Beyond the Lens with Glen Coutinho | The People Lover
- Aaron C
- Jun 22
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 1
Ladies & Gentleman,
Just a quick promo before we begin the guest feature on Glen Coutinho who will also offer his unique perspective on life and reinvention... If you’ve ever had to start over, rebuild yourself, or figure out who you are after life changed everything, check out the audio podcast, Death of a Cameraman. It's the story of Hollywood professional, Aaron Cox, who lost everything during Covid and was forced to live out of his car.
This audio podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify. Here's a short sample clip from Episode 5 about the moment Aaron realized some people could tell he was homeless.
Here's a link to Episode 1.
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AND NOW... It is a real honor for me to introduce my very special guest, Glen Coutinho to all of you. Take a good look at this award list below and you’ll easily see this man is without a doubt… at the top of his field. Go ahead and scan the list and I’ll meet you at the end…
Awards:
2026 New Partnership with Nest Seekers
2023 Glen Coutinho International Gold Award Harcourts
2022 Glen Coutinho #1 Sales Agent Harcourts USA
2022 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Platinum Award
2022 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Platinum Award
2022 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Individual Platinum Sales Award
2022 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA No #14 Sales Agent
2021 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA #10 Sales Consultant in North America
2021 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Titanium Award
2021 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Top Sales Consultant for Auctions Listed
2021 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Individual Gold Sales Award
2021 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Individual Silver Sales Award
2021 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Titanium Award
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Best Presented Office Award
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Record GCI
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Platinum Award
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Individual Gold Sales Award
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Platinum Office Award
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Individual Bronze Sales Award
2020 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Bronze Sales Award
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Gold Sales Award
2019 International Book Release Balboa Press “The People Lover” Glen Coutinho
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Business Partners ranked Top 3 Units Sold
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Business Partners ranked Top 9 in USA
2019 Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce Golden Palm Awards Finalist for Innovation
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Office Culture Award
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Silver Sales Award
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Business Partners ranked top 10 in USA
2019 Harcourts Beverly Hills USA Business Partners awarded Rising Stars
2019 AI Global Media Ltd Awards Influential Business Leader of the Year – Real Estate
2019 Real Estate Business Awards No. 35 Best Sales Office in Australia
2018 Real Estate Business Awards Ranked Number 5 Agent in Australia
2018 House Hunters International Featured Real Estate Agent in USA TV Series
2018 M&A World Global Awards Most Respected & Longest Serving Agent in Australia
2018 International Stevie Awards Bronze Award: Sales Director of the Year
2018 Real Estate Business Awards Principal, Sales Agent & Auctioneer of the Year
2018 Kids Under Cover Melbourne Appointed Auctioneer Cubby House Challenge
2017 Real Estate Business Awards Ranked Number 2 in Australia for Deals Made
2017 Elite Agent Industry Influencer Champions of Service Winner
2017 Real Estate Business Awards Ranked Number 6 Agent in Australia
2017 Real Estate Business Awards Principal, Sales Agent & Auctioneer of the Year finalist
2017 Kids Under Cover Melbourne Winner, No 1 Auctioneer Victoria Challenge
2016 Real Estate Australia Awards Voted No 1 in Victoria for Customer Service
2016 Real Estate Australia Awards Voted No 3 in Australia for Customer Service
2016 Real Estate Business Awards Ranked Number 6 Agent in Australia
2016 Kids Under Cover Melbourne Appointed Auctioneer Cubby House Challenge
2016 Appointed to Channel 9 Vic Celebrity Auctioneer “The Block” TV Series
2015 USA Magazine in Top Agent Front Cover Featured in US Magazine
2015 Real Estate Business Awards Voted top 40 for Best Sales Office in Australia
2015 Real Estate Business Awards Voted No 1 for Best Sales Office in Boroondara
2014 Real Estate Business Awards Principal, Sales & Auctioneer of the Year finalist
2014 Real Estate Business Awards Ranked No 10 Agent in Australia
2013 Real Estate Business Awards Voted No 18 for Best Sales Office in Australia
2012 Real Estate Business Awards Ranked No 4 Agent in Australia
2011 Appointed to Channel 9 Vic Celebrity Auctioneer “The Block” TV Series
2010 Melbourne Agency Awards Fourth Place in Victoria for Sales
2009 Melbourne Agency Awards Fourth Place in Victoria for Sales
2009 Corporate Promotion Awards Promotion Award
2008 Melbourne Agency Awards Fourth Place in Victoria for Sales
2008 Corporate Promotion Awards Promotion Award
2007 Boroondara Business Awards Business Awards Winner
2007 Melbourne Agency Awards Most Improved Office, Camberwell
2004 Melbourne Agency Awards Runner Up for Office Most Sales
2003 Victorian Auction Competition Finalist Victoria
2002 Melbourne Agency Awards Number 1 Office Victoria
2002 Melbourne Agency Awards Highly Commended for Excellence in Customer Relations
1999 Melbourne Agency Awards Highly Commended for Excellence in Customer Relations
1994 Melbourne Agency Awards No 1 in Sales Victoria
1993 REIV Auction Competition Victorian Novice Auctioneer Runner Up
1993 Melbourne Agency Awards No 1 in Sales and Listings
1992 Melbourne Agency Awards No 1 in Sales and Listings
1991 Melbourne Agency Awards No 1 in Sales and Listings
1990 Melbourne Agency Awards Best First Year Sales
Do you see what I mean? He has had a legendary career in real estate! I don’t even have anything more to say about that… But as if that wasn’t enough… Glen Coutinho's approach to life... relationships... his compassion for others, and willingness to engage and connect with people is absolutely like no one I have ever met before…
I met Glen back in 2019… approximately seven years ago from the time of this writing and I still can’t say enough about this man's gracefulness… Even accepting this interview with me right now… Just look at the dichotomy here… a businessman making 7 figures annually in real estate… taking an interview with a person like me… a former Hollywood professional who shares a story about reinvention after going homeless… To further put that into perspective, I literally just started the instagram account for @deathofacameraman. I have exactly ONE follower… and it’s Glen Coutinho. Do you know how much that says about Glen? He didn’t hesitate to say yes to me about the interview… he didn’t hesitate to follow me on Instagram without me even asking him to. I contacted him about the interview and in 48 hours it was done…He didn’t care about the size of my following, he didn’t care that I just started the website… No excuses... He only cared about how he could help me, once he understood the purpose behind DeathofaCameraman.com.
Glen has a gift... And this gift has made room for him everywhere he goes. He has the gift of truly seeing people. Glen SEES me, because Glen SEES people and he’s not holding back on engaging, or afraid to give people a simple like, follow, or share on social media… He wrote a book some time ago titled, “The People Lover,” because that’s truly who this man is. He’s been nominated for the Guinness Book of World Records for having perhaps the most number of satisfied clients with over 5000 testimonials.
I don’t know if I can honor Glen enough with this introduction really... but it is truly my privilege to call him a friend, a role model, and let him know that I’ve always looked up to him ever since we first met. Every time we speak I take the opportunity to tell him how inspired I’ve been watching his journey in the U.S.
And as a bonus to you readers… this is a real treat, I’m including a video of him presenting his “Flick the Switch” speech, which started out as a letter written on a plane to his children, but has a universal message about life for all... So without further adieu ladies and gentlemen… I present my interview with Glen Coutinho.
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Aaron: Glen thank you so much for graciously accepting this interview. When we first met in the summer of 2019...where were you in your life or career?
Glen: Thanks. Yes, when we met I had just arrived in the USA leaving a very good career behind in Australia and I was really at the peak of my career… and then decided to come to America and start all over again. I came because my children wanted to launch a music career and I wanted to be here to support them, so we decided - take a chance and come to America as a family of seven and start all over again.
Aaron: What do you remember most about that time?
Glen: From memory when I arrived in America, it was around Covid time so lots of protests and crazy things going on. That’s all I remember.
Aaron: How has your life or career changed since then?
Glen: One of my sons married an American girl and had two children so he made me a grandparent and we are now a large family all living together. My wife and I’ve been together for 40 years and we have all our children and grandchildren in our house most of the time, which we are blessed with. And at the end of the day, nothing else matters.
Aaron: The idea behind Death of a Cameraman is that sometimes an old identity has to die so a new one can live. Does that idea connect with your life at all?
Glen: I can only relate to starting all over again in Real Estate after being 36 or 37 years in Australia, knowing as many people as I did… to come here to a new country and not know a single person so I suppose it was a reinvention you could call “Death of a Realtor.”
Aaron: Hahaha… Well thankfully, you survived… Can you tell us something you had to learn the hard way?
Glen: Staying humble has always been my focus. Follow up. Make sure that family comes first. Spoil your clients. Keep in touch with your clients for a long time. I focus on making 40 to 50 phone calls a day to people that I have met with. And I focus strongly on making sure that anyone I meet - the first impression is life lasting.
Aaron: It seems like success has followed you all the days of your life, but was there ever a point when you had to start over?
Glen: To be realistic, I start over every day. My focus is to never forget my customers… and if you do that, you’ll always be successful in sales. I have worked on 40 calls a day, six days a week, all my life and it never fails me.
Aaron: What helped you keep going when things were uncertain?
Glen: There is always uncertainty in life and Real Estate and challenges that come your way, but when you stop and think about it, nothing else matters when you have your wife and family healthy, and by your side. I don’t really care about anything else
Aaron: What is something glamorous from the outside that is actually difficult behind the scenes?
Glen: Real Estate is always glamorous from the outside and everyone wants to be a Realtor because they see the great videos. Agent saying “sold”... the closing gifts, and the happy clients. What they don’t see is the seven days a week and 7am starts. They don’t see the clients that call at midnight… and the calls on Sunday when you’re with family. They don’t see the incredible amount of times you get rejected every day. Or how you can work on a deal for six months and then lose it for no reason. To be honest, if people saw what was behind the scenes in Real Estate… I don’t think anyone is going into Real Estate. Resilience is the key factor.
Aaron: What do you think people miss when they only see the image, not the person behind it?
Glen: When people only see the image and not the person behind it, they don’t understand what is really involved in selling somebody’s house. It really is a full-time job managing expectations of buyers and sellers. Sometimes you become a counselor. Especially if you’re dealing with a death, divorce, or other tragedies that involve the sale of somebody’s most critical asset.
Aaron: What would you say to someone who is trying to reinvent their life?
Glen: Don’t try, just do it. Who cares if you’re making a mistake? Who cares if you get it wrong? Who cares if you get it wrong every single time? One day you will get it right! As long as you hold onto some critical things, your honesty, your integrity, your respect for people, and your focus on family. You can’t go wrong.
Aaron: Best advice you ever received?
Glen: The Rules of Rotary are the best advice that I received.
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all?
Aaron: What chapter of your life are you in now?
Glen: Every chapter is incredible and I’m 60 years old. Yes, I’m getting to the last three or four chapters but my focus, dedication and commitment are as good as it was when I was 20. I’m in the stage of grandchildren, but Real Estate has always been my passion and people have been my life and that’s the best chapter to be.
Aaron: If someone discovers your story for the first time through this blog feature, what do you hope they take away from it?
Glen: If they find this, I hope they focus their life on being a great husband or wife… being an incredible father. Being a disciplined worker, and the best that you can be, whatever you do. Do not create enemies and focus on lifelong relationships with everyone from all walks of life. Don’t be a spectator in life, get on with it, find your talent and make the most of it.
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“Don’t be a spectator in life, get on with it, find your talent and make the most of it.” Those really are words to live by, and Glen’s life embodies that motto perfectly.
Before I leave you with Glen’s amazing speech, “Flick the Switch” I just want to thank my sponsor IULaccount.com. Visit IULaccount.com to learn more about setting up Tax-Free Retirement Strategies. Some of our country's most successful people i.e. Walt Disney, John D. Rockefeller, the Founder of McDonald's, Ray Kroc, and the Founder of J.C. Penny, James Cash Penny, as well as 85% of Fortune 500 CEO's own Universal Life Insurance policies as part of their estate.
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Now sit back, relax, and enjoy this presentation of “Flick the Switch.”
Connect with Glen's through his links below.
Nest Seekers International
Media:
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DeathofaCameraman.com presents a podcast around the true story of Hollywood professional, Aaron Cox losing everything during COVID, and having to reinvent himself when the Cameraman died. His mess became his message in order to serve the purpose of helping others who find themselves in a place of transition & reinvention after one of life's tragic misfortunes like job loss, divorce, negative health diagnosis, spouse/family death, or displacement etc.
Listen to the preview clip below in the footer and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube or Spotify. Who is Aaron Cox?? Get the free ebook here and/or subscribe to the blog. See all blog post right here for more!
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