“You get paid based on the complexity of the problems that you solve.”
I shared that thought early in my conversation with Logan Brodine because it’s a pattern I’ve seen repeat itself across real estate, business ownership, and life in general. Most people don’t start out solving complex problems. They grow into them.
In real estate, it often looks like this: a single-family home turns into a duplex, then a quad, then a portfolio, then something commercial. The assets change, but what really changes is the level of complexity you’re willing and able to handle.
As Logan’s story unfolded, it became clear that this progression didn’t start when he bought his first property. It started years earlier, long before he ever thought of himself as an investor or business owner.
An early pivot and an unexpected door
Logan’s background began in strength and conditioning. Like a lot of people in that world, he originally had his sights set on being a collegiate athlete. That plan ended when shoulder injuries became career-ending. Instead of walking away, he stayed close to the work, spending time in the weight room under a head strength and conditioning coach.
That role progressed into a graduate assistant position, and eventually into trying to climb the ladder in collegiate athletics. Logan was honest about the reality of that path. People see the top jobs, the high-level coaches making great money at Power Five schools, but there are very few of those roles. Advancement depends heavily on relationships.
One of those relationships changed everything.
A former mentor called and told him about something new that was emerging: tactical strength and conditioning. The opportunity involved training Navy SEALs. There was no promise. He’d be the low man on the totem pole. The offer was simply to come out, interview, and see if it might be a fit.
Logan dropped what he was doing, got in his grandmother’s car, and drove to Virginia Beach.
The interview was intense. Strength coaches sat in front of him. Navy SEALs sat in a horseshoe around him, asking questions. Some of those questions caught him off guard, including ones he’d been told people weren’t supposed to ask in interviews.
Instead of trying to manage the situation, Logan answered honestly.
Looking back, he told me he doesn’t know exactly why he was selected. He doesn’t claim insight into what they saw in him. It could have been honesty. It could have been showing up in person on short notice. It could have been the questions he asked, because even then his goal was to learn and help.
What mattered more was what came next.
The tactical community had started asking a hard question. Professional and collegiate athletes had full support teams. Strength coaches. Dietitians. Sports psychologists. Physical therapists. Tactical operators, who were also high-value assets, didn’t.
That question pushed change from the bottom up. The Department of Defense began hiring strength and conditioning coaches. What started in a few pockets spread quickly. SEALs. Green Berets. Rangers. Eventually broader branches.
Logan found himself surrounded by people who had passed through some of the most demanding selection processes in the world.
At the time, that environment felt normal.
Only later did he realize how much it had shaped him.
When high standards become your baseline
As we talked, we paused on something that comes up often on this show: proximity.
When you’re consistently around high-performing people, your sense of “normal” shifts. You stop realizing how rare the environment is because it becomes your baseline.
Logan reflected on how young he was back in 2011. Confident. Motivated. Carrying some of the certainty that comes with not yet knowing what you don’t know. Over time, working alongside special operations forces changed his mindset in ways he didn’t fully recognize until much later.
The growth wasn’t dramatic or sudden. It happened quietly, over years.
I related to that from my own experience working alongside top performers in oil and gas. It wasn’t until I stepped outside that world that I realized how formative it had been.
It wasn’t about inspiration. It was about exposure.
Who you’re around changes how you think, what you tolerate, and what kind of problems you believe you’re capable of solving.
Discipline as the transferable skill
When Logan eventually moved into real estate, he didn’t describe it as a dramatic pivot. It sounded more like a continuation.
After college, he started asking basic financial questions. What is a 401(k)? What does it actually do? What other options exist?
He read. He listened. Dave Ramsey. Ramit Sethi. Robert Kiyosaki. BiggerPockets. He wasn’t chasing shortcuts. He was trying to understand the system.
In 2019, his wife’s sister, Brie, approached Logan and his wife, Boston, about investing together. Brie had moved from Pennsylvania to California and started renting her place, then buying and holding properties in Pennsylvania.
Logan was interested right away. Boston wasn’t at first.
They bought a duplex.
In 2020, Boston joined in. They bought a triplex.
In 2021, they set a simple goal. One property per year.
That same year, they bought a four-unit property and a six single-family portfolio.
Since then, they’ve expanded into Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Colorado. Logan shared that they did many things right without realizing it at the time, and they also hit landmines along the way.
When I asked what mindset transferred from athletics into real estate, Logan’s answer was immediate.
Discipline.
In fitness, you don’t see results right away. You train, go home, and nothing looks different. You train again. Still nothing. Progress requires belief in the process, consistency, and discipline over time.
Real estate works the same way. You trust the system. You stay consistent. You’re intentional about who you learn from. And you’re careful, because there are people willing to take advantage of inexperience.
Scaling through trust and family
We talked about the difference between owning properties and building a real estate business.
For Logan, the answer came back to family.
They entered real estate together because they trusted one another and wanted to see each other succeed. That trust became the foundation for scaling.
They started with hard money loans. Then they realized people in their personal network had capital sitting idle in savings accounts. Many didn’t know what other options existed.
By offering returns similar to hard money lenders and securing investments with liens on property, they were able to grow their portfolio while helping others put their money to work.
Logan was careful to say that nothing in life is guaranteed. But structure matters. Stewardship matters. And trust makes growth possible.
From investor to operator
When we returned to the idea of complexity, I asked Logan what skills he developed in real estate that transferred into launching a gym.
He pointed to people management.
Contractors. Property managers. Tenants. Accountability. Trust. Aligned values.
Those same skills now apply to a retail buildout. The context changed, but the fundamentals didn’t.
He talked about negotiating a lease from the renter’s perspective while understanding the owner’s side as well. The goal isn’t to “win” the negotiation. It’s to create a situation where both sides can succeed.
He emphasized vetting people carefully. Misaligned values, or discovering misalignment too late, creates problems in any business.
Why a gym, and why Alloy
From a business standpoint, Logan explained that real estate offers many strategies. Cash flow is one of them. When they evaluated cash flow opportunities, buying a business made sense.
They explored different options. Ultimately, they chose health and fitness because Logan knew the industry. He understood the realities, had trusted relationships, and could manage what he was buying.
They became franchisees with Alloy Personal Training.
Logan addressed a question he gets often. Why franchise?
Because Alloy had already done much of the heavy lifting. They provide a playbook. Logan knows he’s good at following systems. At the same time, he values that there’s still ownership within the framework. They’re a local family serving a local community.
Solving a different fitness problem
When I asked what Alloy solves in the market, Logan described the model clearly.
Small group personal training, capped at six people.
Everyone performs the same movement patterns, adjusted to their level. One person may barbell squat. Another may use a TRX. Another may goblet squat. The pattern matters more than the tool.
The focus is longevity and function. Squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, carrying.
He also pointed out what many gyms overlook. Injuries. Knee replacements. Hip replacements. Shoulder issues.
Most gyms are built for younger crowds. Alloy is designed for people who want coaching, efficiency, and progress without waiting on equipment.
The byproduct is community. Logan shared a story where a group resisted letting marketing fill an open spot. They wanted someone they knew.
That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident.
Integration and intentional family life
We talked about integration, naming faith, family, fitness, and finances as core pillars.
Logan shared a recent realization. Values only matter if you practice them.
One of their family values is health. They wrote the word down, asked their kids what it meant, and kept the conversation going. Physical health. Mental health. Nutrition. Financial wellbeing.
They’ve also become more intentional about quality time. Some evenings involve work and phones. Their kids notice. Other evenings are protected. Phones go in another room. The family plays games and spends time together.
I related to that deeply. There’s a difference between working on your phone and being distracted. Kids see the difference too.
AI as leverage, not replacement
When we talked about AI, Logan shared how much he uses it. He builds custom GPTs as thought partners and values their honesty. He sees applications in scheduling and follow-up that prevent people from slipping through the cracks.
When I asked what skills matter beyond AI, Logan emphasized problem-solving, manual trades, and personal connection. Empathy and communication, he said, will only become more valuable.
Bad advice and better framing
I asked Logan about bad advice.
He started with the idea of passive income. Even investments require attention. People who disengage entirely tend to lose money, not make it.
He prefers thinking in terms of horizontal income. Assets can generate income while you focus elsewhere, but they still require stewardship.
In fitness and business alike, he returned to a simple truth. The work is simple, but not easy. Progress comes from consistency and intentional decisions, not shortcuts.
Closing thoughts
When I asked about a resource that stood out in 2025, Logan mentioned Supercommunicators. Communication, he said, is the skill he always wants to sharpen because breakdowns often start there.
I closed by asking what advice he’d give his younger self heading into an uncertain future.
His answer was straightforward.
Build relationships. Network. Stay open. You don’t know what others see in you or where one connection might lead.
And as the conversation wrapped, that theme felt consistent with everything we’d discussed.
Complexity grows over time.
Opportunity follows trust.
And the problems worth solving almost always begin with people.
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Logan Brodine, you may reach out to him at:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loganbrodine/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loganbrodine/
Connect with Chris Seegers:
- Website: https://exceptionalcos.com/
- Email: Ch***@************OS.com
Other Resources:
- Books: Selling Main Street by Chris Seegers
