Breakthrough with Coach B – Details, episodes & analysis

Are you ready to take your first step towards your next breakthrough? Download our Resource Review to see where you invest your time, money and energy.
 👉 Download here

In this episode of Breakthrough with Coach B, we chat with my longtime friend from afar, Michael Waddell, a veteran real estate agent from Edmonton, Alberta. Michael’s story is a perfect example of the Breakthrough Method—the idea that in order to grow, we need to let go.

Michael was already a very successful agent, selling 60 homes a year all by himself with no administrative support. But despite his financial success, he wasn’t truly thriving in other areas of his life. It wasn’t until he finally listened to his second coach (not the first!) that he decided to get help in his business. And that’s when he discovered that delegation can be addictive—especially when it means offloading lower-value, energy-draining tasks so you can reallocate your time to business development and, more importantly, to the areas of life that matter most.

In the first half of this interview, Michael shares his backstory, and in the second half, he dives into the strategies and recommendations he has for anyone looking to get help and scale their real estate business.

If you’ve ever felt stuck doing it all on your own, this episode is for you!

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• ✅ Why Financial Success Alone Isn’t Enough – How Michael realized that closing deals wasn’t the same as thriving.
•  ✅ The Power of Delegation – Why letting go of tasks was a game-changer for his business and life.
•  ✅ How to Overcome the Fear of Hiring – Michael’s approach to getting support, even when it felt risky.
•  ✅ The Most Impactful Tasks to Offload First – How to free up your time for higher-value work.
•  ✅ The Importance of Creating Systems - How to build long-term success and sustainability in business.

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:

• “The undisciplined pursuit of more is often just an ego exercise.” - Braden Wheatcroft
• “I used to think it was a flex to have a full schedule; now I think it’s a flex to have as few appointments as possible and still do the same amount of business.” - Michael Waddell 
• “If we allow it to, real estate can become our entire being, our entire identity, every minute of every day. That’s all we are. There’s so much more to life than that.” - Braden Wheatcroft

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

• The Breakthrough Method – Learn more about the system designed to help you streamline your real estate business and take back your time.
• Wheel of Life Exercise – A tool to help you evaluate the balance between work and personal life and determine where you need to make changes.
• Lifetime Referral System – A calendarized marketing plan that helps you stay top of mind with past clients and maintain long-term relationships.

🔹 Next Steps:

• ✅ Subscribe and follow Breakthrough with Coach B for more game-changing insights
• ✅ Connect with Michael Waddell on Instagram
• ✅  Learn more about our brokerage: RE/MAX Camosun | RE/MAX Nanaimo

🔹 Connect with Us:

🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft

Breakthrough with Coach B – Episode 001: What Is the Breakthrough Method?

🎙️ Hosted by: Braden Wheatcroft
🎧 Special Guests: Vincent Baart & Adrian MacLaren – City Nest Team, RE/MAX Camosun

🔹 Episode Summary:

Welcome to the very first episode of Breakthrough with Coach B! In this kickoff episode, Braden Wheatcroft slides into the guest seat as Vincent Baart and Adrian MacLaren take the mic to pick his brain on anything and everything  Breakthrough Method. That is, Braden’s powerful framework designed to help real estate professionals work less, earn more, and build a business they love.

Braden shares the three key principles that help agents hone in on their business sweet spot, why so many agents feel stuck despite professional success, and how to break free from the blue-collar “work longer, work harder” business plan. Real-life examples, tangible results, and actionable takeaways will leave you feeling empowered to begin your Breakthrough.  .

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ What The Breakthrough Method is and how it was developed
✅ Why working harder and longer is NOT a sustainable business strategy
✅ The three biggest things holding agents back from growth (and how to fix them)
✅ How to identify your sweet spot in business using a simple Venn diagram
✅ The three-step process to eliminate, automate, and delegate the tasks that drain your time and energy
✅ Real-life success stories of agents who transformed their business (and their life) by implementing these strategies

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:

💡 “The agents who have the most success—not just in deals and dollars, but in life—spend the majority of their time working in their sweet spot.” – Braden Wheatcroft
💡 “You can’t work 24/7 and expect to enjoy the success you’re building. The goal is to create a business that supports your life, not one that consumes it.” – Braden Wheatcroft
💡 “I didn’t make the David; I removed everything that wasn’t the David.” – Michelangelo (used as an analogy for business simplification)

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

📥 Download the Resource Review Guide – Your first step to identifying what you need to eliminate, automate, and delegate.
📚 Read These Books: Essentialism by Greg McKeown | The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss | Atomic Habits by James Clear
💻 Watch the How-To Video Series on YouTube 

🔹 Next Steps:

✅ Subscribe and follow Breakthrough with Coach B for more game-changing insights
✅ Share this episode with an agent who needs to hear it
✅ Leave a review – What resonated with you most?

🔹 Connect with Us:

🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

🔹 Episode Summary:
Let’s be real—most closing gifts are an afterthought. A frantic trip to HomeSense or a generic gift card that screams panic purchase. But what if gifting wasn’t just a nice gesture at the end of a deal? What if it was a scalable, strategic, and dare we say—profitable—way to grow your business?

In Episode 010 of Breakthrough with Coach B, I sit down with Vonny Fast, a 28-year Cutco veteran who has turned intentional gifting into a referral-generating machine. She shares about the business of relationships, the power of intentional gifting, and why learning to let go might be the thing that helps you scale your business.

Vonny started like a lot of us—grinding for leads, winging it without a database, and just trying to keep up. But somewhere along the way, she made a shift: from hustle mode to systems thinking. You can too.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
 ✅ Why what got you here might not get you to the next level
✅ The difference between 2x and 10x thinking (and why it matters)
✅ What “practical luxury” means—and why it blows gift cards out of the water
✅ How to build a client journey that actually builds loyalty
 ✅ When to automate, when to personalize, and how to stop being the bottleneck

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:
 💡 “Giving starts the receiving process.” – Richard Robbins
 💡 “Gifts for centuries have been a vehicle to show the value we place on a relationship.” – Vonny
 💡 “Impactful doesn’t need to be epic.” – Vonny
 💡 “Done is better than perfect.” – Braden

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:
 📚 Learn more about Vonny and Cutco’s gifting program 
📚 Read the blog post How to Use Gifting as a Business Growth Strategy (Without Overthinking It)

🔹 Next Steps:
 ✅ Sketch out your client gifting touchpoints (hint: don’t stop at closing)
 ✅ Pick 1 or 2 “practical luxury” items to have on hand
 ✅ Create a simple system—or better yet, delegate one
 ✅ Remember: gifting is about connection, not perfection

🔹 Connect with Us:
 🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

This week’s Breakthrough episode is a little different: I’m sharing the keynote I delivered at the 2025 RE/MAX Canada Young Leaders Network Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland—a talk that’s as raw as it is real.

It’s called Building a Lifestyle-Based Business, but it could just as easily be called How to Keep Going When You’re Burnt Out, Tapped Out, and Questioning Everything. I open up about my own mental health struggles—panic attacks, anxiety, depression—and what it means to be a “depressed motivational speaker” in a business that often rewards overwork and performance over well-being.

If you’ve ever looked at a top producer and thought, I want their numbers but not their life, this one’s for you.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why 9 out of 10 REALTORS® are secretly struggling
 ✅ How to set financial goals that actually support your lifestyle
 ✅ Why “balance” isn’t something you find—it’s something you do
✅ How to calculate your Effective Hourly Rate (and why it should guide your calendar)
✅ The 4 productivity zones: Swamp, Campfire, Climb, and Summit
✅ A simple exercise to get 10 hours a week back—without your business missing a beat

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:

💡 “Balance as a noun is make believe. Balancing as a verb is achievable.” – Braden Wheatcroft
 💡 “What good is a map if you don’t know where you are?” – Braden Wheatcroft (on goal setting)
 💡 “Awards and recognition are a pat on the back on the way to what matters.” – Braden Wheatcroft
 💡 “You need to let go to grow.” – Braden Wheatcroft

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

📚 Try the Life in 100 Dots & Wheel of Life exercises from the keynote
🧮 Use the Resource Review to calculate your Effective Hourly Rate
🤖 Access the custom GPT link to walk through your business/lifestyle math
🎓 Join the On Demand Academy for full access to Braden’s tools & trainings

🔹 Next Steps:

Or rather, first steps…

✅ Audit your calendar: What gave you energy? What drained you? What paid you?
 ✅ Write down everything you did last week—and assign a dollar-per-hour value
 ✅ Revisit your financial goals through the lens of the lifestyle you want
 ✅ Start eliminating low-impact, low-energy tasks (your “swamp”)
 ✅ Shift your time toward your “summit” zone: high-impact, high-energy work

🔹 Connect with Us:🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

 Let’s face it—most REALTORS® dabble in digital ads without ever seeing consistent results. This week on Breakthrough with Coach B, I’m joined by Andrew Fogliato, founder of Just Sell Homes, to unpack why that is... and what to do about it.

Andrew doesn’t sugarcoat it: if 100 agents are running ads right now, maybe one is doing it well. The difference? Strategy, systems, and knowing how to manage a lead once it comes in. We get into the nitty-gritty of ad spend, lead handling, performance vs. brand marketing, and why throwing $500 at Facebook just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Whether you’re new to digital ads or ready to stop wasting money on boosted posts that go nowhere, this conversation will give you the clarity and confidence to invest wisely—and convert consistently.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why most REALTORS® fail with Facebook ads
✅ What needs to be in place before you ever run a campaign
✅ Why boosting posts is a total waste of money (with one exception)
✅ The one question you must know the answer to before you scale: What’s your spend per transaction?
✅ Pro tips to stretch your ad budget (and avoid the 30% mobile tax!)

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:
💡 “You don’t need crazy complicated lead magnets, you need the right message in front of the right person at the right time.” – Andrew Fogliato
💡 “If you don’t have a defined niche, you’re leaving money on the table.” – Andrew Fogliato
💡 “If you don’t pay, you don’t pay attention.” – Braden Wheatcroft

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:
📚 Check out Andrew’s workshops at justsellhomes.com/workshops
📖 Read his latest marketing insights on REM
📲 Follow @andrewfogliato on Instagram for practical tips that actually work

🔹 Next Steps:
✅ Before running ads, map out your lead follow-up system—seriously
 ✅ Audit your current ad spend and ask: what’s my ROI per transaction?
 ✅ Subscribe to Breakthrough with Coach B for more no-fluff business strategies

🔹 Connect with Us:
🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

Are you ready to take your first step towards your next breakthrough? Download our Resource Review to see where you invest your time, money and energy.

 👉 Download here

🔹 Episode Summary:

This week on Breakthrough with Coach B, I’m sitting down with Brittney Ashley, the founder of Creative Dynamics Virtual Services. If you’ve ever said, “I just need a VA!”—you might want to listen to this first.

Brittney shares what needs to happen first to get a real return on that hire. We explore the difference between a VA and an Online Business Manager (OBM), how to know which one you need, and how a business audit can uncover the hidden inefficiencies costing you time, energy, and money.

We also talk pricing models, team structure, delegation fears, and what “fractional employment” actually looks like in a modern real estate business. This is about more than outsourcing—it’s about stepping into leadership and setting your business up to grow (with or without you).

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Why OBMs are more than just “advanced VAs”
✅ What needs to be in place before you hire help
✅ How to stop being a DEY (Do-Everything-Yourself) agent
✅ The surprising ROI of cleaning up your back end
✅ How to know if your business is actually sellable
✅ Tips to prepare for onboarding—from systems to passwords
✅ Why leadership (not perfectionism) is the real growth strategy

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:

💡 "A lot of people say that they need a VA but they don’t have the systems or procedures established in their business to utilize their VA." – Brittney Ashley
 💡 "We need to reshape the conversation from the expense of hiring to the investment of hiring." – Braden Wheatcroft
 💡 "As your business grows, your roles and responsibilities shrink." – Braden Wheatcroft

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

📚 Explore virtual support services and business audits at CreativeDynamicsVA.com
💻 Complete our free Resource Review to learn which tasks in your business are ripe for delegation 

🔹 Next Steps:

✅ Audit your own business—do you have SOPs? Would your business survive if you took a week off?
✅ Review your Visa statement and start collecting those logins and subscriptions—you’ll need them

🔹 Connect with Us:

🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

Are you ready to take your first step towards your next breakthrough? Download our Resource Review to see where you invest your time, money and energy.
 👉 Download here

🔹 Episode Summary:
 This week on Breakthrough with Coach B, I’m joined by my longtime collaborator and social media partner, Katie Dempsey of Brand Ambition. Since January 2022, Katie and I have been working together to keep my content consistent, customized, and aligned with who I am as a real estate coach and entrepreneur. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on what it really looks like to hand off your social media—and how to do it without losing your voice in the process.

Katie shares her journey from wellness centre marketing coordinator to agency founder, working with clients (40–60% of them REALTORS®!) who are ready to get serious about their online presence. We get into camera confidence, systems that save your sanity, and the mindset shift you need to make before hiring a social media manager. If you've ever felt stuck between “I should post more” and “I don’t want to look like a narcissist”… this one’s for you.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
 ✅ Why “letting go” of your social media doesn’t mean losing control
 ✅ The #1 mistake people make when hiring a social media manager
 ✅ Why content strategy has to be built with you—not just for you
✅ Tips to baby-step your way into video without cringing
✅ How Brand Ambition creates content that’s 100% custom and never cookie-cutter
✅ The difference between posting to stay visible and posting with a purpose
✅ The surprising types of content that perform best (hint: it’s not always you talking to camera)

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:
 💡 "The biggest mistake people make when hiring a social media manager is that they think it’s set it and forget it." – Braden Wheatcroft
 💡 "Your brand is a living, breathing thing that changes as your business evolves." – Katie Dempsey
 💡 "If you don’t feel confident doing your own social media, you may not feel confident having someone manage your social media either." – Katie Dempsey
 💡 "Document, don’t create." – Gary Vee

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

• 💻Check out Brand Ambition’s website to explore resources and workshops (hint: Social Media For Realtors may be a good start!) 
• 📚Read the Blog Post - Discover which level you’re at in the social media game, and how to hit that next tier without creating cringeworthy content.

🔹 Next Steps:
 ✅ Start by uploading something—even if it’s your dog in a sunbeam
✅ Experiment with Reels and carousels—especially if you’re still stuck on static posts

 ✅ Subscribe to my email list for more real-world strategies and inspiring convos like this one

 ✅ Give Brand Ambition a follow over on Instagram

🔹 Connect with Us:
 🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

Are you ready to take your first step towards your next breakthrough? Download our Resource Review to see where you invest your time, money and energy.
 👉 Download here

🎙️ Hosted by: Braden Wheatcroft
 🎧 Special Guest: Michelle Hawco – REALTOR®, founder of The House Mom, and leader of the Empowering Real Estate Moms Circle

🔹 Episode Summary:
 This week on Breakthrough with Coach B, I’m sitting down with my friend and real estate pro, Michelle Hawco, for an episode that’s going to hit home—especially if you’ve ever wondered how to build a business without missing out on life (read: time with your kids). Michelle started her real estate career at 27 – with no kids and a ton of hustle. Fast forward to today: she’s got four homeschooled kids, a thriving real estate business, a team that includes a virtual assistant, and more freedom than ever. And she didn’t get there by doing things the “traditional” way.

We talk about the early days of grinding, her mindset shift around spending and growth, and how becoming a mom actually helped her stand out in the industry. From bootstrapping marketing to finally hiring her first VA, Michelle shares what’s worked, what didn’t, and how leaning into her identity—not hiding it—became her biggest asset.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
 ✅ Why Michelle built her business around motherhood—not in spite of it
 ✅ What it looked like to blend family life with client care (yep, babies at showings!)
 ✅ How she leaned into the “mom brand” and built real trust with clients
 ✅ What finally pushed her to hire a VA—and how it reignited her inspiration
 ✅ Real talk about the fear of investing in help before the leads are flowing
 ✅ How technology, systems, and time blocking gave her her freedom back

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:
 💡 "People work with people they know, like, and trust." – Michelle Hawco
 💡 "I acknowledge that my business and life would be better if I had help, BUT I don’t have enough leads coming yet to hire that person—that’s the chicken and the egg." – Braden Wheatcroft
 💡 "What I’ve noticed the most with hiring somebody is that I’m inspired again!" – Michelle Hawco
 💡 "When you’re in alignment with your values and your own integrity, you’re happy." – Michelle Hawco
 💡 "Technology is key to my freedom." – Michelle Hawco
 💡 "Lead with revenue." – Gary Keller

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:
 📚 Read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller
🔧 Check out Outsourced Doers – the VA company Michelle uses
👩‍👧‍👦 Learn more about the Empowering Real Estate Moms Circle 

🔹 Next Steps:

 ✅ Make a list of what’s not working—or what you dread doing—and delegate that first
 ✅ Block time for your business AND your family—both deserve structure
 ✅ Subscribe to my email list for more real-world strategies and inspiring convos like this one

 ✅ Give Michelle a follow over on her Instagram

🔹 Connect with Us:
 🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

🎙️ Hosted by: Braden Wheatcroft
 🎧 Special Guest: Ashley Metcalf - Owner and REALTOR on the Charlie Parker Real Estate Team in Nanaimo, BC

🔹 Episode Summary:

This week on Breakthrough with Coach B, I’m sitting down with my friend—and real estate rockstar—Ashley Metcalf to talk about something we don’t hear enough in this industry: boundaries, self-worth, and systems that actually work year-round.

Ashley used to fall into the same trap many agents do: when business slowed down, she’d take everything back on herself—being the Do Everything Yourself agent in the winter, then outsourcing all over again when spring hit. But everything changed when she stopped trying to do it all and started building systems that supported her no matter the season.

This episode is your permission slip to stop glorifying the grind. We’re diving into what it really looks like to honour your time, let go of tasks you’re great at (but shouldn't be doing), and build a business that doesn’t burn you out.

You don’t have to choose between a thriving business and a life you love. You just need a few good systems—and the guts to protect your boundaries.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• ✅ How Ashley built systems that survive seasonal slowdowns
• ✅ Why knowing your worth is step one in setting better boundaries
• ✅ How to stop doing it all—even the stuff you're “too good” at
• ✅ Tips for delegating without losing control or client trust
• ✅ A fresh take on what sustainable success really looks like
• ✅ Why hustle culture is tired—and what to do instead

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:

• 💡"There’s going to be a point in your business where you’re going to have to decide, is it really worth your time to be doing admin work?" – Ashley Metcalf
• 💡"Oftentimes the breakthrough comes after the breakdown." – Braden Wheatcroft
• 💡"Hustle culture taught us to believe that more is more, and I think that’s dead." – Ashley Metcalf
• 💡"Your clients work with you because they trust you. If you instill your trust in someone, they’ll believe you." – Ashley Metcalf
• 💡"People don’t buy you, they buy the standards you represent." – Charlie Parker

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

• 📚Read Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
• 📚Read When The Body Says No by Gabor Maté
• 📥Try the Effective Hourly Rate Calculator – Know what your time is really worth

🔹 Next Steps:

• ✅ Take some time to assess your current workload—what can you let go of?
• ✅ Build one simple system that helps you work smarter, not harder
• ✅ Check out Ashley’s website and connect with her on Instagram
• ✅ Subscribe to my email list for more tools, tips, and new episodes

🔹 Connect with Us:

 🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com

Breakthrough with Coach B – Episode 003: How AI and Automation Can Transform Your Business
 🎙️ Hosted by: Braden Wheatcroft
 🎧 Special Guest: Peter Kachan - Co-Founder of REALTY AI

🔹 Episode Summary:

Episode 003 of Breakthrough with Coach B dives into the wonderful world of artificial intelligence (AI) with guest Peter Kachan, Co-Founder of Realty AI. We are really excited to share this episode with our audience as AI is one of the many fabulous tools that informs the AUTOMATE phase of the Breakthrough Method’s ELIMINATE, AUTOMATE, DELEGATE and EXPAND lifecycle. Tune in as Braden and Peter share their insights into how AI can help increase productivity, boost conversion rates, and streamline repetitive tasks. 

To kick off this interview, we chat everything AI in the real estate industry, and in the second half, Peter shares his story about creating real estate’s newest AI chatbot and how it revolutionizes lead generation. 

Are you interested in AI integration, but you’re at a loss for where to start? You’ve come to the right place. 

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• ✅ Automation vs. AI: What’s the difference, and how do they work together to transform your workflow?
• ✅ What most agents fear about incorporating AI into their business. 
• ✅The top three categories of tasks most real estate agents automate. 
• ✅ The impact of AI on the real estate industry and where things are headed. 
• ✅ How a new AI chatbot tool called Realty AI is helping agents automate processes like lead generation to increase business conversions.

🔹 Bumper Sticker Worthy Quotes:

• 💡"Fear is a mile wide but an inch deep." – Alex Hormozi
• 💡"We all love the idea of getting a sale, but nobody (for the most part) likes to be sold to." – Braden Wheatcroft
• 💡"I don’t believe technology will replace agents, but I believe that agents that don’t embrace technology will be replaced." – Nick Bailey 
• 💡"You can double your business one of two ways: by generating twice as many leads as you have now, or by doubling your conversion rate with the leads you already have." – Richard Robbins

🔹 Resources & Free Downloads:

• 💻Explore RealtyAI - Visit the website to see how the platform can help streamline your business and increase conversions with minimal effort.
• 📥 Download the Resource Review - This first step of the Breakthrough Method helps you learn which business tasks you can automate to free up time to do what you love.
• 📚Read the Blog Post - Learn how you can start incorporating AI and automation into your business.

🔹 Next Steps:

• ✅Subscribe and follow Breakthrough with Coach B for more game-changing insights 
• ✅Start embracing new AI tools – and give yourself the grace to learn and adopt the tech slowly. 

🔹 Connect with Us:
 🌎 Website: BradenWheatcroft.com
📱 Instagram: @bradenwheatcroft
📩 Email: braden@bradenwheatcroft.com