Flex Forward

Nic and Ruben go deep on what really sets a contractor apart: proactive communication, transparency, and doing exactly what you said you’d do. Ruben opens up about his path—from working with his dad in construction to launching his own firm in 2014—plus the detours, doubts, and breakthroughs along the way. They cover networking that turns into real partnerships, habits for self-improvement, and why he continues to invest in multifa...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, host Nic Espanet sits down with Cody Payne, Senior VP at Colliers, to talk about his journey in commercial real estate and his expertise in the growing small bay industrial sector. With over 18 years in the business, Cody shares what sets his team apart, the challenges he’s faced, and why persistence is key in a fully commissioned sales career.

Cody also opens up about managing anxiety, ...

What’s this episode about? On this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, host Nic Espanet sits down with real estate investor and entrepreneur Todd Dexheimer of Endurus Capital. Todd shares his journey from flipping houses to managing a multifamily portfolio worth over half a billion dollars. You'll hear why he believes in long-term value, how he chooses deals, and what he's doing to bring property management in-house.

Why should yo...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with Marc Nathan, Senior Director of Market Development at Michael Best. Known as a “market connector,” Marc shares how building authentic relationships has shaped his career in tech, startups, and consumer packaged goods.

Marc reveals his simple but powerful “okay power” for networking, why remembering names is the ultimate superpower, and how trust is the foundati...

In this conversation, Suresh walks through his journey from growing up in a Miami repair station to launching Jets MRO in Dallas. He explains the niche they serve—scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for Learjets, Citations, and Challenger jets—and a component-repair business in South Florida. The heart of the episode is culture: Suresh set out to beat industry-wide mechanic turnover by putting technicians first with free family b...

What does it take to succeed in corporate healthcare, give back through nonprofit work, and keep pushing forward when life gets tough? In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with Dr. Christine Grogan, healthcare executive and founder of Brave Coalition, a nonprofit focused on educating women about their breast health rights and expanding access to breast reconstruction — especially for women of color and...

On this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast with Nic Espanet, we're joined by Paul Montelongo—serial entrepreneur, investor, and lifelong learner. Paul takes us through his journey from flipping his first property at 19 to managing a diversified real estate portfolio that now includes data centers and student housing.

He shares key strategies behind his success in multifamily and commercial real estate, talks about converting under...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with Deon Hill, founder of Uninstone Investments, to explore his journey from a cleaning business to building a growing real estate operation. Based in Georgia, Deon shares how he began wholesaling in 2017 and is now expanding into the multifamily commercial space.

Deon breaks down the strategies that set him apart in a competitive industry—particularly his focus on...

What does it take to transition from flipping homes to building a multifamily real estate portfolio? In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast with Nic Espanet, Jimmy Edwards, partner at High Five Multifamily, shares his journey from finance and single-family investing into the world of multifamily real estate.

Jimmy opens up about lessons learned through trial and error, the importance of people over spreadsheets, and why commun...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, host Nic Espanet sits down with Brayden Hudson, co-founder and CFO of Trellis Energy Partners, to talk about building a lean, relationship-driven business in the oil and gas industry.

Brayden shares how Trellis Energy Partners is opening doors for individual investors to access non-operated oil and gas opportunities across the U.S.—a traditionally difficult-to-reach market. He explains h...

What does it take to build wealth through passive investing while balancing risk and reward? In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast with Nic Espanet, Nic sits down with seasoned investor and entrepreneur Sandhya Seshadri, founder of Engineer Capital, to explore how she built her portfolio across multifamily real estate, oil, and stocks.

Sandhya shares her journey from immigrating to the U.S. with just two suitcases and a tight...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, host Nic Espanet sits down with Derrick Johns, a former Marine turned medtech entrepreneur based in Austin, Texas. Derrick shares the journey behind founding Diffusion Technologies, a company developing revolutionary biomaterials like ZFuse—designed to overcome chronic inflammation caused by traditional implant materials like titanium and stainless steel.

Derrick opens up about starting ...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast with Nic Espanet, Dr. Cristin Dickerson, founder of Green Imaging, shares how she went from avoiding the business side of healthcare to running a nationwide imaging network that serves over 2.5 million health plan members. She reveals how a sudden spike in MRI prices inspired her to create a cost-saving solution, and how her unique partnerships with imaging centers have set Green Imaging ...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, host Nic Espanet sits down with Sheldon Krancher, a pioneer in the aligner orthodontics industry. With nearly two decades of experience, Sheldon has played a transformative role in shaping the future of dental and orthodontic care.

Sheldon shares how his journey led him to identify a major gap in aligner-based treatments—clinical diagnosis—and how his company, Clear Forward, now serves t...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast with Nic Espanet, Jason Surat shares how his career evolved from the corporate world and short-term rentals into owning and operating large multifamily properties. He talks about his early days in sales, his transition into fix-and-flip projects, and why short-term rentals became his gateway to bigger deals. Jason also breaks down what sets him apart as an operator, from disciplined budge...

What if the future of space travel relied on oceans—not just Earth’s oceans, but ones hidden beneath the icy surfaces of moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn? In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with Paul Mamakos, founder of Space Ocean Corp, to explore the innovative concept of harvesting extraterrestrial water for space exploration.

Paul shares how his journey—from studying nuclear engineering and avia...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, host Nic Espanet sits down with Jesse Dishaw, founder of “Your Water Guy” and a serial entrepreneur in the water filtration space. Jesse shares how a shocking water test led him to co-found Living Water Systems, scale it to millions in revenue, and eventually launch his own affordable water filtration company. Learn how Jesse is shaking up the industry by offering whole-house water filtr...

In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with real estate investor and entrepreneur Lane Kawaoka. Lane shares how he transitioned from being a civil engineer to building a multifamily investment business and founding his company, The Wealth Elevator.

Lane opens up about his early real estate journey—starting with single-family homes and eventually moving into multifamily syndications and private equity. He...

On this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with long-time friends and seasoned real estate investors, Phyllis and Ken Salverson. With decades of success in corporate America—Phyllis in high-level government tax management and Ken in IT and vendor management—they share how they transitioned into multifamily real estate investing later in life.

Ken and Phyllis dive into their journey of self-education, mentors...