Turning your name into a winning real estate brand: Michelle Champion

How did a near-miss in early strategy lead to Michelle Champion starting her own groundbreaking business?

This week’s episode of Courageous Conversations takes us to Cairns, where Michelle Champion—Director of Champions in Real Estate—shares how she went from a 17-year-old receptionist to leading one of the top-performing agencies in her region.

Alongside host Leanne Pilkington, Michelle dives into the ups, downs, and occasional chaos of building a thriving business while juggling motherhood and a relentless market. Spoiler: she seems to have mastered the art of doing it all—without doing everything herself.

Michelle shares on what it’s like to run a paperless, automation-driven agency in an industry still warming up to innovation. From managing a team of 12 to her “non-negotiable” weekly one-on-ones, she’s got a refreshingly practical take on leadership and work-life balance. There’s also a surprising revelation by ice baths, and how they’ve helped her and her team tackle stress like pros.

Curious how Michelle stays calm under pressure and why she’s so passionate about empowering women in real estate? Tune in to find out.

10 things you'll learn in this episode:

1. [02:00] Early Days in Real Estate
Michelle shares how starting as a receptionist gave her a unique edge in her career: “You learn so much—who’s rude to clients, who’s doing what—you’ve got eyes on every part of the business.”

2. [05:00] Starting Champions in Real Estate
How Michelle and her husband decided to break away from a ready-made agency to start their own innovative real estate business in Cairns.

3. [06:00] Paperless from Day One
Michelle explains how going digital in a market that wasn’t ready for it helped her agency stand out: “We were paperless from day one, which was unheard of in Cairns.”

4. [07:00] Building a High-Performing Team
“You can’t do everything for everyone, and you can’t be everything for everyone.” Michelle reflects on how delegation has been critical to her success.

5. [09:00] Weekly One-on-Ones
Michelle reveals why she dedicates an entire day each week to meeting with her team one-on-one—and why it’s been a “game changer” for communication and accountability.

6. [12:00] Adapting to Employee Goals
Michelle shares how she supports team members with ambitions outside real estate: “This industry is not for everyone forever, and that’s fine.”

7. [13:00] Mental Health and Team Wellness
What happened at a team retreat involving meditation, ice baths, and goal-setting that strengthened her team’s bond and resilience?

8. [18:00] Empowering Women in Real Estate
Michelle discusses why female sales agents are underrepresented in the industry and what she’s doing to create more opportunities.

9. [19:00] Juggling Work and Motherhood
How Michelle learned to balance a thriving business with raising two young boys.

10. [20:00] Automating the Customer Experience
What automation strategies helped Michelle close nearly $1M in GCI as a solo agent—and why she’s now reintroducing personal touches…

Links

• Champions in Real Estate

• LinkedIn