A little girl who speaks a language with no modern translation. A mother who trusts strangers 10,000 miles from home. This is HeartGift Houston.

As a Houston broker, Misty Bacon has spent her career connecting people to this city but this conversation goes far beyond real estate. On this episode of Bits by Bacon, Misty sits down with Janna Altmann, Executive Director of HeartGift Houston, to talk about what it really takes to bring a child across the world for life-saving heart surgery.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty Bacon

🎤 Featuring: Janna Altmann

Janna Altmann is a second-generation native Houstonian and Executive Director of HeartGift Houston. After serving four years on the organization's Board of Directors, she stepped into the Executive Director role in 2022, driven by a passion for saving children's lives and connecting donors directly with the families they support.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️Why 90 cents of every dollar donated to HeartGift goes directly to helping children, not overhead

✔️What it actually takes to bring a child across the world for heart surgery visas, passports, and host families

✔️The unforgettable story of a young patient who bonded with Janna without sharing a common language

✔️How hosting a child (even for just a few weeks) can change a family's life

✔️A lesser-known symptom of congenital heart defects that most parents have never heard of

✔️ Simple, low-cost ways anyone can get involved from volunteering to donating diapers and clothes

✔️How HeartGift finds and connects with families in need across the globe

✔️Details on the "Songs for the Heart" fundraiser happening October 7th in West University Place

Connect with Janna Altmann:

🌐 Website → http://www.heartgift.org/

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/janna-altmann-257204266/

⭐Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jannaaltmann/

🎧 Follow Misty Bacon:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

👻 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

#HeartGiftHouston #BitsByBacon #HoustonRealEstate #HoustonNonprofit #CongenitalHeartDefect #GivingBack #HoustonCommunity #ChildrensHeartSurgery

A Houston solar salesman browbeat her at her own front door here's what really happens when solar contracts go wrong.

Solar sales reps knock on doors across Houston every day promising free money and guaranteed savings but what's actually in the fine print they rush you past? Misty Bacon, broker-owner of Bacon Realty Group (GRI, ABR, SRES) and host of Bits by Bacon, sits down with an insider who spends her days helping homeowners get out of the contracts those reps talked them into.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty Bacon

🎤 Featuring: Josie Garcia

Josie Garcia is the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Client Services at Solar Equity Solutions, where she oversees operations and ensures a high standard of client experience across every stage of the engagement process. With a leadership style rooted in accountability, collaboration, and client advocacy, she plays a central role in aligning the company’s operational execution with its mission to protect homeowners navigating complex solar contracts.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️Tell the real difference between leasing and owning solar panels

✔️See through the "tax credit" pitch reps use to close the sale

✔️Catch it when a rep rushes you through signing on a tablet

✔️Learn what happens to your contract if your solar company goes bankrupt

✔️Get the two questions to ask before you commit to any solar deal

✔️ Understand how a solar lien can block a future home sale

✔️ Know what actually makes a home a good fit for solar (sun, size, usage)

Connect with Josie Garcia:

📸 Facebook → Company: https://www.facebook.com/people/Solar-Equity-Solutions/61585392397769/

💼 LinkedIn → Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solar-equity-solutions/

🎧 Follow Misty Bacon:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

👻 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

#HoustonRealEstate #BitsByBacon #BaconRealtyGroup #HoustonRealtor #TexasRealEstatePodcast #HoustonBusinessPodcast #HoustonCommunityLeaders #HoustonCommercialRealEstate #SolarEquitySolutions #SolarScam #ConsumerProtection #HoustonLocalStories

Can tech process optimization really build a better fitness studio?

Ruhi Rastogi joins Misty Bacon to discuss her transition from corporate technology and startups into fitness entrepreneurship. As an F45 Training owner, Ruhi shares how she utilizes her engineering background to optimize gym operations and achieve a 4.9-star rating. She also explores the value of a welcoming studio culture, the strategic importance of business location, and her experiences representing women in tech.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty Bacon

🎤 Featuring: Ruhi Rastogi

Ruhi Rastogi is a customer success leader, growth strategist, and multi-studio owner of F45 Training in Rice Military and Midtown Houston. Leveraging extensive corporate tech and engineering experience, she successfully transitioned into fitness entrepreneurship, driving significant profit growth and member retention. An accomplished industry voice, Ruhi has been featured on the GymLords Podcast and as a speaker at the Wonder Women Tech Convention.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔ Transitioning from corporate roles into fitness entrepreneurship

✔ Applying engineering optimization to run a successful studio

✔ Building high member retention through personal connection

✔ Creating a welcoming environment that relieves adult stress

✔ Selecting the ideal physical location for maximum visibility

✔ Prioritizing business purpose over immediate financial gain

✔ Developing a unique gym culture that makes clients feel special

Connect with Ruhi Rastogi:

📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/f45ricemilitary/

📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/roosynnes/

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruhirastogi/

🎧 Follow Misty Bacon:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

👻 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

#BitsByBacon #F45Training #HoustonFitness #WashingtonAvenue #FranchiseOwnership #WonderWomanTech #ProcessOptimization #GymRetention #BoutiqueFitness #MistyBacon #RuhiRastogi

Are you losing yourself in the relentless demands of the real estate and mortgage industry?

Host Misty Bacon is joined by loan officers Michelle Walker to dissect the complexities of financing unconventional properties. From navigating appraisals on dome homes and barndominiums to managing a cross-state business development partnership, they share how 60 combined years of mortgage experience creates smooth transactions. Michelle and Lisa also reflect on the importance of trusting your intuition and making time for family amidst a demanding career.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty Bacon

🎤 Featuring: Michelle Walker, Lisa Coleman

Michele Walker is a seasoned Senior Loan Officer specializing in complex financing scenarios. With a deep understanding of underwriting guidelines and lending regulations, she excels at restructuring loans and finding strategic solutions to help clients successfully achieve homeownership.

Lisa Coleman is a Business Development professional with The Mortgage Wrangler Team. Having started her career as a Loan Officer, she leverages her deep understanding of the lending process to strengthen referral partnerships and ensure a seamless client experience from start to finish.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔ Navigating complex financing for rural and unconventional real estate

✔ Transitioning from an individual loan officer to team-based business development

✔ Securing mortgages for barndominiums, dome homes, and tiny home communities

✔ Structuring long-term credit repair plans for prospective property buyers

✔ Overcoming unique appraisal challenges for non-traditional acreage

✔ Balancing demanding real estate careers with personal and family priorities

✔ Elevating the homebuyer experience through dedicated client communication

Connect with Michelle Walker and Lisa Coleman:

🌐 Website → https://www.fairway.com/

📷 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/michelewalkermortgage/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/michelewalkermortgage

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-walker-004b10245/

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacoleman/

🎧 Follow Misty:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

📧 Email → misty@thebaconrealtygroup.com

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

#BitsByBacon #MortgageWrangler #RealEstateFinancing #LoanOfficer #UniqueProperties #Barndominium #RuralRealEstate #MortgageTips #WorkLifeBalance #RealEstatePartnership #MistyBacon #MichelleWalker #LisaColeman

Waiting for better rates? Learn why today might be your best chance to buy a home, and how tax credits and down payment assistance can make it happen.

Misty Bacon welcomes Rhonda Mitchell, Homeownership Director at the Southeast Texas Housing Finance Corporation (SETH). They dive into the reality of modern homebuyer assistance programs, dispelling the myth that these processes are incredibly slow or impossible to qualify for. Rhonda explains the profound financial impact of the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) and how buyers can receive thousands in tax credits annually. She also gives a sneak peek at SETH's upcoming renovation product, designed to help buyers upgrade aging housing stock, and shares the valuable advice she would offer her younger self. Whether you're a real estate agent looking to educate your clients or a buyer trying to navigate the current market, this episode is packed with practical, actionable housing resources.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty Bacon

🎤 Featuring: Rhonda Mitchell

Rhonda Young Mitchell is the Homeownership Director at Southeast Texas Housing Finance Corporation (SETH). Based in Houston, she manages homeownership programs and partners with lenders across Texas to expand access to affordable housing. Leveraging her background in lending, she specializes in program development, down payment assistance, and single-family mortgage revenue bond financing.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔ Leveraging down payment assistance to effectively overcome the cash-to-close barrier

✔ Utilizing Mortgage Credit Certificates (MCC) for substantial annual tax savings

✔ Partnering with experienced lenders to navigate affordable housing options seamlessly

✔ Expanding the potential of aging housing stock through upcoming FHA renovation products

✔ Reflecting on advice to your younger self to maintain perspective and professional growth

✔ Shifting buyer mindset to recognize immediate market opportunities despite high rates

✔ Building community impact by educating real estate professionals and local homebuyers

🎧Connect with Rhonda Mitchell:

Website → https://www.sethfc.com/

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-young-mitchell-18715122/

🎧 Follow Misty:

Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

#MistyBacon #AffordableHousing #DownPaymentAssistance #HoustonRealEstate #TexasRealtor #FirstTimeHomeBuyer #SETHPrograms #RealEstateEducation #PropertyInvestment

Stop letting intimidation kill your great stories. Discover how to build the discipline to write.

Host Misty explores the power of legacy and daily discipline with award-winning journalist and national best-selling author ReShonda Tate. They discuss unearthing forgotten histories and stepping boldly out of the boxes society tries to place us in.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty

🎤 Featuring: ReShonda Tate

ReShonda Tate is a USA Today bestselling author, former television journalist, and managing editor for the Houston Defender. She has written over 50 books across contemporary, teen, and historical fiction. She won an NAACP Image Award for Say Amen, Again, and has had her novels Let the Church Say Amen and The Secret She Kept adapted into televised movies.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• ✔ Transitioning successfully from broadcast journalism to historical fiction

• ✔ Unearthing forgotten historical figures to share with modern audiences

• ✔ Overcoming the intimidation and fear of writing your first draft

• ✔ Building a disciplined daily writing habit that guarantees progress

• ✔ Defying limiting beliefs and stepping entirely out of the box

Connect with ReShonda:

🌐 Website → https://reshondatate.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/ReshondaTateWrites/

📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/reshonda_tate/?hl=en

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshonda-tate-writes/

🎧 Follow Misty:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

👻 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

📸 Gmail → misty@thebaconrealtygroup.com

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🔖 Don’t Forget to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔 & COMMENT 💬 Below!

In this episode of Bits by Bacon, host Misty Bacon Renner sits down with Vera Blouin, founder of Blu Inc., to explore how our homes shape our emotions, habits, and personal growth. Vera shares how her international experiences inspired her work in spatial psychology, why so many homes create unnecessary friction, and how thoughtful design can help us become our highest and truest selves.

Hosted by: Misty Bacon Renner

Guest:Vera Blouin – Founder, Design Strategist & Author

Vera Blouin is the Founder and Design Strategist behind BLOU INK, a residential design studio specializing in spatial strategy, spatial psychology, and identity-driven living across Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta. With over 15 years of experience in interior design and construction, she explores how homes influence human behavior, emotion, and daily routines. She is also the author of The Reincarnated Room and The Structure of Space.

💡 Key Topics Covered:

✔️ The psychology behind home design

✔️ Why your environment affects your personal growth

✔️ The value of indoor-outdoor living

✔️ How to identify friction in your home

✔️ Creating spaces that reflect your evolving identity

Whether you're an investor, agent, or homebuyer, this episode offers valuable insights!

Connect with Vera Blouin:

🌐 Website → https://www.blouink.com/books

📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/blouink.studio/

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/verablouin/

Follow Misty:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

✉️ Gmail → misty@thebaconrealtygroup.com

💼 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/

🚀 In this episode of Bits by Bacon, host Misty welcomes Vermont REALTOR®, broker, and luxury home specialist Mandolyn McIntyre Crow. From a background in global marketing, advertising, television, and even stand-up comedy, Mandolyn shares how she successfully transitioned into real estate during COVID and built a thriving business from scratch. Learn how authentic social media, consistent networking, client relationships, and treating every listing like a luxury property have fueled her remarkable success.

🎧 Hosted by: Misty

👤 Guest:🏡 Mandolyn McIntyre Crow – REALTOR®, Broker & Luxury Home Specialist

Mandolyn McIntyre Crow is a top-ranked Vermont Realtor and the only Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist in Rutland County. As a Broker with Real Broker LLC and leader of the Crow Real Estate Group, she leverages a Master’s Degree in Global Marketing and international experience to provide high-level negotiation and marketing strategies. She currently serves as the Director for Rutland County for the Green Mountain Association of Realtors.

💡 Key Topics Covered:

✔️ Transitioning into real estate during COVID

✔️ Building a referral-based business from scratch

✔️ Social media strategies that create real connections

✔️ Marketing every property like a luxury listing

✔️ Personal branding, consistency, and long-term success

🎵 Whether you're an investor, agent, or homebuyer, this episode offers valuable insights!

💼 Connect with Mandolyn McIntyre Crow:

🌐 Website → http://crowrealestategroup.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/mandolyn.mcintyre

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandolynmcintyre/

🎧 Follow Misty:

🌐 Website → https://www.thebaconrealtygroup.com/

📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thebaconrealtygroup

📸 Gmail → misty@thebaconrealtygroup.com

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistybacon/

⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/