Charity Middleton on Winning at Work Without Missing Life at Home
Entrepreneurship · From Student of the Game
Charity Middleton on Winning at Work Without Missing Life at Home
Brad Noll loves feedback, and the most common note he has heard about Student of the Game is simple: more women who are winning in business. There was nobody he wanted to bring on first more than Charity Middleton, a realtor and associate broker at Noll Team Real Estate and one of the leaders on his team.
Charity was not sure why Brad wanted her on the show. By the end of the conversation, the reason is clear. She has built a successful real estate career over more than a decade while staying present for her husband and two boys, and she has done it by being intentional about structure, help, and relationships.
A Small Town Tomboy Who Played With the Boys
Charity grew up in Howe, Indiana, a small town in Northeast Indiana, and went to high school in LaGrange, where she was a three-sport athlete in volleyball, softball, and basketball. She describes herself as a tomboy who was always outside playing with the boys. She was the first girl in her town to play baseball with them, and she did not play fast pitch softball until her freshman year of high school, when she became the starting second baseman.
Basketball was her love, even though she started later than most. There was nothing organized about it at first. A neighbor had a hoop, the boys were outside, and she played. Brad sees the same lesson for his own kids, including his daughter Delaney. Throw the ball out, play one-on-one, and get better by competing against people you were not supposed to be competing against.
That carried her to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, where she was a four-year starter, joined the thousand point club, and earned a business degree, a sports management minor, and later an MBA. Brad notes she graduated as one of the top scorers in school history. Today Charity is in the hall of fame at both her high school and Saint Francis.
“So as much as I prepare for my week with my business, I prepare for my week with my family with what their schedule is.”
Charity Middleton
Growth Happens in the Valleys
Brad pushes past the resume because, as he puts it, all vegetation grows in valleys. Charity shares that her dad died when she was 13, right as basketball was becoming her passion. She was not great at talking about her feelings, so the gym became her therapy.
Her family stepped up. Her older brother changed his college plans to come home and be there for Charity and her younger sister, and made sure she always had the right shoes and the chance to attend camps. Her mom, a single parent, worked long hours and still had dinner on the table every night. Charity says that as a mom herself, she now has so much respect for what her mom made work behind the scenes.
Coaches mattered, too. Her seventh grade coach was the first person to make her think big about playing in college. Her high school coach opened doors to exposure camps. Her college coach brought a business mindset to the program, and Charity still remembers his message: "We're here to win. We're here to prepare. We prepare to win."
How to Find Coaching If You Never Had It
Not everyone grows up surrounded by coaches. Brad asks what Charity would tell someone at 25, 35, or 45 who is changing careers and feels they never had those opportunities. Her answer is practical: "Go find those people that have had, that know what winning looks like and go sit down with them and have coffee and learn and ask questions."
That is how her real estate career started. Charity did not believe real estate was right for her at first, but Brad reminded her of all the connections she had made through prior jobs, and she realized her database was bigger than she thought. Eleven seasons later, she has helped more than 300 families. She also notes the business is not easy. You need a threshold for pain, the ability to get up when you get knocked down, and a strong why.
Fridays Are for the Lake
Brad remembers one of the first questions Charity asked him: did she have to work on Fridays? Fridays were for the lake and for her family, and she was not going to build a business that made her miss them. Her days off have shifted as her business and her kids have changed, but the commitment has not. In an industry where many people work seven days a week, Brad calls that a fundamental belief worth admiring.
Charity insists she is not that organized, and that it takes a village. Then she describes a system that Brad says sounds very organized:
- A Sunday night meeting with her husband to map out travel, practices, appointments, and who is covering what.
- A color-coded calendar that plans her family's week as carefully as her business week.
- Mornings for getting the kids up and working out, with appointments starting around 9:30 or 10.
- Prime business hours in the middle of the day, ending by 3 for school pickup.
- A couple of evenings blocked each week for listing appointments or showings, used only when needed.
Brad connects it to a line the team talks about often: "You actually can get more flexibility when you introduce structure into your life." Chaos is normal for a busy family, he says, but structure lets you live in it without the overwhelm.
Asking for Help and Staying Connected
Brad has noticed that many people, and especially many women he knows, have a hard time asking for help. This year Charity brought her younger sister into her business. They work well together, and Charity says her sister is creative and great at execution, which turns Charity's ideas into action.
That help lets her do more of what she has always wanted to do: stay connected with the people she has served. Birthday cards, home anniversary cards, and remembering life events all matter to her. "What we do is not just about a transaction," she says. It is about relationships, and as the team likes to say, relationships win.
One example was a client event called Matters of the Heart. Charity partnered with a friend and client who teaches CPR, invited a group of women, and gave them a fun evening that also left them with a skill that could save a life. Brad tells business owners listening that the lesson is not to copy the CPR class. It is to stay top of mind by adding real value, and that only works if you have the heart to serve people.
What Does Winning Look Like for a Working Mom?
For Charity, winning changes with the season of life. It looks like everything flowing in the same direction: her business handled, her sister helping with the details, and the freedom to be present for her boys. She coached one of her sons in basketball for several years and treasures time spent at games, helping with homework, and talking through life with them. It also means being on the same page with her husband and having time for trips and lake days that create memories.
When Brad asks her to send some virtual flowers, she starts with family: her mom, her sister, and her brother, the unsung hero. She tells the story of her Saint Francis team winning a game at nationals that sent them to the final four. Knowing her brother was listening on the radio back home, she thanked him on air. Years later he told her he kept driving north just to keep the signal. She also thanks the coaches who believed in her and Brad, who she says sees real potential in people before they see it themselves.
▶ Listen to the full episode
Women Who Win in The Workplace with Real Estate Pro Charity Middleton, on Student of the Game.
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