Today's episode features Ruth Manfredi, owner of Cinque Terre Vacation Rentals in Italy. In this episode, Ruth and Matt talk about a shift toward creativity, authenticity, and originality within the VR industry. You will hear Ruth her passion and excitement while she shares her stories and experiences which involves more than just the VR industry. …

In this episode, I’m joined by Will Landau, a statistician and software developer currently working with Eli Lilly and Company. Will specializes in Bayesian methods, high-performance computing, and reproducible workflows. He is the creator of the {targets} R package, a pipeline tool for reproducible computation in statistics and data science. The p…

Today's episode features Maria Schuh, owner of Mistiso's Place in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. In this episode, Maria talks about ways that effectively allow her to navigate the threats that seem to hold a lot of VR owners back and how dancing influences the way she goes about life. This episode is brought to you in partnership with OwnerRez, …

Today's episode features Steve Hafner, the co-founder and CEO of Kayak. Kayak is a search engine for travel services, including airline flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages. In this episode, Steve and Matt talk about what it means to be a visionary, and how to be creative and bring ideas. Steve and Matt dive into the importance of st…

Today's episode features Barry Shimelfarb, who is a short-term rental operator, an executive coach to tech leaders in Silicon Valley, and a father of two. In this episode, Barry opens up about one of the most difficult times in his life and how this has shaped his guest philosophy, the way he manages his businesses, and the way he tries to make the…

In this episode, I talk with Ahmadou Dicko, a statistician based in Senegal working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Ahmadou shares insights on utilizing data-driven approaches to address development obstacles, especially within humanitarian settings. He explores the innovative packages and strategies developed by his…

Today's episode features Antonio Bortolotti, who runs the vacation Rental World Summit with his wife, Christina. It's become the preeminent event in Europe and the Middle East for vacation rental professionals. In this episode, Antonio and I recount this most extraordinary moment on stage at the end of the Vacation Rental World Summit in Barcelona …

This episode features a conversation between Justin Ford and Matt Landau. Justin is a longtime industry advocate, having introduced professional safety protocols to the emerging industry of vacation rentals. In this episode, Matt and Justin talk about leadership and fear, and how certain experiences impact the way we think about, and handle, risk. …

I GOT STUCK is my story but it could also likely be yours. As burnout started to rear its ugly head my relationships and projects started to wobble. I was forced to accept that I was lacking a clear vision for my future: I was without a firm foundation to create from. How does one become visionary? What does it feel like to grow in new ways? How do…

This episode features a conversation between two lifelong friends, Adam and Matt, who talk about their childhood, their fathers, and their heritage. In this conversation, they reflect on how travel reunited them in a very special place in this world, close to their roots. This episode is about exploring who they are as a person and creating life-la…

In this episode, Matt talks with his friend and neighbor Robin. Robin‘s whole life seemed to be going according to plan -- great job, health, nuclear family -- until she got hit by the shitstorm of her marriage starting to unravel. In this episode, Matt and Robin explore themes of relationships, adversity, movement, and travel, and how to lead your…

In this podcast episode, Matt Landau and Guy discuss personal growth, business insights, and transformative experiences. Matt talks about his life-changing trip to Israel and how travel can trigger transformation. Guy shares his enlightening experiences with psychedelics and how they altered his perspective on life. The episode also covers Guy's jo…

Join us for a conversation between Matt and his mother, Barbara Landau. This episode offers a glimpse into Barbara Landau’s rich life experiences and adventures. She reflects on her career choices, emphasizing the importance of building a network of mentors and allies for success. Barbara's impressive achievements are a testament to her dedication …

Join us for a captivating conversation with Valerie Gangas as she shares her inspiring journey of growth, spirituality, and resilience. From starting a vacation rental company during the pandemic to exploring the depths of her spiritual awakening, Valerie's story is a powerful testament to the human spirit. Tune in for a dose of inspiration and ins…

In this episode, I speak with Chris Knox, who is currently the Head of Data Journalism at the New Zealand Herald. Prior to that, he worked at the New Zealand ministry of health, where he led an analytics team focused on New Zealand's COVID response. During our conversation, Chris highlights why he considers R as the optimal tool for data analysis a…

In this episode, Travis Gerke and Garrick Aden-Buie join me to demystify the process behind developing custom packages in R. Travis is the Director of Data Science at The Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC), and Garrick is a Data Science Educator and R developer at R Studio. During the discussion, Travis and Garrick highlight the num…

In this episode, I speak with Kyle Walker, Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Center for Urban Studies at Texas Christian University. Kyle has developed several packages, but the one we talk about in this chat is called tidycensus. tidycensus allows R users to return Census and ACS data as tidyverse-ready data frames. Kyle had a r…

In this episode, I speak with Meghan Harris, a data integration specialist at the Primary Care Research Institute, University of Buffalo. There, she brings together data from multiple sources to create insights that benefit people affected by opioid use disorder. Meghan talks about how she uses R to pull data directly from Google Sheets, and highli…

In this episode, I chat with Matt Herman about building websites in R. Matt shares lessons from his experience building a self-updating Covid-19 tracking site for Westchester County. Matt is a Data Scientist at the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, where he focuses on research and policy analysis. Matt has created automated and rep…

In this episode, I talk with Silvia Canelón, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania. Silvia why she loves using xaringan to create captivating, audience-friendly presentations directly from R markdown. Making presentations with R Markdown not only saves h…

In this episode, I talk with Aaron R. Williams, Livia Mucciolo and Safia Sayed about their experience using parameterized reporting to make State Fiscal Briefs. They discuss their approach and share advice for those contemplating parameterized reporting. Read more about Generating Multiple Reports at Once With Parameterized Reporting in Chapter 7 o…

In this episode, I talk R Markdown with Alison Hill, the Director of Knowledge at Voltron Data. Before taking on this position, she held data science and education positions at IBM and RStudio. Alison has a passion for helping individuals improve the efficiency, accuracy, and reproducibility of their work through the use of R Markdown. During our c…

In this special episode, Christina Thoreson takes us through the complicated reality of selling a business she'd built from the ground up to a big industry name. Wondering if you might sell one day or what happens in the aftermath? Or just contemplating big changes in life? This episode is for you. This is also the final episode of the Unlocked Pod…

In this episode we sit down with Lino Maldonado, the CEO of BeHome247, to discuss where the industry is headed in 2023. Lino also offers advice on how to navigate the changing landscape of life and capitalize on new opportunities. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, a…

In this episode, we take a look at big leaps, both personal and professional with Alex Husner. As the newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Casago and co-host of the popular podcast, "Alex and Annie," Alex's personal brand has flourished alongside her success in the industry. Join us as we gain insight into her journey and strategies for achie…

In this episode I speak with Abdoul Madjid about his journey to R. To learn more about Abdoul, you can find him on Twitter and on Mastodon. His data visualization, done as part of Tidy Tuesday, is on GitHub. To view all of our courses, go to https://rfortherestofus.com/By David Keyes

Matt Durrette is emblematic of the kind of Homerunner that is positioned to be the biggest winner as our industry evolves. In this episode we'll talk limited edition positioning in the growth to 300 properties, entrepreneurial operating systems and and advocacy in the latest Texas battlegrounds. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://…

Karen Hunt's pre-vacation rental career included selling everything from candy and rice to Ben and Jerry's ice cream to Francis Ford Coppola and a whole lot of wine. Now she's running a lifestyle vacation rental business that is the perfect cap to a legendary career. In this episode she gives us perspective on sales, people, and goal setting that w…

In this episode, Brian Olson, former Point Central Rep and owner of Beachcomber Vacation Homes, discusses the impact of health on our teams and networks after a personal wake-up call. Tune in to hear his perspective on how to prioritize well-being and the well-being of your team in what is often a fast-paced work environment. This episode is brough…

In this episode, I speak with Tom Mock. Tom works at Posit (formerly RStudio) where he helped customers use that company's suite of products. Tom also loves building tables. I spoke with Tom about how he learned R, how he uses it today, and why he is so into making tables in R. You can find Tom on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thomas_mock. The blo…

In many ways, Sharon Walker is the ultimate Limited Edition vacation rental professional. She built a business from scratch with great care for guests and employees while raising a family. Now, with the freedom that business provides, she is heading up the statewide advocacy effort in Texas and blazing a trail for her industry fellows. In this epis…

In this episode Matt and Nate Wysk of Point Central talk 'advocacy technology' and upcoming 2023 trends for the vacation rental industry. This episode is brought to you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, https://www.breezeway.io/vrmb the best in class property care and automation…

Eddie Love went from renting out a second home to building a full time business with fifteen properties around Harper's Ferry West Virgnia. In this episode we dive into do's and don'ts of early outsourcing, tools that enhance your version of hospitality and innovation without reinventing the wheel. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https…

Our industry talks a lot these days about a departing generation of wisdom. About the operators exiting their businesses and taking all of their knowledge with them. But what you don't hear about is the new minds, the new leaders who will carry the torch and Amanda Hoffmann is definately a new leader on the rise. She's building a finance division f…

In 2017, BBC data journalist Nassos Stylianou was working with a backend developer on a particularly large data set. Nassos was primarily an Excel user at the time, but this data was too large for Excel. Seeing the developer work through the data with ease, a light bulb went off for Stylianou: if he and his data journalism team learned to use R, th…

In this episode two of the industry's top thought leaders reminisce on their friendly rivarly and come together with insights meant to push the whole industry forward. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in smart home automation, and Breezeway, https://www.breezeway.io/vrmbthe best in class pr…

Lauren Madewell found her calling when Vacation Rentals unexpectedly became the family business. In this episode Lauren and Matt discuss finding that calling, how a passion for the family business can unlock tools to work with guests and staff and what the future holds for our industry. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.point…

Years ago Terry and Matt started sharing and formalizing their research on tech stacks and property managment software with the wider community. In this episode they discuss the future of their Keystone project and wider lessons to think about when using a "help don't sell" model in your industry. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https:…

Tiffany Edwards grew up in the vacation rental business and has become one of its foremost goverment affairs experts and fundraisers. In this episode we dig into what our industry is doing well and what it needs to do better for a fair regulatory future. This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.pointcentral.com/vrmb/ the leaders in …

Our scheduled epsiode for this week was interupted due to uncertainty around Hurricane Ian. Everyone involved with the show is fine and we'll be back next week with regularly scheduled programming, but for now we're going to archives and resharing Episode 19 with you, where Mike Harrington gives us a big business takeaway from Hurricane Florence in…

Steve Schwab went from living in the back of a bar in Puerto Peñasco Mexico and helping out with HVAC systems to building Casago into a major property management company with thousands of properties and franchises all over the US and Mexico. He's featured in our second episode of Homerunners and he's become a thought partner to Matt in tackling som…

Miriam Ramsey is a key player in the VTrips model of growth through local brands and a star of our first Homerunners episode which premieres worldwide on October 23rd at VRMA International in Las Vegas. In this episode Matt and Miriam discuss what it takes to make it in this industry, how to handle getting bought and how to nail it as a Homerunner.…

Michelle "MJ" Boyle is a patented inventor, the Hostess of the Tiny House Podcast, founder and creator of My Tiny House Village, Oregon Teardrop Rentals, and My Tiny Creekside Retreat. In this episode Matt and MJ explore the rushes and reversals inherit in Homerunning...from hitting a niche market at just the right time to real adversity shutting y…

Welcome to Season 9 of the Unlocked Podcast! Lukas Krause is part of a new generation of industry professionals bringing superpowers from other industries into our own. He’s running a large company in the space but focusing on small hospitality details. In this episode Matt and Lukas dive into the good, the bad and the ugly of our current high pace…

Prior to launching Season 9: Homerunners this week, Matt sat down with Breezeway founder and perennial Unlocked sponsor Jeremiah Gall to discuss highlights from last season and the state of the industry moving forward. Episode One of Homerunners featuring Lukas Krause of Skyrun Vacation Rentals drops with the VRMB newsletter Thursday September 8th.…

In this first episode of the R for the Rest of Us podcast, I speak with designers Cédric Scherer and Georgios Karamanis about how they learned data viz, why they use R for their work, and how they get inspired. We also discussed how they made their Scientific American data viz. You can find that on YouTube. To learn more about Cédric, find him on T…

In this final episode of Season 8 we speak with the godmother of vacation rentals, Heather Bayer of the Vacation Rental Success podcast, which has featured more than 440 vacation rental innovators and given an enormous wealth of knowledge to our community. Heather recently sold her vacation rental business after twenty years and we dig into that pr…

In this episode producer Stuart Hooper gives an update on progress at Mangofish Studios, an off the grid creative retreat center in Panama and talks to Matt about his recent article for Phocuswire.com on the challenge of scaling what cannot be scaled. Phocuswire Aritcle: https://www.phocuswire.com/challenges-scaling-vacation-rentals?fbclid=IwAR131I…

Victoria O'Connell is the creator of GoLightly, a home sharing platform for women. In this episode we dive into the genesis of the platform, talk about creating accountability and deep ties in a network and discuss broader concepts in niche marketing. GoLightly: https://www.wegolightly.com This episode is brought you by PointCentral: https://www.po…

Tom Goodwin of Mountain Laurel Chalets in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is celebrating 50 years of making limited edition memories for guests. In this episode we dive into his direct marketing techniques, which are among the most holistic and comprehensive we have ever encountered. Mountain Laurel Chalets: www.mtnlaurelchalets.com Rue Bar Rue: https://www.…