,
but very much inspiring otherwomen.
But what do you enjoy aboutleading a team?
Speaker 2 (27:01):
The greatest joy that I now get, after many years of
selling and building a team, isjust seeing how real estate can
change people's lives.
I am particularly I'm excitedabout empowering women in our
industry, because I think it'sjust a fabulous industry for
(27:24):
women to have familiesflexibility.
As you know, we have so manywomen that are either pregnant
or they've got families, ortheir grandmas or they're going
to have families, and I loveembracing that and helping them
on that journey of balancingcareer and motherhood.
And I also love havingconversations with the women on
(27:48):
our team about empowering themaround conversations of money
and wealth and just finance andbeing able to talk really
confidently, calmly andintelligently.
We're all upskilling in allthose ways.
As a team, we talk about it alot, but just having being able
to talk about money, career,ambition, the future and
(28:16):
realizing that the only glassceiling that exists in our
industry, I believe, is in ourown mind.
Absolutely, it's in a glassceiling because in reality, we
are a phenomenal example of anindustry where you can rise as
big as your dreams will allowyou.
Absolutely.
I have just absolute magic inthat.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
And I think that's something that you know it's a
gift to share, isn't it?
And I think that's probably alot of the ethos of the podcast
as well is to share like, yeah,absolutely, it's a hard you know
hard industry to crack.
It's a hard industry every dayto show up and be our bright,
bubbly selves, but I think whatis possible I think that's a
(28:58):
really great topic is that youknow being able to balance it
all.
You know I'm a have fur babies,so I you know it's hard
sometimes for me to understand,you know that you know juggling,
and I think that's probably areally difficult thing that a
lot of women feel that pressureto be everything to everybody.
You have two amazing, I wouldsay, children not children now,
(29:21):
young adults, young adults, yeah, yes.
So what was the kids take onyour career?
I know both you and Dave are inthe industry, so I know that
that's, you know, really hardsometimes to balance both.
But what was the kids sort ofexperience.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Look I, I spoke to the kids, the children.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
I know a little.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
A lot when they were younger, because they were
primary school age or, you know,even younger.
When I started they were, youknow, school concerts and they
were birthday parties orsporting things on Saturdays and
I was doing open homes.
So it was really important tome that I let them know what I
was doing and why I was doing it, and that it was because mum
(30:08):
wanted to help, you know, createa great life for for us all and
to allow them to haveopportunities that we might not
have been able to if I, you know, hadn't chosen this particular
career.
So I guess you never know untilthey get to the ages they are
now they're, you know late teensand you know, starting to leave
home.
It's only now that I see.
Did you know was that a goodstrategy or not?
(30:32):
But my daughter, lily, is nowworking within McGraw and
aspiring to be, you know, asales associate on a great team
and then a sales agent in herown right one day, which has
been amazing for me because Ididn't expect that.
But she, I guess she saw that,no matter how busy I may have
(30:53):
been and there may have beenother mums that were home more
often and at the school eventsmore than me, I think I think
both Lily and Josh have said tome that what came across to them
was, whenever I came home, Iwas happy.
Yeah, amazing I was.
I was excited about my day.
I was you know I was upbeat, Iwasn't dragging myself around,
(31:14):
exhausted, going to a job that Ididn't love.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
What a great, what a great you know learning.
Now for them to be able toarticulate that and say that.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
So I think, whatever you do in life it's, I guess the
aim of the game is do somethingthat you love and do it with
passion, and you'll always be agood role model to your children
or your fur babies.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah, and I think that's probably a good thing
that we, you know, I think wereally share that value.
I know, you know we both sortof joke.
You know there's so many, youknow nights that we're both in
our car.
You know our little mobileofficers, you know, parked down
the street and you know abeautiful understanding husbands
both of us, you know, waitingwith dinner.
That's getting, you know,colder and colder.
(31:58):
But yeah, having that supportis really important, isn't it?
And I think also, that's, youknow, probably something that I
value most especially movinginto sales, is having your
support.
There's never a moment where Ican't reach out, and I think
being able to offer that to ateam member is such an
incredible gift.
Obviously, the children oryoung adults feel that as well.
(32:19):
So let's wrap up with a nicesort of warm and fuzzy ending,
because I know this is probablythe question that we could talk
about forever.
But what is your favorite quoteor saying?
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Gosh and I had, I had two to share with you.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
I thought you'd have 10.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Well, no, I've got a million.
Yeah, I had two top ones, andone of them's completely escaped
me, but, as you know, Ibasically changed my wallpaper
on my phone every day with a newquote, depending on what I'm
feeling and what I'm needing andwhat I've just found.
But, just, I guess somethingthat grounds me and that I try
(32:57):
to share with the team or whenI'm, you know, mentoring and
assisting the team is just asimple one is better today than
we were yesterday.
Absolutely, there's smallincremental changes.
Don't get overwhelmed by allthe things we could be doing and
I should have done this and, oh, my goodness, I forgot to do
that.
It's just.
Are we a little bit bettertoday than we were yesterday?
(33:19):
Are we?
Are we bringing more this weekthan we were last week?
And I just feel like, if you'removing in that positive
trajectory and you're striving,then you simply can't go wrong.
Absolutely, and I've justremembered it.
Good, thank you.
The last one that I know youhear me say all the time.
But if you have a bad day andjust things are getting on top
(33:41):
of you and I certainly havethose, like everybody else, I
just ground myself by waking upand just going.
How can I be of service today?
Absolutely yeah, and you know,let go of all expectations, like
go of outcomes, that go ofresults, and just show up with
an attitude of what can I do forthat someone else today, how
(34:03):
can I be of service and and,with no expectation of anything
in return, and I just feel likesuddenly something shifts and
the magic starts to happen again.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah, it's.
It's an incredible, I guess,mantra to live in life, and and
we, you know one that we verymuch share is just being of
service, and I think you knowthat that's very much at the
heart of what our industry isreally listening to our clients,
what is it that they need us todo?
Being able to do that and,again, just extending and
(34:32):
opening our heart.
You know there's a, there's alot of people that need that.
You know we're certainlyworking with people at a really
vulnerable time.
I think that's probably aanother misconception, isn't it
that selling a home is such aglamorous experience and it's,
you know, it's fluffing cushionsand you know all of that jazz,
but very much, you know, there'sgenerally a motivating factor.
(34:54):
That's not, that's not, youknow, not often a good thing.
So I think that's somethingthat you know we, we very much
come in, you know, whether it beVarious hats that we wear, but
very much just, I guess, takingcontrol of the Situation,
helping people, steering theship you know it's very much a
captain's role, isn't it?
(35:14):
How do we get to thedestination?
And, as I said, as stress, lessas possible.
Beautifully said, beautiful.
Well, jodi, we could talkforever.
I know there was so many topicsthere that I was itching to get
a little bit Deeper in and I'mhoping to have you back in the
future on the podcast.
(35:34):
But from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being a
part.
It's, you know, very brave andcourageous to jump on, but that
is absolutely the heart and soulof who you are.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Well, thank you for being you and what you're doing
here, sharing with the worldwhat goes on behind the scenes.
And, like I said, you areabsolutely just the beacon of
light and when I think of youknow the best of what we do,
that being of service thatCommunity give back that we've
done so well for so many years.
I I see your face shiny back atme.
(36:08):
So, thank you, amy, thanks Jodi.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Welcome to Beyond the signboard, where you get the
opportunity to learn all thereis to know about your real
estate journey fromprofessionals who are passionate
about property.
I'm Amy Bennett, your host, andI look forward to providing you
with education, inspiration anda behind the scenes look at the
world of real estate.
Welcome to Beyond the Syme Board, where you get the
opportunity to learn all thereis to know about your real
estate journey fromprofessionals who are passionate
about property.
I'm Amy Bennett, your host, andI look forward to providing you
with education, inspiration anda behind the scenes look at the
world of real estate.
Well, mrs Jody Hadley Ward,welcome to Beyond the Syme Board
(00:33):
.
Thank you, amy, great to behere.
I am so excited.
It's been on my vision board tohave you sitting across from me
for this podcast since the ideacame into my mind.
So we're going to have a reallyexciting conversation.
We're going to talk about ourshared journey, our shared
(00:53):
passion, obsession for ourindustry and then, yeah, we're
going to get a little bit deepinto a little bit more about
your journey very much yourpassion for the team.
We're going to dispel a littlebit of myths and misconceptions
about our industry.
Yeah, we'll let the audienceenjoy.
(01:14):
So, jody, before we get deepinto it, I would just love to
share a few of your accolades.
So I know this is not in yourwheelhouse, but I've worked
alongside you for seven yearsand I've seen you win countless
awards.
Some of them really stand outto me.
So you were awarded theSunshine Coast Corporate
(01:37):
Business Woman of the Year.
You've won some amazing resultsin our McGraw Network, so in
the top 10 females across ourwhole network and you were the
number one female agent inMcGraw for Queensland.
So whilst I know that's verymuch not why you do what you do,
I think it's really importantto acknowledge that and also for
(02:00):
me to be really grateful tohave such an amazing mentor.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Amy, my pleasure.
So, jody, before we get intoreal estate, it's really
important for our audience tounderstand how you got to be
here.
Would you just be able to shareus through your career journey?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Sure, I didn't start in real estate until my mid 30s,
so there was quite a bit oftime prior to that.
I finished my business degreein New Zealand and pretty much
took off straight away to HongKong, where I ended up producing
business conferences, of allthings, and, most importantly,
(02:41):
met my husband, david, who is,as you know, the principal of
our offices.
So that was an exciting year,and from there Dave and I lived
in the UK for a number of yearsand I landed my dream job,
working in the women's fashionindustry.
It was actually for a mailorder catalogue, which you know
(03:02):
that really doesn't existanymore.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
It's amazing, isn't it to think, With the catalogs,
were they sent out to people?
Did peoplehow did that work?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Look there were.
We had a huge call centre thatsort of fed off around 20
catalogs a year.
So we had the standard women'swear catalogue.
It was all sort of Italianfashion.
And when I came on board theywanted somebody to spearhead the
marketing and research side fora plus size sister catalogue.
(03:34):
Now we don't call it plus sizenow, but at that time it was
quite.
You know, it was quite anadvanced sort of concept that
they were doing and I was sopassionate about it because I'd
actually done research on thefashion industry as part of my
thesis at university.
So it was, yeah, some greatyears, really enjoyed what I was
(03:57):
doing there.
They have photo shoots, stilldoing photo shoots now.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
It's just that they're houses Lot of
transferable skills.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
It was exactly.
I was doing a lot ofcopywriting, which obviously we
do in real estate, and justreally connecting with people
and working with a large team ofaround 66 people, and the
majority of them were all female.
And you look at what we've gottoday across the two offices,
we've got close to 30 teammembers and all but two of them
(04:28):
are female.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So, oh look, it's a funny thing, isn't it?
So many people comment on that.
I guess it's all we've everknown, isn't it?
That is a funny thing.
But so from fashion to realestate, how did you get there?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So look in between, in between times I got pregnant
with my daughter Lily, went hometo New Zealand, had Lily and
then Josh and David, and Idecided New Zealand was a little
chilly to raise kids so we madethe move over to the Sunshine
Coast and during that time, whenI became a mum, I decided to
(05:02):
fulfill one of my other goals,which was to become an author.
I wanted to be a bestsellingauthor.
That was on my bucket list andI look, I did, which was a
really exciting experience.
It was three books ormotherhood related, really about
the emotional journey of beinga mum which at that time was
(05:25):
just wasn't written about.
There really weren't the books.
We have such incredibleconversations of books and
resources and podcasts aroundthat now, but back in my day, we
didn't.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
It's amazing.
So I guess that was you know,that courageous conversation,
perhaps sharing with other mums.
You know you obviously feltisolated or you knew that people
weren't having the support thatthey needed.
So I know with that journey ittook you.
I know the book's been writtenin publishing other languages.
Was there a 60 Minutes article?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, we were on 60.
The book was on 60 Minutes.
And then I ended up workingwith the University of the
Sunshine Coast on a really largescale motherhood research study
which was, yeah, thousands ofmums were involved and that was
across Australia and New Zealandand the US.
So we were on 60 Minutestalking about that.
(06:22):
So, look, it was a big part ofmy life at that time and you
sort of think, gosh, how did Iget from that to real estate?
But, like you say, so many ofthe skills that I learned, I did
a lot of public speaking aspart of writing books.
It sort of goes hand in hand.
And all of all of that when Idid eventually land in real
(06:44):
estate with my husband, david,you know prodding yes you should
do this.
You'd be great in real estate.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
He was already in real estate, right, he was.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
He was.
So David started his journeywith Bailey's real estate group
in New Zealand, which heabsolutely loved, and they
weren't here in Australia whenwe moved, so it was a fantastic
foundation for him and he hadbeen, you know, trying to gently
nudge me towards the industryfor a long time and, you know,
(07:15):
eventually I got brave enoughreally was a big thing for me.
I was, I was scared of the ideaof you know something new in
this industry and having tonegotiate and learn everything
possible about houses and howthey were built and building and
pest inspections.
I just thought, gosh, I don'tknow that I can do this, but
(07:37):
eventually, or in a very shortspace of time, probably after my
first six months, I justsomething sort of clicked and I
realized that all of the jobsthat I'd had prior to real
estate, all of the skills andexperiences had sort of led me
perfectly to an industry that Iwas just felt absolutely in love
with, and it's incrediblebecause I think, in addition to
(08:00):
all of those skills that you had, it's continual learning, isn't
it?
Speaker 1 (08:04):
That's you know?
We just spoke about off air.
Is that you know, 15 years downthe track, there's still.
You know, no two homes are thesame.
You know it.
Always, every day is a new day,which is, I think, what we both
really enjoy and like.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
I just never thought there'd besomething where I would be
challenged and excited and thispassionate about for such a long
period of time and honestly,you know it must be at least 15
years now since I started Amyand I.
Every year I'm like I'm asexcited as I've ever been.
I'm more passionate.
(08:37):
There's something else to learnevery day.
You never stop learning and,like you say, it is new homes,
but probably even moreImportantly, it's different
people.
And for me and I know it's thesame for you, you know, when
you're selling, it's the journeywith people taking them from A
(08:58):
to B, trying to help them getthere in the smoothest, most
stress-free way, and, I guess,feeling like you're really
making a difference in someone'slife.
There's just no better feelingon earth than that.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I think, yeah, we were both probably destined to
be able to be those people tohelp people guide through.
And I know you say stress-free,which is often difficult, but
we like the term stress less,don't we?
And really helping, we try,yeah, we try our best, so we've
got you into real estate.
You're now a principal of sevenyears here, nearly actually
(09:33):
eight.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, we just celebrated eight years with
McGraw, which is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Seven years with me here.
So what was your inspiration tojoin the McGraw business?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Well, great question, because we mentioned
manifesting off air earlier.
And, honestly, it startedprobably 20 years ago when Dave
and I were back in New Zealandand Dave found the book of John
McGraw, wrote you ink, yes, saidyou've got to read this.
I love books, I love anything.
(10:08):
You know personal developmentand we devoured John's book.
We just both clicked andresonated with it and one day
David announced to me we will beworking with this man in our
future and that was it.
We just both sort of knew thatit was an inevitable and there
(10:28):
was no McGraw in New Zealand atthat time.
But we just kept, you know,working on what we were doing.
We moved to the Sunshine Coast.
Eventually, after we'd beenhere for some time, mcgraw came
to the Sunshine Coast and then,when the stars aligned, dave
picked up the phone and Before Iknew it, we were down at John
McGraw's Office with his teamhigh-fiving and going right.
(10:51):
When do we open this office?
Incredible.
We never look back absolutelyincredible.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
It's John's a very special person to all of us and,
and you know, has been doingincredible things since 1988.
You were able to obtain him asa guest for an event that I
Attended it and hosted, actually, and it was a real game changer
for me and I think that'sprobably a real commonality is
that shared values.
(11:17):
You know, those things arereally felt not just with our
team but across the wholebusiness, which is really
exciting and very much whereboth of us feel destined to be,
which is exciting.
You mentioned there too, thatyou'd both read the book.
A book's a big part of yourjourney.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I know you've written some, but also reading books
huge part of my journey and Ican't imagine that ever stopping
.
So, yes, we've got a libraryhere at the office for everybody
to you know.
Just come and dip in and dipout and and get whatever it
might be that they need at thattime.
So, yeah, books are Irring, youknow, incredible and podcasts,
(11:58):
and I just believe in topping upyour tank Every single day with
as much positivity andinspiration as you can, because
in our industry there arechallenges, there are tough days
, and you know, and everybody'slife, that that is life and you,
I just try to balance that outwith as much good stuff that
(12:20):
makes you feel good.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
So I think that's been something that I've really
learned from you is also howmuch reading and absorbing
personal Stories, books,everything how that has such a
big impact in our careers aswell.
So thank you for that gift.
Like you said, we've got lotsof books in the library here,
and sometimes you read the samebook over and over.
(12:43):
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, I think you just have to trust your, your
instincts and your intuition.
Sometimes you just Drawn tosomething I'm rereading atomic
habits, for example, at themoment which is just such an
inspirational book and thenpractical as well.
So you know, napoleon Hillthink and grow rich a total
(13:04):
classic.
You could read that probably amillion times.
You'll.
You'll pick somethingIncredible up every time you do.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Yeah, and I'm always inspired every week when we have
our weekly sales meeting.
There's always an inspirationalquote, something that always
really resonates with with theteam and also some good food for
thought for us.
Jodi, we're going to delve intoa really special Program that
we have here at McGraw, which isour community give back program
(13:33):
.
That's that's been part of yourwhole journey with McGraw and
something that we're both superpassionate about.
I'd love you to share just alittle bit of an insight into
the program and maybe a specialmemory sure.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Well, amy, honestly, when I think about our community
give back program, like,without doubt, you are the
shining star that you've beenwith Dave and I since the
inception and the beginning ofthat program.
We all shared the same valuesat the beginning and I think you
know, as our teams grow, and westill share those values now
(14:06):
that in order to operate inbusiness and the stay in age,
you have to be an Incrediblecontributor to your community.
I just you know, I just thinkI'd rather close the doors than
do it any other way, like wehave to.
We have to be a role model andwe have to inspire and create a
ripple effect that hopefullyother people will pick up on.
(14:27):
So, yes, our community giveback is something that was there
from the very beginning, andone of the best memories that I
have is when we celebrated ourone hundred thousand dollar
milestone huge was huge.
We had a much smaller team atthe time.
Amy, you organized that.
You know the most beautifulevent.
We had the founder of orangesky laundry join us, who was one
(14:53):
of our key Charities that wewere dealing with at that time,
along with gosh, probably ahundred plus other charities in
our local area.
But we, yeah, we had.
We had speeches, we hadcontributions, we had tears, we
had emotions with channel seven,I think cupcakes.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I think every everything it was really special
.
Yeah, we.
We just spoke as well about howthat program also brought other
charities together, which wasreally special and probably
unexpected.
One thing I I think is reallyspecial is that for everybody's
birthday, you allow the teammembers to choose an
organization to receive, acommunity give back donation.
(15:32):
So that's really special, isn'tit?
To get a bit of an insight intothe team's passions and hobbies
outside of work.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yes, and you know just getting back to orange sky
is one example.
So we have one of our salesteam is deeply involved on a
personal level in that andanother team member is involved
in a Charity that you know helpswith our homeless or those
sleeping rough at nights in ourlocal community.
So it extends way beyond themonetary contribution.
(16:02):
I honestly think Giving money,if you have it, is actually
quite easy, but it's so muchmore.
We've been educating ourcommunity.
We've been sharing the visionof our different charities to
our whole community, sharingwhatever needs they might have.
At the time we'll send that outand just trying to act as a
conduit, I guess in a channelfor great things to flow.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Yeah, and I think it's probably something that
just comes naturally to us.
So I think that was justsomething we wanted to highlight
, because we provide our officespace to community groups and
know the team does things likewishlist giving day or a gift
wrapping.
So it's really in our DNA is togive back, and I think that's
probably a really unique pointof difference.
(16:47):
It's just second nature for us,but it's really nice for us to
be able to share a little bitmore about that.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Yeah, and look, it just fuels our culture, doesn't
it here in the office?
And it's also from arecruitment perspective.
It makes it really easy to justget the right people to join us
and on our team, because eitherthey have those aligned values
and they have a true desire togive and to make a difference
(17:15):
and make an impact, or theydon't.
So it's sort of an in or outfor us, because there's not one
person that works within ourteam that doesn't have a huge
heart and genuinely care aboutthe people we serve.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Yeah, I think that's such a magic.
I guess it's probably an auraor an energy that people often
comment on when they are in theoffice or they meet the team.
We are really lucky, and that'swhy I wanted to take that extra
bit of time, what I'd love youto share.
You know, real estate's a veryinteresting industry.
(17:47):
There's lots of myths andmisconceptions, but I just
wanted to ask what you would sayis probably the number one that
you have come across.
Sure.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Look, I think that's an easy one for me, and it's
actually speaking of easy.
It's that people think it'seasy what we do in our industry,
that you know we get to drive anice car and you know wear nice
clothes and zip around and openthe door at properties and
suddenly there's a sold sticker.
And what I love about yourpodcast and what you're doing,
(18:18):
amy, is you are, you know,really taking a look behind the
scenes and shining a light onthe incredible group of people
the network that we have aroundus to, you know, make it all
possible, because you can't doit on your own as an agent.
You need incredible people,whether that's building a pest
inspector's, mortgage brokersand your team lawyers.
(18:42):
You know conveyances, justpeople in your corner that are
going to help your clients andget you to where you need to be.
So you know, I think there's alot of agents that maybe don't
take it to the level that we doin terms of how much we deliver
and we give.
That's fine, but in order to beexceptional in our industry,
(19:04):
there is a myriad of skills andyou know, strategies and a work
ethic that you need to reallymake it and become exceptional
in our industry?
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Absolutely, and I think that's something that we
are always identifying andrefining and looking out.
So what would you say tosomebody that's potentially
thinking about real estate It'dbe awesome if there was anyone
that's listening in or watching.
Just give them a bit of aninsight into.
You know, I guess, what you'relooking for in team members, but
(19:38):
also, I guess, a bit of aninsight into the reality of real
estate, sure.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
Look, I do meet with people almost every day who want
to get into our industry andwant to have a catch up in
coffee, and I love to do thatbecause I love to just have
really honest chats with themand see if perhaps it is a fit
for them and direct them on thatpath.
I think I would recommend, firstand foremost, that they get
(20:06):
their qualifications, that theyget their salesperson
certificate and they find outare they enjoying that for a
starting point, because youreally do need that in order to
be of value to any office in ourindustry now.
And secondly, for anyonewanting to be a sales agent, I
would encourage them to get afoot in the door, just whether
(20:29):
that's you know a frontreception or you know an
assistant, an administration,anything they can do like.
Get a foot in the door becauseyou'll get a feel for the pace,
for the energy, for what we do,and it'll either be a yes or a
no, because it's quite a uniqueindustry.
And from there, ideally, to getthe best start, I would say try
(20:53):
to work for a team, for a greatagent and learn from them and
contribute as much as you canand then step off.
Obviously from that point wouldput you in a really good place
for long-term success.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Amazing, such incredible advice and I think as
well, there's just so manydifferent roles, isn't there
within the industry and evenwithin an office, and various
different skill sets andeverything like that.
I mean, certainly, my journeyhas been three different roles
within the business and I thinkthat's really wonderful.
So ultimately it gives you ataste, but you also get to learn
(21:28):
from other people as well andcertainly hone your unique skill
set, and really obviously thatfirst listing presentation or
first listing is pretty daunting.
So if you've got that skill set, knowledge and confidence all
of those things really help.
So, Jodi, I'm really curiousreal estate's obviously been in
(21:49):
your DNA in the last 15 years,but if you weren't a real estate
professional, what would you bedoing?
Speaker 2 (21:57):
The two things spring to mind.
Writing I still you know theremay be another book in me yet
that is definitely a passion,but otherwise I think I'd be
painting and just trying my handat art, which is completely
random, I know, compared to realestate.
But when I first met my husbandone night out in Hong Kong and
(22:21):
he asked me what I wanted to dowith my life, I remember saying
to him I just want to paint andmake babies.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Wow, well, you've done one of those.
I paint the babies.
Are you painting?
Do you do that as a hobby?
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Look, the last attempt at painting that I've
done was a paint and sip classwith the property management
team Awesome, and I had anabsolute ball, and it did make
me realise I need to get thosepaint brushes out.
Good, it's been too long.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I think it's a really .
I mean, my grandma was aprolific artist and she would
always say you know, it'simportant to have those creative
outlets, to stop and smell theroses and to enjoy.
What kind of medium would youuse or what would you like to
paint?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I think I'd like to do large scale oils and just
yeah, colorful abstract and justyeah, just sort of hit that
canvas with whatever I've got.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Amazing, I love that.
And the book.
Do you have a sort of ambitionof what the next book looks like
?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Look, I think I've got about 10 real estate
inspired books in me.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
We certainly.
We see it all, we experience itall, and we have some
incredible encounters along thejourney, don't we?
Speaker 1 (23:42):
But stories we could tell Stories we could tell.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Time will tell.
Perfect, Look amazing to havethose creative outlets.
We will just shift gears alittle bit.
I'd love to give a little bitof an insight into Jodi outside
of the real estate world.
What would be your dreamholiday destination?
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Well, I am ticking one off my bucket list in a
couple of months.
So I've been wanting to go toUluru and I'm off on a week long
hiking trip with fivegirlfriends and I'm super
excited, a little scared, Ithink I've not done anything
like that before, but I just Ilove nature and I just think
(24:27):
it's going to be a really sacredspecial holiday Amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
So I did joke and say to you before will you have
your like B-suit or the flyproof hat?
I think you need to have an allof the gear.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Yeah, I'll have all the gear.
I'm not organised yet, but I'vegot time.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
That'll be amazing.
And, uluru, they've got somebeautiful.
You can do the.
Is it the dining under thestars?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
and all of those special things.
Yes, I am.
I am on my final night.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Beautiful, so five days of hiking.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
I think it was six days of hiking and then, yeah,
we'll have our final night, adining under the stars, and just
be a magical way to end thetrip Beautiful.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
That sounds like a really inspirational goal.
We both have spoken over theyears about having those goals
to look forward to, holidays,things to keep us centred what
we were just talking about thereat Uluru what kind of food and
drink do you enjoy?
I'm always intrigued bysomebody's favourite meal.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Well, this may or may not surprise you, but of all
the things that spring to mind,I just cannot walk past the
sausage.
I love it.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
I love it Bunning sausage or gourmet.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I love them.
I love a gourmet sausage ofbunning sausage.
I had a few years as avegetarian as a teenager and
that was the hardest thing thatI had to give up at that time.
Love a sausage and love a glassof bubbles.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Perfect.
Well, I think Uluru willdefinitely have the bubbles,
Maybe the sausage, maybesomething a bit more fancy.
Jodi, before we move to ourfinal question, it would be
remiss of me not to ask.
I really wanted to delve intoyour leadership skills and
(26:17):
really who you are as a person.
I know that what you do is areally strong passion.
We've journeyed through yourcareer.
There's been a lot ofinspirational moments.
You've been really led andreally clear with what you
wanted to do, but there's been acommon theme really there.
I guess probably you've movedto where you are now.
(26:40):
You've manifested thiscomponent really empowering
women, supporting, leading,Maybe being at the forefront.
That's really what I've alwayspicked up.
You're not afraid to stand,even if it means standing alone,
but very much inspiring otherwomen.
But what do you enjoy aboutleading a team?
Speaker 2 (27:01):
The greatest joy that I now get, after many years of
selling and building a team, isjust seeing how real estate can
change people's lives.
I am particularly I'm excitedabout empowering women in our
industry, because I think it'sjust a fabulous industry for
(27:24):
women to have familiesflexibility.
As you know, we have so manywomen that are either pregnant
or they've got families, ortheir grandmas or they're going
to have families, and I loveembracing that and helping them
on that journey of balancingcareer and motherhood.
And I also love havingconversations with the women on
(27:48):
our team about empowering themaround conversations of money
and wealth and just finance andbeing able to talk really
confidently, calmly andintelligently.
We're all upskilling in allthose ways.
As a team, we talk about it alot, but just having being able
to talk about money, career,ambition, the future and
(28:16):
realizing that the only glassceiling that exists in our
industry, I believe, is in ourown mind.
Absolutely, it's in a glassceiling because in reality, we
are a phenomenal example of anindustry where you can rise as
big as your dreams will allowyou.
Absolutely.
I have just absolute magic inthat.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
And I think that's something that you know it's a
gift to share, isn't it?
And I think that's probably alot of the ethos of the podcast
as well is to share like, yeah,absolutely, it's a hard you know
hard industry to crack.
It's a hard industry every dayto show up and be our bright,
bubbly selves, but I think whatis possible I think that's a
(28:58):
really great topic is that youknow being able to balance it
all.
You know I'm a have fur babies,so I you know it's hard
sometimes for me to understand,you know that you know juggling,
and I think that's probably areally difficult thing that a
lot of women feel that pressureto be everything to everybody.
You have two amazing, I wouldsay, children not children now,
(29:21):
young adults, young adults, yeah, yes.
So what was the kids take onyour career?
I know both you and Dave are inthe industry, so I know that
that's, you know, really hardsometimes to balance both.
But what was the kids sort ofexperience.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Look I, I spoke to the kids, the children.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
I know a little.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
A lot when they were younger, because they were
primary school age or, you know,even younger.
When I started they were, youknow, school concerts and they
were birthday parties orsporting things on Saturdays and
I was doing open homes.
So it was really important tome that I let them know what I
was doing and why I was doing it, and that it was because mum
(30:08):
wanted to help, you know, createa great life for for us all and
to allow them to haveopportunities that we might not
have been able to if I, you know, hadn't chosen this particular
career.
So I guess you never know untilthey get to the ages they are
now they're, you know late teensand you know, starting to leave
home.
It's only now that I see.
Did you know was that a goodstrategy or not?
(30:32):
But my daughter, lily, is nowworking within McGraw and
aspiring to be, you know, asales associate on a great team
and then a sales agent in herown right one day, which has
been amazing for me because Ididn't expect that.
But she, I guess she saw that,no matter how busy I may have
(30:53):
been and there may have beenother mums that were home more
often and at the school eventsmore than me, I think I think
both Lily and Josh have said tome that what came across to them
was, whenever I came home, Iwas happy.
Yeah, amazing I was.
I was excited about my day.
I was you know I was upbeat, Iwasn't dragging myself around,
(31:14):
exhausted, going to a job that Ididn't love.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
What a great, what a great you know learning.
Now for them to be able toarticulate that and say that.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
So I think, whatever you do in life it's, I guess the
aim of the game is do somethingthat you love and do it with
passion, and you'll always be agood role model to your children
or your fur babies.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah, and I think that's probably a good thing
that we, you know, I think wereally share that value.
I know, you know we both sortof joke.
You know there's so many, youknow nights that we're both in
our car.
You know our little mobileofficers, you know, parked down
the street and you know abeautiful understanding husbands
both of us, you know, waitingwith dinner.
That's getting, you know,colder and colder.
(31:58):
But yeah, having that supportis really important, isn't it?
And I think also, that's, youknow, probably something that I
value most especially movinginto sales, is having your
support.
There's never a moment where Ican't reach out, and I think
being able to offer that to ateam member is such an
incredible gift.
Obviously, the children oryoung adults feel that as well.
(32:19):
So let's wrap up with a nicesort of warm and fuzzy ending,
because I know this is probablythe question that we could talk
about forever.
But what is your favorite quoteor saying?
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Gosh and I had, I had two to share with you.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
I thought you'd have 10.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Well, no, I've got a million.
Yeah, I had two top ones, andone of them's completely escaped
me, but, as you know, Ibasically changed my wallpaper
on my phone every day with a newquote, depending on what I'm
feeling and what I'm needing andwhat I've just found.
But, just, I guess somethingthat grounds me and that I try
(32:57):
to share with the team or whenI'm, you know, mentoring and
assisting the team is just asimple one is better today than
we were yesterday.
Absolutely, there's smallincremental changes.
Don't get overwhelmed by allthe things we could be doing and
I should have done this and, oh, my goodness, I forgot to do
that.
It's just.
Are we a little bit bettertoday than we were yesterday?
(33:19):
Are we?
Are we bringing more this weekthan we were last week?
And I just feel like, if you'removing in that positive
trajectory and you're striving,then you simply can't go wrong.
Absolutely, and I've justremembered it.
Good, thank you.
The last one that I know youhear me say all the time.
But if you have a bad day andjust things are getting on top
(33:41):
of you and I certainly havethose, like everybody else, I
just ground myself by waking upand just going.
How can I be of service today?
Absolutely yeah, and you know,let go of all expectations, like
go of outcomes, that go ofresults, and just show up with
an attitude of what can I do forthat someone else today, how
(34:03):
can I be of service and and,with no expectation of anything
in return, and I just feel likesuddenly something shifts and
the magic starts to happen again.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah, it's.
It's an incredible, I guess,mantra to live in life, and and
we, you know one that we verymuch share is just being of
service, and I think you knowthat that's very much at the
heart of what our industry isreally listening to our clients,
what is it that they need us todo?
Being able to do that and,again, just extending and
(34:32):
opening our heart.
You know there's a, there's alot of people that need that.
You know we're certainlyworking with people at a really
vulnerable time.
I think that's probably aanother misconception, isn't it
that selling a home is such aglamorous experience and it's,
you know, it's fluffing cushionsand you know all of that jazz,
but very much, you know, there'sgenerally a motivating factor.
(34:54):
That's not, that's not, youknow, not often a good thing.
So I think that's somethingthat you know we, we very much
come in, you know, whether it beVarious hats that we wear, but
very much just, I guess, takingcontrol of the Situation,
helping people, steering theship you know it's very much a
captain's role, isn't it?
(35:14):
How do we get to thedestination?
And, as I said, as stress, lessas possible.
Beautifully said, beautiful.
Well, jodi, we could talkforever.
I know there was so many topicsthere that I was itching to get
a little bit Deeper in and I'mhoping to have you back in the
future on the podcast.
(35:34):
But from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being a
part.
It's, you know, very brave andcourageous to jump on, but that
is absolutely the heart and soulof who you are.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Well, thank you for being you and what you're doing
here, sharing with the worldwhat goes on behind the scenes.
And, like I said, you areabsolutely just the beacon of
light and when I think of youknow the best of what we do,
that being of service thatCommunity give back that we've
done so well for so many years.
I I see your face shiny back atme.
(36:08):
So, thank you, amy, thanks Jodi.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Welcome to Beyond the signboard, where you get the
opportunity to learn all thereis to know about your real
estate journey fromprofessionals who are passionate
about property.
I'm Amy Bennett, your host, andI look forward to providing you
with education, inspiration anda behind the scenes look at the
world of real estate.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Come hang with Amy Poehler. Each week on her podcast, she'll welcome celebrities and fun people to her studio. They'll share stories about their careers, mutual friends, shared enthusiasms, and most importantly, what's been making them laugh. This podcast is not about trying to make you better or giving advice. Amy just wants to have a good time.