Burning The Ships

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships , I’m wrapping up the year with a raw, unfiltered conversation about the single most powerful skill that has shaped my life, my business, and this podcast: consistency . This episode also marks a milestone I didn’t even realize we had hit— 200 episodes over two years —and that realization sparked a deeper reflection on why showing up matters more than tale...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with Joe Jones—the inventor of the Roomba and one of the most fascinating engineers and thinkers I’ve ever had on the show. Joe’s story isn’t just about robotics; it’s about curiosity, patience, resilience, and spending decades chasing meaningful work without ever obsessing over fame, money, or an “exit.” Joe walks through his journey from growing...

In this episode of Burning the Ships , I sit down with my business partner and longtime friend, Bill Phillips, for a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what the last year has really been like inside 608B Capital Funding. Bill has been buried deep in the operational trenches—underwriting loans, managing the chaos of fast growth, and keeping the machine running while we’ve scaled from “hoping for one...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships , I’m breaking down one of the most important topics in our business: raising capital . Instead of interviewing a guest this week, I’m pulling back the curtain on how we built 608B Capital Funding from an idea to a $20 million debt fund in under two and a half years—without sales gimmicks, without shortcuts, and without ever losing sight of consistency. I...

Description In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with my friend and mentor, Mary Hart—retired attorney, real estate investor, and founder of Fair Oaks Funding to talk about private lending, abundance, and legacy. We unpack how Mary went from practicing law to running a zero-foreclosure lending company, why she believes collaboration beats competition, and how she’s helping investors al...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with my friend and one of the most encouraging humans I know, Chuck Glover—a former school teacher and administrator who didn’t find his true calling in real estate and private lending until his late 60s. Chuck spent decades doing things “the right way”: 27 years in education, a handful of “solid but stagnant” businesses, and a consulting career tha...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Nathan Janocka, a Central Virginia investor who went from nearly losing everything in construction to flipping over 80 properties a year and building a thriving real estate company rooted in discipline, systems, and humility. Nathan shares how he learned to rebuild after early failure, what it really takes to scale a flipping operation, and how...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Lisa Englehart, a powerhouse real estate investor, developer, and mentor from Richmond, Virginia whose story is a masterclass in perseverance, grit, and reinvention. Lisa shares how she went from working in banking to selling REO properties after the 2008 crash, and how one life-changing event with mentor Jim Ingersoll completely transformed he...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I dive deep into the BRRRR strategy for real estate investing—the exact method my business partner, Bill Phillips, and I used to build a profitable rental portfolio, create long-term wealth, and eventually leave our W-2 jobs behind. I walk you through each stage of the BRRRR method—Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, and Repeat—the proven framework popularized b...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Leah Coleman, a powerhouse realtor, investor, and connector from Richmond, Virginia, who’s redefining what it means to build wealth and resilience, one relationship and one property at a time. Leah’s story spans decades of transformation: from working in finance and retail management to mastering wholesaling in her 20s, navigating the 2008 cras...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Kyle Doriety, a South Carolina investor who just did what most people only dream about: quit his job after 11 years to go all-in on entrepreneurship. Kyle’s journey started on a family farm, where he learned the value of hard work from his parents and grandparents. He spent more than a decade in a secure, well-paying corporate job before decidi...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Antonio Edwards – a 757 native, real estate investor, and visionary tech founder who’s merging automation and real estate in ways that will blow your mind. Antonio shares his wild journey from producing beats in Virginia Beach to flipping over 20 houses his first year in business all sparked by a single book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. We dive into his...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I continue our tactical series on taking down a single-family investment deal, this time focusing on the most dangerous part of the process: managing rehabs and contractors. It’s one thing to find and fund a deal. It’s another to execute the rehab efficiently, on budget, and without losing your mind. In this episode, I walk through the entire rehab manage...

In this powerful episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Sandra Arnold — a real estate investor, wife, mom of three, and Sweden native whose journey embodies grit, resilience, and reinvention. Sandra shares how growing up with a father battling addiction shaped her drive to create a better life, one built on independence, hard work, and purpose. From leaving Sweden for college in the U.S., t...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with my friend Caleb Pearson, a Charleston-based real estate investor who’s built an impressive empire through brokerage, fix-and-flip, multifamily, and hard money lending. Caleb shares his journey from selling 100 homes in his first 18 months, to flipping 75–100 properties a year, to building a diversified portfolio of multifamily and mobile home p...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I break down one of the biggest questions new and seasoned real estate investors face: how do I fund my deals? I walk through every major funding option I’ve personally used—cash, self-directed retirement accounts, HELOCs, unsecured lines of credit, private money, hard money loans, and even seller financing. Each comes with its trade-offs, costs, and oppo...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Brandon Lindsey, founder of The Rehabber’s Playbook, to talk about his journey from baseball dreams to real estate investing and community building. We cover his first deal inspired by Rich Dad, Poor Dad, learning construction from scratch, and how he built a thriving national network that helps hundreds of investors succeed in rehabs. Brandon...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships, I open up about the power of goal setting—what it looks like when you miss big, and what it feels like when you blow past goals you once thought were impossible. I share the story of how our company went from raising just a few hundred thousand dollars in capital to surpassing $20 million in loans made—all in less than three years. From planting seeds wit...

In this episode, I sit down with the incredibly insightful Davion McKnight—veteran, farmer, real estate investor, and community advocate. From a viral hunting reel to a deep dive into his philosophies around land stewardship and regenerative agriculture, Davion shares the powerful story of how he turned personal discipline and curiosity into a multi-faceted life mission. We explore how his upbring...

In this solo episode of Burning the Ships , host Jason Seward unpacks one of the most common questions new real estate investors ask: How do I actually find a deal? From his early investing days while working a full-time corporate job to building a rental portfolio using just a few simple strategies, Jason shares tactical ways to source real estate deals that work—even if you have limited time or...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Brad Ritter, author of School of Grit and one of the few civilians to complete SEALFIT’s Kokoro Camp—a 50-hour crucible designed by Navy SEALs to break down and rebuild your mind, body, and spirit. Brad and I dive into his journey from humble beginnings in sales to pushing himself through one of the toughest training experiences on the planet....

In this new solo series of Burning the Ships, I’m shifting from weekly rambles to tactical deep dives and today we’re kicking off with how to underwrite a single-family fix and flip deal. I walk through the full process step by step: from defining your goals, to calculating ARV (After Repair Value), to backing into your Max Allowable Offer. We break down the often-overlooked holding costs, closing...

In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Sam Hopkins, a 26-year-old real estate investor who’s built a powerhouse business in record time. From buying his first deal at 20 with just $11,000 in savings, to scaling into 180+ transactions a year, Sam’s journey is proof that focus, discipline, and the right mindset can accelerate your success. We talk about his early days working two jobs...

In this solo episode, I open up about the pivot we’re making with Burning the Ships and why it’s time to shift gears. For almost two years, my Weekly Rambles have been a mix of mindset lessons, random thoughts, books I’ve read, and ideas I wanted to share. But with the growth of 608B Capital and the demands of building our lending business, I realized I’ve been scrambling to keep up with these epi...

In this powerful episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Wendy Coles, whose story is a raw, inspiring example of resilience, resourcefulness, and redemption. From a troubled relationship with her mother and running into legal trouble at 18, to raising four kids, rebuilding her life, and eventually finding freedom through real estate and service, Wendy’s journey shows what it means to keep mo...