The BetterLife Podcast — “The Random Show: ADUs and Co-Living, 2026 Goal-Setting, and Working with Your Spouse”

Hosts: Brandon Turner and Cam Cathcart
Date: January 20, 2026
Guest: Lexi Cathcart (Cam’s wife, joins for discussion on marriage and business partnership)

Episode Overview

This episode of The BetterLife Podcast is a wide-ranging, candid conversation between Brandon, Cam, and later, Lexi. The hosts dive into hot-button issues around real estate affordability—especially in Hawaii—discuss the challenges and solutions of affordable housing (with a focus on ADUs and co-living), reflect on how technology could disrupt housing costs, and offer raw insights into what it’s like to build businesses and families with your spouse. The show also features big-picture thinking about personal and professional goal-setting for 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Affordability and Housing Tensions in Hawaii and Beyond

[00:06–12:25]

• Migration, Gatekeeping, and Local Sentiments:

  • Cam and Brandon share personal experiences living in Hawaii, including stories of locals and transplants debating who “belongs.”
  • Notable quote:
    • “There’s so much gatekeeping from people who are not even natives…like, you moved here two years ago!” – Cam [01:49]
  • Brandon recounts online backlash during COVID about being a landlord in Hawaii.

• Who ‘Deserves’ Land? Colonial History and Native Rights:

  • Brandon raises philosophical questions on land ownership and history:
    • "Is all of civilization just a matter of whoever's stronger wins? And where do you go back?" – Brandon [03:45]

• Affordable Housing Crisis Parallels:

  • Cam: Hawaii’s unique in that displacement means leaving the island, unlike mainland cities.
  • Both highlight nationwide phenomenon of cities pricing out residents.

• Policy Contradictions & Red Tape:

  • Cam describes government saying they want affordable housing but blocking projects (e.g., denying multi-family permits but allowing luxury homes):
    • “They say they want affordable housing, but then their policy is dictating another thing.” – Cam [06:55]

• Rent Control Debate & Unintended Outcomes:

  • Brandon and Cam analyze rent control’s flaws—tenants never leave, landlords lack incentives, and prices in non-controlled units soar:
    • “What is my incentive to do a good job managing? They have none.” – Brandon [08:33]

2. Solutions: Building More, ADUs, and Co-Living

[12:25–17:35]

• Brandon's Three-Pronged Solution for Affordable Housing:

  1. Decrease developer costs and streamline zoning.
  2. Expand ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) usage for increased density.
  3. Legalize and encourage co-living / rent-by-the-room models.

  "If the government can allow those three things, more ADUs, more co-living and reducing the cost of building... we can start to bring the cost of housing down." – Brandon [13:40]

• Local Government as Barrier:

  • Cam recounts a frustrating experience with permits in St. Louis, showing how bureaucracy stifles redevelopment—raising costs and dissuading investors:
    • “You’re ruining your city because of all this red tape... On every flip [we have to] factor in an extra 20 to $30,000.” – Cam [14:18-17:35]

3. The Deflationary Power of Technology

[17:35–22:22]

• Book Highlight — “The Price of Tomorrow” by Jeff Booth:

  • Brandon explains how tech is making goods (like TVs) cheaper (deflationary), hypothesizing this could hit housing as robotics, prefab (e.g., Boxabl), and automation cut construction costs.

  “As robots get better...technology improves...the cost of these things drive down. Now take that logic and apply it to every single thing in life...Every single thing in our society becomes significantly cheaper—which is both awesome and terrifying.” – Brandon [19:19–19:56]

• UBI as a Response:

  • Cam: Universal Basic Income (UBI) may become necessary as AI automates jobs.
    • “If what you’re saying is true...there has to be something out there to make up for that.” – Cam [22:09]

• Survival of Face-to-Face Skills:

  • Cam speculates that only in-person, high-touch roles like sales might survive AI displacement.

4. Working with Your Spouse & Marriage Insights

[22:46–51:04]

• Lexi Joins — Partnership, Roles, and the Power of a Common Mission:

  • Brandon and Cam praise their wives—Lexi and Heather—for support and adaptability.
  • Lexi shares her appreciation of Cam, citing his fun-loving spirit, ability to “rally anybody,” and excellent parenting.
    • “He’s such a good dad...our kids want to be more like him every day.” – Lexi [25:36]

• Support & ‘Figure-It-Out’ Mentality:

  • Cam emphasizes Lexi’s unwavering support for big moves and life shifts—even international ones.

    • “A supportive wife...not in like, ‘I’m doing your laundry,’ but, ‘we’re in this together, and we’re going to dream big together.’” – Cam [25:48–26:54]

  • Both discuss the importance of working through challenges (“fit-fo”—figure it TF out) and not leaving “divorce as an option.”

    • “It’s not a question of if, it’s how. Like, what do we got to do?...That belief...is probably the most important thing in a marriage and raising kids.” — Brandon [29:13]

• Alignment, Communication, and Business Growth:

  • Working together has strengthened the Cathcarts’ marriage due to shared mission, transparency, and collaboration.
  • They stress putting boundaries between work and personal life (e.g., work-free date nights).
    • “We have alignment in our life and in our business...I couldn’t imagine not having that with my spouse.” – Cam [37:02]

• Role Fluidity:

  • Lexi and Cam have shifted roles over time—she started building the business while Cam held another job; now he does more on the acquisition/finding deals side, while Lexi manages logistics, systems, and property management.

  “The second I got a house under contract, it went to Lexi, and I did not think about it again. And so we were able to…hockey stick because that was all I had to worry about.” – Cam [40:29]

• A Team Approach:

  • Brandon compares the right roles on a business team to “Power Rangers”—each focused on their superpower.

5. Family, Resilience, and Maintaining Fun Amid Hardship

[43:11–54:12]

• Lexi’s Birthing Story:

  • The Cathcarts recount the traumatic birth of their twins—Lexi had an emergency C-section with no anesthetic.
    • “I just grabbed (the blanket) with my teeth…that was all I could do, to just...insane, the actual pain.” – Lexi [43:29]
  • Cam admits this was one of the most traumatic experiences of his life, breaking down emotionally after the event.

• Building Resilience as a Couple & Family:

  • Cam and Lexi reflect on “shared burdens and rewards” in parenting and business—how these challenges strengthen their bond and sense of alignment.

• Handling Hard Years & Not Losing Joy:

  • Lexi:
    • “Fun is part of that—just being intentional about creating fun spaces, date night, and just…still having fun even when everything feels like it’s crashing and burning.” [50:14]
  • Cam:
    • “I'm always a, ‘What's the worst that can happen?’…I don’t get stressed about money or business. The worst that can happen is we start over.” [51:04]

6. 2026 Goal-Setting and Life Design

[49:15–58:21]

• Brandon plugs the BetterLife Goal Setting Retreat, designed to help listeners plan their next year, set actionable quarterly and annual goals, and align habits with their desired future.

• Why Charge for Workshops?

  • Paid events ensure higher commitment and attendance:
    • “When you do a free workshop, 10% of people show up. When you do a paid workshop, even a low price, 80% of people show up.” – Brandon [49:54]

7. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Marriage and Risk:

  • “If for some reason…we were to lose everything tomorrow, there is zero part of me that is worried…what allows me to (lead) is knowing that, no matter what, I still have my family.” – Cam [32:02]

• Middle School Humor:

  • Lighthearted jokes about “having fun,” and Brandon turning a phrase into innuendo:
    • “The way you said that: ‘We have a lot of fun doing it.’ Don’t we all, man.” – Brandon [48:04]

• Mortality and Hall Passes:

  • Cam and Lexi joke about whether they’d remarry if one of them passed away, as well as their celebrity “hall passes.”
    • “She’s never going to find a freaking hunk like this.” – Cam [54:48]
    • "LeBron James." – Lexi [56:00]

Notable Quotes

• Brandon on rent control:
  • “In almost, I think maybe even every case…in every single state that has added a lot of rent control, the prices just go up dramatically and it just gets all out of whack.” [07:19]
• Cam on government contradictions:
  • “They’re saying one thing, but their policy is dictating another thing.” [06:55]
• Lexi on working together:
  • “I would never see the side of you that sets big, huge goals in the business…if we weren’t working together.” [33:50]
• Brandon on teamwork in business:
  • “When you get the right people focused on one thing…and combined it’s like Power Rangers—they all come together…it’s such a powerful thing.” [41:38]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Gatekeeping in Hawaii & Land Rights: [00:24–05:27]
• Affordable Housing Dilemmas & Solutions: [05:27–13:40]
• Deflationary Tech & UBI: [17:43–22:26]
• Working with Your Spouse: [22:46–32:44; Lexi joins at ~22:49]
• Motherhood, Trauma, and Resilience: [43:16–46:51]
• Goal-Setting and Maintaining Fun: [49:15–54:12]
• Marriage, Remarriage, and Hall Passes: [54:28–57:11]

Tone & Style Notes

• The conversation is warm, direct, frequently humorous, and deeply honest—equal parts strategic insight and real-life vulnerability, characteristic of Brandon and Cam’s conversational style.
• Lexi’s addition brings a candid, relational dynamic and highlights the personal aspects of business and marriage.

Resources Mentioned

• Book: “The Price of Tomorrow” by Jeff Booth
• Goal-Setting Retreat: betterlifegoalsetting.com
• REI Summit: reisummit2026.com

Final Thoughts

This freewheeling episode blends real estate mechanics, lifestyle philosophy, and deep relationship wisdom. Listeners get tactical insights into unlocking affordable housing (ADUs, zoning, red tape), a peek into the possible future of tech-driven deflation, and a rare, unvarnished look at how power couples keep adventure and alignment at the heart of building both businesses and families.

Listen for:

• Real talk about the challenges of making housing affordable
• The nitty gritty of working with your spouse
• How to keep joy and mission at the center—regardless of business or life’s curveballs