Building Relationships Through Empathy: A Conversation with Nicole Wolf

April 16, 2025
Brian Dewald
Podcast

Empathy is the key to building meaningful connections and achieving success in all areas of life. In this episode, Nicole Wolf, a successful real estate agent and inspiring human, shares her insights on the power of empathy in business and relationships. Discover how Nicole’s ability to connect with others on a deeper level has fueled her success in the competitive world of real estate, and learn how to cultivate empathy to build stronger relationships, create a positive impact, and achieve your goals.

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Building Relationships Through Empathy: A Conversation with Nicole Wolf

Pump-Up Routines And Guilty Pleasures: Getting To Know Nicole

Welcome to the show. Nicole Wolf is a dear friend of mine and is joining our show. Nicole and I met through business-type adventures initially but got to be pretty good buddies. We talked 2 or 3 times. Thank you for joining us. We’re going to talk about all kinds of things, whether it’s business-related. Nicole is an amazing human all the way around in terms of family and balance and kills it on the real estate side. We want to share some ideas and tactics and hear some of her stories. Welcome.

Thank you. I’m excited to be here.

Generally speaking, what’s something that somebody might be surprised to know about you?

This is a little embarrassing.

These are the best stories.

I have a pump-up routine when I’m going to meet a new client or I need something.

We’re totally on the same page.

I am the worst Millennial. I don’t have a Spotify. Kyle’s tried to set it up for me. I do Pandora and I listen to the ads. It’s ridiculous. The Avril Lavigne radio station is probably my guilty pleasure. All of her songs are so great. They’re screaming. It’s not anything anyone would picture me listening to, just screaming on the highway and yelling all the things. That’s what I do. I’m so upset because she did a Greatest Hits tour with Simple Plan but she didn’t come to Denver. She’s Canadian so she spent most of her time in Canada and popped up a little bit in the US. If I had better planning, I would have bought real good tickets to that concert because that’s my guilty pleasure.

You’ve taken to video a little bit more. There was a speaker that you saw at the conference in Vail. That’s how that got started. I’m thinking that I know a good producer-type guy. That’s him.

No one’s pointing.

He’s my young protégé.

He’s not a Millennial. He’s Gen Z.

You need to do a little cruise through some neighborhoods and get somebody filming you.

That’s a great idea. She curses in all of her songs so we’re going to have to beep it out.

You could either beep it out or edit it, get 3 or 4-second clips, and then time together. That’d be super fun.

It would be fun. I get a lot of asks for a day in my life but every day is so different. I’m not a great Millennial. I’m doing reels for the first time and those are how old. I don’t know how to cut, copy, paste, and do all of that.

You’ll figure it out. Spend some time on YouTube or hire better yet.

I’ll probably do that.

Hire it out. Did I introduce you to Luke? Hire Luke.

We were introduced via email so I need to get with him.

Get with him. Take all the raw footage and send it to him 2 to 3 days later.

It’s like, “Can you do it? Do something with this.”

It comes back edited and all in. I don’t even know what all of it means but he sends it back. Alex posts on my end.

It’s great. I text you and say, “You’re at the same tailgate as a friend.” I’m creepy and I watch it.

Early Challenges And The Power of Empathy

Isn’t that funny? I love this question. Tell me about an experience where you had to be brave.

This is raw. When I was sixteen, some serious life stuff happened at home. I had to be an adult at a pretty young age and take on some responsibilities that I don’t think a lot of sixteen-year-olds have to take on. It did a lot of things for me mentally. Growth-wise, I’ve processed that and worked through it. I’m so grateful for the experience because it’s made me the person I am. That’s probably single-handedly the one experience where I had no choice but to be brave and be in the mud and the trenches. This is what I got to do.

Do you have a major takeaway from it looking back however long it’s been? You didn’t catch that, did you? Alex got it. Is that when you were sixteen?

The power of empathy is in how you make people feel so comfortable very quickly that they share more with you in five minutes than they have with some people their whole life. Share on X

You’re so mean.

That was a compliment. Looking back, is there a takeaway? Don’t share the story. Was that a confidence builder or like, “I got this. I can learn from these scary situations?” What’s your big takeaway from it?

My big takeaway is the fact that because I experienced this, I have grown in my ability to be empathetic to the vast majority of people. Kyle always says when we walk into a room, I always leave with five new best friends that I know everything about because people know instantly that they can be comfortable with me and share things with me. It’s a gift but I don’t think I would have that gift if I hadn’t had to grow up at sixteen. My empathy and ability to know people mess up but how are you growing and learning from it? How do I help you grow and learn from it? Not leave you to do it yourself.

Empathy is such a great character trait. I’m not very good at it. I’ll give you a quick story. I called my car insurance all raging because what they told me and what happened were two different things. The young lady on the phone, I couldn’t help but go from 100 miles an hour to 3 miles an hour. I wish I could hire her and find out who she was because she was incredible. She said, “Sir, I am so sorry. I truly empathize with what you’re going through. I’m going to do everything I can to help you.” I instantly went from smoke coming out of my ears to calm. You should be proud of that because that’s a good character trait.

It’s a gift. Kyle reminds me of that all the time. He says, “You make people feel so comfortable very quickly that they share more with you in five minutes than they have with some people their whole life.”

That’s crazy.

Some things, I’m like, “I didn’t need to know that. Thanks for telling me.” Other times, it helps. You can physically see someone let go and the weight is immediately lost because they are able to verbalize.

Mentors And Role Models: The Importance Of Support

I totally agree. That’s awesome. I want to talk about mentors a little bit. One of my former coaches was big into a business coach, a marriage coach, and someone you can rely on for advice. We’ve got DD for that. A business coach, a spiritual coach, a faith coach like a pastor, a nutrition coach, or a body coach. Think personal trainer or cycle bar. When I say the word mentor, who do you think of? Have you had a good mentor in your life?

Yes, I would say my mom.

I love that.

My mom and I are freakishly close. We show up wearing the same thing. Twins have that twin thing. My mom and I have that going. It’s super annoying to my dad and my husband but we don’t care. I’d say it’s my mom. She’s the first person to call me on my mistakes and need to pull my head out. She’s the first person in the audience cheering me on. She doesn’t give herself enough credit for it but I give her all the credit in the world. I was always told you need three CEOs of your own company. I’m self-employed. I’m the CEO of my company but you need two more people coming at things through a different lens. My mom is one of those people.

I love that. Moms are the best, aren’t they?

They are. She’s the best. I love you, Mom.

Celebrating Success: Overcoming Self-Doubt And Achieving Goals

I love that. That’s so cool. I know you’re humble and don’t like to talk about this so I apologize for putting you on the spot. It doesn’t have to be work-related but do you have a favorite success story? If I could make you toot your own horn for a minute, is there anything that comes to mind?

In 2022, tooting my own horn, one of my goals was to be top twenty in the state of Colorado for Coldwell Banker. In 2022, I was 33 and finished as number 19. To be candid, I hate putting numbers to things but I’m going to say it because I know I’m in a safe space to celebrate. I never thought I would make the amount of money at my age that I did that year. I made over $350,000 that year, which was a lot for me. To know that I could do it was very surreal. It took a lot of processing to let myself feel proud and worthy of that because it was never something I thought I would do.

I never thought I could have a six-pack. I don’t for the record but I’m going to have a six-pack. I’ve never in my life had abs that were visible. Even my son, who’s got abs and shredded, is like, “They’re starting to come through.”

“I see them, Dad.”

I wasn’t going to go here because I didn’t have it in my notes but I love this thought. Talk to me about doing things that you don’t think are possible. How do we double that? How do we get in the top ten? How do we go from 350 to 2 commas? Is any of that on your radar? What does that look like?

It is on my radar. Part of that reflection process that year was also the reality of me not being a very present mom or wife because I was so busy and gone all the time. Multiple times that year, my son specifically would tell me, “I wish you wouldn’t sell real estate anymore.” That was hard to hear. He was seven. He didn’t understand what he was saying but he understood what he was asking. I do want to level up. I do want my name back on that board. That was a great feeling. Kyle was sitting next to me at the awards. He stood up and cheered so loud.

I cried and curled up. I was so excited. At that moment, I also realized I missed a lot too. I want to level up. I don’t know how soon that will happen because I’m entering some crucial years as a mom that I want to be a part of but I also try to welcome the kids in to be part of it. If I’m showing up on the weekends, the kids are coming with me. If I’m on a call, I let them know that I’m on a call for that specific purpose. All my clients know I have kids. I do want to level up. I don’t know what that looks like or when.

Challenges And Growth: Redefining Worth And Success

I love looking at challenges as lessons and not failures. It took me a long time to realize that and not to have it affect my persona or enthusiasm. It is tough. I’m quite a bit older than you are but I don’t care. If I screw it up, I’ve got a lot more experience than you had. I’ve messed up a lot more things than you have, Nicole. Is that on your radar? I try and teach that to my team. I’ve got a team of five at the moment. Alex is on my team. I’m trying to let him fail. At the end of the day, it’s going to be okay. Is there a challenge that maybe taught you something that you can reflect on?

Yeah, in 2025 specifically. It’s my growth. I’m in my ninth year of real estate in 2025. It started as my lowest-producing year. I’m gaining momentum and should finish not my best, not my worst, but okay. For the first 6 or 7 months, I was so in my head about how if I wasn’t producing as the number one agent in our office, which I have been for the past years, I was failing. There was no number 2, number 10, or whatever. There was one or nothing. I identified strongly as only a number one agent at my office and nothing else. That’s a bad mindset.

Get back to the basics, to what works, and it will ultimately work. Share on X

That struggle is very real for me. It’s still something I’m trying to navigate and learn how to let go. My business is a part of my heart but it’s not my whole heart and not who I am as a person. I have let it become who I am as a person and how I identify my self-worth. 2025 has been about picking up those pieces and trying to put things together from a different perspective.

It’s important what you said, which is identifying your self-worth. Without thinking about it in the moment, that’s where your brain goes. I talk to Annette, my wife, about this often. How she sees herself through a completely different lens than everybody else sees her. Not that I’m trying to pump you up but most of your family doesn’t care. A lot of your friends aren’t going to care.

It’s all head trash. I’m in the thick of trying to process what I have to prove to myself at the end of the day with my business. Are my clients happy? Am I happy? Is my family happy?

I totally remember having this conversation with you. I was driving northbound on I-25. We met with another friend of mine. I called you afterward. We were having this conversation.

I was also driving northbound and I started crying when we started to talk.

I remember. Maybe that turned the page a little bit and then you quit worrying about that. I tried to remind you to go back to what worked to get you wherever that was. Have you gotten away from it? If so, get back to it. All of a sudden, your projection for the end of the year is taking off.

At the end of the day, I take care of my people. I call them, text them, and send notes because I genuinely care about them. I screenshot stuff going on on their Facebook and send them cards. I love pouring into people. I wasn’t doing a ton of that at the beginning of 2025 because I was spinning my wheels trying to make something of nothing.

There’s a correlation. Get back to what works and then it works.

Back to the basics.

The Power Of Connection: Building Relationships And Showing Gratitude

Thanks for sharing. That’s super cool. I love doing this for me, selfishly. I always learn something. A couple of things that you said stood out. I was melting when you were talking about your mom. I got to meet her. The three of us should go out to lunch.

She would love that.

Invite her over. We’ll make the killer bulletproof coffee.

Mom would love this coffee. She’s in Costa Rica. It’s a rough life.

No doubt. I love your transparency in sharing some of the challenges, wins, and losses. It’s an honor to know you and have you here.

Likewise. I had no idea what to expect but I was so excited.

This was fun. Thank you so much for joining us. How can people find you and connect with you?

You can google me, Nicole Wolf. I’m on Instagram. Wolf Family RE is my brand, Wolf Family Real Estate. I’m on Facebook too, Nicole Wolf – Wolf Family Real Estate.

This was awesome. Thanks so much for joining.

Thank you. This was great.

We’ll do it again soon. Let’s do something with your mom, have a quick clip, and do some coffee with her. That’d be fun.

Mom, you’re doing it.

Awesome. Thanks for coming.

Thank you for having me.

Important Links

About Nicole Wolf

Nicole Wolf has been in Real Estate for 10 plus years. For her, the real estate purchase or sale goes far beyond the transaction. As a wife and mother of two herself, Nicole knows firsthand how important family and a sense of home is; it certainly goes far beyond four walls and a roof – it’s where love grows, dreams take shape and life’s most precious moments unfold. That’s why she treats every client like family, walking alongside clients with care, honesty and unwavering support that carries on long after the transaction closes. Truly connecting with clients and walking through whichever chapter of life they are currently experiencing is at the heart of her big “why”. Nicole loves celebrating the joys, easing the worries and making sure her clients always felt heard and valued. To her, this isn’t just real estate – it’s personal. Its about helping clients find a place to truly belong and creating relationships that last.

Beyond her love for real estate and helping clients find a sense of home; Nicole has been happily married for 14 years. Nicole and her husband Kyle live in Thornton, CO with their two children: Jackson, their son, is 10 and Addison, their daughter, is 9. Together as a family, they enjoy traveling to St. Augustine, Florida any chance they get and love their weekly tradition of Friday Night Family Night which involves carry-out pizza, board games and a movie.

When Nicole is not celebrating all the chapters of life with her clients, running her kiddos or spending time with her family; you can find her at the local Cycle Bar at least twice a week, cuddled up on the couch reading a book or tending to her flower pots in the yard during the warmer months.