Welcome to More Than Renovating, a Renovate and Real Estate Podcast.
Our founder Belinda Smith talks to industry experts to provide you with the knowledge and information you need to make renovating for love or profit your reality.
Belinda will also chat to some of her renovation mastery members who are just everyday people doing extraordinary things following their passions in the renovation and property space.
30+ Deals Later: Lauren May's Strategy for Profitable Renovations
In this next episode of More Than Renovating, Belinda Smith chats with Lauren May about her journey from nursing and real estate to completing more than 30 renovation deals.
Lauren shares how education transformed her approach, why understanding the numbers is essential, and how building strong relationships with agents, trades and suppliers can make all the difference. She also discusses finding opportunities in challenging properties, creating value beyond cosmetic renovations, and knowing when a market no longer stacks up.
Lauren shares the lessons that shaped her journey and what it really takes to turn your property goals into reality.
15 Oct 2026
Build Your Brand and Attract Premium Clients on LinkedIn
In this episode of More Than Renovating, Belinda sits down with her daughter, Amy Smith, founder of Aligned Tribe and LinkedIn business coach, for an honest conversation about backing yourself.
Amy walked away from a corporate HR career to build her own business, and now helps coaches, consultants and service providers become the go-to expert in their field. She reveals how one LinkedIn post landed a $300K consulting project, and what her clients are doing differently to hit consistent $35K months.
If you're a renovation consultant, buyer's agent or property professional sitting on expertise nobody knows about, this one's for you. Amy will challenge the way you think about your pricing, your confidence and your visibility.
Stop waiting for permission. It's time to just do the thing.
1 Oct 2026
From Self-Doubt to Taking Action: Julia's Renovation Journey
What happens when you stop waiting until you feel ready and finally back yourself?
In this episode of More Than Renovating, Belinda Smith chats with Julia Surtees, a busy mum of five who went from loving houses to taking the leap into her very first renovation project.
Julia spent time learning, asking questions, getting involved in the Renovation Mastery community and building her confidence before making the move. After plenty of analysis paralysis, she secured an off-market property in a hot market and teamed up with a joint venture partner to transform a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom property.
But this episode is about so much more than the renovation itself.
Julia opens up about self-doubt, learning to trust herself, managing a renovation alongside family life, finding the right people to surround herself with and the importance of getting the boring stuff sorted before the fun begins.
She also shares the lessons she's taking into her next project.
From joint ventures and off-market deals to DIY, budgeting, tradies and the reality of renovating with five kids, Julia's story is a reminder that you don't need to know everything before you start.
Sometimes you just need to trust yourself, ask the questions, put one foot in front of the other and give it a go.
If you've ever been stuck in self-doubt or waiting until you feel "ready" to start your renovation journey, this is one you'll want to hear.
Who has been a guest on Renovate & Real Estate
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Miescha Phillips
Kelly Bowen
Steve Epps
Kylie Walker
Penny Petridis
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
32,642
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
4.4 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 85 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
91
Social presence
97
YouTube
76
Engagement
71
Contact Renovate & Real Estate
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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