Coin Stories Podcast: "Beau & Christine Turner: From Real Estate to Bitcoin Mining for Passive Income with Abundant Mines"

Podcast: Coin Stories
Host: Natalie Brunell
Guests: Beau & Christine Turner, Co-Founders of Abundant Mines
Release Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Natalie Brunell speaks with Beau and Christine Turner, founders of Abundant Mines, about their remarkable journey from full-time real estate investors to leaders in the Bitcoin mining industry. They discuss why they pivoted careers, how they turn financial adversity into opportunity, and why and how everyday people can access bitcoin mining for passive income. This episode explores the benefits—and pitfalls—of mining, compares bitcoin and real estate investing, unpacks energy and decentralization concerns, and showcases Abundant Mines' unique educational and community approaches for onboarding new miners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins: From Real Estate to Bitcoin Mining

• Beau’s Bitcoin Discovery & Shift (00:52):

  • Discovered Bitcoin in 2015 but only revisited it after encouragement from Christine.
  • Sought to replicate real estate's cash flow and tax perks with Bitcoin exposure; discovered those advantages in mining.
  • Early mining provider scammed them for ~$500,000 worth of equipment, triggering a transformative journey.
    • "We sent about half a million dollars worth of equipment to that provider and it was a total loss." (01:37, Beau)

• Turning Adversity into Opportunity (04:38):

  • Christine describes the personal impact of the scam, the emotional toll, and how it fueled their mission to build a trusted mining company.
    • "It was such a painful moment in our life... I didn't want anyone to go through it either." (05:52, Christine)
  • Formed Abundant Mines to ensure transparency and accountability for others.

2. Abundant Mines: The Company & Its Mission

• Business Model & Services (08:09):

  • Build and operate data centers; customers buy mining equipment through Abundant Mines for full-service, hands-off mining experience.
  • Serve as a gateway for new entrants—over half of their clients are new to Bitcoin, often never having set up a wallet.
    • "More than half of our clients have never set up their own wallet before." (00:00, Beau)

• Education Focus & White-Glove Onboarding (09:23):

  • Provide step-by-step education, guidance, and support for all clients, making mining accessible.
    • "We love that we're orange pilling people... taking them through such a deep level of education." (09:23, Christine)

3. Mining Pools & Decentralization Concerns

• Pool Choice & Centralization (10:43):
  • Customers can select their preferred mining pool.
  • Abundant Mines runs their own node on Ocean to support decentralization.
    • "We are actually helping to take a little bit away from that central point of failure..." (11:16, Beau)
  • Pool centralization and hardware concentration are recognized as potential threats, but decentralization efforts are emerging and advancing.
    • "I think, in a sense, it's already been solved and it just needs to be more widely adopted." (11:48, Beau)

4. Bitcoin Mining vs. Real Estate Investing

• Tax Advantages & Passive Income (12:26):

  • Mining offers appreciation (bitcoin’s value), cash flow (mined coins), and depreciation (hardware write-offs)—mirroring real estate’s key perks.
    • "Mining satisfies that because we've got physical equipment which is depreciating. So you can actually write that off against ordinary income..." (12:53, Beau)

• Why Prefer Bitcoin Over Real Estate? (13:34):

  • Real estate isn’t truly finite; its value is tied to credit expansion and market forces.
  • Bitcoin is finite, uncorrelated, and independent from traditional financial leverage.
    • "I'm trying to think on a multi decade time horizon what is actually going to live for the entirety of our investing lifespan. And so to me, bitcoin was just the obvious choice." (13:55, Beau)

• The Headaches of Real Estate vs. Mining (16:27):

  • Christine shares real estate horror stories (squatters, expensive repairs) versus the simplicity and reliability of mining.
    • "We had to replace an entire HVAC system... we had squatters at one point that we couldn't get out... For me, real estate—I'm not even interested in being part of that industry anymore." (17:19, Christine)
  • They liken hosting a miner in a data center to "owning a condo," but without property headaches.

5. Mining as Accessible Passive Income

• Entry Requirements & Returns (18:47):

  • As little as one mining machine to join; all education and operations included.
  • Estimated revenue: $350–$500/month per ASIC, varying with bitcoin price.
    • "You can usually assume somewhere between 350 and 500 bucks a month..." (19:02, Beau)

• Mining Success Stories (19:19):

  • Some facility clients have won blocks solo mining.
    • "We've had four machines in our facility win blocks in the last... two weeks." (19:32, Beau)

6. Industry Evolution and Energy Issues

• AI and Mining Synergy (19:56):

  • AI and mining compete/cooperate for energy resources; AI demand can improve mining economics for committed miners.
    • "If anything, I see it as like a pressure release valve that might actually give miners a better opportunity that choose to stay pure play miners." (20:14, Beau)

• Public Perception: Energy Use (21:29):

  • AI narrative has softened criticisms of Bitcoin’s energy use; public often misunderstands mining and hydropower.
    • "When they would hear that we were bitcoin miners, it was immediately like, you're wasting energy, you're wasting water... but our sites are hydropower." (21:29, Christine)
    • "If you know Von Mayer's law, you cannot create nor destroy energy, you can only transform it." (22:44, Christine)
  • Mining, uniquely, monetizes stranded and wasted energy, often in remote, otherwise unutilized locations.
    • "It's almost like bitcoin mining is cutting edge... they can go into places where other people can't and use that stranded energy." (23:23, Christine)

7. Regional Focus & Community Impact

• Domestic Operations & Social Good (24:19):
  • Abundant Mines’ data centers are based entirely in Oregon for climate, renewables, stability.
  • Community initiatives:
    • Greenhouse project: diverts heat from miners to grow food for food banks.
    • Apprenticeship programs: teach local youth about tech, bitcoin, and practical repair skills.
    • "Each one of our sites has a community impact. So one of my goals is to make sure that every single site we have has something that gives back to our local community." (25:17, Christine)
    • "Now they're part of our site ops team and they love it... giving them hope." (27:27, Christine)

8. Hardware Concentration & The Chip Supply Chain

• Chip Supply & Centralization (28:05):
  • No chip shortages currently affecting mining; the supply chain is less at risk than GPU-dependent industries.
  • US companies (Block, Auradyne) are fostering domestic alternative supply chains.
    • "The bitcoin mining chip supply chain is such a tiny fraction... that nobody really misses the fab space that we take up." (28:45, Beau)

9. Final Takeaways & Resources for Prospective Miners

• Due Diligence for New Miners (29:00):
  • Beau emphasizes the importance of research, vigilance, and offers a “36 questions” due diligence checklist to avoid scams and pitfalls.
    • "Anybody that messages on any of our social platforms, just say 36 questions. And it's 36 questions you should at least have a reasonable answer to before you get into mining with anybody." (29:00, Beau)

Memorable Quotes

• On onboarding new bitcoiners:
  "We are the first step for a lot of people getting into the space." —Beau (00:08)

• On transparency:
  "Everything we thought about service wise was how can we make sure that this... doesn't happen to the person—that they don't not get a call back for eight months?" —Christine (06:08)

• On mining’s passive income:
  "Mining is just a kind of advanced strategy within Bitcoin... you've got appreciation, cash flow, and depreciation." —Beau (12:44)

• On real estate vs bitcoin:
  "We like to joke that we sell condos, right? So... within the data center you get your little condo that you own with your little machine that makes your passive income..." —Christine (17:45)

• On energy use and sustainability:
  "There's energy that is being wasted, you know, that nobody's even using. It's almost like bitcoin mining is cutting edge... it's the only industry that I know of that can do that." —Christine (22:44, 23:28)

• On community impact:
  "We have a greenhouse in Eugene that takes the wasted heat from the miners and grows food... and then we have apprenticeship programs... teach them financial literacy and what bitcoin is." —Christine (25:43)

Important Timestamps

• 00:52 — Beau shares his path from real estate to Bitcoin mining via initial setbacks.
• 04:38 — Christine recounts the personal impact of being scammed, sparking their new business mission.
• 08:09 — Beau explains Abundant Mines' service structure and client onboarding.
• 09:23 — Christine details the unique education and support provided to new miners.
• 10:43 — Pool decentralization and how clients choose mining pools.
• 13:34 — Why bitcoin is better than real estate, according to Beau.
• 16:27 — Christine compares the headaches of real estate to mining.
• 18:47 — Details on minimum investment and earning potential.
• 19:19 — Stories of client successes as solo miners.
• 19:56 — How mining and AI are reshaping energy markets.
• 21:29 — Public misperceptions about energy use in mining.
• 24:19 — Why they focus on Oregon and renewables; local community outreach.
• 28:05 — The current state of mining hardware and supply chains.
• 29:00 — Due diligence: the 36-question checklist for safe mining investments.

Additional Information

• Abundant Mines: https://abundantmine.com (hypothetical URL)
• 36 Questions Due Diligence Checklist: Message Abundant Mines on social media and request "36 questions" for a comprehensive mining due diligence guide.
• Contact: info@talkingbitcoin.com

This episode provides a deeply personal look at the challenges and possibilities of bitcoin mining, makes the industry accessible to newcomers, and highlights an inspiring commitment to education, ethics, and community betterment. Whether you’re a real estate veteran, a new bitcoiner, or a curious passive income seeker, Beau and Christine’s insights demystify the path from bricks-and-mortar to hashing-and-nodes.