Rooted in Community: Building Influence, Connection, and Local Impact

What does it take to become more than a business owner and grow into a trusted leader within your community?
On this episode of Get Rooted Radio, Erica Gifford Mills welcomes Ann Schude, Designated Broker and Owner of Instasold and co-founder of Go Gilbert, one of Arizona’s most engaged community platforms. With more than 20 years of real estate experience, Ann has built a career rooted in entrepreneurship, relationships, and service. Alongside her husband, Mike, she has grown Go Gilbert into a community of more than 130,000 members by connecting neighbors, championing small businesses, and celebrating everything that makes Gilbert special.
Ann shares how business owners can become an integral part of their communities without making every interaction feel transactional. She and Erica explore what it means to lead locally, build trust at scale, create genuine engagement, and turn an online platform into a real-world connection and impact.
Whether you are an entrepreneur, community organizer, real estate professional, or emerging leader, this conversation will challenge you to stop simply marketing to your community and start becoming part of it.