Spotlight Podcast

About Spotlight Podcast

Movement Mortgage/Impact Coaching showcasing the best of our best sharing what's working in TODAY'S mortgage market!

Publisher

Bill Hart

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Jul 2025

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

30 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Michael Ullmann Interview

   Summary: Interview with Michael Ullman Michael Ullman, Branch Leader in Fairfax, VA, shared insights on building a sustainable mortgage career through intentional financial planning, leadership, and long-term wealth creation. Having entered the industry in 2013, Michael adopted a disciplined strategy of purchasing one rental property per year while growing his production business. Over time, he diversified into retirement accounts, deferred compensation, REITs, and other investments while continuing to mentor loan officers on the importance of creating wealth beyond commissions. His leadership philosophy centers on helping LOs build scalable businesses, develop strong teams, and maintain accountability through meaningful relationships. 5 Key Takeaways 1. Treat Mortgage Production as the Vehicle, Not the Destination Michael views mortgage origination as a means to create long-term financial security rather than simply generate income. Early in his career, he established a goal of purchasing one rental property per year and steadily executed that strategy. He encourages loan officers to think beyond monthly commissions and build assets that generate income and wealth over time. 2. Avoid Lifestyle Inflation and Invest Early One of the most impactful lessons Michael received was to continue living like he was earning $100,000 even after his income significantly increased. He advises loan officers to resist upgrading homes, vehicles, and lifestyles too quickly. Instead, prioritize investing, paying down debt, and establishing financial stability before increasing personal spending. 3. Leverage Movement's Wealth-Building Benefits Michael is highly passionate about educating loan officers on Movement Mortgage's long-term wealth-building opportunities, including: 401(k) with company match Deferred Compensation Program Win Together Fund Income for Life Insurance renewal income opportunities He believes these programs exist to help loan officers build future financial freedom, not simply as recruiting or retention tools. 4. Capacity Must Precede Production As production grows, loan officers must proactively build their teams and operational capacity. Michael emphasized that many LOs become overwhelmed because they wait until they are busy before hiring support. Successful growth requires investing in assistants, junior team members, and systems before they are urgently needed, allowing producers to continue prospecting while maintaining excellent service. 5. Find Mentors and Coaches to Accelerate Growth For struggling or newer loan officers, Michael's first recommendation is not a new marketing strategy or investment plan. It is mentorship. He encourages LOs to find someone who is already succeeding at the level they aspire to reach and learn from them. Once financially possible, adding professional coaching can provide accountability, strategy, perspective, and support that accelerates growth and helps prevent costly mistakes. Additional Leadership Insights Michael's approach to branch leadership is highly relational. Rather than relying solely on metrics and performance discussions, he focuses on understanding each LO's personal goals, motivations, and stage of life. He regularly checks in with team members, participates in shared interests, and tailors accountability based on individual objectives. Some LOs require production-focused accountability, while others prioritize work-life balance or family commitments. His philosophy is to "meet people where they are" and help them achieve the outcomes they desire. Closing Thought Throughout the conversation, Michael repeatedly reinforced a simple but powerful principle: build your business intentionally, invest consistently, and think long term. Success in the mortgage industry is not just about closing more loans today. It is about creating a life and financial future that provide freedom, flexibility, and security for decades to come.

2. 

   8 Sept 2026

   Joe Thompson Interview

   Summary: Joe Thompson on Leadership, Discipline, and Winning in a Tough Market In this episode, Bill Hart and Andy Knutson interview Joe Thompson, Regional Leader for Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arizona. Joe shares how his blue-collar upbringing, commitment to self-leadership, and disciplined approach to work have shaped his success. The conversation explores leadership habits, mindset, fitness, career decisions, and what top-performing loan officers are doing differently in today's challenging mortgage market. Joe credits his strong work ethic to growing up in a family where hard work was expected and unfinished tasks were not an option. He believes talent varies from person to person, but work ethic is the ultimate equalizer. Combined with a positive mindset and daily gratitude, Joe has built a leadership style centered on consistency, discipline, and personal accountability. A key theme throughout the discussion is controlling how the day begins. Joe avoids checking emails, social media, and news first thing in the morning. Instead, he prioritizes gratitude, exercise, and intentional thinking before allowing outside influences to shape his day. He shares that fitness has become a personal "superpower," helping him maintain confidence, energy, and credibility as a leader. Joe also discusses his decision to join Movement Mortgage in 2024. While he had opportunities to stay with his previous company, he ultimately chose Movement because of the alignment between the company's values and his own. He was drawn to the caliber of leadership, the authenticity of the culture, and the opportunity to be both successful and true to himself. The conversation concludes with Joe's perspective on succeeding in today's mortgage market. He emphasizes that visibility and lead generation are more important than ever. The loan officers winning today are consistently showing up, making calls, creating content, hosting events, and building relationships. Success comes from sustained activity over time, not short bursts of effort. 5 Key Takeaways 1. Work Ethic Is the Great Equalizer Talent may differ, but everyone controls their effort. Joe believes consistent hard work remains one of the strongest predictors of long-term success. 2. Start Every Day with Gratitude and Intention Avoid beginning the day with emails, social media, or negative news. Instead, focus on gratitude and activities that put you in the right mental state. 3. Self-Leadership Comes Before Team Leadership Leaders must first lead themselves through disciplined habits, fitness, mindset, and personal accountability before they can effectively lead others. 4. Alignment Matters More Than Opportunity Joe's move to Movement Mortgage was driven by a desire to align his personal values with his professional environment and leadership team. 5. Visibility Drives Growth in Today's Market The most successful loan officers consistently create opportunities through calls, events, social media, education, and relationship-building. Consistency is more important than perfection. Resources & Links Mentioned Get Coaching at Movement: https://getcoaching.movement.com Movement Mortgage: https://movement.com (https://movement.com) Built to Run Program (mentioned during the episode): Information available through the coaching team at the link above. Ed Mylett Podcast ("The Simple 3-Step Process to Solve Almost Any Problem") was referenced, but a specific episode link was not provided in the transcript. Final Thought: Joe's message is simple but powerful: stay disciplined, stay consistent, control your mindset, and trust that persistent activity will eventually produce results. In a market where many are waiting for conditions to improve, the leaders who continue showing up every day are the ones creating momentum and winning.

3. 

   4 Sept 2026

   Jason Brooks Interview

   Summary We recently had the privilege of sitting down with Jason Brooks — a Pinehurst, North Carolina loan officer with Movement Mortgage who's better known on social media as "the Mortgage Ninja." Neither Bill nor I knew Jason's story going in, so this interview was a genuine discovery for us. Jason is on track to hit President's Club by the end of July, which puts him at roughly $45–50 million in volume (about 8–10 units a month) for the year. What struck us most was that the linchpin of Jason's whole story is recovery. He'll be five years sober this August 1st, and he told us it's been the best five years of his life. Watching how he turned his personal transformation into an authentic, thriving business was one of the most encouraging conversations I've had in a while. Beyond mortgages, Jason hosts the Unshaken: The Hope Dealer podcast, wrote a resource book called Universal Supports, and has earned three consecutive $10,000 Graceworks grants supporting recovery and domestic violence causes. As Bill and I dug in, the conversation became a masterclass in authenticity, intentional relationship-building, and working with the right people instead of everyone. Here's what I want our loan officers to take away. My 5 Key Takeaways 1. Authenticity is a competitive advantage Jason shares his full story — "from rock bottom to where I'm at now" — and that transparency is exactly what makes people feel safe reaching out to him. I watched him describe how his honesty drives inbound calls, DMs, and referrals. My challenge to you: stop playing loan officer on social media and start just being yourself. 2. A balanced content mix wins on social media Jason's brand works because he blends three buckets: education, humor, and recovery. I've seen too many LOs play one chord — all corporate reposts, all funny, or all education — and audiences tune it out. Jason's authentic, unscripted content (like his "flags to screens" post) pulled 60,000+ views on Instagram and helped him hit 100K followers on TikTok — no dancing required. 3. Strategically align with like-minded partners This was my favorite part. Jason intentionally partners with real estate agents who share his energy and values — he even asks them, "Who do you know like me that you think we'd get along with?" Since making that shift, his business has grown, not shrunk, even though he's doing far less cold outreach. 4. Deep relationships beat the "three-name" habit Bill and I have heard the myth for 40 years that agents must hand out three lender cards to avoid "steering." It's simply not true. Jason's agents refer him exclusively because of the rapport and trust they've built — they know he'll work with them to solve any problem that comes up mid-transaction. 5. Build a business (and a life) on your own terms When you work with people who "fill your cup," the stress drops and the work becomes sustainable. Jason told us he's felt anxiety only twice in recent years — a far cry from the days that would've sent him to the bar by 11 a.m. And this is a decision available at any production level, not just to top producers. If you don't have the right partners yet, you have the power to change that — go meet someone new. Links & Resources Jason Referenced 🌐 Website / Book: Universal Supports (his book) and additional recovery, mental health, domestic violence, and veteran resources are available at weareunshaken.com (https://weareunshaken.com) 🎙️ Podcast: Unshaken: The Hope Dealer 📱 Social media: Jason posts as "the Mortgage Ninja," including his weekly Ninja No. podcast snippet series (Instagram & TikTok) Our call to action from the episode: If this resonates with you and you'd like to build this kind of business, reach out to us at getcoaching@movement.com to schedule a discovery call.

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