Some years scale you, some years humble you, and most years do both. In this special episode, Rain City Capital Founder Fred Rea talks through the swings of 2025 and what they taught him about running a company when the market, the team, and the world won’t sit still. 

Fred talks goal setting, market predictions, Keanu Reeves, and why culture is still the thing he protects the hardest after all these years. 

Key Nuggets:

00:53 – What it means to have a sh*t year

02:34 – On keeping the culture

03:42 – Market pain, DSCR losses, and a 2008 flashback

08:35 – Big rocks and the ”one word” exercise to keep you grounded

13:04 – Focus in 2026

14:36 – ”The whim of a madman!”

19:06 – Growing up and letting go

About Fred Rea

Founder of Rain City Capital and host of Good Nuggets. Fred brings unfiltered conversations to the mic, pulling lessons from the trenches of entrepreneurship, lending, and leadership.

From Good Nuggets: Happy Holidays

Thanks for tuning in this year. We’re grateful you’re here and grateful you care about real conversations with real people who are trying to build things that matter. Enjoy the downtime, hug the people you love, raise a glass, and we’ll see you in 2026 for more stories, more lessons, and more good nuggets.

Mentioned in this episode:

At 14:36, Fred talks about the 1994 classic 'Speed', starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock and says Dustin Hoffman plays the villain, but actually it's Dennis Hopper. His impression, however, is dead-on.

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