Burning The Ships

After nearly three years, over 200 episodes, and a fire that burned hotter than he expected, Jason Seward is putting Burning the Ships on the shelf. This final episode is not a goodbye with fanfare or a highlight reel built for the algorithm. It's a honest, unfiltered look back at where the show started, what it was supposed to be, and why the time has come to step away from it — at least for now....

Jason Seward is the host of Burning the Ships and a private lender at 608B Capital, where he works daily with real estate investors to close deals fast. He's built his business on relationships and clear communication, which makes this solo episode feel less like a lesson and more like a conversation with someone who's had the same frustrations you've had. In Episode 225, Jason introduces the Boat...

Mike Cobb didn't find his path — he built it from scratch in a country most people couldn't locate on a map. In the mid-90s, a trip to Belize with a lawyer buddy turned into a mortgage company, which turned into a bank, which turned into a 2,500-acre development on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, which turned into a teak timber operation planted in 1999 that's only now coming to harvest. Three bus...

Jason Seward has spent the last four-plus years building a real estate business from scratch after a full corporate career, and he's been married to his wife Katie since 2009. In this solo episode, he makes a case he says most entrepreneurs get wrong: that your spouse isn't just a support system for your grind, they are the single most important business decision you will ever make. Jason walks th...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Adrian Smude — mobile home investor, mastermind leader, mindset coach, and one of the most genuinely interesting people to come through this show. Adrian grew up literally inside a family business in Plant City, Florida, and has been wired as an entrepreneur since before he could remember. Adrian walks through a journey that includes buying his...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, Jason Seward flies solo to tackle a simple but counterintuitive idea that stopped him in his tracks while reading — quitting bad habits is far more impactful than starting new good ones. The premise is straightforward: you have to stop the leak before you fill the bucket. Jason walks through what that actually looks like in real life — why people default to ad...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, Jason Seward flies solo to break down one of the most powerful concepts he has come across in his reading — the Pike Effect. It is a real research study, it is a little dark, and once you hear it you will not be able to stop applying it to your own life. A researcher puts a pike — one of the most aggressive predatory fish there is — in a tank separated from it...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, Jason sits down with the most important person in his life — his wife Kati — for an honest conversation recorded in honor of their wedding anniversary. Kati has been the quiet backbone behind everything Jason has built, and this is the first time listeners get to hear the story from her side. They talk about how they met on a blind date that almost ended early...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, host Jason Seward flies solo to share something that started as a career day presentation at his kids' school and turned into one of the most universally applicable episodes he has put together. Jason was asked to present on finance and his career to a group of high schoolers — and ended up with fourth graders in the room too after a presenter no-showed. He ha...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I break down one of the most misunderstood reasons people don’t take action — and it’s not fear. It’s comfort. Too many people blame fear for staying stuck, but the reality is much simpler. When there’s no urgency, no clarity, and no real consequences for staying the same, people stay exactly where they are. A “good enough” life becomes the trap that keep...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Tom Dunkel — managing principal of Eagle Capital Investments, co-founder of U.S. Mortgage Resolution, self-storage investor, and a guy who spent ten years in corporate mergers and acquisitions before getting fired in 2006 and never looking back. Tom walks us through a career that started with aerospace deals and Harvard MBAs in DC, ran through...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Julian Rivera — Virginia Beach-based DJ, realtor, and co-owner of Iron Valley Real Estate. Julian has never waited for permission to get in the room. He has just kept showing up, adding value, and letting the opportunities find him. Julian walks us through one of the most layered career journeys we have had on this show — from managing retail s...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, host Jason Seward flies solo to share something he has been thinking about for a while — the ten fundamental traits that he believes are the building blocks of success in life, relationships, and business. Jason opens up about where the podcast is headed, why he is refocusing Burning the Ships around mindset and storytelling, and how launching the Dealmaker po...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Martine Richardson — a Richmond-based real estate investor, rental property coach, and community builder who went full time in real estate ten years ago not by choice, but by force. Martine shares the honest version of how her journey started — getting fired from her job because real estate had already become her priority, and deciding in that...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Carrie Copenhaver — a Virginia Beach-based real estate agent, investor, and longtime member and former president of TRIG (Tidewater Real Estate Investors Group) who has spent nearly two decades building a portfolio on her own terms. Carrie shares how she went from forensic chemist — working in a government lab where mediocrity was the expectati...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Brian Hall — a Richmond real estate broker, investor, and property management company owner who has seen just about every cycle this business can throw at you. Brian shares the honest version of what a real estate career can look like: early curiosity about investing, success selling real estate, a massive crash tied to a development deal in C...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Lisa Ferris — investor, private money expert, Deal Maker Central Texas leader, and author of How to Find and Fund Any Real Estate Deal Without Cash or Credit . Lisa’s story is one of the most relatable we’ve had on the show. She was a stay-at-home mom for 18 years. No Wall Street background. No big pile of capital. No “perfect” timing. Just a...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with someone whose work has impacted not just my life, but the lives of millions around the world — Sharon Lechter, co-author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and a global pioneer in financial literacy. This conversation is personal for me. Back in 2016, while I was still in my W-2 career, a single book lit a fire that eventually led to me burning the ships on...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Chris Lloyd — a young but incredibly sharp real estate investor and broker who built serious momentum in a very short period of time. From selling sunglasses out of his lunchbox in high school to running a high-volume real estate team and leading a Coast-to-Coast brokerage in Virginia, Chris’s story is all about action. We talk about what it r...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Ray Burkhalter from Tuscaloosa, Alabama—founder of RBI Funding Partners and a seasoned private lender who’s been through multiple market cycles, business models, and personal growth seasons. Ray’s journey spans nearly two decades, from engineering and real estate rehabs to private lending, coaching, and now building a scalable lending business...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with David Richter—real estate investor, founder of Simple CFO Solutions, and author of Profit First for Real Estate Investing . This conversation goes deep into a problem I see constantly in our industry: people who look wildly successful on the outside but feel stressed, broke, and out of control behind the scenes. David shares his journey from c...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Daniil Kleyman—one of the most respected real estate developers and educators in the Richmond market and someone whose name has come up repeatedly on this podcast over the years. This was our very first conversation, and it did not disappoint. Daniil shares his powerful journey from growing up in the Soviet Union, standing in line for hours at...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships , I’m breaking down one of the most powerful forces behind everything I’ve built in business and life: networking . This conversation was recorded the morning after hosting our very first Deal Maker Hampton Roads event, and it gave me a fresh perspective on just how differently people experience rooms full of strangers. I share why networking has always be...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Bryce Matheson—founder of Lender, a fast-growing software platform built specifically for private and hard money lenders. Bryce’s story is a perfect example of how real businesses are built: through trial and error, painful lessons, and the willingness to take action before everything feels “ready.” We walk through Bryce’s journey from house h...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships , I talk about something that drives nearly every decision I make: the example I’m setting for my kids . This isn’t about parenting hacks, discipline strategies, or telling your kids how to live—it’s about modeling the life you hope they grow into by how you show up every single day. I walk through how my wife and I think about love, gratitude, kindness, h...