Life by Design

Taxes Advantages of Real Estate

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Life by Design Podcast, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the tax advantages associated with real estate investing. They emphasize the importance of understanding how to leverage personal residences, the concept of return of capital, and the significance of maintaining good bookkeeping to maximize deductions. The conversation highlights the need for consulting tax professionals to navigate the complexities of tax laws and strategies effectively.

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Tax Advantages in Real Estate Investing

07:04 Leveraging Personal Residence for Investment

09:50 Return of Capital and Tax Strategies

12:36 Maximizing Deductions and Bookkeeping for Rental Properties

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:00)

Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast, where Jessilyn and Brian Persson, struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple,

Brian Persson (00:18)

That's why we created this podcast and the Riches Relationships and Real Estate program to help you build wealth and strengthen your relationship. Visit weekendwealth.ca to take our quiz and discover your real estate investor type. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson (00:36)

In today's episode, we're discussing a few of the tax advantages you can access when it comes to real estate investing. For us, taxes are our number one household expense above our mortgage or any other category of expenses. In Canada, we would assert it is the same for everyone. So if you can reduce that expense via real estate and create an investment at the same time, you should definitely do so. First, a quick disclaimer. This episode is for informational purposes only and should not

be considered tax advice. The insights shared are based on our personal experiences and may not suit everyone's situation. We strongly encourage you to consult a qualified tax professional before making any financial decisions. So the first one we wanna chat about is your personal resident mortgage because most people are homeowners and they have a mortgage and their goal is to pay it down and be mortgage free. But as we've discussed in other episodes,

There are things you can do with that mortgage that will create an asset and passive income for you instead of just sitting on something that is considered a liability.

Brian Persson (01:46)

Yeah. And it's considered a liability because you're paying for it with after tax dollars. your renters are not paying for it. No one else is paying for that mortgage for you. So how do you turn your personal residence, your mortgage on your personal residence from a liability to an asset? Well, in Canada, the tax law allows you to borrow money and

put it into an investment which has the likelihood of creating cashflow. And when you borrow that money, you can write off the interest of what you've borrowed. So if you borrow money from your personal residence, i.e. your mortgage, then you can write off the interest of that mortgage when you invest it. So for us, we chose one of the simpler strategies just to keep our life simple.

And that is we, every once in a while, when the mortgage gets paid down enough, we will borrow a lump sum of money from our mortgage and we will put it into an investment.

Giving and Investments

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this special holiday edition of Life by Design, the hosts discuss the importance of showing appreciation to tenants, investors, and team members in the real estate industry. They emphasize the value of personalized gifts, effective communication, and the law of reciprocation in building strong relationships. The conversation also highlights the significance of self-care and celebrating achievements, all while maintaining an attitude of gratitude.

Chapters

00:00 The Spirit of Giving in Real Estate

01:50 Personalized Gifts for Tenants

05:48 The Importance of Communication

07:10 Gifting to Investors and Building Relationships

09:31 Appreciating Your Team

11:56 Celebrating Yourself and Your Achievements

15:18 The Power of Gratitude and Giving

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Transcript:

Jessilyn Persson (00:03)

Welcome to the special holiday edition of Life by Design, where we embrace the spirit of giving and reflect on the importance of showing your tenants, investors, and team how much you appreciate them. Real estate investing is a very social activity, so it's important to build strong, lasting relationships through gratitude and appreciation. So tune in as we spread some holiday cheer and commit to making a difference in our teams and beyond.

Brian Persson (00:29)

Yeah, and I mean, this is a real estate podcast. So the very first thing that we're going to talk about is our tenants, because we love our tenants, and we really want to show them how much we appreciate them living in our properties and paying rent on time and keeping care of the property. And the funny thing is that it doesn't take a whole lot to make someone feel really appreciated.

Jessilyn Persson (00:53)

Yeah, not at all. We've been gifting to our tenants for as long as I remember having tenants. we originally started by giving usually gift baskets with different things in it. And then as we got to know our tenants more, we custom. So we knew like if someone was a tea drinker, we would buy them probably a basket with specialty teas or tea mugs, or if someone really liked making a specific type of drink.

we could custom a basket of that, or if they had a little bit of a larger family, maybe it was a bunch of different kind of cookies and popcorn and treats. And then as time has gone on, we've morphed that a little bit and we still do some gift baskets, but we've shifted it a little bit more to gift cards. we like, I think we like the experience. So we'd like to do dinner, theater, movie tickets, restaurants, but then there are some families where they're, like I said, they're a little bigger and maybe they don't have as much.

so that we'll get them gift cards for grocery stores or Amazon, trying to make their life easier.

Brian Persson (01:53)

Yeah, and we, you know, our personal portfolio is small enough that we can keep tabs on our tenants and understand what they have. But for our apartment buildings, I actually put it as a year-round job for our resident managers to watch the tenants and figure out what they need so that they know what we can give them at holiday time. you know, all portfolio sizes, you can make it work and you can discover a little bit of

personality about your tenants to give like a very meaningful, like thoughtful gift.

Mortgage vs Mortgage Free

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode, the hosts challenge the conventional wisdom that paying off a mortgage is the best financial strategy. They share their personal experiences and financial strategies, illustrating how leveraging a mortgage can lead to greater investment opportunities and cash flow. The discussion covers the benefits of refinancing, the importance of understanding good versus bad debt, and the necessity of experience in real estate investment. The hosts encourage listeners to rethink traditional beliefs about mortgages and investments to achieve financial freedom.

Chapters

00:00 Rethinking Mortgage Payoff Myths

02:18 Leveraging Personal Residence for Investment

05:49 The Power of Cash Flow and Equity

08:30 Investment Property: Mortgage vs. Mortgage-Free

15:25 Understanding Good Debt vs. Bad Debt

19:26 The Importance of Experience in Real Estate Investment

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Transcript:

Jessilyn Persson (00:04)

In today's episode, we're flipping the script on a popular belief. The notion that paying off your mortgage is inherently better. And we're going to talk about two actual investments in our life that illustrate the difference. This episode was inspired by a notion that we keep seeing over and over again with our clients and friends. The idea of having no mortgage. Most of us were raised with the belief that you should pay off your mortgage as fast as possible. Well, we've learned differently.

and the two scenarios that we're going to detail will show the difference, which will allow you to make a more informed decision on your mortgage. So the first one we want to talk about is your personal residential mortgage.

Brian Persson (00:46)

And yeah, not just everybody else out there, but us as well. We were ⁓ told by our parents that paying off your mortgage is kind of your number one priority in your financial life. But we're going to show a little bit about why that's not entirely true. And we did go down that path when we first started ⁓ with our property. We tried very, very hard to pay it off until we discovered a different way.

Jessilyn Persson (01:11)

Yeah, we were, and I think we've shared this on multiple podcasts, we were, think, too much shy of being mortgage free before we actually decided to, instead of pay it off, we refinanced, pulled it out and bought property.

Brian Persson (01:28)

Yes. Yeah. So we want to work through some actual numbers in this podcast. So just so you can really see the financial difference that it creates by using the finances and the leverage that you have available for you in your personal residence versus actually just paying that off and then not using that leverage for any type of investment.

So as we just mentioned, we were very, close to paying off our personal mortgage and our mortgage had started at about 350K, but when we refinanced it, we were able to buy up to $2 million worth of property. So we now had $2 million worth of mortgages instead on those investment properties. But the portfolio is now cash flowing at $2,800 a month.

which was ⁓ almost or is now almost double our original mortgage payment. So we're actually paying our original mortgage and we are cash flowing and putting money in our pocket because we actually borrowed from our personal

Financial Fortitude

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode, Brian and Jessilyn share how real estate investing became the foundation that carried them through job loss, burnout, the pandemic, and multiple major life transitions. They break down how couples can build financial fortitude through emergency reserves, HELOC strategies, insurance, and “what-if” scenario planning. They also discuss designing an investment portfolio that can pivot—covering diversification, liquidity, risk tolerance, market selection, and treating real estate like a true business. Finally, they highlight the importance of communication, shared vision, goal-setting rhythms, and knowing when to bring in outside help to strengthen both the relationship and the wealth plan.

Chapters

00:00 – How Real Estate Carried Them Through Crisis
07:05 – Building Financial Fortitude & Safety Nets
08:08 – Designing a Portfolio That Can Pivot
14:51 – Partnerships, Planning & Staying on the Same Page

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:03)

Real estate investing isn't just about ROI. It's about being ready for life's plot twists. Today we're talking about how couples can design investment plans that stand strong through illness, job loss, kids, relocations, and everything in between.

Brian Persson (00:19)s

And to start off, we'll start with our own personal story about how real estate supported us through some ups and some downs in our life. It started with ⁓ Jess being burnt out in 2019 and we ended up pivoting our career, our lives and a number of other things. And actually the world ended up pivoting shortly after that as well with the pandemic and real estate was there.

throughout all of that to support us. And we ended up going through 2020 and 2021 and somewhat rebuilding ourselves. And we couldn't have done it without real estate behind us because real estate effectively paid the bills throughout 2020 and 2021 and allowed us to really recreate who we are.

Jessilyn Persson (01:07)

Yeah, I was out of a job come, I think, mid-October 2019 and then you gave your notice, what, three days shy of the world shutting down, which we didn't plan for in terms of the pandemic. We didn't anticipate that.

Brian Persson (01:27)

Just like, how do you not anticipate a pandemic coming? We didn't really watch the news. That was one thing.

Jessilyn Persson (01:36)

It's really true. We thought it was a bit of a joke. What people were doing with toilet paper, should be very specific, not the pandemic itself. yeah, and so then you gave your notice and three days later everything shut down and we're like, okay, here we are. And while we were building a business with some of our partners, made it much harder because we were online as opposed to the events that we were supposed to be doing and all the in-person activities. And then of course, when you start any business, you usually make a lot of income off the hop. So

or real estate supported us to start building that and figuring out, what does this look like and what does it mean for our family?

Brian Persson (02:14)

Yeah, and we did a lot of personal development in that time too. So we, we both had the time freedom of no nine to five job anymore. ⁓ and we could build the business and take any extra time left over to build ourselves too. So there were, there was a lot o

Stress and Burnout

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this conversation, Brian and Jessilyn explore the detrimental effects of hustle culture on health and financial well-being. They discuss the importance of recognizing burnout, the need for intentional rest, and how to design a sustainable wealth plan that aligns with personal values and mental health. The conversation emphasizes the significance of clarity, boundaries, and the ability to delegate tasks to maintain balance in life and work.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 The Hidden Cost of Hustle

10:06 Designing a Sustainable Wealth Path

19:46 Reset and Rebuild: Finding Balance

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:00)

Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast, where Jessilyn and Brian Persson struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple.

Brian Persson (00:18)

Jessilyn Persson (00:35)

In today's world, it's easy to get caught in the grind, chasing success, meeting deadlines, and pushing harder every day. But what happens when the constant hustle starts costing us our health, happiness, and clarity? In this episode, we're diving into the real connection between stress, burnout, and financial well-being, and how to design a sustainable wealth plan that supports your life instead of draining it. Because true wealth isn't just about the numbers in your bank account. It's about energy,

peace and purpose that lasts. So today we want to talk about a few different ideas and share stories of what we've been through because we definitely have experienced some of this throughout our lifetime and ⁓ we realized the cost of what it took to our health and we want to share that with our audience.

Brian Persson (01:23)

Right. You've experienced burnout. ⁓ I've experienced ⁓ many different symptoms of burnout, maybe not quite burnout in the health way that you experienced it. But we definitely are experienced with ⁓ what sometimes not paying attention to yourself, whether it's emotionally or financially or when it comes to your health can cost you when you're kind of asleep at the wheel and you're not really taking care of yourself.

Jessilyn Persson (01:52)

Yeah, so the hidden cost of hustle. That's the first one we're going to touch on today. How stress and burnout, it can derail your financial goals and you sometimes don't even realize it til it's too late. Nope. You know, this is big myth, especially here in ⁓ Canada, probably the States and some other countries where the grind culture, you just got to go, go, go, go, go, go, go, you know, put in 10 hours, 12 hours a day and thinking you can do that onward and upwards for

decades on end and are not realizing when you're young and full of energy, you can do it, but you don't realize what that's doing for your future body.

Brian Persson (02:31)

Yeah, we talk a lot about the choose your heart. Yeah. So you can choose your heart as in you can work out today so that you don't have to be going to the doctor every other day when you're older. That's one of those ways that you can choose your he

Generational Wealth and Intentional Financial Parenting

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode, we explore the concept of generational wealth and the importance of intentional financial parenting. The discussion emphasizes the need to instill financial values, habits, and mindsets in children from an early age. Key topics include raising wealth-minded kids, understanding the difference between assets and liabilities, the balance between legacy and entitlement, and the significance of personal responsibility in financial matters. The conversation culminates in the importance of designing a family wealth blueprint that fosters multi-generational wealth with intention.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00Raising Wealth-Minded Kids

09:25Legacy vs. Entitlement

19:17Designing a Family Wealth Blueprint

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:00)

Welcome to the Light by Design Podcast, we're Jessilyn and Brian Persson struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple.

Brian Persson (00:18)

Jessilyn Persson (00:35)

Welcome to today's episode where we're diving into a topic that reaches far beyond dollars and cents, generational wealth and intentional financial parenting. This isn't just about passing down assets. It's about passing down mindsets, values, and habits that create empowered, financially capable generations. We'll explore how to raise wealth-minded kids, how to pass on legacy without entitlement, and how to design a family wealth Brooklyn that lasts.

Because true wealth isn't just about what you build. It's about what you build into your family.

And so today we're going to start with raising well-minded kids and stealing financial values early.

Brian Persson (01:21)

Yeah, and I think this is probably the most important part about generational wealth because obviously your kids are the next generation and if they don't understand wealth and they don't understand how to manage it, grow it, keep it, then it is going to disappear very, very quickly.

Jessilyn Persson (01:39)

Yeah, and I know we talk quite openly about money in our house and real estate and investing. So our kids at some level understand all of that. And while we haven't, I think, gone too deeply in some of these things, they definitely know, I believe, the difference between assets, which is our real estate, and we have other investment assets that we haven't talked about, but they definitely know real estate. They know income because they know I work a full-time contract.

And that's the money that's the day to day, pay the bills kind of a thing. And then liabilities, which can be a tricky one depending on age appropriateness of our kiddos, right? But I think we have definitely over time explained, you know, like our vehicle, like, cause you know, they come home and they're like, they're like, well, my friends have like three vehicles and they have toys like quads, skadoos, like all boats. And we're like, great, but those are liabilities.

not exactly assets that we choose to invest in real estate instead of all

What We Would Do Differently

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Light by Design Podcast, Jesslyn and Brian Pearson discuss their journey in real estate investing, sharing valuable lessons learned along the way. They emphasize the importance of going bigger sooner, finding mentors, and shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. The couple also highlights the significance of understanding good debt and how it can be leveraged for wealth building. They conclude with key takeaways that encourage listeners to embrace lifelong learning and to not be too hard on themselves for past mistakes.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Wealth Building and Relationships

02:58 Lessons Learned: Going Bigger Sooner

06:09 The Importance of Mentorship and Networking

08:55 Shifting Mindsets: From Scarcity to Abundance

12:03 Protecting Your Money: Understanding Good Debt

14:59 The Power of Real Estate Investment

20:57 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Transcript:

Jessilyn Persson (00:00)

Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast, where Jessilyn and Brian Persson struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple.

Brian Persson (00:18)

Jessilyn Persson (00:35)

In episode 48, we talked about how you live what you learn. Knowing what we know now. Today, we're going to talk about what we would have done differently. And so, rolling right in here, the first thing we would have done is we would have gone bigger sooner. So we've shared our stories on different episodes where in 2017, Brian came home from work and said he can't handle any more properties. And that's when...

I signed him up to take ⁓ an investment course or work, with Go Alongside ⁓ Real Estate Investment Network to just expand his network and his access to knowledge and what's possible. And that's when he came home and realized he could do a lot more than he realized.

Brian Persson (01:25)

Yeah. You don't know what you don't know. That's really what it came down to. So when I got into the room full of people who are already doing it and already much, much further down the path that I was and realizing how easy it seemed to them, you go, okay. Like, you know what? Maybe I can do this too. And ⁓ I definitely wouldn't have got there without those people and them sharing their stories and showing me like there's a bigger, better path out there.

Jessilyn Persson (01:56)

Yeah. And I mean, that's, that was one of the, think the hard lessons we learned in real estate about how we can manage more. But once we got over that hurdle through life since then, there's been times where both you and I have had a lot on our plate, not necessarily at the same time and went just like, I'm like done, stressed to the max, can't do anymore. And then we'll usually sit down and chat together. And I know one more recent ones with me and you chatted to me and you're like, listen, Jess.

sometimes it's about perspective. Let's look at the situation and check out your perspective from where you're in this box. And then I'll show you what I see

How Health and Wealth Intersect

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Life by Design Podcast, hosts Jessalyn and Brian Pearson discuss the critical relationship between health and wealth. They emphasize that health is the foundation of wealth, exploring how stress and poor health can lead to financial leakage and missed opportunities. The conversation also highlights the importance of investing in longevity and making conscious choices that support both health and financial well-being. Listeners are encouraged to take actionable steps to protect their energy and align their spending with their long-term health goals.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 The Foundation of Wealth: Health Matters

06:57 The Cost of Stress: Financial Leakage

15:35 Investing in Longevity: Health and Wealth Balance

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:05)

Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast where Jessilyn and Brian Persson, struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple,

Brian Persson (00:15)

That's why we created this podcast and the Riches Relationships and Real Estate Program to help you build wealth and strengthen your relationship. Visit weekendwealth.ca to take our quiz and discover your real estate investor type. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson (00:32)

In this episode we're diving into a truth that often gets overlooked. Your health is the foundation of your wealth. We'll explore how stress quietly eats away at both your bank account and your opportunities. Why longevity is one of the smartest investments you'll ever make and simple steps you can take right now to protect your energy, build confidence and align your wealth with a life you can fully enjoy. The first

Takeaway we're going to focus on is your health is the foundation of your wealth. If your body is drained, your earning power, creativity and decision making all suffer.

Brian Persson (01:11)

That is absolutely true. ⁓ Me and you have both been in that position where we just don't, you just don't want to do anything. You just don't want to, you know, you have no motivation to go anywhere, do anything, work towards any kind of goals because you're physically suffering. And when you're physically suffering and your health is just not the best that it could possibly be, what kind of energy are you going to put towards?

any kind of business or any kind of wealth or any kind of future endeavors.

Jessilyn Persson (01:44)

absolutely a great example is everyone has experienced some kind of an illness whether it be your common cold, flu, COVID, you name it, everyone has experienced it at least once in their life if not once a year, right? And if you think about where you're at in that time, you wanna lay on the couch, you want to get rest, you want...

hydrate. A lot of times you don't feel like eating. You're lucky if you're sleeping. So in that state, now that's an extreme state because you're actually physically sick but you definitely aren't working. You're lucky if you got the TV on to kind of just keep you busy between naps. put that aside and you're better. You don't have, you're over your cold, you're over your flu but over time other things start.

to take into account. Aging happens, which can shift everything in your body and things

Live What You Learn

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Life By Design Podcast, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the importance of taking action in real estate investing, even when conditions aren't perfect. They share personal experiences and lessons learned from their journey, emphasizing the significance of mindset, the value of learning through action, and the courage required to leap into new opportunities. The conversation covers their transition to multifamily investments and the growth that comes from overcoming challenges and embracing uncertainty.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Life By Design Podcast

00:25 Living What You Learn

01:03 Taking Action Despite Uncertainty

03:19 Lessons from Real Estate Investments

08:08 Shifting to Multifamily Investments

10:33 Mindset and Wealth Creation

17:56 Leap First, Build a Parachute

23:30 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

The Power of Obsession in Achieving Goals

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Life By Design Podcast, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson explore the concept of obsession and its impact on personal and financial success. They discuss their different styles of obsession, their journey into real estate, and the importance of being fully committed to one's goals. The conversation highlights the significance of learning from mistakes, the role of obsession in personal development, and the necessity of being all in when pursuing one's passions.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Website: weekendwealth.ca
Instagram: weekend.wealth
Facebook: Weekend Wealth Investments
Linkedin: Weekend Wealth Investments

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Obsession in Life and Business

02:48 Understanding Different Styles of Obsession

05:57 The Journey into Real Estate

08:46 Transitioning to Multifamily Investments

11:51 The Importance of Being All In

14:53 Learning from Mistakes and Building Wealth

18:01 The Role of Obsession in Personal Development

20:45 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:01)

Welcome to the Life By Design Podcast we're Jessilyn and Brian Persson, struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple,

Brian Persson (00:10)

Jessilyn Persson (00:27)

Today we're going to talk about being obsessed. So one of our mentors, Grant Cardone, wrote a book called Be Obsessed or Be Average. And so this episode is about our experiences with how we found obsession in our lives. And we hope you hear something that resonates with you and you can find your obsession too. So let's talk about what it means to be obsessed.

Brian Persson (00:50)

Right. So for me, it is basically having all your thoughts consumed with that particular thing. So for me, know, daily basis, I'm constantly thinking about real estate, I'm constantly thinking about different ways to do a deal, ⁓ where I need to be looking next, how I need to be negotiating with whoever I need to be negotiating with.

where my next partner is, where my next service provider is, it's just always on my mind all the time.

Jessilyn Persson (01:23)

Yeah, and for me, it's about going all in. So when I make a decision, I'm not necessarily thinking about 24-7, but I go all in. I'm not just one toe in, testing the waters. It's I'm all in and I achieve what I set out to achieve and what I had decided to be obsessed about.

Brian Persson (01:45)

Yeah, and we might have said it before on previous podcast, but we use the analogy of the tortoise and the hare. And Jessilyn is the hare and I am the tortoise. And it's not that, ⁓ you know, the results are any different. It's more actually just the actions of going about your obsession. So for Jess, she will just crush something in like a couple months and then she will rest afterwards, just like the hare does.

Jessilyn Persson (02:12)

for maybe a couple months.

Brian Persson (02:14)

Whereas me, it's more of, it's more just like a constant like thing every day. I design my days and my weeks to just have it constantly in my life and it sort of never leaves it. It kind of like the tortoise. jus

Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Life By Design podcast, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the importance of embracing discomfort as a pathway to growth. They highlight both personal and financial development, emphasizing that true progress often happens outside of our comfort zones. The conversation touches on networking, financial decisions, and the role of fear in pointing us toward necessary challenges. Jessilyn and Brian share personal anecdotes and practical tips, encouraging listeners to see discomfort as a learning opportunity and to build resilience in the face of challenges.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 Embracing Discomfort for Growth

06:51 The Power of Networking

11:04 Choosing Your Hard

19:15 Understanding Debt and Wealth

25:24 Adaptability and Resilience

27:28 Practical Tips for Getting Uncomfortable

Transcripts

Jessilyn Persson (00:00)

Welcome to the Life By Design podcast we're Jessilyn and Brian Pearson, struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple,

Brian Persson (00:09)

That's why we created this podcast and the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help you build wealth and strengthen your relationship. Visit weekendwealth.ca to take our quiz and discover your real estate investor type. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson (00:26)

Today we're going to be talking about being comfortable being uncomfortable. ⁓ It's a powerful mindset principle. means embracing growth, challenge and uncertainty. Knowing that discomfort often signals progress. So today we're going to share some insights and stories on how to apply this in your life. So let's talk about why it matters. I mean, we got different concepts here to share, but

We've learned from experience that growth lives outside of comfort.

Brian Persson (00:58)

Yep. Yeah, just think about working out. That's the simplest example of where growth really matters. You will never grow muscle. You'll never get faster, better, stronger if you don't work out and cause those muscles a little bit of aches and pains, right?

Same thing goes with financial, emotional, ⁓ physical growth. They all require just that little bit of stretch zone, just some kind of stretch, some kind of pressure on them to go a little bit further than where you've gone before. And often that can be very uncomfortable for most people. We're creatures of habit. We like to stay exactly where we are, what's known, what's safe, what's convenient.

and growth doesn't really live in safe and convenient all the time.

Jessilyn Persson (01:49)

Yeah, I know we talk often about networking. That's how we built our business, is how we built our real estate, even our, ⁓ just our source of connections. But networking is really uncomfortable for many people, especially if you don't do it often or you're new to it.

And I know that being in the nonprofit that I'm the president of currently where we work with business owners, women in business specifically, and so many women just talk about how they're uncomfortable networking. They won't make eye contact, they'll stand in a corner by themselves, some of them will even buy a ticket to an event and then they don't actually...

because

Micro Freedom Moments: How Small Wins Create Big Wealth

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Summary

In this episode of the Life By Design Podcast, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the concept of 'micro freedom moments' achieved through real estate investing. They explore how small wins in real estate can lead to significant financial and personal freedom, emphasizing the importance of time, emotional well-being, and lifestyle choices. The conversation highlights their personal experiences, including reducing mortgage payments, enjoying family time, and the emotional relief that comes from financial stability. They encourage listeners to embrace the small victories in their investment journey, which collectively contribute to a more fulfilling life.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 Micro Freedom Moments in Real Estate Investing

08:38 Time Freedom Through Real Estate

15:31 Emotional and Mental Freedom

22:39 Lifestyle and Retirement Freedom

Transcript
Jessilyn Persson (00:00)

Welcome to the Life By Design Podcast where Jessilyn and Brian Persson, struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple.

Brian Persson (00:09)

Jessilyn Persson (00:26)

Today we're going to talk about creating micro freedom moments through real estate investing. Because small wins equals big momentum. So every property you acquire isn't just an investment. It's a step closer to time freedom, financial peace and living a life on your terms. So what do we mean by micro freedom moments? Those are the little steps forward that bring you closer to your goals. Whether that's financially reclaiming your time or enjoying

more of life as it is. So we're going to break up our micro freedom moment discussions into different areas and share some key points and stories on what we do and how we did it and how we gained more freedom step by step over time while we built our real estate portfolio. So Brian, talk about one of the financial micro freedom moments we've had.

Brian Persson (01:23)

Well, one of the ones that I'm pretty sure we've mentioned in other podcasts is just being able to lower our mortgage payments because what we did was we borrowed against our property in order to buy real estate. then with the split off loan from our personal property, the real estate that we bought, the investment we bought was actually paying for that. So our personal liability towards our own house, ⁓

was drastically lowered basically. And I think at one point we were paying $600 a month in mortgage payments.

Jessilyn Persson (02:00)

I do remember that and I remember we were on a little local holiday with a dear friend of ours and we were in the pool talking about mortgages and she was saying how her mortgage ⁓ was high and when she told me her amount and ⁓ then I told her mine and she goes, no, no, that's not correct. She goes, that's not a month. You must mean a week. I'm like, ⁓ nope, I mean a month. She's like, what? Cause hers was,

⁓ I think five times that amount of ours.

Brian Persson (02:32)

Yeah, yeah. And to dial it

The Ultimate Passive Investment

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Summary
In this episode of Life by Design, Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into the world of passive investing in real estate, with a special focus on the exempt market and private equity opportunities. They unpack why these lesser-known strategies are gaining traction, how they work, and the advantages they offer—like tax benefits, portfolio diversification, and professional management.

You'll also hear real talk about why private equities are often overlooked, how accessible these investments can be, and what you should know before jumping in. If you’ve ever wondered how to build wealth without being a hands-on landlord, this is your episode.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Passive Real Estate Investing

02:36 Understanding the Exempt Market

05:43 Benefits of Private Equity Investments

08:55 Types of Private Equity Investments

11:56 Investment Accessibility and Requirements

14:43 Tax Advantages and Returns

18:01 The Role of Professional Management

20:36 Why Private Equities Are Not Common Knowledge

23:48 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:07)

Welcome to the Life by Design podcast we're Jessilyn and Brian Persson struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple.

Brian Persson (00:16)

Jessilyn Persson (00:34)

Today we're going talk about the ultimate sleep at night investing. We're talking about what we believe to be the most passive way to invest in real estate. As Warren Buffett said, if you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die. And this strategy is it. Let's get started. So Brian, what is the most passive way to invest in real estate?

Brian Persson (00:57)

Well, in Canada, the official name is called the exempt securities market. And you may have heard it called private equity or private capital markets, or sometimes even alternative investments. Whatever the name, it is definitely the most passive way to invest in real estate. And so a quick disclosure for the audience out there, I am licensed in the exempt market and the private equities market. So these, ⁓

And some of the things you're going to hear in ⁓ this podcast are actually from my own experience and my own education and my license.

Jessilyn Persson (01:32)

So tell us what is the exempt market?

Brian Persson (01:37)

Right. This is a, this is a big question I get a lot and, you, you get it a lot as well when you're off in your networking circles. Uh, the easiest way to explain it is it's basically the difference between public and private securities. So if you go buy Apple shares off of, you know, from your bank trading platform or your, or whatever securities trading platform you use, that's public securities, private securities.

Operates very very similar. There's just no public trading platform Effectively, I am your trading platform You need to come to me and we need to decide on what securities that you want to buy a

Raising Entrepreneurial Kids: Mindset, Money & Life Lessons

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

43 - Raising Entrepreneurial Kids: Mindset, Money & Life Lessons

Summary
In this episode of the Life By Design Podcast, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the importance of raising entrepreneurial kids and instilling financial literacy from a young age. They share personal experiences and practical strategies for teaching children about money management, the value of work, and the entrepreneurial mindset. The conversation emphasizes the need for open discussions about finances within the family and the significance of teaching kids to make informed financial choices. The Perssons provide insights on how to create a culture of financial awareness and responsibility in the household, ensuring that children grow up with the skills and confidence to manage their finances effectively.

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Raising Entrepreneurial Kids

02:49 The Importance of Early Financial Education

05:52 Teaching Money Management and Work Ethic

08:46 Encouraging Entrepreneurial Thinking

11:43 Understanding Value and Time Management

15:01 Creating a Family Culture Around Money

17:46 Practical Strategies for Financial Literacy

20:40 Empowering Kids with Financial Choices

23:41 Resources for Teaching Kids About Money

26:47 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:04)

Welcome to the Life By Design Podcast where Jessilyn and Brian Persson, struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple,

Brian Persson (00:14)

Jessilyn Persson (00:30)

Today we're going to talk about raising entrepreneurial kids. In a world where financial literacy is more important than ever, raising entrepreneurial kids isn't just a trend, it's a necessity. By teaching wealth principles early, we equip the next generation with the mindset, skills, and confidence to build independence and create opportunities. So today we're going to talk about how you can start cultivating entrepreneurial thinking and smart money habits in your children.

So we have obviously done this with our kids quite young. ⁓ And the reason we start young is obviously we know what kids learn young, they take with them as they get into teenagers and adulthood and what you can ingrain in them early on helps create more of a habit that they can continue with as opposed to not teaching them and then having them have to retrain or relearn when they're an adult.

Brian Persson (01:29)

Yeah, retrain or relearn. They're sponges, right, of information. They just suck it up. So why not give them the right information early on? I imagine anyone listening and ourselves could think about all the bad habits and things that we learned over the years and how long as an adult it takes us to break that. And some of them perhaps don't even go away.

Jessilyn Persson (01:52)

Yeah, well think about the money habits you had as a kid because of what you learned by watching your parents and we've spoken to this numerous times beca

Sylvia and Arran - Shiny Objects, Setbacks & Strategies

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 10:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

42 - Sylvia and Arran - Shiny Objects, Setbacks & Strategies

Summary

In this episode of the Life by Design podcast, hosts Jessilyn and Brian welcome Sylvia and Arran, who share their journey in real estate investing. They discuss their initial experiences with fix and flips, the challenges they faced, and their transition to multifamily investments. The conversation highlights the importance of networking, coaching, and taking action in the real estate field. Sylvia and Arran emphasize the need for a strong support system and the value of learning from mistakes as they navigate their investment journey.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Real Estate Journeys

01:44 The Fix and Flip Experience

06:02 Transitioning to Multifamily Investments

11:04 Overcoming Financial Barriers in Multifamily

17:24 The Importance of Networking

23:26 Advice for Aspiring Investors

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Contact Sylvia and Arran | Silver Fern Investments:

Instagram: @silverfern_rei

Email: silverfern.rei@gmail.com

Transcript

Jessilyn & Brian (00:02)

Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. Today we're excited to have two guests join us to share their journey on real estate investing. So Sylvia and her partner Arran met 12 years ago and turned to real estate to escape the nine to five. Their investing journey experienced a strong start, a few setbacks and a pause and reset. But Sylvia and Aaron persevered and are now more focused than ever. Welcome. Welcome to our podcast. Yes, welcome.

Sylvia And Arran (00:31)

Thank you for having us on. Thank you.

Jessilyn & Brian (00:33)

Yeah, so why don't you guys start off by just expanding on your little intro that we gave you. Can you tell us a little bit more about the setbacks, about the pause and where you are now?

Sylvia And Arran (00:46)

Go ahead. We got into flips and we're sort of doing that and then we came across multifamily and knowing a few other people that do it and sort of wanting to grow. It sort of seemed like the direction we wanted to go in and we still do. We went down the rabbit hole in learning and we kind of paused everything else and that's kind of where we sort of took a pause and now we've got a bit of shiny object syndrome and now we realize we've come back to our focus and now we're moving forward again.

A lot of distractions to find your path. There's so many different paths that you can go down that seem so right for us, but then you have to really focus on the main ones. You can't just go everywhere, otherwise you're not going to get anywhere, which is kind of what happened to us.

Jessilyn & Brian (01:31)

Yeah, yeah, we've been there ourselves. It took us a lot of years to sort out our particular path. And so tell us about ⁓ the fix and flips. Is that where you started in real estate? So what did what are those first few projects go like? Can you tell us some experiences around it?

Sylvia And Arran (01:43)

Yes.

The first one actually went great. Well, we had a, we could have made a lot more money, but we got it righ

Crazy Real Estate Stories

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

41 - Crazy Real Estate Stories

Summary

In this episode of the Life by Design podcast, Jessilyn and Brian Persson share their personal stories and insights from their journey in real estate investing. They discuss the importance of networking, trusting your partner's instincts, navigating challenges in property management, and the unreasonableness often required in real estate. They also explore the concept of reframing debt as an asset and share key takeaways for aspiring investors.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Real Estate Investing Stories

01:04 The Power of Networking in Real Estate

05:46 Trusting Your Partner's Instincts

08:23 Navigating Challenges in Property Management

12:18 The Unreasonableness of Real Estate Investing

18:10 Reframing Debt as an Asset

23:01 Key Takeaways from Real Estate Investing

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson (00:05)

Welcome to the Life by Design podcast where Jessilyn and Brian Persson, are you struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate as a couple?

Brian Persson (00:14)

That's why we created this podcast and the Riches Relationships and Real Estate Program to help you build wealth and strengthen your relationship. Visit weekendwealth.ca to take your quiz and discover your real estate investor type. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson (00:32)

Today, we're gonna share some crazy real estate stories. So in this episode, we're sharing a collection of personal stories from our journey in real estate investing. Real estate requires a certain grit and sometimes a bit of what we call unreasonableness. So we thought it'd be fun and maybe insightful to talk about some of the wild unexpected things we found ourselves doing along the way.

Brian Persson (00:57)

Mm-hmm. So what's the first story you would like to tell? I think I believe we decided it was your story first.

Jessilyn Persson (01:04)

Yes, I think we've shared some parts of this, but not all of it at some point in our journey. But back in 2017, you came home from work one day and you said, that's it. I maxed out, no more real estate for us. And my inner dialogue was like, mm-mm, nope, we still have room. And so you went to Saskatoon that weekend because you were going to check in on one of our properties there.

and I did some mad Googling skills and I felt the real estate investment network group local to our community and I signed you up. And when you came home, you were not happy with me when I shared that what I did, because I did not get your permission. I just did it. But we'd already paid. So you begrudgingly went to the event. And what happened when you came home?

Brian Persson (01:59)

Yeah. And, and just so the audience knows, this is, this was the premier Canadian real estate networking group. ⁓ it was not a cheap signup. No, I think, I, I can't remember what the membership fee was, but there was a monthly three or $400. Yes. And in that three or $400, you, more or less get one meeting, like one, one very, very informative and, and like, you know, action packed meeting per month, but.

You're paying three or $400 for that. you better, you be

Zorya & Patrick Belanger: Navigating the Transition to Full Time Real Estate Investors

Wed, 28 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

40 - Zorya & Patrick Belanger: Navigating the Transition to Full Time Real Estate Investors

Episode Notes

In this episode of the Life by Design podcast, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson interview Zorya and Patrick Belanger, a power couple who transitioned from engineering careers to successful real estate investors. They discuss their journey, the challenges they faced, and the mindset shifts that helped them grow their portfolio to 177 doors. The conversation emphasizes the importance of values, mentorship, and taking meaningful action in the pursuit of real estate success.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Real Estate Investing Journey

03:07 Transition from Engineering to Real Estate

05:59 Challenges and Growth in Real Estate

12:07 Navigating the Entrepreneurial Shift

17:58 Values and Decision Making in Business

24:10 Advice for Aspiring Real Estate Investors

Resources discussed in this episode:

Zorya & Patrick’s website: https://brei.ca/
WE Invest: https://www.meetup.com/we-invest-edmonton/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoryabelanger/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-belanger/
Instagram: @zoryabelanger
Books: Who Not How

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript

Jessilyn & Brian Persson (00:02)

Welcome to the life by design podcast with your host, Jessilyn and Brian Persson, where we help you build your wealth through real estate. Today. We're so excited to have a power couple on with us today. Zorya and Patrick, who are real estate investors also have two young boys, but have a background in engineering where they first met. I'm going to let them tell us a little bit more about themselves.

Welcome Zorya and Patrick!

Zorya & Patrick Belanger (00:34)

Thanks for having us. Thanks a lot for having us. Yeah, we can get talk about ourselves quite a bit. where would you like to start? Yeah, we'll start with.

Jessilyn & Brian Persson (00:40)

Tell us, we know you're a real estate investor, so tell us what do you invest in and how do you help others when it comes to real estate?

Zorya & Patrick Belanger (00:53)

So yeah, we've been investing since 2013. We've invested in single-family homes, half-duplexes, garage suites, small multi-family, and more recently, larger multi-family that Zorya has been participating in and working on in the US. And we help others through a coaching program called Multi-Family Makeover. It's a program where we help basically investors make the transition from essentially single-family into multi-family.

and all the steps that are necessary along the way.

Jessilyn & Brian Persson (01:25)

That's awesome. Now, we've known you for quite a few years now and you were both engineers, I think, when we first met you. And if I believe I'm correct, you've both stepped out of those careers and you're f

Real Estate Investing & Work-Life Balance

Wed, 14 May 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

39 - Real Estate Investing & Work-Life Balance

Episode Notes:

In this episode of the Life By Design podcast, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the intersection of real estate investing and work-life balance. They explore their personal experiences and practical strategies for achieving financial goals while maintaining a fulfilling personal life.

The conversation delves into the evolving definition of work-life balance, the impact of the gig economy, the benefits of remote work, and the importance of managing household responsibilities. They also address financial pressures in real estate investing, the guilt associated with parenting and work, and the significance of setting clear expectations and intentions in both personal and professional realms.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Real Estate Investing and Work-Life Balance

01:01 Redefining Work-Life Balance

04:28 The Gig Economy and Flexibility

08:07 The Impact of Remote Work

15:06 Managing Household Responsibilities

21:44 Financial Pressures in Real Estate Investing

26:28 Guilt and Unrealistic Expectations

30:51 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Transcript

Jessilyn (00:09)

Welcome to Life By Design podcast where Jessilyn and Brian Persson from Weekend Wealth Investments. Are you struggling to align your financial goals or confidently invest in real estate?

Brian (00:18)

That's why we created this podcast to help you build your wealth through real estate. Visit weekendwealth.ca to take our quiz and discover your real estate investor profile. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn (00:33)

Today we're going to talk about real estate investing and work-life balance. In this episode, we're going to explore our experiences with real estate investing and work-life balance because building wealth should feel attainable. So we're going to unpack our experiences and the practical strategies we use so you can grow your portfolio, protect your time, and have your investments support the life you want to live. So I'm going to roll right into this because the whole concept of work-life balance has been...

in the media and around for quite a few years and I think that typical work-life balance is not actually achievable the way it's perceived in the media. And I say that and I've had a lot of people approach me over the last couple years talking about work-life balance and it's like, well actually there's work that sometimes takes away part of your life. There's times where there are stressful moments or deliverables do

or tenants calling or things you need to fix and you have to deal with it. So you balance what you're doing in that moment. But then you know if you've worked extra time in a week or a month, you later take that time and put a little extra time into your family or your life. And you balance that in the moment as well.

So as long as you're balancing what you're doing in any kind of given moment or day, and don't hold yourself rigid to life, work, balance, because if you're sitting there going, I got a clock out at four o'clock, I can't take any more calls for the rest of the day, I need life balance, and then a tenant calls, that's not reality.

Brian (02:13)

Yeah, if you're managing your own properties, it's definitely not reality. So I guess that's one of the things what we should define is what does sort of the general culture consider to be work-life balance? Is it nine to five and then you manage to leave your job at home or your job at your workplace? You know, what does it actually mean? In my opinion, think culturally, most people look at it as I work from nine to five, my job do

Angela Goodman on Money Mindset Blocks & Flow

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

38 - Money Mindset Blocks & Flow

Episode Notes

In this episode of the Life by Design podcast, hosts Jessilyn and Brian welcome Angela Goodman, a real estate investor and mindset coach. Angela shares her journey in real estate, the importance of understanding money blocks, and how childhood experiences shape financial decisions. She discusses the lessons learned from a significant financial loss and emphasizes the importance of building a reliable power team and networking in real estate. Angela also provides practical advice for aspiring investors, including the significance of starting small with savings and understanding market dynamics.

Chapters
00:00 Understanding Money Mindset and Blocks
11:27 Lessons from Past Experiences
21:17 Building a Power Team in Real Estate
23:24 Final Thoughts and Future Projects

Where you can find Angela:
IG : @msangelagoodman
@vvg_consulting
@famoustoasteryashburn

Web: www.valkyrieventuresgroup.com
www.evolve-us.org
famoustoastery.com/ft-stores/ashburn-va

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Weekend Wealth Investments:

Transcript

Jessilyn & Brian (00:09)

Welcome to Life by Design podcast with Jessilyn and Brian, where we are your real estate investors and strategists helping you build your wealth by design. Today, we are honored to welcome our guest, Angela Goodman, and she's going to share with us what she does, why she invested in real estate, and how she can help others do it as well. Maybe not so much the real estate, but definitely around the mindset and the mind block. So welcome Angela. Thank you for joining us today.

Angela Goodman (00:35)

Thank you, Jessilyn and Brian for having me on. I am just honored to be here today. I have been in real estate as far as investing in it for about five or six years, aside from my own personal home. So I have some multifamily property and some other things. So it's definitely created some wealth for me, which has been great.

And then nowadays I help other small business owners learn how to appropriately use their money in order to gain more assets. And then also in order to get rid of any financial blocks that they might have with the flow of money, whether it be tied to their sales, their income or their profitability.

Jessilyn & Brian (01:10)

Wonderful and how long have you been working with individuals helping with the money block? Because the money block sometimes it seems so simple but yet it's the one thing holding you back and people don't know how to uncover that.

Angela Goodman (01:23)

You know, it's funny, I started during COVID. So I have a restaurant that I also own. So it's a business I started back in 2016. And during COVID, I was helping other small business owners kind of pivot their business and understand how to best change given the pandemic. And so I started that way. So it was all about revenue generation, figuring out with them how to get top line money int

Overestimating Your Time & Underestimating Your Value

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Episode Title

37 - Overestimating Your Time & Underestimating Your Value

Episode Notes

In this episode of the Life by Design Podcast, Jessalyn and Brian discuss the common pitfalls in real estate investing, particularly the underestimation of time and costs associated with renovations and property management. They emphasize the importance of valuing one's time, the mental costs of DIY projects, and the benefits of hiring professionals. The conversation also touches on the significance of finding the right partners in real estate to complement one's skills and alleviate stress. Ultimately, the episode encourages listeners to measure and value their time effectively to enhance their real estate investing experience.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Overestimating Time and Underestimating Value

03:10 The Time Sink of Managing Renters

06:34 The Cost of DIY Maintenance

09:26 Valuing Your Time in Real Estate

12:17 The Mental Cost of DIY

15:21 Finding the Right Partners in Real Estate

18:19 Measuring Your Time and Value

26:33 Outro

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript

Jessilyn (00:10)

Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast with Jessalyn and Brian, your real estate investors and strategists to help you build your wealth. DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca has a quiz for you to see what kind of a real estate investor are you. Today's topic we're going to be talking about overestimating your time and underestimating your value. So Brian did you want to kind of intro into why we wanted to go into this topic?

Brian (00:36)

Because every real estate investor does it. They always underestimate the amount of time and they always don't include their own true value into the situation.

Jessilyn (00:49)

So when you say overestimate your time, do you mean like, I'm gonna buy a property, I get the keys, it's not all just smooth sailing from there?

Brian (00:57)

No, no, not at all. So we're not fix and flippers, but fix and flip is like the most kind of typical example of where your time gets overestimated. And the way that it looks is like, think, you you buy a property, it's going to take three to six months to renovate and it ends up taking nine or 12 and you have to carry all those costs throughout the nine or 12 months, not just like the renovation costs, but like your holding costs, the interest on whatever you're paying.

for the loan and everything else, like utilities and insurance, everything. So yeah, typical super simple example of like a way that real estate can like vastly underestimate the time that it takes.

Jessilyn (01:40)

Yes, I do remember because we obviously invest in sweated properties as we've discussed before. But two of those that we bought were not turnkey. And so we had to have the basements renovated. And some of those took longer than we had anticipated. so of course, like you said, we had to hold it for two months longer for the holding costs, not to mention the investment costs bec

Failing to Plan for the Unexpected

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into the common traps that real estate investors find themselves in when they fail to plan for the unexpected. Many first-time investors focus solely on the purchase price, overlooking hidden costs that can arise down the line. Jessilyn and Brian share their personal experiences of early missteps—like purchasing properties without a clear Plan B, underestimating market volatility, and failing to account for rising condo fees or special assessments. They emphasize the importance of having contingency plans for various scenarios, such as tenant vacancies, economic downturns, and major repairs, to ensure a resilient and profitable investment strategy.

The discussion also highlights the hidden costs associated with condo investments. While condos may seem like an accessible entry point into real estate due to their lower upfront costs, they come with financial risks, including unexpected fee increases and costly assessments. Brian recounts a personal experience where a condo investment became unsustainable due to mounting expenses, ultimately forcing them to sell.

Jessilyn and Brian also emphasize the necessity of budgeting for unexpected tenant-related costs. Whether self-managing or working with a property manager, investors must be prepared for potential issues such as tenant turnover, property damage, or legal disputes. They share insights on how proper screening and proactive financial planning can help mitigate risks, ensuring that a rental portfolio remains stable and profitable. If you’re looking to invest in real estate successfully while safeguarding your assets, this episode is packed with valuable lessons and practical strategies.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. We are your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:28] That's exactly why we created this podcast, and the 'Riches, Relationships and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, visit discoverlifebydesign.ca and take our quiz to discover what type of real estate investor you are. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:52] Today's topic is going to be on failing to plan for the unexpected. Many first time investors focus solely on the purchase price. I know, we were there. We did that quite a bit, only to be blindsided by a host of hidden expenses. We don't want this to happen to you, our listeners, so we're going to go through and give you a few takeaways on how to prevent this. And the first one is going to be to make sure you have a plan B and C.

Brian Persson: [00:01:22] And sometimes a D, depending on the property. When we started investi

The True Cost of Ownership

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson break down the often-overlooked expenses of property ownership that can make or break your investment success. From mortgage and closing costs to property taxes, insurance, and maintenance, they explain why budgeting beyond the purchase price is essential. They share real-life stories of costly surprises—like a $50,000 foundation repair—and highlight the importance of thorough inspections, realistic rental projections, and effective property management.

The Perssons also discuss strategies for maximizing profitability, including setting rent based on market conditions, planning for vacancy costs, and accounting for property management fees—even if you self-manage. They emphasize that underestimating these expenses can lead to financial strain, but with proper planning, real estate can be a powerful wealth-building tool. Tune in to learn more about the common misconceptions about ownership and set yourself up for long-term success!

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

—

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

—

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:08] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. We are your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:27] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. Curious to learn more? Visit discoverlifebydesign.ca to book your discovery call and build your customized wealth strategy plan with us. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:49] Today's topic, we're going to be talking about underestimating the true cost of ownership. Many first-time investors focus solely on the purchase price only to be blindsided by a host of hidden expenses. So we're going to talk through some of what those expenses are so you can avoid these when you decide to buy your real estate.

Brian Persson: [00:01:09] I can't count the number of times I've been in a conference and meeting people who are investing in their first or second property, and they are still missing things in the budget. We'll talk about what those things are, but effectively, their real estate portfolio is underperforming because it's not really calculated properly.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:33] Yes, that is so true. We're going to roll right into the takeaways. The first one is that hidden costs add up. Know what to watch for. I know many of us are familiar, when we want to buy real estate, that we have to figure out what the mortgage is going to be, and to have that you need a down payment. Then there are usually closing costs, which we know of course are legal, but there are a lot of costs which we learned as we were buying, such as appraisal fees, if needed, inspection fees. We're fortunate not to have this

Possibilities in Real Estate Part 3

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson conclude this 3-part series with an overview of real estate investing in this episode, they offer valuable insights for couples looking to build wealth together. They emphasize the importance of aligning your financial goals, understanding your personal comfort levels, and developing the right mindset for success. The discussion covers four key takeaways: creative financing strategies, the power of networking, diversifying income streams, and tracking and celebrating success. Listeners will learn how to leverage home equity, partnerships, and infinite banking for financing, as well as the importance of surrounding themselves with trusted professionals like realtors, mortgage brokers, and contractors.

Beyond financing and networking, Jessilyn and Brian stress the value of multiple income streams, from rental properties to passive investments in private equities. They explain how diversifying income sources not only increases financial security but also opens new opportunities for long-term wealth creation. The episode wraps up with important reminders to track ROI, reinvest wisely, and celebrate milestones. All these practices are essential to staying motivated and continuously refining strategies. Tune in to gain actionable insights and discover how to take your real estate investments to the next level.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love
Point form links of any resources discussed
If no resources discussed, exclude this section

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. We are your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:27] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, visit discoverlifebydesign.ca to book your discovery call and build your customized wealth strategy with us. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:50] Today's topic is The Possibilities in Real Estate Part 3. This is three of three. Recap, part one we discussed understanding your goals, what makes you uncomfortable and what are you willing and not willing to do. Part two we discussed different real estate asset classes, understanding market dynamics, and leveraging real estate for lifestyle design.

Brian Persson: [00:01:16] A lot of topics there already.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:18] I know, I'm super excited to get into part three but part one and part two were also really good topics. These are like bricks, building the foundation. Start here, move up. Introducing different topics so you're aware of what's all going on when it comes to building your wealth.

Brian Persson: [00:01:40] That's why w

Possibilities in Real Estate Part 2

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

In part 2 of this 3-episode series, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss different real estate investment strategies. While many new investors feel excited about the different strategies, Jessilyn and Brian emphasize the importance of starting with one asset class, especially as new investors. They share their preference for suited properties over single-family homes and condos due to higher cash flow and reduced risk.

The Perssons also discuss the challenges of short-term rentals and commercial properties, including high condo fees, special assessments, and tenant occupancy issues. They advise investors to fully leverage real estate income to fund their lifestyle before quitting a job and highlight the importance of making smart, long-term financial decisions.

Jessilyn and Brian also share some of the factors investors need to pay attention to, including market dynamics, including location, economic trends, and market cycles. They use their investment in Sherwood Park as a prime example of these trends, stressing the need to adapt to changing interest rates and shifting economic conditions while leveraging real estate for financial independence and work-life balance. Tune in for valuable insights on how to navigate the world of real estate investing and achieve financial freedom.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Brian Persson: [00:00:28] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program, to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, visit discoverlifebydesign.ca to book your discovery call to build your customized wealth strategy with us. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:51] Today's topic, we are going to continue on the possibilities in real estate, this is part two. In the last episode during part one, we discussed understanding your goals, what makes you uncomfortable, and what are you willing to do when it comes to real estate? Now I'm really excited to roll into part two of three. This is going to be a three part series, so stay tuned after this for the next one. Today's takeaways, I know the first one is different real estate asset classes. I know this is a hot topic because it's probably one of the first questions I get asked when people hear that we are real estate investors. Then they start trying to pick our brains on all the different options in real estate, just for me to bring them back down to be like, let's start with one.

Brian Persson: [00:01:39] Sometimes the first time people talk to us, they're trying to decide their entire real estate investment future in that one conversation. It's just not possible

Possibilities in Real Estate Part 1

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

In this part 1 of 3 episode series, Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into the essentials of real estate investing, starting with understanding your financial goals and comfort levels. They discuss the importance of defining your "why" behind investing and clarifying short-term versus long-term objectives. They highlight the importance of recognizing your risk tolerance and addressing the discomforts that come with real estate ventures. From multi-family and suited properties to time commitments and skill development, both Jessilyn and Brian provide actionable insights to help listeners focus on the right asset classes and strategies for achieving goals, whether that be time freedom or financial success.

Jessilyn and Brian also share personal anecdotes and lessons learned about avoiding “shiny object syndrome” and staying grounded in your investment goals. They emphasize the need for honesty about your willingness to commit time, learn new skills, and choose between active or passive management. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your real estate approach, this episode offers practical advice to help you build a sustainable wealth strategy.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript:
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. We are your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate, or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:29] That's exactly why we created the podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, visit discoverlifebydesign.ca to book your discovery call and build your customized wealth strategy. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:54] All right, today's topic is the possibilities of real estate. This is going to be part one of three series. Throughout this three series podcast piece that we're doing here, we're going to talk about everything from understanding your goals, what makes you uncomfortable, what are you willing to do, right into the different asset classes. Leveraging real estate, market dynamics, creative financing, multiple income streams, and how to measure that for success.

Brian Persson: [00:01:27] The reason that we picked this is because it's a huge topic. We started writing it out and we realized this is too much for one episode. The reality is that you don't know what you don't know, and we haven't talked a lot about true real estate investing, the nitty gritty of it. We also hope these episodes help you as a guide to avoid shiny object syndrome, which we had early on in our real estate career. Where we were hopping from asset class to asset class and chasing down all these different strategies that really didn't fit our particular family, our mold, what we were aiming for in life. So we hope these episodes guide

How to Create Realistic Real Estate Investment Goals as a Couple

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Life by Design, Jessilyn and Brian dive into the essentials of setting achievable real estate investment goals as a couple. They emphasize the importance of mutual understanding and active involvement in goal-setting that fosters both support and helps avoid conflict. One important takeaway is their "sleep at night factor" philosophy—choosing investments that offer peace of mind over stress and overwhelm.

Jessilyn and Brian break down three levels of wealth for listeners: financial security, covering expenses with passive income, and complete time and money freedom. They encourage couples to start small when setting goals and evaluating their current assets and skills. From there, listeners can build realistic 90-day action plans to maintain focus and momentum with incremental steps toward the larger vision.

During the episode, they also explore strategies for aligning real estate goals with each partner's strengths and passions. They stress the importance of open communication and regular check-ins to track progress and adapt tasks and goals as needed. Additionally, they highlight the value of working with coaches and mentors to accelerate success, avoid common pitfalls, and provide clarity in decision-making. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your real estate strategy, this episode provides actionable steps and expert insights to help couples achieve their financial goals together.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:08] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. We are your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:30] That's exactly why we created this podcast, and the 'Riches, Relationships and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. Curious to learn more? Visit discoverlifebydesign.ca to book your discovery call to build your customized wealth strategy. Let's create the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:56] Today's topic is, how to create realistic real estate investment goals as a couple.

Brian Persson: [00:01:03] So why is this important? That's the question we always ask, what we're trying to output here is, why are these topics that we're covering important? Personally, I think that realistic real estate goals are important because real estate can be very intimidating. We've encountered a lot of couples where they just don't want to start. It's so threatening to them that they literally will not start in real estate at all. It's kind of one of those things where once you start lifting the weights, it gets easier and easier. I like to provide a framework that will give, basically, the realistic expectations. Where you just have to stretch yourself a little bit and not too far. Any thoughts on that?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:50]

How to Deal with Pushback as you Grow

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into the reality of experiencing pushback as you grow, succeed, and develop your personal self. They offer strategies for managing this resistance while confidently pursuing personal and financial growth. They share how understanding social dynamics, or "reading the room," can help you navigate relationships with those who may feel envious or alienated by your success.

Through personal stories, like Brian’s parents’ initial hesitance toward their real estate ventures and Jessilyn’s decision to limit communication with a negative sibling, they explore how to reframe relationships rather than cut people off entirely. Jesslyn and Brian stress the importance of focusing on supportive communities and maintaining humility while speaking to others at their level of understanding.

The conversation wraps up with actionable tips for staying resilient amidst the naysayers and protecting your energy. Jessilyn and Brian encourage listeners to cultivate environments where success and growth are celebrated, whether through like-minded groups or empowering communities.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast. We are your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:31] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, head directly over to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download our free guide, 'The Three Mistakes That Keep Couples from Building Their Wealth'. Let's start building wealth and the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:58] Alright, today's topic is how to deal with pushback as you grow.

Brian Persson: [00:01:04] It's natural, I think it's a society thing where people look up to other people and they want to bring them down. The whole 'crabs in the bucket', if you know that analogy, where all the crabs in the bucket try to pull the other crabs down, even though individually every crab could get out of the bucket.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:22] I think this goes across many areas in life. Obviously we focus on wealth, but if you're growing your career, if you're growing your wealth, if you're shifting your mindset, if you're changing other aspects in your life, whether it be research or spirituality or how you exercise or how you want to change your eating habits. However you choose to grow, when someone's used to you as you are and you decide to change something, people, and sometimes harmlessly, they don't actually mean to be mean, can be mean. That could be something simple as, even to this day I haven't drank in over three years now. When I say to people when I'm at an event or a party,

How to Embrace the Challenge of Expanding Your Mindset

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the transformative power of mindset in personal and financial growth. They begin by highlighting the common struggles couples face when aligning financial goals and reveal how shifting perspectives can help them overcome these obstacles. Jessily and Brian share personal experiences that illustrate how limiting beliefs, like the “poverty mindset,” can persist even with financial stability.

They both reflect on how, despite earning high incomes early in their careers, they still faced anxieties around money and security, which impacted their relationship and financial goals. Through intentional self-development and embracing a more growth-oriented mindset, they found a way to redefine success and focus on expanding their contributions beyond finances alone.

Jessilyn and Brian recommend three main strategies to help embrace a growth mindset: choosing your hard, decluttering your environment and life, and setting clear intentions, even when it feels impossible. They also discuss the challenges of entrepreneurship, handling rejection, and the necessity of financial discipline, illustrating that every aspect of building wealth and stronger relationships requires stepping out of one’s comfort zone. By facing these challenges head-on, they believe couples can create a life aligned with their values, filled with meaningful relationships and financial freedom.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript:
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast. We are your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:29] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program, to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, head over to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download our free guide, 'The 3 Mistakes That Keep Couples From Building Their Wealth'. Let's start building the life you deserve together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:56] Today's topic is, how to embrace the challenge of expanding your mindset. We've definitely had our challenges through the years as we grew and kept expanding our mindset with our business, with the way we chose to raise our family and the way we chose to spend time with family. Do you want to share with our audience one of the many challenges we had?

Brian Persson: [00:01:21] Let's be honest, what's going on in your head is going to reflect out into the world. Your mindset is going to change how the world looks like to you. For me, the biggest challenge for my mindset was, effectively, my early career. I did well, I very quickly went to a six digit career. When you get in that, you know the old saying, golden handcuffs makes you very comfortable. Then I didn't move. I sat in that job, not realizing that there was

First Steps to Shift from a Scarcity to Wealth Mindset

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson explore the initial steps required to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, sharing their unique personal experiences. Jessilyn candidly reflects on her life growing up in poverty and how the ideas she learned in childhood followed her into adulthood. She describes how she worked on her mindset to move past the need to save every dollar to embracing self-care and budgeting even a modest $60 monthly for personal grooming.

Brian, raised in a middle-class family, grappled with a comfort-based scarcity mindset, initially hesitant to step out of his financial comfort zone. Together, they highlight the importance of acknowledging your personal limiting beliefs, seeking out continuous financial education, and finding the courage to take small, consistent steps to grow your wealth. They emphasize the value of reframing mindsets and appreciating money’s abundance as key steps in achieving financial goals and a fulfilling life.

To help listeners on their own journeys, Jessilyn and Brian offer practical strategies, including automating savings and making gradual, manageable changes to foster a sustainable wealth-building habit. They advocate for self-acceptance and remind listeners that consistent action can help compound results over time. The Perssons encourage listeners to recognize how their upbringings may shape their current financial beliefs and to reframe those beliefs to support growth and resilience. Their message is clear: through self-reflection, education, and small actions, anyone can build a healthier relationship with money and move towards financial abundance.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:10] Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast, we are your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:30] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. If you're curious to learn more, head over to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download our free guide,'The 3 Common Mistakes Couples Make When Building Their Wealth'. Let's start building the life you deserve, together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:59] All right, today's topic is 'your first steps to shift from a scarcity to wealth mindset'. I wanted to chat about this one because I've had several people reach out to me lately through social media, DMs, emails, after they've seen some of our posts that we do on mindset, and they're like, but how do you do it? So I thought about it and I'm like, instead of replying back one by one, let's do a full podcast so we can reach our entire audience and have them share it for those who are

Our Top 3 Real Estate Investment Pitfalls We Encountered

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 08:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into the top three pitfalls they encountered on their real estate investment journey, offering valuable insights for couples looking to invest confidently and build wealth together. They begin by discussing how important it is to find and connect with a strong support network. They share how their initial lack of knowledge and guidance led to missed opportunities early on. They emphasize the value of connecting with experienced investors who can help you avoid costly mistakes and enable faster progress.

Jessilyn and Brian also highlight the need to set boundaries and maintain focus, advising new investors to commit to a single strategy initially rather than diversifying too early. Building success and knowledge in one area of real estate investing can set you up for success later on when you want to diversify down the road.

The Perssons also discuss the power of delegation, encouraging listeners to outsource tasks that are time-consuming or fall outside their expertise. By valuing their time and focusing on high-impact activities, Jessilyn and Brian found they could accelerate their investment goals without getting bogged down by everyday property management issues. Along with practical tips for managing tenant relationships and protecting boundaries, Jessilyn and Brian share how these approaches contribute not only to their financial success but also to a balanced relationship, inspiring other couples to work together on their investment journeys.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast. We are your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. Are you and your partner looking to align your financial goals and build wealth together? Have you ever wondered what might be stopping you from confidently investing in real estate or growing your wealth as a couple? Or why it feels so hard to get on the same page financially?

Brian Persson: [00:00:30] That's exactly why we created this podcast and the 'Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate' program to help couples like you invest confidently and achieve both your financial and relationship goals. Are you curious to learn more? Head over to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download our free guide, 'The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love'. Let's start building the life you deserve, together.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:00] Today's topic, we are going to focus on the top three real estate investment pitfalls that we encountered.

Brian Persson: [00:01:07] Doesn't real estate come with a whole lot of pitfalls. This is like a trip down memory lane. The not so nice part of memory lane in some cases, but also a really good chance for us to help guide the audience out there. How you can start off, what you can avoid, how you can accelerate your real estate portfolio a lot faster. It's not going to sound like what you think.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:38] Every time there's a failure, there's a lesson in there. We've definitely ha

Our Top 3 Successes in Real Estate Investing

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 08:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss their top three real estate investment successes, emphasizing the importance of just getting started and staying consistent with a plan. They share their journey, beginning with their first property purchase in 2009, and explain how continuous learning and skill development have been key to their growth. Despite early mistakes, which they share in the episode, they stress that patience, education, and a steady approach are crucial for long-term success in real estate investing.

Listeners are encouraged to take action, even with limited knowledge at the start, and stick to a consistent investment plan. Jessilyn and Brian highlight the value of upgrading skills through books, podcasts, and networking events. They also share how teaching others about real estate has further enhanced their expertise. To help listeners get started, they have a free resource for couples to download from their website (see link below).

Resources discussed in this episode:

The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript:
Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to The Life by Design Podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We help couples fast track their financial growth by aligning their money mindset, developing transformative wealth strategies, and providing personalized guidance so they can confidently achieve a life of freedom and abundance together.

Brian Persson: [00:00:25] With the growing need for couples to find alignment and invest confidently in real estate, we created the 'Riches, Relationships and Real Estate' program. Our goal is to support you in achieving your financial and relationship goals together. If you want to know more about what's stopping you from building your wealth, make sure to go to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download 'The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love'.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:54] Today's topic, we're going to discuss our top three successes in real estate investing. We share openly and happily how we invest in real estate on all our podcasts, but today we wanted to share what successes we've had along the way and how real estate really just works for us.

Brian Persson: [00:01:15] When we were putting together the notes for this podcast, I was thinking about what most people think is a success in real estate. It's usually along the lines of, I have this many doors, or I have this many million dollars in property, and we actually are going to take a little bit of a different tangent on that, because we do have a few million in real estate, and we do have a bunch of doors, but that's not really the success of how we really got about to be successful in real estate. Would you agree?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:47] Absolutely. People will look at me and they were like, you own multi-millions in real estate? They just think, wow. It's like, if you only knew the 15 years and all the steps and mistakes we took to get here. Yes, it is 'wow', but it wasn't an overnight 'wow' or even a year 'wow'. So we broke it down into the smaller bites to say, what were our successes along the way? Our first takeaway wa

Top 3 Ways to Get Back Your Time

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson explore the critical importance of reclaiming time to achieve both peace of mind and wealth. They discuss strategies like setting clear boundaries, learning to say no to unnecessary commitments, and delegating tasks to free up time for high-value activities.

Drawing from personal experiences—such as managing business tasks and scheduling tenant viewings—they emphasize the power of taking control of your time and prioritizing what truly matters. They also share practical tips on using tools like Asana for task management and the 80/20 rule to ensure focus on the most impactful tasks.

Jessilyn and Brian further highlight the significance of maintaining a balanced schedule, taking breaks to avoid burnout, and utilizing efficient meeting practices with clear agendas and time limits. Their advice encourages listeners to be intentional with their time, leverage external help when needed, and implement systems to streamline operations. Listeners will hear actionable steps for creating a healthier work-life balance and greater personal and financial success.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

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Transcript:

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:21] Did you want to know more about what's stopping you from building your wealth? Make sure to go to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download our guide, 'The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love'.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:38] Today, our topic is 'The Top 3 Ways to Get Back Your Time'. Everyone complains they never have enough time, they're too busy. So Brian, why is it so important to us to get back our time?

Brian Persson: [00:00:53] I would say peace of mind, because if we're consistently overwhelmed with everything and we think that we never have enough time, our minds are not in a good state. So for us, it's important to have that free time for our family, for ourselves, for the people around us and not be consistently feeling like we're underwater.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:14] So it's more proactive than reactive. And how does that play into wealth?

Brian Persson: [00:01:20] It's a very important measure of wealth. The amount of free time specifically that you have, because everyone's got the same 24 hours in the day, but how much of that 24 hours is free time, and how much of it is time that you can do what you want with? If you can carve out more of that day to do whatever you want, then that is a sign of wealth.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:43] Absolutely. So what is the first takeaway? It is setting boundaries, learning to say no, which was a big one for me, but to unnecessary commitments or distractions. You want to protect your time by setting clear boundaries for work, family, pers

3 Key Strategies We Used to Educate Ourselves on Real Estate

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson share the three key strategies they used to grow their real estate business and how following these strategies can save listeners time, money, and avoidable headaches. It all starts with education. Both Jessilyn and Brian agree that education and real estate success go hand in hand. The more you know, the better the decisions you’ll be able to make.

Takeaway number one is to pick an investment strategy and stick with it. Maybe you want to follow the BRRR method, or maybe you want to focus on multi-family residences. Trying to follow several investment paths can lead to confusion and overwhelm. Whichever strategy you choose, it should light you up and help you sleep well at night. Takeaway number two is to network with experienced investors. The best way to learn new tips and make lasting connections is to network with investors who have more experience than you. You never know when those relationships will provide rewards in the future.

Takeaway number three: Invest in a program or hire a coach—often, they’re one and the same. Many investors make costly mistakes on their journey to success. By working with a coach or joining a program, you can learn proven strategies from experienced professionals, helping you avoid common pitfalls. Whether you're new to real estate investing or have some experience, a coach can save you time, money, and stress while fast-tracking your success.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design Podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] Recognizing the growing need for couples to find alignment and invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate Program. Our goal is to support you in achieving your financial and relationship goals together. Want to know more about what's stopping you from building your wealth? Make sure to go to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth and download 'The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love'.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:50] Today's topic is three key strategies we use to educate ourselves on real estate. So Brian, the takeaways that we're about to discuss, how do you think our lives would have been different had we actually utilized these takeaways before we got into real estate investing?

Brian Persson: [00:01:08] Well, we'd probably be high fiving each other doing this podcast on a beach in some tropical destination.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:15] I would be down for that.

Brian Persson: [00:01:17] That would be one thing that's different. But you can't predict the future, that's one of the problems. The reality is, is that education and real estate are

How Small Consistent Habits can Shape your Wealth

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss how small, consistent habits can shape your wealth in surprising ways. They emphasize the importance of starting small habits and gradually increasing them over time. They share personal experiences of building habits, such as working out and journaling. These new habits feel initially challenging, but with discipline, they become easier and more natural.

They also highlight the power of financial discipline, such as automating savings and investing first. Grant Cardone's strategy of investing every penny is shared as an extreme example of how discipline can pay off over time. Jessilyn and Brian also stress the impact of compounding effects, citing RSPs as an example where small, consistent contributions can grow substantially over time.

Jessilyn and Brian have three key takeaways for listeners: start small, build discipline, and stack habits for compounding results. Following these three strategies can make all the difference in your finances, health goals, and any area of life where you want to make a change.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Download “Three Mistakes That Keep High-Achieving Couples From Building Their Wealth, Freedom, and Living a Life They Love” at DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca/wealth
Grant Cardone

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:10] Welcome to Life by Design Podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] Recognizing the growing need for couples to find alignment and invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program. Our goal is to support you in achieving your financial and relationship goals together. Want to know more about what's stopping you from building your wealth? Make sure to go to discoverlifebydesign.ca/wealth, and download 'The 3 Mistakes that Keep High Achieving Couples from Building their Wealth, Freedom & Living a Life they Love'.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:51] Today's topic is on how small, consistent habits can shape your wealth. Small, consistent habits shape your wealth by leveraging the power of incremental growth, discipline and compounding over time. Our first takeaway is, keep it small and simple. That is the key.

Brian Persson: [00:01:13] Keep it small and simple. Absolutely. I cannot count the number of times I have overwhelmed myself with trying to change too many things at once.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:22] Yes. Or taking a big lofty thing and trying to make it happen tomorrow.

Brian Persson: [00:01:28] Habits don't change overnight. They're exactly like going to the gym, you got to go and do the reps. You got to build that muscle day after day.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:37] Great example for me, this isn't necessarily with wealth, but I work out every day. I have for as long as I can remember. And it's natural, it's a habit, it's normal to me. But then when I decided to start journaling and figuring out how to meditate, I struggled with that for

How your Belief Systems Affect your Wealth

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into the belief systems we hold around money and how they directly impact our ability to create wealth. These beliefs are often ingrained in us from an early age, shaping our thoughts, emotions, and actions regarding money—either propelling us toward wealth or holding us back from it.

They discuss how these belief systems are often inherited, not created by us. Influences from our parents, relatives, teachers, and early life experiences shape our views about money, many of which may not serve us today. Jessilyn and Brian emphasize the importance of regularly reviewing these beliefs, understanding that they can be challenged and reprogrammed to align with our personal growth and future financial goals.

By reprogramming your mindset at its core, you can change your approach to wealth and wealth-building—an empowering process that Jessilyn and Brian guide us through, step by step.

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Resources discussed in this episode:

Download “Three Mistakes That Keep High-Achieving Couples From Building Their Wealth, Freedom, and Living a Life They Love” at DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca/wealth

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] Recognizing the growing need for couples to find alignment and invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program. Our goal is to support you in achieving your financial and relationship goals together. Want to know more about what's stopping you from building your wealth? Make sure to go to DiscoverLiveByDesign.ca/wealth and download the Three Mistakes That Keep High-Achieving Couples From Building Their Wealth, Freedom, and Living a Life They Love.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:50] Today's topic is on how your belief systems affect your wealth. So your belief systems play a crucial role in shaping your wealth because they influence how you think, feel and act regarding money. If you believe that money is hard to come by like I used to, you might approach opportunities with caution or even fear, limiting your financial growth. On the other hand, if you believe wealth is abundant and achievable, you're more likely to take risks, seize opportunities, and make decisions that foster financial success. Ultimately, your beliefs about money can either propel you toward wealth or hold you back. Rolling in to take away number one, your belief system was given to you, not created by you.

Brian Persson: [00:01:30] Right. We come from some personal development and a lot of experience where, you know, it comes from your parents, your belief system, and a lot of who you are comes from your parents.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:42] And your upbringing. So your grandparents, your aunts, your uncles, teachers, your best friend's parents, whatever you watched as you grew up before you became an adult and were on your own. That is where a lot of your belief system

Why You Deserve To Be Wealthy

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss why we deserve to be wealthy. One of the key points they make is that wealth is more than money. Money is a large part of it, but what we gain from wealth is more than financial. Jessilyn and Brian describe how they approached money before shifting their thinking versus how things changed for them later. The takeaways in this episode reflect their experiences.

Wealth is a mindset. Shift it and everything around us will shift.
Be intentional. There is always enough to go around.
We need to be willing to give up something in order to be wealthy.

One of the things they stress is opening ourselves up to seeing the money all around us. Identifying the wealth that is available in the world makes it easier to see pathways to earning more. Jessilyn and Brian’s "Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate" program guides the mindset shifts necessary to understand why we deserve wealth, what we can easily cut out of our budgets while preparing to earn more, and how life becomes richer in ways beyond money once we’ve taken the right steps. Tune in and prepare for an eye-opening conversation on the wealth available to us all.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

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Transcript

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand for couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help you achieve your goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:33] Today, we're going to talk about why you deserve to be wealthy. We're going to dig in with our thoughts and perhaps what people think about when it comes to wealth and how it pertains to them. I mean, we believe you deserve to be wealthy because wealth is not just about money. It's about the freedom to live life on your terms, the freedom to pursue your passions and to create a legacy for yourself and your loved ones.

Brian Persson: [00:01:01] And if you're willing to put in the effort and make smart decisions and take control of your financial future, then wealth is in your reach. As Jess said, we both believe that everybody deserves to be wealthy, and I think that leads right into our first takeaway, which is that wealth is a mindset.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:19] Yeah. So the difference between those that are wealthy and those that are not is simply their mindset. And we know that because we've been on both sides of the fence.

Brian Persson: [00:01:29] All kinds of stories we could tell.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:31] And we will. So, I mean, we've been fortunate enough to never, like, go bankrupt, lose it all. But we, you know, we did choose to do some adventures and businesses and not have active income coming in. And our real estate supported us, which we are very grateful for. But we were redlining. We got to a point where we had to make some hard decisions and shift back in

Why Wealth Is Important

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Jessilyn and Brian Persson delve into why wealth truly matters, going beyond the common reasons like financial security, stability, reducing stress, and preparing for retirement. They highlight three deeper, often overlooked reasons for the importance of wealth:

Wealth enhances relationships by alleviating financial stress and fostering better communication.
Wealth offers freedom and flexibility in career choices, allowing couples to pursue their passions.
Wealth enables the building and leaving of a legacy, shaping family impact and contributions to community and charity.

Their "Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate" program is designed to align couples' relationship dynamics with wealth-building goals, emphasizing how financial well-being strengthens relationships, unlocks new opportunities, and creates lasting family legacies. Jessilyn and Brian's coaching guides couples through these transformative insights, offering practical strategies for reaching their wealth goals. Tune in to hear their expert take.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:10] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:21] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand from couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help you achieve your goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:33] Today's topic is why wealth is important. There are numerous reasons to be wealthy, and we're going to talk about some of the more common ones before we dig into the gold. First and foremost, I think we hear a lot that financial security and stability, so if you're wealthy, you have that. And that's a big one. I know for me, you know, being raised without much money in our family, I watched how much we struggled and worked really hard for a lot of the things we had. So financial security was a big one for me. I knew I didn't, when I was a young teenager, I decided right then and there I was not having kids unless I could afford to have them.

Brian Persson: [00:01:12] News to me.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:13] Yeah.

Brian Persson: [00:01:15] First I've heard of that.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:16] Hence why I had a career before, like a really good career before I even met you. But no, I just remember watching my parents fight. And the only thing I recall them really ever fighting about was money.

Brian Persson: [00:01:25] Yeah.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:25] And so one day, I watched them fighting and I said, no, like, I, this isn't a lifestyle I want. I'm not having kids and raising kids that are going to just watch me fight with my partner over money.

Brian Persson: [00:01:36] I had some of that too. My comfort level in growing up was probably a little bit higher than yours, but I remember around the time I was 18, just at the end of hig

Goal Setting, Your Blueprint for Success

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the next step in the Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate journey: setting goals. Success comes from setting clear, specific goals rather than lofty ideas or vague dreams. By defining step-by-step objectives, you can progress toward your larger ambitions. If your goal is to be rich, break it down into a specific figure and reverse-engineer the steps needed to achieve it. Through their own journey, Jessilyn and Brian have identified three key takeaways for goal-setting success:

Start with the end in mind
Ensure goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
Take action

Jessilyn and Brian explain what a SMART goal is, providing examples from their steadily growing business and real estate portfolio. They demonstrate how each step of a SMART goal should be tightly focused on the individual actions leading to overarching success. Their experience and knowledge offer detailed insights, laying out a blueprint for investing success that anyone can follow. They understand the journey ahead for potential real estate investors and are here to help.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

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Transcript

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand from couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help you achieve your goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:33] Today's topic is setting goals for success. So why have goals? It's so you can strive towards something and have something to measure against.

Brian Persson: [00:00:45] Mhm. It's like if you were on a map and you didn't know where you were and you didn't know where you were going, that would be the same thing as not having a goal. But if you have a goal, then you can locate yourself on the map, you can locate where you're going, and then you'll also know exactly how much materials or gas or money or whatever it might take to get to where the other destination is. Otherwise, you're just wandering around aimlessly.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:15] Yeah. It's like you're risking living life by default.

Brian Persson: [00:01:18] Yeah, yeah, I think a lot of people have goals, air quotes, goals. But the goals are really just kind of hopes, dreams, maybe a little bit of intention or some skills that they have and they're moving towards something, but it's not really defined. And that's a life by default. It's kind of happening to you instead of you happening to life, you being intentional about your life.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:46] Yes. And so takeaway number one is to start with the end in mind.

Brian Persson: [00:01:52] What was your start, initially?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:56] I, when I got the first set of keys on our first rental property, I decided I wanted to buy a new property every two years.

Bri

The #1 Way to Destroy Your Wealth

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson have spoken about how to earn and increase wealth in previous episodes, but what advice do they have for avoiding the loss of wealth? In this episode, they examine the number one way that couples can destroy their wealth: divorce. Divorce is a sure-fire way to half your wealth at best, and probably lose more. Conversely, though, the number one cause of divorce is money issues. So how can this costly failure be avoided? Jessilyn and Brian have three takeaways to solidify your relationship and your wealth partnership.
Start the conversation
Define what wealth means to you, your partner, and each other
Design a path to get to wealth
Conversation and communication have been a through-line in every episode of Life By Design. Jessilyn and Brian lay out the foundational elements for forging a solid partnership in the first episodes which include ways to start healthy communication habits that benefit relationships long-term. In the instance of finance, their advice is to talk to each other about wealth and wealth goals. Define what you want, what wealth means, and how you would prefer to get that wealth. This episode encourages doing the hard work early to avoid the even harder work of salvaging things later. Once you can communicate clearly about financial goals, you have a path on which to embark together. Take it from Jessilyn and Brian, who have walked this same path and are now here to guide you.
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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand for couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help you achieve your goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:32] Today's topic is the number one way to destroy your wealth. In our podcast we talk a lot about how to create wealth, but we never talked about how to preserve wealth. So in this episode, we're going to discuss the number one way you can destroy your wealth.

Brian Persson: [00:00:47] Mhm. And the number one way to destroy your wealth is divorce. And interestingly enough, the number one reason for divorce is disagreements over money. So I'm going to start right in with a story that came from a real estate conference that we went to, and we met a billionaire there, he was one of the speakers, and he got divorced. And his number one piece of advice was choose your partners wisely, because half of a billion is not a billion.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:16] That's right.

Brian Persson: [00:01:17] Yeah. So divorce effectively leaves you with an absolute maximum of half of what you had. And it's probably going to leave you with less. So.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:27] Correct. So if you're a millionaire and you get divorced, you are no longer a millionaire.

Brian Persson: [00:01:32] Mhm. And I looked up some statistics from StatCan and StatCan indicat

How Collaborative Learning Lays the Foundation for Success

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson discuss the benefits of getting educated alongside your partner for real estate investing success. Collaborative learning provides the foundation upon which an investing portfolio is built. There is a lot to consider, from how each partner views money and the mindset they grew up with, to what type of real estate investing each partner is prepared for and can support with initial capital. Jessilyn and Brian dive into the details of what to learn before making the leap.

Their advice on collaborative learning falls into three key takeaways from the episode:
Define your objectives for investing in real estate.
Understand the ways to make money in real estate.
Decide which investment strategy will work for you and your partner.
They ask the hard questions about how each partner views money and wealth, how far into the future the wealth is expected to manifest, how hands-on each partner wants to be, and which investing options a relationship can withstand in terms of work and initial capital output. Jessilyn and Brian talk about the many ways a couple can learn together, some without even setting foot outside the house, and why they’re important. They guide listeners to consider various real estate strategies such as fix and flip, hold and rent, renovate and refinance, turnkey, wholesaling, Airbnb, and more. Jessilyn and Brian share their lived experience and knowledge to help you and your partner lay the foundation for real estate investing success.
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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Desig
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand from couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate program to help you achieve your goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:33] Today's topic is about collaborative learning and how it lays the foundation for success. So we're going to delve into getting educated in real estate together, which will help align your objectives and strategies. We all grew up with some form of understanding in the finance or lack thereof, and what that means. And when you get together with your partner, you may have come from very different backgrounds and have very different understandings. But when you're going to choose to build your wealth and your portfolio together, you want to make sure you have the same understanding, strategies, objectives. I mean, if you look at our history, I grew up on a farm, I know we speak of this before, and it was kind of simple. You buy a house, you have your mortgage and you pay it off, and then you work hard to pay your bills and then you just kind of live. And that's how I grew up.

Brian Persson: [00:01:25] Yeah. And farmers as, most people know, aren't exactly the most money savvy of people. I have farmers in my family too. And listening to their financial conversations about how to keep the farm afloat is something. Yeah, but I grew up with an accountant for a father and a banker for a mum. So

How to start the Real Estate Conversation with your Partner

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson draw from their Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate program to talk in-depth about communication and initiating the real estate investing conversation with a partner. Ensuring partners are on the same page requires the sort of communication skills outlined in their Discover Define Design framework and is vital to the success of a real estate investment portfolio. But just as importantly, conversation is key to the success of the relationship between partners managing the portfolio.

The three takeaways providing the structure of this episode are 1) Discuss the resistance and fears a partner has about real estate investing, 2) Discuss what is desired as a couple, and 3) Design how to reach the goal on the same page with the same plan. There are a great number of facets involved with real estate investing, from understanding fears, accepting debt, where each partner’s strengths and passions lie, and the very practical aspects of forming a supportive team of lawyers, mortgage brokers, and realtors to assist in building the portfolio. The heart of success rests in conversations that outline what each partner will and won’t do and where different skill sets require outside help to bolster the portfolio. Jessilyn and Brian speak from personal experience and have the success and knowledge to offer foundational guidance.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand from couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help you achieve your goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:34] Today, we're going to talk about how to start the real estate investing conversation with your partner. One of the main reasons to do this, obviously, is so you are on the same page as your partner, and you can understand what each other is thinking and feeling.

Brian Persson: [00:00:49] Exactly. There was a point in our past where we were very much not on the same page and very much not having the conversation. So we've learned through our own bruises and problems inside of our relationship to have this conversation. And we want to share it with you to make sure that you guys can have the conversation earlier than later and get moving fast on your wealth.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:15] Yeah. And so today's three takeaways really follow strongly along the framework that we talk about in many of our different episodes, the Discover Define Design framework, but our takeaway, first one today, is to discuss the resistance and fears that you or your partner may have around real estate.

Brian Persson: [00:01:36] And takeaway number one is all about the discover part of our Discover Define Design framework, where you go into your emotions, you explore what's really under the surface and you maybe you don't want to face it. Maybe you don't want to admit it. But that's what this is about, is about trying to fi

How to Get Your Partner on Board with Real Estate Investing

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson address a topic from their Riches, Relationships, and Real Estate program on today’s episode. They explore what happens when one-half of a partnership is not on board with real estate investing and why it’s beneficial to be a unified whole when dealing with your portfolio and goals. Jessilyn and Brian relate experiences that have given them personal insight into how best to approach real estate discussions with a hesitant partner, and conversation skills discussed in their Discover Define Design Framework episodes play a part.

Real estate investment and wealth building are great opportunities for a couple, but if one or the other partner is hesitant or not on board, success and growth can be limited. Jessilyn and Brian experienced an imbalance in investment goals in their own marriage but overcame it and realized even greater growth together. The takeaways shared in this episode - have the conversation, normalize real estate investing, and get educated together - come from their understanding of how to communicate effectively and how to apply relationship skills and outside tools to bring the less-eager partner on board with real estate investing.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:10] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We support couples in achieving their wealth goals by sharing our journey of overcoming barriers to build our financial empire.

Brian Persson: [00:00:21] With our extensive personal experience and increasing demand from couples seeking alignment to invest confidently in real estate, we created the Riches, Relationships and Real Estate program to help couples achieve their wealth goals.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:35] Our topic today is how to get your partner on board with real estate investing. We got approached by so many different couples at different conferences and even over Zoom asking us how we do it together.

Brian Persson: [00:00:50] Yeah, a common problem we see just about everywhere. Even people who are invested into real estate, we still get questions. And it's like, how do I get my partner on board with real estate? And they actually own investments.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:05] Yeah. So why is it important that your partner is on board with investing, as opposed to maybe it just being a solo mission?

Brian Persson: [00:01:14] Well, our personal story is that I resisted the real estate investing in the beginning.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:20] He did.

Brian Persson: [00:01:20] Yeah. And, uh, what happened? We were unable to buy. We were unable to buy what we wanted or perhaps what was a better performing portfolio. And then when we actually got on board with each other and we were on the same page and wanting to invest in real estate, our portfolio tripled basically in the course of a couple of years and became a lot easier as well. So it just increases your bond between the two people and the relationship ultimately will increase your overall wealth.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:53] Yeah. Another great thing about being aligned with your partner is it opens i

Break the Resentment Cycle & Gain Freedom

Wed, 29 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson talk about resentment in this episode. They define resentment as bitterness about something or someone that we perceive as having done wrong by us, or some action unfairly taken against us that we hold anger about. Resentment, as they will explain, gets buried deep within and puts us into a cycle of negativity. They further dive into how we identify and address resentment so we can break free of the negative cycle.

Jessilyn shares personal examples of past resentment in her family and years of anger over actions her sister had taken. She and Brian then talk about the different perspectives they had in resentment when they became new parents. These stories pave the way for the three takeaways they share on how to deal with resentment: 1. Watch for the signs, 2. Put it in check, and 3. Practice empathy and forgiveness. Why do these takeaways work and how can you implement them? Jessilyn and Brian have the insight to answer those questions.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We help couples create the wealth they desire by sharing our stories of how we broke through the barriers to create our wealth.

Brian Persson: [00:00:19] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better. Recently, we've created a branch of that teaching we are calling Riches Relationships and Real Estate. We have a lot of personal experience, and there is a lot of demand from couples who want to get on the same page so they can powerfully invest in real estate.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:40] Yes, our topic today is resentment. I love this topic because I harbored a lot of resentment for many years in my early 20s and 30s, before I learned what it did to me and how to let it go. But when we say resentment, what do we mean?

Brian Persson: [00:00:55] Yeah, it's just a bitterness to something that you think was done to you unfairly or some action or person who has treated you unfairly.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:04] Yes, absolutely. And so why is it important to understand not only what resentment means - I think most of us can appreciate what that means - but like what it does to you and and why you should let it go?

Brian Persson: [00:01:19] Well, as you know, because as you said, you've experienced it, I think pretty well everyone in the world has experienced it. And it takes you out. It puts you in a cycle of negativity and, you know, resentment. You just keep having that resentment come up and up and up over and over again, sometimes out of the situation that it even started in. So if you can't break that cycle and you can't understand what and where the resentment came from, then it's going to cause your life a lot of problems going forward.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:54] Yeah, problems you might not even realize until years later.

Brian Persson: [00:01:58] No, you might not even call it resentment until years later. You might not even see it as resentment.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:02:03] Yeah, yeah. So our

Perspective vs. Perception: Embracing Diverse Points of View

Wed, 15 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson explore the topic of perspective versus perception in this episode. How different is perspective from perception and how does that affect us and our relationships? Perception is how we view the world as individuals. Our perception of things is fairly stable. Perspective, though, can change at will. We can choose to see the world from other points of view. Which one helps us better connect with others? Jessilyn and Brian have that answer.

Using very relatable personal examples, Jessilyn and Brian share times when their perception was limited and how challenging perspectives opened them up to greater expression and connection. They walk us through three takeaways that can change how we connect and move through our lives: 1. Failure is only a matter of perspective, 2. Perspective is a powerful tool, and 3. Growth requires different perspectives. The lessons and insight explored in this episode can lead to more authentic relationships, personal growth, and a way to see failure as part of greater success.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We help couples create the wealth they desire by sharing our stories of how we broke through the barriers to create our wealth.

Brian Persson: [00:00:19] We are also the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better. We also recently created a branch of that teaching we are calling Riches Relationships and Real Estate. We have a lot of experience, and there is a lot of demand from couples who want to get on the same page so they can powerfully invest into real estate.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:41] Our topic today is perspective versus perception. So what do we mean when we say perspective versus perception?

Brian Persson: [00:00:50] So perception is how we as individuals view the world. Our perception of things, I would say is relatively stable. It can change as we learn new ideas and modify our perception of the world, but the new perception is still relatively stable. Perspective, on the other hand, can change at will. You can choose to see the world from different angles. We'll talk more about how perspective is a very powerful tool for connecting with others later on in this podcast.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:19] So why is it important?

Brian Persson: [00:01:22] I would assert that most everyone has a fairly narrow perception of the world, so imagine only understanding what you perceive. It would be very difficult to connect with a wide variety of people, because the large majority of people would not have your same perception. You guys would miss each other. I would also assert that this is why people feel most conversations are shallow, as they're only connecting on where their perceptions match. This makes perspective critical. To be able to change your perspective so you can view things from other angles allows you to get into another's world.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:59] Yeah, I can definitely relate to that. I do a lot of networking as I'm a part of many different women's groups, and in the gr

Break Free from Attachment and Get Committed to Results

Wed, 01 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson talk about the differences in being attached to a pathway versus being committed to one in today’s episode. In their words, attached is a one-path solution whereas committed is a multi-path solution. Is the way we get to a goal more important than the result itself? This is what they explore today, investigating how this mindset can affect colleagues, friendships, and even family.

The three takeaways that Jessilyn highlights define how committed is a more flexible and freeing way to achieve a goal. Being committed means focusing on the outcome, it means moving on, and it means deciding if presumed expectations in life are meaningful. What sorts of things do we get attached to and how does that manifest in our lives? How can we shift to a committed perspective instead? Are there things we are clinging to that aren’t serving our journey the way they should? Join Jessilyn and Brian as they break down what committed versus attached can mean to relationships and outcomes in our lives.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We help couples create the wealth they desire by sharing our stories of how we broke through the barriers to create our wealth.

Brian Persson: [00:00:19] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better. Recently, we've created a branch of that teaching we are calling Relationships, Riches and Real Estate. We have a lot of personal experience, and there is a lot of demand from couples who want to get on the same page so that they can powerfully invest in real estate.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:42] Our topic today is committed versus attached. So what do we mean when we say committed versus attached?

Brian Persson: [00:00:50] Right. So attached, we can think of it as a one-path solution. There's only one way to do a particular thing. Committed is a multi-path solution. There is multiple ways to do the same thing. So one example is just doing dishes. We have some stories of our own ways of doing dishes. And we have one we want to share about some friends of ours. But attached would look like having only one way to load the dishwasher, and that would be the glasses have to go here, the dishes have to go there, whereas committed would be the dishes have to get clean if they run, if they get run through the dishwasher.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:31] Right. Right. Yeah. No, I remember a story with the good friends of ours that came over probably about a month ago now. We're having dinner, and he was very kindly loading our dishwasher, and you could tell he was a little hesitant of whether he was putting them in the right spot. And I was just kind of like, yeah, whatever, load them how you want. And I know his fiance, he's like, well, at home I have to load them a very specific way. And I remember looking at his fiance and kind of smiling, and you could tell, she's like, well, yeah, that's how they get done. And you, I remember you went to her and you're like, well, if you came home one day and the dishes were all clean and put away, would you be happy? She goes, yeah, he goes, would you ha

Explore Yesterday’s Meaning to Create Tomorrow’s Riches

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson talk about meaning in today’s episode. Why does the same situation or item have a different meaning for one person than it does for another? The same apple may be delicious and coveted by one person and viewed as gross and undesirable by another. Jessilyn and Brian explore how we form meanings and how we can change those meanings to reach different understandings of situations.

One of the key examples of something that almost everyone in the world places meaning on is money. Money means many different things to many different people and can cause a lot of conflict in relationships. Jessilyn shares how she came from a poverty mindset growing up, rather than an abundance mindset, because her family did not have money. But even when she and Brian started achieving financial success, she maintained her poverty mindset until she explored where that meaning came from and could learn to change it. Jessilyn and Brian discuss how to discover where our meanings originated, why those meanings get stronger the more we experience a situation, and how a meaning that is held today can be changed tomorrow.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We help couples create the wealth they desire by sharing our stories and how we broke through the barriers to create our wealth.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better. More recently, due to high demand, we decided to create the relationships, riches, and real estate segment of our teaching. After all, who does not want to be wealthy, right?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:37] Yeah. So our topic this week is meaning. So what meaning we put on things. For example, why does the same situation have a different meaning for you or for I? I'm going to use a real simple example here, like eating an apple. When you're eating an apple, that is what it is. You're just eating the apple. But someone might say, this apple is delicious. I love apples, crisp and juicy and they make me happy. Then there can be someone on the other side who hates apples, and so they put a meaning onto it that apples are gross, they're disgusting. So it's a different meaning for a different person depending on who it is and what they put on that simple situation of eating an apple.

Brian Persson: [00:01:19] Yeah, the exact same action, two different like feelings and outcomes to that exact same action. Another super important thing that pretty well the whole world puts on a whole lot of meaning on is money. And that happens a lot in relationships. You have two different people inside that relationship, and they have two very different ways of viewing money. Some view it as bad, some view it as good, some view it as they don't understand it, some view it as I got this like, let's go make a bunch of money. And that can cause a lot of conflict in relationships, even though a dollar is a dollar is a dollar. And there's really no difference between the physical form of money.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:02:06] Right. So meaning kind of comes down to our interpretation or our int

Managing Adversity with Reach and Endurance

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson introduce part two of their discussion on adversity. Based on CORE, originally created by Paul Stoltz, part one focused on the C and the O, Control and Ownership. This episode explores the R and the E, Reach and Endurance. How far does the adversity reach into our lives and how long is it going to endure? And how do we recognize and make peace with that?

Adversity is a big topic and CORE explains how impactful it can be while also introducing ways of facing it that allow for handling it to the best of our abilities. Jessilyn and Brian explain that the reach adversity has will flow through us, into our partners, into our children, and into our larger families if we are not careful. It can endure for years if we let bitterness take hold and we don’t assess it. They each share examples of large adversity from previous work that led to burnout and health stress within families to demonstrate how reach and endurance creep into daily life. But they also describe how they embraced personal growth, a different mentality, to get around the bitterness to stop the adversity’s continued existence. This is a valuable second part to pair with the first as a guide to dealing with adversity.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life By Design podcast with your host Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We work with professional couples to help resolve conflict and elevate communication within their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:19] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:26] This episode we're going to talk about adversity part two of CORE, originally created by Paul Stoltz. Our last episode, we focused on the C and the O, which is control and ownership. And we went into unpredictability. This week we're going to go into the R and the E, which is reach and endurance, and we're going to wrap that one up talking about when you're up to big things, it can cause big adversity.

Brian Persson: [00:00:51] Yeah. Reach and Endurance. The way I like to think about reach and endurance versus control and ownership is control and ownership is you can be proactive with it. You know where your control and where your ownership lies. But with reach and endurance, I find for most people it tends to be a lot slipperier. You don't notice it as much, it just kind of as it says, reaches out and grabs on to things. The adversity kind of gets you and the endurance just keeps going and you don't really notice it.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:23] Yeah, no, that's a good way, good way to put it. So when we're saying reach like it's one thing to impact you, but the reach we're talking about here is when it rolls into your partner, your children, your work, wherever it's going to reach and it creeps in there. And then endurance is more like, how's it impacting you long term? If you don't like, wrap it up and let it go in a sufficient time manner?

Brian Persson: [00:01:46] Yeah. Reach is like, you know, the waves of a pond, right? It starts with you, goes to your partner, goes to your kids, goes to your family, your extended family, keeps on traveling.

Navigating Adversity with Control and Ownership

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson address the topic of adversity in today’s episode. Adversity can impact us in many ways and can strike everyone, so they are breaking the subject into two parts. In today’s part one, they focus on the first half of their CORE ideal. CORE stands for Control, Ownership, Reach, and Endurance. Control and Ownership in adversity are the focus of this episode as Jessilyn and Brian break down how to deal with adversity.

Adversity, as Brian explains, is arguments and problems that come with all the stuff living throws at us that impacts our way of life. Adversity comes from a multitude of angles: illness, job loss, destruction of the home, the pandemic, money, and so many more. Jessilyn and Brian use very personal examples from their own lives to illustrate the unpredictable nature of adversity and how it often shatters our sense of control. They explain how accepting what cannot be controlled about adverse situations makes them easier to handle and get through. They detail how taking ownership of what must be managed, within the strengths that we have, is how to move forward. The three takeaways they share - control, ownership, and that adversity is unpredictable - offer guidance and a plan for tackling adversity together.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:10] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We work with professional couples to help resolve conflict and elevate communication within their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:27] This week our topic is on adversity. Adversity can impact us in so many ways, and because it does strike everyone, we're actually going to break this into a two part series. And in our two part series, we're going to focus on what we call CORE. And that stands for Control, Ownership, Reach and Endurance when it comes to adversity. So this part one is going to focus on the C and O, Control and Ownership, of adversity. So Brian, what is adversity?

Brian Persson: [00:01:00] Yeah. Well in relationships it happens a lot as everyone out there probably knows. There's a, you know, you and your partner, you and your family, you and your kids often engage in arguments and problems of all sorts. And that's pretty well what adversity is. It's all the stuff of life that comes at you and tries to impact your way of life.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:25] Yeah. And that, I mean, can come from angles unknown. It can be anything from an illness, job loss, destruction to the home, the pandemic, whichever one experienced.

Brian Persson: [00:01:37] Pandemic is a huge one, yeah.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:38] So why is it important?

Brian Persson: [00:01:40] Because you have to face it. It's going to happen. There's no way to avoid adversity in life. There's no way to avoid adversity in your relationship. And there's no way to move forward. Especially moving forward you have to experience adversity in order to get anything new and anything bigger in life.

The Power of Choice

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Jessilyn and Brian Persson talk about choice and choosing things in today’s episode. What is choice? It’s more than the option between two things. Brian explains that true choice is essentially the choice of whether or not we accept what we are given. This doesn’t mean we get to choose everything that happens to us, but we do have the choice to accept what happens and go with it instead of fighting it. How does that impact relationships and why does true choice offer such freedom?

Jessilyn and Brian talk through three main takeaways about choice: first, take ownership of our choices; second, not making a choice is still a choice; and third, choosing everything it is and everything it isn’t. When we make a choice, in a partner for example, we aren’t just choosing the things we like most about that person, we are also choosing the things we don’t like as much. We choose everything they are and everything they are not in equal measure. Jessilyn and Brian explain how the choice to accept things makes relationships healthier, fosters better connections, and lets us release societal imprints that cause us guilt or shame. Their insight into actively choosing what things we can control and what things we can’t provides a way through adversity into stronger unions and greater enjoyment of life.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:10] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We work with professional couples to help resolve conflict and elevate communication within their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:27] Today we're going to talk about choice. Choosing. Everything that it is and everything that it isn't. So what do we mean when we say you have a choice?

Brian Persson: [00:00:37] So most people look at choice like the option between two things. But that's not really what true choice is. Choice for me and for you is basically the choice of whether or not you accept what you are given. So just to use a really common example, cancer is not necessarily like a choice. You would not say, hey, between getting cancer and not getting cancer, I'm totally choosing getting cancer. But you can get cancer. It's not something you want, but you can get it. And whether you choose cancer, when or if you get it, is really what we're talking about in choice.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:19] What do you mean by when you choose cancer? Because obviously you get cancer, you get it. It's just, it just happens. Right? And so now, uh oh, you got cancer. So now you're saying choose it. What do you mean?

Brian Persson: [00:01:34] Not resisting it. As in, in the terms of cancer, not obviously letting yourself die over it. No one wants that. But not being miserable, not being upset, not saying God, why did I get it? And just saying, hey, you know what, I got cancer. Let's deal with it as best as I can.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:53] Choose that you have it, accept that, and then choose from there how you want to move forward with it in terms of fighting it and do

Reframing Accountability

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson address the topic of accountability and how to reframe it so it doesn’t sound as threatening as we think it is. They define accountability and relate its importance to being responsible. In a relationship, accountability goes both ways, each partner must be accountable for their end of agreements they’ve not maintained. But in saying that, Jessilyn and Brian also explain why holding someone to account means also holding yourself to account.

The garbage story, Jessilyn and Brian’s “infamous” garbage story is used to demonstrate accountability. Jessilyn held Brian accountable for not taking out the garbage, but, upon reflection, realized that no structure or agreement had ever been put into place around the garbage. Through this example, they explain how accountability should be reframed as an examination of where communication failed and not as one person swinging an accountability stick at the other. They dig deep into reframing accountability so it becomes more accessible, less of a threat, and a very important part of defining a balanced and healthy relationship.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
—

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We work with professional couples to help resolve conflicts and elevate communication within their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:19] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:27] This week our topic is on accountability. Ooh, that's a word that can give you shivers. When you hear the word accountability, how does that make you feel?

Brian Persson: [00:00:37] Yeah, I think for most people it makes them feel maybe threatened, maybe a little bit accused, probably a little bit cornered, like, oh my God, I'm gonna get in trouble for something is generally, I think, how most people feel.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:51] Yeah, it invokes that, Oh, crap, what did I do now or what do I have to do kind of concept.

Brian Persson: [00:00:57] Yeah. Especially in a relationship, you know, it's like, oh my, oh my god, what's my partner, what's my what's my husband, my wife getting me in trouble for again?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:04] Yeah. What did I do this time? So what is accountability.

Brian Persson: [00:01:08] Accountability? Accountability is basically just to be answerable or liable for something that happened. So just some type of structure that says, hey, if something happens and it goes A or B way, then here are A or B responses for that.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:25] Fair enough. So why is accountability important?

Brian Persson: [00:01:29] Because if you are not accountable then you have no reason to be responsible.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:34] Fair enough. And responsibility is a lot of work.

Brian Persson: [00:01:39] Yeah, it can be. Yeah. There's also a lot of power, though, in responsibility.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:

Mastering the Power of Agreements Part 2

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson dive into Part 2 of their examination of agreements in this episode. Last episode they addressed what agreements are, why they’re needed, and how they work. In this episode they get deeper into agreements by discussing what default agreements are, what happens when an agreement is broken, and why agreements should be reviewed regularly. As always, Jessilyn and Brian lead with examples from their own life experiences.

Default agreements are firstly defined as agreements that come about without discussion and are not intentional. They form out of default actions done by one or both partners. Jessilyn and Brian explain why the assumptions behind default agreements can lead to frustration and broken communication. They explain how agreements can be made about any topic in which there is contention or possible miscommunication. Intentional agreements made following their Discover Define Design framework let each person in the relationship explain themselves and their wishes. Agreements, however, do not caretake themselves. Jessilyn and Brian share how to fix a broken agreement and why ongoing revisions are necessary.
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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
—

Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life By Design podcast with your hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We work with professional couples to help resolve conflict and elevate communication within their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:20] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:28] Our topic this week is Agreements Part two. If you recall last podcast we discussed what are agreements, why do we need them, and how do they work? This week we're going to cover what are default agreements, what happens when you break an agreement, and why should you review agreements on a recurring basis? So Brian, what are default agreements?

Brian Persson: [00:00:50] Default agreements. They're a danger. That's what they are for your relationship.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:55] Yes.

Brian Persson: [00:00:56] Basically a default agreement is something where you haven't openly discussed it and actually intentionally chosen that to be your agreement within the relationship. It has happened by default. So whether it's through some irritation that you've created an agreement within your relationship or whether it's through just actions that were going on in your relationship, like for us driving. By default, I drive the highway driving and by default you drive the city driving.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:30] Sometimes it's also assumptions from the other partner, right? Like I assumed you knew when the garbage was overflowing and you just take it out.

Brian Persson: [00:01:39] Yeah.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:39] And that default did not work.

Brian Persson: [00:01:41] Yeah. The default agreement was that I was to empty the garbage.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:45] Yes, but you did not.

Brian Persson: [00:01:47] No. But the the parameters, bec

Mastering the Power of Agreements Part 1

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson introduce the topic of agreements in this episode. Agreements, as defined by Jessilyn and Brian, are a negotiated course of action in relationships and they should cover any major decisions made by you and your partner. They are a key tool in aiding communication and avoiding conflict.

The three main points that Jessilyn and Brian lay out in Part 1 of their talk on agreements are 1) have an agreement for all major decisions, 2) have an agreement for who is responsible for what decisions, and 3) have an agreement on when and how to communicate. They give detailed examples of how each point works in their own relationship to aid in communication and ease in negotiating household and business demands. Agreements, however, shouldn’t become set in stone so that they begin to affect the partnership negatively. Jessilyn and Brian also talk about flexibility and returning to their Discover Define Design framework to ensure agreements continue to serve your relationship as they were intended to.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Jessilyn and Brian Persson. We work with professional couples to help resolve conflict and elevate communication within their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:18] We are the creators of the Discover Define Design Framework, which supports you in resolving conflict and communicating better.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:26] This week our topic is on agreements. This is part one of two series. So, agreements. Brian, what are agreements?

Brian Persson: [00:00:35] Yeah, agreements are a negotiated course of action. In our case, we're talking about relationships. So it is negotiated between a partner and a spouse. And to give you a quick example of like an agreement that we've created, it is with driving. With driving, it has to do with you driving in the city because you have motion sickness if I drive, um, not because I'm a crazy driver, but because you just react and I drive on the highways for all the long vacations and trips that we go on. That's a typical agreement that we've come into within our relationship.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:14] Yeah. One of many agreements. So in terms of agreements, I mean, there should definitely be an agreement for any major decisions you and your partner are having, right? Like buying a house or a car. Where are you going to go on vacation, if you plan on changing jobs or starting a company, starting a family is a huge discussion you should have. Is that, would you agree with that?

Brian Persson: [00:01:34] Yeah. Agreements are huge. They literally come into every part of your life everywhere you can imagine, you will find agreements. And the better that you can get at discovering those agreements, defining what they are, and then as our structure goes, Discover Define and Design, and design the new agreement, the better your relationship will get. Because once you have an agreement in place, there's no more unknowns. So whether it's a big decision or a little decision, agreements will always come to your rescue and save your relationship from any kind of conflict you might have.

Jessil

Discover Define Design: Create Structures & Take Action

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:30:00 GMT

Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson explore the third principle of their Discover, Define, Design Framework, Design, in this episode. Design is the culmination of the first two steps, where you’ve discovered an issue and defined what’s wrong and now need to take action to design a solution. So Jessilyn and Brian talk all about creating solutions and adding structures for success into your situation.

The three main points that Jessilyn and Brian have grounded Define in give structure to their advice and revelations. First, they ask what immediate actions you are committing to based on the Design, second, they ask what structures around the Design will make it successful, and third, they urge exploration of the different tools available to help achieve success. Within these baseline takeaways, they explain how Design works, what structures to look for, how they used the framework in their own lives, and suggest apps to assist you in moving your solution forward. It’s a key episode on how to take immediate action to improve the conflict where you started.

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Resources discussed in this episode:
SMART goals

Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:09] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your host Brian and Jessilyn Persson, where we help professional couples resolve conflict and improve communication within their relationship. This episode, we're going to focus on Design. As the creators of the Discover, Define, Design Framework, we are taking you through the Design piece of the framework to help you with any of the conflicts you have in your relationship, to help resolve and improve communication. So Design, this means creating or imagining a new solution for your situation, and adding structures that will allow your situation to succeed.

Brian Persson: [00:00:44] That's right. So as per the last couple episodes we walked through Discover and Define. Those are how to explore the emotions of the situation and also uncover the facts of the situation. And we, in those episodes used a situation we had in the past, which caused a lot of tension and that was taking out the garbage. So we're going to carry forward with the Design principle of the Discover, Define, Design Framework around taking out the garbage. So one of the first questions that we ask is what immediate actions are you committing to based on your design.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:25] Yeah. And on that, so the solution for me was to have you, of course, take out the garbage before it overflowed, and preferably without me having to ask. So the immediate actions for that situation that I contributed to was agreeing to tell you if I saw the garbage overflowing in case you weren't around seeing it and asking you to put a item in your calendar to remind you that you need to take out the garbage.

Brian Persson: [00:01:58] Right, yeah. And we really lean on trying to get our Design to be immediate. So the actions that we are going to take towards anything we're going to create into our future, we really aim to have it as a quick solution so it can't, you know, wait a couple of years or wait a couple months, whatever it might look like to start acting on that design. So

Discover Define Design: Take Away the Emotion & Discuss Only the Facts

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:20:00 GMT

In this episode of Life By Design, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson explore the second principle of their Discover, Define, Design Framework: Define. They share that Define is all about the facts with the emotion removed, and they illustrate how it works by continuing their taking out the garbage example from the Discover episode.

Jessilyn and Brian have three main points in their Define principle that are laid out in questions that each participant in the conversation should ask themselves. What is and is not your fault? How could this situation be looked at if you accepted full blame? What biases or filters have you unconsciously applied to the situation that color your ability to hear the other person? They explain how to apply each question, what benefits the questions provide to dealing solely with facts, and discuss examples from their own lives. Define takes us deeper into the framework of rebuilding effective communication and avoiding blowouts.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:01] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast. We are your hosts, Brian and Jessilyn Persson, where we help professional couples resolve conflict and improve communication within their relationship. As the creators of the Discover, Define, Design Framework, today we're going to work you through Define. If you recall our last episode we talked about Discover in there and helping you resolving your conflict and improving communication. So we are going to move on to Define and we're going to work from the story we used last episode about the garbage, and we're going to carry it through so you understand the framework from start to finish. So what does Define mean? This is where we're going to talk about the facts. And only the facts. Take out all emotion and talk about exactly what the situation is. So moving on to our garbage story, Brian.

Brian Persson: [00:00:54] Yeah. Taking out the garbage. That was a real trouble point in our relationship at one point. And what was the situation? The situation was that I would let the garbage overflow a little bit because, you know, professional couples, we're both busy, we have a lot of stuff going on, and the garbage would just get a little too full. And what would that do for you, Jessilyn?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:19] Infuriate me.

Brian Persson: [00:01:22] Yeah, she would get mad. She would not tell me. Other situations would start to arise and and things would just go sideways. Yeah. All around the situation. So what we figured out is that if you can really remove the emotion from the situation, it's not bad to explore the emotion - that's what Discover is about - but now with Define you're really removing the emotion from the situation. So to do that you need to ask yourself some specific questions. And one of those questions that we ask is what is or is not working about the situation? So for you, Jess, what was working and not working for the situation?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:02:09] Yeah. When you took out the garbage, I was happy. But when you didn't, it would get really angry and I would let it fester. What also wasn't working is that I didn't communicate that to you. You had no idea that it was really annoying me and it was making me angry. And then

Discover Define Design: Explore your Emotions & Triggers

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:10:00 GMT

In this episode of Life By Design, hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson talk more about their Discover, Define, Design framework for improving communication, especially between professional couples. They break down the first tenet of the framework, Discover, and talk in-depth about how it works using examples from their own life together.

Jessilyn and Brian explain Discover as a normal conversation but without blow-ups. Instead, their Discover conversation is based around key questions that each party can ask themselves, or each other, to keep conversations concise and constructive. The goal is to get the heart of what is triggering the upset and what lies we might be telling ourselves about our part in the conflict. Jessilyn and Brian use the example of taking out the garbage, an everyday kind of argument that most couples can relate to, as a before and after to illustrate how their Discover principle helped their communication. Their honest revelations and insights borne from experience will benefit any interaction where conflict is blowing up without healthy communication.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design
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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:01] Welcome to the Life by Design podcast with your hosts, Brian and Jessilyn Persson, where we help professional couples resolve conflict and improve their communication inside their relationship.

Brian Persson: [00:00:11] Yeah, so this is our second episode of the Life by Design podcast. And the last episode we talked more about our history, how we got here to this table and why we're kind of doing what we're doing today with this podcast. But going forward, we're looking to actually start to piece out the framework that we call Discover, Define, Design and what we use to help couples, professional couples specifically, resolve their conflict and communicate better. The first part of that is Discover. So we're going to go into the Discover side of things for this podcast. So Discover is basically kind of like a normal conversation. But as you and I know, normal conversations can go very sideways very quickly. They can go on way too long, they can go on in somewhat negative fashions. And so what we've done is we've come up with a series of questions that you can ask yourself or each other and keep that conversation short and not experience conversation fatigue. So can we... you have an example you love to use all the time about how we how we communicate together. And it's very relatable to everybody else here too. So what is that example?

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:34] Taking out the garbage.

Brian Persson: [00:01:36] Taking out the garbage. Yeah. So it was a real stressor for you at one point in our relationship. Yeah.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:42] It was. Yes.

Brian Persson: [00:01:43] So tell us about, tell us about why.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:45] So as I mentioned in our first episode, I wasn't always the best communicator. And by best, I mean I didn't ask or say anything at all. But earlier in our relationship, the garbage would overflow and I would get so frustrated every time I had opened the cupboard and see the garbage overflowing. I would just like steam inside. And I'm like, why isn't he taking out the garbage?

Introducing Life by Design

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Life By Design podcast. Hosts Jessilyn and Brian Persson introduce you to their reason for creating this podcast by sharing their personal relationship story. Through that story, Jessilyn and Brian delve into the tools they learned to strengthen their own communication which they now want to share with you through these conversations.

Jessilyn and Brian each tell their side of their professional story, the ways they used to function in their previous jobs that contributed to burnout, disinterest, and tension between them. With striking honesty, they each reveal what part they played in adding to that tension, and why it was so difficult to communicate effectively. What they learned through career change, self-development, and disciplined communication techniques ultimately brought their relationship to a much stronger place. It gave them the tools to ensure the tension doesn’t have a chance to grow because they are too regularly sharing their thoughts and struggles with each other. This podcast is all about Jessilyn and Brian’s Discover, Define, Design Framework, and teaching us how to implement communication tools in our own lives.

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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:
Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design

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Transcript

Jessilyn Persson: [00:00:11] Welcome to Life By Design podcast. We are your hosts, Brian and Jessilyn Persson. This is the first episode of our podcast, so we're going to share a little bit of our history and why we chose to do this podcast and do what we do now.

Brian Persson: [00:00:25] Mhm. Yeah. And throughout the podcast series that we're going to record here into the future, we are going to talk a lot about all the tools we picked up over the years. We're going to share a lot of our stories. We are going to give you all of the experiences that it took for us to get here today. So for this first episode, we are going to go over that history. So Jessilyn, talk a little bit about your professional couple life and why you wanted to get here to this table and help professional couples solve their problems and and resolve conflict, communicate better. Let's hear your history.

Jessilyn Persson: [00:01:06] Absolutely. So I am a senior project manager, a mom of two. And throughout that I found our relationship, it had its ups and downs, with us both being career-focused people, different careers, trying to manage what we have. And as time went on, I mean, the hurdles we went through and the pains and the illnesses, I would love to help other couples avoid that if possible, or the solutions and tools we have help them to get through it if they're currently in it. And that is kind of what brought me here today. How about yourself?

Brian Persson: [00:01:43] Very similar. Yeah. I worked in the tech industry for a long time, had a really good career, definitely had those golden handcuffs on me for a long time. And but eventually, you know, you just start to look at your life and you start to realize that there are things that are missing. And cracks start to show up. And recently, recently a few years ago now for us, we both really looked at those cracks and we figured out exactly how we were going to go and solve them, remake them, whatever it looked like. And so that ended up in this podcast, that landed us here today to share all thos

Trailer: Life by Design

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Life by Design is a podcast that shares the experiences and tools you need to start living the life you desire, free from indecision, anxiety, and compromise.
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Contact Jessilyn and Brian Persson | Discover Life By Design:

Website: DiscoverLifeByDesign.ca
Instagram: DiscoverLifeByDesign
Facebook: Discover Life By Design
Linkedin: Discover Life By Design