Epic Agents: The Best in Real Estate

Jamie Knight, a 20-plus-year real estate veteran and Epic agent in Lafayette, Louisiana, joins the podcast to share how a chance suggestion to get his license turned into a thriving referral-based business closing 35–50 deals a year. He opens up about the personal turning point—having twin boys five years ago—that pushed him to become more intentional, move companies after 18 years, launch his own...

Epic Agents Podcast – https://epicagentspodcast.com/ This week on Epic Agents, I sit down with two of my favorite local pros — Jen Foster and Barrie Rojahn of Foster Rojahn Premier Properties — for a conversation about the long road into real estate and why the "overnight success" almost never is one. Both started in Northern Virginia, crossed paths in Charlotte's multifamily world...

What if the first step to a calmer home (or a faster home sale) had nothing to do with paint colors or new furniture? In this episode, Jeff sits down with Amerika Young, creator of the Space Edit Reset, to talk about a refreshingly simple approach to resetting any room. Drawing on a background in architecture, interior design, and 14 years working on private jets – where every inch of space matter...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Daniel Phai, a top-producing real estate agent at Keller Williams Beverly Hills, to talk about what it's really like selling real estate in one of the most high-stakes markets in the country. Daniel shares how he got his start by Airbnb-ing the guest house behind his first home, pivoted through short-term, mid-term, and long-term rentals, and eventually bu...

Kristen Lueck of Compass and the Andy Bovender Team joins the podcast to share how a decade-long career in content marketing and PR — including negotiating celebrity endorsement deals for brands like Diageo, Tabasco, and Post Cereals — became the unlikely foundation for a thriving real estate business in Wilmington, North Carolina. After renovating a beach home and building a personal property, Kr...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Savannah Pope, a Coldwell Banker real estate broker in Asheville, North Carolina, to explore how her marketing degree from Western Carolina University has shaped a seven-year career rooted in new construction and residential sales. Savannah shares how a senior-year internship at a boutique Asheville brokerage unexpectedly launched her into the industry, and why...

Delaney Clarke is a REMAX United Realtor serving the Southern Maryland market – Calvert, St. Mary's, and Charles Counties. She got her start working as an unlicensed assistant for three years at a new construction community right out of high school, an experience she credits as the foundation of her success. That hands-on training gave her deep knowledge of how homes are built and prepared he...

Jeff sits down with Lynne Samone Mazin, a Compass real estate agent specializing in residential properties in Manhattan and the Hamptons. Lynne brings a unique background to the industry – spending roughly 15 years on Wall Street covering central banks, sovereign wealth funds, and major hedge funds before transitioning into luxury real estate.  Now nearly 10 years into her real estate career, she...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Heidi DuBose, a 19-year veteran of the Asheville, North Carolina real estate market now with Unique Real Estate Collective, a boutique firm powered by Keller Williams.  Heidi shares her journey into the business – rooted in a family of real estate professionals, shaped by a marketing degree, and refined through years in fine dining at Asheville landmarks like t...

Natalie Sterling joins host Jeff Hamm to share her journey from engineer and architect in Cuba and Spain to luxury real estate agent in Palm Beach, Florida. Now with Sotheby's International Realty at Royal Poinciana Plaza, Natalie reflects on how two formative years under a top Palm Beach broker served as her real estate "university," and why breaking into the ultra-luxury Palm Beac...

Megan Sullivan joins the podcast from Greenwich, Connecticut. With a background in hedge funds and private equity, Megan brings a financial lens to a market where the median sales price sits at $3.15M, average days on market is just 23, and inventory remains historically tight. She breaks down what makes Greenwich unique, how 41% of her transactions last year were off-market, and why getting the p...

Stephen McManus grew up in New Jersey watching his father scale a construction company, and that upbringing left a permanent mark — a commitment to craftsmanship, integrity, and doing the job right even when no one is watching.  After 12 years in the Marine Corps, which included time with MarSoc (special operations) and officer commissioning through The Citadel, Stephen settled in Charleston, tran...

Daniel Malechuk spent over two decades in corporate America — leading global purchasing for Aldi, taking a company through an IPO to the NASDAQ, and serving as CEO across startup, family-owned, and large international firms — before returning to his roots on the North Carolina coast.  His connection to Landmark Sotheby's International Realty runs deep: the very first official closing under th...

Jeff sits down with Vanessa Barnes — Realtor, real estate business coach, speaker, podcaster, and soon-to-be author — joining from Celebration, Florida. Vanessa shares how she accidentally fell into real estate in 2002 after a temp agency placed her with a company selling estate homes, and how navigating the 2008 financial crisis built the foundation for a career that now spans over a thousand hom...

Charleston, SC Realtor Lauren Delamater joins Jeff to talk about her path from wedding planning and café ownership to building a thriving real estate career in one of the country's most desirable markets. Lauren shares how growing up around real estate — watching her grandfather work as a ReMax agent for over 30 years — planted the seed early, and how the entrepreneurial mindset she developed...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Samantha Boyd, team lead and broker associate with ANEW Collective Real Estate, to talk about leadership, growth, and redefining success in real estate. Based in Tampa Bay and operating across Central and West Florida, Samantha shares her unconventional path into the industry, what shaped her servant-leader mindset, and how her personal story influences the way...

Jeff sits down with Brette Davis of Raleigh–Durham to unpack what building a real estate career actually looks like when you strip away the social-media gloss. Brette walks through her move from Minnesota to North Carolina, her rocky start trying to treat real estate like a side hustle, and the moment she realized full commitment — systems, sacrifice, and mindset — was the real accelerator. From t...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Ruben Martinez, broker and founder of City Insight Houston, to unpack how relationship-first thinking, smart systems, and consistent content help agents build sustainable businesses. Ruben shares his journey from property management to brokerage ownership, and how seeing the power of relationships—and licensing—changed his career path. He explains why real esta...

Ever had a client who just couldn't pull the trigger—despite every comp and logical reason pointing toward "yes"? Jessie Hrivnak, a Compass agent with The Coley Group in Raleigh-Durham, has developed a framework to address exactly that. In this episode, we explore the Wise Mind Method, Jessie's approach rooted in neuroscience and emotional intelligence that helps agents guide c...

Jeff sits down with Leonor Enguita, an Epic Agent in Southwest Florida, to talk about her path into real estate and what’s shaping the Fort Myers–Naples market heading into 2026. Leonor shares her “winding road” career background, earning her license in 2010 and going full-time around 2013–2014, plus how her business has evolved from SOI-driven local moves to a mix of second-home buyers, snowbirds...

In this episode, Jeff heads back to one of his favorite coastal markets—Wilmington, North Carolina—for a conversation with Jacki Hedgecock, founder and principal of Jacki Hedgecock Real Estate, a boutique firm specializing in luxury real estate along the coast. Jacki shares her path from corporate America to real estate, earning her license during COVID while seven months pregnant, and how her bac...

In this episode of Epic Agents, Jeff sits down with Sarasota real estate agent Kelli Eggen for an honest conversation about building a sustainable, relationship-first real estate career—especially when the path isn’t linear. Kelli shares her journey from corporate sales and investment banking to real estate investing, rental management, and eventually full-time residential sales in the Sarasota an...

Jeff sits down with Jennifer Campbell-Overbeeke of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty for a thoughtful conversation about real estate, relationships, and life in Western North Carolina. Jennifer shares her unconventional path into real estate—spending nearly 15 years teaching yoga around the world before returning home to Asheville just as the pandemic reshaped everything. What began as a “get...

Jeff records from Ashburn, Virginia—a place that feels like home—while catching up with Vicki Benson of Pearson Smith Realty, a Loudoun County specialist with a service-first mindset and 15 years of experience. Vicki shares how her career started behind the scenes at a relocation company, helping corporate transferees interview and select agents. That exposure pushed her to get licensed—and once s...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Shayla Twit—a Sarasota, Florida Realtor affiliated with Corcoran—for a real-world conversation about what actually moves the needle in real estate: relationships, consistency, and playing the long game. They start with Sarasota lifestyle (Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island) and quickly move into the heart of Shayla’s story: starting in 2002, surviving...