At the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mark Dolan lays out a blunt truth: the highest ROI in your career comes from the hours you’re unpaid but not uncompensated. In this BLUE Talks session, Mark shares time-tested principles that took him from shaky knees at Toastmasters to a 40-year career in real estate, leadership, and coaching—without gimmicks or hype. You’ll learn why mastering scripts liberates you to truly listen, how serving your industry compounds into influence and income, and the one question that reframes work, marriage, and mastery: “What am I becoming here?”

Listen if you’re building a durable career in sales, real estate, or entrepreneurship and want practical habits that compound for decades.

• The “unpaid hours” that pay forever: practice, service, and stage time

• How scripted mastery frees you to listen, probe, and close with integrity

• Why board/association service quietly builds skills, mentors, and deal flow

• How Toastmasters turns fear into clarity, presence, and persuasion

• The Jim Rohn filter for growth: work harder on yourself than on your job

• A better question than “What am I getting?” → “What am I becoming?”

00:00 The freedom that comes from knowing what to say
01:00 Setting: MIT Museum & the real message
02:15 The four-letter word that wins: WORK
04:00 “Unpaid but not uncompensated” — the core idea
05:10 Example #1: Script practice and the 10,000-hour path
07:00 Example #2: Industry service, meetings, and real leadership
08:40 Example #3: Toastmasters—turning anxiety into excellence
09:50 The question that changes careers
11:00 Closing: Time-tested principles for ordinary → extraordinary

• “I was unpaid, but I was never uncompensated.”

• “Know your lines so you can hear your client.”

• “Don’t ask what you’re getting—ask what you’re becoming.”

If this helped, follow the show and share it with one emerging pro who’s serious about mastery. For coaching, keynotes, or the Time Tested Mastery workshop, visit TimeTestedMastery.com.

Top Big Bear agent and team leader Israel “Izzy” Barden joins Mark to unpack the habits that built his career—from grinding through down markets to running a multi-market team. Izzy shares his simple but ruthless 30-task daily system, the “two-year rule” for testing strategies, how he shifted from buyers to listings, and why real estate done right is generational wealth. Expect straight talk on work ethic, personalized client touches, faith-driven leadership, and what new or stuck agents should do today to get traction. If you’re serious about becoming a pro—not just holding a license—this one’s a masterclass.

If this episode helped you, share it with one agent who needs traction—and leave a rating/review so more pros find it.

Rich and Gina Thomas left successful careers in the entertainment and cable industries—including HBO and Spectrum—to reinvent themselves in Big Bear Lake, California real estate. In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, host Mark Dolan explores their journey from corporate sales to resort property sales, where the challenge isn’t selling a “need” but uncovering and fueling a client’s true “want.”

They discuss the steep learning curve of starting over, the differences between corporate sales cycles and the long timelines of real estate, and the lessons they’ve learned from shadowing, mentorship, and daily discipline. Rich and Gina also share creative prospecting strategies, how they manage seasonality in the Big Bear market, and their best advice for anyone considering a mid-career leap into real estate.

This episode is packed with insights on resilience, professionalism, and building a business that reflects your values and lifestyle.

• Website: bigbearhomesearch.com

• Instagram: @gina_t_bbrealestate

• Text or Call: 909.936.1464

• Email: ginathomasbigbear@gmail.com

New agents chase leads; pros chase consistency and character. In this conversation, Realtor Nick LaBate shares how centering his business on faith, choosing connections over commissions, and running a disciplined morning system took him from ~$6–8M a year to ~$25M—and why he’s now blueprinting a $50M year. We break down his 4:30 a.m. routine, prospecting cadence, how to remove drama from heated deals, and the mindset shift that made everything click.

• Connection > Commission: Put the client’s interest first. The dividends show up later—bigger and better.

• Consistency compounds: Daily prospecting beats the feast-or-famine cycle. Same morning system, Monday–Thursday.

• Belief drives performance: When your conviction matches your habits, results jump.

• Slow the drama: When emotions spike, step back for hours—not minutes—then solve.

• Design your day: Faith → fitness → family → focused prospecting → afternoon appointments.

• Know your why: A real purpose prevents burnout; if you don’t have it, pivot.

• Level up with systems: Buy back time so you can do high-leverage work (matching buyers/sellers, luxury focus).

• 00:00 — Why faith changed Nick’s business

• 02:45 — Work ethic origins: splitting wood for a first phone

• 06:30 — Credibility hurdles as a young agent

• 09:45 — Mentorship and “teach to fish” foundations

• 15:40 — Phones, mailers, sphere: the simple, hard stuff

• 19:50 — The belief inflection point (≈$8M → ≈$26M)

• 24:30 — 1% better daily; momentum and grace

• 30:10 — Perfect-day design: 4:30 a.m. routine & prospect blocks

• 35:20 — Consistency vs. burnout and having a why

• 38:05 — Next 5 years: systems, luxury, and a $50M target

• 39:50 — How to reach Nick & closing thoughts

• 4:30–5:30 a.m.: Devotional/prayer + light stretch

• 5:30–6:30 a.m.: Gym

• 6:30–7:30 a.m.: Coffee + quiet

• 7:30–9:00 a.m.: Family time

• 9:00–9:30 a.m.: Inbox, quick follow-ups

• 9:30–12:00 p.m.: Prospecting (phones + mailers/sphere/social)

• Afternoons: Appointments, showings, negotiations

• Friday: Work from home, family-centric, still touch the system

1. 60 minutes of calls daily (no zero days).

2. 100 mailers or 50 warm reach-outs.

3. Write your WHY on an index card; keep it at your desk.

4. When a deal gets hot, remove the drama—pause 3–4 hours, then re-approach.

• “Connections over commissions.” —Nick

• “You can’t do the right things over time and not get the right results.” —Mark

• “When belief caught up with my habits, my volume jumped.” —Nick

• “Take the drama out of the deal, and solutions appear.” —Nick

• Daily devotional / morning routine

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan sits down with Christine Lee—entrepreneur, faith-driven leader, and founder of the God in Business Mastermind—to explore how faith can radically reshape the way we build and lead businesses.

Christine shares her journey from skepticism to fully embracing God in her entrepreneurial path, revealing how prayer, surrender, and a faith-centered mindset have transformed her productivity, leadership, and peace. Together, Mark and Christine unpack practical ways to integrate spirituality into daily business life—including a three-step day planning framework that prioritizes divine guidance over hustle and grind.

Listeners will discover how letting go of control can unlock greater results, how fear often disguises itself as “productivity,” and why building a community of faith-driven entrepreneurs matters now more than ever.

If you’re a leader, entrepreneur, or professional searching for deeper meaning in your work, this episode is a roadmap for aligning business success with spiritual growth.

Find Out More @ https://www.seizethemarket.com/

California’s insurance market shifted under our feet. Insurance pro Brian Walker explains why carriers pulled back, why renewals exploded, how FAIR Plan + DIC actually work, and what agents and buyers can do inside the 30-day insurance window before closing. Practical, no-nonsense guidance for anyone buying or selling in high-risk wildfire zones—and a candid look at what’s improving.

The mortgage world isn’t one-size-fits-all—and guessing costs clients money. In this episode, lender Michele Town (30+ years in the business, known as “the gal who gets it done”) breaks down today’s loan landscape in plain English so agents and buyers can make smarter, faster decisions.

We cover the real differences between conventional (Fannie/Freddie), FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, portfolio, and non-QM loans—plus when adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) actually make sense and how private (“hard”) money/bridge loans solve short-term problems. Michele also demystifies PMI vs. FHA MIP, manual underwriting, recasting (lower your payment without refinancing), and practical tactics like paying down a small credit card to unlock a higher score. Bottom line: there’s almost always a path to homeownership if you match the person to the product.

• How to triage borrowers into the right lane: conventional vs. government (FHA/VA/USDA) vs. non-QM/portfolio

• Why VA can beat conventional—even with 20% down (no monthly MI; potential lower rate)

• When USDA wins (0–2% financed, rural, income-restricted) and the key “gotchas”

• FHA’s sweet spot for lower FICO buyers—and the streamline refi advantage

• ARMs without the fear: when a 7/10-year fixed period is the smarter play

• Jumbo realities: tighter DTI, reserve rules, and timing

• Portfolio & non-QM for self-employed or “outside the box” files (asset-depletion, using the stronger spouse’s score, etc.)

• Private/bridge money use cases (timing gaps, NOD rescue, deferred payments—what that really means)

• Recasting explained: apply a lump sum and re-amortize to lower the payment without changing your rate

• Why agents should loop in a lender early to compete with cash and write stronger offers (pre-approval > pre-qual)

Agents who want to speak confidently about financing (without playing lender), first-time buyers who need options, and self-employed borrowers who’ve been told “no” by cookie-cutter guidelines.

• Email: michele@micheletown.com

• Phone: (949) 510-9062
  (“Think yes.” If there’s a path, she’ll find it.)

If this helped, share it with one agent or buyer today.
Subscribe to Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell for weekly, no-fluff episodes on sales mastery, mindset, and transformation.

In this episode of Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell, Mark Dolan interviews Rachael Smith-Meadors, Broker Associate at RE/MAX Big Bear, on her journey from Kentucky to California, cutting her teeth in vacation rentals, spending a decade on a top team—then making the leap solo and thriving. Rachael breaks down the real drivers of growth: relentless follow-up, clear systems, creative social media, a disciplined morning routine, and coaching that fits your market (not generic one-size-fits-all “training”).

You’ll learn:

• How to transition from a team to independent producer without dropping the ball

• The exact early activities that created momentum: follow-up, old “dead” leads, listing checklists

• Why coaching > training (custom strategy beats canned scripts)

• The pillars approach to marketing: master a few channels, then add more

• Social media that stands out (borrow ideas across industries, don’t copy agents)

• Time-blocking and weekly planning to balance high production with family life

• Mindset for scary changes: plan tomorrow before you go to bed

Chapters (suggested):
0:00 Rachael’s backstory: KY → Big Bear
3:50 First deals, mentorship, and early lead gen
10:45 Ten years on a team—then the leap
18:20 Surprises of going solo (volume, systems, help)
24:40 Coaching vs. training: what actually works
28:50 Marketing pillars & creative content
33:40 Visibility, brand, and YouTube wins
36:30 Calendars, checklists, and family balance
41:50 What’s next: smart growth without losing quality

Connect with Rachael

• Website: buyinbigbearlake.com (and rachelsmith.remax.com)

• YouTube: Rachael Smith Real Estate — Living in Big Bear

• IG/FB/LinkedIn: Rachael Smith Real Estate

Connect with Mark / Time Tested Mastery

• Website: TimeTestedMastery.com

• Podcast: Time Tested Mastery: Life Lessons Sell

• Social: @TimeTestedMastery

If this helped you, share it with a new or rising agent who needs a no-fluff blueprint. Subscribe for weekly conversations on sales mastery, mindset, and transformation.