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He Nearly Died at the Peak of Success and It Changed Everything

If you were to die today, would you honestly be happy with the life you’ve lived? That question sounds dramatic until you’re forced to face it head-on.

In this episode of the Money Ripples Podcast, I sat down with Derek Carlson, CEO of Realty ONE Group MVP, and his story stopped me in my tracks. Not because of his success he had plenty of that but because of what it cost him to get there.

Derek’s story is one every entrepreneur, business owner, and high achiever needs to hear.

When Life Looks Perfect on Paper

By most standards, Derek had “made it.”

He was running one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in the country. His firm was ranked in the top 100 nationwide, closing over $2 billion a year in sales volume with more than 1,300 agents. His daughters were graduating. He was celebrating his 50th birthday. And his family was finally taking a long-planned European vacation.

Everything looked perfect. And then, in the middle of the night while cruising through the Mediterranean Derek woke up with what felt like a spear driven straight through his chest.

Like many driven men, he ignored it.

He didn’t want to ruin the trip. He didn’t want to be dramatic. He chalked it up to indigestion and went back to bed.

That decision nearly cost him his life.

The Warning Signs We Ignore

Over the next few days, Derek experienced more chest pain, extreme fatigue, and shortness of breath. Walking up the Leaning Tower of Pisa left him drenched in sweat and gasping for air. He became violently ill. His fever spiked.

Still, he pushed through.

When they finally returned home, Derek collapsed into urgent care, hoping for antibiotics. Instead, the doctor hooked him up to an EKG, walked back into the room, and said words that changed everything: “You’re having a heart attack right now.”

Not had one.

Not might be having one.

Right now.

Doctors later confirmed that Derek had already suffered multiple heart attacks while in Europe. He had 92% blockage in one artery and 87% in another. He was hours—maybe minutes from not coming home at all.

The Hospital Room That Redefined Success

That night, sitting alone in a hospital room waiting for stents to be placed in his heart, Derek had a moment of brutal clarity.

He thought about his company name: MVP Realty.

Up until then, MVP meant sports to him championships, performance, winning. But lying there, facing his own mortality, the meaning changed forever.

MVP became:

• Mindset

• Vision

• Purpose

And Derek made a promise: if he survived, he would become the MVP of his own life not just his business.

The Hard Work Nobody Sees

What happened next wasn’t a motivational soundbite. It was discipline.

Derek stopped drinking.

He changed how he ate.

He committed to the 75 Hard program.

He worked out twice a day.

He drank a gallon of water daily.

He rebuilt his mindset through books, structure, and accountability.

He lost 65 pounds.

More importantly, his blood work showed the health of someone 20 years younger. But the ripple effect didn’t stop with him.

As Derek transformed, his agents noticed. Then they followed. Agents lost weight. Some got off diabetes medication. Others began investing in real estate for the first time. People didn’t just grow their businesses they reclaimed their lives.

That’s when Derek realized something critical: this was more fulfilling than any commission check he’d ever received.

When Business Adversity Hits Too

Just months after surviving heart attacks, Derek faced another massive blow this time to his business.

During the National Association of Realtors class-action lawsuit, the top 100 real estate firms were left exposed. Derek’s company was targeted by ambulance-chasing attorneys, despite following the same rules as everyone else.

His health had been attacked. Now his business was under fire.

And this is where most leaders collapse.

Instead, Derek leaned into the Vision part of MVP.

He put his ego aside and did something many CEOs refuse to do:

He admitted he couldn’t do it alone.

He joined a mastermind.

He hired elite CEO coaches.

He surrounded himself with people who had already survived adversity at a higher level.

And suddenly, his problems while still serious became solvable.

The Power of the Right Tribe

One of the biggest takeaways from Derek’s journey is this: Success doesn’t come from grinding harder alone.

It comes from aligning with people who’ve already been where you want to go.

That alignment led Derek to make a bold move partnering with Realty ONE Group, a company that had scaled from 4,000 to over 20,000 agents in just a few years.

Instead of rebuilding everything from scratch, Derek plugged into a proven system.

Today, he serves as CEO of 10 Realty ONE Group MVP franchises in Florida, now the largest brand in the entire Realty ONE Group ecosystem.

The results speak for themselves but the real win was something deeper.

Purpose Beyond Money

Before his health crisis, Derek measured success in transactions, volume, and rankings.

Now, success looks different.

It looks like agents reclaiming their health.

It looks like families spending more time together.

It looks like leaders breaking free from burnout and isolation.

Derek now lives by what I call the four Fs:

• Faith

• Family

• Fitness

• Finances

In that order.

And the purpose he discovered helping others avoid the same wake-up call became his mission.

As he told me, “Turning my mess into my message changed everything.”

The Question You Can’t Ignore

You don’t need a heart attack to change your life. But you do need honesty.

If you keep doing what you’re doing right now, where does it lead?

Who pays the price?

What gets sacrificed along the way?

Derek’s story is proof that success without health, purpose, and alignment isn’t success at all it’s just delayed regret.

The real question is this: Will you wait for adversity to force change, or will you choose it now?

That choice is yours. And whatever you choose, make it ripple.