KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Shifting Your Identity to Reach the Next Level in Real Estate

Episode Date: September 28, 2026

Summary:In this episode of Next Level Agents, host Kevin Kaufmann explains why real estate success is ultimately determined by identity rather than information. Inspired by Todd Herman's The Alter Ego Effect, Kaufmann addresses the "identity gap"—the divide between an agent's current habits and the leader their future demands. He highlights how stepping into specialized alter egos for cold calling, recruiting, and listing presentations allows agents to access built-in confidence and courage. By surrendering outdated mindsets and taking action as their future selves, agents can break through business ceilings.

Welcome to Next Level Agents, the podcast that's all about breaking barriers and building empires. I'm Kevin Kaufman and together with my crew bringing you straight up fire. Interviews with top tier agents, game changing thinkers, plus the strategies and mindset shifts to dominate in real estate. Whether it's personal growth, leadership packs, or next level tactics, we've got you covered. So tell me, what does the next level look like for you? Buckle up because we're about to take you there right now. What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn't your lead generation? What if it isn't the market?

What if it's not your systems? What if, go with me on this here for a second, what if the thing holding you back is the version of yourself that's showing up every day? Think about that for a second. The skills needed to sell your first home when you first got licensed, not the same set of skills you needed to sell 50 homes. And the person who sells 50 homes isn't necessarily the person that can sell, say, a couple hundred or build a team. The person who can build a team isn't automatically the same person who can build an organization. See, at every level of growth, there's a new version of you waiting to emerge. Like, in fact, it's mandatory.

And the question is this. Are you willing to become that person? So today I'm going to talk to you about identity, alter egos, if you will. and one of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself, who do I need to become to create the future that I say that I want? Welcome back to Next Level Agents. I'm Kevin Kaufman. Today we're diving into a concept that has been rattling around in my head.

Ever since I started reading the book, The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman. This is not a book review, so don't worry about that. This is just going to be a conversation about identity. because after nearly two decades in real estate, after building a team, helping agents grow their businesses, working with thousands of people through next level agents,

I've come to believe something. Most people do not have a knowledge problem. They have an identity problem. They know what to do. They just haven't become the person who consistently does it. Right. I hear things all the time such as like, I know I should be making more calls, or I know I should be recruiting, or I should be creating

contact, I should be posting more, or I should have tougher conversations with my team, or I should be following up more. You know, you already know, because the information's available everywhere. You can find a YouTube video on pretty much anything. You can ask AI anything else. See, information is not scarce at all. Transformation is scarce, because transformation is scarce. because transformation requires identity change.

And identity change is uncomfortable. See, we'd rather learn another strategy than become another version of ourselves. One of the things that struck me while reading this book is that we already actually do this very naturally. Like, think about it. The version of you that sits on the couch, say, watching Netflix is very different than the version of you that walks into a listing appointment. The version of you talking, say, with your spouse is different than the version of you that might speak on stage or teach a class. The version of you negotiating a contract with another agent is different than the version of you, say, coaching one of your agents or one of your clients. Are those fake versions?

No, of course not. Those are all real versions. They're all you. They're just simply different aspects of who you are and how you show up. See, the problem is that just many of us are activating the wrong version of ourselves in the moments that matter most. So let me see if I can make this more practical for you. Imagine you're about to say cold call. Maybe you call expired listings.

One version of you might think, what if they reject me? What if I sound stupid? What if I sound like a robot? What if they hang up? What if they ask me a question? I don't know. See, that version of you hesitates. That version of you waits.

That version probably does things like scroll to Instagram, checks their emails. That version of you basically find something else to do. Now, imagine a different version of you. That version thinks, you know what? My job is to help and to serve people who have not been able to sell their homes that have been unsuccessful. My job is to start a conversation. My worth is not attached to the outcome of this phone call. See, now if you say that, you're still the same person using the same phone, same opportunity,

just different identity and a different result. I think every breakthrough in life is preceded by a shift in identity. Before you become successful, you become the kind of person who does the things that a successful person does. Before you become a leader, you become the kind of person who takes responsibility. before you can become wealthy, you become the kind of person who manages money differently. You become, before you become healthy, you become the kind of person who treats their body differently. See, the results show up after the work.

The identity, though, has to come first. Identity first, results follow. And that's what you would call an identity gap. The gap between who you are today and who your future requires. you to become. Say that again, that's the gap between who you are today and who your future requires you to become. See, when I first got into real estate, my identity was simple. I was trying to survive. I was trying to learn a lot too. I was trying to figure out how to sell homes. And then eventually I had to become a business owner, a team leader, then I had to become a

recruiter and then a coach and to learn how to speak to be a speaker and a podcast host. And here's what I've learned. Every new level required letting go of an old version. See, the hardest part wasn't necessarily learning a new skill. The hard part was surrendering identities that had served me well in one season, but were holding me back in the next. and I see other agents struggle with this all the time. They're trying to build a team while they're still thinking like a solo agent. They're trying to recruit while they're still seeing themselves as a salesperson. They're trying to lead while they still wanting everyone to like them.

So the business can't outgrow the identity of the leader of the business. One of my favorite ideas from the book, by the way, is sometimes you can borrow strength from another identity. Athletes do this all the time. Performers do this. Business leaders do this, not because they're fake, but because they understand context. They know that certain situations require access to certain traits like confidence or courage or conviction, maybe calmness or decisiveness. See, they're not saying who should I be. They're asking the question of what qualities do I need to access right now. Maybe before a difficult conversation, you step into the version of yourself that's courageous. Maybe before a recruiting call or a recruiting appointment, you step into the

version of you that's visionary. Maybe before your next listing appointment, you step into the version of yourself that's calm and confident. See, those qualities already exist within you, but the alter ego simply helps you to access them more intentional. So my challenge for you, I want you to think about the biggest goal you have right now. Maybe it has to do with building a team or selling 50 homes or 100 homes. Recruiting five agents, starting your YouTube channel, launching your podcast, whatever, creating wealth. And then ask yourself a different question.

Don't ask yourself, how do I do this? ask yourself, who do I need to become to do it? Because that question changes everything. And we'll shift your focus from tactics to transformation. All right, before we wrap up, I'm going to give you three questions. Maybe this is something you can journal on or just take the time to think about. I know I'll think about it again. My next walk, that's what I do.

Question number one, who is the version of me that would harm? already have the result that I want. Who is the version of me that would already have the result that I want? Describe that person. How do they think? How do they act? How do they spend their time? All right.

Second question. What identities am I holding on to that are no longer serving me? What identities am I holding on to that are no longer serving me? What labels am I giving myself? What stories? What excuses? What beliefs? And the third question.

what is one action that the future me would take today? Not next month, not next year, not next week, today. What is one action the future me would take today? Answer that question and then go do that thing. The longer I do this, the more convinced I become that growth is less about learning and more about becoming. The strategies matter, the systems matter, the scripts matter. but eventually all of those things run into a ceiling. That ceiling is your identity.

Your future business is waiting on a future version of you. The question is whether you're willing to meet them. Thanks for listening to the next level agents podcast. If this episode hit for you, do me a favor, share it with somebody. Give us a review. Give us a rating, whatever that it looks. Share it with somebody else. And thanks for spending some time with us today.

See you next time. That's a wrap for this episode of the Next Level Agents. I'm Kevin Kaufman and we've just dropped some serious heat with my crew to level up your real estate game. What does the next level look like for you? Subscribe to the podcast now so you don't miss a single strategy and head over to NextLevelagents.com. Check out our events tab so you can find out all the information on our next virtual and in-person mastermind calendar. Let's keep this momentum rolling. See you next time.

Thank you.