Podcast appearances and mentions of neil henderson

For Earth Month, we're spotlighting a browser turning everyday internet use into climate action. Marco sits down with Neil Henderson and Mahum Azeem from Shift to explore how they're reimagining the web browser as a tool for reducing digital emissions. From email and streaming to Slack and beyond, Shift is tackling the hidden climate cost of our online lives—without compromising performance. A must-listen for product builders, climate tech founders, and anyone curious about weaving sustainability into software at scale.  

Exploring socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural effects on a person's health can help us identify some of the contributing factors to what ails us. We investigate this topic further with medical anthropologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Dr. J. Neil Henderson, to learn more about connecting non-biological factors like stress to dementia and other diseases, as well as cultural perspective on aging and cognitive changes. We learn about health disparities in Native Americans, and how Dr. Henderson has helped create culturally relevant resources for family caregivers across the country. 

This second episode of Under One Roof for 2024 sees host Neil Henderson joined by Julia Drydyk, CEO for the Canadian Centre for Human Trafficking.  In their conversation grappling with the challenging nature of the subject area, they explore the realities of human trafficking throughout Canada, its insidious nature and the obstacles that both stand in the way of victims finding the supports they need and impede the ability for authorities to put an end to the crime.

This first episode of Under One Roof for 2024 sees host Neil Henderson joined by Covenant House Vancouver's Manager of Community Support Services (CSS) Jon Spiller.  They explore the importance of the CSS team's work, the types of service and supports that CSS offers, the diverse range of youth who use their services and what makes CSS such an invaluable part of Covenant House Vancouver's continuum of care.

This month's episode of Under One Roof sees host Neil Henderson joined by Covenant House Vancouver's Board Chair, Allan P. Seckel, KC.  They explore the importance of Covenant House's work, the history of the agency's growth throughout the 10 years of Allan's tenure alongside some of the exciting ways in which the agency continues to evolve, as well as some recommendations for people who want to support causes by joining a board or any other means.

Join us this fortnight for our 40th Episode as we chat with Dr. Neil Henderson, a transportation expert with a remarkable 24-year career at Mott MacDonald. He played a pivotal role in the UK Crossrail project, now the Elizabeth line, and is currently the Key Account Director for Europe's largest infrastructure project, High Speed 2. Neil's leadership focuses on collaboration, innovation, and diversity in the industry. He tailors experiences, drives sustainable transport solutions, and sets new standards in the global transport sector. Tune in for insights from this industry leader!

Neil Henderson, now the CEO of St. Luke's has achieved remarkable success, garnering nominations for Agency of the Year in 3 of the past 4 years and consistently securing a spot on Campaign's Best Places to Work winners list for 5 consecutive years. Neil is an elected member of the IPA Council, holding the esteemed title of IPA Fellow. Additionally, he serves as a BAFTA juror. Neil's journey commenced at Still Price Lintas, where he worked on Unilever and Nestle's major brands. Later, at BBH, he created one of the UK's top 10 beloved commercials for Boddingtons and contributed to the multi-award winning campaigns for Lynx and Häagen-Dazs. In this episode, Neil shares poignant tales of his twin brother, navigating the complexities of grief, and finding one's true calling within the right organisation. We Discuss: -The unique experience of having an identical twin brother -The serendipitous discovery of improvisational theatre -The relentless pursuit of a career in advertising -Overcoming the constraints of others' expectations -The profound impact of parting ways with one's twin sibling -Coping with the loss of a parent at the tender age of 24 -The inevitable self-doubt that creeps in about one's chosen industry -Navigating the challenges of working at what may seem like the most daunting company on Earth -Guiding a company through the tumultuous waters of a recession -Ascending to the role of CEO within one of the most esteemed agencies of all time Chapters: (00:00) Trailer (01:25) Intro (02:09) Ashley's Poem (03:05) The Beginnings of St. Luke's (08:00) Summary (8:20) Neil's Childhood/ Early Education (14:29) Early Years & Sport (18:00) Discovering Drama/ Theatre (20:12) LIVE improv example (22:32) Entry into Advertising (27:00) Resetting Expectations (29:14) Turbulent Times (34:53) Career progressing (39:54) Business model (53:54) The Bubble Burst (1:00:53) Stepping Up (1:06:32) Changing the business model (1:15:05) Recession (1:21:07) Creating a Thriving Business (1:27:09) The Role Of CEO (1:34:14) The Future of St. Luke's (1:37:40) Hiring Diverse Talent (1:41:23) Sustainability (1:44:53) Charles' Summary (1:47:34) Final Poem (1:48:48) Outro Watch on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@HOWIBECAME__⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Unity & Motion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - A London based production company specialising in commercials and branded content Email: info@weunify.co.uk This is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UNIFY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast. Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Unity & Motion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Credits: Director: Charles Parkinson Poet & VO Artist: Ashley Samuels-McKenzie Sound Recordist: Aurelija Ausembergaite Camera Operator: Stuart Aitken Editor: Catherine Singh

On this month's edition of Under One Roof, host Neil Henderson is joined by Grant Damery from RBC.  They discuss the importance of events like Sleep Out Executive Edition and the critical nature of both RBC's and the broader business sector's philanthropic work. The conversation holds particular importance in the wake of the alarming spike in numbers of people experiencing homelessness that was recently reported.

On this month's episode of Under One Roof, Neil Henderson is joined by Jill Atkey, CEO of the British Colombia Non-Profit Housing Association. Together they explore the impacts of the housing- and cost-of-living-crises on youth. A leading expert in the sector, Jill's insights through the BCNPHA provide a detailed profile of the different complexities at play as well as reasons to be hopeful for positive change based on current shifts.

Last month, roughly 5,000 liver community stakeholders gathered in London for the 2022 International Liver Congress (#ILC2022.) On Thursday afternoon, Scott Friedman chaired an abstract session discussing advances in the basic science of researching and understanding mechanisms surrounding fibrosis and stellate cells. Later, he described it as "one of the most exciting groups of presentations I've seen in many years." This presentation centers on the relationship between Circadian rhythms and stellate cells.It is widely known that we all function under a set of Circadian rhythms tied to day/night changes. Original work in this area focused on physiological changes linked to the central nervous system. In recent years, researchers have learned that other tissues in the body operate on their own Circadian rhythms, presumably tied in some way to the central nervous system. But as Scott exclaims when beginning this discussion, "who would have thought that that included the lowly little hepatic stellate cell, a fibrogenic cell that contains the same mechanisms and the same machinery to regulate circadian rhythm as all those more specialized neuronal tissues." Scott goes on to provide greater detail on the mechanisms through which stellate calls control fibrogenic activity in a cyclical manner. When he concludes, the rest of the group shares comments. Neil Henderson notes that Circadian rhythms are strongly tied to fibrogenic processes throughout the body. Jörn Schattenberg, Louise Campbell and Rachel Zayas comment in different ways on the relevance of circadian rhythms to elements of patient care today, and Roger Green asks a question that leads Scott to note that TGF beta, which he described as "the mother of all fibrogenic cytokines," was the signaling mechanisms for this process.

Last month, roughly 5,000 liver community stakeholders gathered in London for the 2022 International Liver Congress (#ILC2022,) the first major hepatology Congress to be held in person since the start of the pandemic (smaller, but very valuable, meetings like NASH-TAG, LiverCONNECT and Paris NASH have taken place with an in-person component, but the International Liver Congress and The Liver Meeting have not). This episode focuses on an abstract session Scott Friedman chaired on Thursday afternoon discussing advancing in the basic science of researching and understanding mechanisms surrounding fibrosis.Scott starts by describing the session he co-chaired with Sophie Lotersztajn of INSERM as "one of the most exciting groups of presentations I've seen in many years." During this episode, he leads the rest of the panel through exploration of all six presentations. These include:--Targeting the liver circadian clock by REV-ERB-alpha activation improves liver fibrosis by circadian gating of TGF-beta signaling, Atish Mukherji, University of Strasbourg. Scott describes this presentation, which demonstrates that stellate cells have a circadian clock, as "one of the most surprising results" in that circadian activity can be linked to the  "lowly stellate cell."  This paper generated significant conversation among the group, ranging from Neil Henderson's observation that circadian regulation is a powerful regulator of fibrotic processes to Jörn Schattenberg's observations about what this might mean for treating patients in the clinic to Roger Green asking whether this concept might be germane to specific drugs in development (Scott had mentioned that signalling occurred through TGFbeta.  Louise Campbell and Rachel Zayas  add comments about the relevance of circadian rhythm to care today and ways this paper might yield exciting new areas for research.--Stellate cell dynamics in progression and regression of hepatic fibrosis, Laura Almale del Barrio, Denmark. This presentation, funded in part by Novo Nordisk, focused on how mouse livers respond when researchers stop injuring them. It leads Neil to comment on how little attention researchers pay to scar healing relative to how much more they pay to the process of scar creation and injury. In response to a question from Scott, Neil also discusses how advances in spatial transcriptomic will make questions like these easier to research in the not-too-distant future. After this, Jörn goes on to note that the paper discussed 14 different stellate cell states, which he interprets as involves activation and transitioning processes. He asks what this might imply for treating patients in the clinic.The other four presentations engender a similar level of exploration. They include:--Peroxidasin deficiency re-programs macrophages toward pro-fibrolysis function and promotes collagen resolution in liver, Mozhdeh Sojoodi, Mass General Hospital and Harvard. --Machine learning methods for detailed characterization of TGF-beta-induced signatures in a large iPSC-derived hepatic stellate cell cohort, Kara Marie Liu, Insitro, United States--The proteomic analysis of hepatic stellate cell differentiation from iPSCs identifies RORalpha as an antifibrogenic target, Raquel A. Martinez Garcia de la Torre, Spain--Biliary epithelial cell-specific RAGE controls ductular reaction-mediated fibrosis during cholestasis, Macrina Lam, GermanyIn each case, Scott starts by discussing the historic of scientific progress that predates the particular paper and topic, places the presentation properly within that context, and invites the others to comment. Each Surfer has unique (and uniquely interesting) comments in their own areas of expertise.

Professors Scott Friedman and Neil Henderson join the Surfers (including the returning Stephen Harrison) to discuss some truly exciting advances in the basic science and technology of defining, diagnosing and treating NAFLD and NASH. This conversation focuses largely on the spatial transcriptomics: its history, what it can tell us today, and how it might improve even further over time. All this places focus on the need for healthy hepatic cells researchers can use with this technology, which may already suggest that cells we once considered "good enough" are not today.Neil starts this conversation by describing the value of spatial transcriptomics today by using what Scott describes as the "blender analogy" developed by Neil's colleague Prakash Ramachandran. This starts with days where we would "mash up" tissue together and redo RNA analysis (in this metaphor, like blending fruit in a blender into a smoothie and trying to taste for the flavors) to a next stage where you can tell what the individual fruits are to spatial transcriptomics today, which is like looking at a fruit tart in three dimensions, seeing where each piece sits in the fruit and the size and nature of spaces between them. As Neil points out, this allows the technology to barcode the spots so the informatics people can work out individual gene expressions.Roger asks Neil to walk the audience back through the history of how we came to this place technologically. He starts with the early days of single cell genomics and proceeds through high throughput droplet-based systems to cDNA libraries that enable informaticians to indicate exactly which gene is expressed in which individual cell.Beyond that, Neil discusses the power of single nuclei sequencing, which provides rich data from frozen tissue and thereby provides greater space for global collaboration and examining tissue that might have been stored for years. In the liver, this has allowed for hepatocyte sequencing, which was not viable previously...and there are more advances yet to come.At this point, the conversation shifts toward what's current and tangible as Jörn Schattenberg asks how much variability in tissue samples can be attributed to human differences. Neil describes his group as "nicely quite surprised at how congruent some of the data has been."The rest of this conversation centers mostly on sources of tissue on how "healthy" that tissue actually is. In Edinburgh, Neil notes, much of his tissue comes from distal liver sites in patients with colorectal cancer. The sites may be free from cancer but may have effects from earlier chemotherapy and other systemic challenges. Scott wraps up this conversation with the story of a patient where pathologists captured tissue "far away" from the site of a neuroendocrine tumor. Pathologists believed the tissue was healthy, but single cell sequencing revealed a "hugh neuroendocrine cell population." Such is the value of the new technologies and the challenges they face for researchers to improve other elements of the process.

Professors Scott Friedman and Neil Henderson join the Surfers (including the returning Stephen Harrison) to discuss some truly exciting advances in the basic science and technology of defining, diagnosing and treating NAFLD and NASH. This conversation focuses largely on questions of how hepatic cells regenerate and what more we can learn about this phenomenon over time as technology improves.Unlike the first three conversations, whose pace ranged from "rapid-fire" to "hold on, we're racing", this conversation goes at a slightly slower pace. It starts with Stephen signing off by discussing how helpful this kind of disucssion is for someone focusing primarily on drug development today and congratulating Scott once more on his recent award.Louise Campbell asks a cautionary question: what if when we replicate the liver's ability to regenerate tissue, it doesn't stop but generates more tissue than the liver needs, thereby creating hyperplasia? Scott responds by noting that his concern is not hyperplasia in itself, but that the regenerating liver will grow more cancer cells. He describes the need to "walk a tightrope" where we regenerate healthy cells but "do not overexcite them to the point where they turn into a cancer," particularly since some of the same processes inherent in regeneration are also found in cancer cell proliferation. Neil agrees, but also comments on the remarkable plasticity of the liver that you can find a "bad" liver scar, clear the scar and have tissue evolve into functional liver tissue once more. It is conceivable, Neil notes, that we could attain the "Holy Grail" of clearing bad fibrosis and having the liver regenerate itself to normal function.On the last round of questions, each remaining participant (Stephen having departed) found something truly valuable and/or profoundly interesting in this discussion. Scott describes the general goal as "developing the right treatment for the right cell at the right time in the history of the disease." He goes on to note that these technologies have helped us learn that the right treatment for a cell in earlier stage disease might differ from later stage, and similarly, the right treatments for two cells at any stage in disease might not be the same. Neil agrees on the issue and goes on to note the challenge of getting through the voluminous amounts of data being created "but boy, is it fun!" Jörn looks from the drug development perspective to note that "individualized pathophysiology" may be necessary to learn why a given drug will work in one patient and not another, but that these tools may enable us to analyze at that level. Louise looks toward these techniques as a way to diagnose earlier when disease burden is lower on the patient and therapies are less costly and intensive. Neil raised the hypothetical prospect of complex molecular diagnostics that can answer these questions using non-invasive modalities, which sounds like a dream but, at the end of a recent conversation with imaging colleagues, "doesn't seem like Saturn." Finally, Roger talks about the idea that this information challenges and simultaneously enriches the concept of longitudinal combination therapy. From this conversation, it seems likely that an F2 patient who has regressed from cirrhosis has differences in cellular structure compared to a newly diagnosed patient with F2 disease. These tools will provide the richness to treat each in the most effective way. Scott wrapped up the discussion by citing work suggesting that when the liver regresses and doesn't need active stellate cells to make scar, some die...but others simply inactivate. Using Roger's example, he asks whether F2 therapy after patients regress should focus on inactivated cells or cells that have never activated in the first place, "and we know they are different."And with that, an exceptionally energizing and intellectually stimulating episode came to an end.

Professors Scott Friedman and Neil Henderson join the Surfers (including the returning Stephen Harrison) to discuss some truly exciting advances in the basic science and technology of defining, diagnosing and treating NAFLD and NASH. This conversation focuses largely on mRNA/CAR-T anti-fibrotic therapies.Scott Friedman starts this conversation by reviewing the historical sequence that led to the development of an mRNA vaccine that can create CAR-T cells in mice for the express purposes of attacking fibrotic tissue.Originally, CAR-T was developed to create cells that kill certain lymphomas. In the original design, white cells were extracted from the patient's body and modified via DNA to include a special type of receptor on the cell. This receptor can target tumor cells and destroy them. Late in the last decade, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York and the University of Pennsylvania published work demonstrating that when appropriately modified, CAR-T cells could destroy fibrogenic cells in mouse models, both in the liver (MSK) and the heart (UPenn).Two challenges with current CAR-T therapy is that cells must be removed from the patient's body to create the CAR-T cells (costly and carrying some risk) and that the original genetic material has been found in some patients' bodies as long as a decade after therapy. A third challenge revolves around the high percentages of patients (12-20%) exhibiting Level 3 or higher Cytokine Response Syndrome (CRS) as an effect of therapy.The UPenn group addressed the first two of these challenges by adapting mRNA technology (which underlies the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines) to modify white cells in the body to attack fibrogenic cells in the heart, with similar effect to the externally generated cells. This addresses the first challenge because you can take "off the shelf" mRNA proteins and inject them into any patient's body and expect highly consistent results (similar to the COVID-19 vaccine). It addresses the second challenge because mRNA is a protein packet that, after completing its work, dissolves into the body and is excreted.While there are still many vital questions to be answered (CRS issues and transferability from mouse models to humans, to name two), this technology can provide a uniquely powerful way to regress late-stage NASH fibrosis and cirrhosis.Before this conversation ends, I raise the point about impact on CRS (no answer at this time) and Jörn Schattenberg asks Neil Henderson which cell type and receptor this therapy should address (and whether there are more than one). This question arises in the next discussion.

Professors Scott Friedman and Neil Henderson join the Surfers (including the returning Stephen Harrison) to discuss some truly exciting advances in the basic science and technology of defining, diagnosing and treating NAFLD and NASH. This conversation focuses largely on the implications of potentially exciting future technologies such as the mRNA/CAR-T therapy described in Conversation 17.1 on NASH drug development today.After the earlier discussion of the potential future mRNA/CAR-T therapy, Scott Friedman turns to Neil Henderson and asks this question: "What cell type and what receptors on those cells do you hone in on or do you do more than one? And how do you use single cell genomics to help you sort through that complex question?"Neil immediately connects the question and the technology to the need for precision medicine in NASH. He points out that one challenge with NASH is hitting a single target is always challenging, particularly when the target is as "evolutionarily conserved" as fibrosis. To Neil, this suggests that if the mRNA/CAR-T therapy comes to fruition, it will become one element -- an important one, but not the only one -- in what he describes as "multimodal combinatorial therapy" which combines medicines and technology to attack fibrosis, perhaps all at once or possibly in stages.Stephen Harrison says this information leaves him feeling like he is "very much at the very tip of the archeological dig" into what we know about treating Fatty Liver disease. He points out that one rule in drug development today is "if you get rid of the fat, the liver will take care of itself." Following this logic, he suggests the best place for something like the mRNA/CAR-T approach might be in cirrhotic or pre-cirrhotic patients with the goal of regressing fibrosis sufficiently that other more metabolic drugs might become appropriate and adequate as therapyScott points out that 90% of all fatty livers never go on to develop cirrhosis. Given this fact, one key focus of learning must be determine why it is that some livers progress and others do not. This would allow us to develop therapies targeted at the livers that progress and the cellular or genetic factors that lead them to do so. This, Scott points out, leads us back to the question of how we can use single cell technologies to learn the role that each cell type plays at different points in disease progression. This leads to a discussion between Neil, Scott and Stephen about the specific challenges of obtaining the liver tissue necessary for these kinds of assessments.

Professors Scott Friedman and Neil Henderson join the Surfers (including the returning Stephen Harrison) to discuss some truly exciting advances in advanced NASH omics, including work on mRNA/CAR-T anti-fibrotic therapies. There is not enough room to capture this entire conversation in a summary. It's a lot, but really eye-opening and exciting. Take the time to listen to the entire episode, even if in bite-sized pieces.This episode starts with bonhomie and humor as the group congratulates Professor Friedman on being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the faculty at Mt. Sinai, and then listens as Professor Henderson relates one of the most truly unique "one thing you wouldn't know about me if I didn't tell you" in the history of the podcast.The science portion of the podcast starts with Scott discussing a fantastic series of advances in basic science, wherein researchers have begun to evaluate CAR-T therapy, which was originally developed to treat lymphomas and other blood dyscrasias, to attack the surfaces of fibrogenic cells in the liver (MSK, New York) or, separately, the heart (University of Penn). Today, we create CAR-T cells by taking cells from the diseased patient, re-engineering them and injecting them back into the patient. This approach  is associated with high rates of Level 3+ cytokine response syndrome (CRS). It has also been found to leave this engineered CAR-T material in the patient's system for at least a decade after therapy.Scott goes on to explain how the Epstein lab at Penn integrated the CAR-T strategy with mRNA, the protein behind the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna DOVD-19 vaccines, to create a vaccine that can reprogram cells within the body to replicate the CAR-T effect. Scott notes that so far, this has only been reported in mouse models, and that there are many major issues to resolve before we know it will be safe and effective in humans. It is a staggering  breakthrough nonetheless.After a couple of questions, the group turns to Neil, who points out that this kind of finding can help "make precision medicine a reality," in part because it creates the possibility we can target multimodal therapy at the precise location it is needed. Stephen suggests that the ideal place for this kind of therapy might be in a late-stage patient where we can regress fibrosis and, once the liver is better able to function, resort to a more metabolic therapy. Scott suggests how helpful it would be to develop insight into how different types of cells respond to different medication, which shifts the conversation  toward the broader topic of single-cell genomics, and specifically, the growing utility of spatial transcriptomics in these situations. Neil provides a description of the benefits of spatial transcriptomics, and then takes the group back  through a history of omic technology.Jörn Schattenberg asks what these techniques have taught us about variability between patients. Neil discusses the congruence of individual samples.  Jörn points out this would mean that we can develop robust therapies targeted at a cell type. Scott suggests that we can use these insights to standardize clinical trials, to target the specific patients with the genetic targets most likely to respond  -- a large step on the path to personalized precision therapy.In response to a question from Louise Campbell about sources for liver tissue, Neil asks for study purposes, "What is a normal human liver?" One of his major sources of tissue  are distal liver sites from patients with colorectal cancer. However, even if these are cancer free, thy could be affected by chemotherapy.As discussion winds down, the group comes to focus on the issue of why and how the liver regenerates. It raises fascinating questions: why does it not seem to "over-regenerate?" Are the regenerated cells different from pre-injury cells, and if so, how?

Recorded live at Anglia Ruskin University, we are joined by filmmakers Neil Henderson and Andrew Vallance, as they discuss their "ways in" to experimental cinema as well as how closely linked Avant-Garde cinema is to more mainstream work. The speakers have each chosen a handful of films to discuss to illustrate their points as well as recommending others to the audience. As this is a live recording, please expect some background noise. This episode was made possible thanks to Simon Payne, who organised the event and who co-edited the book FILM TALKS: 15 CONVERSATIONS ON EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA. The book was the impetus for this episode and more live events are taking place throughout this year. The book can be purchased here: https://www.contactscreenings.co.uk/film-talks?fbclid=IwAR2wu99xcijw4Z2XCxn-wztLcgj5n_Z3SbtGo_nzFWz26i4XT2G3EV7WVvE Artists discussed in this episode include: Stan Brakhage Bruce Conner Malcolm LeGrice Ray Agony Todd Haynes Richard Kern Francis Thompson Oskar Fischinger

Neil Henderson serves as bishop in his ward in Gorleston, England. He has previously served as a Young Men president and 1st counselor, counselor in numerous bishoprics, high councilor, and in the stake Young Men presidency. As a student he studied carpentry and joinery and also served in the British Army infantry RSV for around 10 years before joining the Fire and Rescue service in 1997, where he currently serves as a Watch Manager. Neil is a convert and the only member of the Church on his side of the family. His wife Carolyn (née Bone) served in the Canada Toronto mission, and they have two sons who served missions in Ghana and South Africa. Highlights 02:15 Neil's story of conversion and how he got connected to the missionaries 18:15 Demographics of Neil's area 20:20 Getting called as Bishop 23:00 Neil's 1st principle of leadership: You aren't going to fix everything 27:00 Principle 2: Don't try to do everything yourself 29:00 Tips for one-on-one meetings with leaders; they create improvement plans 33:20 Principle 3: Keep meetings to time and use technology when appropriate When appropriate they meet over Zoom for meetings because it's a rural area that is very spread apart They use Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom to connect 42:30 To be a leader is to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library

Neil Henderson serves as bishop in his ward in Gorleston, England. He has previously served as a Young Men president and 1st counselor, counselor in numerous bishoprics, high councilor, and in the stake Young Men presidency. As a student he studied carpentry and joinery and also served in the British Army infantry RSV for around 10 years before joining the Fire and Rescue service in 1997, where he currently serves as a Watch Manager. Neil is a convert and the only member of the Church on his side of the family. His wife Carolyn (née Bone) served in the Canada Toronto mission, and they have two sons who served missions in Ghana and South Africa. Highlights 02:15 Neil's story of conversion and how he got connected to the missionaries 18:15 Demographics of Neil's area 20:20 Getting called as Bishop 23:00 Neil's 1st principle of leadership: You aren't going to fix everything 27:00 Principle 2: Don't try to do everything yourself 29:00 Tips for one-on-one meetings with leaders; they create improvement plans 33:20 Principle 3: Keep meetings to time and use technology when appropriate When appropriate they meet over Zoom for meetings because it's a rural area that is very spread apart They use Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom to connect 42:30 To be a leader is to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Links TRANSCRIPT coming soon Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library

Clint Harris – a short-term rental investor and owner of Salt and Soul Property Management talks to Neil Henderson, the host of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. When we last spoke to Clint Harris in February of 2020, he owned 14 short-term rental units. In this episode, we talk to Clint about how he has scaled his portfolio to over 60 units under management. Clint has been a real estate investor for over a decade with his wife, starting with long-term single-family home investing but has since transitioned into short-term rentals, including their own house on the beach. In This Episode We Cover: The Top 3 Challenges a Short-Term Rental Investors Faces when Trying to Scale The importance of working ON your business, not IN your business Should you hire experienced short-term rental cleaners or regular cleaners and train them? Where are the best places to invest in short-term rentals today? And much more! Books and Resources Mentioned: The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clint.harris.3150 (Clint Harris) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clintstagram2020/ (@Clintstagram2020) Podcast: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/how-to-transition-from-long-term-to-short-term-rentals-with-clint-harris/ (Clint's Episode 35 Podcast with The Road to Family Freedom) Resource: https://www.airdna.co/ (AirDNA.co) Schedule a Call with Us to Talk About Self-Storage http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall/ (Schedule a Call Here) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Manal Abdelmalek, Ken Cusi and Jörn Schattenberg join Louise Campbell and Roger Green to discuss key presentations at AASLD 2021 and preview SurfingNASH's coverage of the event. This virtual meeting runs from November 12-15 and is scheduled on East Coast time.Highlights include:9:19 – Roger begins the conversation, by describing the AASLD program elements and what SurfingNASH will cover.10:46 – Manal Abdelmalek kicks us off by focusing on Dr. Neil Henderson's Hans Popper (Basic State of Science) Lecture and the relevance his talk will have meaning for NAFLD and NASH.12:53 – Ken Cusi links this talk to Monday's Emerging Trends Symposium on “Tailoring NASH Therapy.”15:26 – Manal identifies Friday's Liver Cell Biology SIG, with its focus on gut-liver access and gut microbiota triggering, as another source of knowledge and insight for future potential NASH therapies16:45 – Jörn Schattenberg raises Parallel Session 10 on Diagnostics and Biomarkers of NAFLD (Sunday, 10:00a) which will focus on LITMUS work in which he participated. He goes on to describe the research and how it can drive better patient treatment in advance of medications.19:05 – Louise discusses the Public Health and Healthcare Delivery SIG (Friday, 5:30p). She is excited that the session will discuss the foundational role a behavioral approach health can play, particularly in the absence of medications. 19:58 – Roger, Louise, Jörn and Manal mention Friday afternoon sessions of particular interest. 22:51 – Louise identifies “a couple of really good sessions on Saturday,” the Women's Health Program (4:00p) and Parallel Session 2 on “Health Services and Public Health” (10:00a)23:20 – Ken Cusi summarizes some high points of the post-graduate course. 25:34 – Manal kicks off our conversation of Sunday presentations by discussing two talks from the plenary sessions: the presentation of the Alpine 2/3 results by Stephen Harrison and the longitudinal association between MRE and liver-related and cardiovascular events in NAFLD.  Jörn adds a though by noting the inclusion of CVD results and then discussing their meaning.28:03 – Manal notes the presentation from the Million Veteran program, 28:33 – Roger discusses some speculation from the podcast around the time of the aldafermin withdrawal and expresses the hope we will learn whether aldafermin was more a clinical or commercial failure. Jörn questions whether the decision to read out biopsies at 24 weeks may have been part of the reason the trial missed its primary endpoint29:42 – Louise points out Parallel Session 17 titled “NAFLD and NASH: Predicting Outcomes and Response to Interventions” (Sunday, 4:00p) and its possible connection to some recent podcast topics30:08 – Manal refers to the diagnosis and biomarker session Sunday as an opportunity to delve deeper into machine learning and artificial intelligence, after which Roger and Manal discuss the insights that AI  improves and those it does not. 32:14 – Ken raises the joint AASLD-ALEH symposium Sunday (1:00p) as an excellent opportunity to learn more about the challenges stakeholders face in Latin and South Ameria and the southwestern US.33:29 – Jörn notes that the panel has not discussed the sessions covering clinical trials of novel therapies and identifies some trials of interest.36:14 – Manal mentions a paper at Parallel Session #33, Experimental Advances in NAFLD (Monday, 3:00p) that looks at single-cell RNA sequencing in mice to identify that hedgehog signaling in hepatocytes is a critical early event for NAFLD fibrosis in humans.37:25 – Ken expresses optimism about the quality of the meeting, departs. 39:01 – Louise, Jörn and Roger identify other sessions of interest on Monday.42:23 – Final question focuses on what panelists anticipate will be the most powerful takeaway from the meeting. 46:33 – Business Section 

It's back! Yes, that's right, the start of a new series of FANS is here, and what a start it is as Sachin is joined by BBC journalist Neil Henderson to talk all things Manchester City. Neil is best known for being part of a team of BBC journalists who tweet the front and back pages of the national newspapers every evening and, perhaps not surprisingly, Sachin is keen to know how this came about. Neil does an excellent job of explaining before going on to speak with passion about why he feels providing this free and voluntary service is important. It's then onto Manchester City, the club Neil supports because, quite simply, it was his destiny to do so. And that's meant going on one hell of a ride, from the lowest of lows to the highest of Sergio Aguero-highs. Neil speaks about this with great wit and warmth, not to mention being open and honest about why he turned his back on watching City in the flesh for the best part of 20 years. He got back into the swing of things in the 1990s and what a truly wild decade that was for City – six managers, two relegations, one incredible play-off final and one incredible player in the shape of Georgi Kinkladze. Neil has plenty to say on all of this, including providing fascinating insight into the sense of defiance that swept through City fans as everything around them was going wrong. It's then onto modern City and what proves to be a spiky section of the pod as Sachin lays out his grievances in regards to how the club's fans have responded to a period of great wealth and great success and Neil comes back at him with the force of a Vincent Kompany header. OK, so it's not as strong as that, but it's still punchy and purposeful, as well as touching as Neil explains why City's most recent Premier League title win meant so much to him. Neil then talks through his all-time City XI, which is actually an all-time City XIV, before providing a lovely answer to the final question. So download, listen and love And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. Cheers!

This week we sit down with UNBOUND 200 winner Ian Boswell. We get to unpack his big win, but also dig into a new partnership between Wahoo and The Migration Gravel Race / Team Amani in Kenya. Wahoo  Migration Gravel Race Team Amani Breakfast with Boz Podcast Support the Podcast Automated Transcription, please excuse any typos:   Craig Dalton: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the gravel ride podcast. I'm your host Craig Dalton. This week on the podcast, I'm excited, very excited to welcome Ian Boswell to the show. [00:00:12]We scheduled this interview many months before Unbound, knowing that Ian was participating. But certainly not expecting that he was going to end up with the top spot on the podium.  [00:00:22]This episode also kicks off a new relationship for the podcast and Wahoo.  I've been a longterm Wahoo customer on the computer side. Having first started with the ELEMNT BOLT and now using the ELEMNT ROAM. I've also been a big fan of the Wahoo frontiers series on the web. I love the videos and getting access to these writers, having adventures and just the stories behind it so when i connected with the team at Wahoo and learned about some of the initiatives they have going this year i was super super stoked to bring them on board as a sponsor. [00:00:56]On the podcast, we'll get the opportunity to talk to some of these Wahoo athletes and get a little bit of the behind the scenes. Look. At some of the adventures they'll be having this year [00:01:05]I'm very much looking forward to these conversations and I hope you will be too. For those of you who don't know Ian Boswell, Ian had a career in the world tour riding for teams like Sky and Katyusha before retiring and moving on to a full-time role with Wahoo as an employee. [00:01:25]Additionally, he set his sights on participating in the gravel racing scene. I don't know about you but i recall that time the beginning of 2020, just questioning where ian would fit into the roster of these pro tour athletes who were moving into gravel and what the impact might be on the sport. [00:01:44]We all had to wait quite a bit longer than we expected to find out what that impact was going to be. So when the 2021 season finally kicked off, And Unbound was on the calendar. It was inevitably going to be thrilling to see where Ian was going to fit in. And to see him win. The biggest race on the calendar this year was quite exciting because it really couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.   [00:02:08]We get to dig into a little bit of as experience at the Unbound 200 this year. But equally important, we get to dig into a new initiative from Wahoo [00:02:18] In conjunction with the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya, East Africa. I won't get into too many details in this introduction, because I want you to hear from Ian. And with that, let's dive right in to this week's episode.  [00:02:31] [00:02:31]Ian.  Welcome to the show [00:02:33] Ian Boswell: [00:02:33] thank you for having me. [00:02:35] Craig Dalton: [00:02:35] It's funny. I cannot believe that your win at Unbound is going to be the second, most exciting thing that we're going to talk about today. [00:02:41]Ian Boswell: [00:02:41] Yeah, it's yeah, it's been a very fortunate couple of weeks I've had and more fortunate for what's coming up. [00:02:48]Yeah, excited to chat about, Unbound, but more importantly, the next couple of weeks of of travel and racing and cultural experience. Yeah, absolutely. [00:02:56] Craig Dalton: [00:02:56] Yeah. So let's get into your victory at Unbound. What was your mindset going into Unbound? Obviously, when you retired from the pro tour and expected last year was going to be your first year as a quote unquote gravel athlete. [00:03:10] It didn't go as planned and you had to wait a long time to get to a start line. Let's talk about what your mindset was going into Unbound. I know you had one an event, the rule of three under your belt previously, but Unbound being the sort of world series or Superbowl of gravel is really a next level experience. [00:03:29] Ian Boswell: [00:03:29] Yeah.  In hindsight, in all honesty, it probably benefited me that I didn't race last year, cause I had just come off of, seven years in the world tour and I don't know, 10 years prior to that, racing road bikes, and trying to climb this ladder to the top of the sport on the roadside. [00:03:45] And, I retired and was very much, still felt like a racer. I took a position at Wahoo, so I just had less time to ride and move back full-time to Vermont where the weather is not the south of France, where I was living for the previous seven years. So there was very much this constant underlying level of not stress or anxiety, but just oh, I'm not doing what I used to do. [00:04:06]And it was very much a transitional year where, I was still had this mindset and this, feeling, whether it was, internal or psychological of  I'm not training the way I used to. And lo and behold no race has happened. So I spent the first ever, I guess probably is the longest I had spent in one place since I was 14 or 15 years old. [00:04:25]Just riding in Vermont and my mindset over the last, I guess throughout 2020 really shifted a lot to very much alright, I'm at a very different chapter in my life now I'm not a professional world tour, a road cyclist. There are things in my life that are, far more. [00:04:42] No, I don't say important, but I just, I became interested in so many other aspects of my life. Things I've always longed to do, garden and, we got chickens and we got a puppy and I joined the volunteer fire department. That's actually where I am right now with the volunteer fire department. [00:04:55] Cause we have terrible internet at our house. So I got involved in all these other kind of aspects to my life and, Which kind of led to, the return to racing this year. And I was very much of the perspective of is I'm looking forward to races happening again, but if there's another year of kind of pandemic and no events, great, I get to spend another year at home and riding and, maybe going for some KOMS here and there and doing some, some small group rides. [00:05:17]So my mental state. Long answer here, but my mental state going into Unbound was very much have that mindset. Hey, this is an awesome opportunity to be here, but I'm no longer, a athlete or an individual who's putting my sole focus and soul and time and energy into performance at the highest level, which. In all honesty is probably a great way to approach a 200 mile race because, you can burn a lot of nervous energy early on in a race that is going to take 10 hours and you can finish three or four hours in and just feel like I am mentally fried. And, I very much had a fun and enjoyable. Race just because I was so happy to be there. I'm so curious about. [00:05:59]   I think that's the other thing is there is a culture and the etiquette to gravel events that I'm still very much learning, so I'm much more. An observer than I am a kind of a leader or, someone like Strickland is very much a, a patrol of the Peloton, he knows what's going on and people respect him. [00:06:16] And, there were countless people that I met, the day before, or even at the start line. And, they had no idea who I was and like, that's great. I'm happy that no one knows who I am, but where I've come from, because they're not gonna look at me to take a big pole or control the Peloton or attack. [00:06:29]Which was great, but I don't think that's going to be the case in events going forward. [00:06:33] Craig Dalton: [00:06:33] I think you're right. I think you might be a mark man at this point. Those are really interesting comments. And I really appreciate what you're saying about mindset and I can't help, but ponder, if some of the other sort of. [00:06:45] Quote, unquote, big name athletes that showed up at that event. Might've had more of a race mindset. And when the terrain, when the course, when the other competitors dictated something unexpected, they really didn't have the mindset to thrive that you've clearly acquired in your time and run up to the event. [00:07:06] Ian Boswell: [00:07:06] Yeah, definitely.  And it was the first event, I was there almost a week in advance to do some other stuff with specialized and with Wahoo and, it was the first time really since probably the tour de France in 2018, that felt that not nervous energy, but just There was a lot happening, and it was, and I think for a lot of people, whether it was myself or, someone like Amity Rockwell who had won before, it was the first time in a year for most people that there was this, just journalists and interviews and, people wanting to take picture of your bikes and ask you questions about your equipment and all these little things But yeah,  I just, I didn't have to answer too many questions in detail because I was just in very, in a very simple way. [00:07:44] I was almost naive to the event.  I had Pete stepped in as mechanic lend me a pump on the start line because I didn't pump up my tires in the morning which is brings it all back down to earth. It's rather than being worried about my start position or, the first 10 miles, I was like, oh cool. [00:07:58] Like I should probably pump up my tires right now because tire pressure I guess, is awfully important and gravel. And I had pumped off the night before, but I just didn't have a pump in the morning to put air in them. So I was like, cool. This is a nice distraction to put air in my tires at the start line. [00:08:12] And it's also, there's I had other missions on the start line as well. I had 10 of the trans pride. Sweat bands with me as well. And so I was trying to find, some people who I knew wanted one and some people who I thought, would appreciate receiving those. [00:08:26]I had other kind of things on my mind at the start, which, brings it back full circle to thinking about the bigger. Topics around the event rather than just the race and being worried about my performance and my kind of expectations internally. That's great. [00:08:40]Craig Dalton: [00:08:40] And I just want to pass along just a personal note on that front, a close personal friend of mine been in the bike industry for a long time, reached out to me and just, he knew I was interviewing you today and yeah. Acknowledged how important that was to him and his family that you made that gesture and having listened to your interview with Molly Cameron on the breakfast with boss podcast, it just came full circle. [00:09:03] And I think it was, it's little gestures like that, that show your character and the type of things you believe in and are willing to put forward in your life. [00:09:12] Ian Boswell: [00:09:12] Yeah I appreciate that and very much wasn't a PR stunt or something I was doing to get attention, cause if I had finished even second or third or hundreds, no one cares, just by nature of winning people pay attention to it, it has become something that I'm more aware of and, back to this whole mentality over the last, 12 months in pandemic and just reflecting on my life up to this point and realizing, how incredibly fortunate I have been and, realizing that so many people haven't had that same life experience that I have, and just been more aware of, different people from marginalized communities or backgrounds or upbringings and realizing that, There's a lot of people who are suffering a lot in this world and are fighting for something far more important than a victory at a gravel race. [00:09:55] And, just to be able to shed a little bit of light on, on those topics and those, movements and groups, it really does bring me a lot of. It makes me feel so good just to receive messages from people and, hear their stories. And it opened up this whole dialogue of conversation, which is so amazing that, such a simple gesture and, really my response to most of these people, it's it's literally the least I can do. [00:10:14]I spent a hundred dollars on wristbands and passed them out. It's that's nothing, but. It's created this, just dialogue and really awareness, which I think, for me, it was the first step in just, learning more of it's just awareness. And I think that's really, can make the industry and just the world and, so many people more informed and more connected and more understanding just to. [00:10:34] To be aware of these different, points in our society and our culture and our world. I think if we can just open our eyes a little bit and be a bit more aware, then it's going to be a better place for all of us. Yeah. [00:10:44]Craig Dalton: [00:10:44] It's so true. It's the cycling industry, the world, it seems to move so slowly towards these things. [00:10:50] And I think it is these baby steps that are critically important. [00:10:55] Ian Boswell: [00:10:55] Yeah. And it really is, and having spoken with Molly, I, realized that more. That, Molly's in this for the long run, this isn't something where we're going to wake up tomorrow and there's going to be radical, change and reform. [00:11:06] But if there is a critical mass, and I think, for individuals like myself who have come from a very privileged background can just be aware that people have had very different life experiences. And to be understanding to that, that, we can. Move in the direction of change and it, it really does just start with that with conversations and with, knowledge, that's such a powerful tool that we have in our quiver. [00:11:28] Craig Dalton: [00:11:28] Yeah, absolutely. And I'll put our link to your breakfast with BAAs episodes, because I think it's important for everybody to listen to that one while you're at the start line, how different was it to line up with another thousand athletes at the same time, that's gotta be one of the largest races you've ever started. [00:11:45] Ian Boswell: [00:11:45] Definitely. Yeah.  Most you think most world tour races are races. I had done as a junior, under 23, most maybe you have 200 riders. Yeah, it's it was crazy, thankfully I was able to be near the front just to, squirm through the first few turns, but, with, and I had a friend who had done the event a couple of years ago and he said, man, just make sure you look back at some point. [00:12:02] And we'd had a couple, L turns early on and, because you're in these relatively flat open Plains, looking back with the sunrise and just seeing as far as you could see. A group of riders. That is cool. And that was like the first time I think, in the event that I really realized what a special  day it was going to be. [00:12:21] And you're not just for performance and trying to win, but just how many people decided to, travel to employ Kansas, to take part in this event. And, I really didn't understand what it was and what it meant until I looked back early on and just saw this, Stretching Peloton as far as the eye could see. [00:12:38] And that was yeah, it was cool. Definitely it was nice being, being near the front cause you just have less chaos to happen in front of you. But very quickly from there, it turned from, alright, this is beautiful and gorgeous to okay, like the pace is picking up and I should probably keep my eyes on the road in front of me and make sure I'm in somewhat of a reasonable position to make sure I'm just stay out of trouble. [00:12:58] Craig Dalton: [00:12:58] What did those first 50 miles look like? I imagine that at that point, there's still a lot of jockeying for position and whether you're a pro or a talented amateur athlete, there's still a lot of people around you. How did it start to break up? [00:13:12] Ian Boswell: [00:13:12] Yeah.  To be honest, and I know multiple writers have said that the beginning was fairly sketchy and I think there were a few crashes and punctures and whatnot. [00:13:19]I didn't find the first, I think 26 miles was the first unmaintained section. Up until that point, I felt relative, surprising. I felt actually really comfortable in the Peloton. I hadn't done a big race like that and I did the rule of three, but that started on a hill and broke up instantly. [00:13:34]But because it's flat, it stayed together really up until that first section. And because it has gravel roads and the surfaces are different, the Peloton is just naturally more, there's more space within the group. And, having raised in the world to where we have, someone's hip on your handlebars and someone else's handlebars on your hip, I was like, wow, there's actually a lot of space in, in the bunch to move around and, a lot mutual respect that all change when we did hit the first section at mile 26, because then people start seeing red and that's when the race picked up and people start taking these risks and forgetting the fact that they have a hundred and. [00:14:07] 75 miles to go, but it's that was kinda where the race first started to split up and people started flatting and puncturing and crashing and, having mechanicals my, again, even up until that point, my mindset was still very much just find a safe spot in the Peloton. [00:14:21] You're not gonna, You're going to be much better off making it through here safely with your wheels and tires and intact than you are, on the front of the bunch, taking, taking risks that you know, could potentially in your race. So that was very much my strategy. [00:14:35]Did I didn't really discover until we got to that point, but just having not done it, I didn't really know what to expect and what the Peloton was going to be like. But yeah, I found myself pretty far back compared to the other contenders early on, but just knowing it was such a long event and there's no, teamwork or team dynamics I was happy to just surf the surf, the wave for the first, I guess probably 30, 35 miles. [00:14:57] Yeah. [00:14:57]Craig Dalton: [00:14:57] And then 35 miles to 65 miles, did separations begin to occur? And did you find yourself having to hop and bridge up to different groups? [00:15:06] Ian Boswell: [00:15:06] Yeah.  Separations happened a lot quicker than I had thought just through crashes and the level of rider is big at a race like that. [00:15:12]You think you have someone like, Quinn Simmons or Mateo Jorgensen who, he just came off the Jiro one of, the, probably the hardest races in the year up to this point, regardless of the surface. And then, you have people who, have been training five, 10 hours a week at, in the same Peloton. [00:15:27] So it broke up fairly. Quickly. And it wasn't really until, probably around nine 40, when we, the group got down to maybe 30 riders and, just kept becoming, it's funny to say it's a race of attrition in a very much is, but the fact that 40 miles and you're already starting to see this, people sir come to the conditions was a little bit puzzling. [00:15:48]But again, I think a lot of that just has to do with the expenditure of nervous energy and, people over exerting themselves. I don't wanna say unnecessarily, pushing harder than they need to make these splits. But yeah, we rolled into the first aid station at mile 68. [00:16:02]With probably only 15 riders. And I thought it was going to be much bigger than that. I thought it was going to be a group of a hundred people and it was going to be chaos rolling in there because there were so many writers, but yeah, a relatively small group after, just 60, some odd miles. [00:16:17] Craig Dalton: [00:16:17] Yeah. I imagine at that point, the incentive to work together was pretty strong for the remaining riders. [00:16:22]Ian Boswell: [00:16:22] Surprisingly not definitely. Yeah. I was really surprised with that. And, we had, there are people who are definitely rolling through and, hats off to people like Ted and Pete and Colin, those, those individuals were always up there rolling through, like they never drifted to the back. [00:16:38] They never, Didn't pull even, Robin carpenter was there and there was some writers who understood like, Hey, we have a really good thing going here. Let's keep it rolling. And even myself personally, I realized that, just with my physiology, it's much easier to roll through at a steady pace than it is to like, try and drift off the back and then, catch up with five guys and then drift off and then catch up. [00:16:56]And that was an incentive, not too long after the aid station, when Colin Strickland came up to me and said, Hey, it looks like he's a lot of people are really hurting in this group. And I was like, just happy to be in the front group of 15, almost, over a third through the race. [00:17:11] And I was like, all right, man, let's hit it. So I went hard up a little roller and I can't remember if I jumped across to Robin carpenter or if I did a little surgeon, he came with me, that very quickly whittled it down to eight riders. And once we had those 8, 8, 8 of us up front That's when it became more, more cohesive. [00:17:30] And then again, after little Egypt, when, Pete really, shredded the race through little Egypt, and that was when the selection of the five of us went away. And that's when the, the front group of us, stetting on myself, Ted Lawrence and Strickland, that's when it became this. [00:17:46] Incredible group of very committed and very, cohesive group of riders just rolling through. And that was, still over a hundred miles to go, I think still 110 miles to go. We, was just five of us. And that was really cool to see that, we got to the point where you had made these separations and it was just a group of people who are willing to ride and just keep rolling through also knowing that there was a lot of headwind coming back towards Emporia. [00:18:11] [00:18:11] Craig Dalton: [00:18:11] And it sounded like from the accounts that, and what you just said, you guys were willing to work together. I'm curious, at what point does it come into your mind to do something, to make an attack in that scenario? [00:18:24]Ian Boswell: [00:18:24] That was one of my biggest questions. And I did a ride with Ted and I asked him, on the ride, I was just like, how? [00:18:29]And it felt so evenly matched and because there was a headwind. That kind of nullified anyone trying to go for a long range of attack like   Strickland did in 2019, just because, it's a pretty, it was a pretty smart group, tactically of riders, knowing that, okay, if if Colin attacks and the remaining four of us had any sort of intelligence, we'd be like, all right, let's just stay together, let him do his thing. And we'll just keep rolling steady. And there's so much wind that he's going to be, he's going to be brought back. So the wind did play a huge factor. I think in how the race was tactically being played out. And, once we got closer to aid station 2 there's a series of kind of pretty big rollers and some steep sections on a, an unmaintained road. And, Pete kind of hit it there as well. And, it became very apparent that everyone was very equally matched. And because the wind, if you're not going to get it, if you're roll over the top and you have a. [00:19:21] Three four second gap and you look back and there's four, four guys behind you. You might just consider like, all right, I don't have a big enough gap to keep pushing on. So I'll wait for the guys behind me. We also had a group of people who have done a lot of road race, and,  you think myself, Laurens, Ted and Pete had all come from the world tour. [00:19:38] And I think with Colin's experience of crit racing and red hook, he's very tactically savvy and really understands the benefit of drafting and wind dynamics. So yeah, I was definitely one of the questions in my mind was how is this gonna break up? Because everyone is so equally matched and the wind is such a big factor. [00:19:54]I thought there was a reasonable chance that, maybe we'll all roll into back onto the pavement and Emporia with five of us. Wow. [00:20:02] Craig Dalton: [00:20:02] And what ultimately happened to create the separation that left you alone with Lauren's ten Dams? [00:20:08] Ian Boswell: [00:20:08] Yeah. So with it's about 30 miles, maybe 25, 30 miles to go. [00:20:11] We hit the last kind of unmaintained section of road, which I had actually written with Laurens the prior Wednesday. And so I upped the pace there, knowing it was a crucial section and also it wasn't incredibly technical, there was times when, like there was one path that was definitely the best path to take. And if you didn't, if you weren't on that route, then you know, it was either Rocky or you might be riding to a puddle. And that's when Pete hit it pretty hard over the top of me. And then Laurens went over the top of him and we'd all strung out. [00:20:37] And, I looked back at one point I saw that Strickland was distanced. I think we, between the rest of us, Ted was probably the, probably one of the better sprinters out of, Us kind of three climber, former climbers. So we knew it was like, okay, the races on here, if we can, every time you lose one rider, it's your odds increase of winning you go from five to four and. [00:20:57] Then Pete had a mechanical. I think he somehow, I don't know if he was trying to go down to a small ring or up to his big ring, but he had some chain suck and, had to jump off his bike to adjust that at which point, I went around him and caught up to Lawrence and Ted was just behind us and wound up catching on just after the last unmaintained section ended. [00:21:15]At which point I was like, wow, we're going to like the three of us. We'll probably roll to the line. If we continue working at At a good pace because it's less, Colin comes back to Pete, and that's still, two chasing three is harder, even though, Colin can definitely roll quickly on the flats and downhills. [00:21:29]But yeah we just kept rolling for not too long. And then we hit a small climb and I think Ted just hit the wall, he made a big effort to bridge across to Lawrence and I and so he got popped maybe around 20 to 23 miles to go. And at which point it was just Lawrence and I still felt good and he felt. [00:21:45]He felt well. And we just realized that this is our chance, and if we can keep pushing the pace, the most likely the writers behind aren't going to be able to come back together and, bridge across if we keep riding. But at that point you're also catching riders in the 100 mile ride. [00:21:59] So it does become a little bit more confusing, especially when you're looking back, trying to decide, is that Pete and the red Jersey, or is that, someone we had just passed in the a hundred mile event and because you're. Nearly 10 hours into an event, you don't really remember what color jerseys of the people you passed are. [00:22:16]So we just knew we could had to put our heads down and keep riding. And, another factor is we also, neither of us had aerobars in our bike which I think mentally for both of us was. Really cool to be upfront. And Laurens made a comment to me, probably 10 miles to go where he, yeah, he said, yeah, I won't use the word here, but anyways, yeah, he was happy that we weren't that both of us on aerobars and, knowing that we knew we had to work even more efficiently together because the people behind did have aerobars and, they probably are faster and, they did have a slight advantage, especially on the, the flat more. [00:22:49]Smooth roads. Yeah, but thankfully we still had enough. Both of us had enough kind of reserves in the tank to keep pushing it all the way back into town. Now in that [00:22:58] Craig Dalton: [00:22:58] situation, obviously both of you understand the tactics you've been in the world tour. You understand how races are won. Do you have to speak about what needs to be done or is it just so innate in both of you that you knew where you were going to work together as far as you needed to go to keep the chasers off? [00:23:16]Ian Boswell: [00:23:16] I don't know. I don't know. Laurens has history with races and winning. Road races with someone else. But I had never really been in that situation, maybe as a junior, when I was 14 years old I knew we had to work. And, at that point I think we both realized being first or second in this event is a huge result. [00:23:30] And so many things can go wrong in that race. The fact that we had made it that far, neither of us having any. Any major issues. I do know that Lawrence had a small puncture early on, but was able to make it back, before mile 25 or something. So the fact that, we knew that regardless of the outcome, we were both ecstatic that we were still there and we were off the front and we were gonna come into more than likely come into town together. [00:23:54]Other than having a catastrophic meltdown or a puncture in the last few miles Yeah. W we did speak about it. We talked about I think I said to him, and he said to me like, Hey, let's just, let's roll into town and we'll sprint it out. Which is then, that's when you're ultimately going to get caught, you have the opportunity to finishing first or second. [00:24:09] And then you decide to start, cat and mouse in it and attacking each other and stopping and attacking and stopping. And before you know it, Pete's back with you and Ted's back with you and maybe Colin's on. And then you wind up finishing fifth when you could have almost had a guarantee first or second, and then you wind up, being the worst sprinter out of the five riders and, finishing in fifth place. [00:24:27] So we were both aware that, it was. Most beneficial to us to keep rolling through just knowing that neither of us were, an excellent sprinter, had it been someone with a better sprint, Ted or, maybe even Colin that's when I think the tactics get a bit more complicated because you may want to. [00:24:43]If you're calling, you may be like, Hey, I don't need, there's two of us. I'm probably going to beat you in the sprint anyways. And I'll beat the riders behind me in the sprint. So I don't need to work here. I'm going to save my effort for the sprint. But I think sprint is very much an unknown strength of both Laurens and I. [00:24:57] So I think we are both willing to go to the line and just see what happened once we got there. [00:25:01] Craig Dalton: [00:25:01] Yeah. What a great result for both of you. I think it's fantastic. [00:25:06] Ian Boswell: [00:25:06] Yeah. I think we're both pleased. And I think of the five riders up front, I don't think either of us really meant or knew what it meant to win that race. [00:25:13] And I knew that Lawrence had won the gravel Locos a couple of weeks prior. So he probably had a little taste of kind of the thirst and the, interest in gravel cycling and. Globally, but really here in north America. I had no idea what it meant. I knew it was a big event and I'd seen the attention that Colin had drawn in 2019, but even without, I didn't realize the weight that is put on the shoulders of, the individual who wins, whether it's the a hundred mile event or the 200 or XL, male and female, there's an incredible amount of attention put on. [00:25:44] That event and an importance, not just from media, everyone who is involved with, your support team and partners and sponsors, everyone is so happy to see those results and to be part of that, really that team of, people who, get behind it from, The week out and get together and make sure that everything's ready to roll. [00:26:04] Craig Dalton: [00:26:04] And particularly in this moment in time, as we hopefully put the pandemic in the rear view mirror here in the U S and eventually around the world, just to have an event of that scale happen and have the community just have that collective release of energy. I think it was just super exciting. [00:26:20] Ian Boswell: [00:26:20] Yeah, it was, and that was one thing, I was a little bit curious about was, the energy around the event compared to last, prior years. And I, I had thought about that a lot in 2020 was, oh man, did I miss this kind of golden window of gravel? When you know, it is fun and there's this party like atmosphere and, post pandemic. [00:26:37] Is it going to be a completely different world? Is there going to be no samples anymore at, at the expo booth because it's, not COVID safe. It is cool to see that, a lot of the excitement and buzz and party and just community atmosphere, didn't really change all that much in an eye. [00:26:54] I heard from a few people that the expo is slightly smaller and there are a few people, in downtown Emporia at the finish, but, compared to, what I had expected, it was a lot more and there was a lot more excitement and energy around the event then, I had feared would not be there due to the pandemic. [00:27:08] Yeah, [00:27:09]Craig Dalton: [00:27:09] I'm glad you got the full experience. That's amazing. So it's really funny to me that we scheduled this interview way in advance of your race at Unbound. We knew it was happening, but you had mentioned, it was a total unknown, so it was great to get that overview, but I'm equally excited to jump into your day job  with Wahoo and a partnership with the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya. [00:27:34] Can you give us a little bit of an overview of what that race is and what this partnership is all about. [00:27:40] Ian Boswell: [00:27:40] Yeah a couple of colleagues brought it to me probably back in, in January. It's, Hey, there's this, there's this event happening in Kenya and we're going to partner with this, this African cycling team called the Amani foundation. [00:27:52] And I was like, cool. When is it? And it's mid, late June and. The same time as an event that was happening in Oregon, the Oregon trail race, which is, the race, really, if there was a hometown race. And that's where I grew up was in bend. And I was like, sure, Kenya sounds awesome, but it's probably not likely that we're going to go. [00:28:07] This was still in, January when it still very much looked like things were closed down and shot and travel, wasn't going to be possible. I put my hand up, I was like, I've never been to Kenya and it sounds like an awesome, an awesome trip, but it has evolved into so much more than just. [00:28:22] A bike race, get some context. Wahoo  has partnered with the Amani foundation, which is, like I said, an African cycling team and really just trying to provide opportunities, resources, and, the chance for these African riders to travel and also show themselves on a global stage. [00:28:36]We've been providing them with the products they need, whether it's head units, heart rate monitors, trainers which is, a huge resource, but I think the most beneficial thing, and which I think is probably the coolest thing that we've been able to provide is, access to having them work with the Wahoo sports science center out in Boulder, Colorado and work with a coach like Neil Henderson who also coaches, Rohan Dennis, who's getting ready to go to the Olympic games in Tokyo. And when you look at the. Just the difference in culture from, Western Europe or north America to Africa, there's some phenomenally talented. Athletes globally. You look at, in cycling the growth of, grand tour contenders coming out of south America. [00:29:15]It's because someone went there and invested in those athletes and gave them the opportunities and the resources to show what they're capable of doing. And I think it's very much a similar situation in East Africa. When you look at Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, There are athletes that are performing at the highest level in the world when it comes to, marathon running or athletics, but there's not a whole lot of athletes who make the transition to cycling. [00:29:40] And a lot of that it's, it is a barrier of entry, both financially, but you think logistically as well, there is all this equipment and, the. The tradition of, training in cycling is so much different than running, running is becoming a more complicated sport, but it's grassroots. [00:29:56] It's very simply, and you can have a pair of shoes and you can go run, but cycling, there's the equipment and there's power meters, and there's, SU so many kinds of obstacles to jump through which is. Making this trip, all the more valuable, the fact that, having had one Unbound and having Laurens Ten Dam   finished, second, we're both attending this race and we both were, gonna attend it prior to Unbound, but to go and actually race with these athletes and, hopefully, we do well, but I think it's even cooler, just. [00:30:25] To have the opportunity to give these African riders an opportunity to show what they're capable of. If I look at, my story of coming up through the ranks here in north America, it's really defined by excelling at these very few opportunities that you had to go against the big riders, whether that's national championships or, jumping into a pro on two race. [00:30:45] And they just happened to be a world tour rider there and you performed well. And then all of a sudden, everyone noticed you. And when you think about, these riders who are currently racing in Africa, they're very much racing in a bubble where, there may be one or two riders who are winning every race and they might be doing, these amazing power numbers. [00:31:00] And they might be, Tactically and technically, perfect, but no one knows what they're capable of because they're not racing against, somewhat more recognizable names. So by, heading over to this race and having Lawrence go and, some other, prominent figures in the cycling and gravel community, it's giving these athletes really the opportunity of a lifetime to show what they're capable of, which is, all that really someone needs to really changed their entire life. And, cycling has brought so much joy and privilege and opportunity to my life. How cool is it's now being a position where I get to go to Kenya and do a bike race, and potentially, change or alter the course of someone else's life through. Hopefully having them beat me in a bike race. [00:31:43]How cool would that be if a couple of these riders from the Amani foundation just absolutely hand it to Laurens and I, and that sets them on a course that changes their entire life. And Yeah, it's just such a cool opportunity when you think about it and, when I reflect on my upbringing and moving through the ranks and cycling but on top of that, with Wahoo, we're taking the three best riders from the gravel race of the highest three performing athletes are then coming to the U S later in the year to, to participate in SBT GRVL up in Steamboat Springs, and then Belgium Waffle Ride Asheville, which, performance aside, like how cool is that an African rider gets to perform well on a race and then gets a trip to the U S to see our country. [00:32:23]I get to go over to Kenya and see their country. And it's just the, really the beauty of cycling and the international exchange of cultures and traditions. And yeah, I actually just received a message from one of the Kenyan riders I reconnected on Instagram. And we've been a F. [00:32:37] Doing some WhatsApp back and forth, and he's Hey man, like when you get to Nairobi, let's go for a ride. And I know some roads and he's you're a, you're such a big deal over here in Kenya. Everyone was watching the Unbound gravel. And I'm like, it's crazy to think that, you're doing this race in Kansas and people in Nairobi are watching the event. [00:32:54] Craig Dalton: [00:32:54] That's amazing. Amazing that the technology allows you to communicate with people all over the world at this point. [00:33:00] Ian Boswell: [00:33:00] Yeah, and it really is. And and thanks to technology, it does make it feasible for someone like Neil to coach someone in Kenya, the same way that he would coach me. [00:33:10] Had he been, my coach here in Vermont. So it's, yeah, it's a very cool event on so many levels, and I talk touched on a lot of, the cultural and, Opportunities, but I'm also going to Kenya to, just to see Kenya it's a four day. I guess I should explain the event a bit more. [00:33:24]It's a four-day gravel stage race in the Masai Mara. Which, I've seen quite a few documentaries is an absolutely stunning place. And, I just, yesterday I got my vaccines that we're recommended by the CDC and I guess the travel advisory board here in the U S so yeah, hopefully I'm set to go. [00:33:43]But Bike racing aside. What a trip to be able to go to Kenya and spend four days in Maasai, Mara riding my bike around. [00:33:51] Craig Dalton: [00:33:51] No, I there's. No doubt. It's going to be a spectacular experience. We talked a little bit about the migration gravel race on an earlier episode of the podcast. When I first caught wind of it, it immediately caught my eye having done a couple of stage races in Africa, myself. [00:34:06] It's otherworldly to be racing and look across and see some zebra in the field or some other animals. It's just unbelievable. So I'm super jealous and excited for you to have that experience. [00:34:19]Ian Boswell: [00:34:19] If I may, I want to ask you a question, what should I prepare for? I'm about to pack my bags. [00:34:23] What should I be? Packing as far as, Is there any, are there any items and the race has done a phenomenal job of sending out a manual of like things to bring. But is there anything that you did not have that you would have liked to bring when you went? [00:34:36] Craig Dalton: [00:34:36] The guy I was in the mindset of this is going to be an adventure. [00:34:40] So as much as any races getting from the start to finish line every day and getting your body ready for the next day, I think I made sure to have. Ample gear on my bike for unexpected catastrophes, much like I'm sure you did it Unbound in just things are going to get thrown at you and you're going to have a wilderness experience out there. [00:35:04] So you need to make sure you're [00:35:06] Ian Boswell: [00:35:06] self-sufficient. Okay. Yeah. Good tips. I'll make sure to pack some extra tubes. And I did from a previous trip a river fishing trip. I did have ordered a LifeStraw. So if I do find myself a puddle, hopefully I'll be ready and I'll yeah, I'll throw it in my swap box. [00:35:21] So I I always have it with me. How [00:35:23] Craig Dalton: [00:35:23] many athletes has Wahoo sports science been working with in preparation for this race? [00:35:28] Ian Boswell: [00:35:28] So there's a team of 10 athletes and we've been supporting all of them. Which is awesome. And there's only 75 riders actually participating in the Migration race. So it's a relatively small field, which, coming off Unbound, which is, a huge event. [00:35:40] And, there are people that I had meant to connect with prior to the event. People I knew from Oregon or from California, who, I didn't get a chance to chat with. That's another cool aspect of this event is it's going to be very. Intimate. And, there's a lot of time around the camp to, to speak to these athletes and riders. [00:35:57] And, I'm just, I'm really curious to see there. You know their setups, but also just answer questions about, tactics and drafting and, there's so much to be learned as well, just through observation and, by, myself and Lawrence going, having that direct ability to be able to ride with athletes and, obviously Neil and the sports science team at Wahoo have been. [00:36:16] Coaching the athletes, which is, a huge part of performance is just having the motor to pedal and push and ride these distances. Another aspect that, and I think this is probably one of the most challenging things for people coming from countries that don't have a super strong. [00:36:31] Cycling race background. And, I know that, Rwanda has, a big cycling history and culture, but it's so different when an athlete comes from there and races in Europe or north America and the etiquette or the tactics and the dynamics of the races are different. That's the. [00:36:46]Almost my job on the ground is, to be able to speak to the writers of the Amani foundation, after the races or during the races and, give them small pointers about, drafting or cross winds or where to put their tire on on a rough section of road. [00:37:00]And by no means, am I a great expert at navigating rough and technical descents, but, There's ample opportunity to be there in-person and providing, not so much the training aspects that's already been covered, but the application of, okay, you have this power, you've done the training now, how do you maximize, The race side of it, and I'm happy to be a I don't know, maybe a director in the race, telling people, Hey, this is a great time to attack. [00:37:24] You should go for it. Cause I know Laurens is going to be, he's going to be out there to win and I'm sure he wants to get one over on me after unbalanced, if I can yeah. Employ some of the African riders to try to get them up there and potentially PIP Laurens for a stage or two, then you know, that would be awesome. [00:37:41] Craig Dalton: [00:37:41] I can't wait to follow this. And I do think, as you mentioned, the fact that this is a multi-day stage race and having a camp at night, it's just going to be this really intimate opportunity with that gravel community. For everybody participating in the race, to learn from each other, to have a laugh at the inevitable folly that happens in a gravel event stage. [00:38:04]It's just so much fun. Unlike maybe some of the stage races you've experienced before in Europe, where you went off with your team and you had your bubble and it was just people you knew. I think the community much like you described and experienced in Kansas is going to be there in droves and they just think there's going to be a lot of love at that event. [00:38:22] Ian Boswell: [00:38:22] Yeah and I've already said this to a few people who were heading over there, like inevitably something is going to go wrong and not just because it's, we're heading to Africa, but it happens that, I spoke to people who did Oregon trail and like it's a gravel stage race. [00:38:35]Something is going to, you're going to break something, hopefully it's not your body. Hopefully it's a piece of your bike or, a buckle on your shoe or, a random thing's going to go wrong or you might get food poisoning or dehydrated. So I think it's important for everyone attending to also realize that, things could very easily not be optimal, which I think is the beauty of going to events like this is, it's facing adversity and, really integrating into the location and the landscape and the environment. [00:39:02] And also the culture, which I think is I don't want to go there and, eat pasta and red sauce. I'm not sure what the what's on the menu, but I would love to, Be exposed and open to trying new foods and flavors and fruits. And I think that's one of the coolest things about traveling in this era that we live in, where, you can fly almost anywhere in the world and experience a culture that is so different than the one that we live at home. [00:39:26] Craig Dalton: [00:39:26] Whatever I love about this program that Wahoo has put together, it's not only as fans of the sport and just interested. SA, if people on the sidelines we get to see not only what happens during the migration, gravel race. But then later in the year in Asheville and at SBT gravel, we're going to see a few of these athletes make the trip over and what a great way to just round out the year and see how these athletes progress and see what that investment, that Wahoo  has a company and other partners have made to bring them over there. [00:39:59] And hopefully, as you said, make this a stepping stone for a great future career in cycling. [00:40:05] Ian Boswell: [00:40:05] Yeah, exactly. And just the opportunity to meet them and become friends, because like you said, we are hanging out around a campfire at night, so the opportunity to be a friendly face and what, the same way when I go over to Kenya, someone who is completely out of my element, for them to have a friendly face when they do come to the us to, be a friend on the start line and help them at registration and, lead them on a local ride and talk about the rules of the road in the U S compared to how they are in Kenya. [00:40:31]It's those little things that, I've traveled enough and, Been alone in foreign countries where you just feel like you're on an island and everything is moving so quick around you. So to be able to, make those connections early and then, really welcomed them to, to the U S later in the year is such a cool opportunity. [00:40:45] And, the Masa Mari is up at over 6,000 feet. So these athletes are very well equipped to, race up in. Steamboat Springs, at altitude. Yeah, it's cool. And I'm sure we'll see, regardless of the level that they're out now, I'm sure that we'll see them, at a completely new level, once they do come to the U S just through the experience and observation of, riding with people from a different racing background. [00:41:08]Craig Dalton: [00:41:08] So for the listener, this is going to drop on a Tuesday. Ian will be starting this race tomorrow. So hit the social media channels. Follow him. Let's all try to follow the Migration Gravel Race. I'll put links in the show notes to everything we've talked about. Ian, best of luck over in Africa. I can't wait to revisit this conversation when you come back and and follow the journey of these athletes. [00:41:30]Ian Boswell: [00:41:30] I really appreciate it, Craig. And yeah, I'll do my best to keep everyone in the loop. I'm not sure what my. Connectivity will be out in on the Masa Mara, but yeah, I'll do my best to keep everyone posted and I'm sure there'll be some some feeds and some posting from the from the race organizers as well. [00:41:46] Craig Dalton: [00:41:46] Right on. Thanks Ian. [00:41:47] Ian Boswell: [00:41:47] Thank you, Craig. [00:41:49]Craig Dalton: [00:41:49] So that's it for this edition of the gravel ride podcast. Huge. Thank you. And congratulations to you, Ian Boswell, [00:41:56]And thank you for Wahoo for their support of this podcast. I'm super excited to follow the migration, gravel race. I've been stoked about it ever since I heard it announced at the end of last year, [00:42:08]For those north American European athletes attending the event, it sounds like a great adventure. And for those east African athletes participating in the race, it sounds like a great opportunity. Not only do they get to test their metal against some of the best gravel racers in the world. They get potentially the opportunity. To come do it on us soil. [00:42:29]I'll do my best to keep you updated on the podcast and in the ridership community. But I also encourage you to subscribe and listen to Ian's podcast. Breakfast with Boz. I think he's going to be picking up some very interesting conversations. While he's in kenya and that's going to be a great place to follow what is going on.  [00:42:48]Until next time. Here's to finding some dirt under your wheels

Shane Sigsbee – Short Term Rental Investor and CEO or Sigsbee Homes talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Shane graduated from Notre Dame in 2007 with a degree in finance. He became a derivatives trader right out of school but lost his job in the financial crisis in 2009. He then left to pursue a career in gambling, starting the venture Imawhale Staking in 2010, which he still runs to this day. In 2017 he began investing in real estate in southern Alabama, focusing on the BRRRR method using short-term rentals. He’s currently sitting on 35 doors with a goal of reaching 100 doors. In this episode, we talk to Shane and Rachael about beginning their journey to real estate investing in 2017, how they scaled their portfolio from 1 to 35 doors, why they have converted most of their properties to short-term rentals, and tips and tricks on rehabbing and furnishing a short-term rental. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.imawhale.com/ (I’m A Whale Staking Group) Instagram: http://instagram.com/shanesigsbee (@shanesigsbee) Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssigsbee (@ssigsbee) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shane.sigsbee (Shane Sigsbee) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Moe Kruger – Senior Loan Officer at Live Oak Bank talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Moe Kruger is a 30-year banking veteran that specializes in storage financing for small business owners. Over his 30 years in banking, Moe has been a branch manager, bank business development officer, residential mortgage specialist, private banking manager, commercial relationship manager before settling in and focusing on helping small business owners. He has a great love for entrepreneurs and has spent the past 16 years financing business acquisitions, real estate acquisitions, and construction lending utilizing the Small Business Administration programs. He has closed close to a billion dollars in loans over his banking career including $250 million in storage loans. Moe joined Live Oak Bank in 2015 as a senior loan officer for the self-storage vertical. At Live Oak Bank, he is focused on loans that include construction deals, acquisitions, conversions, and mobile storage deals.  In this episode, we talk to Moe about how he got into self-storage lending, the keys to successfully getting an SBA loan for self-storage, the difference between SBA versus traditional commercial loans, and the common gotchas you should avoid. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.liveoakbank.com/ (LiveOakBank.com) Email: moe.kruger@liveoak.bank Phone: (910) 550-2907 Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Neil Wahlgren – Chief Operations Officer at MAG Capital Partners, talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. MAG Capital Partners is a private equity firm that specializes in sale-leaseback and industrial real estate investments. Neil brings nearly two decades of leadership in operations and capital markets. Prior to MAG Capital, Neil led a Bay Area real estate investment firm, raising capital for over $200M in projects. He came to real estate investing following a career in military aviation as a C-130 pilot in both the Air Force and Navy, logging over 2500 flight hours with combat tours to both Iraq and Afghanistan.  In this episode, we talk to Neil about the details of investing in single tenant net lease industrial properties, the keys to building trust with potential private equity investors, the unique benefits to investing in a net lease industrial, and the key lessons from his military background that helped him to be successful raising private equity. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.magcp.com/ (MAG Capital Partners) Email: neil@magcp.com Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Mark Podolsky – aka The Land Geek, talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Armed with only $3,000, Mark bought his first few parcels of raw land in 2001. Today Mark is the author of Dirt Rich, the ultimate guide to helping you build a passive income, and owner of successful and investing company Frontier Properties. Prior to his land investing success, Mark felt trapped in a high-stress, corporate job. Escaping the rat race changed Mark’s life in so many positive ways that he decided to teach, coach, and mentor others to help them achieve their financial goals. In this episode, we talk to Mark about how he first got into raw land investing, the dead-simple way he seeks out raw land to buy, the extraordinary systems he sets up to automate 95% of his business, and the ways he designs his week to maximize productivity and happiness. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.thelandgeek.com/ (The Land Geek) Website: http://www.frontierpropertiesusa.com/ (Frontier Properties USA) Resource: https://airtable.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_extra4=aud-851207090129:kwd-325289323194&utm_extra2=936407691&utm_extra3=47735600558&creative=464489871110&device=c&cx=us&targetid=aud-851207090129:kwd-325289323194&campaignid=936407691&adgroupid=47735600558&gclid=CjwKCAiAkJKCBhAyEiwAKQBCkky42tA26XHdngVmyXBjCn_nxGT8f5ZUXq25YQOVoUWyw-r06uix2xoCkTkQAvD_BwE (AirTable) Resource: https://www.followupboss.com/ (Follow Up Boss) Resource: https://www.landmodo.com/ (Landmodo) Resource: https://what3words.com/ (What Three Words) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Kris Reid – founder of Ardor SEO talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Kris is known online as the coolest guy in Search Engine Optimization. Now, you might be asking why a podcast about real estate investing is hosting an expert in SEO. Well, that’s because at the end of the day, real estate is a customer-driven business, and at some point, you will want to put yourself in front of more customers. Whether they be rental tenants, self-storage tenants, investors, buyers, sellers, prospective employees, etc. And the demand-driven content from a search engine is one of the best ways to do that.  In this episode, we talk to Kris about the basics of SEO, some tips on creating an SEO-friendly website, how backlinking pages help Google see your website as more reputable, and why you should NOT try to become an expert in SEO. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://ardorseo.com/ (ArdorSEO.com) Free Guide: https://ardorseo.com/freedom (How to Get More Customers to Grow Your Business) Book: https://amzn.to/3bLWft5 (Clockwork) by Mike Michalowicz Book: https://amzn.to/3sFQrYV (Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less)https://amzn.to/3sFQrYV ( )by Michael Hyatt Book: https://amzn.to/3aYACGG (Who Not How) by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Dr. Hardy Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Casey Franchini –  Single-Family Rental investor, and founder of Brick By Brick Wealth talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Casey is a real estate investor and mom of 3 young children who earns a passive second income from investing in single-family rental properties. She also teaches aspiring real estate investors that they, too, can live a better life with passive income from rentals and it starts with getting the first one.  In this episode, we talk to Casey about how she first got started in real estate as a residential real estate agent, how fear of the unknown kept her and her husband from investing in the beginning, the unique side hustle she started as a stay at home mom to save up for the down payment on their first rental property, and the key to making managing single-family rentals easy. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.brickbybrickwealth.com/ (Brick by Brick Wealth) Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brickbybrwealth (@BrickByBrWealth) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brickbybrickwealth (Brick by Brick Wealth) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brickbybrickwealth/ (@BrickbyBrickWealth) Resource: https://brickbybrickwealth.ck.page/freecourse (Free 7-Day Mini Course: "Retiring your 9-5 with Rental Properties") Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Becky Nova – multifamily investor and founder of Lady-Landlords.com, talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Becky began investing in real estate in 2018, when she and her husband, Emilio, purchased their first duplex in Yonkers, NY. Just a year later, she bought a four-family in the same neighborhood as well as a condo in the Dominican Republic, her husband’s native country. Now, she has acquired 10 doors in a competitive high cost of living area in two years. She has grown a love for working with first-time investors and runs a popular Facebook group called Lady Landlords to empower women to become knowledgeable and confident in Real Estate Investing. Becky has created digital courses, worksheets, live events, and a YouTube channel to aid her followers on their journey. In this episode, we talk to Becky about buying her first house hack, a duplex in Yonkers, NY, and how that lit the fire of interest in real estate investing. We also talk about buying two properties in the Dominican Republic, and the systems she puts in place to put landlording on autopilot. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.lady-landlords.com/ (Lady Landlords) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LadyLandlords (Lady Landlords Community) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckynova24/ (@BeckyNova24) Resource: https://www.neighborly.com/ (Neighborly) Resource: https://www.google.com/forms/about/ (Google Forms) - Good for pre-screening prospective tenants Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Taylor Loht – Real Estate Investor, Founder of NT Capital, and host of the Passive Wealth Strategies podcast talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Taylor is on a mission to teach Busy Professionals how they can invest in real estate without dealing with tenants, toilets, and termites. He highlights and distills the knowledge, experiences, and lessons of expert real estate investors through his podcast, YouTube Channel, and email newsletter Passive Wealth Strategies for Busy Professionals. His goal is to help his listeners and investors build lives of abundance. He believes that building passive streams of income is the best path to wealth generation, not the typical, boring, “Don’t have that $4 latte you enjoy twice a week.” Enjoy your latte and buy some property! He has partnered in over $50 million in Multifamily and Self Storage investments, as both a General Partner with his company NT Capital LLC, and Passive Investor through tax-advantaged retirement accounts. He invests remotely and never deals directly with tenants. Taylor lives in Richmond, Virginia, where he started and runs the monthly Richmond Multifamily Investors Meetup, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and actively contributes to BiggerPockets. In this episode, we talk to Taylor about how he invested in his first passive syndication using his self-directed IRA, the good and the bad of investing from a self-directed retirement account, how investing passively led him to then become a general partner on a couple of apartment deals, and why he is focused on introducing real estate investing to the FIRE movement. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.passivewealthstrategy.com/ (Passive Wealth Strategy) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylor.loht (Taylor Loht) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCStvNPICXV9UplU5aas_e4A (Passive Wealth Strategy) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passive_wealth_strategies/ (@passive_wealth_strategies) Book: https://amzn.to/2ZzCKMb (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) by Robert Kiyosaki Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Michael Rogers – Real Estate Investor and Owner of Chandler Properties, talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. After working for 15 years in the Corporate Accounting world Michael transitioned to full-time real estate investing in 2017. When he was still working his full-time corporate job he was also purchasing, remodeling, and managing rental properties as a side job. He currently self-manages a portfolio of 350 storage units, several residential rental properties, and is developing a Third Party Logistics industrial warehouse complex. In this episode, we talk to Michael about how he bought his first 55-unit self-storage facility, how he turned around a facility that had just 25% economic occupancy, the power of building relationships with local banks, and why he uses the wisdom of Warren Buffet in his real estate investing strategy. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.chandler-property.com/ (Chandler Property) Facebook: http://facebook.com/ChandlerProperties (Chandler Properties) Resource: https://www.storageunitsoftware.com/ (Easy Storage Solutions) Book: https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Investor-Definitive-Investing-Essentials/dp/0060555661 (The Intelligent Investor) by Benjamin Graham Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Justin Fraser – Multifamily Asset Manager and Host of the True Multifamily Show, talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Justin is an apartment syndicator, asset manager, and real estate investor, responsible for managing multiple apartments across the country. A real estate investor since 2014 when he bought a single-family home as a rental property. For years Justin flipped houses and owned single-family rentals until May of 2018 when he formed 88 Real Estate Capital and closed on his first apartment syndication, raising over $600k for the deal. By September 2018, Justin exited his corporate job as a Project Manager and jumped full time into real estate investing. He found some excellent partners and is an active member of 6 apartment complexes holding over 1000 units. Justin built an asset management business, responsible for running the business of these apartment complexes. He is also the host of True Multifamily, a podcast about the business of apartment investing, showcasing the real work that happens after a deal closes. His goal is to share insights, tips, tricks, and best practices through storytelling by real asset managers and owners. In this episode, we talk to Justin about the partners he had to bring on in order to close on his first large multifamily deal, the details of what’s involved with being an asset manager, why he likes it when a tenant skips out on rent, the key to gaining knowledge in almost every real estate strategy. Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Podcast: https://www.truemultifamily.show/ (True Multifamily Show) Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinfraser (@JustinFraser) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrueMultifamily/ (True Multifamily) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truemultifamily/ (@TrueMultifamily) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Tamar Hermes – CEO of Wealth Warrior Woman, Full-time Real Estate Investor, educator, and money coach, talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Tamar guides women to become financially free through Real Estate Investing and creating an empowering relationship to money. Tamar grew up poor as the child of a Holocaust survivor and had no idea how people got rich. By chance, she stumbled upon Real Estate investing and became obsessed with the world of finance. Today, she coaches clients across the country and is a fanatic about investing. Tamar’s desire is to support women to be free to choose how they spend their life and have the means to afford whatever they desire for themselves, their families, and others. She believes Real Estate Investing is the best way to grow wealth. She recently relocated from Los Angeles to Austin where she is enjoying the small city life and no state taxes! In this episode, we talk to Tamar about how she got started with the purchase of a duplex in Los Angeles. We talk to her about her transition from active investor to a passive investor using various syndications, how she teaches her kids about money, and the daily rituals that keep her focused and productive throughout the day. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Teaching your kids about money and finances begins with teaching them to have integrity and to just be good people in the hopes of avoiding that sense of entitlement so money kids with money get. Also, house hacking is still, in our opinion, one of the quickest, most surefire ways to build wealth and move towards financial independence.  How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? Understand what your resources are before you get started. Do you have capital? Do you have time? Do you have knowledge? If you are missing any of those things, look for a partner to fill that gap, or look to bring the resources you DO have to a partner that has what you don’t, so that you can learn from them. How much money did it take to get started? She bought a $395,000 duplex in Los Angeles for 10% down, so about $40,000. How much time does it take now? She spends most of her time now educating other investors. She is very intentional about investing passively so that she can do what she wants, when she wants to do it, with whom she wants to do it. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Absolutely, she is a full-time passive investor and could live almost anywhere in the world. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How she got started investing in real estate with the purchase of a duplex in Los Angeles Her transition from active investor to a passive investor using various syndications How she teaches her kids about money Daily rituals that keep her focused and productive throughout the day And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.wealthwarriorwoman.com/ (WealthWarriorWoman.com) Email: Hello@wealthwarriorwoman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wealthwarriorwoman/ (@WealthWarriorWoman) Facebook: http://facebook.com/tamarhermesinternational (Tamar Hermes International) Book: https://amzn.to/39HeG0P (Man's Search for Meaning) by Viktor Frankl Book: https://amzn.to/2ZzCKMb (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) by Robert Kiyosaki Resource: https://www.wealthwarriorwoman.com/together (Wealth Warrior Woman Workshops and Masterminds) Resource: https://amzn.to/38XtlpL (The Allowance Game) Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80234304 (Queen’s Gambit) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/)...

Gary Edmonds – Self Storage Owner and Operator, founder of Pack It LLC and TheStorageManager, talks to Neil Henderson, the host of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Gary Edmonds is an Illinois based self-storage owner, operator, and manager who bought his first facility back in 1999 while holding down a full-time job. Since then, he has acquired 14 facilities totaling 1800 units and over 280,000 square feet of storage space. And almost all of those facilities were acquired and run remotely while Gary had a career as a State Farm insurance agent.  In this episode, we talk to Gary about buying that first facility, how a previous career in commercial lending helped prepare him for the storage business, how he has managed all of his facilities remotely without a manager on-site, and the mistakes he made acquiring his second facility. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. As an owner of any business, whether it be self-storage, or multifamily real estate, or short-term rentals, there is a mind-shift that needs to happen around your idea of the 40-hour workweek. As an entrepreneur, you are going to have more freedom, you are not going to be tied down to someone else telling you what to do and when to do it, but there is going to be a sacrifice, and you will probably be putting in more than 40 hours a week. But there will be a closer correlation between how much you work and the amount of money you make. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? See above.  How much money did it take to get started? It took him about $42,000 cash to acquire his first facility. How much time does it take now? This is a tough one to nail down as Gary is an active entrepreneur who’s schedule varies greatly. Some weeks it’s 20 hours, other weeks it could be 80 hours. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Yes, Gary sets his facilities up to run remotely. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How an earlier career in commercial and agricultural lending prepared him for buying commercial real estate assets like self-storage The details of buying his first self-storage facility back in 1999 What it was the caused him to shift from residential real estate to commercial The hardest part about being a self-storage owner And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.garyedmondsstorage.com/ (Gary Edmonds Storage) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Storage-Manager-102054078322474 (The Storage Manager) Email: gary@getstoragehere.com Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Amanda Bolan – Multifamily investor, wife, and mother to 3 small children. Being active previously on flips, underway on a small development, she and her husband have narrowed their focus to multifamily properties for long term wealth creation. At the beginning of 2020, they closed on a 12 unit apartment deal as their first rental property., In this episode, we talk about getting started flipping properties, how they ended up buying a larger property than they thought they could afford, the challenge of acquiring their first property during the beginning of a pandemic, and how they got past the fear of the unknowns of buying their first property. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Don’t be afraid to ask for things even if you think the answer will be no. The answer is always no if you never ask. If you’re uncomfortable asking for things, practice in low-stakes situations like in line at Starbucks. Ask for a 10% discount. The answer will likely be no, but you’ll condition yourself to understand that the world doesn’t end when someone says no. Also, don’t let the price of something stop you, within reason. Real estate is one of those situations where you can often find something that you want to buy and then figure out how to pay for it later. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? They learned a lot from listening to the BiggerPockets Podcast, but they also ended up hiring a mentor to accelerate their learning. How much money did it take to get started? They had to come to the table with about $85,000 to buy a $1.1 million property, and only about $14,500 of that was for the down payment, the rest was for renovations and reserves. How much time does it take now? The time commitment to managing the property is pretty minimal at this point because they have a property manager. Things are more intense when they are in the middle of an acquisition or searching for a property. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? They invest locally at this point, but given they have a property manager handling the day to day management of the property, this is probably a strategy they could do from almost anywhere. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  Getting started flipping properties How they ended up buying a larger property than they thought they could afford The challenge of acquiring their first property during the beginning of a pandemic How they got past the fear of the unknowns of buying their first property And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/multifamilyamanda/ (@multifamilyamanda) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Wendell Long – Serial Entrepreneur, Self-Storage Investor and owner of Mint Hill Self-Storage talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Wendell got his start in the manufacturing equipment business and has been successfully operating that business for 20 plus years. In addition, he has over 30 years of experience in commercial and residential real estate, including rezoning and development. He has 5 current commercial development projects, including warehousing facilities, self-storage and parking, and commercial leasing. He opened his first self-storage facility in 2008 and is building and expanding his second and third facilities now. In this episode, we talk to Wendell about how he built his first self-storage facility in phases with modular units, the tax and financing benefits of using modular units, the biggest mistake he sees aspiring self-storage investors make, and some of the ways he creatively finances his self-storage deals. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. This is a sales business. At the end of the day, you have got to figure out a way to fill your funnel with potential self-storage deals.  How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? He did a paid mentorship with Scott Meyers at Self Storage Insiders. He was also a serial entrepreneur before he got into storage so he came into the business with a lot of knowledge about operating a business.  How much money did it take to get started? Tough one to answer as he already owned the parcel of land and operated several businesses on it. He built his facility in phases using tractor-trailer parking and modular storage buildings. It cost him about $50,000 to bring in those first few units. How much time does it take now? Tough one to answer as Wendell has his hands in so many different businesses.  Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? They like to stick close to home.  Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  Building his first self-storage facility in phases using modular units The tax and financing benefits of building out a self-storage facility in phases The biggest mistakes aspiring self-storage investors make when starting out Some of the various ways he creatively finances his self-storage deals And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.minthillselfstorage.com (Mint Hill Self Storage) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendell.long.71 (Wendell Long) Phone Number: 704-533-2961 Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Natalie Cloutier – Real Estate Investor from The New Build Couple talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Natalie started her investing journey along with her husband when they were just 20 years old with zero dollars in the bank by building their own home from the ground up. They then used an 18-month interest-free credit card from Home Depot to build a basement apartment, got a HELOC, and kept going from there. They have acquired a total of 12 doors so far, with an additional eight that are currently under construction. In this episode, we talk to Natalie about how they got started in real estate investing at such a young age, some of the lessons learned in those early days, how house hacking is real estate is investing with training wheels, and how they have scaled from one door to what will soon be 20 build and hold rental doors. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. The difference between development and in-fill building. With development, you’re dealing with raw land, getting in properly zoned and entitled, getting all of the services built out there, and having environmental impact studies done. With in-fill, the land is already ready to go, for the most part. Much less risk and a shorter time frame. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? She grew up in a construction family and she and her husband went to school to become architects. She does the building design, and he does the cost estimations. How much money did it take to get started? It cost them about $8,000 of their own money to build their first house with a basement apartment. How much time does it take now? This is more than a full-time job for both her and her husband. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Right now, no. They are directly involved with the day to day operations, especially on the build side and they primarily stick to properties that are 15 minutes away. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How they got started in real estate investing at such a young age Some of the lessons learned in those early days How house hacking is real estate is investing with training wheels How they have scaled from one door to what will soon be 20 build and hold rental doors And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.thenewbuildcouple.com/ (The New Build Couple) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewbuildcouple/ (@thenewbuildcouple) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Jason Yarusi and Pili Yarusi – Multifamily Syndicators and co-founders of Yarusi Holdings, talk to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, co-hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. In 2016 they founded Yarusi Holdings, a multifamily investment firm currently with over 800 units under management. The firm repositions properties through operational efficiencies, moderate to extensive renovations, and complete rebranding. Jason and Pili also host "The Jason and Pili Project" a Youtube Channel and Podcast that sets the foundation for building Mental Fortitude, Growing Wealth, and Improving Health by providing actionable steps (and avoiding missteps). Their monthly meetup, The New Jersey Multifamily Foundation Club has over 2,000 members and focuses on Real Estate Syndication. In this episode we talk to Jason and Pili about their journey into multi-family syndication after pursuing a variety of real estate strategies, from flipping to wholesaling to small multifamily, to even moving entire houses. We talk about what led them to shift gears and focus on apartment syndication, and we spend a lot of time talking about building a mindset that will allow you to start taking action on your goals today. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Don’t wait to know everything before you get started, you will NEVER know all that you need to know. Just get started with some kind of action, learn from taking that action, and know that you will get better each time. Also, start with small consistent action is going to serve you better than trying to immediately take massive action. Think of trying to climb Mount Killamanjaro. You don’t wake up one day after being a couch potato and decide to climb that mountain the next day, you start with taking a 5-minute walk and building on that. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? Jason and Pili found local mentors who help them get started in real estate. When they decided to go bigger with multifamily syndication, they hired a paid mentor. How much money did it take to get started? They got started purchasing and rehabbing a duplex for about $45,000. Their first multifamily syndication was purchased for $2.3 million, of which most of that money was raised from private investors. How much time does it take now? We didn’t get into specifics about time, most real estate syndicators will tell you it’s a full-time job. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? From the United States, yes. Syndicating these larger deals allows for on-site property management and maintenance. Once you are buying properties at that level, you are mostly managing the managers.  Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  The details of purchasing their first investment property and how they built a portfolio of small multifamily units What it was that led them to shift gears from residential real estate into commercial real estate The mind shift of “raising capital” versus “providing opportunities” Their daily show Second Cup of Coffee and their new book   And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.yarusiholdings.com/ (Yarusi holdings) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1SuXB01d14DC8ZnEWpRQdQ (Jason and Pili Project) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.yarusi (Jason Yarusi) Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonyarusi (@JasonYarusi) Book: http://www.fitrichlife.com/ (How To Master A Fit Rich Life In 15 Days) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the...

Frazier Robison – The owner of Titan Self Storage talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Frazier is a self-storage investor from the Pacific Northwest who has purchased five facilities in less than two years. He documents his journey and experiences as the owner/operator of a self-storage business to his 360,000 followers on the short-form social media video sharing platform TikTok.  In this episode, we talk to Frazier about how he found his way into storage, how he purchased his first facility by partnering with his brother, the ways in which he manages the day to day operations of his three facilities, as well as how he has become TikTok’s self-storage star. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Focus on finding the deal before you focus on finding the money. Real estate is one of the few investment strategies that allow you to find something you want to buy, and then go find the money to buy it. Don’t get bogged down trying to find the money. Find a good deal and the money will come. Don’t feel like you need to know everything before you start taking action. Take consistent daily action and learn from doing! How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? He went to the Inside Self Storage show in Las Vegas. He also just learned by doing. He manages the day to day operations of his self-storage facilities, so that’s obviously where he has learned the most. How much money did it take to get started? He and his brother put down 25% on a $1.1 million self-storage facility, so about $275,000. But of that down payment, Frazier only put in $19,500 of his own capital. How much time does it take now? This is a full-time job. He is managing three self-storage facilities all on his own without any employees.  Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Not at the moment as he is directly involved with the day to day operations of his self-storage facilities. He and his brother are looking to expand beyond their local area. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How he found his way into storage How he purchased his first facility by partnering with his brother The ways in which he manages the day to day operations of his three facilities How he has become TikTok’s self-storage star And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frazierrei?source=h5_m (@frazierrei) LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/frazierrei (FrazierREI) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Josh and Marcie Rathbun – Real Estate Investors and co-founders of Silver Lining Homes talk to Neil Henderson, the host of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Josh and Marcie have grown their rental property portfolio from Zero to Fifty units in just a year and a half. They began accumulating properties while Josh had a full-time job, and Marcie worked as the property manager. In that short amount of time, they have achieved enough financial independence to set off on a family adventure to travel the United States by RV full time.  In this episode, we talk to Josh and Marcie about how they purchased a portfolio of investment properties using a loan from a small local bank, how they borrowed the downpayment from a family member, and how they funded the rehab costs with a HELOC on their primary residence. We also talk about the importance of building long-term business relationships with contractors rather than transactional relationships. Finally, we get some details on their plan to downsize and hit the road in an RV full time with their family. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Focus on people before you focus on deals. Real estate is a people business and you want to be building long-term relationships with people not transactional relationships.  How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? They spent about two years listening to podcasts and they read books.  How much money did it take to get started? Almost zero. They bought a portfolio of properties using an 80% loan to value loan from a local bank, they borrowed the money for the down payment from a family member and used a HELOC on their primary residence to fund the rehab. How much time does it take now? When they are in acquisition mode, it takes Josh about 20 to 30 hours per week. For Marcie, as the property manager, she spends about 10 hours per week maintaining their portfolio. When they have a unit to fill, her work load increases to about 20 to 30 hours a week as well. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Yes! They are about to embark on a family adventure traveling around the United States in an RV full time. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How they purchased a portfolio of investment properties using a loan from a small local bank How they borrowed the downpayment from a family member How they funded the rehab costs with a HELOC on their primary residence The importance of building long-term business relationships with contractors rather than transactional relationships And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.silverlininghomesllc.com (Silver Lining Homes) Resource: https://www.dealmachine.com/ (Deal Machine) Resource: https://www.any.do/ (Any.do App) Resource: https://www.anylist.com/ (AnyList) Resource: https://drive.google.com/ (Google Drive) Resource: https://www.buildium.com/ (Buildium) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Eric Upchurch – Real Estate Investor and Army Veteran from Active Duty, Passive Income talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, the hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Eric has a passion for educating the military community on how to create long term wealth through real estate investing, while personally investing across the country for the last fourteen years. He serves as Co-Founder of Active Duty Passive Income (ADPI) and is a Senior Managing Partner with ADPI Capital. Most recently, Eric’s team has opened a nationwide, first-of-its-kind 100% employee-owned mortgage branch, real estate brokerage, as well as an insurance company – all with the goal of serving the ADPI community of military real estate investors. In this episode we talk to Eric about how he became an accidental landlord when he purchased his first house with a VA loan, we talk about his passion for teaching other veterans the power of house hacking, we talk about his specific strategy of live-in flips and how that allowed him to build capital for investing in large multifamily, and finally, we talk about the key to successful networking. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Networking is about focusing on the OTHER person’s needs before your own. You will have much greater success networking if you go into each interaction trying to find out what the other person needs, and how you can perhaps help them. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? He went to a real estate seminar and did the upsell, upsell, upsell, and found himself in a mentoring program. How much money did it take to get started? He was able to get into his first property by taking advantage of the Veteran’s Administration’s zero percent down loan program offered to military veterans. How much time does it take now? He spends about 10 hours per week on his real estate endeavors.  Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Yes, he has transitioned into buying larger multifamily properties across the country.  Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How he became an accidental landlord when he purchased his first house with a VA loan His passion for teaching other veterans the power of house hacking His specific strategy of live-in flips and how that allowed him to build capital for investing in large multifamily The key to successful networking And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.activedutypassiveincome.com/ (Active Duty, Passive Income) Website: http://www.ericupchurch.com/ (EricUpchurch.com) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilitaryRealEstateInvesting/ (Military Real Estate Investing) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eric.upchurch.7 (Eric Upchurch) Email: eric@activedutypassiveincome.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realericupchurch/ (@realericupchurch) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericupchurch/ (Eric Upchurch) Resource: https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/ (VA Home Loans) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Scott Krone – Self Storage Investor from Coda Management Group talks to Neil Henderson of The Road to Family Freedom Podcast. Scott is a Chicago native whose career began in architecture in 1991. In 2012, Krone founded Coda Management Group - a firm that specializes in managing real estate assets. Since its inception, Coda has managed a wide range of real estate including single and multi-family homes, retail, commercial warehouse, self-storage, and multi-use flex athletic spaces. In this episode we talk to Scott about his company’s specialty, which is converting older buildings into Class A self-storage facilities, we talk about the challenges of dealing with city zoning departments, we talk about the kinds of building they stay away from, and finally, we talk about an existing tax loophole called Opportunity Zones that allows you to wipe out the tax burden on all capital gains. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. If you can find a way to take advantage of Opportunity Zones, you have a chance to make your investors very happy as they can grow the offset existing capital gains and grow their investment with you, nearly tax-free. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  Converting older buildings into Class A self-storage facilities The challenges of dealing with city zoning departments The kinds of building they stay away from A tax loophole called Opportunity Zones that can, if used correctly, allow you to wipe out the tax burden on all capital gains And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: http://www.codamg.com (Coda Management Group) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CodaManagementGroup (Coda Management Group) Resource: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/opportunity-zones-frequently-asked-questions (IRS FAQ - Opportunity Zones) Resource: https://www.novoco.com/sites/default/files/mapbox/opzone/gozone_map_18.html (Opportunity Zone Mapping Tool) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Fernando Angelucci – self-storage investor and co-founder of Titan Wealth Group talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson, co-hosts of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Fernando got his start in real estate when he was just 23 on the residential side of the world with wholesaling small deals and acquiring residential rentals. He then went on to build a multi-family rental portfolio. Two years ago he made the switch to self-storage and has grown his self-storage portfolio to upwards of 260,000 square feet producing more than $550,000 in Net Operating Income per year and did it in less than 24 months. In this episode, we are going to dig deep into how Fernando fills his funnel with self-storage deals, how he builds rapport with owners, and how he underwrites potential deals. If you have an interest in finding self-storage facilities to purchase, this high-level conversation is for you. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. First, build a marketing system that provides constant contact with potential sellers, starting with the cheapest method of contact, text messaging, then cold calling, then ramping up to the most expensive method of contact, direct mail. Second, this is all about building rapport with owners, and it takes a LOT longer than residential real estate. Expect to be building rapport for about six months. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  How he has purchased 10 self-storage facilities in the past 24 months The types of facilities he and his partners are targeting The hub and spoke management model he is using to manage his facilities His initial process for a high-level initial look at a prospective facility And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.titanwealthgroup.com/ (Titan Wealth Group) Website: https://www.thestoragestud.com/ (The Storage Stud) Resource: https://www.taskrabbit.com/ (Task Rabbit) Resource: https://www.fiverr.com/ (Fiverr) Resource: https://www.exactdata.com/ (Exact Data) Resource: https://leadsherpa.com/ (Lead Sherpa) Resource: https://skipgenie.com/ (Skip Genie) Resource: https://www.radiusplus.com/ (Radius Plus) Resource: https://www.yardimatrix.com/Property-Types/Self-Storage (Yardi Matrix) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestoragestud (Fernando Angelucci) Twitter: https://twitter.com/thestoragestud (@TheStorageStud) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoragestud/ (@TheStorageStud) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Mandy McAllister – a multifamily real estate investor, mindset ninja, eternal learner, coach, and dot connector talks to Neil Henderson and Brittany Henderson from The Road to Family Freedom podcast. Mandy followed volleyball to Mercer University in Georgia where she was awarded Top Graduate in Marketing. Soon after, she moved to Chicago to do a Masters in Economics and began work at the Board of Trade. Her professional career transitioned to Medical Device Sales where she was a perennial top performer. After many years of “chasing commission,” she has made it her mission to secure financial freedom for her family and others through syndications and coaching individuals to realize their personal potential. As a real estate investor, her expertise includes repositioning underperforming assets to increase cash flow and value. She currently has a portfolio of 198 doors, primarily B- class workforce housing.  Mandy has found success in college towns with student housing as well as urban centers. Her passion is to help others define their path to financial freedom especially women through her platform, Aspiring Women Achieving More. We talk to Mandy about her first small multifamily purchase and the uncommon way she was able to increase cash flow, her definition of “forever money”, some bad recommendations she hears from other real estate investors, and why she finds a one million dollar loan to be the sweet spot for investing in multifamily. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. What do you want your life to look like once your real estate investment business is up and producing income? Reverse engineer how much income you want to be earning along with what your day to day life is going to look like once you’re earning that income and build a real estate portfolio that gives you that. Also, don’t be afraid to go where other investors won’t, that’s likely where the money is. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? She needed to understand debt, especially the different kinds of commercial real estate loan options.  How much money did it take to get started? $36,000 down on her first investment property. How much time does it take now? She is a full-time investor. This is a full-time job. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at http://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/storage)  The details of her first small multifamily purchase and the uncommon way she was able to increase cash flow Her definition of “forever money” Some bad recommendations she hears from other real estate investors Why she finds a one million dollar loan to be the sweet spot for investing in multifamily And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.mandymcallister.com/ (Mandy McAllister) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandyMcAllisterRE (Mandy McAllister) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/awamgroup/ (Aspiring Women Achieving More) Resource: https://www.mandymcallister.com/post/financial-goals-calculator (Financial Goals Calculator) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

Frank Scappaticci – a former financial services consultant, Army Officer, and West Point graduate turned real estate investor and entrepreneur. After over a year of hesitation, he finally decided to make real estate his full-time profession while partnering with Grayline Investments. Since that time, he and his partners at Grayline have turbocharged a home buying system that is closing on up to 30 deals a month and is primarily focused around towns with military bases. We talk about why he and his team have decided to focus on towns with military bases, how they are marketing to up to 200,000 potential sellers per month, the various ways they are acquiring those properties, the various exit strategies they are using to sell them, and the training he and his team took that he says has led them to scale so quickly Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Tell everyone you know what you are doing and what you are looking for. For example: “I’m a self-storage investor. We buy existing self-storage facilities and vacant buildings that could be converted to self-storage in the Sunbelt. We buy these assets with cash, and some with loans, and we use private lenders who become equity partners in our deals. They share in the cash flow and the profits when we sell. When we find a deal that we are considering, we call them and offer them a share of the ownership secured by the property. Our partners love this because the returns are generally higher than the stock market, and less risky because they actually own a percentage of an asset that they can see, and touch, unlike anything they buy on Wall Street.” How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? Frank had to learn sales. If you are an entrepreneur, you are almost always going to be selling in some form or another. Sales is often described as leading a buyer to find what it is they already want. How much money did it take to get started? He put down about $20,000 to purchase a single-family rental in Killeen, TX for $91,000.  How much time does it take now? This is a full-time job for him now. He is a full-time real estate investor. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Yes, he lives in New York but invests in Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall) Frank’s journey from West Point graduate, Army Officer, to financial services, to now a full-time real estate investor The details of his first investment property purchase, a single-family rental in Killeen, TX The importance of getting that first deal under your belt and not feeling like you need to swing for the fences, just get on base How he raised a million dollars in 23 days from private equity investors And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Email: frank@graylineinvestments.com Website: https://www.graylineinvestments.com/ (Grayline Investments) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graylineinvestments (Grayline Investments) Resource: https://blackjackre.com/bill-allen/ (BlackJack Real Estate - Bill Allen) Resource: https://www.propstream.com/ (PropStream) Resource: https://leadsherpa.com/ (Lead Sherpa) Resource: https://www.loom.com/ (Loom) Resource: https://monday.com/ (Monday) Book: https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2GRY9M0BUA9AC&dchild=1&keywords=how+to+win+friends+and+influence+people&qid=1605553155&sprefix=how+to+%2Caps%2C382&sr=8-3 (How to Win Friends and Influence People) by Dale Carnegie Book:...

Marla Colic – is a former self-storage owner and now broker from Missouri who has been in the industry since 2010. Marla’s knowledge of the storage asset class includes storage ownership, management, consulting, and brokerage. In 2016, Marla joined Marcus & Millichap as a real estate broker where she facilitates the acquisition and disposition of Self Storage assets across Missouri and the Midwest. Marla is a partner with First Vice President Investments Anne Williams-Blackwell and the Williams Storage Group, which includes over 30-year storage experience. The Williams Storage Group sold over $60 million in storage in 2019. In this episode, we talk to Marla about how she bought her first Self Storage Facility fresh off giving birth to her daughter, her journey into becoming a self-storage broker, and some fantastic advice about how prospective buyers of self-storage can build relationships with owners and brokers. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. If you are considering buying a self-storage facility, start making calls to lenders first. Those relationships take a while to build and you want to be able to answer yes when a self-storage broker asks you if you’ve lined up a lender. It also gives you an idea of how large a facility you can afford. Now, given that commercial lending is based on the asset, not the borrower, this is not as big an issue as it would be for a piece of residential real estate. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? She had a paid mentorship with her eventual business partner Anne Williams. How much money did it take to get started? She and her husband put down approximately $150,000 to purchase a $750,000 facility. Most of the funds for that property came from credit cards and a home equity loan on their primary residence. How much time does it take now? This is a full-time job. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? No, she is focused on helping put together self-storage buyers and sellers in the Midwest market of the United States. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall) How she networked with other self-storage owners in order to acquire her facility What works better for contacting self-storage owners, a targeted market-specific approach, or a shotgun mass mailing approach How does the typical first conversation with a self-storage owner go The challenges of building rapport with self-storage owners during the time of COVID-19 And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://www.williamsstoragegroup.com/exclusive-listings-1 (Williams Storage Group) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marla.colic.7/ (Marla Colic) Email: marla.colic@marcusmillichap.com Phone Number: 314-889-2524 Resource: https://www.liveoakbank.com/ (Live Oak Bank) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

In this week's episode, we catch up with the coaches at Wahoo Sports Science about heading into winter and what training should look like as we make this seasonal transition. Start your winter training off on the right foot with this useful training insight.

Tony Pernelli – is a self-storage investor from Pennsylvania who got his start investing in multifamily and flips. In this week’s episode, you’ll hear how he self-managed over 100 residential doors while holding down a full-time job and why that experience pushed him into investing in self-storage facilities. In just two years, Tony has built a portfolio of 6 facilities and counting in several locations in the South. In this episode we talk to Tony about purchasing his first self-storage facility, what was it that attracted him to storage from working a full-time job while managing over 100 residential units. The very simple airport method he uses to decide on markets he wishes to invest in, and finally some of the unexpected frustrations he faces as a self-storage owner. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. When you are dealing with residential real estate, there are two main factors you are dealing with - mechanical systems and people. The benefit of storage is the people's interaction is diminished and the mechanical systems are simplified.  How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? He’s had to learn how to evaluate self-storage opportunities.  How much money did it take to get started? He put down 25% on a $305,000 self-storage facility, so about $61,000. How much time does it take now? He spends about four to six hours a week on acquisitions, but only about an hour on management. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Yes, he currently invests at a distance. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall) Purchasing his first self-storage facility What attracted him to self-storage after self-managing 100 residential units while holding down a full-time job The very simple airport method he uses to decide which markets he will invest in Some unexpected frustrations he faces as a self-storage owner And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008809715279 (Tony Pernelli) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)

German & Oscar Buendia – brothers and co-founders of Good Day Capital, talk to Neil Henderson, the host of The Road to Family Freedom podcast. German and Oscar were both serving in the military, but only recently began investing in multifamily. Sparked by a family scare while deployed, Oscar and German decided to build up a multifamily portfolio to provide some flexibility. After overcoming limiting beliefs, they built relationships online to do their first deal in Ohio, a 20 unit multifamily portfolio. They’ve got a great story about how they overcame a lot of their limiting beliefs and found their first multifamily deal through networking and the decision that they faced when taking on a property that size, and whether or not they should try to bring on private capital. Post-Interview Analysis  Key Lessons Learned. Hire out what you aren’t good at. If you aren’t great on the phone but you are great at analyzing deals, find someone who’s great on the phone to partner with. Take stock of where you are lacking and find a partner who supplements what you don’t have. How did they acquire their knowledge or what knowledge did they need to acquire? They hired mentors who were experts in multifamily. How much money did it take to get started? It took them a little over $200,000 to purchase an $821,000 property. They chose to use their own money for this deal while they learned the ropes, rather than risking the capital of outside investors. How much time does it take now? It’s pretty much a full-time job, which is true of many syndicators. Between looking for deals, raising capital, and managing the asset, it adds up. Could they do this strategy from anywhere in the world? Yes, they currently live in Colorado and California, but they invest in Ohio and they are about to start investing in Florida. Episode Highlights:  Schedule a video chat with Neil Henderson at https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/selfstoragecall) Why they chose to tackle a 20-unit property right out of the gate rather than starting small The choice to use their own money and not bring in private capital How relentless online and then in-person networking led to them finding their first deal Red flags that indicate people you shouldn’t be involved with And much more… Books and Resources Mentioned The Road to Family Freedom: https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com) Website: https://gooddaycapital.com/ (Good Day Capital) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rei_brothers/ (@rei_brothers) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscarbuendia/ (Oscar Buendia) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germanbuendia/ (German Buendia) Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/ (facebook.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://www.instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/?hl=en (instagram.com/roadtofamilyfreedom/) https://twitter.com/r2familyfreedom (twitter.com/r2familyfreedom) Other Stuff: If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. For show notes and past guests, please visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/episodes/) Discover the tools and services we use, visit https://www.roadtofamilyfreedom.com/ (roadtofamilyfreedom.com/resources/)