David - I'm already listening! I'm a big podcast nerd - great for my commute!
My grandfather owned a family auto repair business in SF for some time, but my grandmother (think 1950s housewife with a penchant for cocktail hour) was always great with numbers. When her kids were older she did some part-time accounting/tax work and one day took a real estate class. She was convinced they needed to buy an apartment complex. Short story is they did it in 1973, soon bought a second, and they still have the first one they bought (I think its 10 units?). It made them multi-millionaires and in their golden years, were able to live off the considerable income it brought them. In the early days, they did all the rehabbing THEMSELVES (installing new dishwashers, etc.) They always lived simply but had the means to pay for the college education (and beyond) for all of their grandchildren. Many of us "young kids" have been inspired by her.
While I'm still trying to get over the risky side of real estate investing, she definitely inspires me to believe its totally doable if you're willing to put in the work.