Do The Did

DeAnn Ellis failed the test that started her career. Today she's a top 1% mortgage lender in the nation. This is her mortgage lender success story, and how she did it.

DeAnn started as a Bank of America teller right out of high school in 1992. She didn't go to college, called herself a horrible math student, and failed the lender exam her first time. Instead of accepting that door was closed, she asked for another shot and passed by two points. From there she took a leap to a 100% commission mortgage job, learned the business by hand with a clipboard and pencil, and built a top-producing team while raising two daughters as a single mom.

Then 2008 hit. Investors closed overnight, her biggest builder shut its doors, and she had to let her team go. Weeks later her daughter was in a near-fatal accident. DeAnn almost walked away from the business entirely. What brought her back was one lunch meeting, one bold ask, and about $7 million in loans other lenders had turned down.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why one no doesn't have to be the final answer
• What it really takes to build a career on 100% commission
• How "be slow to say no" became her team's competitive edge
• Why waiting on interest rates could cost you, and how seller and builder contributions work in your favor
• Why she wants to be "the Chick-fil-A of the mortgage business"
• Why she still has coaches after more than a decade at the top

About DeAnn: DeAnn Ellis Davidson is a Senior Mortgage Consultant who leads the Ellis Funding Team at Element Home Loans (NMLS 148916). Her team has ranked in the top 1% in the nation for mortgage origination for over a decade and is licensed in seven states.

Connect with DeAnn Ellis: https://poplme.co/hash/ze6RLr8L/1/share

If this episode encouraged you, follow Do The Did, leave us a review, and send it to someone who's sitting on a no right now. Go out and do that.

How do you become a professional soccer player when your story starts in the ICU? Greg Garza was born fighting, left home at 12, chased the game across four countries, and came back from a career-threatening injury to lift the MLS Cup with Atlanta United. On this episode of the Do the Did Podcast, Ben and Lila sit down with Greg to ask the question this whole show is built on: how did you do that?

Greg's path was never a straight line. He moved to Brazil alone at 12, learned the language in months, and earned his way into the US youth residency program and the Under-17 World Cup. He signed his first pro contract in Portugal at 16, won a championship in Mexico with Club Tijuana, and reached the peak of his game in Guadalajara before a hip reconstruction and a full year of rehab nearly ended his career as a professional soccer player. Written off by two clubs, he got one more chance in a brand new city, made the MLS All-Star team his first year, and won it all the next.

This conversation is about everything underneath the highlight reel. Greg shares why the most uncomfortable seasons grow you the most, and why he chose to see better players as teachers instead of threats. He opens up about self-doubt, the poetry and faith that carried him through injury, and the belief that steadied his work ethic: pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you. He explains why an elite personality beats elite talent, why comparison is the thief of joy, and why he walked away from the game to be present for his kids.

Now Greg pours all of it into the next generation as co-founder of Beyond Goals Mentoring, where the focus is confidence, leadership, and resilience for young athletes. Ben and Lila know the impact firsthand, because their own son is in the program.

If you are an entrepreneur, a parent, an athlete, or anyone chasing something that feels a size too big, this is your reminder that success and significance are built one uncomfortable, disciplined, faithful step at a time.

Greg Garza is a former US Men's National Team player, an MLS Cup champion and MLS All-Star with Atlanta United, and a Liga MX champion. Today he mentors the next generation of leaders as co-founder of Beyond Goals Mentoring. Learn more at beyondgoalsmentoring.com.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondgoalsmentoring

Subscribe and follow the Do the Did Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss a conversation with someone who did the thing you have been dreaming about.

How do you build a team that thinks beyond daily tasks and takes true ownership of success? In this episode, veteran consultant John Brantley shares a career’s worth of insights—spanning major corporations, local businesses, and military families—to reveal how leaders can unlock their team's hidden potential. Drawing from the science of plant biology, John explains the "Auxin" approach: how to cultivate an environment where growth is built directly into your organization's DNA. Tune in to learn practical strategies for turning transactional employees into an emotionally invested, high-performing workforce. Learn more at theauxinleader.com

📊 Only 100 out of 50,000+ applicants would become Chick-fil-A Franchise Owner/Operators that year. Discover how Ben went from a full-time college student working at Chick-fil-A Lilburn to now owning TWO multi-million dollar locations through extreme focus, faith, and discipline.