He'd already dropped out of college for that job when a friend, whose father had just bought a mortgage company, offered him work — Gregg said yes without knowing much about the business, and has written loans ever since, through rates that started at 13.5% and now sit in the mid-6%s. Today, with PMR — an employee-owned company based in Meridian, Idaho — Gregg has built his business by owning a small, rural Utah market rather than competing in a major metro.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Gregg joins host Tony Thompson to talk about his daily discipline of 13 logged conversations and handwritten notes before he'll let himself go home, the "Realtor Survival Kit" he and his wife Becky use to build realtor relationships, and why, after 41 years of marriage, he calls Becky his real secret sauce.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why Gregg believes "the market is as good as you think it is"

His daily discipline: 13 logged conversations and handwritten notes before he'll go home

How the "Realtor Survival Kit" turns open-house visits into real relationship-building

Why PMR's underwriters work with originators to get deals done instead of just denying them

His advice for new loan officers: "Do the work... none of this 10:30 crap"

Connect with Gregg Driggs: https://www.pmrloans.com/loan-officer/gregg-driggs/ | https://www.facebook.com/driggsmortgageteam/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

He turned the offer down at first, until a friend in the business told him he'd made $10,000 off a single refinance in a month, against the roughly $2,000 a month Steve was making at the time; that gap convinced him to make the jump, and he's been in mortgage lending for 30 years since. A four-time author on relationship-based business, Steve is now transitioning the company to his son.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Steve joins host Tony Thompson to unpack his "give first" philosophy: why he never directly asks a referral partner for business, how he mentally maps real estate agents by niche and territory, and why he considers himself purpose-driven rather than passion-driven — a mindset that carried him through the 2009 crash.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

His "bar" analogy for how a referral relationship should actually start — focused entirely on the other person, not a pitch

Why he never directly asks a referral partner for business, and how that removes the fear of rejection from prospecting

How he mentally maps real estate agents by niche and territory so he always has the right person to refer a client to

Why community involvement — Rotary, a charity flower market, downtown concerts — gives him a natural reason to stay in touch

Why he considers himself purpose-driven rather than passion-driven, and how that mindset carried him through the 2009 crash

Connect with Steve Beecham: https://hometownmortgage.net/team/steve-beecham | https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-beecham-1958733/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Weeks later, on a work trip, she walked into a hotel with a banner reading "Welcome Association of Women Mortgage Bankers" — and came home from that same trip to find she'd been laid off along with 11 coworkers. A phone call from a friend in the business connected her to a mentor, and she took her first mortgage job in 1994.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Dawn joins host Tony Thompson to talk about staying visible in a remote-work world, why she teaches financial literacy to high schoolers, and her advice to new originators: build and own your own client database from day one, independent of any employer.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why a banner at a hotel and a poolside conversation in Puerto Vallarta led Dawn into mortgage lending in 1994

How she adapts to today's biggest challenge — getting facetime with realtors who now work from home

Why she teaches financial literacy classes to high schoolers, and how she's closed a deal directly from one of those talks

Her advice to new originators: build and own your own client database from day one, independent of any employer

Why she's most grateful for the layoff that pushed her into a straight-commission mortgage career

Connect with Dawn Carter: https://www.rate.com/loan-officers/dawn-carter-127668 | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-carter-51762a6/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Brian's path into mortgage started at a bicycle shop, where he worked as a service manager in his late teens and early twenties before a local mortgage broker recruited and mentored him into the industry in the early 2000s — he still uses the same HP 12C calculator that mentor taught him on, two decades later. Today Maverick Lending Solutions is a family business, with his wife Annetta and son Alex both working alongside him.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Brian joins host Tony Thompson to talk about why so many originators have left the business in the past two to three years, and why that's an opening rather than a warning sign for the ones who stay disciplined — plus an underserved market he sees real opportunity in: military personnel who don't realize what home-buying options are available to them.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

How a chance introduction at a bicycle shop turned into a 20+ year mortgage career

Why Brian still uses the same HP 12C calculator his first mentor taught him on

Why he believes "the fat are getting fatter" for the originators who stayed disciplined through the shakeout

Why military buyers are one of the most underserved segments in today's market

His case for hiring a coach — the same way Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, and Michael Jordan did

Why he credits his wife Annetta as his "greatest cheerleader" throughout his career

Connect with Brian Dewald: https://mavericklendingsolutions.com/brian-dewald/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-dewald-b871ba4/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Cori got her start in the industry in 2005 after asking her retail manager for a promotion into management — he didn't have an opening, but sent her to his wife, who was hiring at a mortgage company down the road. She walked in knowing nothing about lending and learned the business from scratch during an era of 8-10% interest rates, watching some of the ethical shortcuts up close that would later help trigger the 2008 housing crash. Two decades later, Cori still runs her business as a fiduciary and trusted advisor rather than a transaction-based lender, building plans with clients who aren't ready to buy yet and staying close with past clients through calls and check-ins during slower stretches.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Cori joins host Tony Thompson to talk about growing up in Anchorage, Alaska — moose, buffalo, salmon, and reindeer sausage dogs included — and how that grounded upbringing shaped the fiduciary, relationship-first approach she brings to every client today.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why Vantage Mortgage's fiduciary, 40-lender model keeps them from steering clients toward any one lender

How a retail manager's referral — not a five-year plan — led Cori into mortgage lending in 2005

What she learned watching unethical lending practices firsthand in the run-up to the 2008 crash

Her method for coaching clients who aren't ready to buy: build a plan, then walk them through it

Why she splits her time between working "in" the business and working "on" it

What growing up in Anchorage, Alaska taught her

Connect with Cori Angel: https://vantagemortgagegroup.com/about-us/meet-the-team/coriangel/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/cori-angel-mortgagespecialist/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Michael's path into the industry was pure fate: a former collegiate baseball player who studied sports psychology at UC Davis, he was floundering after graduation until a random sales call, pitching advertising to a woman named Mary, turned into a job offer instead. She wasn't buying what he was selling, but offered to hire him into mortgage lending. About a year later he took her up on it, and he's worked with her ever since.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Michael joins host Tony Thompson to talk about why he thinks interest rates are more perception than reality, how his psychology background shapes the way he serves clients, and why he believes AI should amplify human connection in mortgage lending rather than replace it.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

• Why Michael sees the interest rate "challenge" as mostly psychological, not fundamental
• His personal filter for every client: "do they walk out my doors better than how they came in?"
• Why he's leaning into CMG's All In One Loan as his focus and passion
• How he thinks originators should use AI — to offload tasks they don't love, not to replace human connection
• Why he believes the future belongs to originators who understand "the power of connection"

Connect with Michael Newmann: https://www.cmghomeloans.com/mysite/mike-newmann | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelnewmann

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

That community-rooted approach kept FM Home Loans out of subprime lending entirely, which is a big part of why the company not only survived the 2008 financial crisis but came out of it stronger, under the same ownership and strategy that built it.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, recorded in Brooklyn, David joins host Tony Thompson to talk about FM Home Loans' recent community honor from HCCI, a HUD-certified housing counselor based in Harlem, for its work helping marginalized communities access affordable homeownership — plus how the company thinks about affordability in one of the toughest housing markets in the country, and why David now describes FM Home Loans as being in the housing business, not just the mortgage business.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

• Why FM Home Loans never touched subprime lending — and how that decision helped it survive 2008
• How partnering with not-for-profits like HCCI opened up affordable mortgage options for underserved buyers
• Why David sees today's biggest challenge as high prices stacked on high rates, not either alone
• How FM Home Loans is helping convert renters into owners in select markets
• Why David describes the company's philosophy as "we're not in the mortgage business, we're in the housing business"

Connect with David Brecher: https://fmm.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbrecher/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

For years, Guy and his business partner and brother-in-law, Matt Roberts, ran the team without real systems in place until late 2023 and early 2024, when they made their first hires, built out a full team of eight, and brought on a business coach through The CORE, a lender and real estate coaching organization. Following that coach's playbook — with a deliberate focus on repeat business and referrals over pure transaction volume — the team has doubled its business in the past two years.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Guy joins host Tony Thompson to talk about avoiding what he calls "commission breath," his "Bigger Pile Theory" for chasing mentors across every area of life, and why he's more excited than afraid about where AI is taking the real estate industry.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why Guy warns against "commission breath" — and how it kills repeat business and referrals

His "Bigger Pile Theory": constantly seeking out mentors across family, fitness, finance, business, and spirituality

How hiring a business coach in 2024 helped the Roberts Williams Team double its business in two years

Why he believes AI will enhance relationships in real estate, not replace them

His prediction that two-thirds of the industry could shift to discount/flat-fee brokers within 3-4 years — and why relationship-focused agents will still win

Connect with Guy Williams Jr.: https://www.robertswilliamsteam.com/ | https://www.remax.com/real-estate-agents/guy-williams-the-villages-fl/102073657

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with top producers and leaders across real estate and mortgage.

Sergio got his real estate license first, but three months in, a friend named Carmen suggested he also get his mortgage broker's license "just in case." He passed on his first attempt, and within six months had left real estate behind entirely — mortgage, he says, was his "actual click." GRC Lending takes its name from the last-name initials of Sergio and his original partners, with a company slogan, "Get Ready Close," built around a Formula One-style logo. Sergio's business leans heavily on Miami's immigrant community — clients from Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Philippines — and he's candid about the real obstacles they face: high property taxes that price out mid-income buyers, and lending restrictions for non-permanent resident borrowers, even those who've lived in the country for years.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Sergio joins host Tony Thompson to talk about why he never dodges a phone call, why telling a client the truth — even a "no" — has built him more business than competitors who overpromise, and the story of client Eric Gray: a failed loan, an honest phone call, and six buyer referrals since.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why "commission breath" and dodging tough calls are, in Sergio's words, what kills a mortgage business

How honestly telling a client "no" in two days built him more repeat business than competitors who dragged out a "no" for three months

The real lending obstacles facing Miami's immigrant homebuyers — high property taxes and restrictions on non-permanent residents

His advice to young originators: invest your commissions into real estate equity instead of spending it

The story of client Eric Gray — a failed loan, an honest phone call, and six buyer referrals since

Connect with Sergio Gutierrez: http://www.grclending.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergio-gutierrez-273b7222/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Jennifer never set out to work in mortgage — she started as a mobile loan closer for extra income while staying home with her daughter during the mid-2000s refinance boom, all while working toward a teaching degree and eventually a master's degree aimed at becoming a school principal. Instead, an opportunity opened at Chase's loss mitigation center, and mortgage became her career by accident rather than design; she was named Rookie of the Year in her first year in the business.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Jennifer joins host Tony Thompson to talk about treating her business like an actual business rather than tracking leads on sticky notes, mentoring young female real estate agents as what she calls a "mentor mom," and her own homeownership story — buying her first home at 24 with down payment assistance, then using that equity to help fund a business her husband ran for 25 years, a chain of events that ultimately helped fund 30 more home transactions.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why Jennifer calls real estate "psychological selling" in a fear-driven, high-rate market

How treating her business like an actual business — not sticky notes — quadrupled her production

Why she now mentors young female real estate agents as a "mentor mom" figure

Her own down-payment-assisted first home purchase, and how the equity from it funded 30 more home transactions

Why she considers herself a "hold" on herself — and what Tony thinks she's missing

Connect with Jennifer Kline: https://neighborhoodloans.com/jennifer-kline/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kline-19403363/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Abdul immigrated to Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood from Nigeria in 2003, joining parents who'd arrived in the late 1990s — seven people sharing a two-bedroom apartment, with his mother working as a nurse. He started working at 16, spent four years as a personal trainer, and entered the mortgage industry in January 2019 at age 22, a year after buying his own first property.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Abdul joins host Tony Thompson to talk about why he named his company Loan Spot — simple enough that, in his words, "it has loan in it" — and why he still treats every relationship, not just every deal, as the real product he's selling. They cover his structured weekly rhythm (agent touchpoints, follow-ups, pre-approvals, post-closing calls, and VIP networking, each with its own day), why he tells new originators not to quit after two years, and how he reframes Chicago's low-inventory market as opportunity rather than obstacle.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

Why Abdul believes "people do business with who they like" more than any pitch

How he structures his week around relationships — agent touchpoints Monday, follow-ups Tuesday, pre-approvals Wednesday, post-closing calls Thursday, VIP networking Friday

Why over 80% of new originators quit within two years, and why "it's a contact sport" you have to keep showing up for

How he reframes today's low-inventory Chicago market: "transactions and deals are still being closed — they're either gonna be closed with you or without you"

Why he still teaches new agents to make 20 contacts a day, even as lead-to-close ratios have gotten tougher since the pandemic

Connect with Abdul Erinfolami: https://loanspotinc.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdul-erinfolami-65ba5b184/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Saul's path into mortgage wasn't planned: fresh out of the University of Illinois in 2001, he was only a few months into a job at TCF Bank when his father was diagnosed with cancer, and his mother was getting by doing hair out of the house on very low income. When a college friend offered him a way into mortgage lending, Saul took the leap without knowing much about the business — and found he loved helping families, a passion that's carried him from a 20-25 person shop into what's now a national lender.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Saul joins host Tony Thompson to talk about the affordability squeeze he sees daily in the Chicago suburbs, how DPA programs can now stack up to $40,000 between county and IHDA funds, and why he believes non-QM and bank-statement lending will keep growing as more buyers move into self-employment.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

• Why a family health crisis — not a five-year plan — pulled Saul into mortgage lending
• How down payment assistance can now stack up to $40,000 between county and IHDA programs
• Why affordability remains the biggest daily challenge for buyers in the Chicago suburbs
• Why Saul expects non-QM and bank statement lending to keep growing as more buyers go self-employed
• His philosophy: "do it right or not at all"

Connect with Saul Pinela: https://neighborhoodloans.com/saul-pinela/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/saulpinela/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Corrina got her start in mortgage almost by accident: a family medical crisis pulled her out of her prior job, and she took an administrative role in the industry before working her way up to loan originator and, eventually, founding her own brokerage.

For years she carried 60-70% of her company's production personally — until around 2022, when she made the deliberate choice to step back from selling and reinvest her profits into building out her team instead. The result: CMS Mortgage has grown from roughly 300 closed units a year to about 2,000, now operating across 27 states with 120 loan officers, 68% of them women.

Corrina's advice to originators trying to grow faster is simple — don't go at it alone, and find people further down the path who can help shorten yours.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

• Why the biggest constraint in this business is bandwidth, not effort
• How to make the shift from top producer to servant leader
• Why letting go of yesterday keeps you sharp today
• What scaling a brokerage to 27 states actually requires

Connect with Corrina Carter: https://cmsmortgage.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrina-carter-4216907/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Before mortgage, Sukesh was a junior partner at McKinsey & Company — a Ph.D. and Notre Dame alum who assumed a home purchase would be straightforward given his own financial background. Watching how opaque and frustrating it was, even for a high-income household with a physician wife, is what pulled him fully into the industry roughly three to four years ago.

Altgage's approach leans on details most brokers skip: watching the 10-year treasury for the right moment to lock a rate, waiving escrow where it genuinely helps a borrower, and structuring loans around how a client's income actually qualifies — all sped up by AI tools Sukesh uses to learn faster and analyze deals. His take on where the industry is headed: as AI takes over more of the mortgage process, the brokers who stay curious and keep the human guidance sharp are the ones borrowers will still need.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

• Why Sukesh believes human guidance becomes more valuable, not less, as AI advances
• How watching the 10-year treasury can help time a rate lock
• Why "insanely curious" is his #1 trait for new loan originators
• What his own home-buying experience taught him about fixing the mortgage process

Connect with Sukesh Shekar: https://www.altgage.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukesh-shekar/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

Mario grew up around the mortgage business, stepped away for a stretch, and came back to it in 2016-2017, bringing a corporate sales background with him. He named the company Sienna Mortgage after his niece Sienna, his wife's goddaughter — reasoning there was no better name for a business built on family and trust.

Today Sienna Mortgage does more than $30 million a year in production, almost all of it purchase business, growing 15-20% year over year. Mario credits relationship-based sales as his edge, running quarterly realtor masterminds with 15-25 agents to keep those referral relationships sharp.

His view on sales is simple: it's the ability to build trust with somebody — nothing more complicated than that.

🔑 What You'll Learn:

• Why Mario treats sales as "the ability to build trust with somebody"
• How running quarterly realtor masterminds keeps referral relationships alive
• Why staying hands-on as a self-processor makes him a better broker-owner
• What it took to grow Sienna Mortgage 15-20% year over year

Connect with Mario Escobedo: https://siennamortgage.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-escobedo-2a6b37132/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for more conversations with the mortgage industry's top producers and broker-owners.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a conversation about longevity, service, and what it takes to build a husband-and-wife top-producing team. Jeff graduated from Indiana University in 1991 and got his start calling alumni for donations at the IU Foundation — a role he credits with turning him from an introvert into a skilled communicator — before moving into mortgage telemarketing and, within his first year, management and then origination.

What You'll Learn:

• How Jeff went from calling alumni for donations to 34 years as a mortgage originator
• How he and his wife Julianne built a team that ranks top five in their company
• Why "good old fashioned service" and due diligence still separate top producers from the rest
• Why 92-95% of clients need personal guidance no automated process can replace
• Jeff's "rifle approach" to networking, and why persistent follow-up is where the real business gets built
• Why reinvesting in your own development is non-negotiable for long-term originators

Connect with Jeff Dettelbach:

Hallmark Home Mortgage: https://myhhm.com/jeff-dettelbach/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a candid conversation about an unlikely path into the industry: 8-9 years as a YouTube content creator before burnout, a volleyball coach's tip that changed everything, and a job offer that collapsed right after he got licensed — which turned into the best break of his career at a small three-person brokerage. He founded X2 Mortgage in 2021 and has since grown it to a team of about 20.

What You'll Learn:

• How Shawn went from burned-out YouTube creator to broker-owner of X2 Mortgage
• Why the IMB job that fell through led him somewhere better
• How he named X2 Mortgage for SEO and phone clarity during the 2020-2021 boom
• Why his weekly Monday sales meetings focus on metrics, not motivation
• His "lead by doing" approach to running a team
• Why he tells new originators to master production before starting a company
• How AI is freeing up time for originators to close more loans

Connect with Shawn Malkou:

X2 Mortgage: https://x2mortgage.com/shawn-malkou

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnmalkou/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, Emily joins host Tony Thompson to talk about what it takes to grow through hard markets, why the mortgage industry needs to start betting on young talent, and how First Colony is positioning itself for the future with a full ecosystem play that includes their own AI tech company, Tidal Wave AI.

She also gets candid about what it's like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry — and why helping other women develop self-belief is one of her biggest priorities.

What You'll Learn:

• How Emily went from being talked out of getting her license to running the retail division of a growing national company
• What the law of generosity looks like in practice — and how it shaped First Colony's growth during the 2008–2009 crisis
• Why the industry's average originator age is a quiet crisis, and what First Colony is doing about it
• How to build a "customer for life" approach through revenue stacking and ecosystem thinking
• What Emily believes is the greatest challenge for mortgage companies right now — and why being ready to sprint is non-negotiable
• Her honest advice for women in the industry who are letting the difficulty of a male-dominated space affect how they see themselves

Connect with Emily Rowley:
First Colony Mortgage: http://www.FirstColonyMortgage.com
Follow Emily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-gappmayer-rowley-66214894/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with the leaders, originators, and operators shaping the future of the mortgage industry.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a fast-paced, high-energy conversation about what it takes to stand out, stay motivated, and capitalize on the AI wave reshaping the mortgage industry.

Oliver's journey started far from mortgage — a journalism degree, dreams of sports broadcasting, and a detour into financial planning before 9/11 sent him into the industry in 2001. Twenty-five years later, his philosophy is simple: be pleasantly persistent, never quit, and surround yourself with people who push you to excel.

What You'll Learn:

• Why differentiation — not interest rates — is the real competitive battlefield in mortgage today
• How AI and social media are creating massive opportunity for originators willing to use them
• The "pleasantly persistent" philosophy and why it takes 7 contacts to make a sale
• Why being great at what you do is the only real defense against losing business to AI
• How surrounding yourself with high-producing people becomes addictive — in the best way
• Why buying a home remains one of the few reliable paths to generational wealth
• Oliver's #1 advice for originators trying to reach the next level: don't quit

Connect with Oliver Orlicki:

Follow Oliver Orlicki : https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-orlicki-6a9b8931
The Orlicki Group: https://orlickigroup.com/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson, CMB for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a mortgage business from scratch, why he became the VA loan go-to in a market with no military base nearby, and how a FaceTime call with his toddler son changed the entire trajectory of his career.

Alec didn't come from mortgages — he came from mergers and acquisitions, traveling constantly, closing high-stakes corporate deals. But when his son Cooper asked why daddy was always so far away, he was on the next flight home, canceled his contract, and never looked back. What followed was a humbling first year of near-zero income and a decade of building something real — a brand, a niche, a partnership, and a brokerage now on track for 30–40% production growth in 2026.

What You'll Learn:

• How Alec left a high-paying M&A career to be present for his son — and built a mortgage brand around being "Cooper's dad"
• The origin of Carolina Mortgage Advisors: how a difficult situation at a prior brokerage turned into the momentum to go independent
• Why the originators winning right now are the ones focused on fundamentals — not headlines, not tech, not what Rocket just acquired
• How Alec became a VA loan authority in Charlotte by teaching nearly 1,000 realtors since 2018 — without living near a military base
• Why consistent messaging over years turns niche expertise into a self-sustaining referral engine
• The post-mortem review Alec runs every year to track where new referral partners came from — and how to replicate it
• How a simple Tuesday update habit turned listing agents into his #1 source of new business
• Why knowing what to refer out is just as important as knowing what you're great at
• How to use RETR to build a targeted list of realtors who don't have a dedicated lending partner
• What Alec is most grateful for: a business partnership that accelerated his growth by nearly a decade
• Why the broker channel's product access can work against you if you haven't committed to a niche

Connect with Alec Conrad:

Carolina Mortgage Advisors: www.carolinamortgageadvisors.com
Alec Conrad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-edward-conrad/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson, CMB for a practical, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to build a mortgage brokerage that grows its people and outlasts market cycles.

Nathan spent nearly two decades in the industry — moving through restaurant management, a decade in real estate, and a rapid rise from LOA to branch manager — before making the deliberate move to broker ownership. What followed was a brokerage built on process, fairness, and a relentless focus on the investment property lending niche that's now become their signature.

What You'll Learn:

• How Nathan went from a failed real estate career and the restaurant business to running a multi-state mortgage brokerage
• Why he rebranded from "Mortgage Maniac" to Mortgage Inc. — and what the process taught him about building a company that can recruit and scale
• How Mortgage Inc. became the exclusive mortgage team for one of the largest build-to-rent developers in the country
• Why Nathan shifted focus to DSCR and investment property loans — and how it positioned the company perfectly in a slow purchase market
• The accountability system behind his weekly one-on-one calls with every LO on his team
• Why over-communication is the single most important habit for any originator trying to reach the top level of this business
• How Nathan built a full ecosystem — development, property management, tenants, and individual investor financing — that keeps clients coming back
• The difference between broker and retail — and the real reason Nathan made the switch
• The three pillars Nathan credits for his success: Family, Faith, and Fitness
• Why mental fitness — cutting out the noise and the vices — is what truly moves the needle for top producers
• Tony's "Corporate Athlete" framework and why every serious originator needs to hear it

Connect with Nathan Howry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-howry/

Mortgage Inc. : https://mortgage-inc.com/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a deeply practical conversation about what it really takes to lead a mortgage team — and how to build one that actually stays.

Chris spent 23 years in the industry before opening West Park — running refi call centers and large retail operations before making the deliberate pivot to purchase business and broker ownership. What followed was a brokerage named after his own neighborhood, rooted in community, and built to outlast market cycles.

What You'll Learn:

• How every West Park LO grew their business year-over-year in a down market — and the coaching system behind it
• The 3 pillars of LO success: consistent activities, consistent processes, and qualified referral partners
• How AI is being implemented at West Park right now — and why it sets LOs up to beat competitors who aren't using it
• The data framework Chris uses to show each LO exactly how many credit pulls they need to hit their goals
• Why LOs closing one loan a month are almost certainly not working 75-80% of their day on business building
• Tony's "are you a buy, sell, or hold?" question — and why every originator needs to answer it honestly
• Why servant leadership — not micromanagement — is what keeps top producers around for over a decade

Connect with Chris Musso:
Follow Chris Musso: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-musso-b6618016/
West Park Mortgage Group: https://westparkmortgagegroup.com/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson right in his home city for a conversation about building a mortgage business on legacy, competitive fire, and daily social media consistency.

Brian didn't plan on being in mortgages. After watching the 2008 crash devastate his family, he swore the industry off entirely. Nearly a decade later, after a conversation with his father — a 31-year mortgage veteran — changed his mind, he went all in, sank for a season, and came out the other side as one of Florida's top producers.

What You'll Learn:

• How Brian went from "I will never do mortgages" to top 2% nationwide in under 10 years
• The family legacy behind Tewes Lending — and why "Let's Get You Home" means more than a tagline
• Why affordability is both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity in mortgage right now
• The Warren Buffett mindset Brian uses when rates climb and other originators head for the exits
• Why Brian loves Monday mornings — and what that tells you about building a business worth showing up for
• The daily social media system that turns closings into referral magnets
• Why being a partner — not a vendor — is what gets clients and realtors across the finish line

Connect with Brian Tewes:

Tewes Lending: https://teweslending.com/

Follow Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-tewes-mba-ab02283a

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for one of the most honest conversations the show has had yet about what it really takes to build from zero when you have no industry background, no referral base, and no roadmap.

David spent 17 years in ministry before pivoting to mortgage in 2022. What followed was a data-driven cold calling system, personalized video loan estimates, and a process obsession that most originators with decades of experience still haven't developed.

What You'll Learn:

• How David cold called realtors in states he wasn't licensed in — and used their answers to build his entire pitch
• Why he makes personalized video walkthroughs for every loan estimate — and how it helped him scale
• AI in mortgage: why it's the great equalizer right now and why you have a 3 to 5 year window to act
• "Small for a season vs. small for a reason" — and how to honestly figure out which one you are
• Why motivation and focus are two completely different things — and what separates top producers
• How to shoot bullets before cannonballs — and stop wasting money on strategies you haven't tested
• David's gratitude framework: the things you're complaining about today are answers to prayers from 10 years ago

Connect with David Kakish:
Anchor Home Loans: https://theanchorhome.com/
Follow David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kakish-573aa3249/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to break down the strategy behind his success: go where other originators aren't, plant seeds before the market is ready, and build a business that competes on expertise instead of rate.

Mark has spent his career finding underserved pockets most loan officers walk right past — the senior and elder care space, high net worth non-QM borrowers, bridge loan clients, and wealth advisor referral networks. His philosophy is simple: the center lane is too crowded. Just outside it is where the real opportunity lives.

What You'll Learn:

• Why the senior and elder care space is one of mortgage's biggest untapped opportunities right now
• How Mark positions his business as an alternative to reverse mortgages — and why it works
• Why wealth advisors deliver 10x more qualified referrals than real estate agents
• The long-game marketing mindset: planting seeds 18 months before they bear fruit
• Why picking a niche doesn't cost you standard transactions — it earns you both
• How to approach mortgage through a financial planning lens to add value no other LO is offering
• Mark's mission to drill a well in Kenya — and how a $25,000 goal can serve over 1,000 people

Follow Mark Maimon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-maimon-51bb923

Luminate Bank: https://www.luminate.bank/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to break down the mindset, habits, and process that have kept him at the top of his game for 20 years.

Chris didn't start in mortgages. After studying criminal justice at Indiana University and a brief career as a police officer, he found his way into sales in 2006 and never looked back. A chance mentorship shaped his entire approach to the business — and it all comes back to one thing: being thorough before the pre-approval so everything else runs smoothly.

What You'll Learn:

• Why being thorough upfront — before the pre-approval — is Chris's #1 competitive edge
• How he closes 99% of the pre-approvals he puts his name on
• Why discipline is the most important trait for originators who work from home
• What Chris would tell his younger self: build a repeatable process from day one
• How to stay motivated through slow seasons when the phone stops ringing
• Why your operations team is the secret weapon behind every great originator
• The "change your sail" philosophy for adapting when the market shifts

Connect with Chris Kerr:

Elements Financial Credit Union: https://www.elements.org/

Follow Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-kerr-b289138/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to talk about the forces reshaping the mortgage industry — regulatory uncertainty, the power of data, and why AI represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for mortgage professionals.

Justin brings a rare 30,000-foot view of where the industry is headed and what lenders, originators, and broker-owners need to pay attention to right now.

What You'll Learn:

• Why regulatory uncertainty — not rates — is the #1 challenge facing the industry today
• What the potential GSE exit from conservatorship could mean for your business
• How to use data at every stage of your sales funnel to close more loans more efficiently
• Why AI is a practical, accessible tool for mortgage businesses right now
• Justin's #1 career advice after 33 years: learn something new every single day
• Why your network is one of the most valuable long-term assets you'll ever build

Connect with Justin Demola:

Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/

Follow Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-demola-mortgage/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson live in Indianapolis for a conversation about building a mortgage company that lasts, leading from the front, and why avoiding the vanity of volume is the real competitive advantage.

John entered the mortgage industry at 19 years old — right in the middle of the 2008 crash — and never looked back. He and his partner Michael built MJW from a two-man broker shop all the way to fully delegated Fannie Mae seller-servicer status. Their model: be big enough to support your people, but small enough to actually know them.

What You'll Learn:

• How MJW Mortgage grew from a broker shop to a $400M Fannie-approved IMB
• Why the "vanity of volume" is a trap and what to focus on instead
• The 3 things every originator needs to succeed: desire, continuous learning, and community
• Why great leaders start as great followers — and what that looks like day to day
• How to stop playing too small with your goals and your pipeline
• Why the Midwest is one of the most overlooked mortgage opportunities in the country right now
• The mindset shift that separates originators who make it from those who quit too soon

Connect with John Murphy:

Follow John Murphy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntsmurphy/
MJW Mortgage: https://mjwmortgage.com/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson to break down exactly how he got there and where he's headed.

Hussein's path started during college when a sales leader at Rocket Mortgage spotted his potential as a data analyst intern and recruited him into originating. After a decade in the industry — including six years as a team lead at UWM — he launched Grand Line Lending, named after the destination in his favorite anime where only the best go to prove themselves.

What You'll Learn:

• How Hussein built a $11M/month brokerage in just 10 months
• The 3 things he needs to scale from $11M to $20M a month
• Why the biggest challenge in the broker channel is post-closing — not lead generation
• How renaming his team "loan advisors" instead of "loan officers" shifts the entire client relationship
• Why realtor partnerships are annuities and how to earn them the right way
• Why discipline — not motivation — is what actually builds a business
• The 60-90 day rule every originator needs to hear right now

Connect with Hussein Nasser:

Grand Line Lending: https://grandlinelending.com/
Follow Hussein Nasser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussein-nasser-86a2781bb/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

Ashlin's story starts far from mortgage. After pursuing nursing at FIU, she hit rock bottom — dropping out, falling into depression, and ending up on welfare. A single phone call in 2019 changed everything. Today she runs a thriving brokerage named after the greatest motivation in her life: her two daughters. 4MG stands for "For My Girls."

What You'll Learn:

• How one unexpected phone call in 2019 launched Ashlin's entire mortgage career
• Why she named her brokerage 4MG — and how a powerful "why" drives everything
• The #1 challenge facing originators today: urgency culture and the cost of having no boundaries
• How Ashlin is building a sustainable business without burning out as a mom and leader
• Why brokers have a unique advantage right now — and how to stop selling rates and start selling solutions
• The mindset shift that separates good originators from great ones in a tough market
• Why gratitude for the hard moments — not just the wins — is what shapes real leaders

Connect with Ashlin Endter:

4MG Mortgage: https://4mgmortgage.com/
Follow Ashlin Endter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlin-endter-cfmp-cmps-cdlp-143751267

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

Shawn Smith is the broker-owner of Sublime Financial — a Dallas-based mortgage brokerage generating $200M in annual volume with 23 loan officers across Texas, Oklahoma, Washington State, and Florida.

Shawn's path wasn't straight. He managed a chain of health clubs, swore he'd never return to mortgages, then built Sublime Financial from the ground up in 2013. What followed is a masterclass in client-first leadership, smart growth, and staying ahead of industry shifts like AI and technology.

What You'll Learn:

• How Shawn rebuilt his mortgage career after 2008 and why he almost didn't
• The 3 specific things Sublime Financial needs to go from $200M to $300M
• Why AI and technology are the biggest challenge — and opportunity — facing mortgage pros today
• How Dallas's population growth creates a natural income advantage for originators
• Why treating a $70K loan the same as a $700K loan is the foundation of long-term success
• How saying "I don't know" builds more trust than pretending you have all the answers

Connect with Shawn Smith:

Sublime Financial: https://www.sublimefinancial.com/

Follow Shawn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-smith-6ba41a71/

Subscribe to Chasing Excellence for weekly conversations with top mortgage professionals and industry leaders sharing what it truly takes to go from good to great.

Chasing Excellence is the podcast that brings you real stories from real people — from those already at the pinnacle of success to those just beginning their journey.

Host Tony Thompson sits down with individuals who chose to pursue excellence over the ordinary, sharing their trials, tribulations, breakthroughs, and wisdom.

Every episode is designed to inspire you, educate you, and move you — to chase YOUR excellence, whatever that looks like.

🎙️ Hosted by Tony Thompson

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