Professional, Personal, Powerful: How Leah Behr Built a High-End Brand Online

What if growing your real estate business didn’t mean cold calling, door knocking, or using sales tactics that don’t feel like you? What if the key to building a thriving business was simply creating genuine connections and bringing people together? In this episode of Moms in Real Estate, Kristen Cantrell sits down with Sarah Binns Crawford, a Charlotte-based Realtor and founder of Hello Culture Charlotte, to talk about how authentic relationships, community building, and following your passions can transform both your business and your life. Sarah shares her journey from working in property management for 12 years to taking the leap into real estate full-time in 2015 as a single mom. She explains how her referral-based business grew through genuine relationships, staying connected with people, and serving her community—not through chasing leads or relying on cold outreach. After moving to Arizona, navigating major life changes, and eventually returning to the Carolinas, Sarah found herself craving deeper female friendships and a stronger sense of belonging. That desire led her to create Hello Culture Charlotte, a community where women entrepreneurs can connect, support one another, and build meaningful relationships. Together, Kristen and Sarah explore how creating something you’re passionate about can open doors, spark conversations, and naturally attract the people you want to connect with. In this episode, you’ll learn: - How Sarah made the leap from property management to real estate full-time as a single mom. - Why authentic relationships can become the foundation of a referral-based business. - How to find lead-generation strategies that fit your personality instead of forcing yourself into sales tactics you dislike. - Why community building can create more meaningful conversations than the usual “How’s the market?” question. - How Sarah turned a desire for female connection into Hello Culture Charlotte. - Why you don’t need a perfect plan to start building something meaningful. - How consistency, visibility, and repeated invitations help people feel comfortable joining your community. - Why people may be watching what you’re building long before they decide to get involved. The big takeaway: You don’t have to build your business like everyone else. When you create genuine connections, show up consistently, and build something you truly care about, you give people a reason to know you, trust you, and want to work with you. **Connect with Sarah:** - Instagram: @Sarah.the.Sunny.Realtor (https://www.instagram.com/sarah.the.sunny.realtor/) Become A Hello Culture Chapter Leader: https://thehelloculture.com/ Resources & Links Join Our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therealmomsofrealestate Follow along on Instagram @heykristencantrell @momsinrealestate Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moms-in-real-estate/id1434458650 Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://heymire.myflodesk.com/momsinrealestate Become a Sponsor: https://heymire.myflodesk.com/partner

What if your best real estate lead generation strategy didn’t feel like lead generation at all? In this episode, Kristen Cantrell sits down with Cassie Roberts, a real estate agent, community builder, and Hello Culture chapter leader in the Denver/Castle Rock area. Cassie shares how nearly a decade in real estate has taught her that the one thing she can always count on is change—and how learning to adapt has helped her build a business that works alongside her life as a mom. But the heart of this conversation is community. Cassie has turned her natural love for bringing people together into a powerful part of her business. From school events and mom friendships to her annual golf tournament and Hello Culture gatherings, she has found ways to build genuine relationships while doing things she actually enjoys. Kristen and Cassie talk about: * Why sphere of influence continues to be Cassie’s biggest source of business * How community-building can become a natural form of lead generation * Finding business-building activities that actually fit your life as a mom * Why you don’t have to cold call or door knock if those strategies aren’t you * How Cassie turned a small golf event into a **seven-year community tradition with 77 attendees** * The importance of sticking with something even when the first few attempts feel like a flop * How getting involved at your kids’ school can create meaningful relationships and business opportunities * Why connecting with agents and entrepreneurs outside your local market can expand the way you think about your business * The power of national communities, collaboration, and knowing you’re not building your business alone * Cassie’s upcoming retreat and why she believes women need spaces for deeper connection This episode is a great reminder that everything big starts small. You don’t have to build a massive network overnight. Start with what feels natural, bring people together, stay consistent, and let the relationships grow. Because when you build a business around genuine connection, **the business can grow right alongside the community.** Become A Hello Culture Chapter Leader: https://thehelloculture.com/ Referral Room: Join The Waitlist: https://heymire.myflodesk.com/thereferralroomwaitlist Resources & Links Join Our Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therealmomsofrealestate Follow along on Instagram @heykristencantrell @momsinrealestate Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moms-in-real-estate/id1434458650 Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://heymire.myflodesk.com/momsinrealestate Become a Sponsor: https://heymire.myflodesk.com/partner

Host: Kristen Cantrell Guest: Courtney Kattengell Kristen sits down with Courtney Kattengell, a New Orleans-area broker and 20-year real estate veteran, for a raw conversation about building a 100% referral-based business, the burnout that brought her to her knees, and the deep personal work that led her to launch Righting Real Estate. Courtney shares how she went from a scripted, sales-y approach to real estate to becoming one of the most locally known agents in her market — and why she believes the most important home you'll ever work on is your own. In This Episode Courtney's path from public school teacher to 20-year real estate veteran, and the classic "match my teaching salary" story Her 15-year business partnership with Tiffany, and why so few real estate partnerships last that long How Courtney became the go-to, locally known agent in her New Orleans-area market through community involvement and cause marketing instead of cold calling or door knocking Why she's safely 100% referral-based this year, and how that business grew organically through relationships instead of ad spend The coaching moment that changed everything: a mentor telling her to stop calling strangers and start with the people she already knows Courtney's journey into burnout — chasing bigger numbers every year while feeling completely disconnected from herself The personal reckoning that led her into deep healing work: somatic therapy, Reiki, and a three-month shadow work process How losing a big commission (and the family trip it was funding) forced her to confront how much pressure she puts on herself as a breadwinner The birth of Righting Real Estate and her Inner Home Method — helping real estate professionals reconnect with themselves beneath the roles and the chase for the next transaction Why Courtney is officially launching Righting Real Estate at the NAR NXT convention in New Orleans this November, and what her immersive booth experience will look like A fun close: if Courtney could bring on any influencer or celebrity for a new business, who would it be

Host: Kristen Cantrell Guest: Danielle McKinley Kristen sits down with her close friend and Moms in Real Estate partner Danielle McKinley, a money coach and self-described "money shame slayer," to talk about the subconscious stories that shape our relationship with money — and why even top producers making great income still feel shame around it. Danielle shares her own money story, how she went from exiting a SaaS company to becoming a money coach and licensed life insurance agent, and why she thinks every agent should zoom out and build multiple income streams instead of chasing the next lead. In This Episode What it actually means to be a money coach, and why Danielle calls herself a "money shame slayer" How our money stories form between ages 0-8, and why most of us are unconsciously driven by beliefs we never examined Danielle's own money story: the moment as an 8-year-old that shaped her entire relationship with money Why exiting her company didn't "fix everything," and the sabbatical that led her to her life's work The five common money story patterns Danielle sees across new agents, mid-career agents, and top producers — and why shame shows up differently at each stage Why asking for help with money should be no different than asking for help writing your first contract Danielle's SEE method: See your story, Optimize your numbers, Transform through investing, and unlock freedom How life insurance, structured properly, can protect your wealth while you're still alive to use it Why Danielle doesn't buy leads and runs her business 100% on referrals How she "zoomed out" to build multiple income streams — coaching, life insurance, and now getting her real estate license to refer clients into Real Broker The money alarm hack: setting a daily phone alarm with a positive reframe to rewire your relationship with money through neuroplasticity Danielle's money story quiz and how to find your own patterns

Kristen sits down with longtime friend Amy Miller, a Phoenix-based Realtor who's built a six-figure business in nine years without ever making a cold call. Amy shares how she leaned into relationships and networking instead of forcing herself into activities she hated, why she's stayed in the same BNI chapter for eight years, and how she runs her business without a traditional CRM, including an unconventional hack using Claude to track client conversations. She also opens up about protecting her Fridays for time with her grandkids and the mindset shift that made her stop chasing what everyone else's business looks like. In This Episode Why Amy ditched cold calling and door knocking after trying them once, and leaned into relationships instead How she built her referral-based business through networking and her sphere of influence Eight years in the same BNI chapter, and why she evaluates it like any other part of her business instead of following the hype or the hate around it Advice for anyone intimidated to walk into a networking room: focus on one person, take a friend, and just get through the door Why Amy doesn't use a traditional CRM, and the email template system that transformed her client communication Her unconventional CRM hack: using Claude to log conversations, track prospects, and set follow-up reminders How she rates her own listing presentations by uploading the transcript and asking Claude what she missed Becoming a grandma in real estate, and why she blocks off every Friday to be fully present with her grandkids Setting client expectations upfront about her availability, and why that boundary hasn't cost her business Hiring her first TC, and what she's looking for in her next hire What "retirement" actually looks like for Amy, and the advice she'd give her first-year self about paycheck expectations "My business doesn't have to look like what anybody else is doing. I get to run it the way that I want." — Amy Miller