What happens when a Division 1 basketball coach pivots into mortgage, moves to a new city, and decides to build a mortgage career from scratch, with ZERO connections? Paula Nirschl is what happens!

Hey there, rainmakers!

With over 18 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Paula is a passionate and dedicated leader who coaches and empowers loan officers to achieve their professional goals. And as VP of the Elevate Coaching Program at Guild Mortgage she oversees the training and development of a talented team, ensuring they have the skills, tools, and resources to succeed.

In this episode, I sit down with Paula to explore how the lessons she took from her sporting success – both as an athlete and a coach – helped her grow a powerful referral-based business from literally nothing. Plus we get into how she's now impacting others through the Elevate Coaching Programme at Guild Mortgage.

We talk about building trust, bouncing back from tough markets, and how to lead with discipline when everything feels uncertain. Whether you’re in production or building a team, this one’s got something for you.

Are you ready to make it rain? Let’s do this.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

💡 The habits that helped Paula build a business from scratch in a brand-new city

💡 How her coaching background shaped her approach to leadership

💡 How systems (and one specific bit of tech) unlocked her scalability and growth

💡 What Elevate Coaching is doing to transform careers at Guild Mortgage

💡 Mindset strategies for staying in motion when the industry dips

💡 Paula’s take on “failure is not an option” — and why it matters now more than ever

Guest Links:

At Guild Mortgage

On LinkedIn

On Facebook

If you liked what you heard, why not leave me a five star review, and tell me what you liked most about the show!

PLUS :

Do you feel like you've hit a plateau or lost some of your enthusiasm, focus, and fire? Has business become a grind and you often wonder what it’s going to take to get you excited again? Or do you feel like your world is constant chaos and you aren’t driving your life forward with clarity of vision?

If so - check out my catalyst coaching community, where we accelerate your success!

Connect with Shayla:

On Instagram

On LinkedIn

Show Links:

Shaylagifford.com

The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast

The Catalyst Coaching Community

Guild Mortgage