Michelle Lenahan- Top Thoughts From an SVP National Marketing Manager

Justin Stoddart  0:01  
Hey, welcome back to the Think Bigger Real Estate Show, I am your host Justin Stoddart and absolutely thrilled today to bring to you someone who is a friend of mine and an absolute icon in the industry in the real estate industry. She acts as the Senior Vice President, national marketing manager for Old Republic title. And I get opportunities to learn from her. And I thought today how appropriate it would be to share some of that and allow those that that tune into this show, get a chance to meet Michelle, and hear her sharing some really awesome stuff that she's learned in how many years in the industry, Michelle? 

Michelle Lenahan  0:36  
Oh, my gosh, I think I'm 23 now, can you believe it?

Justin Stoddart  0:38  
cool, coming up on a quarter century in this wonderful industry? And so first and foremost, thank you so much for taking the time and making the effort. I know, like many of my guests, video is not something that you love to do.

Michelle Lenahan  0:54  
So my kryptonite, it's my kryptonite.

Justin Stoddart  0:57  
You're, you're awesome at it. So I think everybody's gonna probably private message you in fact, if you have like, find value in what Michelle says today, will you please let her know do more video. Awesome. Let's dive into this. As as you know, Michelle is you've probably heard me say before, is it my mission and passion is really to help people think bigger and to help them as a result of that grow themselves so that their business can grow. You know, you and I both know that businesses don't grow, at least they don't grow sustainably unless there's the personal growth behind it. And I know for that reason alone, you've risen to the heights that you have. And the ability that you have the impact in a large degree because you're deeply committed to like developing yourself and constantly learning. And I love that about you that you like, every time I talk with you, you've got like, stories from your previous positions, stories that you're learning now. Like, there's always just something top of mine, that you're identifying a lesson, and then you're sharing it with other people? Did you have to grow into that and kind of learn that ability to, to identify, to start really picking out the lessons in life? Or have you kind of always been just a curious student like that, you know,

Michelle Lenahan  2:09  
what it's, it's absolutely at a time totally curious about everything. And I have to tell you, really, my passion is people, I love to learn and grow. And if there's one thing that I say, every single day, please let me learn from others. So I don't have to fall into the same pits that they fall into. If I can avoid one pit by learning from someone else, then that to me, is worth a million dollars. And so studying people and learning from them and seeing what's working and what's not. And just being super curious, I think, you know, people, people are so amazing, at every level, and there's so much to learn. And I love it when I talk to someone, and they sort of hit me upside the head and make me think differently. And that those are the moments that I'm that I pull from to say, how does this affect my personal life today?

Justin Stoddart  3:00  
I love that, you know, my, the signature question that I asked at the end of nearly every episode is, what do you do to intentionally think bigger? Like what like, how do you position yourself to where your possibilities are always expanding? And I think you might have already answered that question is, is it you're just a very curious student of what other people are doing?

Michelle Lenahan  3:20  
Absolutely. That, you know, I had a professor in college who said, Never make up a story. Because what people will tell you, it's not possible for you to dream up. We were actually doing a project where, to go out and interview people. And she said, Don't try to skip over this interview part. Because I guarantee you, if you try to write this paper without having done the work, I'll know it because you are not you can't possibly dream up what people are really going to tell you.

Justin Stoddart  3:52  
Isn't that interesting? And is that true in life to in business, that, you know, kind of fake and it only gets you so far, like you actually have to do the work. Now some people get lucky. And they, you know, lat like land a couple of big deals. But if you aren't doing the work behind the scenes, eventually it shows up in the business doesn't last like and you know, I don't even add to that if you're not growing into the person that can sustain that success. Pretty soon the tide goes out, and you're left without your shorts. 

Michelle Lenahan  4:19  
Absolutely. And I think Justin it's so important for you to learn it here. But you've got to learn it here. Because if you just learn it here, it won't translate when you learn it here in your heart. That's where the magic happens.

Justin Stoddart  4:33  
What have you found on that note? Before we get into the kind of the content of today, I'm fascinated by this topic, what have you found Michelle to take it from head to heart? is there some have you identified, like, what lessons go from here to here and how you get it to do that, any thoughts on that? 

Michelle Lenahan  4:50  
You know,

you really have to apply things to your own personal life. And the most important piece to get it to translate from your head to your heart is his judgment. And don't pass judgment, because I guarantee you when you're learning things here in your head, and you're trying to translate them if you're passing judgment, because we all learn and it there are many different teachers out there, and you read books. And if you're passing judgment on the things that people are doing, you're never going to internalize it, the moment you stop to say, this person is smarter than me or wealthier than me or the converse is, they're not as smart as I am, or they don't have as much as I do. And you pass judgment, that's when you stop learning. Because when you look at all of these people, is there something to learn at every stage, that's when your heart is open to be able to internalize that so that you really can get the message

Justin Stoddart  5:44  
that's cool, almost opening your heart to the people that you're learning the lessons from absolutely helps with that process. A lot of great stuff. And and and also, as you said, where you have to do it, right, like wisdom comes as you apply knowledge. And like you said, I think there's a there's a really practical component of everything that you learn unless you apply it, it's going to stay in your head and eventually go. But if you start to live it, then you as your soul starts to really buy into that, that this is my new identity this, right?

Michelle Lenahan  6:14  
Absolutely. And it's like, it's kind of like riding a bike, people can watch videos about riding bikes, they can hang out with Lance Armstrong, they can, you know, have a bike and dust it off and read all about it and watch every YouTube video out there. But at some point, you got to get on the bike, and you got to pedal because you've got to translate that from your head to the physicality of it. And you're probably going to fall and you're going to be off balance. And but don't delay riding the bike thinking you're going to study it and become a student. And then, you know, before you ever get on the bike.

Justin Stoddart  6:49  
Great points. I love it. And what a great segue into us having some really cool things kind of some cool conversations to talk about. So let's talk about for those that are going away for the ...