Johnjay Van Es: How a Morning Radio Show Became a Syndicated Success. From local radio shifts to national syndication, Johnjay Van Es has built one of the most recognized morning shows in the country. In this episode, he breaks down how it happened—without following anyone else's playbook. James McCabe sits down with the Johnjay & Rich host to talk about starting from behind the scenes, what syndication really looks like, and why staying authentic matters more than ever.

They get into his early career in promotions and sales, what it’s like to carry a show with national reach, and how he’s kept going without burning out. Johnjay also shares why partnership and personal growth have mattered just as much as content and audience, and how being consistent—for 20+ years—has been his real edge.

If you’re trying to build something meaningful, this is what the long game sounds like.

Chapters:

00:00 Authenticity in Social Media

02:36 Journey into Radio and Early Career

08:32 Johnjay’s Partnership with Rich

13:42 Navigating Social Media and Personal Life

19:46 The Evolution of Radio and Podcasting

41:04 Personal Experiences with Stem Cell Treatments

42:27 Hyperbaric Chambers and Peptides

50:55 Balancing a Radio Show and Family

54:53 Endorsements and Authenticity

01:01:24 Health and Fitness Journey

01:06:45 Financial Advice and Life Experiences

Austin Zaback went from launching a pool cleaning business at age 7 to building one of the most dominant real estate operations in the country—completely self-funded. In this episode, he breaks down how he built a $1 billion-per-year real estate business that includes daily wholesale transactions, the top-ranked retail real estate team in the U.S., and a network of vertically integrated companies spanning mortgage, title, insurance, and media.

You’ll hear how Austin scaled without outside investors or debt, why most people aren’t built for real entrepreneurship, and what it actually takes to lead 500+ team members across multiple real estate verticals. If you’re serious about real estate, scaling a business, or staying profitable while growing fast, this conversation is your playbook.

Chapters:

00:00 Building Multiple Companies

03:13 Growing Up with Grandparents

04:26 First Real Estate Deal

11:08 Explaining Wholesaling

16:32 Scaling the Business

23:19 The Ecosystem of Companies

33:40 Challenges of Scaling a Company

37:49 The Realities of Building Companies

40:54 Creative Financing vs. Wholesaling

43:00 Finding Alignment in Your Career

49:09 The Importance of Authenticity and Giving

55:12 Dealing with Social Media Trolls

57:47 Building a Strong Company Culture

01:02:03 Balancing Personal and Professional Life

About: Austin Zaback is a nationally recognized real estate leader and business builder focused on scale, strategy, and omnipresence. He is President of SPACE, the nation's fastest-growing real estate team with more than 300 agents across Arizona, Texas, Florida, and California. Austin leads with a growth-first mindset and a long-term vision for building industry-defining companies.
He is also the founder of OneRoof, the top wholesale and real estate investment company in the country. They are responsible for over 3,000 + wholesale deals and 200+ flips.

Austin is also the Owner of Zaback Media, his vertically integrated content and media company that exists to expand reach, increase brand equity, and attract opportunity across platforms for both SPACE and OneRoof. Zaback Media handles production of The Austin Zaback Show, a podcast focused on interviewing world-renowned industry leaders.

With over $3 billion in real estate sold, 12 companies founded, and hundreds of employees across his ventures, Austin has become a standout figure in the real estate and entrepreneurial space. All before the age of 30 years old.
His work spans real estate sales, investing, education, content, and scalable systems built for acquisition.
Austin's brand is built on clarity, conviction, and connection. His focus now is expanding his businesses nationally, acquiring and scaling companies through equity, and building a media presence that drives massive awareness and trust.
Everything he builds is designed to create growth and opportunity. For clients, partners, agents, and the people who follow his journey.

Learn more about Austin Zaback's podcast at https://www.theaustinzabackshow.com/

Trailer for a podcast featuring Austin Zaback. New episode Monday June 30th at 6:00 AM Pacific Time or 9:00 AM Eastern Time.