Episodes

  • Next Level Truths (Part 1): You Don't Have a Leads Problem, You Have a Conversion Problem

    Next Level Truths (Part 1): You Don't Have a Leads Problem, You Have a Conversion Problem
    Mar 26 2026
    Most agents think they need more leads. Kevin Kauffman is here to tell you that's almost never the real problem. In the first episode of the new Next Level Truths series, Kevin breaks down one of the most recurring patterns he sees across agents at every level — and why fixing it doesn't require a new CRM, a new lead source, or a new strategy. This is a short, focused episode built around a single truth: leads don't create closings. Conversations do. If your business isn't where you want it to be right now, this one's going to hit differently. In this episode, Kevin covers: Why "I just need more leads" is the story agents tell themselves instead of facing the real issue The simple chain reaction that drives every single closing in real estate Why busy doesn't mean productive — and how to tell the difference The avoidance pattern behind why agents keep chasing new tools and systems How one team team closed 750 transactions in a small market by obsessing over one metric The 10-business-day challenge that could immediately shift the trajectory of your business If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start building real momentum, this episode is your reset button. Ready to find out what the next level actually looks like for you? Learn more about joining Kevin's team at nextlevelagents.com/exp. Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    19 mins
  • Second Year Superstar: Burning Your Backup Plan

    Second Year Superstar: Burning Your Backup Plan
    Mar 23 2026
    Andrew Ricks walked away from a doctorate-level career in physical therapy, sold his clinics, let his license lapse, and went all in on real estate — with a newborn at home and zero safety net. Less than two years later, he's closing four to five deals a month, landing $4 million listings, and building the kind of client relationships that generate referrals for years. This episode is for every agent sitting on the fence, keeping a backup plan "just in case," or wondering if it's too late to build something real. Andrew's story proves it's not about how long you've been in the game — it's about how seriously you take it from day one. In this episode, Andrew and EK dig into: Why removing optionality (burning the bridge on his PT career) was the move that unlocked his full commitment to real estate The early mistakes that taught him you can't outsource lead generation and expect results How he built a relationship-first client system using automations, personal follow-up, and strategic touches that keep clients connected long after closing Why chasing commissions early in your career is the slowest path to building a sustainable business The imposter syndrome that came with transitioning from medicine to real estate and how he pushed through it What it actually looks like to evolve from being a "realtor" to being a full-service advisor clients call for the next 10 years If you've been treating your real estate business like a side hustle or a fallback, this conversation is the gut check you didn't know you needed. Ready to build something that lasts? Learn more about what eXp and the Next Level Agents community can do for your business at nextlevelagents.com/exp. ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    32 mins
  • The Beginners Guide to Podcasting: How To Get Started, Establish An Audience & Build a Community with Sarah Heeter

    The Beginners Guide to Podcasting: How To Get Started, Establish An Audience & Build a Community with Sarah Heeter
    Mar 19 2026
    In today’s special episode of Next Level Agents, we’re putting our very own podcast producer, Sarah Heeter in the hot seat! As podcasting continues to explode, you’ve probably wondered if you need to start your own, what you would make your podcast about, and if you need to be a super tech nerd to launch. Sarah is here to answer these questions, and more, and provide a roadmap for turning your podcast idea into a reality. Sarah Heeter is a full service podcast producer and strategic consultant. She is the host of Big Brave Business, a podcast about leadership and business ethics. Sarah loves to help people strategically launch, grow, and monetize podcasts in order to expand their audience, establish their expertise, and make more money. Whether you want to build a deeper audience connection, establish your expertise, have great conversations about your passions, make money (or all the above), a podcast is an insanely powerful branding weapon. Having influence, and a strong know, like and trust factor in real estate is key. What accomplishes that more than a podcast? Guest Info Sarah K. Heeter transforms ambitious voices into influential platforms as CEO of Podfox Media, architect of 5,000+ episodes with millions of downloads worldwide. Her strategic guidance has launched multiple shows into the global top 1%, converting podcast success into bestselling books and thriving businesses. Host of Big Brave Business (top 2% globally), Sarah's expertise empowers creators to build authority platforms that convert listeners into revenue-generating communities. Website: ⁠https://podfoxmedia.com Sarah’s podcast about podcasting: https://bigbravebusiness.com/listen Learn more about hosting your own podcast: ⁠Launchmyshow.com⁠ Follow Sarah on Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/sarahkheeter⁠
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    34 mins
  • Do you have a business or a job?

    Do you have a business or a job?
    Mar 16 2026
    Most real estate agents are told the same lie: sell more, do more, hustle harder — and eventually, freedom will follow. But what if scaling your production is actually just scaling your stress? Kevin Kauffman gets real about the trap that catches even the top producers in the industry, and why the question you're asking about your business might be the very thing keeping you stuck. This episode is a mindset reset. Kevin breaks down the difference between transactions and ownership, hustle and duplication, and what it actually means to build something that pays you for decisions you made years ago — not the effort you're putting in today. In this episode: Why the top producers in real estate are often the least free — and what that tells us about how most agents are building their businesses The single question that changed everything for Kevin: "How does this work without me?" Transactions vs. ownership — and why restarting at zero every month is a choice, not a requirement Why your talent, charisma, and hustle don't scale — but simple, boring, repeatable systems do The compounding recruiting model: what it looks like to add one to two quality agents a month and build real leaders over time The identity shift that separates producers from builders — and why it's the hardest (and most important) move you'll make If you're done grinding for dollars that stop the moment you stop working, this episode is your next step. The game changes the moment you're no longer required for every dollar — and Kevin shows you exactly how to get there. Learn more about building with Next Level Agents at nextlevelagents.com/exp. ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    14 mins
  • Your Calendar Dictates Your Income: Why Busy Agents Stay Broke

    Your Calendar Dictates Your Income: Why Busy Agents Stay Broke
    Mar 12 2026
    You're working hard. Your calendar is packed, your phone doesn't stop, and by Friday you're completely wiped out — but your business doesn't feel like it moved an inch. That's not a hustle problem. That's a clarity problem. In this solo episode, Kevin Kauffman breaks down a framework — inspired by his friend and business partner Brian Gubernick — that separates agents who grind forever from agents who actually grow. It's called the energy audit combined with a leverage audit, and it's one of the most honest diagnostic tools you can run on your own business right now. What's covered: The difference between "true drains" and "growth discomfort" — and why mixing them up keeps your business stuck How to assign a dollar value to every task on your plate and what most agents discover when they do The "collision point" framework: how to identify what to eliminate, delegate, or automate immediately Why high performers design their week around $1,000/hour activities first — and fit everything else around that The Gary Keller principle Kevin learned early in his career: never let current business get in the way of new business A 30-minute challenge you can do this week to start reclaiming your time right now Ready to audit your week and build a business that actually grows? Learn more about what Kevin and the Next Level Agents crew are building at nextlevelagents.com/exp. Referenced in this episode: Brian Gubernick's No Days Off podcast: nodaysoff.com ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    20 mins
  • Why Most Agents Fail in Tough Markets

    Why Most Agents Fail in Tough Markets
    Mar 9 2026
    The market doesn't care about your excuses — and honestly, neither do the agents who are winning right now. In this episode, Kevin Kauffman and Erik Kelly get real about what's actually separating the agents who are thriving from the ones who are barely surviving, and it has nothing to do with interest rates or inventory. This one's a no-fluff, straight-talk conversation about consistency, mastery, mental health, and the kind of human connection that builds a business that lasts through every market cycle. If you've been waiting for the market to "get easier" before you go all in, this episode is going to challenge that thinking hard. What we get into: Why the market cycle is never the real problem — and what actually is The difference between agents who had their best year ever in 2024 and those who had their worst (hint: same market) Why waiting for rates to drop might be the trap you don't see coming The Tiger Woods and Paul Skenes approach to skill-building that most agents will never commit to Why 7 out of 10 agents didn't sell a single home last year — and the mindset shift that changes that How to consult instead of pitch, and why it's the communication skill that closes more deals The consistency principle that predicts your income better than any market report Mental health, human connection, and why going deeper in conversation might be the most underrated business strategy in real estate right now If this episode hit home, you're probably the kind of agent who's ready to stop waiting and start building — regardless of what the market is doing. That's exactly who we built Next Level Agents for. Learn more about what we're doing at eXp and how to plug in at nextlevelagents.com/exp. ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    49 mins
  • How eXp's Chief Learning Officer Is Rewriting Agent Training and Why Most Brokerages Are Getting It Wrong

    How eXp's Chief Learning Officer Is Rewriting Agent Training and Why Most Brokerages Are Getting It Wrong
    Mar 5 2026
    Most real estate training tells agents what to do. Bryon Ellington, Chief Learning Officer of eXp Realty, is building something different — training that actually gets agents into action, backed by real data from real producers who are crushing it right now. In this episode, Kevin Kauffman sits down with Bryon to go deep on eXp University's FastCap program, the Elite Solo Agent Mastermind, and a brand-new lead generation training series that interviewed dozens of top agents to find the repeatable systems behind their success. Whether you're brand new, relaunching, or ready to scale from $5M to $10M, there's a path being built specifically for where you are. What We Cover Why traditional new agent training fails — and what eXp did differently to build FastCap The data behind FastCap: how average completers rack up 3.6 appointments and 1.9 agreements in just six weeks How a partnership with Realty.com is putting live seller leads in the hands of brand new agents — and the results that followed Why 71% of agents did zero or one deal last year, and what the industry needs to do about it The open house strategy most agents are completely missing (hint: the open house isn't the event — it's the excuse) Four totally different door-knocking and open house approaches from top producers, and why all of them work The "10 ponds" lead generation framework that helps agents fish beyond the MLS What the Elite Solo Agent Mastermind offers experienced agents who feel overlooked at most brokerages Why the best training content doesn't come from the most successful agents — it comes from people just two or three steps ahead of you How to use Instagram Stories to document every transaction without ever turning the camera on yourself Ready to level up? Whether you're just getting started or scaling past your current ceiling, the tools are already built — and if you're with eXp, they're free. Plug in, do the work, and go get different. Explore the Lead Mastery Agent Playbooks mentioned in this episode: https://www.expuniversity.com/agentplaybooks Learn more about joining eXp and the Next Level Agents community: https://nextlevelagents.com/exp/ ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    45 mins
  • Why Most Real Estate Agents Will Never Have True Freedom (And What to Do About It)

    Why Most Real Estate Agents Will Never Have True Freedom (And What to Do About It)
    Mar 2 2026
    You're busy. You're closing deals. You might even be making great money. But are you actually building toward freedom — or just building a faster treadmill? Kevin Kauffman sits down with returning guest and real estate veteran Chris Bowers for a raw, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to get to the next level in both production and building residual income through recruiting at eXp Realty. Chris has been chasing a specific goal for six years — $50,000 a month in passive income — and he's getting close. But what makes this episode hit different is the moment he realizes mid-conversation that it was never about the money at all. It's about time. And that distinction changes everything about how you approach your business. Key themes from this episode: The difference between flexibility and actual freedom — and why most agents are lying to themselves about which one they have Why the number of no's you get in recruiting is directly tied to the income you make — and how to get emotionally ready to handle more of them How clarity on your "one thing" makes tactics irrelevant — and why the agents who win aren't necessarily the smartest, just the most focused The ego risk of building at eXp vs. the capital risk of traditional brokerage ownership — and which one is actually harder to swallow What happens when you hit 200 agents in your organization and realize what got you there won't get you to the next level Why vision without daily action is just daydreaming — and how to close the gap between the life you want and the one you're actually living If you've been telling yourself you don't have time to recruit, this episode is a direct challenge to that story. Chris and Kevin break down why recruiting isn't a separate business — it IS the business — and how 30 focused minutes a day can change your financial trajectory more than another year of grinding production. Ready to learn more about what building at eXp could look like for you? Head to nextlevelagents.com/exp to get the full picture. ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ratethispodcast.com/nla⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    50 mins