139: Jon Yacovetta, Change the World, The Yacovetta Collection @ Guide Real Estate

Jon Yacovetta's story is one of curiosity, reinvention, and a genuine love of helping people find their footing. The co-owner and COO of Guide Real Estate, and founder of the Yacovetta Collection, grew up a self-described weird kid in the heart of Denver. He was a mullet-wearing bowler obsessed with pro wrestling and rock and roll, who fell hard for whatever captured him. Ken Griffey Jr. pulled him into baseball at thirteen, and though he was too small to keep playing in college, coaching became the thing that stuck. He spent all four years at the University of Kansas as an assistant coach at Lawrence High School, earning a degree in Spanish literature and discovering he was a words-and-language person to his core.Back home in Denver, that passion carried him through eight years as head baseball coach at George Washington High School, including the honor of coaching his younger brother, and into the classroom, where he taught Spanish and rose to chair the English department at Venture Prep. A mentor's words to him at 22, "I can't wait to see how you change the world," became a quiet driving force behind everything he did as a coach and a teacher.When administrative changes and a missing teaching license ended his education career in 2017, his lifelong friend Brett Weinstein finally convinced him to try real estate. Jon joined Brett's team, weathered the humbling shift from classroom expert to overwhelmed rookie, and found his feet on a white-knuckle 2020 deal that told him he could do this for the long haul. When Brett opened his own company, Jon grew into a mentor and, eventually, a co-owner.In this episode, Jon opens up about the identity shift from educator to agent, the mentors and hard lessons that shaped him, why authenticity is the real common denominator among successful realtors, and how fatherhood unlocked an entirely new way of connecting with people. He talks about family dinners with his wife, Katie, and daughter, Hazel, about Spaghetti Sundays, his love of Italy, and the single trait he'd pass to his daughter: a rock-and-roll spirit that, in his words, comes down to being ferocious and being yourself.And Jon's story… starts now!www.everettslending.com720-979-8742jimmy@everettslending.comIG: @jimmythesaint5280