In this powerful episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Sandra Arnold — a real estate investor, wife, mom of three, and Sweden native whose journey embodies grit, resilience, and reinvention.
Sandra shares how growing up with a father battling addiction shaped her drive to create a better life, one built on independence, hard work, and purpose. From leaving Sweden for college in the U.S., to balancing motherhood, homeschooling during the pandemic, and ultimately building a real estate portfolio and her first new construction project from the ground up, her story is one of courage and continual growth.
We also dive deep into motherhood, mentorship, private lending, short-term rentals, and the delicate balance between giving your kids a better life without shielding them from real-world lessons.
If you’ve ever wondered how to chase big dreams while keeping family first, this episode will leave you inspired to take action, no matter where you’re starting from.
Key Talking Points of the Episode
00:00 Introduction
01:05 JJ’s Joke of the Week
02:20 Childhood and early motivations: growing up in Sweden, navigating a difficult home environment, and deciding to create a different life.
05:44 Lessons learned about resilience, self-reliance, and determination from losing her father
09:22 Moving to the U.S. at 19 to attend George Mason University
11:37 Meeting her husband, navigating deployment, and building a life together across continents
12:36 Life between Sweden and the U.S.: culture, family, and finding where “home” really is
14:20 Challenges during the pandemic: moving back to the US, deciding to homeschool
17:31 Discovering real estate investing through BiggerPockets, RING meetups, and finding inspiration in the Richmond investing community
20:40 Lessons learned through homeschooling for the first time
23:51 The first duplex: learning about evictions, repairs, and real-world education
30:13 Joining Brandon Lindsay’s Rehab Playbook and building her first investment property from scratch
33:52 The power of mentorship and how having a guide builds confidence, community, and results
39:11 Turning the new build into a short-term rental: strategy, returns, and Hopewell’s hidden potential
45:01 Future vision: expanding into build-to-rent models and sustainable growth
46:39 Discovering private lending through self-directed retirement accounts
51:30 Balancing motherhood and business, raising grounded kids while running a growing real estate portfolio
55:40 Family travel and point hacking: how Sandra uses credit card points to fund world travel for her family.
01:00:10 Parenting through privilege: raising resilient, grateful kids in a better world than the one you came from.
Quotables
“I just decided this is not going to be me. The only way out was to get good grades and take responsibility for my own life.”
“I didn’t want to just outsource building a house. I wanted to learn how to build a house so I could keep doing it.”
“Having a mentor gives you confidence. When things go wrong, they’ve seen it before, and you realize — everything is figureoutable.”
Links
Sandra Arnold
https://www.facebook.com/sandramarnold
608B Capital
