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The Identity Shift That Changed Our Health & Fitness Journey

For years, we said we were going to get in the best shape of our lives. And for years, we followed the same cycle: get serious, lose weight, celebrate a little progress—and eventually gain it back.

This time was different.

In this episode of Design to GlideWell, we talk honestly about the six-month health and fitness journey that changed much more than our bodies. We unpack the mindset shift that finally made consistency possible—and why changing your identity may be more powerful than following the perfect diet or workout plan.

We talk about stopping drinking, learning how to cook, prioritizing our health, using DEXA scans to understand progress beyond the scale, and using AI to take some of the guesswork out of nutrition and fitness.

We also get real about the parts nobody sees: plateaus, hunger, missed workouts, imperfect days, changing goals, and the frustration of realizing that transformation takes longer than you expect.

But perhaps the biggest lesson has nothing to do with weight.

When everything else in our lives felt uncertain, taking care of ourselves became the one thing we could control. Health and fitness became our “steady in the storm”—a daily commitment that helped rebuild confidence, discipline, and identity along the way.

Because sometimes the biggest transformation isn't changing your body.

It's changing who you believe you are.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why our previous weight-loss attempts never lasted
• The identity shift that finally made things stick
• Why the scale doesn't tell the whole story
• What DEXA scans revealed about our progress
• Losing body fat while building or maintaining muscle
• How AI became part of our health and fitness routine
• Why progress photos can be more powerful than the scale
• Learning to cook and completely changing our relationship with food
• The importance of consistency over perfection
• Why getting in shape takes longer than you think
• How prioritizing our health helped us rebuild confidence during a major season of change

This isn't a story about a perfect transformation.

It's the story of finally becoming the people we kept saying we wanted to be.

This episode reflects our personal experiences and is not intended as medical, fitness, or nutrition advice.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

For years, we believed Airbnb investing was the fastest path to building wealth.

After renovating multiple properties, navigating changing regulations, spending more than we ever had on our latest lake house, and building businesses alongside real estate... our perspective completely changed.

In this episode, we're sharing the lessons we wish someone had told us five years ago.

We talk about:
• Why we spent 2.5× more on our newest Airbnb, Black Pearl
• The luxury upgrades that were actually worth every dollar
• The expensive mistakes we'd never make again
• Why we're shifting our focus from buying more Airbnbs to building cash-flowing businesses
• The truth about real estate, cash flow, taxes, and long-term wealth
• Launching Black Pearl and its first booking results
• Why we left Michigan and moved to Texas
• What's next for us and our businesses

This isn't an anti-Airbnb episode.

It's an honest conversation about how our mindset has evolved after five years of building, investing, and learning the hard way.

If you're an entrepreneur, Airbnb host, real estate investor, or someone trying to build financial freedom, we hope this episode helps you avoid a few of the mistakes we made.

🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations on entrepreneurship, real estate, design, business, and building a life you're proud of.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

What does success look like after you've already achieved the dream?

In this episode of Designed to GlideWell, Sarah sits down with real estate investor and entrepreneur Zoe Burgoff to talk about the journey from renting out a simple yurt on Airbnb to building over $3 million in equity in just a few years.

But this conversation goes far beyond short-term rentals.

Zoe shares how quitting alcohol at 22 changed the trajectory of her life, why she and her husband ignored trends and built wealth their own way, the realities of raising a child while developing real estate projects, and the surprising question many successful Airbnb investors are asking themselves today:

"What's next?"

Whether you're building a business, investing in real estate, navigating parenthood, or simply trying to create a life aligned with your values, this episode is packed with honest insights on discipline, lifestyle design, long-term wealth, and staying true to your own path.

🎙 In this episode:
 • How a $16,000 yurt launched a real estate empire
 • Building $3M+ in equity without chasing trends
 • Why sobriety became a competitive advantage
 • The truth about Airbnb in 2026
 • Parenting, entrepreneurship, and creating freedom by design
 • Why successful investors are looking beyond short-term rentals

If you've ever wondered what happens after you "make it," this conversation is for you.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

Everyone sees the beautiful photos, successful businesses, and dream lifestyle.

What they don't see are the sleepless nights, late rent payments, maxed-out budgets, relationship stress, and constant fear of failure.

In this episode, Madi and Skyler from For The Love of Upstate share the raw truth behind building an 8-property short-term rental portfolio, working as a couple, managing investor money, and sacrificing comfort to chase a dream.

We talk about:
 ✨ The reality behind "Instagram success"
 ✨ Entrepreneurship vs. a traditional 9-5
 ✨ Building a business with your partner
 ✨ The pressure of managing other people's money
 ✨ Why they almost wouldn't do it again
 ✨ The advice they'd give their younger selves
 ✨ The mindset that kept them going when things got hard

If you've ever thought about quitting your job, starting a business, investing in real estate, or chasing a dream that feels bigger than you, this conversation is for you.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

What does freedom actually look like after you leave the 9–5?

In this episode, we sit down with Cassidy & Aaron for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had yet about entrepreneurship, burnout, relationships, identity, health, social media, Airbnb investing, and building a life that actually feels good to live.

From quitting corporate jobs and living in a van, to building a real estate portfolio and navigating the pressure of constantly chasing “more,” this conversation dives deep into the reality behind the dream life people see online.

We talk about:
 — Leaving corporate burnout behind
 — Building a business with your partner
 — Codependency in entrepreneurship
 — Fitness, sobriety & identity shifts
 — Why social media changed their lives
 — Feeling guilty after achieving freedom
 — Airbnb investing in today’s market
 — AI, creativity & the future of business
 — Learning how to slow down and enjoy the life you worked for

This episode is for anyone who feels stuck between ambition and peace… and is trying to figure out how to build both. 

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

What happens when you leave everything behind, move to a new country with almost nothing, and bet on yourself anyway?

In this episode, Fede and Caro share their raw journey from Argentina to America — from making $3.50 an hour and cleaning apartments for cash, to building multiple businesses in just a few years. They open up about entrepreneurship, ADHD, AI, creativity, risk-taking, scarcity mindset, and why they still believe the American Dream is alive.

This conversation dives deep into:

•  Building businesses from the ground up 
•  The reality behind hustle culture 
•  Neurodivergence as a superpower 
•  Why creativity may survive AI 
•  The mindset shift that changed everything 
•  Immigrant perspective on opportunity in America 
•  Mental health, fear, ambition & resilience 

A real, honest conversation about what it actually takes to create a life you once only imagined. 

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

This episode dives into a major mindset and strategy shift—from building wealth through Airbnb and real estate to focusing on acquiring cash-flowing businesses.

The hosts reflect on their journey: starting with short-term rentals as a path to financial freedom, only to realize that real estate—while valuable—is slower, capital-intensive, and heavily reliant on equity rather than immediate income.

After conversations with mentors and analyzing real numbers, they uncover a key insight: buying established businesses can generate significantly higher and faster cash flow than building or scaling real estate portfolios.

They break down:

•  Why many investors are pivoting from real estate to business acquisition 
•  The difference between being “equity-rich” vs. “cash-flow rich” 
•  How buying an existing business removes the grind of starting from zero 
•  The surprising opportunities in “boring” service-based businesses (like plumbing, street sweeping, etc.) 
•  The impact of AI on jobs—and why owning businesses may be the safest long-term move 

The episode also highlights the power of social media in creating unexpected opportunities and emphasizes a key mindset shift:
 👉 You don’t need to know everything—you just need to be willing to lead and figure it out.

Overall, it’s a raw, honest conversation about evolving financial strategies, risk, and building wealth in a rapidly changing economy.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

In Episode 2 of Designed to Glidewell, we’re continuing the story—and this is where things get even more real.

Just as we started to find our footing in the Airbnb world, everything shifted. Regulations tightened. Neighbors started paying attention. And what once felt like momentum quickly turned into legal battles we never saw coming.

We’re sharing what it actually looked like to navigate lawsuits, deal with the pressure of community pushback, and make the difficult decision to sell some of our properties.

This episode is about more than just real estate—it’s about risk, resilience, and the parts of entrepreneurship that no one talks about. The moments where you’re forced to pivot, protect what you’ve built, and decide what’s worth fighting for.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when things don’t go according to plan—or how to move forward when they really fall apart—this one is for you.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

In this episode of Designed to Glidewell, we’re taking it back to the beginning.

We’re introducing ourselves—who we are, what we’ve built, and why this podcast is evolving into something deeper and more intentional. From the outside, our journey into business ownership and vacation rental investing might look smooth… but the reality was anything but.

We’re sharing what it looked like to invest our first $20K into Airbnb properties that launched right before the world shut down—when everything we thought would work… didn’t. From struggling bookings to one of our units being completely robbed, this episode is a raw look at the moments that could have taken us out.

But they didn’t.

We talk about how we navigated those setbacks, rebuilt from the ground up, and ultimately created a portfolio and business model that performs at a completely different level today.

If you’re in the messy middle, questioning if it’s worth it, or wondering how people actually recover when things go wrong—this episode is for you.

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!

Have feedback or a topic you want to hear about, let us know by sending us a direct message!

After five incredible years, we're sitting down together for the FINAL episode of The KarWell Chronicles. From late-night hustle sessions to heartfelt retreats, we've weathered every up and down—and now, we're turning the page to new chapters in our lives. Get ready for honest stories, behind-the-scenes confessions, and lots of laughs (and maybe a few tears), as we talk friendship, business breakups, motherhood, and what truly matters most. 

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to build something special with your best friend, navigate the wild ride of entrepreneurship, or make the hard decisions when passions and realities change—this episode is for you. Whether you’re an OG listener or finding us for the first time, we’re so grateful you’re here.

Join us for reflections on our biggest lessons, the legacy we hope to leave, and a look ahead at what’s next (hint: family, new businesses, and even more personal growth). Plus, you’ll hear empowering takes on trusting your gut, protecting your friendships, and unapologetically choosing YOURSELF.

Don’t miss the finale to five years of laughter, learning, and friendship. Hit play and leave us a comment with your favorite KarWell Chronicles moment!

TIMECODES:
00:01:58 – Life Changes: Why We’re Closing This Chapter (& The Big Announcements!)
00:13:30 – Overcoming Guilt & Embracing the Stay-at-Home Mom Journey
00:32:40 – The Power of Community: Our Final Retreat Reflections
00:46:08 – Business Peaks & Pits: Lessons from Saying Yes & No
00:52:45 – Friendship First: How We Kept Our Bond Through It All

👉 Subscribe for more on entrepreneurship, personal growth, and navigating transitions with heart. Follow us on Instagram for life updates, future projects, and everything that comes next.

Instagram: 

@sarahkarwell

@emkarwell

@thekarwells

THANK YOU for being part of our journey. This isn’t goodbye… it’s see you later. 💛

#TheKarWellChronicles #BestFriendBusiness #Entrepreneurship #MomLife #Transition #PodcastFinale #WomenSupportingWomen

Hosted by Ethan Glidewell & Sarah Glidewell 

You can view the video & audio version on our Youtube Channel 

Thanks for listening!