Grit, Nursing, and Real Estate - Jennifer Tuggle
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Episode Description
On this episode of the On The Rise Podcast, host Jeremy Dyer talks with Jennifer Tuggle — a 19-year ER nurse and single mother of three who is transitioning into multifamily syndication and capital raising. Jennifer shares the resilience she built working her way through nursing school while raising her kids, and how that same grit fuels her real estate journey. She explains why being a limited partner is often smarter than chasing the GP role, the surprising skills nursing transfers to investing, how she demystifies syndications, and the mistakes new investors make. Above all, she confronts the biggest lie that holds people back: "I can't do it." An encouraging conversation about reinvention and financial freedom.
Summary
The same grit that built a nursing career now fuels real estate.
After 19 years as an ER nurse — much of it as a single mom working her way through nursing school — Jennifer is channeling that same determination into multifamily investing, learning as much as she can so she can perform at a high level.
Single-mom resilience was forged in the daily grind.
Jennifer often ran on 30-plus-hour stretches — dropping kids at school, going to her own classes, working, and getting them to their sports. Her three kids (one finishing at Georgia Tech) never fully realized how much she carried, because she simply showed up.
Real estate is a team sport, and learning is the hard part.
Jennifer stresses that success depends on doing your part to learn and showing up for the team. Even with weekdays free from her Friday–Sunday shift schedule, the behind-the-scenes work is demanding — and far harder for those juggling a full Monday–Friday job.
LP often beats GP for most investors.
Many people push to be a general partner without realizing the value of the limited-partner seat. As an LP you're the first to get paid — "if you don't make money, the GP definitely doesn't" — making it a more secure position if you don't yet have the team, deal, or time to build the GP foundation.
Build relationships from day one.
The advice Jennifer received early and now passes on: reach out to people constantly. Looking back, she wishes she'd contacted a thousand more people along the way — if you do nothing else, network.
Nursing skills transfer directly to investing.
As an ER nurse and longtime leader, Jennifer talks to people at their worst and puts them at ease — a natural fit for networking. Her role in hiring also gave her discernment for reading people and assembling the right team.
Not every deal is for everyone — invest in yourself first.
Jennifer won't let someone invest their "last $20,000 or $50,000." She urges people to understand what they're buying rather than jumping in because something looks "shiny," and both she and Jeremy agree the first investment should be in your own education.
The biggest lie is "I can't do it."
Overcoming analysis paralysis means accepting you can't know everything before you start — you learn the most by being in a deal (ideally alongside an experienced partner). Reflecting on the sleepless years raising her kids, Jennifer's message is simple: if she could do it then, you can do this now.
