In this episode of Burning the Ships, I sat down with Callie Loewen—entrepreneur, investor, and licensed broker—whose journey from speech-language pathologist to real estate powerhouse is the definition of what this show is all about. Callie shares the exact moment she realized her stable career path couldn’t offer the life she truly wanted, the steps she took to replace her income through real estate, and how she and her husband built an entire ecosystem of flipping, building, contracting, and brokering.
This is a masterclass in strategic risk, calculated growth, and building something that aligns with the life you want, not the life others expect of you.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make the leap, navigate a business with your spouse, or balance massive goals with real life, this episode will leave you fired up.
Key Talking Points of the Episode
00:00 Introduction
01:13 JJ’s Joke of the Week
02:36 Callie’s Story: From SLP + finance to flipping homes
04:49 What replacing your salary before quitting actually looks like
07:41 Mega flips, $90K profit spreads, and sniff tests you won’t forget
10:58 Learning through mentorship: “I wrote the check!”
14:15 Evolving the model from cash machines to portfolio planning
16:34 How Covid forced the pivot into buy-and-hold
18:27 Surrounding yourself with like-minded people to achieve your goals
22:12 Being business partners and life partners
26:01 Scheduling family first: productivity through constraint
28:06 Nashville market trends and why Callie still sees upside
33:09 “Quitting isn’t an option” and how to build new boats
42:58 From SLP to CEO: transferable skills and mindset shifts
46:10 What the future looks like for Callie
48:10 Retirement redefined: what Callie wants for the next chapter
52:59 Why community + consistency is everything in entrepreneurship
Quotables
“Everything changes when you decide that quitting isn’t an option.”
“Retirement to me isn’t sitting still. It’s having the time, money, and freedom to chase the ideas I care about.”
“When you build one boat, you realize you can build another. You might even build a fleet.”
Links
Callie Loewen
https://www.instagram.com/calliewalkerloewen
608B Capital
