← Living Your Legacy
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- [00:00]
A
You know, for me, a catalyst was when my dad passed away and I realized this. I had this cathartic moment of the last 30 years. Went by so quickly. He was 30 years my senior. Maybe I only have 30 years left. And then figure out how to get there. And I think if you put good thoughts and actions out into the world, things will present themselves and you gotta sometimes take a leap of faith and go for it. So it all worked out on the right timeline for me.
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Diane Mills, a real estate agent with EXP Realty and Global Agents llc. With a powerful background in marketing and relationship driven growth, Diane helps agents scale their careers by combining strategy, connection and purpose.
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A
And if I can show people just by how I operate in my life and how I celebrate other people and how I lift them and connect with them, if I can inspire them in any way, then
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it spans the globe
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like a super high cold Internet Elvis.
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Ready for free. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until I win the Living your Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has happened. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, open Chicago with the legacy. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream. Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Living youg Legacy podcast. For Inside Success, I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is yet another powerful woman with another powerful story. Diane Mills joining us all the way from San Diego. Welcome to the East Coast. How are you doing?
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A
I am doing well, thank you.
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B
Diane, you're literally fresh off the production pipeline. How do you feel filming your episode?
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A
I feel great. I feel like it was really a natural process and it flowed well. I feel really good about it.
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B
Cool. What are we going to learn about you in your episode?
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A
I think you're going to learn about my journey. Where I began and where I've now arrived and where I'm going. Very cool. Really talking about my, my professional journey, my personal journey, how it's all kind of intertwined and how it's led me to the opportunity I'm now pursuing and sharing. So it's. I hope, I hope it's inspiring.
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B
Right on. Well, where do you begin? Before we figure out your why, your North Star, where does your journey begin?
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A
My journey begins and I was born in Los Angeles. My parents were, you know, wonderful good people. They moved us to Laguna Niguel, to Orange county when I was six years old. And I was raised primarily there in Laguna Niguel area. Went to, you know, high school in Dana Point. Public schooled, went on to go to UCLA, got married very young, 23, still married, and had my beautiful family. And that's where I began my days.
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B
I gotta ask, when you say, you know, born in la, there's a sense of pride there. What does that really mean when you're born in la?
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A
Well, you know, it's where my parents began. They both were born in Los Angeles, and, you know, they were both raised in East Los Angeles, kind of in the hood. Really came from modest beginnings. And they were inspired to want to create a better life for me and my brothers. I have three brothers. And my dad worked multiple jobs to move us to Laguna Niguel so that we could have a better, more kind of community upbringing in a less crazy environment than what they knew. And that's kind of what inspired that. So I'm very proud of the fact that my parents took us to a different location. I love my roots from la. I ended up going back there to go to college. And I love Los Angeles. I think it's a dynamic city. I love it. But I didn't want to raise my family there. I kind of wanted a quieter place to raise my kids. And so we did so in San Diego county, which was very much like where I gre.
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B
Right on. Talk about your entrepreneurial journey. What was that first moment where you sold your first piece of gum or something that triggered, hey, I can do this for a living. It makes me feel happy.
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A
Yeah, you know, I always had entrepreneurial dreams. My husband was an entrepreneur, and I supported him many, many years in his entrepreneurial pursuits. And I saw the windfalls, I saw the sacrifices, I saw the setbacks, all the different things that happened in his career path. He was in fast casual restaurants, franchising. So challenges there that we got through together. But I also saw that it was really a way to create your own future. And I really wanted to do that. But I was raising small kids in the beginning, and I also was kind of providing the stable, steady eddy income with 401k and all the things you get in corporate America. And I was doing that in the advertising side. So that's why I stayed in it for a long time.
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B
You know, for. For. For any women that are listening, since you, you know, you are a powerful woman in power. Woman in power. When you had your children, did you feel like, oh, this is it, I'm going to be a mom forever? Did you know, I'm going to be right back and hit this entrepreneurial journey?
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A
You know, I didn't know that I would necessarily pursue my entrepreneurial dreams because I was always a support to my husband. But I did know that I would go back to work at some point because I always loved working. And when I first had my first, when I had my son, I went back part time in media and then I took a hiatus to really just be mom for a while, which I'm grateful I did because those were vital years for my kids and I was super involved in their schools and all that good stuff. And then I knew by the time they got a little older I was ready to get back in the game. So it all worked out on the right timeline for me.
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B
What's your day to day like today? Like what's getting you out of bed? What's the communication like with your husband? Like what's your battle plan every day when you wake up?
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A
Well, I'm much more structured these days in terms of I've done a lot of deep work in the last several years since my dad passed away. Just gratitude work and really preparing myself mentally for my days. I get up early, I exercise probably four to five days a week. That's been a part of my life for many years. But it really helps me mentally and physically obviously. But it's just as important in the mental part of it than the actual physical gifts that you get from moving. But what I can tell you is that I'm very structured in that I really try to practice gratitude and map out my week, what I want to accomplish. I'm very excited about what I'm doing now. So I get up very energized and excited for every day and I feel like I'm in the best part of my life and I'm 58 years old.
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B
Right on. Yeah, I would agree with you. I snapped out of bed at 3:30 this morning full of energy. I'm like, what is going on? I've got three more hours to sleep. And I'm like no, I was just like pumped up. I'm like I've got to do something, something with this pent up energy. Like you know it's, it's not energy, it's more like divine download. And, and it's interesting to kind of hear that frequency and turn it into something that's actually in this reality. Talk about lives that you've changed, you know, you're. Let's hear about what you're doing day to day now.
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A
Okay, well I, I moved into real estate and I focused on growth. I come from a very robust marketing background so I was helping Matt the guy who brought me into exp, my friend and dear comrade, he brought me in and the thing with him is that he's an expert in the space. So I've been really graced to be able to have him mentor me. But it has allowed me the opportunity to share opportunity with other agents and help them grow. And the biggest reward has been in the recruitment space was bringing on Ross Stout, who's now a partner who, who I just cold called in the desert, did my due diligence, thought he was awesome. And I'm like, I want this guy in our organization. And basically I hunted the man. I mean, he will definitely support that, but in a good way. And I helped him see a vision and an opportunity with the EXP platform and he made the move. And it's been life changing for him and his family. They've since moved to Carlsbad. He grew from two agents to 100 agents to 80 agents out of the gate and as much as 100 agents. And he's just really thriving and excited. And now we're building together and it's been really dynamic and I'm so grateful that he's part of the equation now and he's become a dear friend and a confidant and I, you know, it's been really gratifying to see his growth and his excitement about what we're doing.
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B
Let's talk about your philosophies when it comes to recruitment and building your tribe and your team. I'm born and raised in Miami and things are done very differently here. And when I moved to the Bay and when I moved to the Bay Area and I spent a good decade of my life there, seeing how it's really, how it really works. I saw jumping from startup to startup, how recruiting, recruitment really worked there, how it was more about energy, feeling good vibes. It's less about what's on paper. Talk about your philosophy there, because I remember you mentioning that in your interview.
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A
Yeah, it's always about connection and storytelling and relatability. And I think people connect to people and stories more than they connect to numbers and data. That is a gift that comes with the territory and that's the byproduct of those connections. And then you get a great platform and you can utilize it and maximize it, but it's more about the connections you make with the people. And that's what it's all about for me. And my entire journey has been based on relationships. I've been built and I continue to build relationships and connect with people and that's what brings them over to EXP is that energy, that excitement, that passion that I have and I have true to life stories to share with them. Testimonials from people that have made the change, including myself and that, that does all the selling for you.
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B
Right on. Talk about the EXP name. Such a great name.
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A
Yeah. You know, it was really Glenn Sanford, who's a genius, who created exp.
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B
He came from a Glenn Sanford Genius.
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A
Yeah, Glenn Sanford spent genius, a lot of time with Glenn and he's a very humble guy and, you know, now a billionaire. And he built the company, was inspired by Keller Williams. He had a background in real estate. He did his due diligence in knowing that there was some deficits with that model.
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B
Sure.
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A
And he also was a tech guy and he knew that the world was going in the direction of, in the cloud. You know, that's where everything's going. Right. I mean, look at Amazon and Brick and mortar. Look at Yellow Cabin, Uber. Look at, you know, the traditional models that have gone away now with the, you know, the technological era. And it continues to be a moving target, continues to evolve and optimize and get better and better. And he had that. He was a visionary. He knew that was where the future was going. He knew that the franchise, traditional franchise model was not sustainable, was not profitable and it needed to change. So that's how EXP was born. And EXP was inspired by any word that begins with exponential experience, expedite. I mean, many different things that begin with that EXP represent the model and the things that it can do for people.
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B
Absolutely. What, what it's. Are you coaching, coaching folks or are you anyone you speak to and kind of helping them define themselves? That's like you have experience and that experience is valuable. Especially now with AI in the horizon.
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A
Sure.
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That, that human data, that human experience, that human frequency is going to be far more valuable now. Are you like with yourself, do you feel like you've compartmentalized your knowledge and go, all right, I'm going to monetize this and here's how I'm going to do it?
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A
What I can tell you is the experience that I bring to the table, the experience that any person brings to the table is really our value prop, our personal value prop. And I feel that what I bring to the table most is a robust marketing sales background, but more so the ability to connect with people, identify their needs and then help them fill the needs. I mean, that's the legacy of any great salesperson. Right. Whatever sector you're in. That's really what your mission is. And so what I do is I just talk to people, I learn about them, I listen. Those are the key things. And then you can really understand how you can best serve them. And sometimes it's not a match and that's okay. I mean, I wish people well. I know that everybody has to make decisions that are best for their families. If there's an agent here and there that leaves for whatever reason and goes to a different brokerage or leaves the business, I send them with love and light and wish them the best. I never hold grudges. I'm not a person that is upset if someone makes a decision that doesn't align with what I think is best for them. I think people are all on their own journey. And I support everybody's individual, unique journey.
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B
How do you, how do you support folks that don't understand that they're on a journey that they're yet to be awakened or become? Sounds kind of, kind of vain like you and I, but I mean like they just understand that things operate differently in a different frequency. How do you convert that knowledge into, you know, it's real estate and building a portfolio, doing your day to day hustle, knowing that there is quite a magic to the wonder of what we do called life.
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A
Sure, I, I think that again is such a unique individual journey for each person.
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B
I love it.
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A
But I do think that leading by example is the key for me. And if I can show people just by how I operate in my life and how I celebrate other people and how I lift them and connect with them, if I can inspire them in any way, then that's a bonus, you know, and hopefully I can do it by example. I don't believe force feeding anything is ever the right way to approach it.
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B
You definitely don't want to love bomb.
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A
Yeah, exactly right.
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B
How do you, what do you tell folks, male or female or non binary, whatever they choose to be. It's our lives that are listening to you or watching or you right now are like, I want to be her. What would be the very low hanging fruit? Easy win for them to feel that first kick of dopamine confidence. What would you say to them?
- [14:59]
A
I think it's always like digging in a little. And for me, a catalyst was when my dad passed away and I realized this. I had this cathartic moment of oh my Gosh, the last 30 years went by so quickly. He was 30 years my senior. Maybe I only have 30 years left. I want to make these years really impactful and I want to realize dreams that I've always had and I'm going to just go for it. And it was a real turning point for me. And I just encourage people to do dig in and to really examine what they want, what motivates them, what do they want their legacy to be, and then figure out how to get there. And I think if you put good thoughts and actions out into the world, there's an abundant world out there. There's so many opportunities. And when you look at it that way and you have your eyes open, things will present themselves and you gotta sometimes take a leap of faith and go for it.
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B
Diane, thank you so much for your time and energy. I'm so, so grateful to be sitting here with you. How can folks find you? How can folks learn more about you?
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A
Well, they can find me at a couple different places, but let's go with bodyatta.com and I have a profile on there. Homes.com will show all the homes I've sold on LinkedIn, LinkedIn and LinkedIn. Of course.
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B
We're huge on LinkedIn.
- [16:24]
A
Yes, I'm huge on LinkedIn. I've got a Facebook profile, of course, that I'd love to. You can come see me at Diane Romo Mills there. I've also got an Instagram mills for Diane. So yeah, come see me tap in. I'd love to connect with you and always feel free to reach out.
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B
Right on. Diane, thank you so much for your time and energy.
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A
You got it.
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B
I hope you had a fantastic time and a great session today.
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A
I did. Thank you so much.
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B
God bless you for inside success. This is Ray Gutierrez.