In this episode, John Kitchens is joined by Gogo Bethke for a high-level, real-world conversation on where real estate, leadership, and technology are heading next.

Fresh off one of the fastest-moving years the industry has ever seen, John and Gogo break down how AI, automation, and social media are fundamentally changing how agents work, market, and scale. Gogo shares how she's leveraged technology to reduce her workload to 15 hours a week while increasing revenue—and why the agents who embrace AI without losing the human connection will dominate in 2026 and beyond.

This episode is a masterclass on CEO thinking, time leverage, social media strategy, and building a business that funds your life instead of consuming it.

• Why AI is collapsing time and accelerating opportunity

• How Gogo reduced her workweek to 15 hours without sacrificing growth

• Using AI as leverage—not a replacement for leadership

• The danger of trading hours for dollars in a scalable world

• How to calculate your real hourly rate

• Why saying "yes" to the wrong activities steals from your future

• The difference between good ideas and great ideas

• Creating decision filters that protect your time and energy

• Why social media will be the easiest lead-generation channel moving forward

• Short-form vs. long-form content and how each plays a role

• Using stories for daily connection and feeds as your digital storefront

• Why consistency—not luck—wins the algorithm

• Creating content without being on camera

• Using AI to clone voice, style, and messaging

• Turning social media into a shoppable asset

• How to create once and distribute everywhere

• Why human connection becomes more valuable as AI scales

• Building culture and community inside large organizations

• Celebrating agents, gifting, and creating belonging at scale

• Why unreasonable hospitality is the new competitive advantage

• Why lead generation will get easier—but closing will matter more

• The agents who will struggle vs. the ones who will thrive

• Why professionalism, negotiation skills, and trust are non-negotiable

• Adapting faster than the market instead of fighting it

• Expert Mentors Live 2026

• Go High Level – CRM & automation platform

• ChatGPT & AI Content Tools

• Giftology by John Ruhlin

• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

• The GoGet Community by Gogo Bethke
  
  

The future doesn't belong to the busiest agents—it belongs to the most leveraged ones.

AI will not replace great agents, but it will expose average ones. The agents who win in 2026 and beyond will be those who understand their value, protect their time, embrace technology, and double down on human connection.

As Gogo Bethke puts it: work smarter, lead intentionally, and build a business that gives you your life back.

• Instagram: @johnkitchenscoach
• LinkedIn: @johnkitchenscoach
• Facebook: @johnkitchenscoach

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time! 🔥

In this episode of the John Kitchens Coach Podcast, John Kitchens sits down with his uncle, Jeff Kitchens, for a powerful, principles-driven conversation on leadership, relationships, and building businesses that stand the test of time.

Jeff brings decades of experience across retail, finance, mortgage, real estate, and brokerage leadership—and distills it all into a simple but rare framework: timing, relationships, and follow-up. From sweating the small details to creating unforgettable client experiences, this episode is a masterclass in professionalism, long-term thinking, and leading with intention.

They also dive into recruiting, retention, mergers and acquisitions, exit strategies, and why most agents and business owners fail to treat their business like a true asset. If you want to build a real estate business—or any business—that creates opportunity, freedom, and legacy, this conversation delivers timeless lessons you can apply immediately.

• Why "sweating the small stuff" is the difference between chaos and consistency

• How standards, discipline, and professionalism compound over time

• The real meaning of customer service and unreasonable hospitality
  
  

• Jeff's three non-negotiables for long-term success

• Why timing beats pressure in recruiting, sales, and acquisitions

• How consistent follow-up creates opportunities years later
  
  

• Why internal recruiting matters more than external recruiting

• How to identify and avoid "hoppers" who poison team culture

• The small acts of recognition that keep top producers loyal
  
  

• Hiring people smarter than you—and why it accelerates growth

• How to read people, body language, and energy as a leader

• Why acknowledgment matters more than most leaders realize
  
  

• Why every business needs a "will" and an exit plan

• How to think about valuing your business as a true asset

• The hidden risk of building a business that can't run without you
  
  

• What motivates brokers and owners to sell—or merge

• The role of fatigue, timing, and clarity in exit decisions

• Why many owners don't actually know what their business is worth
  
  

• Why AI is a tool—not a replacement for critical thinking

• The shift from knowledge-based value to wisdom-based leadership

• How experienced leaders will win by questioning, not blindly trusting, technology

• Hug Your Customers by Jack Mitchell

• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

• Honey Badger Nation

• John Kitchens Executive Coaching → JohnKitchens.coach

Success doesn't come from chasing shiny objects—it comes from mastering fundamentals. Jeff Kitchens reminds us that businesses grow when leaders commit to relationships, follow through relentlessly, and treat people with respect and intention.

Whether you're recruiting agents, serving clients, or planning your exit, this episode reinforces a powerful truth: If you take care of people and stay consistent, the opportunities will always come back around.

"If you take care of your clients, they'll take care of you. If you're focused on taking care of yourself, you've already missed the point." – Jeff Kitchens

• Instagram: @johnkitchenscoach
• LinkedIn: @johnkitchenscoach
• Facebook: @johnkitchenscoach

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time! 🔥

In this episode of the John Kitchens Coach Podcast, John Kitchens and Joel Perso close out the Agent to CEO six-part series by unpacking the final and most critical milestone: The Leadership Flywheel.

This conversation is all about building a self-managing, self-sustaining team—one that doesn't rely on you as the bottleneck. John and Joel break down how elite leaders design lean organizational structures, recruit true A-players, and create leadership development systems that generate momentum instead of burnout.

If you've ever felt trapped by your team, overwhelmed by people decisions, or unsure how to scale without chaos, this episode delivers the blueprint for moving from operator to architect—and leading at the CEO level.

• What a flywheel really is—and why leadership must create momentum, not friction

• Why teams fail when leadership systems aren't intentional

• How leaders move from "doing" to designing the business
  
  

• Using the Functional Accountability Chart (FAC) to separate people from roles

• Why you must define functions before hiring humans

• How AI-first thinking reshapes org design and eliminates unnecessary roles
  
  

• What an A-player actually is (and what they are not)

• Why "job done 90% of the time within the pay range" is the real standard

• How resourcefulness separates high performers from everyone else
  
  

• The correct order: AI → VAs → Fractional → Full-time

• Why hiring out of pain creates long-term damage

• How modern leaders raise the talent ceiling while lowering overhead
  
  

• Why expectations fail—and agreements win

• How data-driven scorecards eliminate ambiguity

• Creating clear ownership so leaders stop rescuing their team
  
  

• Why leadership isn't just for managers—it's for everyone

• Creating micro-leadership opportunities inside your organization

• The power of daily wins, public accountability, and cultural ownership
  
  

• Why C-players burn out A-players faster than workload

• How to identify when roles need to split before performance drops

• Monitoring hours, opportunity alignment, and growth paths
  
  

• The Agent to CEO Framework

• Functional Accountability Chart (FAC)

• Honey Badger Nation

• John Kitchens Executive Coaching → JohnKitchens.coach

• Concepts from Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, David Marquet
  
  

You don't scale by hiring more people—you scale by designing better leadership systems.

The Leadership Flywheel isn't about control. It's about clarity, ownership, and momentum. When leaders design the structure, recruit intentionally, and develop leadership at every level, the business stops relying on them—and starts growing without them.

"You can't build a self-sustaining business without developing leaders. That's the flywheel." – John Kitchens

• Instagram: @johnkitchenscoach
• LinkedIn: @johnkitchenscoach
• Facebook: @johnkitchenscoach

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time! 🔥

In this episode, John Kitchens welcomes back powerhouse leader Brett Sikora for a deep, real-world conversation on intentional growth, leadership decisions, and scaling without chaos.

Recorded nearly five years after Brett's first appearance during the height of COVID lockdowns, this conversation reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his brokerage's evolution—from doubling down during uncertainty to building one of the most stable, scalable, and culture-driven organizations in the country.

Brett breaks down how real growth doesn't come from chasing shiny objects or expanding out of ego, but from clarity around avatar, disciplined recruiting, financial visibility, and relentless focus on developing leaders who create leaders. If you're a team leader, broker-owner, or agent thinking about growth, mergers, or expansion, this episode delivers hard-earned lessons you can apply immediately.

• How Brett leaned into opportunity during COVID instead of playing defense

• Identifying the right buyers and agents when the market feels unstable

• Why growth during hard times creates long-term leverage

• Why most teams grow by accident—and why that kills profitability

• The dangers of recruiting without a clear avatar

• How Brett filters agents before they ever join the organization

• Why part-time and misaligned agents drain leadership energy

• The numbers behind effective recruiting conversations

• How saying "no" protects culture, profitability, and leadership focus

• Why systems don't replace leadership

• The real power of one-on-one coaching conversations

• Shifting from leading agents to developing leaders who create leaders

• Understanding P&Ls before scaling or merging

• The hidden costs inside team growth

• Why knowing your numbers is non-negotiable for CEOs

• The mistakes Brett made expanding too early

• Why most expansions lose money before they make sense

• How to evaluate markets, leadership, and density before expanding

• The difference between a "sexy idea" and a smart decision

• Protecting A-players by not tolerating B- and C-players

• Why leadership energy must be invested where it compounds

• Building an organization where agents can achieve their biggest goals
  
  

• Expert Mentors Live

• John Kitchens Executive Coaching → https://johnkitchens.coach

• Concepts referenced:

  • Intentional recruiting & avatar clarity

  • Leadership development through coaching

  • Financial discipline and P&L awareness

  • Expansion strategy vs. ego-driven growth
    
    

Growth doesn't come from adding more people—it comes from making better decisions.

The teams that win long-term are led by CEOs who know when to say no, who they're building for, and how to invest their time where it creates the most leverage. Expansion, recruiting, and scale only work when they're rooted in clarity, leadership, and discipline—not ego.

"If it's not a hell yes, it's a no. And knowing when to say no might be the most powerful leadership skill you have."

• Instagram: @johnkitchenscoach
• LinkedIn: @johnkitchenscoach
• Facebook: @johnkitchenscoach

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies from the top minds. See you next time! 🔥