Podcasts about Northern Virginia

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 12 features Ben Tufts and Guy Bouchie alongside Bobby Thompson of GXB and Root Nine Records, respectively. We dig deep into the roots of Northern Virginia music scenes then and now; and we learn about the vital work being done today at local institutions such as Vanguard Arts Center, Music on the Hill, 7DrumCity and through organizations like Girls Rock NOVA/Girls Rock DC. We then get to hear Guy and Ben rock the robins with some select GXB tunes followed by Bobby and Ben getting dirty with some down-home roots music featuring the lap steel for the first time on the podcast! Music starts at 39:45. Follow GXB on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and streaming services everywhere. Go to Bandcamp to hear more Bobby Thompson and the offerings on his label Root Nine Records on shelves and streaming for your listening pleasure. Be sure to subscribe, comment and love Live from the Avant Garden on Apple, Amazon, Instagram BlueSky, YouTube, and more!Live from the Avant Garden is recorded and produced by V.J. Hyde (2025). Theme song by V.J. Hyde (2023).

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Today's top stories include: masked agents in DC, a landmark case in the use of DNA, and AI used in rental properties.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us for this episode of Addressing Gettysburg, "Food and Nutrition at the Battle of Gettysburg" featuring Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JP Finlay and Mitch Tischler join you from the best brewery in Northern Virginia, Lost Rhino, Ashburn - to talk all things Terry McLauren. Hear from the newly minted man as well as Dan Quinn and Adam Peters. Lastly the guys break down the 53 man roster and give you their one thing. Go grab a Face Plant IPA and enjoy the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: The National Guard's use in beautifying DC isn't universally accepted. Questions are being raised about a long-serving DC political figureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Top stories include: A mass shooting at a school in Minneapolis, Mayor Muriel Bowser meeting with the President, and the White House running Union Station. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join Toxin Free in 3Listen to the Private Podcast Series: Truth, Toxins & Taking ControlMost people think microplastics are the biggest threat from our plastic-saturated world, but they're completely missing the danger that's infiltrating our individual cells right now.Today I'm pulling back the curtain and letting you into my brain to share the 5 rabbit holes I'm currently spiraling down. And trust me, they're not what you'd expect. I'm a creature of curiosity who loves a good deep dive into scientific research that maybe the public isn't looking at yet. But here's something you should know about me first: I'm not an early adopter. I'm a hardcore skeptic who takes everything with a grain of salt until I've done my own research and my intuition tells me it's correct. This is especially important in the holistic wellness space where people love to talk about topics as if they're the end-all-be-all for everyone.From nanoplastics that actually infiltrate our individual cells (way scarier than microplastics) to the incredible research on how specific microbes can literally digest these plastics out of our bodies, I'm sharing what's got me excited about the future of detoxification. I'm also diving deep into light therapy, structured water, and preparing for my first Northern Virginia winter with some interesting tools.In today's episode, we're talking about:Nanoplastics vs. microplastics The emerging science of microbial detox Lux and illumination research My thyroid healing journey and why I'm working to get completely off medication Structured water skepticism turned curiosity Resources Mentioned: How Plastics are Accumulating Inside Our Brains Smarter Tech Podcast Sarah Kleiner WellnessMayu WaterGlow Infrared Therapy Light Mentioned in this episode:Toxin free in 3 2025 adWyld Notes Get 10% off Wyld Notes Botanical Perfume: https://wyldnotes.com/discount/WENDY10?ref=KathrynOstapuk

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: School's back in session in several Maryland districts—and we'll have team coverage. The White House says the federal law enforcement surge in D.C. has led to more than 1,000 arrests so far. We'll talk more about this federal crime initiative with D.C.'s top prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our 7:30 half hour, we hear from former State Senator Jill Vogel, who offers her scathing reaction to a racially charged political sign critical of Winsome Sears on display this past week in Northern Virginia.

In our second hour, we catch up with Fox's Brian Kilmeade, and we talk to former State Senator Jill Vogel about that racially charged, anti-Winsome Sears political sign that made news over the weekend. . . .

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Evening pool aerator/ lawn mowing/ bugs ambience. This recording plays in three acts, the first bit is all mowing, then mostly pool aerator and birds, then a curtain of night insects descend.The kids are back in school, and our local department store has already put up Jack-o'-lanterns. Summer is over — dead. I found eggnog at the grocery store. The bugs you hear are just one frost from calling it an existence. It's time to recapture the sounds of late summer (to maybe revisit during hollow, depressing February).I can say it was exactly a year ago if it's been 364 days, right? What's one day between friends? I'm sure Neil deGrasse Tyson would be like, “Well, wait a minute…” But he's not a friend. I don't even know him.So — exactly, precisely, literally one year ago — I published the first A Dying Summer's Suburban Slumber, an audio portrait of late summer bugs and hums in a Northern Virginia backyard (complete with manmade sounds like cars and the low buzz of an Applebee's sign in the distance).One year ago today (in the strictest possible sense), we bring you the sequel — this time from the Buckeye State, land of Cornhenge, the Wright brothers, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. #OhioSpecial thanks to the folks who let us record from their backyard — and to regular contributor Dr. April for capturing the sounds.

Join Jim and Greg for the Friday 3 Martini Lunch as they discuss a New York court tossing the roughly half-billion dollar penalty imposed on President Trump in his civil trial, Gov. Newsom advancing his aggressive gerrymandering plan through the legislature, and a Virginia Democrat's racist protest sign targeting Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.First, they applaud the New York appeals court for throwing out the staggering half-billion-dollar penalty levied against Trump over alleged asset overvaluation. While the civil judgment remains in place, the ruling delivers another humiliating setback for New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron, who pursued the politically charged case.Next, they chronicle California Democrats easily passing Gov. Gavin Newsom's gerrymandering initiative through the lopsided California legislature. It now advances to a November ballot proposal. In addition, after polling originally showed Californians preferring to keep the independent redistricting commission by nearly 30 percentage points, Newsom's plan is now favored by California voters by more than 20 points. But that's coming from Newsom's pollster.Finally, they zero in on the Democrat activist in Virginia who protested GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears on Thursday. As Lt. Gov. Sears scolded Northern Virginia school districts for refusing to keep boys out of girls sports or girls private spaces, one lefty held a sign saying, "Hey Winsome, if trans can't share your bathroom, then blacks can't share my water fountain." The activist later insisted it was satire. Of course, the media is not ruining the woman's life. Jim and Greg discuss the appalling double standard in how the the media treat people on the left vs. the right.Please visit our great sponsors:Keep your skin looking and acting younger for longer. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code 3ML athttps://www.oneskin.co/Support your health with Dose Daily.  Save 25% on your first month when you subscribe athttps://DoseDaily.co/3ML or enter code 3ML at checkout. Stop putting off those doctors' appointments and go to https://zocdoc.com/3ML to find and instantlybook a top-rated doctor today.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: GOP candidate for Governor Earle-Sears promises to “defend and deliver”; a possible measles exposure in Northern Virginia; and work resumes on Forest Hill sewer replacement project.  

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Top stories include: DC crime data, a PG County shooting, and Hurricane Erin.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Regional Older Adults Facility Mental Health Support Team (RAFT) in Northern Virginia has been helping older adults with mental illness and dementia remain in their communities for more than a decade. With a multidisciplinary team that includes social workers, counselors, psychiatrists, and nurses, RAFT provides intensive support such as case management, therapy, medication oversight, and caregiver training. The program has achieved a 98% success rate in preventing re-hospitalizations, making it a model for effective, community-based mental health care. In addition to direct services, RAFT offers dementia-specific caregiver support, including education, consultations, respite care, and connections to local resources. These services strengthen family resilience and improve quality of life for both caregivers and older adults. To learn more about RAFT, visit www.raftnorthernvirginia.org.

Discover how Andy Novins turns business challenges into big wins! Andy shares with host Andrew Stotz how he uses Deming strategies to outsmart competitors, watch for market shifts, and win loyal clients in one of the toughest industries around. TRANSCRIPT Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz and I'll be your host as we continue our journey into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I'm here with featured guest Andy Novins. Andy, are you ready to join and share your Deming journey?   Andy Novins: I sure am. Yep.   Andrew Stotz: We've done a lot of prep for this, had some good conversations, and I'm looking forward to it. Let me introduce you to the audience. Andy first got introduced to the teachings of Dr. Deming more than 30 years ago and has been hooked ever since. He attended Dr. Deming's four-day seminar in August of 1993, only four months before the passing of Dr. Deming on December 20th of 1993 at the age of 93. Andy was a co-owner of a women's athletic apparel company, which was eventually purchased by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. For the past 23 years, he's been applying Dr. Deming's philosophy to his work in real estate, which traditionally has operated in what could be described as in opposition to the teachings of Dr. Deming. Andy, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you're doing right now and maybe a little bit about how you got into what you're doing now, and then later we're going to talk a little bit about your experience with Dr. Deming and all that. But just let us know, where are you at? What are you doing?   Andy Novins: Okay. Well, I am in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., and after my partners and I sold the company that Andrew just referred to, I had to decide what I was going to do. And I had about six months to do that because part of the contract required me to help the purchaser, which originally was Russell Corporation, a big athletic, they made all the Major League Baseball uniforms and everything. We had to transfer my company's systems to their systems, and that was one of the worst six months of my career, watching everything we had done, which was really all Deming-based, being sort of dismantled and worked into another Fortune 500 company at the time. It was, somewhat, actually it was a few years later that Berkshire Hathaway bought it, and it was because Russell was not doing very well. It was a rescue-type purchase by Berkshire Hathaway, which sort of had some satisfaction in mind that their systems weren't all that good. So that's where I got into Deming, and I've taken a lot of what I learned from the apparel company into real estate, which, as Andrew just mentioned, is very volume-centric, volume-focused, and focusing on processes as opposed to systems.   Andrew Stotz: And in the real estate world, for those people that don't know, let's say real estate, what position are you in? For instance, my sister is a mortgage broker in Maine, and that's a different place within the whole sphere of it, but maybe you can explain exactly where you are in the value chain.   Andy Novins: Okay. We focus on residential real estate. What we call in real estate farm, okay? I send out 5,000 newsletters a month that show to eight different areas, really, but they're all within, believe it or not, two miles of my house. And those news, I've been doing that for over 20 years. I've never made a cold call. I will never call anybody and say, are you thinking of selling or anything like that. Yet, using this process, which is all really Deming-based, I've done about 10 times the volume of any other realtor in the 5,000 homes that I service. It's the process... I don't want to use process. The system we used is based on Michael Porter, his concept of competitive advantage. And it's a system that's focused on a value chain, things that we do that other people can't do. For example, there are close to 300 sales a year in my 5,000 home market. I see every one of them. And when you see a house that's on the market, you know a lot more than anybody else does by looking at pictures. If you've ever been to an open house and after seeing it on the internet, it's a lot different than what you saw in the pictures. No other agent can do that because most agents in my area focus on Northern Virginia, which would be about 20,000 transactions a year, not 300. So they can't even try to compete with me in my area. So that's the whole concept of it is doing things. As Michael Porter would say, you have a value proposition. That's my expertise in my local area.   Andrew Stotz: Porter talks about different strategies. One, he says, is the low-cost leader. Another is the differentiation. And the third one he talks about is focus and where you're focused on a niche in the market. And then I guess I always kind of think that really he's talking about two, because with focus, you're picking a niche, but then you're going to either be a low-cost leader or probably a differentiator in that focused area. But when you talk about Porter and what he's teaching, can you explain a little bit more for those people that don't know what he talked about?   Andy Novins: Sure. Yes. Basically, yes. I mean, I'll never forget. My partner and I were at a breakfast, realtor breakfast at one point, and there was an agent sitting across the table from us and he said, I just got this listing. And he said, but I had to go down to 1%. And he's, you know, for commission. And at that time, commissions were pretty much 3%. And he kind of looked at us and said, that's better than nothing, right? And that's the low-cost. Low-cost producers will never win. It'll always be somebody else. And Porter says, you can't be the best either. Okay. There's no such thing as the best realtor. There's always going to be somebody else. So the concept for real estate is picking a niche, that for me, it was farming. I'm a pretty good writer. So I write a newsletter, and people call me when they're ready to sell their house. And it's worked beautifully for... I started that in 2003. Okay. But there's people that focus on luxury, the luxury market or people that focus on first time buyers, or people that focus on... There's all kinds of different niches downsizing or upsizing. And so you can become an expert in anything. And that's how you differentiate yourself in real estate.   Andrew Stotz: And that concept of not competing to be best that Porter talks about is great because it also forces you to think. You're focused on the wrong thing if you're focusing on how to beat the competitor. And I always enjoyed the fact that Deming was so focused on the customer.   Andy Novins: Yes.   Andrew Stotz: And that, I think with Porter, I like that. But with Deming, I just really love the idea that he saw quality in the eyes of the customer. He saw innovation and continuous improvement in relation to the customer as primary over trying to benchmark off of some competitor.   Andy Novins: Exactly. And if I go back to my apparel business, the name of our company was Moving Comfort, and we just made women's apparel. Nobody else ever stuck to just that. We were the only company. Just, everybody broadened out to try to get more. So again, it's the same concept of a niche. Okay. But one of the policies, I guess, we've developed, it was a Deming related policy, which was fun, okay, was when we made a mistake, which we often did, whether we shipped somebody the wrong thing or we did other things, our objective was to make the, delight the customer, as he would say, make them happy we made the mistake. And that didn't matter what that cost to do that, sending them free stuff, doing whatever. And I think that's a Deming concept that we used in the apparel business aside from many, many others. Back to real estate, that's, I don't know anybody else in the Washington area that does what we do, because nobody's willing, that's the so-called trade-offs. Nobody's willing to say, I'm just going to focus on 5,000 houses.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah. It's scary.   Andy Novins: They can pick whatever they get.   Andrew Stotz: Yep. Yep. And maybe why don't we now go back to August of 1993. How did you find yourself in a four-day seminar? And I'm kind of jealous because what... My seminars I went to in '90 and '92 were two-day seminars.   Andy Novins: Really? Okay.   Andrew Stotz: And I had thought that he... I had thought by that time, maybe he was only doing two days, but then I learned that he was still doing four days. But what got you to that seminar? Where was it, and what got you there?   Andy Novins: Okay, I was going on vacation. Okay, this was in 1990. We were going to go to Cancun. And there's this, I guess they're still around, but there was a bookstore in DC on K Street called Reiter's. And it was all business and science. And I used to go there because pre-Amazon or anything like that. I think it was even pre-Borders. But I used to go there and spend an afternoon looking at books. And I found Out of the Crisis. And I brought it home and I said to my wife, by perusing through it, I didn't know anything about Deming at that point. But perusing through it, it just struck me as something I really wanted to read. And I went home and I said, I'm taking this book to Cancun, and I'm going to sit on the beach and read it. Well, I actually didn't read it till got home. But I got completely enthralled with it.   Andy Novins: And being in suburban DC, we're like eight miles from the White House. The Deming Study Group was very active in DC. Dr. Deming lived in DC. And there were just a lot of very well-known, famous speakers that would be part of our group, including Deming at one point, but I wasn't. But I think it was before I joined the group. So I read the book, joined the group, and after about three years, I had heard enough about the seminar that I wanted to go. And I went to that in Chicago. It was the first or second week of August of '93. And one of the things that I never really understood that Dr. Deming would say a lot was talking about being transformed, or the transformation that you get when you're studying his philosophies. And I always kind of said, well, that's not going to happen to me. It just was foreign to me. That third day of the seminar, I was transformed. I don't know how to describe it, but ever since then, I look at the world through his eyes and see things and think in systems and variability. And you get all that when you first get exposed to them, but you're not transformed. Somehow it all comes together. I couldn't describe it, I never thought it was, but that happened during that seminar.   Andrew Stotz: And what Dr. Deming talked about was the idea is that the person who's leading the organization has got to go through a transformation in order to truly implement this.   Andy Novins: Exactly.   Andrew Stotz: What was it like there? How many people were in the room? And what was your... You walked in knowing a bit. I walked in knowing nothing, basically. And it was just like, whoa. But I'm just curious, what were your first impressions? For those people that have never and never will have a chance to go in, give us a feeling about how it went.   Andy Novins: I don't know if I mentioned it was in Chicago.   Andrew Stotz: Yep.   Andy Novins: Okay. Which is a great city, and it was in the summer, which is often hot. But I was amazed because at that point, and I may be wrong, but I think it cost $1,000 to go. Okay. And he had 500, and I'm pretty sure that's about what it cost. And do you remember what yours was?   Andrew Stotz: Mine was about 500 people, for sure. I didn't pay for it, so Pepsi paid for it but I would think it was even more than that. But who knows? But maybe mine was a two-day, so it was less, I don't know.   Andy Novins: But it was 500 people. That's what I remember, because being a numbers person, I translate that to 500,000 for the four days. And so that kind of stuck in my mind. And he did a lot of them. And one of the things, too, that he did a lot of them, and I think, geez, he's making a lot of money doing this. He lived in a little tiny house on a street in Washington, and he worked in the basement. One of the things that happened to me after that, again, with the Deming Study Group, was his son-in-law, Bill Ratcliff, okay? Somewhere shortly after the four-day seminar, he called me and he said, I'm getting a lot of feedback, you guys at Moving Comfort are doing a lot of using Deming's theories and everything. Could I come and visit the company and you show me what you're doing? And I said, sure. I mean, any more exposure to any of the people interested in Deming at that point was fascinating to me. And so he came and he spent a good part of the day at the company. And then I'm not even sure if at the time I knew that he was Deming's son-in-law, but then we went out, his wife was Linda Deming Ratcliff, okay? And so he and Linda and my wife went out to dinner a couple of times after that. And it was fascinating to hear both of their stories about Dr. Deming. What I remember is Bill would say, we used to go over there on Sunday mornings and read the newspaper, and Dr. Deming would be down in the basement working. And he'd come up periodically and say, how are you doing, Bill? In his voice, and then go back down and work. And he constantly was focused on his work. And so those relationships just tied me into Deming forever, especially after the four-day seminar.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah. I think it was a discussion with Bill Scherkenbach when I asked him about what it was like in the basement. And Bill was telling me, I don't think we got this recorded, but Bill was telling me that somebody asked him why you have all of this stuff around you and in your office. And he said, I'm desperate. I'm absolutely desperate. And with the idea that he was on such a mission. And I just feel like when I went to the seminar, the first one was in Washington, and then the second one was in Los Angeles. I didn't know how significant he would be in my life at the time, and I didn't understand the transformation I was going through. But what I did later really come to understand is that he inspired me to have a mission. And like, why am I doing what I'm doing? It's one thing for all of us to be busy, working really hard, doing all kinds of stuff and bringing value to our clients. But for what? What's the mission? And was a huge, that's a much bigger takeaway for me now than it was then. But what I witnessed was this man who is very old, just conveying an incredible message. So, yeah.   Andy Novins: Yeah, it was, and he was... Well, DemingNEXT, if anybody is involved in that and can see a lot of the videos with Dr. Deming, especially during the years that I was interested in watching and everything else, he just had a unique way of presentation, but he did have a sense of humor. And it was a dry sense of humor, I guess, maybe going with his dry martinis.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah, tell us that story about Deming Martini.   Andy Novins: Yes. As one of the sessions at the four-day seminar ended, apparently this Deming Martini is famous or was pretty well-known at that point. So he described how he loved martinis and he acted out the process of making one. And again, he's 93 and just you could tell this is just part of his life he loved. And he, so he kept his vermouth in the freezer, okay? And it was, and so he demonstrated how he poured the gin, and then he acted out like he went into the refrigerator freezer and took out the vermouth. And then he would not open the bottle, but he would wave the bottle around the glass and then he'd put it back in the freezer, and he'd say, this is the best martini you can make. And he had a lot of stories that added a lot of spice to it.   Andrew Stotz: So when you left that seminar, what changed in the way that you were operating? And obviously you had already had awareness of the teachings, but did that inspire you to go to a different level or what did it cause?   Andy Novins: Yes, and I'm not sure at what point the so-called transformation took place in the four-day seminar. You knew that that's how you were going to think for the rest of your life. That wasn't, you were going to think in systems and variation and predicting from the system and all those things. But so I can't really remember what years we did it, but as an apparel, our company basically, we designed, manufactured through separate factories and sold women's athletic apparel to specially sporting goods stores around the country. Nordstrom's was a client, one of the bigger ones, L.L. Bean and those kinds of things. And so one of the things we implemented that was really a Deming concept was improving our shipping, the picking process, which is filling an order. And we automated that with a carousel, which brought the product right to the picker, the warehouse person, and barcodes and scanned the order, and it brought the thing right to them. It incredibly reduced our error rate in shipping. And at the time, this would have been like 19, this was '91 or somewhere early on that. And at the time, we were way ahead of other companies.   Andy Novins: Even Nike, they would get an order, they'd walk around and pick their orders. And so that was a Deming-inspired process or way of improving our system. With apparel and you're designing 100 different styles or sizes and styles and everything else, the design development group, the functional silos that, I don't know if Dr. Deming used that term, but the system that every department has to hand off is working for the next department. In apparel, it's really complicated. And that was the biggest Deming issue we would focus on. It never went away. You really had to always, because our designers would put bells and whistles into a garment. We were very high-end and it either wasn't practical price-wise or it wasn't practical in the factory or we didn't have a good source for where we were going to put it, where, what factory we were going to put it in, that type of thing. So that's where really the Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative at that point came out. That's where we had factory, up until about 1990, all our production was in the United States.   Andy Novins: After that, it got too expensive, labor, sewing labor in the United States. That's when most companies started going offshore. We did a lot in the Caribbean. And when you're manufacturing apparel, back at the beginning, you would ship, we would buy the fabric and we would ship it to the Caribbean factory that we were using and they would sew it, and put it together. And then trade agreements came out where the factories could buy the material. And essentially, instead of they being just a sewer, they would be making a finished product for us. That had huge implications on simplifying the system and transferring responsibility to the people that really needed it. But now maybe I'm getting too much into apparel, but...they haven't been doing it for 23 years.   Andrew Stotz: So let's talk about what you're doing about your application of Dr. Deming's teaching in real estate. And I know you've also brought something along to share and go through, but maybe you can just talk a little bit about how you're applying that in the real estate business.   Andy Novins: Yeah, and that's the control chart concept. And all real estate statistics are lagging indicators, whether we're talking median prices or active listings, or I guess active listings are the only one that's not a lagging indicator, but almost virtually every month's supply of inventory, all those things are lagging indicators. So they tell us as realtors what happened. And in my market here, it bottomed out after the 2008 recession in March of 2009. And until this year, it's gone straight up for 16 years. So most realtors, virtually no realtors... Well, most realtors haven't experienced a shift in the market, which is what we're going through now, where the market goes from being a buyer's or seller's market for all those years. And I'm talking about a strong seller's market. A seller's market is defined by the National Association of Realtors as any market where the months' supply is less than six months. And our supply was hovering around two to three weeks. And it's now almost two months, but the market has shifted and it's incredible how many people don't realize that.   Andy Novins: Everybody knows there's something going on, but the media takes care of that. But all the statistics we get are, again, median prices are still very high, okay? But using control charts, you can plot, for example, a couple of months of live inventory. That started going down in April, okay? I mean, that went out of the control limits in April, okay? That's telling us that something's happened. It tells us directly that the market shifted, okay? The other thing that I watch is price drops, okay? How many price drops? That went out of the control limits in, I think, June, they started out, okay? And we're looking at that weekly, and that's showing us every week, the number of price, it's so far out of the control limit right now, it's amazing. There's no... You can't... You can look at price drops, and you can look at months' supply on a graph, okay? But it doesn't tell you that the system's now out of control. But control charts do tell you that, so...   Andrew Stotz: Should we look at your control chart? Maybe that's a good time to do that.   Andy Novins: Sure, yeah. And before we do that, one of the things in real estate is seasonality, okay? And that hides a lot of problems because prices go up in the spring, down in the summer, down in the fall, up a little bit, then down. But let me bring those up and talk about them. Okay, you can see this?   Andrew Stotz: Yep, and for the listeners out there, I'll just describe. You've got a line chart up here, and a line that's going up and down, and then recently is going up a lot. And it starts in July of 2023, and it goes to June of 2025. And so why don't you take that away and help us understand what you've got here?   Andy Novins: Okay. So the control limits, the upper and lower control limit are the red lines on this. And going back to July of '23, everything was stable. And if we went back long before that, it would also have been stable.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah, and by the way, just to make it clear, it's monthly supply, or month supply, sorry, of housing.   Andy Novins: I'm sorry.   Andrew Stotz: Can you explain what it means, month supply?   Andy Novins: Yeah, month supply is the number of active listings at the end of a month divided by the average monthly sales for 12 months, the 12-month average. So it's basically saying if you've got 10 active listings and the average is two a month, that you've got a five-month supply of listings. Okay?   Andrew Stotz: And the average on this is one month supply.   Andy Novins: The average, right. And you can see where during the pandemic, we've had times where it went down to just a number of weeks, which is pretty incredible, but that's our market. So again, this chart is telling us that... Well, there's another thing, other ways that Dr. Deming would look at this. We've got several months where it's going, the month supply is just going up. So starting in December '24, you can see that the supply keeps going up. And then it went out and broke the upper control limit. So what he would say in this, looking at this chart is that up until really of March 2025, the system was in control, it was predictable, okay? And then starting in March or April 2025, it was out of control, it was not a stable market, and the market is a system.   Andrew Stotz: And it went up above the upper control limit of 1.6 roughly or 1.55. And now the highest it went up in May was about one point, almost, yeah, 1.8.   Andy Novins: 1.8, okay. And so Dr. Deming would say that number one, it's a shift in the market, number two, the market is no longer predictable. Okay? Clients don't like to hear that, but using these charts and explaining it to them, they do understand it. And in real estate, one of the most important things when markets are changing, or always actually for that matter, is managing client expectations, okay? And using Deming's theories and control charts, it makes it... And I'll get into that a little bit more in a minute, but managing their expectations becomes more of a science than scripts, which is what...   Andrew Stotz: One of the things I learned from Dr. Deming was be skeptical of data,  and I know I've spent my career as a financial analyst manipulating tons of data. And every time I see something out of control like we see here, the first question I ask is, is there an error in the data? And then the next question is, okay, so what's going on out there that the chart is one thing, but can you just talk briefly about what's going on? What do you think is behind this? What's causing it? What is that shift that you're seeing?   Andy Novins: Well, if you were asking me this in 2008, I could have told you. The irresponsible lending and all kinds of other things. Today, the market is in our market more than others is impacted by uncertainty. Okay. Uncertainty surrounding the impact of tariffs. Okay. But especially in our area, the impact on federal workers job security. Okay. In our area, which is an expensive area, almost any couple that is buying a house is buying it on two incomes. And if one of those, one of the members of the couple is, works for the federal government or is a government or works for a government contractor or is affected by any, in any company that may be impacted by government cutbacks, they're not buying a house right now. They're waiting. So they don't want to buy on one income. And so they pulled out of the market. And that's, that's the biggest reason for the increase in the supply. The other is,  people do want to move. People want to downsize and upsize. Well, most people have a 3% interest rate or better or slightly around there. So with the impact of low, you know, of rising interest rates and everything else, there's people that want to downsize. And if they move, they'd be paying more for their smaller house than they were for their house they're staying in. So they stay.   Andrew Stotz: What are, what are mortgage rates right now? Roughly.   Andy Novins: That's  675, 6.75. 30 year. But what's interesting on that, and I haven't done it, but it would be an interesting exercise is when I began my career as a CPA in New York, I moved down here in 1982 to be part of the company that I talked about before, the apparel company. I, when I said to her, when I had that opportunity, I said to my wife, what do you think about moving down to Washington? We lived in Westchester County, New York, and she said, well, sure, but, and at that point, I was treasurer of a bank in the New York metropolitan area, and she was willing to take the risk. It was a risky move, but she said not, but not, we can't sell our house. We have an eight and a half percent mortgage. We'll rent it, and if it doesn't work in Washington, we can always come back to it. So that eight and a half percent mortgage back in '82 was not something you got rid of, and people don't realize that the average mortgage rate in the past 50 years is eight percent. So at 6.75, it's not that bad, but it's relative to the three percent interest rates we had. It's making it tough for people to move.   Andrew Stotz: So just talking now, I just want to wrap up on the chart by saying, so once you use, you're demonstrating using a control chart in the industry of real estate, and you're discussing the fact that right now, you've got three points that have breaking out of the upper control limit, which now tells us, as you said, it's unpredictable at this point. What else, what do you take from that, and how does that drive your actions when you see this chart? How does that impact you, and in other words, how are you applying Deming's teachings once you've now done this?   Andy Novins: Great question. When you price a house to sell it, you use what we call comparable sales. When a market is going up or stable, comparable sales are a good indication of what you're probably going to price it at if it's going to go on the market soon. What realtors do is what we call a comparative market analysis, and that's comparing at least three homes to their home. There's all different ways of doing that, which is part of a Deming system too. But when you go to somebody and say, well, we got these three homes and they sold it at 800, but if you're going to put your house on the market next month, we're probably looking more like at 750. And most people would say, well, I'm not going to use that guy. This other realtor says 800 is the way to go. And using the control chart showing that the market has shifted and that those comps are no longer valid is one of the most valuable uses of control charts in real estate because, again, it's evidence that the comps aren't valid anymore.   Andy Novins: The other thing is comps represent, even if it closed yesterday, it went under contract a month ago. So the comps are just not necessarily good if the market is shifting, and this is pretty powerful evidence to a potential client that pricing is really important and you can't just use past comps. I'll go to the next chart, which is price drops. And this is something, again, our market really just shifted recently, so this is something I'm actually doing actively right now looking at. But you can see that this is weekly price drops. Okay, it started off monthly because I can't go back and get that data. But if I go back to a stable year, last year is the base. You can see that price drops were pretty stable process in the pricing system. They were...   Andrew Stotz: So what does that mean? Just so we understand, let's say the average is 25% projected monthly price drop. What does that actually mean?   Andy Novins: That's saying that every month that of the active listings on the market, 25% of them are reducing their price. That month.   Andrew Stotz: So in other words, 75% are either keeping it the same or raising it.   Andy Novins: Say that. Yes, right.   Andrew Stotz: The opposite of that. Okay.   Andy Novins: Right. And that's each month. That doesn't mean somebody didn't lower their price on that same house the month before. But it's registering the number of drops that homes on the market are doing.   Andrew Stotz: And that would mean it's like a pretty good seller's market again when only a quarter of listings need to drop their price in order to get the sale.   Andy Novins: Yes, exactly. Yep. Exactly. And you can see this...   Andrew Stotz: And let's just talk about the January 2024 to December of 2024. So for the year of 2024, what's your observation of the data?   Andy Novins: It was stable. It's not a change in the market.   Andrew Stotz: Yep. Okay. Normal variation.   Andy Novins: Yeah, normal variation. Okay. But when it starts to go up like it has, and it's even worse because what I'm using is an average for these weeks. The next week starting tomorrow will have the four-week average. They're actually quite a bit higher, the last two, than what they show here because they were averaged down. But when you see rampant price dropping, that's out of control, so to speak.   Andrew Stotz: Right. So it's gone from a mean of 25 up to 60-plus percent of monthly price drop. I'm just curious. It says on your y-axis, it says projected monthly price drop. Does that mean somebody's making some estimate on that, or what does that mean?   Andy Novins: That's because right now I'm doing it by the week.   Andrew Stotz: Okay. Ah, okay.   Andy Novins: Okay. And I'm averaging the week. And then when I get the month, it'll be like the earlier ones.   Andrew Stotz: So the most recent ones are the projected, and the other ones are the actual month.   Andy Novins: Yeah.   Andrew Stotz: Okay.   Andy Novins: And right, I'm using, I'm multiplying them times four the week. So it's right now I'm projecting what July will be, basically, the total, but it'll be up around 60%.   Andrew Stotz: And this chart corroborates the conclusions that you made in the prior chart, or are there any other additional...   Andy Novins: Yeah. And the month supply chart is more of a leading indicator of a market shift, because this is the reaction of sellers and realtors to a market they didn't anticipate properly. And so this is a much more now type of thing. And again, if I go back to a client and say, you know, all the comps are 800, but we're going to recommend 750, this is pretty convincing evidence that basically almost everybody in the market is reducing their prices.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah.   Andy Novins: And in a falling market, the worst thing you can do is chase the prices, chase it down.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And what this doesn't show, it shows that 60% are dropping their price. It doesn't show what the remaining 40% are. And that composition of that could just be, there could be no price increases. We don't know from this data whether that's holding the price the same or increasing it.   Andy Novins: Right. But it doesn't mean that there aren't homes in those active listings that didn't reduce their price, that reduced their price. They may have reduced their price last month. Okay. So it's really just showing the panic that's out there.   Andrew Stotz: Okay. Got it.   Andy Novins: But it's a great leading indicator from that standpoint.   Andrew Stotz: Okay. So two charts that show us the application of control charts and Deming's teachings there in real estate and making a note of the fact that these are now out of control. Interesting.   Andy Novins: Yes. And again, the most important thing you can do, I think, in real estate is accurately manage your client's expectations. Yeah. Because, and I'm going to back up for a second, that's another real benefit of having a niche practice. And again, like the competitive advantage Michael Porter concept. And for me, writing a newsletter, which gives them what we hope to be useful information for the 5,000 homes that get it. When they're ready to sell, again, I don't call them, they call me. And they call me because they trust me. They believe I know what I'm doing. And so part of a system that would be outside of what Dr. Deming talked about, but part of the system is your clients, the quality of your system is going to depend on the quality of your clients. And so having a niche, again, what I'm doing in terms of that so-called farming and the newsletter is I'm attracting clients that will trust me. Okay. That's so much a Deming concept in terms of the overall system and how it affects it. We see all the time when buyers that are buying one of our listings and they have all these problems and the other real estate agents, their buyer's agent says, I know they're crazy. I can't wait till this is over because their buyer clients aren't listening to them and they're asking for unreasonable things or whatever. So a critical part of the system in real estate is getting clients that will listen to you because theoretically we know what we're doing.   Andrew Stotz: And if we look at this chart, one of the things that some people may ask is what about forecasts? And I know I spent my career as a financial analyst in the stock market forecasting earnings. And then when I worked on my PhD for my dissertation, I decided to calculate the accuracy of analysts in earnings forecasts. And as I said, the title of my dissertation was analysts were only 25% wrong. And in other words, here is the highest qualified people to forecast the earnings of these companies and they get it wrong by 25% on average. And so for those people that say, well, what about your forecast and all that? I always say, I live on the cutting edge of history. Don't try to go too far out in the future. Just make sure you understand. And that's where this chart shows July 19th to July 25th that you could say that's pretty much, and if you get the data out the next day, that's the cutting edge of history.   Andy Novins: Yeah, yeah, exactly. And in the past, people say, well, should I wait?  At this time of the year, they might say, should I wait and put the house on the market next spring? Or should we do it after Labor Day? And in the past, I would have said, wait till next spring because things were going to be better. You could... Everything was stable and rising. What these charts show, and they do require some explanation, is that the market is out of control right now. You can't predict it. And then if so,  then it becomes a decision that a client makes based on what they really need. Do they want to move yet? Do they want to wait? Do they... But these control charts are showing that you can't predict. Whereas in the past, you could be pretty safe.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah. And the point of that, too, is that a control chart can't solve every problem. It tells you where things are, so you understand things a lot better. But then, how you're going to actually use that information, well, somebody may use it to say, I need to sell my house now. Somebody else may say, I'm going to wait because I think this is bad and it's going to get better later. And somebody's going to say, I'm going to sell now desperately because I think this is going to get much worse, right? That's the hard part.   Andy Novins: Yeah.   Andrew Stotz: But if you don't know what's actually happening, which the control chart gives you that information, then there's none of that.  It's just, there's no basis in fact of what you're doing.   Andy Novins: Exactly. Right. They provide a window into the market that I have never seen anybody use this or talk about it.   Andrew Stotz: And do you have any more charts? Was that it?   Andy Novins: No. Yeah, I got more.   Andy Novins: Okay. Whoops. Oh, but before we get to that, okay, so this is a concept, and if I'm going too long, cut me off.   Andrew Stotz: No, no. Go ahead.   Andy Novins: So in a falling or stable market like we're in, okay, in a rising market, you pick a price, and if you're good, you're going to do well. If you do it right, they're going to bid it up. That's the way it's been for five years since COVID. Okay. Now the market is not rising. It's falling or even in a stable market. So the PDSA cycle that Deming talked about is absolutely so on target for what we're going through right now. So I'll just briefly go through this. The plan part is you price using comps or adjusted comps based on what the control charts are showing where the market is going rather than where it was. Okay. And then you put the listing on the market in the MLS. And then what we do, okay, is we study what's happening, okay? And again, the market is not in control. It's not a stable system. So we monitor and we subscribe to special services that most agents don't get. They cost money, but they give us a lot of information. We can see the number of views all over the internet that a house is getting that's on the market. And we can subscribe to another service that shows all the showings that are comparable houses in our zip code or any way we want to do it are getting. And then we use the control charts and we look at feedback and everything else.   Andrew Stotz: So do you have more charts, Andy?   Andy : I sure do. This isn't actually a chart. It's one of the core tools that Dr. Deming used. And it's what he called the PDSA cycle. And that is the most important tool that we use with the data we get from the control charts. So I'm going through an example here of pricing. And so the PDSA is plan, do, study, act. And the planning section of this process is we price using comps, like I've described. But we also use the control charts to let us adjust the comps for what's happening in the market right up to today, basically. And the do is just in real estate is just simply putting the listing in the real estate market, MLS, and listing it so people can see it. The study, though, is what's really important. And that's where a lot more data comes in. We subscribe to services where we can monitor all the views all over the Internet of our listings. And we can monitor showings that our listings are getting, which we know, but other listings. We can monitor what they're getting in terms of competitive listings, similar prices, and that type of thing.   Andy : And we also monitor what houses, if any, are going under contract since our property went on the market. And that provides what we talk. So we have to act on that data. And that's the A of the PDSA cycle. And so we use feedback loops. So just as an example, I won't necessarily go through all these. If we have a lot of views, high views, and high showings, we know the price is right. We're going to get offers. On the other hand, if we have high views and low showings, we know buyers are interested in it, they like it, but they're not ready to come and look at it. They're waiting for that price to go down, which in this market, it probably will. So we advise our clients based on the data we're getting, and then we either reprice or we don't. There's also some other things we use to monitor, but I won't go into those at this point.   Andrew Stotz: What's interesting about that is it's like every single listing is a test.   Andy : Exactly.   Andrew Stotz: That's cool.   Andy : Yeah. And that data is so important. And when you tell a client, you're getting all kinds of... You're getting... And we compare it to the other listings. We give them charts, which shows the other houses. And we say, look, you're getting twice the views of these other houses, but nobody's coming to your house, or very few are coming. And the other listings are getting less views and more showings. People think you're overpriced. And it's very convincing to a client.   Andrew Stotz: Is there one of these that you're aiming for? And if you are close to that in your listings, you're hitting the right spot? Or what are you aiming for?   Andy : High views and high showings. That's the best. Everybody's looking at it. People are coming. Okay. There's other tests down the road because traditionally if you get 16 to 18 showings and nobody makes an offer, you're still probably overpriced, but that's very unlikely. Okay.   Andrew Stotz: And is price the only factor that you can adjust here, let's say high views, high showings could be just the type of house, the location, but you don't necessarily control those things?   Andy : No, the one down near the bottom. Low views, high showings. It's ikely a niche piece of property. Not many people are looking at it, but the people that want that niche, whatever may be different, it's a unique piece of property, they'll get a lot of showings relative to their views, because most people aren't interested. But there isn't much else we can do because we spend... We pay for staging. We don't pay for it. We do it. We have our own inventory and staging. We have contractors that we've used for years to help get a house ready. So the product itself, the house, and the presentation, there's never much more we can do to make that better.   Andrew Stotz: And quality in the eyes of the customer is the best price sold quickly, I guess.   Andy : Yes. Yeah. That's right. There's a saying which not everybody agrees with in the real estate industry, but you want to make the most amount of money in the least amount of time with the least amount of hassle.   Andrew Stotz: I think that's everywhere.   Andy : That's true.   Andrew Stotz: Yes. I want that. Great.   Andy : That's what everybody wants, but some people say, well, if it's too fast, you didn't... But that's usually not true. Fast is usually good as long as it's priced right. The next chart I have is a whole other way we use control charts, and that's to evaluate our own performance, which is what this is doing. And it's using sales-to-list price ratios. In other words, what percentage of the list price was the sales? And here we're using a long base period, and I'm just going to back up for a second. In some of the two recent, the ones I did on price drops and supply of inventory, we only had a year worth of, for the base line. And normally it's better to use more than that, but those two years I used were stable, and we didn't go back further because the Fed had been raising interest rates, and that created a... That was not a stable market when they did that, so we didn't want to use that as a history.   Andy : So this is showing our performance, and you can see starting with the pandemic, we went way above the control limits a lot of times. But what you do when you're looking at or using a chart like this for your own improvement is you want to narrow the upper and lower control limits, the two red lines. The closer they get together, the less variation you have, the smaller your standard deviation. And for us, it's 0.2. And our range between what... That's normal is between 95% and 107% of the sales price. And just to how we use it and how we get better at it is we focus on pricing. We focus on improving negotiation, which is a big deal, especially in the last few years. We are always looking to improve our client base. We're always looking to improve our preparation and presentation. We think we got that pretty well down pat. And the other thing is to stay within your area of expertise, because when you go out of that, okay, if I was to work on a house out of my market, okay, I wouldn't get this kind of performance. So that's going to lead me to the next and really the final chart. And that's another group, okay? And I'm using this group because... Just to...   Andrew Stotz: Sorry, when you say another group, what do you mean?   Andy : It's not my team, no offense industry...   Andrew Stotz: So it's a competitor or it's...   Andy : This is a well-known group. It's led by two Ivy League graduates. And it's a much bigger team than ours. Their standard... And it's the same base period, 2017 to '19. Their standard deviation is three times what ours is. Their range of what they do within the control limits is 78% to 114%. And that... Why do we do this? Why do we care? It's always nice to benchmark yourself. But most of all, with groups or agents that we compete with, if these guys put a house on the market, okay, and we thought it was overpriced, or let's say we thought it was underpriced, okay, and it was competing with one of ours, we wouldn't tell our client to reduce their price to match their price, okay, because we know they probably are underpricing. In this case, we'd say let it go. Likewise, if we're working with a buyer who's buying one of their houses and we think it's overpriced, what their listing is overpriced, then we will probably make a lower offer knowing that they also know that their pricing can be way off. So understanding your clients and where they fit on these control charts is useful information.   Andrew Stotz: And I can imagine that some people, let's say, at another firm, as an example, may say, oh, I don't care about this variability because one side of the mean is more favorable than the other, so I'm just trying to get to that other side. Whereas what you're saying is I'm trying to reduce variation around the mean.   Andy : Yes, and that'll take me to this last section I have here. If we compare the two groups, what are the major differences? Number one, if it was a million-dollar listing, okay, we would probably get $43,000 more than they would based on these control charts. Most of all, the biggest difference...   Andrew Stotz: The selling price of your customer would be $43,500 more?   Andy : Well, our average selling price is a little over 100%. Their average selling price is 96%. So on average, they're getting $43,000 less on $1 million house than we are. But the most important thing in this is the consistency and the predictability of when you lower those control chart limits, you're making your performance much more predictable, and it's an important part to all of our clients. I mean, Deming had a... One of the things he used to say is quality is in the customer's eyes, not your eyes. So I can say we do all this great stuff and all that. It all boils down to what does the customer think. And when a group's working on volume, which is pretty typical in our industry, that's what we're taught, how to get more volume, how to get more volume, that's... The customer doesn't care. The client doesn't care about what kind of volume they do. What the customer cares about is service. And you can see some of the other things, consistency over time, process control and all that. I'll get out of here now and say that that's really what control charts and Deming's philosophy and the PDSA, it all focuses on quality in the customer's eyes, consistent performance, better service, and not a lot of guesswork. We're using data that other agents don't even know exists. And that's unfortunately not an exaggeration, really. I've never talked to anybody that knew about this.   Andrew Stotz: When Deming talked about quality, he often referenced the idea that you could have a quality system in place and still go out of business if you weren't looking at quality in the eyes of the customer and being completely connected to the customer. And I have a little story on this from my coffee business. Many years ago, we had a restaurant chain in Thailand that's a global chain come to us and we won the bid. And they said, we chose you over all these other suppliers for coffee and we're going to come to your factory and when we do, we're going to do an audit, we're going to ask 600 questions and if you get below 75% or whatever, you're fired. But, hey, I knew Deming and I knew all of this stuff and we cared about quality and we never had quality problems, so we thought we're in good shape. And they came out and they said, your score was 68, you're fired. You have six weeks to fix it or you won't be our supplier. Well, we learned something very quickly there, which was to them, paperwork was quality.   Andrew Stotz: And that was a quality system to them that meant that we had quality. And so we had a passion for quality, but we didn't have the paperwork system that they wanted. So luckily, when you have passion for quality, it's pretty easy to overlay a paperwork system on it, if that's what the customer required. I would hate to be in the opposite situation where you go and do like many people when they go and get certified or ISO or whatever and they build a paperwork system without that commitment to quality. Now, that's a disaster. But the point is that we had to realize that in order for us to satisfy that customer's needs, we had to appeal to quality as they saw it. And so we've got to always keep the customer in mind as we're working on our quality.   Andy : I got another story. My wife reminded me today that sometimes in probably early '80s, maybe mid '80s at the latest, I looked up in the... I wanted to find a statistician and I looked him up in the yellow pages, which a lot of the listeners may not know what that is. And I wanted to... What I wanted to do was find a way to improve, optimize our inventory and try to approach just-in-time inventory because we had factories all over the place and we were getting stuff in. And we never did it. And I imagine with Dr. Deming, we could have done it, but we never did it because exactly the quality's in the customer's eyes. We were shipping to specialty restock stores primarily, and if we couldn't stock their shelves, okay, they went somewhere else. Didn't matter how much they liked us, they had to have those shelves full. So we decided it wasn't worth the risk of just-in-time and optimizing our inventory at the expense of having maybe too much inventory, but satisfying our customers. And it's just so true.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah. Yeah. In the story that I told, that particular chain never ran out of product and certainly never ran out of coffee. And I know myself, being a customer of that chain, never in my life did I walk in there and they ran out of a particular product. And they made that very clear. That's quality to us is that our supply chains are never broken. And for 16 years, we never broke their supply chains. It was never the case. So in the eyes of the customer, well, on behalf of everyone at the Deming Institute, I want to thank you again for this discussions and for listeners, remember to go to Deming.org to continue your journey. But I thought I would leave the closing comments to you to maybe wrap up and give the audience what you think should be their main takeaway from this discussion.   Andy : I think probably the main takeaway would be that Dr. Deming's philosophy, the Profound Knowledge, everything he taught is as relevant to real estate, okay, pricing, probably most markets as it is to a factory or production or anything like that. I think that it took me a while, after I became a realtor, it took me a while to realize, wow, all these things we can use. And we have more data to play with than anybody. So that's a good takeaway for anybody, especially realtors.   Andrew Stotz: Yeah, I think, and I'll just add on, I enjoyed the conversation because I love Michael Porter's stuff and talking about figuring out where's your niche and trying to bring a differentiated offering to the market. And that differentiated offering could be based on what I like to say from my study and teaching of corporate strategy is there's kind of two main corporate strategies. One I would say is the type that engineers build, which is an operational corporate strategy. And another one is a differentiating strategy that a sales type of person would build, which is about the interaction with sales, with the product and all of that. And so with Dr. Deming, one of the benefits we get is the process part of our business can just be improved forever. And then we can overlay that with whatever we want from what we bring to the market. And I think you've given us an example of how you can apply Deming's principles to the process of your business and do that in a niche area or an area that you've defined and dominate. And so I love that.   Andy : Yeah, and one of the things, just a last thought, is something you and I had talked about, is you don't have to have a PhD in physics or you don't have to get a doctorate in something to understand Deming. And he even says it in his book. You don't have to be an expert in any of it. You just have to understand it. And that's the beauty of it. Anybody can do what I'm doing with just nowhere near the effort you'd have to do if you were going to be a physicist or something else like that. And that's something people can take away.   Andrew Stotz: And on that hopeful note, this is your host, Andrew Stotz, and I'm going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Deming. I always repeat it because it's such a great quote, and that is, "people are entitled to joy in work."      

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Keith discusses the recent executive order by the White House, which could bring Americans closer to retirement plan access for real estate, private equity, and crypto. He also interviews two listeners:  Luke Frizell, a Navy officer who leverages principles from the show to invest in residential assisted living (RAL) properties, and Dr. Axel Meierhoefer, who uses turnkey properties and agricultural investments to build a diversified portfolio.  Both guests share their strategies and insights into real estate investing.  Resources: Explore the exclusive Texas income property deals available to Get Rich Education listeners, with up to $41,000 in incentives, book a strategy session here. Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/567 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith, welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, it's an episode focused on you as we feature two GRE listener guests today. See how they've leveraged listening to this show into real world, real estate investing action then a property opportunity to announce to you on get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  0:27   Since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads in 188 world nations. He has a list show guests and key top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki, get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com   Speaker 1  1:12   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:22   Welcome to GRE from Mannheim, Germany, to Mannheim, Pennsylvania and across 188 nations worldwide. You're listening to get rich Education. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, you probably grew up playing the board game Monopoly. Well, imagine playing Monopoly and never buying an asset that generates income. What if you just went around the board collecting $200 giving your money to the rich and trying to stay out of jail. Does that sound ridiculous? Well, that's how most people live their lives. We don't do that here at GRE we add real assets that pay us while we own them, and more and more people can potentially soon get exposure to these asset types. The White House recently reported that Trump made an executive order that is bringing Americans closer to getting retirement plan access to real estate, private equity and crypto. I mean, think about what that could do to overall real estate demand, pushing up prices. It could make the industry boom. Sort of how the advent of 401, KS helped the stock market boom. Also, another development is that in order to qualify for mortgage loans, crypto could soon be used as an asset in your mortgage qualification. That's per the FHFA, and that's what they're moving toward. Now there's been a lot of novel information and developments and stories like that this year, as we're in a presidential administration that shakes up all kinds of status quo policies, from foreign wars to tariffs to us real estate. Journalistically, it's important to be accurate and avoid misinformation and false news as the AI era is near its nascency. Still, you have got to be increasingly cautious about where you get your information. I got a stark reminder of this recently, now former presidential candidate and HHS Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr and I recently did a stair climber workout together at a gym. You probably know that RFK Jr leads the MaHA movement make America healthy again, which I support, and much like me, he's an avid fitness enthusiast, and that's the kind of stuff that we talk about. Well, there are now some photos of RFK, JR And I out there exercising together, something that's okay with me. I'm even proud of that. I shared one of those on my social media myself. He and I don't talk politics or vaccines or even diet or just exercise enthusiasts. That's what we talk about. That's our common ground. Well, a Facebook post of RFK JR and I exercising together, and here's where the terribly irresponsible misinformation comes in. Meta AI has a one touch link from there to what they call Weinhold and RFK Jr collaborations. Here's how it reads. I'll read it all word for word, and so much of it is false. Keith Weinhold and Robert F Kennedy Jr have a close friendship that has garnered significant attention. Keith Weinhold, a businessman and podcaster, has been a vocal supporter of Kennedy's work and advocacy their friendship has been built around shared interests and values, including their passion for environmental issues and their skepticism of mainstream narratives. Weinhold has often featured Kennedy as a guest on his podcast, where they discuss issues ranging from vaccine safety to corporate accountability. Together, they have collaborated on various projects, including the promotion of Kennedy's book the real Anthony Fauci. Their friendship has been subject to scrutiny, with some critics accusing them of spreading misinformation. That's the end of the meta AI page. What in the world? How do they come up with this stuff? The only shared interest we've collaborated on is fitness at the gym. And you as listener know that he's never been a guest on this show. Now, if his expertise were real estate investing or economics, well, then I might invite him on. How does meta AI come up with this stuff about vaccines and Fauci I mean, that is so far away from my area of focus. I haven't weighed in on any of that stuff. My gosh, this meta AI page, it is published work for all to see, and it is about 90% false. So my point is, there's a lot of information out there about everything from real estate investing to endangered sharks to cooking tomato soup. Be careful. Pay attention to information that has cited reliable sources. And AI in its current fledgling stage, it really muddies the picture. One thing that might help is that open AI's chatgpt Five, which recently debuted, it is better. It's an improvement. For example, if it does not know the answer to a question that you have, it will tell you that it does not know the answer, instead of making up something fake just to give some sort of answer like previous versions. Did we need more of that coming up here on the show. In future weeks, we have vital monolog material from me, as always prominent guests, new guests and repeat guests. Last week, I answered your listener questions here on air, you can always write in with your questions or comments at get rich education.com/contact this week, it's interviewees like you, as I talk to the first of two listener guests.   Keith Weinhold  8:17   He has been an avid GRE listener for a few years, and says that he shifted from bigger pockets and other content over almost exclusively to get rich education for real estate and market content. He uses the principles taught through GRE to focus on his niche, which is residential assisted living, R, A, l, investments at the single family home level, he owns two single family units that also have ADUs and a handful of Ral units, which has helped him reach his goal of replacing his military income with property cash flow. He is a husband, father of three boys and active duty Navy officer currently stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a buy and hold investor. He began investing in real estate in 2017and now owns a portfolio that includes rental properties in San Diego, five Ral homes in Phoenix and GP stakes in two Ral syndications. He is also the founder of open range capital in the Ral room, there are two platforms dedicated to scaling the Ral model. Again, that's residential assisted living, scaling those across the US. And when he's not serving or investing, you can find him on the lacrosse field, playing, basketball, training, Jiu Jitsu or chasing down any kind of competition. Hey, welcome to GRE. Luke frazell,    Luke Frizzell  9:37   Keith, thank you for the introduction. Appreciate that very kind. And once I started investing in 2017 I got started with the bigger pockets train, and pretty avidly listened to their podcast and taking some action on my own, I actually found your podcast and your website, and it was so much more efficient in the information that I needed to hear. I. Know, and the the time that I could spend actually paying attention to real estate news and the important things that I need to be paying attention to as an investor, that I exclusively and paying attention through your email list and through your podcast, it's always great information. So I appreciate being on and thanks for having me. Keith,   Keith Weinhold  10:18   thanks. I try to keep things nutrient dense around here, Frizzell is spelled F, R, I, z, E, L, L, and look, I know your investing philosophy is strongly influenced by one of GRE most seminal and central mantras, and something that the world first learned right here on this show back in 2015 real estate pays five ways. Tell us about that.   Luke Frizzell  10:42   That is one of the best just mantras for whenever I'm talking to people about getting into real estate, yes. And I literally say, what the five ways that real estate pays, because that's how I heard about it was through you. And I was like, That is such a perfect illustration of why this beats, let's say, the stock market, or why this beats a lot of other investment vehicles, because you're not just getting the cash flow, which is a huge reason why people get involved in it, and that's actually the first thing that I'm scrubbing for whenever I'm looking for an investment. But of course, you're hoping for the appreciation, which I really just count as the cherry on top. And if I'm looking at a market from the macro lens, I'm making sure that the the city is growing, the jobs are coming in, there's a decent population, and at a macro level, that's the first thing you need to do before you dig into a city to make sure it's good to go. When appreciation happens, it's probably because those things are all in the right spot. And you're you're picking the right neighborhood, but just, you know, leverage, and being able to buy with 20% of the full amount down, that's a huge piece. And just the hedge against inflation that you get through a loan all the ways, I'm probably missing one, but that's one of the first things that I say when somebody's on the fence on whether they get into real estate investing is, Hey, these are the five ways I learned it from Keith's website, and I'll point them to you guys. That's how I found residential assisted living was really Yes, I had been an investor in San Diego and had great success there with, you know, the buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat, the burn method, and putting those five ways into practice. But what I really wanted, as I was looking towards getting out of the military in a few years was more the cash flow piece. So that's what drew me to Phoenix. I actually heard a podcast where somebody was talking about this strategy where you buy a home and you lease it out to a senior care operator and they are paying two to three times the lease amount that you would pay or get from a single family rental, and yet you're also getting all the benefits of real estate. So it seemed pretty hands off, which checked the box for me on that since I was working an active duty job, and then it was also very high, high cash flow. So that's what got me into residential assisted living, and has kept me into it, and I've brought a couple partners into what we're doing, and really bringing my partners in is brought us so much further than I would have ever gone myself. The core tenets of five ways real estate pays has definitely influenced my thoughts as an investor and everything that I've done   Keith Weinhold  13:16   yeah, I can't believe more people don't talk about the compelling why for real estate investing? And I think real estate pays five ways. Is the most efficient and comprehensive way of doing that for sure, when it comes to Property selection and adding to your portfolio, like you touched on, I know that you like to say that you don't chase doors, you chase quality, and you have sort of this peace of mind with intentional investing over scale. Can you tell us about that?   Luke Frizzell  13:43   That's a great question. It was really a forcing function that formed my investor mindset was it has to be quality, because I don't have the time as somebody who's doing a full time job that's very time intensive, and sometimes I'm leaving for months on end before I come back and in my spouse works in something completely separately, so she doesn't have time to manage properties and things like that. It was forced upon me to be very efficient with what I invested in, and my wife was not. She, just like me, didn't grow up learning about real estate investing, so they had to really hit bang for buck whenever we made that first investment in order to buy her or get her buy in on it. And when that first rental check came in, I was able to take her out to a sushi dinner and say it was paid for by our our tenants. And that was kind of the first buy in piece Got it, got us in there. But, yeah, I really Chase quality. And we were very fortunate, and got a little bit lucky with the timing of our properties in California with covid and the interest rates we bought to early on in 2017 and then in 2020 before interest rates started going up, before prices got crazy out there. And those have done really well for. For us. But as interest rates continued to rise and as prices on homes continued to rise, I had to keep the efficient piece in the back of my mind. That's when I heard about the senior care investing number one. I was like, hey, yeah, the demographics, it makes sense. There's so many, that demographic of seniors, the boomer generation, reaching, you know, 80 years old, and coming to that time of life where they need care that is not going down. The medical system as flawed as it can be in our country. You know, people are living longer, and we need to house them, and people don't want to stay in a big box facility anymore that feels like a hotel and not personal, and you have a one caregiver to 30 resident ratio. People want more personalized care, like you would get at a private school. At a public school, you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit, which kind of the analogy I make for a facility versus residential assisted living. So what we invest in is the residential level, where you actually buy just a regular house and it may have four or five bedrooms in it, and let's say three bathrooms, and if it's a single story home that has, let's say 3000 square feet, that is a prime home to actually build out into a senior care home. And every state needs these. Every state has different laws and rules and regulations as to what some are going to require, different size door frames, different width requirements in the halls, ramp requirements, of course, for wheelchair access and such. At the end of the day, every state needs more housing for seniors, and it's really going to be an education piece on getting people up to speed. We have five homes in Phoenix doing this, this model. There's a lot of network already available there. Like people love to retire in warm weather. Phoenix is just a hotbed for these residential assisted living homes. So that's where we got started. But when you move into, you know, let's say rural Nebraska, it's not going to be as as prevalent. So you really got to do a lot more networking and education to zoom back to your question about quality over quantity. If you think about scaling to $10,000 per month in passive income, quote, unquote, passive, the way I look at it, if I can have one residential assisted living home that nets $10,000 per month when I talk about the one residential assisted living home that could make net $10,000 per month that would be running the operations yourself, where you have let's say the average resident across America is going to pay 4000 to $6,000 per month to stay in a home like what I'm talking about if One home, let's go with the low end of $4,000 per month has a capacity of 10 residents in the house, then you can have 10 residents at $4,000 per month. So that's $40,000 gross. And then if you the average, if you're running an efficient home, just having straight up staffing costs, that maybe cost you $15,000 per month, and then you have your mortgage and your debt, that takes you another $10,000 per month, and let's say another five for excess costs and food and things, that's $30,000 of expenses. So 40,000 minus 30,000 is $10,000 per month. That's an efficiently run home. But that is not the height of what someone could do with this strategy. We have partners that do $40,000 net per month in this strategy, and that's generally in the dementia care, memory care space. What we did when we started was something called the lease to operator model, and that's a little bit more hands off, actually, I would say a lot more hands off than the actual operations of the home, like what I just said, because if you're doing the staffing and you have the business liability, that's all pretty involved, and there's a lot of education and a lot of networking that you need to do to get to that point. When I got started in this, I did the least operator model, because I was time constrained and I didn't want to actually get involved with the hands on care number one, because I was in Virginia Beach, and the homes that we were buying were in Phoenix, so there was no possible way for me to do that when we bought our first home at 10 capacity, so there's 10 residents that can fit in the home. I found an operator and vetted them and moved them into the house, and they're paying me a lease for five years, so it's somewhat of a commercial lease, but it's a residential home, and I actually got residential insurance on the house. The business owner that is leasing from me has the business liability insurance, and now they're paying me two and a half times what would have been the regular lease amount that I could have gotten for that home. So in that area, they're paying me $8,000 per month on a five year lease, and that goes up 3% per year. However, if I was renting that out like a normal house, I'm. Be getting 2020 $500 per month, every month, on a long term lease.   Keith Weinhold  20:05   That's this way the manager operates it, rather than you, right? So I   Luke Frizzell  20:09   actually empower the manager, or this operator, is what we call them. That's why it's leased to operator. I empower this manager to actually run it themselves. I don't tell them you can't paint the inside of the house. I don't tell them you can't redo the floors when you want. If they want to do that, that's on them, but they owe me that lease amount every month, and I empower them to run the home however they want. What I'm making sure happens is I'm paying for the insurance on the house, and I'm making sure the roof is stable and the walls are not going to collapse. Everything else, from utilities to whatever is on them, and they are a full fledged business owner in there, and hopefully they stay once the five years is up.   Keith Weinhold  20:48   That's a really interesting way to do it, by the way. Just dropping back to your earlier comment, I like how you say your wife doesn't have time to do the property management. I think we both know that we are protecting her standard of living and quality of life when she is not the property manager. Yes, I think it's common knowledge in America that the senior population is growing faster than the overall population. In fact, about four past GRE episodes featured the late great gene Guarino here on the show, a big educator in the residential assisted living space. We've got this aging population, the silver tsunami, the demographics about it are surely undeniable. I think a holdup for some people is that you're merging real estate investing with an active business. However, you've just described something where you're sort of withdrawing from that active business part, getting a leaseholder to pay you two and a half times the market rent, if you just had it as a buy and hold property and having them operated, is that right?   Speaker 2  20:48    Yeah, and I that's obviously a rough I say two to three times. I like to call it Airbnb numbers in a good market, without the stolen paper towels.   Keith Weinhold  20:48   You know what I mean? Like that, the stolen paper towels, the vacancy, the managing a listing, the clean. So   Speaker 2  20:48   you're doing all the you're getting the reaping the rewards of, let's say, an Airbnb without any headache. Because once you've set that operator in there, and you've empowered them to do it, and you have a rock solid lease, you're wiping your hands clean, I have to reach out to my operators to get an update from them to make sure that everything's going well, because they're not reaching out to me they're running their home. And hopefully, if I've empowered them the right way, and I am allowing them to be successful, and they reach out to me and say, Hey, Luke, I want to actually expand operations. So if you buy another house in this area, let me know, so that I can expand my operations there as well.    Luke Frizzell  21:23   Yeah. Well, do you have any last things to tell us about the residential assisted living for example, I know you have four strategies. For one, to get invested in it.   Luke Frizzell  22:44   That's a good question. And and just to hit on your last point, you're I actually like that. You can mix the real estate with the business, if you have time for that. And many people can do that, especially if you come from a healthcare background, or you're a nurse, that you're just looking to do something out on your own and not just spending your hours working at the hospital. And maybe you're a caregiver that's not paid well enough, and you're overworked, but you know that you could go and do something like that, or you're a doctor, a lot of people can go out and do this themselves, but if you're like me, and you're just a working professional that doesn't have time to get into that, but you do have people skills, and can figure out, like, Hey, I've interviewed about five different operators for this, and I can tell that this one meets all the marks, and they're going to get in there, and I can trust them, and they have a good, extensive experience in this space, and they're going to pay me a reasonable lease. That makes sense for why I'm putting the risk into this. Yeah, I'm going to pick them and get them in there. That's a really good option for people. So that's one of the strategies, is lease to operator. Another strategy is the one we already talked about, which is own and operate. So you're getting the power of real estate. You're leasing from yourself as so it's one entity, one business entity owns the property, one business entity owns the care business, and you're leasing from yourself, and there's some major tax benefits to doing it that way. That's obviously the most time intensive, and you're probably going that route if you want to make this your life's path. The other option is actually, if you don't have the money right now to buy a house, but you have the drive and you have the experience to get into the actual operations, you could just lease from somebody like me and who owns the house and doesn't want to get involved in the operations just yet, and now you can just set up a lease with them. Phoenix is a really good hub. Houston is a really good hub, but cities across America are going to start finding out about this and needing to get this into their advertise, basically because the senior housing issue that we talked about. And then finally, you can passively invest in these through open range capital, we are investing in these, and we're actually developing some memory care homes in Northern Virginia right now. So if you go to open range capital, you'll be able to find opportunities to invest in these as a passive investor. Or there's folks in the rail room who are building. Memory Care Homes in Houston area, and they're offering over 20% returns to people who just want to, hey, you have money, but you don't have time, and you don't have the interest to actually do some of this yourself. But you understand the power of residential assisted living, and the way that this medical problem and the senior care housing issue is growing in our country. Well, you can put your money there instead of doing it yourself.   Keith Weinhold  25:25   These are four distinct strategies for investing in residential assisted living, from the very much hands on to the passive hands off. Oh, this has really been helpful. Why don't you go ahead and let our audience know how they can learn more about the Raoul room and your website.   Luke Frizzell  25:42   Thanks for that. So we saw that there was a huge knowledge gap between real estate investors and business owners. And just anybody who's an entrepreneur thinking about how to get into this. You see the Cody Sanchez's of the world talking about business ownership and all those things you hear about the problem with our senior housing. And if you put those two things together, there's a huge gap in the marketplace. We wanted to educate people on this, because when we got started, there was a lot of unknowns, and it's really hard to sift through all the confusion about, you know how to get licensed. How do I know how many people I can fit into my home and actually care for? How do I find operators? How can I learn from other people who are actually doing this across the country and figure out which market to get into? So we wanted to combine all of that and have a network of people who know how to find these homes, know how to get you started in doing these and of course, we've been learning along the way as well, and that that was part of our goal as well when we started the Ral room. But we have a community of over 115 people. At this point, you can go to the ralroom.com r a l room.com and find out more. It's a great opportunity to learn about what it is. We have freebies in there about how to get started, from one to 10 step guide, and we even have a free podcast called The Ral room podcast. So tune into that. If you haven't done it yet.   Keith Weinhold  27:04   This has been informative, terrific stuff from Luke Frizzell. The audience will benefit from your point of view. Thanks for your time and intention today.    Luke Frizzell  27:14   Yeah, absolutely, Keith. Appreciate you.   Keith Weinhold  27:17   This was our first of two GRE listener guest profiles. We've got the second one when we come back. I'm Keith Weinhold. You're listening to get rich education.    Keith Weinhold  27:26   The same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your pre qual and even chat with President Chaley Ridge personally. While it's on your mind, start at Ridge lendinggroup.com. That's Ridge lendinggroup.com.    Keith Weinhold  27:58   You know what's crazy your bank is getting rich off of you. The average savings account pays less than 1% it's like laughable. Meanwhile, if your money isn't making at least 4% you're losing to inflation. That's why I started putting my own money into the FFI liquidity fund. It's super simple. Your cash can pull in up to 8% returns, and it compounds. It's not some high risk gamble like digital or AI stock trading. It's pretty low risk because they've got a 10 plus year track record of paying investors on time in full every time. I mean, I wouldn't be talking about it if I wasn't invested myself. You can invest as little as 25k and you keep earning until you decide you want your money back. No weird lockups or anything like that. So if you're like me and tired of your liquid funds just sitting there doing nothing, check it out. Text family 266, 866, to learn about freedom. Family investments, liquidity fund again. Text family to 66866,    Richard Duncan  29:08   this is Richard Duncan, publisher on macro. Watch, listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream. You   Keith Weinhold  29:26   this week's GRE listener guest profile is with an Air Force vet turned real estate investor, and today he even runs the ideal investor show. He's from Germany and lives in San Diego today, using strategies like turnkey real estate, 1031, exchanges and more. He now owns multiple properties in different countries and states. These include the states of Ohio, Idaho, Illinois and Florida, and the nations of Belize, Panama, Spain and more. He's been a GRE listener since episode. 100 which was in 2016 and this helped him connect with income property providers and get started and really growing his wealth through compound leverage, not just compound interest. He ultimately ended up with eight properties in what he calls well performing locations. Hey, it's great to have you here. Welcome to GRE Dr Axel meyerhoffer, hey, Keith, thank you for having me. Meyerhoffer is spelled m, e, i, e r, H, O, E, F, E R. I know that coming on to GRE is something that you've wanted to do for a while, but let's pull back first, what is your doctorate in? And then how do you use that degree or distinction today?   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  30:40   Well, my doctorate is in organizational change and leadership, and the dissertation that I wrote as the study at the end of the degree program was about business coaching and whether it's better for a company to have internal coaches versus external coaches. And when you're diving really deep, my like, I don't know if you're aware, but PhD stands, at least in my book for pilot high and deep, high and deep, right? And so, you know, I really dug into this, and what I learned about coaching is still helping me, even though idea wealth grow is a little bit more mentoring program than a coaching program, but still, the practice of engaging people and getting out of them what they really want to accomplish is valid every day   Keith Weinhold  31:28   when we wonder about what's piled high and deep, I'm sure that thing is knowledge couldn't possibly be anything else. Dr meyerhoffer, tell us what you learned from listening here that piqued your interest?   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  31:43   Well, the one thing is, I had found the book turnkey revolution, by Chris closure, who, for those who don't know he, is the one of the family members of the founders of Memphis invest that is now known as Rei Nation. I'm sure you're very familiar with it, Keith and I've heard of them. Yeah, I read the book, and it was very helpful, but it wasn't very clear, other than his family's company, how do you apply this as a regular investor, which I was at the time. And then I listened to your episodes over and over, talking about how you can use turnkey investing to invest out of state, being far away. And I remember, if I'm not mistaken, that you were in Alaska and investing somewhere in lower 48 and so that kind of got me triggered to look into that.    Keith Weinhold  32:30   You figure, if you're in San Diego, you can invest in Alabama, if a person from Honolulu or anchorage can do that same thing. All right, so you've built up, it sounds like, is it eight turnkey properties? It's   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  32:45   eight turnkey properties. And then I have a few other things, like, I also listen to episodes that you had about agricultural investing. So, yeah, like in Panama, the first investment was in a coffee farm. And then a little later, I also discovered some you would call them, like little cabin, kind of like vacation cabin investments and stuff. So yeah, I've actually learned a lot and benefited, and I always appreciated that, you know, you're not just saying, Hey, here's something you can do, but you oftentimes have a connection or relationship with an organization. And so several times my investments were at least informed, let's say, by GRE,   Keith Weinhold  33:26   yes. And oftentimes I'm investing right next to you, the investor myself, with some of the same GRE marketplace providers. You have eight properties. Are they all cash flowing? Are they all producing positive cash flow?   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  33:41   Yeah. I mean, that's actually one of the things that I wanted from the get go, and that's also part of our idea rights grow a mentoring program to look at properties now. Right now, with the higher interest rates, it's admittedly a little harder to find locations and properties that have a good balance between the quality of the property, the area that the property is in and then also being cash flowing. We have fundamentally for renovated properties. We're still looking for 1% rule. It's harder to find, but you know, as a starting point to say, Should I even consider as long as it's close to that most of the time, the numbers work out, even at seven or eight percentages, you still make at least a little bit of money   Keith Weinhold  34:20   overall. Yes, the real estate deals just aren't as good as they were, say, five years ago, because both rents and prices are up, but rents haven't risen as much as prices have. I still don't know where you're going to find a better risk adjusted return in any investment, though, than with income property bought with a loan.   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  34:42   Yeah, I'm with you on that. And I mean, I remember vividly, not in only in books and other research, that people have this apples to oranges comparison thing going on all the time, right? I always say, Okay, well, tell me if you can buy stocks where somebody gives you 80% of the money, and I already need to put 20 right? What tell me if you can buy stocks and somebody says, Oh, the stock is gonna depreciate in the next 27 and a half years. So, you know, you write some of it off your tax return, and those kind of things. Tell me where somebody gives you money but allows you to keep 100% of the increase in value all these things. I mean, you have beautiful graphics and stuff that you made over time, but when you really try to do apples to apples comparison, there's nothing there. And one thing maybe for the audience, that I think is an important thing to know is, and I know Keith, you have said this so many times, real estate, especially residential real estate and investing, is really the long term game. And that also means to realize, okay, even in times like right now, you might only start with, like, 50 or $100 positive cash flow. But when you look at the longer term, I always say, and I say this to our clients, the first five and maybe right now, it's more like seven years. It's kind of like the hard time of this investment where you just barely break even, where you might be a little disgruntled when you get a maintenance bill and you haven't really built a big reserve yet, because you're still with your first few properties, but when you look at the trajectory, and I can see it now, you know, I've six years in all properties are cash flow positive, the rate that we're getting, even if we only increase rents by 2030, $35 a month, year over year. Like you said, right? You want to train your tenants. When I look at the overall picture, it's basically getting better every year. If you have that in mind, to say, I make an investment. I call, by the way, the point what we want to get to. I call that the time freedom point where your portfolio generates enough cash flow so yet you have a choice to say, Do I go work or do I live off the income? And that is why you still have mortgages, right? So if the listeners ever think, Okay, well, what happens when one after the next, the mortgages get paid off, it's like paradise at that point, right? If you really think of it from a purely cash flow perspective,   Keith Weinhold  36:56   starting is the hardest, because it's clunky to buy your first property, and then it also takes a few years until you really feel the effect of all these wealth multipliers at the same time. You're sort of touching on the third in the inflation Triple Crown, cash flow enhancement, if you only increase the rent three or 4% per year. Yeah. So what it feels like you're only keeping up with inflation, but the fact that your principal and interest payment stays fixed means a three to 4% rent increase might be a 10% cash flow increase. As that compounds year after year, you really begin to feel those effects. But yes, it does take the addition of time, but not decades.   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  37:38   I'm with you. It's just for me, important that anybody who is considering should I get into this right, especially in an environment where people constantly pointing to the fact that the stock market keeps going up, gold is going up, silver is going up, Bitcoin is going up, right? And to me, these are the apples, and they are nice apples, don't get me wrong, right? They're beautiful apples, but we're dealing in oranges, right? And we have these five different things that you keep counting on, and have all kinds of beautiful descriptions about that we get as real estate investors. And it's a choice, right? People can make a choice, and I'm all for diversification, but if you make the choice, then you really have the beginning of building a legacy. And for many people, I find more and more that becomes important to say it's not just for me, like if you were to ask me, it's not just for me, it's also knowing that my daughter will have a much better portfolio than I ever had when I was young. Yeah, our now, like almost two year old grandson, he is going to be safe pretty much forever   Keith Weinhold  38:37   getting started and even after starting for some people, there are certain mindsets that they need to overcome. One of them is getting out of state property. So do you have any thoughts or approaches with adding out of state properties, which is still a foreign proposition to some people?   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  38:56   Well, one thing that I do and emphasize very strongly in our mentoring program is besides the investing and helping people to get the connections to like the turnkey providers and the lenders and the property managers, inspectors and stuff, the other part, and I'm sometimes almost feel, is more important than the investing itself. Obviously, it's kind of a requirement, but the other part is to really as the mentor, help people to develop the mindset of the king or queen of their own empire, or basically the owner of the investing business. And when you think about it that way, I often times portray it in the way look at all the components, all the services that you need for the out of state investor, right? You need the turnkey provider, property management, bank or lender. You need inspectors and stuff. I try to convey to people, we are building an LLC, and that LLC is hiring these people as if they were employees. And if you look at it that way, and you start adopting that mindset. And. You look at their performance like any employer would look at the performance of their employees. If the performance is great, they get praise and the raise. If the performance sucks, you let him go and get another one when you're not going to hang out with the same property management out of state, constantly complaining, not doing their job, not treating the tenants well, not treating your property well. Why would you keep somebody like that? So it's this aspect of building a mindset of, yes, you might have a job, a regular w2 job, but for the purposes of building your real estate portfolio, you are the business owner, and you're hiring all these services. And when that clicks and you start treating the people that you're working with in that way, with respect, but with every expectation that you pay them for their services so they're supposed to perform. That changes, in my opinion and my experience. That changes everything   Keith Weinhold  40:54   comes down to the fact that the team is more important than the property, and a lot of people perhaps overemphasize the geographic location of that property. Location surely matters, but it's just not nearly the most important thing I know. One approach that you take is you have this mantra that underdog properties often outperform hot properties. However, can you speak to that some more   Speaker 3  41:21   Well, I think it has to do with it, with this kind of analogy of Steady as she goes right underdog property, I'm more inclined to look in a nice neighborhood and establish nice neighborhood. I always say, Let's try, with the help of a turnkey provider, to find the ugly duckling in a nice neighborhood and get that renovated and that neighborhood, I'm not a big fan of this term blue color versus white color or anything like that, but if you bring the ugly duckling back to be the white swan of that neighborhood, you have, I believe, a very good probability that that will be a very long time longevity, well respected, well rented, well performing property, rather than, you know, running after the shiny object the most you know, like, I don't want to really open wounds, but I know that a lot of people ran to Austin, Texas, because everybody said, that's the market you gotta be in, Right prices, outrageous rents, looked good for a little while, then the property taxes got adjusted, the market collapsed, and now everybody is whining. I rather have my nice property in Dayton or in Cincinnati, and it's doing steady, as she goes, every month, every year, right? So that's what I meant by that   Keith Weinhold  42:30   a friend and prolific apartment investor, Ken McElroy, who's been a frequent guest on this show, Ken says, look for distressed properties, not distressed markets. There's a lot in that.   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  42:53   Yeah, I'm very much with Ken on that. And it's not just for apartment complexes. I think it fits just as well for single family or duplex triplex fourplex properties? Yeah, we   Keith Weinhold  43:03   want to avoid those distressed markets. It takes a long time for them to turn around, and every property in that market floats up or down with it. Well. Dr meyerhoffer, as we think about the future, you've been around this space for a while now, like you mentioned, you're even helping mentor some others. Where do you think the residential real estate market is headed the next few years? From your perspective,   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  43:27   I really have the feeling it's kind of a little bit like a coil spring that is basically being wound tighter and tighter and tighter. Because people may not agree with me. I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I'm a little bit refusing to believe that the dream and the interest of owning your own property for yourself and your family supposedly has gone away. What I believe is that the circumstances both from a Can I qualify for a loan? Can I afford the price? Can my wages actually work for what I want to accomplish that balance is out of whack a lot right now, but I can totally see when we're looking in the future, that we will see interest rates coming down, properties still being in high demand. And for us as investors, I don't know if you had it on your show before, but I oftentimes being asked, you know, is it still the right time to invest. And my answer is always, like most people in residential real estate, the best time was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. Yeah. And if you adopt this idea of, like, this cold spring getting ready, I mean, just ask yourself people, the last time they really did anything meaningful was basically in 2022 let's just assume it takes another year until interest rates come down, and another six to nine months for the market to really start adjusting. So that takes us to the middle of 2027 that would mean for five years, hundreds of 1000s, if not billions, of people wanted to do something, wanted to move, wanted to get a house, wanted to get a bigger place. They've. Finally can that's kind of the window that I'm looking at with. Not to say there will never be another opportunity. But why would you wait until the market goes crazy when you have it really nice, really calm right now, almost no competition for an owner occupants. It's really an investor market right now. We can pick and we can be diligent, and we can negotiate with the builders and all this nice stuff, no time pressure. They even tell you, I know Keith. They tell you, too, when you have a client, make first sure that the client is qualified before we even talking about price. I remember times when I bought where I was told you have 72 hours to decide if you want it or not and get it under contract because of 100 people out the door who want it, it's the calm before the storm. If you ask me, I can tell exactly when that storm is really gonna hit, but nobody can convince me that if five years the market is basically frozen, that when you release it and open the door, that it's not going to be pretty crazy. Yeah, no, in my opinion,   Keith Weinhold  46:01   that's a good analogy. We're in this period where we have a compressed spring lower interest rates could open up that spring to bounce up, because we have, really, it's all this pent up demand, a pent up demand spring, and we know as mortgage rates fall, millions more people qualify increasing demand for a fixed supply of housing. Well, this has been helpful for the audience. In closing, Dr meyerhoffer, do you have any last thoughts, anything else that you want to share with the GRE audience at all?   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  46:35   Well, the one thing I would say is, you know, you want to work with somebody real estate investing, when you have somebody who has built the experience, like you have Keith with you, the programs and all the partners you're working with, similar to me, over the last 10 years, I think it's a great opportunity to do it now, where you can and have the time to learn and work together and take advantage of this relatively Calm market, because it's probably not going to stay that way. And on the other hand, I also feel that too many people are going like you said, in a slightly different context, after the current shiny object. And I would hate for people that made good money in the last year or two in the stock market to lose it all, because what goes up comes down, especially in these kind of assets, why not take some profits and put it where you really have the long term perspective, like you and I have always suggested for people,   Keith Weinhold  47:29   and is there a good resource where someone can connect with you? Because we've learned that you've taken such an interest in this and you've begun mentoring people. Is it ideal wealth grower?   Dr Axel Meierhoefer  47:38   Yeah. Idealwealthgrower.com we have a button for a complimentary conversation to just book a call. I would assume you agree. You know, when you work with people for longer term and for the personal things like money and investing, you kind of have to have a good relationship. You have to kind of in agreement where you want to go and whether you like each other and have a good energy with each other. So I always feel, let's talk, let's get to know each other. And if we decide we want to work together, then we do that. And if somebody says, You know what I really want to do, apartments. I know people. You know people, we can direct them to. Some people want to do storage units or whatever. So these conversations are really to say, let's get to know each other and see if the goals you have match with what I can help you with. And if that's a yes, then we are off to the races.   Keith Weinhold  48:24   Sort of reassuring in this algorithmic world that we live in, in this highly digital world that people you know really still matter, it's still about your connections with people. Dr Meyer Hopper, it's been great getting your perspective. Thanks so much for coming onto the show.    Dr Axel Meierhoefer  48:42   Thank you, Keith, for having me.   Keith Weinhold  48:49   Yeah, with the first GRE listener guest, Luke, it's just exemplary of how when you own the property now you make the rules, and in this case, you can increase your income multiples by converting your rental property into residential assisted living with the second listener guest, Dr meyerhoffer, I like his analogy of the coiled spring ready to open up as pent up housing demand should get released With lower interest rates. Both guests have a Military Connection, which is merely a coincidence. But today's listener guests were chosen because, unlike others that we've had here, they've each started their own real estate mentoring platforms influenced by listening to this show.    Keith Weinhold  49:35   Now in the preview to today's episode, I let you know that I have an opportunity to tell you about it's been pretty well documented that both Florida and Texas have temporarily overbuilt pockets, and this is where home builders, sometimes desperate, are willing to give you a deep deal. I've discussed Florida and their specific opportunities. What? About Texas? Listen to these deep deals, because Texas, it is one of the most in demand states for real estate investing, but cash flow is often hard to find due to property taxes and rising prices. That's why I'm excited to announce that here at GRE us with our coaches, we found a tiny stash of new construction, yet tenant occupied properties in San Antonio, the Houston suburbs and Dallas suburbs, and they are available exclusively to GRE listeners, four bed homes under 340k here's what's remarkable. There's up to $41,000 to you in incentives. That is 12% back at closing, interest only loan options as low as four and three quarter percent. Yes, they're already leased to long term tenants. This is a 19% cash on cash return potential put these properties into service and get bonus depreciation, like I discussed last week, up to $94,000 these incentives are just massive, and you can qualify with DSCR loans, no tax returns required, no w2 required. I mean, this whole thing is a bigger deal than a Bucky brisket sandwich, something else you'll find in Texas. These are all built either this year or last year. For example, like this beautiful three bed, two bath, single family rental in Conroe, Texas that I'm looking at right now. The sale price is just $279,900 and then you get all those incentives. The rent is almost $2,000 it's 1950 and it's over 1500 square feet on this really good looking property with garage. That's just an example of one of the income properties I'm talking about here. They are off market and they won't be available long. Don't miss out on this best performing Texas inventory we've seen many are already cash flowing, $500 plus a month. Chat with a GRE investment coach, and they'll show you the best picks before this inventory evaporates. Book time with them. It's free. You can do that at GRE investment coach.com. Until next week. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 4  52:47   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  53:10   You know, whenever you want the best written real estate and finance info, oh, geez, today's experience limits your free articles access, and it's got paywalls and pop ups and push notifications and cookies disclaimers, it's not so great. So then it's vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that adds no hype value to your life. That's why this is the golden age of quality newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor, and it's to the point, because even the word abbreviation is too long, my letter usually takes less than three minutes to read, and when you start the letter, you also get my one hour fast real estate video. Course, it's all completely free. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream. Letter, it wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be easier for you to get it right now. Just text gre 266, 866, while it's on your mind, take a moment to do it right now. Text gre 266, 866,   Keith Weinhold  54:26   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth. Building, get richeducation.com 

Episode Overview Dive into one of Northern Virginia's most chilling urban legends: the Bunnyman of Clifton. Was he a mere make‑believe boogeyman, or a figure rooted in real history… and something darker? We explore the odd, twisted tales behind this ominous rabbit figure haunting the backroads of Fairfax County.   What to Expect in This Episode •Setting the Scene: The infamous Colchester (aka Bunnyman) Bridge—a quiet span turned spine‑tingling legend hub. •Origin Stories: From escaped asylum patients to rural vengeance, we trace the fragmented lore. •Eyewitness Fragments: Tales of axe-wielding rabbits, shattered car windows, and midnight terror—some sensational, some chillingly specific . •Fact vs. Folklore: Sorting the 1970s headlines (“Virginia Hopping Over ‘Bunny‑Man'”; “Axe‑wielding bunny man keeps Va. town on alert”; etc.) and whether the legend was fueled by media hysteria . •Historic Perspective: Insights from Brian A. Conley's research (“The Bunny Man Unmasked”) and Fairfax County's archived investigation . •Modern Interpretations: How the Bunnyman lives on in pop culture and podcasts—from One Strange Thing to The Curse of Bunnyman—each adding layers to the myth .   Resources & Credit Lines •Primary sources: Newspaper reports from 1970 editions like Fort Lauderdale News, The Lowell Sun, Miami Herald . •Research archives: Fairfax County historian‑archivist Brian A. Conley's “The Bunny Man Unmasked”; Fairfax County Public Library resources . •Media references: One Strange Thing – Episode 67: The Bunny (May 2, 2025) ; 1001 Heroes, Legends… – The Curse of Bunnyman (August 3, 2025) .   Reach out with episode suggestions or just to say hello at www.fromthevoidpod.com 

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: The Trump Administration names an "emergency police commissioner" for DC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: A police checkpoint spawns a protest in part of DC. As federal authorities are expected to clear homeless encampments, we hear from people who could be affected.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Today's stories include: team coverage -- and reaction from Maryland Governor Wes Moore -- to the Trump administration's federal takeover of D.C. police, deployment of the national guard and federal officers' clearing of homeless encampments in Washington D.C. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Top stories include: a Baltimore ICE facility, federalizing DC Police, and President Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Russia. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Success Is Subjective, Joanna sits down with Bec Koop, whose life has taken more unexpected turns than most. Raised in Northern Virginia and originally pursuing criminal justice, Bec shifted paths after a professor's honest advice—and a realization that chasing justice wasn't the same as finding peace. Since then, her journey has included ski resorts, snowmobiles, cannabis flower design, and now, healing work rooted in movement and joy. After surviving two serious back injuries, Bec chose a different kind of recovery—one built on yoga, meditation, and inner work instead of medication. Today, she helps make homes more accessible and hosts Vibrational Transcendance events that reconnect people with play, creativity, and their inner child. Bec's story is raw, powerful, and full of heart—proof that success doesn't always follow a straight line.Bec's Resources:Vibrational TranscendanceInstagramConnect with Joanna Lilley  Therapeutic Consulting AssociationLilley Consulting WebsiteLilley Consulting on Facebook Lilley Consulting on YouTubeEmail joanna@lilleyconsulting.com#TherapeuticConsulting #LilleyConsulting #Successful  #TherapeuticPrograms #Therapy #MentalHealthMatters #Podcast #PodcastCommunity #TheJourney #SuccessIsSubjectivePodcast #TheUnpavedRoad #PFCAudioVideo #BecKoop #VibrationalTranscenDance #HealingJourney #HolisticWellness #MindBodyHealing

Show Notes: Kellie Doucette describes her journey as zigs and zags, with three distinct chunks defined by her location: Northern Virginia, Bermuda, and New Jersey. She worked for a small health policy consulting firm called the Lewin Group in Northern Virginia, DC, where she met her future husband, John Doucette. A 13-Year Stint in Bermuda Kellie, an actuary, began her career in the Bermuda market after taking the actuarial exams. She and her husband moved to Bermuda in 1996, and they enjoyed the adventure of visiting family on the East Coast and raising their children there. The reinsurance industry in Bermuda was growing rapidly, and Kellie joined a life and health group company and continued taking the actuarial exams. Their 13-year stint in Bermuda provided innovative career opportunities, working with clients and devising innovative ways to achieve objectives. Pursuing a Path in Politics However, Kellie left her job in 2008 to pursue a different path. She worked remotely for a few years, but she started feeling like she needed a change.  In 2016, she became unhappy with the trajectory of national politics and decided to become more involved in politics. She started volunteering for local government office campaigns and met a candidate running in her congressional district during the 2018 midterms who aimed to flip a seat from red to blue. During the midterms, Kellie lived in a swing district, which could potentially flip the seat.  Kellie found herself in the midst of New Jersey politics. She was fortunate to work with a candidate, Mikie Sherrill, who won a congressional race and is now running for governor in New Jersey.  Establishing a District Office Kellie worked to establish a district office for Mikie, which spanned over six years. As the district director, Kellie aimed to build bridges between the district and the mayors, ensuring they served the entire district, not just the blue parts. She prioritized building trust and respecting the fact that they were there for everyone, learning from the mayors, local electives, and community stakeholders. Kellie emphasizes the importance of showing up everywhere and respecting that it would take time to build trust with the community. Her experience highlights the importance of being genuine and understanding the needs of the community. Working Across Party Lines Kellie shares her experience working with a congressional office during a divisive time. The office was open to serving constituents and addressing issues that were not always seen in government. She found it rewarding to work with local officials and local officials across party lines to tackle various issues, such as flooding, public safety, and mental health. Since leaving the congressional office, Kellie continues to do what she can to support Mikie in her run for Governor. She has also been involved in consulting work for a county college and serves on two boards  - as vice chair of the board of her high school and on the board of Ibis Reproductive Health, a non-profit run by our classmate Kelly Blanchard. Kellie is excited to see what comes next in her journey!  The Challenges of a Congressional Office The conversation turns to Congress members setting up and running their offices, with a set budget that can be used in various ways due to different priorities and districts. New Jersey is a densely populated state, and in Kellie's district they could have a single district office serving everyone. A district in a western state, for example, may have to budget differently to accommodate multiple offices. Kellie mentions the importance of having support of more established congressional offices in New Jersey when they were setting up and the choice in Mikie's office to have two district directors to ensure mayors in their 54 towns had a senior contact in the office. Kellie also discusses the challenges of setting up a congressional office in a flipped district where you do not get as much cooperation from the prior office. She acknowledges the need for strong communication and organization and stresses the importance of a well-organized and efficient office environment. She goes on to share how the district office works and how the different agencies work. Outreach During the August District Work Period Kellie talks about her experiences with the August district work period, which is a time for organizing outreach for the Congresswoman in the district. She highlights how much she enjoyed learning about the strong manufacturing economy and pharma industry in the district, as well as the innovative work happening in various sectors. How important it was to bring local electeds and colleges into the conversations to support these companies and ensure they have the workforce pipeline and education system in place to attract talent. She talks about the role of the bipartisan group of mayors, known as The Strike Force and how it has assembled to deal with the issue of flooding in the area. Influential Harvard Professors and Courses Kellie, a former government major, transitioned to economics as a better fit for her. She took Public Sector Economics under Larry Summers, which highlighted the integration of her policy and economic interests. She appreciates the breadth of classes and the opportunity to learn from different perspectives. She believes that the best learning experience was managing the football team at Harvard. Timestamps: 02;25: Kelly's Career Journey: Northern Virginia and Bermuda 07:37: Transition to New Jersey and Political Career  12:27: Building Trust and Serving the District  35:05: Challenges and Achievements in District Work  41:14: Reflecting on Harvard and Career Insights  Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellie-doucette-a3424a11a/ Email:  kelliemitradoucette@gmail.com       Featured Non-profit The featured non-profit of this week's episode is recommended by Angela Romans who reports: “Hi. I'm Angela Romans, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is Innovation for Equity. Innovation for Equity is a network of changemakers across the education ecosystem committed to transforming the life outcomes of black learners of all ages. Co-founded by several Harvard 92 and 93 graduates, I have been privileged to serve as the founding executive director of Innovation for Equity, or IFE, since 2021 you can learn more about our work at Innovation Equity dot O, R, G, and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.”   To learn more about their work, visit: InnovationEquity.org.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.President Trump moves to allow the federal government to take over the DC Police Department.WTOP's Kate Ryan kicks off our team coverage.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The University of Virginia ends a decades-long program for low-income students... People may be leaving the state of Virginia as its considered a high tax state... A controversial data center proposed for Northern Virginia is on hold... The Virginia Department of Social Services shared SNAP applicants data with the federal government... And Williamsburg launched an outreach program to serve people without housing...

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: We have new details about plans for increased federal law enforcement in DC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Today's stories include: President Trump increases the amount of federal officers on District streets and a D.C. council member facing a federal bribery charge is sworn back in.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: More federal law enforcers may hit the streets of DC...as soon as today.New and higher U-S tariffs on goods from DOZENS of countries.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Top stories include President Trump calling for the federal government to seize control of D.C., new developments involving the man who allegedly shot and killed two Israeli Embassy workers in May, and Initiative 82.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the Bill Press Pod, Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) discusses the severe impact of Donald Trump's policies on the federal workforce, particularly in Northern Virginia, and the troubling economic data under Trump's administration. Beyer expresses concerns over the multiple effects of Trump's actions, such as layoffs and tariffs, on both global trade and local economies. They also touch on the partisan handling of budgets and the repercussions of Medicaid cuts. The conversation extends to recent electoral dynamics, highlighting the Virginia Governor's race and the broader need for Democrats to refocus their messaging. Beyer shares his thoughts on potential 2028 presidential candidates, expressing a preference for Pete Buttigieg while discussing the challenges Kamala Harris faced. Lastly, the discussion anticipates a forthcoming vote on the release of Epstein files, reflecting bipartisan support.Today Bill highlights the work of ActBlue. The organization that raises hundreds of millions of dollars for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. To support any candidate in any race, go to ActBlue.com and provide what you can. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Today's stories include: President Trump once again threatens to seize control of the District if local leaders don't address crime issues, and a bond hearing over a Maryland mother accused of killing her two children.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest local news impacting D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.Today's top news stories: A fire in Prince George's County this morning claimed the life of a 9-year-old child. We'll get the latest in a live report.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this heartfelt and powerful episode, I sit down with Shannon Synoracki, a PA, mother of three, and founder of Prejuvenation Esthetics in Northern Virginia. Shannon shares her deeply personal journey from loss and hardship to building a values-driven business that reflects who she truly is—not what the industry expects her to be. We talk about: What it means to define success for yourself The mindset shift from provider to CEO Overcoming perfectionism and embracing imperfect action How comparison and social media can derail your vision Why building a team and simplifying your business might be your greatest unlock Shannon reminds us that personal growth is baked into entrepreneurship—and that sometimes, slowing down is the boldest move you can make. And because I know how important this leadership work is, I've created a free resource for you — my Confident Leadership Playbook. It's designed to help you unlock your unique leadership DNA, understand the psychology and strategy of elite leadership, and define your personal success path.

      About this episode:  From June 18, 1864 until April 2, 1865, the Union Armies of the James and Potomac laid siege to Peterburg, Virginia - the all-important supply and communication center for Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Richmond itself. After 45 days of constant bloodletting in the Overland Campaign, the contesting forces began what would mirror warfare five decades later - miles and miles of trenches, denuded landmarks and death not so much by rifled muskets and artillery but disease. This is the story of the Confederacy's long, slow descent into darkness. This the story of the siege of Petersburg.    ----more---- Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode: George Gordon Meade Wade Hampton III Benjamin Butler Philip Sheridan John B. Gordon Gouverneur Warren   Additional Resources: First Battle Of Deep Bottom - July 27-29, 1864   Siege Of Petersburg - Actions August 18-19, 1864   Siege Of Petersburg - Actions October 27, 1864   Siege Of Petersburg - Actions March 29-31, 1865   Siege Of Petersburg - Actions April 2, 1865   Subscribe to the Threads from the National Tapestry YouTube Channel here   Thank you to our sponsor, The Badge Maker - proudly carrying affordable Civil War Corps Badges and other hand-made historical reproductions for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history. Check out The Badge Maker and place your orders here   Thank you to our sponsor Bob Graesser, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's editor of The Knapsack newsletter and the Round Table's webmaster at http://www.raleighcwrt.org   Thank you to our sponsor John Bailey.   Producer: Dan Irving