Madison Carroll on Building a Life That Sings: Marketing, Music & Buying Her First Home

In this episode of Opening Doors, Annette Compo sits down with Madison Carroll — the woman handling marketing and branding for Compo & Medema Group at Keller Williams Home, a singer with a song on streaming platforms, a newly engaged bride-to-be planning a Virginia farm wedding, and a brand-new homeowner who just closed on her first house.

Madison opens up about how she found her way to Keller Williams from a video production background, why she keeps singing woven into her weekly life even with everything else on her plate, and the story behind recording with Consumed by Fire and watching her name hit the iTunes charts. She and Annette also walk through what it's like to be on the buyer side of a real estate transaction with the team she works for every day — and what that experience taught her about trust, communication, and being seen as a client first.

This one is part workplace conversation, part friendship, part wedding talk, part homebuyer story — and a reminder that the people building someone else's brand often have a whole world of their own worth listening to.

🎤 CONNECT WITH MADISON CARROLL 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisoncarrollmusic/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madisonnncarrolll 🎶 Music: Search "Madison Carroll" on your favorite streaming platform

🔗 CONNECT WITH ANNETTE COMPO 🌐 Website: https://vist.ly/4u5gv 📞 Call: (877) ANNETTE 📧 Email: annettecompo@kw.com 📍 Office: 30500 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 300, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 📸 Instagram: https://vist.ly/4u5g3 👍 Facebook: https://vist.ly/4u5g4 ▶️ YouTube: @annettecompo 💼 LinkedIn: https://vist.ly/4u5gh

🎙️ OPENING DOORS PODCAST CHANNELS 📸 Instagram: https://vist.ly/4u5g9 🎵 TikTok: https://vist.ly/4u5gp

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hi, welcome to the next episode of Opening Doors with me, Annette Compo. I get the amazing pleasure, and my heart is literally busting at the seams to introduce one of the most incredible people and most talented. Um, and she always called you always call me she boss, but I seriously think that that's your name because of all the times in my life, and I've had some great people, you know, that have worked with me in marketing and branding. Um, but Madison, you just, I mean, you're the girl.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

So, Madison, tell us your full name, tell us where you're from, tell us what you do.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Yeah, um, I'm Madison Carroll. I am from Lexington, Virginia, which is a teeny tiny little town on the western side of Virginia. Probably won't ever hear about it unless you accidentally get off the wrong exit. Um, I work here with Annette. Um, I do some social media stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

I work at Keller Williams, and that's really all I do. I do a lot. So we first met at Keller Williams.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Yeah, we sure did. And as soon as I met you, I was like, all right, best news forever. And uh so first off, thank you so much for everything that you do, you know, um, not only for me, but also the agents in our office and um to have the the um energy that really fits the culture of our market center and how and why that is so important, you know, for people that literally are working commission based, right? Because mindset is 90% of it, 10% mechanics. So thank you for that. And of course, I always have to say this is thank you for keeping me in line because anyone who watches this podcast knows that your job security is absolutely secure. No one would want your job to keep me in line. So you're you're you're welcome. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. So uh one of the things that I have learned over getting to know you better is that you have a beautiful voice. Well, incredible voice.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

To the point that you were actually like almost ready to go, like, I don't know what you call it, public.

unknown 2:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Um, yeah. In high school, I well, I started singing at a really young age. Um, and then um gosh, I think my earliest like video is my third grade talent show of me singing Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

What is in there's video of this? I haven't seen it. Don't go look on my mom's Facebook. Um done.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

But so we have that. So around then third grade age, and then um kept singing um in middle school, started singing for like our youth church choir, um, our youth band, things like that. Um, then grew into leading worship for our main church services on Sunday. And then halfway through um high school, I actually got the opportunity to go record. And so I went and recorded um a song with a group called Consume by Fire. Um, we went to Scotty Wilbanks, he's a part of Third Day. We went to his house and got to record in Atlanta, and then um my song got released on all platforms. It was on the radio. Um I actually made it on the top charts, which was really awesome to do um to see just my name and my song that I created with these wonderful people just on an iTunes chart. I was like, what in the world? Um, and then it's like chucked off the box. Yeah, and I was I just think I was 15 or 16 at the time, and I'm it was kind of just crazy, like sitting back now, being like, wow, like I did that. I did something that it's really hard to do, and the fact that I was able to do it at such a young age, my parents helped me a lot with it though.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Um and I've had the pleasure. I mean, what incredible people, which we always say, you know, the best compliment ever is to tell me how amazing my kids are, right? And so I told your mom that when she was here visiting, and you know, of course she got really welled up. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

She's my my best friend, she's one of my favorite people. Um, and then throughout high school, um I went back and recorded another song, was able to go on a um Christmas tour down and up and down the East Coast, which is really awesome to do. Um, different churches, different services, got to meet a lot of people, got to meet some extended family, which I had never met before, which was kind of awesome. Um, and then went to college, went to college for music, um, traveled with them for weeks and weeks and weeks at a time. I don't I think I was more on the road than I was actually in classes. Um, and then I I ended up here and um I started to sing a little bit more often now, and now it's becoming a part of my weekly routine again, which is better.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Well, and I love it because when you talk about it, you're just everything lights up.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

And I know that it's so important to you. And I think, you know, when I look at you, um, there's so many young girls that are out there that, you know, because when when you know kids are younger, they're trying to get just grow into the skin and trying to figure out who they are, and you know, of course, worried about what people think, all the things that we did when we were that age. Yeah, um, and to have a role model like you to say, you know what, this is what I did at this age, and this is where I'm at today. I think there's just such a connection there. Um, because when we can rise up those next leaders and allow them to be their their authentic self. Yes. Um, we had a a visitor a while back, and that's what she does is you know, she does all of the musical instruments for kids after school, a thistle rose. And so I thought of you instantly. I thought, wow, what an amazing opportunity, you know, to really kind of be a part of somebody's life like that. So college, and then um I'm just gonna say this you met somebody. I met someone, really cute, super kind, great smile.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Yeah, he lights up my life, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

So when did you know?

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Um, well, the first day we ever hung out, he dropped down on one knee in my college house and gave me a ring pop. First day.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Ring pop. Yeah, ring pop. You mean those ring pops that like I used to get the football game I put on my finger and then I wouldn't. Interesting ring pops. Yep, okay. All right, Josh, look at you guys.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

Nice, but we knew we knew right off right off the bat.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Right off the bat.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Little little ties that wouldn't have happened unless it was meant to be.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

That's amazing. So you have a big day coming up.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

We have a big day coming up.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

And I'm gonna actually see where you grew up at that little itty bitty town.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

I know, it's gonna be so much fun, but we're so excited. Lots to do, but we're we're so stoked and excited that it is coming.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

It's uh I do have to call you all like that because you said I you said, well, where you know, what hotel should I stay? And Madison's response is well, let me think about that one because I'm not for sure if we have a bougie one for you. And I was like, Wait, I'm not bougie.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

We have one, one downtown. That's about it.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

But I'm not bougie, Madison. No, no, not at all. Careful we're being recorded. So um tell us a little bit about it. Like, how is this like the dream that when you're a little girl?

SPEAKER_02 7:28

I think so. I always I I'm very blessed, especially with Joshua being in my life because he's really just letting me take the reins on this. Um, he has opinions, but I get to choose, I get to lay out the options.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

I forgot that adjective and we were talking about him. I forgot intelligent.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

Yes, highly, highly intelligent. Highly intelligent. We just saw that actually. Um but so I give him options and he'll pick, but he's really just letting me like create the day that I've always dreamed of. Lots of pinks. My mom likes to say my colors are blush and bashful. Oh so we just my favorite movie. Yeah, yep. So, and they really are. It's a dark tone pink and a lighter tone pink, and it's it's really it's beautiful with lots of flowers. We um our my dad um built an arch out of trees that were cut down, like at one of his friends' houses. And so it's just everything is little stories that are capturing the dream. Yeah, we're we're doing it on a family farm, it's in the mountains, it's with the willow trees, and we're having we're surrounded by all of the people that we love, family, friends included, and we have a lot of people traveling from far places like yourself. So you're gonna make me cry. Yeah, we're just super excited. We're just so thankful for it, and we're thankful for the for the village that we have around us, definitely, to help us because it's hard to do it from Michigan and have to plan everything in Virginia, but we figured it out, and we're my mom's been a big help on that too.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Nice, and then something just huge has happened.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Yep, we're just checking off the boxes this year, all in the same year, yeah, five months apart, yeah. Close, but it's all good. Yeah, we we just bought our first house. Amazing. Um, we had an awesome real estate group.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Who could have that been?

SPEAKER_02 9:13

I I don't know. Um, but really, we had the best experience with you guys with the whole process from start to finish, from trying to find other houses to specifically having this one. We me and Josh like to say we were hand-picked for this house because there were so many little details again throughout this entire process from start to finish that just made this whole thing just come alive. Like we were we were just meant to be there in that moment. We were meant to have this house. So we're excited to start our lives there and start our married life there. So we're gonna make a lot of memories in it. We're we're just so excited.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

And I'm definitely hanging out on the back porch. No, I know, right? That's super cool. Back porch.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

And just wait. Um, that's gonna be great. We're so excited.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

What do what do they drink in Virginia? Is it like uh iced tea? Sweet tea. Sweet tea, that's what it is. Oh, yeah, yeah. And then like the they always have like these movies about how the older women drink the sweet tea and then they kiki a little bit, which God knows I can do that really good with you.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Well, it's funny because every morning when I come into the office, I make a pot of sweet tea for myself.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

No, even to this day in Michigan.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

You're making the Virginia sweet tea in Michigan. You look in the cabinet, there's sweet tea, and then there's sugar underneath it because I have to add more sugar than what's already in it.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Okay, so we have to start doing that at the office. We have to take a picture of it. You're always on me about social media.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Oh, I know. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

And so just so I put it out there, you're also the real estate client that brought me my own personal hot tea on early Saturday morning. And so that was super cool. I posted that as social media too.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

So that was an awesome experience.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah, you know, um, having um friends in in my village or my community, like you like you say, um, it's truly an honor to be a part of that when you're making these big, huge, you know, leaps into you know, the next phase of your life. So obviously, um, you know, being a singer, being talented with graphic arts, organization skills, marketing, branding. I mean, I feel like I need to give everyone their resume, but I'm also afraid don't call her.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Phones on silent.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

Oh, there it is. I don't want anyone to grab you because it's an option. Um, but uh all of those things, like what do you love to do?

SPEAKER_02 11:35

Um, I uh secretly love to read. Okay. I love um painting. That's one of my favorite things. I I just will sit in my little chair at home and I just love to paint. Um, I love just spending time with my cat. And I take her on little walks in the stroller that I have for her. No, you do not have a stroller for your cat.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

You're one of those? Yes, yes. Okay. And so I've always thought it was interesting when I see people, you know, because my daughter Jules has a cat and her personality does not fit a stroller and does not fit walking on the street. It's I'm it's kind of like my personality, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:10

Yes, I love it and my cat loves it. But really, like when I get home, I just love to like kind of be in the moment and just like I like to do like the smaller things. Like I I also have like a routine where I go home and I cook dinner and then I sit down and I'll watch my show that comes out that day, or then I'll read a book, or I love doing things like that. Um, I'm also involved in a lot of small groups within our church and things like that. And so I just enjoy spending time with those people too. So just a little bit of everything.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

I kind of have a little bit of a very well-rounded Madison. It's one of the things I admire about you. Thank you. Thank you. So we always have this the two questions. The first question I have to ask you is is obviously, so what's it like to work with me? I can only imagine Trevor is dying for your answer because last time I asked that question, it got a little crazy and potentially sketchy.

SPEAKER_02 13:02

Hmm. Hmm. It's almost like a breath of fresh air, I'll say. It really is. Okay, because I feel like in such a, especially in the market that we're in, I feel or that you're in. I'm just you're in. I'm I'm in it. You're in it by default. Especially that kind of market, it's nice to just have somebody to like laugh with or somebody to come and talk to where it's not just yes, it's about the business, but also it's more of just like how can we make the business fun? Like things like that. And I really I appre I appreciate that a lot because a lot most of the time when we are in that business, it's mainly focused on specific goals. And yes, we have the goals, but we also get to have fun reaching them. And so I think that that's what it's like working with you, just a breath of fresh air sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, and I know when you're working with the real estate agents, um, they need that more than everything. Because, you know, a lot of times when you're new in any industry, there's the struggles of being new, then there's the struggles, you know, of competition and the struggles of finances, and you know, you got cut off and you have a bad mindset and you come in the office, and that's that one pivot that they have that literally could change the projectory of their business, at least for that day. Yeah. Um, and so having you know you there and having that type of a mindset, it's definitely um one of our biggest assets at Keller Williams home. And I'm very thankful that you're there. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:27

I'm happy to be there.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Awesome. Well, Trevor's gonna be disappointed because he was hoping for something sketchy.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

I was thinking, as you were talking, I was thinking, I was like, I really don't even know what to say. Like, there's nothing bad I could say or sketchy.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Or you're choosing not to, but that's okay. Um, so of course, here at tradition, as you know, of anyone, you're right, you always give me these expectations. I have to make sure I cover them. Is, and this is a weird question for you because the tradition is that if you saw a younger version of yourself, what advice would you give them? Which to me means you would have to be talking to someone in a high chair, right? That's the youngest version because you're in your lower 20s, right? But seriously though, if you think about it when you're like 15, 16 years old, you know, so much going on in our lives at that age, right? But now you're at this age, right, in your lower 20s. What would you, what advice would you give that version of yourself?

SPEAKER_02 15:21

I think I would tell myself to not listen to what the world, to not become what the world wants me to become. Because I think that year, especially 15 to 16, was a really hard year for me. And you know, I I broke my hips, I couldn't do my my cheerleading or my competitions anymore, and that was really where my identity was, but then it turned into something so much greater. And I because I did something so much greater in my viewpoint, I got a lot of backlash from a lot of my peers and things like that. And and if I wouldn't have taken what they said and kind of conformed myself to the shell and just kind of hide myself away, I feel like a lot more could have come out of that, especially at that age. Um and I just think that if if I would have just been more open about who I am and more, yeah, I love to sing and yeah, this is like a passion of mine, then I wouldn't have I would have gone a little bit further than I would have. Um, because I would have kept that mindset throughout college and throughout things like that versus wanting to try to keep it in a little bit more.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

So well, I believe that things happen for a reason, right? So I'm I'm thankful that you are where you're at today, and I'm excited to see you continue to blossom. Yeah, just you know, leveraging all the resources around you because you deserve every single one of them. And I'm truly blessed, last, last to have you as part of my life, not only as my friends. I'm pretty blessed too, though, but also as my team members. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Until next time I see you, thanks for tuning in.