The Leadership Playbook Behind California's #1 Independent Brokerage (FirstTeam)

In this episode of The Luxury Presence Podcast, we sat down with three powerhouse leaders of FirstTeam Real Estate: Michele Harrington (CEO), Anna Bennett (VP of Business Development), and Lauren Henss (VP of Marketing & Strategic Initiatives), to discuss leadership, growth, and redefining what it means to be an agent-first powerhouse brokerage. This women's senior leadership team is breaking the glass ceiling in real estate. Michele's journey from the Marine Corps to becoming FirstTeam's first female CEO is as bold as it is inspiring. Anna has recruited talent responsible for more than $20 billion in market share, while Lauren has led marketing at some of the industry's most influential brands before helping to drive FirstTeam's innovative "Behind the Agent" philosophy. Together, they're building one of the most agent-centric and fastest-growing independent brokerages in the nation, and are the women Redefining Real Estate. We cover:  How Michele's military discipline shaped her leadership and vision for First Team Anna's approach to recruiting and mentoring talent that consistently outperforms Why Lauren believes authentic, agent-driven marketing is the future of brokerage growth The "Behind the Agent" philosophy and how it transforms careers, not just transactions The women-led leadership initiative that's inspiring more female executives in real estate How FirstTeam is expanding nationally while staying fiercely independent This episode is packed with leadership insights, recruiting wisdom, and marketing strategies that any agent or team leader can learn from.