Show Notes
Shawna Morales is a Billings, MT real estate broker, mom, and community builder. In today's episode, we sit down with Shawna Morales in Billings, Montana for a conversation about learning to believe in yourself, breaking the cycles she grew up around, and building a business and a family at the same time. Along the way, she walks us through the moment she froze outside an ESPN broadcasting tryout and drove away, the mentor who handed her the keys to 36 rental units when she was just 17, and how she and Wes built a life completely backwards (kids before marriage, a business before either) while scaling to two brokerages and a multi million dollar apparel company on the side.
Key Moments and Highlights:- Being raised by her grandparents and learning from their examples - Getting counted out early and turning it into fuel - Working in a dementia care unit and what it taught her about showing up for people - Freezing outside an ESPN broadcasting tryout and driving away - Moving home to care for her parents and starting over in real estate from scratch - Meeting Wes and building a family and a business - The mentor who trusted her with 36 rental units at 17 - Giving back however you feel called to
This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show about fear, family, and figuring it out as you go. If you've ever felt like your path doesn't look the way it's "supposed to," Shawna's story is proof that showing up anyway is what actually builds something real.
Thanks for listening. Be Where Your Feet Are.
Links From the Episode: Family Promise (Easter basket outreach organization): https://familypromiseyv.org/ Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612680011?lv
Find Shawna:Shawna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnamorales406/ Engel & Völkers Billings: https://www.shawnamoralesrealtor.com/
Follow The Garden: Instagram: @thegarden.podcast TikTok: @thegarden.podcast
Follow Drew Korf: Instagram: @drewkorf TikTok: @drew.korf
Episode Chapters: 00:00 – Intro and the "here we go" mentality 00:33 – Growing up loved, raised by her grandparents 06:52 – The family that showed her a different side of life 09:01 – Being counted out early and what it built in her 11:46 – Chasing modeling, travel, and searching for her lane 16:14 – Working in a dementia care unit 19:03 – From caregiving to the MC and hosting years 22:06 – Freezing outside the ESPN tryout 24:00 – Wes, self-belief, and letting go of the chip on her shoulder 27:33 – What real confidence actually feels like 29:57 – Building a blended family with Max, Cece, and Milan 32:29 – Revisiting the day she didn't walk through the door 37:52 – Coming home when her dad got sick 40:09 – Getting her real estate license and learning it the hard way 41:18 – Choosing family over the spotlight45:22 – Meeting Wes at the fights 48:07 – Kids first, marriage later: building a life out of order 51:38 – Managing big risk while raising a young family 55:38 – Telling her dad she was pregnant 58:07 – Juggling motherhood, 36 rentals, and a multi million dollar business 1:00:33 – Buying their first properties and grinding for five years 1:04:39 – Coaching a young agent through his own fear 1:08:14 – The mentor who handed her the keys to 36 units at 17 1:11:29 – Why the honest people in your corner matter most 1:12:26 – Helping a young agent push past self-doubt 1:15:35 – Taking in a teenager who needed a home 1:23:02 – Balancing big risk with a young family 1:26:15 – Growing up in a fifth-wheel trailer and giving back through Easter baskets 1:30:26 – Raising grounded kids in a life of abundance 1:34:57 – Building two brokerages and dreaming without a ceiling 1:38:26 – What success looks like now 1:42:29 – A letter to little Shawna 1:46:13 – Closing thoughts
More from The Garden
Tyler Dusty is a marketing entrepreneur and growth partner at GrowRev.
Brian Wilkerson is the founder of CrossFit Casual in Boise, ID. In today's episode, we sit down with Brian Wilkerson in Boise, Idaho. Brian is a 26 year old born-entrepreneur who went from selling paracord bracelets in 7th grade to building CrossFit Casual into a gym of 275+ members in just a couple of years. We talk about being shameless in business, why a gym might be the best third space we have left, and what comes after you hit the goal you set.
Ivan James is a relationship and embodiment coach.
Merlin Lipin is a Realtor in Billings, Montana. In today's episode, we sit down with Merlin Lipin in Billings, MT, a dual citizen who chased a golf scholarship from Belgium to Montana and built a career as one of the state's top real estate agents. We talk jack of all trades versus master of one, the ego inside passion, and trusting your gut instead of white knuckling life. Merlin opens up about the best round of golf he ever played, which felt like relief instead of joy, the year he burned out on real estate the same way he burned out on golf, and why he refuses to set a single sales goal anymore. Key Moments and Highlights: Growing up a dual citizen between Belgium and America The golf scholarship that brought him to Montana Realizing golf was tied to his ego His best round of golf ever, and why it felt like relief, not joy Jack of all trades versus master of one, on purpose Passion versus obsession, and the line between them The identity crash when sports, or any title, gets taken away Burning out on real estate the same way he burned out on golf Why he skips sales goals and focuses on daily inputs instead Defining intuition as a connection to your higher self
Yannick Bernard is a podcaster and the voice behind the Man's Search for Meaning Podcast. In today's episode, we sit down with Yannick in Austin, TX (our first episode recorded here). Yannick is a German-born former soccer prospect turned entrepreneur, copywriter, and podcaster chasing one question: who am I? We get into the retreat that broke him wide open, the year he lost everything, and why he moved to Austin with no job and a special mission.