One Room at a Time

Ep 13 Part 1: A Social Worker's Perspective: Living in a PadSplit and Referring It to Others Who Are Housing Insecure

Atticus LeBlanc, founder and CEO of PadSplit, interviews Todd Waller, a licensed clinical social worker with Claratel Behavioral Health and the DeKalb Regional Crisis Center who has also been a PadSplit member for more than three years. Todd shares how he discovered PadSplit during a difficult housing transition and why what began as a temporary solution became his long-term home. Drawing from both his personal experience and his work supporting individuals facing housing instability, Todd discusses the growing affordability crisis, the challenges people face accessing traditional housing, and why shared living has become an important resource for working adults. He also shares stories of clients who moved from homelessness, shelters, and couch surfing into stable housing through PadSplit, explaining why he has become one of the platform's strongest advocates. 00:00 Welcome and Meet Todd Waller 01:40 How Todd Found PadSplit and Why He Stayed 04:15 A Social Worker's View of the Housing Crisis 07:30 Why PadSplit Works for Housing-Insecure Clients 10:15 Helping Clients Navigate the Housing Search 12:00 Success Stories and Long-Term Stability 15:00 Challenging the Stigma Around Shared Living 17:45 Financial Freedom Through Affordable Housing 19:00 The Changing Face of Housing Insecurity 22:00 Why Housing Is the Foundation for Everything Else 24:15 Closing Thoughts and Wrap Up One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/ References: * DeKalb Regional Crisis Center: https://claratel.org/crisis/ [https://claratel.org/crisis/] * Sign up to be a PadSplit Member via Todd’s referral link: https://www.padsplit.com/?sign-up&referralCode=5D616998&ref_device=app&ref_role=m&ref_source=link [https://www.padsplit.com/?sign-up&referralCode=5D616998&ref_device=app&ref_role=m&ref_source=link]

Ep 12: Baselane’s Mathias Korder on a “CFO in Your Pocket” for Real Estate Investors

Atticus LeBlanc, founder and CEO of PadSplit, interviews Mathias Korder, co-founder and CEO of Baselane, a financial platform for real estate investors that combines banking, bookkeeping, rent collection, and tax tools and serves over 50,000 investors managing over $3B in annual transactions. Mathias shares his background and explains Baselane’s origin in building SMB banking products that weren’t tailored to real estate investors’ cash flow, property-level accounting, and Schedule E tax needs. He discusses serving diverse strategies (rooms, short-, mid-, and long-term rentals, fix-and-flip) with automated transaction tagging, reporting, expense splitting, and depreciation schedules, plus integrations for migration. Korder describes a roadmap from utility to automation to AI-driven insights as a “CFO in your pocket,” notes customers often double rent/income over two years, and highlights common investor mistakes and housing regulation bottlenecks. 00:00 Welcome and Mission 00:24 Meet Mathias and Baselane 02:11 From Morgan Stanley to BCG 05:05 The Aha Problem 06:44 Investor Pain Points 08:02 Building for Every Strategy 10:51 Loans and Bank Covenants 14:06 Automation and Reporting 15:50 Rent by the Room Finance 19:50 Depreciation and Tax Tools 21:20 Customer Outcomes and Growth 24:10 Setup and Migration 27:38 AI CFO in Your Pocket 29:51 Rapid Fire and Wrap Up One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/ Connect with Mathias Korder on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathiaskorder/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathiaskorder/] References: * Baselane: https://www.baselane.com/ [https://www.baselane.com/] * Boston Consulting Group: https://www.bcg.com/ [https://www.bcg.com/] * Morgan Stanley: https://www.morganstanley.com/ [https://www.morganstanley.com/] * The 38 Letters from J.D. Rockefeller to his son by G. Ng: https://a.co/d/0as2DUly [https://a.co/d/0as2DUly] * Become a PadSplit Host: https://www.padsplit.com/hosts [https://www.padsplit.com/hosts]

Ep 11: From PadSplit member to entrepreneur & PadSplit host: Azubuike Akunne’s Journey

Host Atticus LeBlanc, founder and CEO of PadSplit, interviews Azubuike Akunne, a former PadSplit member in Houston and now founder of NeuBite and nonprofit AveNeu. Azubuike shares about his background before working at a transportation technology company in Houston and choosing PadSplit for flexibility, affordability, and the experience of shared living. He describes clean homes, clear rules, maturity among members, navigating conflicts, including a suspected white supremacist roommate, and practicing “ego death.” Now back in Columbus, he helped renovate his mother’s duplex into an Airbnb, then shifted part and eventually plans to shift all to PadSplit, contrasting Airbnb’s seasonality and guest expectations with PadSplit’s vetting and consistency. He explains NeuBite’s SNAP EBT-enabled vending approach and goals to expand food access nationwide. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:32 Azubuike Origins and Travels 03:26 Finding PadSplit in Houston 05:07 First Impressions and House Culture 08:58 Roommates Conflict and Lessons 13:32 Why Choose Coliving 16:18 Saving for Art Dreams 19:28 After PadSplit and DIY Renting 21:01 Building NeuBite Food Access 27:14 Hosting in Columbus and Renovations 28:42 PadSplit vs Airbnb Reality Check 37:11 Host Mindset and Member Impact 40:31 Advice and Fast Break Wrap 42:21 Closing and Where to Follow One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/ Connect with Azubuike Akunne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azubuikeakunne/ References: * NeuBite: https://www.shopneubite.com/ * Become a PadSplit Host: https://www.padsplit.com/hosts

Ep 10: The Current Housing Bills in Congress with Dennis Shea from the Bipartisan Policy Center

In this episode, host Atticus LeBlanc, CEO of PadSplit, interviews Dennis Shea, EVP at the Bipartisan Policy Center and Chair of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, about his career spanning Senate work, trade roles, and becoming HUD Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. Shea explains Ron Terwilliger’s impact as a housing philanthropist and how the BPC Housing Center was created. They discuss BPC’s “American Housing Act” framework focused on supply, preservation, and support, and the House and Senate housing bills that passed with large bipartisan margins, including the Senate build-to-rent divestiture requirement and other controversial aspects. They note executive orders on deregulation and mortgage access, emphasize multiple solutions beyond federal action, explore coliving and shared housing, especially for aging households, and Shea highlights regulatory compliance costs as a major driver of high housing costs. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:20 Dennis Shea Career Path 03:52 HUD and Housing Mission 07:29 Who Is Ron Terwilliger 11:53 BPC Role in Housing 14:49 Senate Bill Controversy 17:16 Build to Rent Details 21:34 Coliving and Aging 28:55 Getting It Over Line 34:33 Rapid Fire and Wrap One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast [https://padsplit.com/podcast] Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/] Connect with Dennis Shea on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-shea-6a745517/ References: * Bipartisan Policy Center: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/ [https://bipartisanpolicy.org/] * Bob Lighthizer: https://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/bob-lighthizer/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/bob-lighthizer/ [https://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/bob-lighthizer/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Senator Bob Dole: https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_DoleRobertJ.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_DoleRobertJ.htm [https://www.senate.gov/senators/FeaturedBios/Featured_Bio_DoleRobertJ.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Ron Terwilliger: https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/about/j-ronald-terwilliger?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.enterprisecommunity.org/about/j-ronald-terwilliger [https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/about/j-ronald-terwilliger?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Habitat for Humanity International: https://www.habitat.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.habitat.org/ [https://www.habitat.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Enterprise Community Partners: https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.enterprisecommunity.org/ [https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Urban Land Institute: https://uli.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://uli.org/ [https://uli.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Roger Staubach: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roger-Staubach?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Roger-Staubach [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roger-Staubach?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act: https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/minority/scott-warren-release-21st-century-road-to-housing-act-legislative-package-to-boost-housing-supply-and-bring-down-costs?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/whats-in-the-21st-century-road-to-housing-act/ * Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown: https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Boat-Americans-Berlin-Olympics/dp/0143125478 * National Association of Home Builders: https://www.nahb.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.nahb.org/ [https://www.nahb.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Ep 09: PadSplit Member Shares How PadSplit Helped Her Find Safety, Community, and Savings

Host Atticus LeBlanc, founder and CEO of PadSplit, interviews PadSplit member Wanda Roshell, who works at Cox Automotive and has lived in a metro Atlanta PadSplit for over two years. Wanda shares her background, then explains choosing a PadSplit room after a roommate situation ended, and she wanted to avoid costly, stressful apartment hunting. She prioritized safety, community, and affordability, noting that utilities are included, and the neighborhood feels more secure and less noisy than many apartments. Wanda describes initial fears about living with strangers but says respectful communication and boundaries created a “family” dynamic, challenging policymakers’ narrow definitions of family. She praises her host’s communication and compassion during a period of financial hardship, discusses minor challenges, and outlines savings goals tied to retirement, family, and her future. 00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:59 Wanda’s Backstory 02:19 Finding PadSplit 04:24 Why a Room Not Apartment 07:49 Work and First Impressions 09:12 Skepticism to Comfort 11:52 Roommates as Family 14:20 Safety and House Rules 15:47 Savings and Future Goals 17:00 Host Relationship Matters 23:18 Living With Six Roommates 26:32 Dreaming Bigger and Wrap Up One Room at a Time podcast: https://padsplit.com/podcast [https://padsplit.com/podcast] Connect with Atticus LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/] References: * Cox Automotive: https://www.coxautoinc.com/brands/manheim/ [https://www.coxautoinc.com/brands/manheim/]