Carmen Costa Real Talk

Treating others equally should be part of who we are in this day and age. Regardless of their race, sex, social status, disability, religion, or anything else, everyone should be respected equally.  Much to my surprise, I discovered recently this is still not the case. And so… I decided to do this episode of the Real Talk on this topic. Let me know your experiences on the comments below.

We are predictable creatures of habit, especially when it comes to our thoughts. For this reason, we all have a tendency to dwell on negative thoughts and behaviours. So, what can we do to stop these negative patterns? Watch this episode of Real Talk where we go over some practices.

Nowadays, there is a tendency to make “our truth” whatever is trendy on social media. What matter is your inner truth: that is the basis for everything. Don’t follow trends! This is the topic of this episode of Real Talk! Enjoy!

How hard is it for a human being to be decent? This week I witnessed an episode that inspired me for this episode of the Real Talk and it has to do with the fact that as humans we need to be decent beings. I always tell my team that in order to envision a successful life, they must take a break from all the bad stuff that inundates us on a daily basis through social media and reflect. What I witne...

A family culture is one of the secrets behind successful enterprises. To flourish, your staff needs an environment that encourages their input, has common values and goals, and has the ideas of teamwork and unity at the very core. Meet Lisa, operations manager, and Shannon, payroll and compliance for TCG Lending Centres. They are part of the reason we have a family environment at TCG and they’re m...

No views May 22, 2022 Being in the mortgage industry, one of the assets an agent can have is to be genuine and true: that is the secret to having a client choose you. Meet Christian Baranowski, our Team Lead/Mortgage Agent, for Fonthill, Ontario.  Christian is a true leader and a genuine human being who loves what he does and loves helping people. He’s a believer of the “light air philosophy” and...

Real Talk is a podcast about all the things I am passionate about! From my career to my personal experiences and everything in between, I love sharing my thoughts with you, I love talking to my team and introducing them to you; I simply love what I do!  So, what motivates me? What makes me enjoy doing this podcast so much? The answers to these questions are in this episode. Hope you enjoy it as mu...

“Don't let fear stop you.” You're probably familiar with this common wisdom.  Truth is human beings experience fear at some points throughout their lives. While it’s completely fine to feel afraid during certain situations in your life, you must take serious actions to build courage if your fears prevent you from reaching your goals.  This is the theme of this episode. Listen and let me kn...

Gratitude. It goes hand in hand with abundance! This should be part of your morning routine. It's giving thanks for everything you have.  The sense of entitlement lately is out of control. You need to remember: nobody owes you anything. You are not entitled to anything… you have to work for it. What does gratitude do for you? Watch this episode of the Real Talk and let me know what you think (...

For many years now, my approach to the mortgage industry has been one of transparency. Lately, you’ve been seeing more and more people posting about transparency in this industry. Is it a new trend? Not really!  This is how I’ve always run my business from the very beginning. When I started in this industry, I found some grey areas when it comes to costs, splits, and the likes. Running a mortgage...

As we celebrate Easter, I thought I’d share a few thoughts with you, taken from some of the episodes I’ve done in the past:  Be kind to one another; how do you react to someone who doesn’t share your opinion? History repeats itself; have we been paying attention? Relationships and connections are important; have we been working on them? Sometimes, we are negative; what do we do release that emotio...

For a very long time, our industry was seen as “man’s world”. It was easy to believe women couldn’t make it. However, just like everything else in life, it is an industry for everyone to be in, as long as you’re passionate about what you’re doing.  Meet Chantal Driscoll, from The Mortgage Girls! Chantal’s story is one of inspiration. As a young woman, she made a difference in this industry by beli...

What happens when I sit down with one of my team members to talk about our industry? A great podcast episode! The best part of a dream is to turn into reality. To make our clients’ dreams become reality, we must treat them as family. This is the philosophy of Eric Spada, from the Spada Group Mortgages, who joins me on this episode to talk about the challenges we face in our industry and how we can...

What does death look like for you? It seems like a morbid question, but it’s actually one that has had my full attention lately. Those of you who know me, also know I am very spiritual. I like to stay grounded all the time. And the question of death, which in the past used to scare me, has become a calling for me. This is the reason why I just started taking the course to be a Death Doula. As huma...

Have you ever heard the saying: when you focus on possibilities you’ll have more opportunities? It’s all about choices and vision for what you want in your life. Focus on all the positivity, be optimistic when facing anything in life, even when it seems gloomy. When you are patient and you trust your journey, great things will happen.

Make a difference in your own way and spread information. Think about all the good things that can happen when you succeed in making your clients happy! This is why I have been investing some time lately in creating Tik Toks and Reels. Not only am I having a great time, I’m aware of how much information I can give to my clients. This is why I am also working with my team. Don’t forget to follow me...

Encourage the practice of meditation at work! This has always been one of my “mantras”. In a world inundated with distractions and overwhelming connections, it’s no surprise that stress in the workplace is on the rise. This is why it is important to provide your team with the tools and space to practice mindfulness! And this is the highlight of this week’s episode of the Real Talk where I go over...

Having a successful presence online depends on a great marketing plan. In our case, having a media room available for our agents adds extra value to their marketing strategies and gives them the freedom to record whenever they want, to create all the content they wish, and to position themselves in place of leadership. Want to know more? Watch this episode of the Real Talk.

“Today is brand new. Five years from now it will be built. Ten years from now I will match you.” TCG Lending Centres is now a reality. Through the chaos and everything, there’s a sense of happiness in the air and it feels great to be home. How does one deal with this chaos? How can we stay positive and centred? How do you respond to the ones who criticize you for launching a brand new brand? These...

How many times have we heard people say life is a journey? As you walk its path, you learn lessons, you face hardships, heartaches and joys, you celebrate special moments, you define yourself professionally. Here's the reason why I chose this topic for this episode of the Real Talk. Oftentimes, people tell me I have changed, I’m not the same person, and this observation isn’t always free of ju...

It’s undeniable that the big news this week was the trucker’s convoy. Coming to the office on Thursday, I had a chance to see it as it was going through Hamilton and a chance to chat with some of the people who were there. I noticed a sense of frustration among them at all the restrictions that have been implemented; they just seemed to be asking to have the freedom to go back to a normal life. Ba...

How do you want to be perceived: as a negative or a positive mentor? As we navigate through these difficult times, we all need to understand the importance of staying positive. Being a coach, an educator or a mentor is not easy, but it is the path you have chosen. As such, do you want to be seen or remembered as someone who was negative, who had a negative impact on someone?  In this episode of th...

As we continue through this journey of “staying home” I’m decided to dedicate this episode to the importance of mental health and what we should be focusing on. Being mindful is of the utmost importance during this time because if we don’t take a moment for ourselves, if we don’t pause, the stress will catch up to us and we’ll get depressed. It’s important to keep in mind that you do what you can....

After presenting you with an episode of all the good times we’ve had last year doing the Real Talk, the first “brand new” episode of 2022 reveals a bit more about the host of this podcast! Get to know Carmen Costa through a series of rapid fire questions we’ve asked her! An episode you won’t want to miss! We also invite you to comment below with some questions you would like Carmen to answer (whic...

What makes the difference in a team?  The level of transparency, honesty, compassion! These are some of the qualities I talk about with this week’s guest and a member of my team, Mitch Tychynski. Learn what motivates Mitch to do his best everyday, what he has to say about “numbers” and how he cares about every single client of his. This is another episode of the Real Talk and hope you enjoy it as...