There is a moment during a conversation with Diane and James Sanders when you realize they aren’t simply talking about gratitude. They’re describing a way of approaching life, where gratitude isn’t just something they feel, but something they put into action by giving back.
For the sister and brother team who lead Estate Properties—Diane as CMO and James as CEO, along with their older brother John, CTO—gratitude is inseparable from hard work, family, community, and the belief that success means little if it isn’t shared.
For the Sanders siblings, those values were instilled early. They learned to work for what they wanted.
“We were taught you had to work really hard and nothing came easy,” James said. “You did what it took, whatever you had to do to make it happen. I mowed lawns and painted fences. I started working when I was young enough to be able to. If I wanted something, I had to go work for it. There were no handouts.”
Diane remembers the same lessons. “We went to Catholic school and you learned right from wrong, and to be kind to other people. You get up every day, you put on your pants, and you go to work. That’s how you get ahead and it’s not going to come easy.”
Those lessons shaped more than their work ethic. They shaped how the siblings see success—and what they believe comes with it.
For Estate Properties, giving back has long been part of that equation. The company has supported Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for 44 years, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Most agents contribute a portion of their commissions, making donations on behalf of their clients.
For Diane and James, the connection to Children’s Hospital is deeply personal. James’s son has special needs and has spent time at the hospital. Diane’s second grandchild was also rushed there. “I saw firsthand what an amazing group of people they were, and how they nurtured the family as much as the child,” Diane said. “You really felt like they cared. And after that experience, I thought, ‘Now I get it.’” Her granddaughter is now a thriving two-year-old.
The experience reinforced what the Sanders family has long understood: Giving isn’t simply about writing a check.
Estate Properties supports schools, chambers of commerce, local events, charitable organizations, and community programs throughout the South Bay, many of them chosen by the agents themselves. One agent collects toys for Children’s Hospital. Another organizes a pet supply drive. Agents rallied to collect money and supplies during last year’s devastating fires in Altadena and the Palisades. Others volunteer with local organizations and participate in beach cleanups. When an agent tells James, “This charity means a lot to me,” the response is simple: How can we help?
That spirit also makes the Sanders’ approach to business personal. Their sibling dynamic is affectionate, candid, and practical. “We’re each in our own lane,” Diane said. James laughs at the question of how they all work together. “We all do something very different so we stay out of each other’s hair.”
Their mother, Sandra, established the business and, as it grew, encouraged all three of her children to join her. Diane and James both earned their real estate licenses in 1989 and became partners, working together as a real estate sales team for more than a decade. Their older brother John joined the business around 2001. Together, the family helped grow the business that would become Estate Properties.
But Sandra gave them more than a business. She gave them a philosophy.
James describes her leadership style as “servant leadership,” a mindset that has carried into the way the siblings lead today: Help people. Give more than you take. Trust that what you put into the world has a way of coming back.
That philosophy extends to their nearly 500 agents. James mentors newly licensed agents, many of whom remind him of himself when he was young and finding his way.
“It’s kind of fun when somebody does a lot of business early on in their career and they attribute their success to your support,” he said. “It makes you feel pretty good.”
That’s the power of giving back. Gratitude isn’t only about recognizing what we have. It’s about recognizing why we have it—and then asking what we can do with it.
A little extra time. A helping hand. A donation. An introduction. A meal for someone who needs it. Showing up for a neighborhood cleanup. Supporting a local school. Checking on a neighbor. There are countless ways to turn gratitude into action.
Diane believes that is the natural progression.
“We get up every day and say, ‘What can we do to help our agents be more successful and therefore, give back?’ They all give back. I think everybody has that same attitude that we have, which is living gratitude,” she said.
That spirit goes back to the lessons their mother, Sandra, instilled in them when she opened her real estate office in 1985—and the values they now hope to pass on to the next generation.
“Gratitude and giving have always gone hand in hand,” Diane said. “We’ve been fortunate to build our lives and our businesses in the South Bay, and when the community gives you so much, it's your responsibility to give something back.”
James puts it another way: “I’m very grateful. Life is not always easy. Sometimes it’s challenging, and it seems like when you give, it becomes less challenging.”
Diane agrees. “Because you’re not focused on yourself any longer. When you focus on others, it takes some of the internal chaos that you might have away.”
As the holiday season begins, that is a thought worth carrying with us. Gratitude doesn’t have to be grand. It can be as simple as noticing what is good in our lives—and then finding a way to share some of that goodness with someone else.
Maybe living gratitude isn’t just about counting our blessings. It’s about becoming one.