In this weekly ramble, I break down one of the most influential books I’ve ever read—Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. This episode isn’t a chapter-by-chapter summary. It’s a deep dive into how the mindset of extreme ownership has transformed the way I lead, parent, invest, and handle adversity.

I share real-life stories—from my early flips and hiring missteps to leading a sales agency and raising my kids. And the common thread in all of them? At the end of the day, you are responsible. When things go wrong, it’s not about pointing fingers—it’s about stepping up and owning the outcome. That’s how real leaders think. That’s how people who win long-term operate.

If you’ve ever struggled with blame, excuses, or the need to control what’s out of your hands, this one’s for you. Let’s talk about owning your life.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

02:00 JJ’s Joke of the Week

03:05 The core principle: you are responsible for everything in your life

04:16 Why most people deflect, blame, and point fingers

06:27 You can’t change the past—only what you do next 09:11 How you should be taking extreme ownership 13:34 Leadership lessons: owning what your team does under your name

17:13 How taking extreme ownership as a leader builds trust

21:01 Ownership = Control

23:55 Inventory check: where are you deflecting responsibility right now?

Quotables

“Extreme ownership isn’t about blame, it’s about control. It’s about what happens next.”

“When things go wrong, ask: what did I do or not do to let this happen?”

“Leaders who blame rarely grow. Leaders who own get better, stronger, and more trusted.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

Extreme Ownership

https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs/dp/1250067057

In this powerful sit-down with my good friend Tim Bratz, we go beyond real estate and straight into resilience, ego, family, and leadership. Tim’s story isn’t just about building a real estate empire, it’s about rebuilding with intention when everything gets hard.

From climbing to 4,800 doors and then intentionally scaling back to just 2,000, Tim shares the lessons he learned the hard way—through lawsuits, market shifts, partner friction, and being millions underwater. We talk about staying consistent, navigating failure with integrity, and the massive impact that community and mindset have when your back’s against the wall.

If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or high achiever in any space, this episode will hit home. Real talk, real strategy, and real legacy—it’s all here.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction 04:13 Why Tim’s consistent voice built trust over time 05:45 Tim’s response to public criticism on BiggerPockets

11:45 Tim’s story: from blue collar Ohio kid to multifamily investor 13:35 Growing his rental portfolio to 4500 doors by 2021

14:36 COVID chaos, eviction moratoriums, and carrying toxic deals 16:02 Two biggest survival tools: community & doing the work

19:05 Narrowing from 12 states to 2: getting lean and focused 21:10 Ego & real estate: did the door count ever matter too much? 23:00 “More” = more stress, more problems, more distraction 25:00 Tim’s first mastermind story: drunk on New Year’s Eve, PayPaling $5K 29:45 The ROI of proximity: how he tripled his income in 10 months 34:19 The birth of Legacy Family 37:31 From liability to asset: how a game night became a mastermind 41:40 The mindset to have everything figured out

43:50 Surviving a $100M Texas deal gone wrong and raising $20M to fix it 50:04 The difference between relational vs. transactional members in masterminds 51:38 The 3-year Principle

55:40 Social media presence ≠ real reach

01:01:31 The impact of reputation and consistency in networking

01:08:28 How Tim prioritizes family over everything (including business)

01:12:16 Why proximity builds better kids and how his family travels with his mastermind 01:14:05 Time blocking, boundaries, and making work serve your life

Quotables

“I made $400,000 in 10 months after I finally invested in the right room. That wasn’t luck—it was community + doing the work.”

“The people who’ve stayed in the room for 2–3 years? That’s who I’ll be judged by.”

“More wasn’t better. More was just heavier. Heavier debt, heavier stress, heavier everything.”

Links

Tim Bratz

https://www.instagram.com/timbratz/

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this week’s ramble, I dive deep into a book that hit me harder than I expected: The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. This isn’t just another mindset book, it’s a framework for how to reclaim your peace, your focus, and your freedom by letting go of the things you can’t control… especially what other people think.

From family drama to business gossip to childhood wounds, I unpack how this book reshaped my thinking and why I believe this mindset shift belongs in the top 3 most impactful reads of my life. I also share personal stories—some raw, some emotional—about how “letting them” has helped me step into a stronger version of myself.

If you’re feeling weighed down by criticism, expectations, or needing to be understood—this episode is for you. It’s time to burn the ships of validation and get back to owning your life.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

01:48 JJ’s Joke of the Week

02:23 The 3 books that shaped my mindset 05:05 Why you should listen to the audiobook version 06:37 What the “Let Them” theory is all about

08:59 “My reaction to their reaction won’t change their reaction”

10:39 Why this matters for overthinkers, people-pleasers & high achievers 12:23 Let them judge you and stop explaining yourself into exhaustion 13:53 How judgment kept me up at night about leaving corporate

16:10 Their opinion of you is none of your business 17:10 Let them leave: family, friends, employees, clients

20:21 Why I chose distance to protect my kids

23:23 Let them talk: gossip, criticism, doubt 26:25 The power of silence against people talking about you

27:39 Let them not support you: not everyone will clap when you win

29:02 Burn the emotional ships: stop needing validation

Quotables

“My reaction to their reaction won’t change their reaction.”

“Clarity doesn’t require consensus—just commitment.”

“You never hear someone ahead of you talking down to people behind them.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

The Let Them Theory

https://www.amazon.com/Let-Them-Theory-Life-Changing-Millions/dp/1401971369

In this special episode of Burning the Ships, I sit down with Matt Brooks, guitarist and founding member of the hard rock band Like a Storm—one of the most successful musical acts to come out of New Zealand.

Matt pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to turn a dream into a worldwide touring machine. We talk about the band’s DIY beginnings, how they used grit, belief, and bold thinking to go from opening gigs to chart-topping international tours without a major label deal, and how Matt is overcoming the rockstar life he has grown to know for years.

From creative freedom to business strategy, this conversation isn’t just for musicians, it’s for anyone willing to bet on themselves when no one else will.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

00:39 JJ’s Joke of the Week

01:29 Who is Matt Brooks?

09:27 Matt’s introduction to his passion for music

14:26 The challenges of being a musician in New Zealand

16:37 Where Matt’s love for music comes from

18:23 How playing in a band is like a business partnership

20:29 The pros of working with family in music

23:43 Making the decision to move to Vancouver

27:53 Why Matt and his brothers moved to Vancouver

32:39 The beginning of Like a Storm’s success

39:12 Joining Creed on tour for the first time

41:38 How resilience and determination helped Like a Storm succeed

43:24 The vicious cycle of the music industry

46:00 Finding challenges to foster continuous growth

48:24 The cliches of the music industry

51:41 Developing unhealthy coping mechanisms as a musician

53:57 How COVID impacted the music industry

57:11 Becoming dependent on substances to sustain a career

59:22 Overcoming the rockstar cliche

01:04:43 Life as a musician and life in the military

01:08:32 Matt’s wake up call during COVID

01:13:46 How addiction can affect children’s perspective in life

01:15:51 Matt’s mission to help musicians with their mental health

01:24:38 Learning how to be your authentic self

01:29:04 Get in touch with Matt Brooks

Quotables

“Our hope was always to end up touring the US but we knew this was gonna be a gradual process, so for us, Vancouver was a great place to start.”

“A lot of the cliches about the music business are true – which is that it’s this incredibly exciting, amazing adventure, and you have the chance to do a lot of things that people don’t but there’s a cost to that.”

“The only thing that I could commit to was that I was gonna keep trying.”

Links

Matt Brooks

https://www.facebook.com/likeastormmatt

https://www.instagram.com/likeastormmatt

Like a Storm

https://www.instagram.com/likeastorm

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

In this episode, I sit down with my good buddy Tyrone Taylor, someone I’ve admired for a long time because of how he carries himself – with humility, resilience, and an unshakable commitment to growth.

Tyrone shares his incredible story: growing up in Philadelphia, watching his blue-collar father and entrepreneurial mother model grit and vision, bouncing back from career setbacks, and building a real estate portfolio one tough lesson at a time. We talk about the highs, the lows, the pivotal mindset shifts, and how his focus on family, fitness, and financial freedom drives everything he does.

This is an honest, powerful conversation about what it really takes to burn the ships, push through adversity, and stay grounded in your mission.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

01:22 JJ’s Joke of the Week

03:56 Who is Tyrone Taylor?

06:14 Lessons learned from his parents: independence, generosity, and grit 08:09 Falling in love with computers during the dot-com boom

11:32 First corporate job in IT and the layoff that changed everything

14:14 Stepping into renewable energy and green infrastructure 16:33 Building a waste-to-energy facility and learning hard business lessons

19:51 What Tyrone learned from his parents

24:09 Launching into real estate in 2015: first flips, first lessons

26:58 Investing $27K into a real estate course and why it mattered

30:12 Scaling into property management: 350+ units managed

35:41 Exiting the management company to focus 100% on ownership 37:02 Building a personal portfolio: 32 units in the first year 41:41 The cash flow drought of 2023 and how Tyrone muscled through

44:04 Lessons learned from failure, staying positive in adversity 50:20 The irreplaceable role of his wife in their journey 54:57 Why fitness, health, and family drive every decision he makes

Quotables

“If it doesn’t kill me, I’m going to figure it out.”

“You’re batting a thousand in life if you’re still breathing. You’ve survived 100% of what’s tried to stop you.”

“Adversity isn’t a reason to quit. It’s the training ground for the life you’re building.”

Links

Tyrone Taylor

https://www.facebook.com/thisistyronetaylor

608B Capital

https://www.608bcapital.com

In this Weekly Ramble, I’m pulling back the curtain on one of the most important things I’m trying to build and it’s not a business. It’s raising independent, resilient, kind, and grateful kids.

Parenting isn’t about getting it perfect, it’s about staying intentional. In this episode, I break down the strategies my wife Katie and I are using every day to raise children who can figure things out, who treat people well, and who aren’t afraid to fail and try again.

If you’re a parent, coach, mentor, or just someone who cares about the next generation—this episode will hit home. It’s not about preaching. It’s about leading by example, letting them struggle a little, and showing them how to smile through it all.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

02:08 JJ’s Joke of the Week

03:16 The #1 way to teach kids independence: model it

05:07 Lessons from Mrs. Souter: Why laughter matters in every situation 07:48 Teaching kids real independence vs. false independence 09:38 How we intentionally let our kids fail at small things

13:40 Modeling resilience: kids watch how you handle adversity

14:54 Teaching kindness: reacting to compliments, standing up for others

16:38 Why standing up for people matters (and why we encourage it) 18:00 Healthy habits start early: why we model physical and mental health

Quotables

“I can’t make my kids be anything, but I can influence everything right now.”

“We let them struggle on purpose. It’s not being mean, it’s building resilience.”

“If you want your kids to smile through life, you better show them how to do it.”

Links

608B Capital

https://608bcapital.com

Today I sit down with my good friend Josh Dixon, a powerhouse in real estate development and an even greater human being. Josh is a general contractor, real estate investor, visionary entrepreneur, and father to eight kids. This episode is a deep dive into what it means to go all-in on your purpose without sacrificing your priorities.

Josh walks us through his early years on job sites, building a business from roofing and remodels into full-blown multifamily townhome developments across multiple states. He shares how he balances an empire-in-the-making with homeschooling, intentional fatherhood, and a mission to build something that will outlive him.

We get into the business model behind I Build Townhomes, his unique partnership structure, and his long-term vision to build a $1B portfolio with integrity, humility, and legacy at the core.

Key Talking Points of the Episode

00:00 Introduction

01:37 JJ’s Joke of the Week

02:02 Who is Josh Dixon?

06:51 Josh’s background: early jobs, quitting college, and becoming a licensed plumber 10:07 The 100-hour weeks that built Dixon Homes 13:25 Discovering the investor mindset through the first few projects

16:25 Scaling flips and specs to 6-figure profits

18:55 Shifting the vision beyond the job sites

23:09 Living below their means to jump on the right deals 25:10 “I Build Townhomes”: the niche, the brand, the business model

29:51 Creative partnerships and contractor carry-back options 33:04 Building passive income while others operate

37:05 Managing builds remotely from Nashville 39:21 Leveraging family and team to scale efficiently

41:24 Raising 8 kids with intentionality and generational vision 47:35 The unsung power of a strong, supportive wife

52:58 The billion-dollar vision (and why it’s not about the money) 59:17 Mastermind groups, mindset expansion, and tribe over trends

01:02:29 Get in touch with Josh online!

Quotables

“I don’t build cheap. I build efficient. That’s a big difference.”

“I’m not chasing $1 billion for the money. I’m chasing it because I want to see what I’m capable of—and what I can leave behind.”

“If the billion meant I’d lose my family, I’d pull the plug today. It’s them first. Every time.”

Links

Dixon Homes

https://www.instagram.com/dixon_homes/

https://www.facebook.com/dixon.homes.2025

608B Capital

https://www.608bcapital.com