Most people think success starts with talent, money, or connections. Ben Kinney proves it starts with something far more powerful: learning how to turn hard circumstances into an unfair advantage.Melanie Kennemann sits down with the real estate legend and entrepreneur for a raw, practical conversation about growing up in a cabin with no electricity, working his way through cable installs and commission-only jobs, and building the mindset that later helped him scale companies, create opportunity for others, and stay grounded while doing it.

• How Ben learned the difference between being busy and being effective
• The duplex story that changed everything and sparked his move into real estate
• The “four fields” framework Ben uses to think about relationships, hiring, and long-term trust
• Why he believes the fastest path to growth is not doing everything yourself, but helping other people win
• The doubling mindset that shaped Place, Brivity, and the businesses he keeps building

Ben also opens up about the family lessons that shaped him, the leadership mistakes that made him wiser, and why generosity only becomes real when giving actually costs you something. Ben's message is simple but hard to ignore: focus on what you can control, double one thing, and keep moving. If you need a reset on money, leadership, growth, or courage, this conversation delivers it.Melanie brings out the stories, the frameworks, and the heart behind the builder, while Ben offers the kind of no-excuses wisdom that turns inspiration into action.

Clarissa Lopez has built brands, raised a family, raised a quarter-million dollars for Make-A-Wish, had a long career in fitness and now she's in the most powerful transformation of her life.On this episode of Playing to Win LLC, host Melanie Kennemann sits down with Clarissa for an unfiltered conversation about the thread connecting every chapter of her life: fierce determination, radical resilience, and the refusal to stay stuck. From becoming the only freshman on varsity drill team to launching a clothing line that reached 155+ stores, Clarissa shares how she learned to trust her instincts, recover from costly business mistakes, and keep moving when life gets hard.