EPISODE 53 – Silvia Eldawi Founder of Propologi

The Queen of Property Podcasts joins R&R for a candid, compelling and refreshingly honest conversation.

Silvia opens up on:

•⁠ ⁠Sacrificing family life for career success

•⁠ ⁠Whether women are forced to choose between ambition and motherhood

•⁠ ⁠Being fired from her own PropTech startup

•⁠ ⁠Why “no one is coming to save you”

•⁠ ⁠Dubai’s property market, tourism & whether the pavements really are paved with gold

•⁠ ⁠How she built Golden Nuggets into one of property’s most respected podcast brands

Raw, intelligent and full of insight. This is Silvia at her most open.

When it comes to getting the best guests first, the Russells are the epitome of ‘It’s who you know…’ in grabbing big names.

Not many (actually none) though, can boast a current The Apprentice star who happens to also be an estate agent. Kieran McCartney Jones.

What is filling with Lord Sugar really like? Has Kieran been unfairly targeted in the media for his ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll’ past? Or does he encourage the attention?

How has family trauma influenced who he is?.

Watch to see this unique episode.

Buying a £5 book online is seamless.

Buying a home, one of life’s biggest decisions, often feels chaotic, slow and stacked against the buyer.

In Episode 52 of The Two Russells Podcast, Russell Quirk and Russell Jervis are joined by Graham Patterson, Co-Founder of Jitty, the AI-driven property platform aiming to rebuild the homebuying experience from the ground up.

After careers designing intuitive digital products at Deliveroo, Graham and his co-founders all bought homes at the same stage of life and shared the same realisation:

The system felt broken.

Multiple portals to check daily. Endless map searching for schools and lifestyle needs. Unclear transactional processes. No trusted guidance on brokers or conveyancers. And a sense that nobody in the process was truly on the buyer’s side.

So, they built Jitty! Not as another portal, but as a property search engine, helping buyers understand homes properly before they even book a viewing.

In this episode, Graham shares:

• Why property search hasn’t evolved with the internet • How AI can bring clarity and control back to buyers • The reality of raising early-stage funding (including 80 investor conversations) • Support from REA and Google’s AI fund • The pressure, and personal resilience, behind startup life • Advice for anyone considering an entrepreneurial leap

Plus, a lighter moment as Graham reveals how he switches off from startup intensity and receives an unexpected musical request from the Russells.

From Ceefax Leads… to Instagram Introductions

Over half a century of podcast studio sessions for Russell and Russell… and the guests keep delivering.

This week, Russell Quirk and Russell Jervis are joined by Steve Eakins, Key Partner Director at Lumon, the currency specialist trusted by agents, buyers and investors navigating international property transactions.

Often saved in phones as “Steve Currency” or “Steve Money”, Steve works at the point where property and global finance collide, helping clients move funds smoothly when relocating, investing overseas, or returning to the UK.

With 17 years at Lumon (a 25-year-old business now 200+ strong), Steve shares remarkable insight into the scale of modern property movement:

• £25 million transferred daily

• £10 billion moved last year alone

• Europe’s strongest demand across Spain, Portugal and France

• A growing trend of Brits leaving the UK while Americans increasingly move in

And crucially, how real transaction data gives a clearer picture of whether the widely reported “millionaires leaving Britain” narrative truly reflects what’s happening on the ground.

The conversation explores why currency brokers are now introduced at valuation stage, how better exchange rates and service can secure transactions, and why agents are referring clients earlier than ever.

But this episode goes far beyond numbers.

Steve talks openly about:

• Building a career while navigating dyslexia

• Starting out selling Chupa Chups with nothing but a van and an A–Z

• Working for free to prove himself at Lumon

• The realities of servicing a truly global client base across time zones

From first-time overseas buyers transferring £220,000 to multi-million-pound transactions, this is a fascinating look at the hidden engine behind international property deals, and what global money flows reveal about where people are really moving.

Insightful, practical, and packed with real-world stories.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses sexual abuse, coercive control and suicide attempts.

For our landmark 50th episode of The Two Russells, we revisit one of the most courageous and unforgettable stories ever shared on the podcast.

Annalese Walmsley returns.

In Episode 27, she revealed that she had been sexually abused by her father for nine years — and the extraordinary consequences of breaking that silence.

This time, she reflects on what happened next.

From the anxiety the night before it aired…

To the overwhelming response from listeners across the property industry and far beyond…

To discovering that sharing her truth may have helped save a life.

On the Two Russells platform, a space built for honest conversation within the property world, Annalese chose to speak. Not for headlines, not for sympathy, but for truth.

And that truth travelled further than any of us could have imagined.

She speaks openly about motherhood, custody battles, grief, resilience, counselling, and the moment the weight finally lifted when silence no longer controlled her.

This isn’t sensationalised.

It isn’t edited for comfort.

It’s raw. It’s human. It’s real.

This is not just a follow-up. It’s a testament to the power of speaking out and what can happen when an industry platform becomes something bigger than business.

If you or someone you know needs support:

NSPCC – https://www.nspcc.org.uk

Childline – https://www.childline.org.uk

Refuge – https://refuge.org.uk

After a relentlessly busy January at Proper PR and Rayner Personnel, we’re back with a powerful international perspective on property and one of our most compelling guests yet.

Joining us from Ireland (via Teams) is Regina Mangan, founder of Liberty Blue.

In this episode, Regina opens up about:

• Why Ireland has no property chains and how that changes everything

• A red-hot seller’s market with 57,000 transactions closed last year

• Bidding wars, fast conversions, and what the UK can learn from a smaller but highly efficient market • A rental sector in crisis due to chronic lack of supply

• The reality of heavy regulation in Ireland and why it actually works

Regina’s personal journey is just as gripping. From growing up on a farm to setting up Ireland’s first specialist lettings company at just 24, she shares the reality of making losses for seven years, juggling multiple side jobs, and why failure was never an option. We also talk about:

• The bank manager moment you won’t forget

• The influence of her mother and the rule of “always keep the front door painted”

• Transaction times, fee structures, and why 70% of their clients are first-time buyers

• The importance of networking and community in building a resilient agency

Plus, Regina gives us a preview of The Real Estate Agency Summit, taking place on 11 June at Theatre Royal, Waterford. A conference designed to go far beyond compliance and into real growth, leadership, and marketing.

If you’re in property, agency, PR, recruitment or just love a proper hustle story this episode is essential listening.

We are joined by the force of nature that is Marc von Grundherr, Director of Benham & Reeves.

From a business that began in the 1960s with two feuding brothers in neighbouring offices… to a global network spanning London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Qatar, South Africa, Israel and beyond. Marc gives us the real story behind one of the industry’s most enduring brands.

We get into his early property flips, why he’s a self-confessed “control freak in the best way”, the thousand emails a day he reads (yes, including the info@ inbox), and what he thinks is coming for the market in 2026. Plus: sales vs lettings, travelling the world, AI in property, and a few predictions that might surprise you.

A fast, funny, high-energy episode. Don’t miss it.

This week we’re joined by Chris Kelly, Head of Marketing at John D Wood & Co., the man who went from marketing Pizza Express’s American Hot… to shaping one of London’s most respected prime property brands. If that doesn’t qualify as range, nothing does.

Chris has spent three years in post, brought in to boost brand awareness, grow the business, and put marketing back where it belongs: as a driver of profitability, not an overhead.

Today, he oversees a seven-strong marketing team, supporting London, country, and an international footprint with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea forming the crown jewel of their market. Average sale price? £1.5m. In other words: serious prime.

What we cover in this episode:

• Why effectiveness is Chris’s mantra and the metric every marketing team should be judged by

• His career path: agencies, pizza, clothing… and now prime London property

• How to actually understand your customer and build campaigns that resonate

• Working agency-side across M&S, Disney, Santander and Travelodge all speaking the same marketing language

• The brands under the John D Wood umbrella and how he differentiates their personalities

• Why agents can run their own social channels… but the brand itself must stay curated

• How JDW use AI in marketing execution, visuals and copy, and why in some cases it replaces the need for a creative agency

• The brutal truth: 50% of applicants come from Rightmove

• The bigger truth: ChatGPT will become a key property search tool

• The biggest truth: 26 December is the most pointless day to “launch your sale”….Santa isn’t the biggest lie at Christmas… the Boxing Day Rightmove rush is.

• 2026 predictions: a split market, challenges at the top end, huge opportunity for those who get the basics right because “it’s an agent’s market”.

And we also learn why Chris believes JDW owe him £100k for his Jeeves & Wooster idea. (We’ll let him explain that one…)

A brilliant brand. A brilliant conversation. Another one in the can by The Two Russells