Play Bigger in Real Estate with Raquel Q.

Why This Thanksgiving Hits Different And What I Want You to Remember

• Raquel Quinet • Episode 397

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This Thanksgiving hits differently… and I wanted to bring you into the real story behind why. If you had asked me a year ago whether my mom would be sitting at the table celebrating her 76th birthday today, I couldn’t have given you an answer. We prayed. We fought. We almost lost her—twice. And this year forced me to slow down in ways I never expected.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing a message straight from my heart. Not as a business coach. Not as an entrepreneur. But as a daughter navigating one of the hardest seasons of her life.

I talk about what this year taught me about legacy, presence, loss, gratitude, and the truth about building a life you actually want to live—not just a business that looks successful on paper.

This isn’t just a Thanksgiving message.
 It’s a reminder of what matters, what lasts, and what we often forget while we’re chasing goals, growth, and the next milestone.

If you’re in a season of building… or a season of slowing down… or a season of transition… this one is for you.

💛 Things I Cover in This Episode

  • The moment doctors told us to prepare for my mom’s funeral
  • The miracle that pulled her through
  • What this year forced me to confront as a high achiever
  • The truth about success and who you become while building it
  • The difference between chasing goals and living a life
  • How gratitude impacts business, sales, relationships, and leadership
  • Why most entrepreneurs burn out—and how to avoid it
  • A Thanksgiving challenge I want every listener to do today
  • A perspective shift that will change how you plan your life and business
  • The legacy your kids, parents, and clients actually remember

If this episode moved you, made you pause, or grounded you in any way…
 share it with someone you love — a friend, a teammate, a fellow entrepreneur navigating a heavy season.

And if you want to stay connected, get updates, and be part of my close-circle community, text me at textraquel.com. I’d love to hear what resonated with you most.

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Thank you for joining me on this episode of The Raquel Show, and remember, keep pushing your limits to achieve your goals.

For updates and collaborations or opportunities, go to www.LetsPlayBigger.com

Find more resources on our website

https://raquelq.com/podcast/

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Why is this Thanksgiving so different? And why does it hit me so different? If you had asked me a year ago, whether or not we would be sitting at the table with my mom celebrating her 76th birthday, I might not have an answer. We really almost lost her in February, but we had prayed. We had so many people praying. I want this to be a reminder that life can change really fast and the people we love won't be here forever. But the older I got, the more I realized that success means nothing if the people you love aren't there to share it with you. This year reminded me that legacy is not just what you accumulate over the years. It's who you become while you build it.

Welcome back to The Raquel Show. This show is for entrepreneurs who want to Play Bigger in business and in life. And today this one is a special one. It's Thanksgiving today and it's also my mom's 76th birthday. And I want to share a message straight from the heart. One that I hope grounds you, gives you perspective and reminds you of what truly matters today. But first I want to say thank you for listening to this episode. Thank you so much for being part of our podcast community. I'll tell you, you guys keep me going to record these podcasts and I'm still honored, amazed at how tens and thousands of downloads we get.

From every episode from all over the world. So I want to thank you for your text messages, your DMs, and sharing this podcast with your friends. Because without you, this podcast would not exist. And I am so, so, so grateful. So whether you are listening to this while you are driving, working out, or cooking, or even taking a walk, I am grateful that you're here. And I want to get into it.

So why is this Thanksgiving so different? And why does it hit me so different? If you had asked me a year ago, whether or not we would be sitting at the table with my mom celebrating her 76th birthday, I might not have an answer. And it was just a little bit over a year that she first was admitted to the hospital with a diabetic ketosis like coma. They call it a DKA.

And we had this past year, she ended up getting better from that and then went into the hospital again with her sugar level over a thousand because she has dementia. So she forgets to take her medicine. So we've had two hospitalization. We really almost lost her in February. She was on eight machines. She couldn't speak. She couldn't talk to us.

The doctor actually ended up asking us where she was going to be buried and to start making funeral arrangements. But we had prayed. We had so many people praying. We had moved her and obviously she got out of the hospital and we moved her into a care home so that someone can give her the care 24 seven multiple caretakers. And moments later, as I prayed, she pulled through. And if you know me, you know that I am a high achiever.


I love building. absolutely love helping people. love momentum. I love my work. People say you work so much and I'm like, it doesn't even feel like work because I love helping people Play Bigger. And if you know this year really truly forced me to slow down, whether I wanted to, whether I planned it or not, I canceled things. I said no to a lot of speaking engagements.

I drove every day to go see her for a long period of time because she was just not doing well. I watched cameras. I switched care homes when things didn't feel right because I saw something and I witnessed something and I flew back from California on an emergency. I didn't even understand what it meant to be a power of attorney and make all the medical decisions and still have people.

Have opinions or family have opinions of what I was doing. I became the advocate she needed because she could not advocate for herself. And to look at her today, I get choked up as I'm recording this podcast, finally walking after being bedridden, moving and singing sometimes karaoke and still trying to give us instructions while battling dementia that has grown rapidly. I almost feel like this was a true miracle. 

So in today's episode, I want this to be a reminder that life can change really fast and the people we love won't be here forever. Let's talk about things we chase in this industry.

We chase closings, we chase awards, we chase GCI, we chase productions, we chase growth, we chase milestones, we chase followers, we chase the likes. I mean, the list goes on and on and we love it. And there's nothing wrong with ambition because ambition being driven built my life. But there are things that money will never buy. Money can buy help, but not more time. Money can buy convenience, but not presence.

Money can buy comfort, not memories. Money can buy care, but not your health. Money can buy a house, but not a home. And money can buy a network, but not loyalty. The things we can't get back are things we often overlook when we're in massive go mode, massive build mode. And trust me, I know build mode. I have had it every single period or stage of my entire career. But the older I got, the more I realized that success means nothing if the people you love aren't there to share it with you. 

This year reminded me that legacy is not just what you accumulate over the years. It's who you become while you build it. It's how you actually treat people. It's whether or not your kids feel seen, they feel protected. It's whether your parents
feel taken care of, feel loved. It's whether you show up when it matters, even if it means sacrificing the things you thought were important. 

And so here's what most people don't understand. 

  1. Gratitude isn't just a feel good concept. It's an absolute business multiplier. Because when you operate with gratitude, you show up differently. You speak differently. You treat clients differently. You lead differently. You sell differently. You negotiate differently. Gratitude grounds you and grounded agents close away more business, not because they're pushing, but because they're magnetic. And I want to give you some examples is gratitude creates consistency. When you're grateful for opportunities, you stop avoiding the work. 
  2. Number two is gratitude improves client experience. Clients love feeling appreciated. And grateful people actually want to express it naturally. 
  3. And number three is gratitude reduces burnout because when you're not chasing validation, you're building from alignment. 
  4. And number four is gratitude fuels referrals. People refer who they feel connected to. Gratitude just strengthens that bond. And number five is gratitude helps you Play Bigger because it shifts you out of survival and into creation. I'll tell you the most successful agents aren't the most talented. They are the most consistent and consistency is easier when your heart is in the right place. So one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is this. They wait for the holidays to actually slow down to rest, to connect or reset. 

But the truth is you deserve a life that feels good on a Tuesday. You deserve moments that aren't rush. You deserve space to breathe, to walk, to think. You deserve a calendar that reflects your values and your obligations. 

And I'll tell you, I didn't have any time. If you asked anybody on my team, if you asked my staff, I didn't have any time to put into my calendar, but somehow this year, I was able to spend time when my mother was weak every single day. It's like I ended my calls earlier. I shifted my priorities. I shifted my work early so that I could spend time with her. Somehow you make minutes out of nothing. And as I watched my mom this year, I navigated caretakers, doctors, insurance, all the logistics, hospice, you name it. 

And I kept asking myself, is the life I'm building supporting the life I actually want. And I want to ask you that too, because so many agents are caught running, reacting, chasing, trying to keep up, trying not to fall behind. But the truth is that no one says out loud is if you don't design your life, your business will design it for you and it will not be the design you love. 

So today you have permission to rethink your schedule, to protect your mornings, to say, no to more things and yes to the things that light you up to create rhythms that feel good for you to build a system, build a business that expands your life and not one that consumes it. 

We don't need holidays to remind us to slow down. We need courage to make everyday life something we don't want to escape from. And so as I wrap up today, I want to leave you with something.

Simple, yet powerful. Thanksgiving isn't about having the perfect table, the perfect turkey, which I'll probably screw up today, or the perfect photos. It's about the moments you get back. It's about being present. It's about gratitude. It's about legacy. It's about the people sitting right in front of you. 

So my Thanksgiving challenge to all of you is start a tradition today. It doesn't have to be fancy. It does just has to be meaningful. And this will be the first year that we don't have Bryce, but we typically will go around the table and say what we're grateful for. And then I want you to call or text five people who've made a difference in your life this year. Tell them, don't wait. 

Don't assume that they already know. And then last but not least after today is commit to building a life. You don't need a holiday to enjoy from my family to yours, I want to wish you all a happy, happy, happy Thanksgiving. 

I want to thank you for listening. I want to thank you for showing up. And I really want to thank the people that got in my corner this year when I didn't have the courage or the fight in me to go anymore because I was dealing with so much. It was one of the most challenging years I've ever had in my life. I want to just thank you for just being there.

Maybe you were there from a simple DM. Maybe you were there because I needed to vent. Maybe you were there to rally me up and go, you've got to fight Rick. Hell, this isn't right. You guys know who you are. And I want to thank you for being a part of this community of our play bigger community.

I'm so grateful for you more than you ever know. You kept me going day in and day out and allowed me to share what was going on personally through this podcast and not necessarily on social media. So until next time, I want you to keep playing bigger, keep loving deeper and keep creating the life that you're proud of. Happy Thanksgiving, my friend.


Thank you for listening to this episode and hanging out with me today. If you're loving The Raquel Show and you've gotten value from it for your business or your life, please don't forget to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode. I'd love to connect with you further. So text me at www.textraquel.com  and send me a message. You'll be added to our VIP list for updates and special events we're hosting for our community. I look forward to hanging out with you on the next episode.