Today Skip and Kayla welcome Laura Witte, a seasoned loan officer and co-owner of Highland Mortgage, to discuss her impressive 25-year career in the mortgage business. As someone that has closed over a billion and a half dollars in loans and is one of the top five producers in Georgia, she knows a thing or two about delivering for homebuyers.  Laura describes 2023 as the hardest year of her career, even harder than the market crash, but emphasizes the importance of mindset, decision-making, and hustle in overcoming adversity. Skip, Kayla and Laura discuss adapting to the tough market by f ..read more

Kevin Ducey, VP of Business Development for Kama Insurance, joins Skip and Kayla on today's episode. He discusses his time in the mortgage and insurance industries, the importance of building relationships, and creating generational wealth through homeownership. Kevin shares his view on the value of empathy in sales, owning an insurance business, and the impact of helping families achieve the American dream. Most importantly, they discuss remembering your why to avoid burnout.  ..read more

Today's episode is a treat - The one and only Jeff Bajorek, speaker, leader, trainer, coach, and podcast host, returns to the show. He shares insights into his recent projects, including the challenges and rewards of integrating into multiple corporate cultures simultaneously. He tells some personal stories, his dislike for macaroni and cheese due to childhood trauma, to highlight the importance of adaptability and human connection in sales and leadership. He emphasizes the critical role of being part of a company's culture while managing the distractions it can bring, and stresses the signifi ..read more

On today's show,Skip brings back a favorite guest from the past, Erica, who previously appeared on the 'Top Producing Women in Mortgage' episode. Erica shares her experiences of transitioning from a direct lender to a broker, highlighting the benefits she discovered in terms of pricing control and personalized service. She emphasizes the importance of having a solid CRM system and staying consistent in business practices. Erica gives some keys to building strong professional relationships, and how adapting to changes like new social media trends and other technological advancements is integral ..read more

Today, Camryn Hinton, the Associate Director of Member Relations and Events at ACUMA (American Credit Union Mortgage Association), joins the Big Skip Energy Podcast. She talks about ACUMA's operations, services, and its commitment to educating credit union mortgage professionals. Camryn discusses the recently formed Young Professional Network at ACUMA, which provides educational content and networking opportunities for hopeful upcomers in the finance field.  ..read more

Today's show isn't like any other you've heard from Skip and Kayla before. Matt Cox, who was once on the FBI's and Secret Service's Most Wanted list for mortgage fraud joins the show. He shares his story of running a mortgage and development company and engaging in fraudulent activities, how he navigated the system, fixing loans and creating identities which enabled him to defraud banks of millions. After being on the run for three years, he was eventually arrested and served 13 years of a 26-year federal prison sentence. Matt now uses his experience to caution others about the pitfalls of fra ..read more

Today Skip and Kayla welcome Raquel Borras, a LinkedIn influencer with almost 30K followers. She shares her journey in the mortgage industry, starting in 2014 and how she has been particularly successful in personal branding and social media, to leverage opportunities. She discusses her youth initiative and the importance of mental health, inspired by her own experiences. Drawing on her mantra of focusing on the positive, she understands the challenges faced by Gen Z and urges empathy, understanding, and mentoring.to make the mortgage industry  more vibrant and accessible to the younger genera ..read more

It’s a BIG show today! Skip and Kayla welcome the one and only Jeb Blount, CEO of Sales Gravy and author of 15 of some of the best sales books on the shelves. Together they discuss the art of selling and the importance of goal setting. They delve into the importance of a balanced approach to various sales techniques, including telephone prospecting and social selling. Jeb emphasizes the need for salespeople to strive for progress not perfection. He talks about the significance of surrounding one's community with value and focusing on the things that truly matter when setting goals to stay moti ..read more

Today is a special episode, where Skip and Kayla are brining you a big bite of wisdom from every guest that has been on the show this season. From sales to socials to financials to focus, the guests this season didn’t disappoint. So have a fun listen to seasoned industry leaders and the best and brightest of the new generation of pros.   Here from:  Ally Carty  Larry Levine  Laura Brandao  Jessica Stokes  Drew Kessler  Bill Bodner  Andrew Martin  Brian Vieaux  Jordan Nutter  Loretta Salzano  Brock Cassidy  Steven Cooley  As ..read more

Today Skip and Kayla are joined by Ashley Yarabinec, the Associate Director of Relations at the Mortgage Bankers Association, who also chairs the Residential Impact Networking Group for young professionals in the mortgage real estate finance field. Ashley discusses her career journey, her passion for networking and professional development in the mortgage industry, and the importance of advocacy in shaping the industry's future. She highlights the MBA's role in providing resources and amplifying the voices of its members, the importance of education and understanding the ‘why’ behind industry ..read more