Stop the Grind: The Christian Realtor’s Guide to Legacy and Rest with Shaylee Clark
Let’s be honest — real estate will take everything you give it. The calendar creep, the “quick” 10 p.m. text, the deal that “can’t wait till Monday.” I’ve lived that life. For years I believed the industry mantra: work harder, stay later, answer faster, win bigger. It worked—until it didn’t. I was selling houses and losing peace. I was present on my phone and absent at my dinner table.
This week on the podcast, my guest Shaylee Clark put language to what many of us feel: hustle can look heroic from the outside while quietly hollowing you out on the inside. She calls us to something better—a legacy-first business that’s healthy because you are healthy. Here’s the big idea:
Your business should serve your life, not steal from it.
And a faithful business beats a frantic one—every time.
The Industry’s Favorite Idol: More
Ask a typical agent what “success” is and you’ll hear: unit count, volume, GCI, car, trophy. None of those are wrong; they’re just incomplete. You can stack all the metrics and still go home to an empty house and a louder ache.
Success isn’t “more.” Success is aligned—with your faith, your family, and the kind of person you’re becoming. When those are right, the business is both lighter and stronger. That’s not theory. It’s the fruit I’ve experienced, and it’s the pattern Shaylee models.
Think Legacy, Not Just Lifestyle
Shaylee leads the DOR Group—dor means “generation/legacy” in Hebrew. Her origin story isn’t “chase every lead.” It’s teaching families how to build steady rental portfolios, buy back time, and free a parent to be home. That’s not just a transaction—it’s a multi-decade ripple.
Legacy-thinking asks different questions:
Who do I want to be remembered as—spouse, parent, friend, neighbor?
What am I building that outlives my name?
Where is my business stealing what I say matters most?
How could my excellence create provision for others, not just me?
When I started measuring marriage nights, seventh weeks off, and Sabbath alongside profit, my life changed. I wasn’t chasing numbers; I was building presence.
Why Hustle Feels Holy (and Why It Isn’t)
Hustle is seductive because it looks like control: If I move faster, I’m safer. Underneath, it’s often fear—of falling behind, of not being enough, of losing momentum if we ever let up. That fear isn’t from the Lord.
Faithfulness sounds different:
“I’ll do my part with excellence.”
“I’ll trust God with the results.”
“I’ll honor the Sabbath and leave some fields unharvested.”
Scripture calls this wisdom, not laziness. Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain. We still labor—just not in vain.
Sabbath for Agents (Yes, It’s Possible)
Sabbath is less about the day and more about the rhythm. In the Jewish frame, a day begins at sundown. Practically, that means your tomorrow starts tonight. Your evening either prepares you for peace or feeds your hurry.
Shaylee’s simple approach:
Trade coverage with a trusted agent. You take her “fires” on her Sabbath; she takes yours on yours.
Pre-decide your boundaries and communicate them in your buyer/seller consults.
Prepare the evening before (inbox zero, tomorrow’s top three, clothes set out, phones out of bedrooms).
Clients rarely balk at clear, kind expectations. They respect pros who protect family and worship.
Traction vs. Distraction
Without a target, everything looks like an opportunity. With a target, most things are a no.
Try this filter:
Calling-fit: Does this use how God actually wired me, or just how I wish I was wired?
Family-fit: Can I say “yes” and keep my date nights, church, and kids’ bedtimes intact?
Scoreboard-fit: Does this advance this quarter’s top three priorities or pull focus?
A paid speaking gig that lands on your family’s planned week off? That’s not an opportunity; it’s a test. Say no with joy. Alignment always outperforms adrenaline.
Build Health, Then Build Business
Shaylee said it simply: “Your business can only be as healthy as you are.” Not as successful—as healthy. Health is whole-person: faith, marriage, kids, mind, body, money. If your evenings as a family are down to five per month (been there), the green light isn’t “work smarter”; it’s rebuild your rhythms.
Start here:
Faith: Scripture before screen; church before chores.
Family: Two date nights a month. One family day on your calendar—ink, not pencil.
Fitness: Three non-negotiable workouts; a reasonable bedtime.
Finances: A giving goal that stretches you; a savings habit that steadies you.
Healthy roots, healthy fruit.
Five Moves to Dismantle Hustle (This Week)
Write your legacy line. One sentence: “I’m building a business that __________.” Put it where you see it daily.
Publish your hours. In your consult, say them out loud. In your email signature, post them. Then keep them.
Trade a Sabbath. Text a trusted agent today and set a weekly rotation for coverage.
Automate or delegate two tasks. TC, showing assist, social scheduling, weekly email—buy back two hours right now.
Audit your evenings for one week. Replace “doom scroll + late inbox” with a wind-down ritual that sets up tomorrow.
When “Enough” Becomes More Than You
A surprising thing happens when you stop sprinting: you see needs. In my own story, when the Lord provided “enough,” the next conviction was generosity. We pressed on a little longer—not to pad our lifestyle—but to bless a family in our church who was adopting after years of infertility. Excellence creates overflow. Overflow funds impact.
Invite your kids into that story. Let generosity be part of the legacy your business leaves.
Final Word: Believe Bigger Than the Giants
Shaylee’s been living in Joshua this year. Twelve spies saw the same giants; only two believed God’s promise more than their fear. That’s the kind of faith we need in this industry—enough to look unreasonable, enough to march when the walls still look tall.
Be the agent who chooses obedience over optics, presence over pressure, and legacy over likes.
Hustle might get you applause. Faithfulness will give you a life.
The PDA Formula: The PDA Formula gives you a simple system to finally take control of your business. Learn how to focus on what’s Predictable, Dollar-Productive, and Aligned so you can stop spinning your wheels and start building a business that grows consistently without costing you your peace.