142: Ezra Aldern, Play the Cards, Homes by Ez @ Guide Real Estate

Ezra Aldern's story is one of resilience, compassion, and a lifelong commitment to the people society is quickest to give up on. Now with Homes by Ez at Guide Real Estate, Ezra describes himself as a kid in two words: resilient and disciplined. Both were forged in unthinkable circumstances. At five years old, Ezra lost his mother to tragedy, and he and his younger brother were raised first by their grandparents and then adopted by their mother's youngest brother, a single schoolteacher who stepped up at 32 to become their dad.That upbringing built a boy who made the family breakfast before school, ran his own lawn-mowing business at eleven, and poured himself into sports and into coaching kids with disabilities through Special Olympics. It set him on a path through sociology and criminal justice at CSU, a discovery of social work, and a career devoted to young people, from re-engaging, expelled students in Jefferson County to earning his master's at DU. Along the way he found the work that would define him: developing the life histories of people sentenced to life in prison as juveniles, offering context rather than excuses, and giving a voice to those who never had one.Real estate found him almost by accident, through a friend, a condo, and a few beers, and grew into a genuine second calling. Licensed in 2019 and fully committed by 2021, Ezra brings a rare perspective to the business: after the weight of his consulting work, he approaches clients as a patient advisor rather than a salesperson and rarely gets rattled.In this episode, Ezra opens up about the family who caught him, the mentors who shaped him, the broken systems he's spent his life working within, and his vision to merge his two worlds by using real estate to create housing and jobs for people coming home from prison. He talks about his wife, his two young kids, and the perspective that fatherhood brings. Above all, it's a conversation about the cards we're dealt, and how, with the right people beside us, we can still learn to play them.And Ezra's story… starts now!www.everettslending.com720-979-8742jimmy@everettslending.comIG: @jimmythesaint5280