Yes, And: What Improv Comedy Taught Me About Real Estate (And Why You Might Want to Sign Up for a Class)

Did you know I used to do improv comedy? Yep—five years on stage with zero scripts, ridiculous characters, and real people watching. And as strange as it sounds, it turned out to be one of the best training grounds for real estate I could’ve asked for.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how lessons from improv made me a better agent, leader, listener, and human. From negotiating deals to dealing with flooded basements and flaky lenders—turns out, improv and real estate have a lot in common. If you’ve ever felt like you’re winging it, this one’s for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “Yes, and…” isn’t just a comedy rule—it’s the ultimate trust-building phrase in real estate
• How listening like an improv partner can unlock your clients’ real needs
• What to do when everything hits the fan (hint: pivot like a pro)
• How to bring confidence without control-freak energy
• Why humor is your secret weapon for connection, referrals, and your own sanity

This one’s packed with real talk, personal stories, and a few improv flashbacks you didn’t know you needed. Because let’s be honest—real estate isn’t a perfectly scripted production. It’s a live performance with a whole lot of plot twists.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
So fun fact that you may not know about me I did
improv comedy in my 20s for likefive years.
Yes, on stage with real peoplesaying real and sometimes very
ridiculous things, and weirdly,it taught me a lot about how to
be a better real estate agent.
So in my early infancy of beingan agent, I was learning how to

(00:25):
read a room, listen for thereal story and respond in the
moment through improv.
And the funny thing is it turnsout that buying a home and
standing on stage with no script, they're kind of the same thing
they're scary, exciting anddefinitely unpredictable AF.
Scary, exciting and definitelyunpredictable AF.

(00:49):
And the really cool thing isthat improv gave me tools that I
didn't even know that I neededfor real estate.
So today I am sharing the bestones, the best takeaways from
improv comedy classes and alsobeing a performer, and I think
that this will be a really funand hopefully motivating episode
to maybe get you to sign up forthat next beginner improv

(01:10):
comedy class.
But at the very least, at thevery least, I hope that you'll
be mildly entertained by thisepisode.
My first lesson is that, yes,and is a life philosophy.
So rule number one in improvand I think everyone knows this
at this point is you always sayyes and you accept what is given

(01:35):
to your scene partner and youbuild on it.
So if someone says I am analien from outer space and I'm
their scene partner, I go yesand I am your leader.
You are always adding on towhatever is given to you.
You're not arguing, you are notdeflecting and you do not shut
it down.
You are not saying no, you arebuilding.

(01:58):
In real estate.
We do this.
Naturally.
Client is saying to you I wanta five bedroom in this
neighborhood for 550,000.
And old me would be like, no,it's not possible.
Oh my gosh, your budget is notgoing to work.

(02:18):
This is all internal dialogue,of course, and what I learned
from improv is that I can thensay yes, and let's talk about
some areas that will give youthe space you want while staying
in your price range.
So it is almost likemasterfully redirecting, but
it's also about validating andthen guiding your clients to

(02:45):
where they need to go.
So it really yes, and is such agreat way, not only in real
estate but in life, to meetpeople where they are and lead
them where they need to go.
Everyone loves to hear yes.
No one likes to hear no.
Yes and builds trust fasterthan yeah, but or no not really.

(03:06):
And I encourage you to startusing it in every buyer consult,
every negotiation or difficultconversation, because I will
tell you, it definitely helpsimprove the positivity and
momentum of any conversation andmomentum of any conversation.

(03:29):
Lesson number two from improvcomedy is listening is the real
power move.
Listening is so crucial Inimprov.
You can't be a good scenepartner and you're going to
really suck if you are notlistening so closely and also to
body language, because in themoment, if you are in your own
head trying to plan your nextline, you are going to miss the

(03:50):
magic of being in the presentmoment and really responding to
what the scene requires of you.
In real estate, we do this allthe time.
We plan scripts, we run throughscripts all the time.
I mean how many times have youheard someone say you need to
memorize this script?
No, improv comedy is going tolet you create your own scripts

(04:15):
on the fly by listening, becauseyou are responding to what
someone said not only with theirwords, but with their body
language.
Someone said not only withtheir words, but with their body
language.
We also jump ahead to the close.
So we're in our head, we'rethinking, okay, how am I going
to get them to sign thispaperwork, or how am I going to
get them to agree to this price,or how am I going to get to do?
You have all these thingsrunning through your head but

(04:37):
you're not actually listening.
And then you also, if you'renot listening, are missing the
actual need.
You also, if you're notlistening, are missing the
actual need under what yourclients are saying.
So again, listening to thewords, but also listening to the
tone, listening to the impliedmeaning, listening to their body
language and really payingattention to what is going on

(04:59):
holistically is so important inreal estate.
Listening again the best thingyou can do because it helps you
catch red flags early.
You can really pay attention towhat's going on.
You can also uncover motivation, people.

(05:20):
When you let them talk, theyabsolutely give you a lot of
information.
You can ask a very goodquestion, open-ended, please,
and people give you so muchinformation.
That is so incredibly useful.
And lastly, I think the mostimportant thing about listening
is that it builds connection.

(05:41):
It helps you build thatrelationship, that trust, and
having that relationship, havingthe trust, having that
relationship, having the trust,having someone feel like you
care about them.
That's what listening does.
I cannot stand people that justtalk at me.
I literally cannot.
It drives me freaking insane.

(06:03):
But someone who asks athoughtful, open-ended question
and then truly listens to myanswer I love people like that.
That is my favorite way to havea conversation with someone.
I love asking those questionstoo.
I love learning about people.
So listening, being curious,asking great questions that is

(06:29):
going to be so helpful to yourreal estate career.
So stop scripting, startlistening, because the deal, the
information is in what they arenot saying out loud, or maybe
they aren't saying explicitly,but they are saying it if you
were listening intently.
Lesson number three from improvis that you learn the ability to

(06:54):
pivot in the moment, and thatis truly everything.
Improv trains your brain toadapt, that you don't panic when
things go sideways so you sayokay, cool, what's next, instead
of freezing or freaking out.
So I know that, like masterfulreal estate agents are so good

(07:16):
at pivoting, they're so good atjust coming up with solutions or
problem solving on the fly,they're so good at answering
objections on the fly and,honestly, that is what being a
good improv comedian is allabout Just being so good on your
feet, quick on your feet.
Being a good improv comedian isall about Just being so good on
your feet, quick on your feetand like ready to go with the

(07:41):
next thing.
So I am sure you have dealtwith situations like the water
heater explodes the day beforeclosing and floods the basement
Luckily it was the basement andnot on the first or second floor
or you're dealing with a lenderwho forgot how math works.
We're always putting out fires.
That is a constant ability ofreal estate agents is being a

(08:04):
firefighter and what I havefound is the best real estate
agents are not rigid, they areresponsive, they stay calm in
chaos, they are curious, theyare creative and they are able
to be quick on their feet andreally pivot when shit hits the
fan or something needs to changeor need a change of course.

(08:26):
So you do not need the perfectplan, obviously, because the
plan usually goes to shit anyway, but you do need to have the
confidence to pivot when thingschange, because they inevitably
will.
It's like we do not count thechickens before they hatch.
It's just that's how it is inreal estate.
If you have been in it longenough, you know that.

(08:48):
The next lesson number four isyou need to have confidence
without control freak energy.
I love that Control freakenergy.
We have all had control freakenergy in our life, right?
Although I found that mycontrol freak energy has gotten
better since I've had kids,because they again have made it.

(09:09):
So maybe it's point numberthree.
It's like kids made me have topivot all the time.
So, having confidence withoutcontrol freak energy In improv,
there is no script.
You are stepping out, you trustyourself to figure it out, and
that's confidence.
You're literally jumping intothe unknown.
And it's the same in realestate.
You're never going to know whothat client is for the first

(09:33):
meeting.
You don't know how they'regoing to react.
You actually don't even knowwhat they want.
And it's that ability to enterclient situations, the market,
dealing with other agents thatyou need to bring that
confidence, without being acontrol freak, without being a
type A crazy person.
And it's also having that trustthat you know you can handle

(09:55):
whatever comes your way.
And I feel like that definitelycomes with experience.
I know that after you've done20, 100 deals, 500 deals, you
just jump in there with that biglady energy and you know you've
got it.
No matter what's coming yourway, you've got it.
And getting to that point inyour career is so wonderful.

(10:17):
But improv comedy also helpedme with that, because there's
nothing scarier than jumping ona stage and not knowing what
you're going to say Nothingscarier.
And so there is just somethingabout being in the moment and
just letting it flow, which isreally fun and also scary AF.
But this is the thing.

(10:37):
Our clients aren't even lookingfor us to be know-it-alls, they
are really just looking for usto be the calm, confident leader
who's able to guide themthrough the mess that is a real
estate transaction.
So I think it's so importantthat you have that confidence,
again, without being supercontrolling, because confidence

(11:01):
isn't necessarily knowingeverything or knowing all the
answers.
It's just knowing that you'llbe able to figure it out.
And my last point it's numberfive is that humor heals
everything.
I love laughing.
Laughing is so fun.
There is nothing like makingpeople laugh.
That reminds you that peoplejust want to feel good, like,

(11:23):
they want to be seen, they wantto enjoy the experience.
I really think that this wasone of my differentiators in
terms of my clients.
I, like all of my onlinereviews, were that like Lindsay
was just like a blast to hangout with Not trying to toot my
own horn, but just making peoplelaugh.
Hang out with Not trying totoot my own horn, but just

(11:44):
making people laugh.
There is literally nothingbetter in my eyes.
I love being funny and I lovemaking people laugh.
It makes me so happy.
So humor is a huge asset in realestate.
It can diffuse tension, it canbuild connection.
It also makes you supermemorable and, honestly, it can
be a relief release valve interms of keeping you sane.
It makes it so things may notbe stressful, like I have a very

(12:08):
sarcastic sense of humor and soI would say things that I
probably shouldn't have beenable to get away with saying and
people tell me such.
But because it makes peoplelaugh and it's a little
ridiculous, it honestly peopleloved it and it just ridiculous.
It honestly people loved it andit just helps you build the
connections with those people.
So I'm not saying you have tobe a comedian, but it's about

(12:31):
being a human being and lettingyour personality lead the way,
because you have a personalityand everyone has their own sense
of humor, whether it's dry,whether it's sarcastic, whether
it's blunt or just like bubblyand cute and funny.
Everyone has their own sense ofhumor and I'm just here to tell

(12:53):
you don't be afraid to be funny, don't be afraid to infuse
humor in situations, because ahappy, laughing client who is
entertained is going to be areferring client and who doesn't
want referrals.
So there you have it.
Those are my lessons on whatimprov comedy taught me about

(13:15):
being a better real estate agent.
I did not think that standing ona tiny stage in a black box
theater pretending to be a sushichef with no arms would help me
sell real estate.
But here we are, people.
Improv taught me to lead withempathy, be present, be flexible
and embrace my confidence.

(13:37):
It also really taught me how tostay grounded even when things
got really weird and in realestate we all know they get
really freaking weird.
So, whether you've been onstage or not, I encourage you to
start practicing yes and listenmore pivot often and lead with
your full, authentic self.

(13:58):
Real estate is not a script.
It is a stage and you don'thave to know every single line.
You just have to show up asyour best, fullest, authentic
self.
I really hope that you had alittle bit of fun listening to
this episode, if you feel likethere's a real estate agent who
could use it, please feel freeto forward, and until then I

(14:22):
hope that you stay happy.