Aaron Bunnell was in the final semester of his master's degree in voice at UMKC, gearing up for a main stage opera, a recital, and symphony performances, when COVID shut all of it down. He was working as a pharmacy technician for $18 an hour to pay for it. A coworker had just cleared a $10,000 commission on one house and put in his two weeks. Aaron had been half-heartedly clicking through real estate licensing videos at night with a three dollar bottle of wine from Trader Joe's, thinking the test seemed easy. Little did he know.

Five years later he is a Kansas City agent on the Homes By Brandy team at Keller Williams Overland Park, closing roughly $10.5 million across 34 units in 2025. He still sings every week at St. John's off Ward Parkway, in a church choir where everyone holds at least a master's in voice.

It did not come fast. He grew up in a small East Texas town with ex-military parents who told him plainly that anything past high school was on him. His first year in real estate he sold eight homes while still working the pharmacy, waking up at 4:30am to grab the only 15-minute showing slots COVID allowed. Year two nearly ended it. Four straight months with no closings, credit card debt, student loans, no savings, and a partner covering the bills. Then he saw a post on the office Facebook page from Brandy Hensley looking for someone to join Homes By Brandy. Three interviews later he closed $4 million in six months and paid off $15,000 in credit card debt. He has grown 25 to 30 percent every year since.

In this conversation, Aaron Bunnell and host Genevra Collins get into:

• Choosing music over med school, and telling parents who had no money for college
• Why COVID forced him to put a decade of vocal training on the back burner, and why he refused to let it go completely
• Finding a mentor the old-fashioned way: 50 people applied, 3 picked up the phone, and he was one
• The four-month drought, and what it felt like to let his partner cover the bills
• Why the teams he interviewed with gave him the ick, and what was different about Brandy's
• Answering emails in the shower, and the boundary conversation that saved his business and his relationship
• Setting goals by what balance actually feels like, not by where you land on the leaderboard
• Appearances versus real financial independence in the gay community
• What he would tell a new agent, and what he wants to be remembered for

This episode is for anyone in a creative career wondering how to make it pay, new agents wondering if the drought ever ends, and anyone still trying to fix everything themselves instead of asking for help.

Connect with Aaron Bunnell on Facebook and Instagram, or find him at a Mid-America LGBT Chamber event.

The Red Chair is hosted by Genevra Collins, CEO and Team Leader of Keller Williams Overland Park. New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Follow the show so you don't miss the next one.

Jennifer Smeltzer spent her first five years in real estate without selling a single home. She learned the investment side first, and that background is a big reason she's landed on America's Top 100 Real Estate Agents list seven years running as founder of Just Say Home KC, a Keller Williams agent closing 70-plus deals a year.

Before any of that, she spent 15 years in ministry. In her 40s she took a job property managing 45 to 50 units to learn investing on someone else's dime, and got licensed almost by accident when the company that hired her realized Missouri required it. She spent the next several years on the acquisitions and bookkeeping side of two investment companies with opposite philosophies: one chasing cash flow in rougher neighborhoods, and one chasing appreciation in better school districts. This contrast still shapes how she advises clients today.

In 2016 she moved to Keller Williams and went all in on straight commission. A few years later, at the height of her production, she built a small, intentional team of three or four agents each clearing six figures. She found she didn't love the coaching and managing that came with leading one, and about five years ago she disbanded the team, redirecting that passive income dream back into her own rental portfolio instead.

In this conversation, Jennifer Smeltzer and host Genevra Collins get into:

• Fifteen years in ministry, and the leap into straight commission real estate in her 40s
• Getting licensed almost by accident, because Missouri required it for the property management job she took just to learn investing
• The moment "I want 10 properties" went from overwhelming to obvious
• Two investment company philosophies: cash flow in tougher neighborhoods versus appreciation in better school districts
• Building a team because it was supposed to be the next step, then disbanding it to go back to being an individual agent
• The Sunday night she reviewed offers on her day off, and the coaching question that changed how she sets deadlines: "Who set the deadline?"
• Why a rental portfolio is never actually "passive," and what a bad tenant can really cost you
• Tax strategies she wishes she'd learned sooner, including cost segregation and the Augusta rule
• Her advice for anyone considering their first investment property, or their first year as an agent

This episode is for Kansas City agents weighing whether to build a team, aspiring investors deciding between cash flow and appreciation, and anyone who struggles to actually take a day off.

Connect with Jennifer Smeltzer at ⁠jsmeltzer@kw.com⁠.

The Red Chair is hosted by Genevra Collins, CEO and Team Leader of Keller Williams Overland Park. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Follow the show so you don't miss the next one.

What if the key to building a million-dollar real estate business isn't posting more, but showing up as yourself?

Rachel Kilmer, better known as Rach the Realtor KC, transformed an unexpected career change into one of Kansas City's fastest-growing real estate brands. After leaving a stable sales career in 2020, she went six months without a paycheck, bet completely on herself, and built a business that now closes more than 70 transactions a year, powered by authentic, hyper-local content and genuine relationships.

Before real estate, Rachel was a TV sports reporter, becoming the first female sports reporter in western Nebraska at just 20 years old. Those years taught her to think on her feet, handle pressure, and tell compelling stories—skills that later became the foundation of her brand.

Everything changed when one spontaneous TikTok filmed with a messy ponytail and a pimple on her nose exploded to 800,000 views. Instead of chasing trends, Rachel doubled down on what she knew best: Kansas City, humor, and being unapologetically herself.

In this conversation, Genevra Collins and Rachel dive into:

• The mindset it takes to leave security behind and bet on yourself
• How one viral TikTok completely changed her marketing strategy
• Why authenticity consistently beats polished content on social media
• The content framework that generates real estate leads year after year
• Why she still invests $25,000 annually in direct mail, even with a massive online presence
• How she scaled from a solo agent to a high-performing business with a three-person team
• The biggest mistakes agents make with social media and personal branding
• Why consistency, not creativity is the real secret to long-term growth
• How she's thoughtfully incorporating AI without losing her authentic voice

Whether you're a real estate agent, entrepreneur, content creator, or someone considering a major career leap, this episode is packed with practical strategies for building a business people remember, and a brand people trust.

Connect with Rachel Kilmer

Follow Rachel for Kansas City real estate insights, social media tips, and behind-the-scenes content:

Instagram & TikTok: @RachTheRealtorKC
Coaching: Rach the Realtor Coaching Collaborative (RTRCCO) — linked through her primary social profiles.

Rachel also shared that her DMs are always open if you have questions about real estate, branding, or growing your business.

About The Red Chair

Hosted by Genevra Collins, The Red Chair features candid conversations with top entrepreneurs, real estate leaders, and high performers who share the stories, strategies, and mindset behind their success. Every episode is designed to help you build a business, and a life with intention.

Follow The Red Chair on Spotify so you never miss a new episode.

Johnathan Trimble is a real estate investor and team leader at Executive Asset Properties, a Keller Williams team he built with his business partner, Jim. Together they've built a portfolio of more than 200 flips, rentals, and syndication units. But behind the business success is a story of setbacks, resilience, and a chronic illness most people never see.

Johnathan's parents loaned him the money for his first flip. It flooded. It was broken into. Two trees fell on the property. The listing hit the market three months late, sat without selling, and ultimately lost $26,000. His parents offered to forgive part of what he owed them. He paid every dollar back anyway, because a deal is a deal.

That was only the beginning.

A commercial real estate career disappeared during COVID. A $40,000 mentorship turned out to be a scam. A promising investment deal was rug-pulled before he earned a dollar. He and Jim accumulated nearly $200,000 in credit card debt building Rehome KC before eventually launching Executive Asset Properties at Keller Williams.

All the while, Johnathan was quietly battling ankylosing spondylitis, a hereditary autoimmune disease that attacks the spine and joints. For years he woke up several times every night in debilitating pain, hiding it from almost everyone. It wasn't until meeting a life coach with the same diagnosis that he discovered how much mindset and gratitude could change the way he lived with the disease.

In this episode, Johnathan and host Genevra Collins discuss why "other people's money" completely changed his view of investing, the $40,000 mentorship scam and the deal that fell apart before it began, the first flip that seemed destined to fail and why he still paid his parents back in full, living with ankylosing spondylitis and finding hope beyond medication, and why real success isn't avoiding problems, it's learning to be okay when 90% of things go wrong.

Whether you're building a business, investing in real estate, or carrying a battle no one else can see, this conversation is a reminder that resilience isn't built when life is easy. It's built by continuing when it isn't.

Follow The Red Chair for new conversations every Wednesday with host Genevra Collins, featuring entrepreneurs, leaders, and people whose stories challenge the way we think about success.

Michelle Isabell is one of Kansas City's top agents. Nine years in the business, 25 to 30 homes a year, built almost entirely on relationships and on being unapologetically herself. But this conversation is not really about real estate.

At two, her mom walked out. At seven, the grandparents who raised her stepped back and disappeared for a year. At 18, her mother left her in a small town north of Omaha with a high school diploma and no plan.

So she married the first person who picked her. "I saw all the red flags and blew through every one of them. I was just so happy that someone was picking me."

Thirteen years. Three kids she was told she could never have. Survival mode, where the whole day came down to "I just need to make sure you make it to tomorrow."

Then one undone load of laundry ended the marriage and cracked her life wide open. Within months she paid off every dollar of debt, went full time in real estate, and finally said the thing she had known since she was a teenager: I'm gay.

In this episode: why your intuition gets quieter every time you ignore it, how one different decision opens up decisions you could not see, what coming out in her thirties cost her and gave her, and why "you are your own glass ceiling."

If you are stuck in the cement wondering how anyone pulls their feet out, this one is for you.

Find Michelle on TikTok (Michelle J. Isabell) or on Instagram and Facebook. Follow The Red Chair so you never miss a seat.

New episodes of The Red Chair drop on Spotify. Follow the show so you never miss a seat, and if this one moved you, share it with the person who needs permission to sit in the red chair themselves.

Who is Billie Bauer? Billie Bauer is a top producing Keller Williams real estate agent in Overland Park, Kansas, with 27 years of experience and a team built alongside her daughter, Ryan.

Billie Bauer almost didn't make one phone call. That single call turned into thirteen real estate transactions over the years, and it is the story at the center of this episode of The Red Chair.

Before real estate, Billie spent years teaching and coaching at Shawnee Mission South High School. She got her license almost by accident, helping a friend's real estate business for "just the summer." She sold her first house and was hooked. Twenty seven years later, she runs the Billie Bauer Network at Keller Williams Realty Partners in Overland Park, one of Kansas City's most respected family real estate teams.

In this conversation, Billie and host Genevra Collins get into:

• The cold call Billie didn't want to make, and why it built her business
• Teaching school by day and real estate by night during her first five years in the business
• Surviving the 2008 housing market crash by sharing one desk and one phone with her daughter Ryan
• The hiring system, AVA, that finally helped her build a team she trusted
• What it actually means to hand a real estate business to the next generation
• Why "I sold my first house and I was hooked" is still true 27 years later
• Building team culture, celebrating wins, and keeping a "boutique" team small on purpose

This episode is for Kansas City real estate agents, anyone thinking about a career change into real estate, and anyone building a family business that has to survive its first hard season.

The Red Chair is hosted by Genevra Collins, CEO and Team Leader of Keller Williams Overland Park. New episodes drop every other Wednesday. Follow the show so you don't miss the next one.

In this episode of The Red Chair Podcast, Genevra Collins sits down with Sheri Long, a top-producing real estate agent, former fourth-grade teacher, and nine-year breast cancer survivor whose story will challenge the way you think about success, resilience, and what truly matters.

For more than a decade, Sheri built a thriving real estate business while teaching full time, consistently selling more than 30 homes each year before retiring from education. But in 2017, everything changed when she received a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis.

Rather than allowing cancer to define her, Sheri found a renewed perspective on life, faith, business, and relationships. She shares what it was like to continue teaching, serve real estate clients during chemotherapy, and navigate one of the hardest seasons of her life with courage, gratitude, and an unwavering belief that God wasn't finished with her story.

This conversation goes far beyond real estate. It's about discovering what truly matters, learning to slow down, putting your health and family first, and realizing that success means very little if you lose yourself in the process.

Whether you're a real estate agent, entrepreneur, business owner, educator, or simply walking through a difficult season, you'll find encouragement, practical wisdom, and hope in Sheri's incredible journey.

• How Sheri built a 30+ transaction real estate business while teaching full time
• The systems and habits that helped her succeed in two demanding careers
• Her breast cancer journey and the mindset that carried her through treatment
• Why coaching and accountability changed both her business and her life
• The power of relationships in building a referral-based real estate business
• How faith helped her navigate uncertainty and fear
• Lessons on avoiding burnout and creating a life that reflects your true priorities
• Advice for new real estate agents, entrepreneurs, and anyone pursuing meaningful success

Sheri's story is a reminder that our greatest challenges often become our greatest teachers. If you've ever questioned your priorities, struggled with work-life balance, or needed hope in the middle of uncertainty, this episode will stay with you long after it ends.

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow The Red Chair Podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that even life's hardest moments can become the beginning of something extraordinary.

Maria Koch is a Kansas City-based agent and investor who has built momentum through flips, BRRRRs, and long-term rentals. In this Investor Spotlight, Maria walks us through her journey into real estate, breaks down one of her deals step by step, and shares how she evaluates opportunities in today’s KC market.

We talk candidly about what worked, what didn’t, and the systems she uses to balance being both an agent and an investor. Maria also shares her perspective on Kansas City neighborhoods, common mistakes new investors make, and practical advice for anyone looking to buy their first investment property.

This episode is packed with real numbers, real lessons, and real insight for agents and investors who want to build wealth locally.

Find Maria at:

⁠http://nocoastinvesting.com⁠

Instagram- @nocoastinvesting