Built For This Show

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Kannon Callis—a software-salesman-turned-property-manager—who shares how he made the leap from tech to real estate and built a purpose-driven investing business. Originally from Texas and now thriving in Boise, Idaho, Kannon shares his journey from accidental landlord to intentional investor and entrepreneur.

Kannon opens up about the hard lessons learned from his first flip, the importan...

In this heartfelt and value-packed episode, Brian Biernat shares how two life-altering events led him and his wife Amy to step away from the corporate world and dive into real estate investing—with zero experience. From their early (and costly) missteps to building a diversified portfolio that includes long-term rentals, furnished housing, notes, JVs, and turnkey projects, Brian pulls back the curtain on the real challenges—and win...

What does it take to buy seven properties in just one year—while working full-time, parenting a toddler, and managing renovations? This week, Amy Brooke joins us to share how she and her husband scaled their real estate portfolio in Ontario, Canada with grit, strategy, and serious mindset work.

Amy talks about her journey from buying her first home at 19 in the UK to diving into Canadian real estate, where she self-manages 20+ unit...

In this episode of The Built For This Show, Daniel Zammata joins Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane to talk about the often-overlooked grind behind real estate investing. Originally from Colombia, Daniel shares why he’s intentionally chosen markets like Oklahoma and Ohio over the usual real estate hot spots—and how staying grounded and gritty has paid off.

Daniel walks us through his transition from property management to becoming a ful...

In this episode of The Built for This Podcast, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane chat with Rob Gibbs, an IT professional-turned-investor based in Austin, Texas. Rob shares his journey from purchasing his first property sight unseen to building a sustainable portfolio of short, mid, and long-term rentals—all while working full-time and managing his properties remotely.

You’ll hear how Rob leverages his background in IT to streamli...

In this episode, we sit down with Carrie Howder—a dog-loving, detail-oriented former paralegal turned real estate investor—who shows us what it really means to take the leap and bet on yourself. From a spontaneous start in South Boston to building a lifestyle business centered around pet-friendly short-term rentals in Maine, Carrie shares her journey of agility, grit, and resourcefulness.

Carrie walks us through how she used a 1031...

In this episode of the Built For This Podcast, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with real estate investor and entrepreneur Josh Meisel to uncover his unique journey from corporate employee and stock market investor to real estate owner and CEO of a short-term rental property management business.

Josh shares how he started out diversifying investments through real estate after getting burned by rising HOA fees on his fir...

What do you do when your dad tells you that your skills might not cut it in the job market? If you're Cris Sohmer, you take that as a challenge and build your own path—starting with a civil service career and eventually becoming a full-time real estate investor.

In this episode of The Built For This Podcast, Alissa and Andrea sit down with Cris to uncover how she turned real estate from a side hustle into her full-time obsession. F...

What does it really mean to be built for this? In this powerful episode, we meet Kris Fleming—real estate negotiator, investor, and creator of The Genius Cultivator—who turned a childhood of poverty and homelessness into a life of wealth and impact through real estate.

Kris shares her raw and inspiring journey of buying her first home at just 18 after aging out of foster care, and how she developed a talent for creative deals, powe...

This episode of the Built For This podcast features Nana Hong, a former PhD student turned full-time real estate investor with a 20-unit portfolio in Pittsburgh. Co-hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane dive into Nana’s inspiring transition from academia and biotech sales to building a purpose-driven real estate business. Nana shares how her analytical background, experience in sales, and deep personal values shaped her investment ap...

In this episode of The Built for This Podcast, Alissa and Andrea sit down with Shona Lepis—Portland-based real estate investor and coach—to uncover what it really takes to build a profitable buy-and-hold real estate business. From her roots in graphic design to scaling a thriving portfolio of midterm rentals, Shona shares how creative financing, smart design, and strong community ties have shaped her investing journey.

Tune in to h...

What would you do if you landed in a new country at 18 with no English, no family, and just $50 in your pocket? Ewka Kawecki did what few would dare—she got to work. From a bakery job to building a real estate portfolio across Indiana and Illinois, Ewka is the definition of grit and grace in business.

In this inspiring episode, Ewka shares her journey of buying her first home after working 7 days a week, how a surprise rehab led to...

In this episode, Alissa and Andrea are joined by Noel Christopher, a seasoned real estate expert whose journey spans commercial brokerage, institutional acquisitions, and single-family investments across the country. With decades of experience under his belt, Noel shares how his commercial background shaped a professional and analytical approach to residential investing—and why that’s a serious advantage in today’s market.

From acq...

What happens when a burned-out software engineer decides he’s done with the corporate grind? In this episode of The Built for This Podcast, David Ounanian shares how he transitioned from a 12-year tech career to becoming a successful real estate investor and agent in St. Louis.

Hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane dive into David’s journey, including how he scaled to 20 rental properties, the challenges of his first disastrous deal,...

In this episode of The Built For This Podcast, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with Austin Spitzenberger, founder of a thriving luxury vacation rental management company in Central Texas. Austin shares how saying "no" became the secret weapon to his success—and how focusing on one thing helped him scale intentionally, grow profitably, and still prioritize what matters most: family.

Austin’s journey from buying a new bu...

In this inspiring episode of The Built For This Podcast, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with James Hwang, an oncology pharmacist turned real estate entrepreneur. James shares how a personal health scare pushed him to rethink his financial future and dive headfirst into real estate investing.

Discover how James balances his full-time career while building a thriving midterm rental portfolio in New Jersey. He talks abou...

When Adam Rojas first dipped his toes into real estate, it wasn't by choice—it was his wife's idea. But what started with hesitation quickly turned into a growing real estate side business that is helping the couple build long-term wealth and diversify their income. In this episode, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with Adam to explore how he went from reluctant landlord to active investor in the Atlanta area.

Adam open...

What if your real estate investment could be more than a business—what if it could be a lifeline? In this episode of The Built For This Podcast, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with Abi Horton, a midterm rental entrepreneur whose passion for people fuels her success. Abi shares how her early days as a real estate agent in the UK, her hospitality background, and her heart for service led her to carve out a niche helping...

In this special “hosts-only” episode of Built for This, Andrea and Alissa flip the mic on themselves to unpack a real-life investing experience that every investor can learn from. Alissa shares the story of her first duplex purchase—from the excitement of closing day to the unexpected reality of evictions, renovations, and property management missteps.

This episode is a masterclass in how to keep your cool, your systems tight, and ...