The Insight Interviews - Powered by Rewire

About Donna Wright: She has 30 plus years of experience in the mortgage industry, having helped lead both Fortune 500 and midsized mortgage companies. She successfully transitioned from originator to regional sales manager and national production manager at leading financial institutions, including the likes of Wells Fargo and Bank of America among others. She has proven leadership in recruiting, building, motivating, and coaching teams and individuals. Donna has an outstanding reputation for building markets, generating revenue, and driving profit to the bottom line. Donna has a BA in Economics from the University of Dallas and currently resides in Austin. Her passions are spending time with her children, grandchildren, friends, rottweiler rescue, and travel.

In this episode Steve and Donna discuss:

• Setting our minds right 
• Fostering a different mindset 
• Changing the story with mindset 
• Learning something new daily 

Key Takeaways: 

• Have perspective, give grace, be patient, and develop a good mindset.
• The best way to foster a different mindset in order to get out of a funk is to be with people who push you up and are able to give you a different perspective. 
• Developing a mindset that will get you through life isn’t about denying reality and lying to yourself, it’s about acknowledging what is and changing our self and our perspective so that we will be more equipped to handle it. 
• Learn something new about a person every single day. Learn something new about things in general. Ask a ton of questions and be willing to learn. 

“Right now, the most important thing that any of us could focus on is mindset and what we do to set our minds right. ‘Cause if our mind’s not right, the rest is not really right.” - Donna Wright

Connect with Donna Wright:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donna.m.wright.37/ 

Website: https://republicstatemortgage.com/ 

Email: [email protected] 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-wright-4b59827/ 

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About David Hrobon: David Hrobon is a principal with more than 35 years’ experience in mortgage banking. One of the most recognized and respected veterans of the industry, David’s specialties include strategic management, mergers and acquisitions, organizational redesign, loan operations and process and performance management.  He has held sales, sales management, ops management, corporate support positions and senior and executive leadership roles over the course of his career.  

David began his mortgage career in 1985 and worked for a combination of independent and bank-owned lenders of varied sizes, most recently serving as Chairman and CEO of Wintrust Mortgage. Under David’s leadership, Wintrust Mortgage grew from a mid-sized independent lender in 2004 to the 8th largest bank-owned retail lender nationwide in 2020. 

Throughout his 17-year tenure at Wintrust, David was an active buyer of independent mortgage companies and leveraged six separate retail acquisitions to help address internal strategic objectives, giving him experience and insights into related due-diligence, contract negotiation, buyer and seller motivations and fears, evaluation of origination platform models and cultural alignment, as well as effective methods to transition and onboard acquired employees. 

A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, David earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He also attended postgraduate classes at the University of Chicago, The Ohio State University, and the University of Dayton.

In this episode Steve and David discuss:

• How negativity impacts creativity 
• Mastering the basics 
• The need for a “why”
• Tackling difficult tasks 

Key Takeaways: 

• A mind that is focused on negative things or filled with stress hormones is not conducive to generating creative ideas or solutions. 
• Be humble enough to start over and always remember the basics and fundamentals. The things that you’ve learned will get you to where you want to be. 
• You need vision in order to continue moving forward. Be clear about what you want and reflect on why you want it. Anyone who has a “why'' can bear almost any “how”. 
• Create a realistic and measurable plan and write it down. Share it with somebody to encourage accountability. In tackling difficult things, you need to be surrounded by positive reinforcement. Surround yourself with people and things that encourage you. Eliminate or slow down drifts of negativity. 

“Any road will get you there, but you need to know which road you’re on. You need to know exactly what it is you want to change, you want to improve, or you want to accomplish and why.” - David Hrobon

Connect with David Hrobon:

Website: https://www.stratmorgroup.com/ 

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

As chairman of American Pacific Mortgage, Kurt has led the company since its inception and through its steady, strategic growth over the last 25 years. In 2020, APM was named one of the largest independent mortgage banks in the country. Under Kurt's chairmanship, APM moved from an independently owned company to become partially employee-owned—giving shares of the company back to APM employees and further enhancing the dynamic company culture he's played an active role in building. 

In this episode Steve and Kurt discuss:

• Celebrating life and showing up as a leader 
• The hard part of keeping your values 
• Communicating your values with your team 
• Tips  to follow to experience success in your career 

Key Takeaways: 

• Celebrate life and celebrate growth, both in your life and in the lives of others. Make it a point to show up as the best leader that you can possibly be. 
• Looking up fancy words to add to your values statement is the easy part; living it out is what will separate the successful companies from those that are not. 
• Communicate with your people how important it is to be impeccable in your service and keep your commitments. 
• Be a student of your business, know your craft and strive to be an expert. Identify good mentors, observe people that do great things that you’d like to imitate. Strive to consistently put out quality work or quality service. 

“The way we live out our values is we filter all of our decisions through those values.” - Kurt Reisig

Connect with Kurt Reisig:

Website: www.apmortgage.com 

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

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Wil Armstrong: He is an entrepreneur and small businessman whose business background includes start-ups, executive leadership, and active investing in the areas of technology and financial services. He has served as a board director, C-level officer, investor, and advisor to dozens of different businesses. 

Wil is presently Chairman and CEO of Three Tree Capital, a privately held investment company and family office focused on venture capital, early-stage growth companies, and private equity.

Wil believes that growing and developing your team supports the bottom line and growth of your company, and that culture and competency are critical in venture and private equity investing. He places high value on always learning, finding ways to create value for others, and having something bigger than yourself as a purpose.

In this episode Steve and Wil discuss:

• A gift and an attitude
• How to nurture gratitude
• A winning mindset
• Making a difference in the world

Key Takeaways:

• The spark of gratitude is a gift but there are a lot of ways to nurture it, it is a discipline and an attitude.
• Here are some things you can do to nurture gratitude: Be humble and ask for forgiveness from who you need to and write down things you are grateful for both in mountains and valleys.
• Being able to find success in your career is all about working hard and working smart, being well-prepared, and being a lifelong learner.
• Make a difference in the world and the lives of people around you even in small unseen ways. Seek wisdom, and dive deep within to understand who you’re serving.

“Some people think ‘I’m done with school, so I’m done with learning and I think that’s a recipe for disaster if you seek to prosper in your career. I do think that being an active learner is crucially important.” - Wil Armstrong

Connect with Wil Armstrong:

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

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Brandon Montemayor: He was born and raised in Santa Clarita, CA (North Los Angeles). He played college baseball at Clemson and UL Lafayette and has coached baseball for over 20 years. He has an amazing wife and 2 kids (both boys 9 and 12 years old). He started in real estate at 19 when rehabbing a shoulder injury. He runs a top local team with 2 sales specialists and 2 full time admins. He spends a lot of off-work hours coaching his kids, learning (crypto and personal development), and trying to play golf from time to time. 

In this episode Steve and Brandon Montemayor discuss:

• Delivering the message the right way
• Making people comfortable 
• More than technical 
• Keeping it simple 

Key Takeaways: 

• If you deliver the message the right way, a lot of people are going to like you and want to listen to you even when they don't know exactly why. 
• Make people comfortable, no matter how similar or different they are from you. 
• It’s not enough to have a lot of technical skill, you have to have genuine compassion for your clients and a willingness to provide value that will benefit them. 
• Keep it simple, always. Your goal is not to sell, but for the client to understand what they’re buying and for them to make an informed decision to close a deal with you. 

“I’m not gonna convince a random person on the side of the road who doesn’t wanna buy a home or can’t buy a home - I’m not that great of a salesman. But sometimes we’re able to sit down with clients and ask them questions that will help them self-discover whether now is the right time to do this.” - Brandon Montemayor

Connect with Brandon Montemayor:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bringingyouhomescv

Website: www.bringingyouhomescv.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BrandonYourREPro

Connect with Steve and Jason: 

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Joey Abdullah: He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins University with degrees in both Economics and Finance.

Joey’s goal is to offer advice that helps customers build wealth and prosperity with real estate quickly by helping them make smarter mortgage decisions. He will always help customers to manage their mortgages over time to ensure that they always have the best option to achieve their goals.

Joey loves playing golf and skiing. He lives in Denver, CO with his beautiful wife Lindsey and their awesome sons Danny and Nathan.

In this episode Steve and Joey Abdullah discuss:

• Giving reverence and respect
• Better than you found it 
• Commit to giving value 
• An opportunity in chaos 

Key Takeaways: 

• Give respect and reverence to first responders, soldiers, and other people that serve and protect us. 
• Wherever you go, whatever you do, and whoever you encounter, leave them better than you found them. 
• Commit extra effort into making sure that people you encounter receive value from you. For clients, provide education, and for other people in your industry, help with networking. 
• There is an opportunity to be valuable in the midst of chaos. As an advisor, knowledge is the value that people need and that’s something that you can provide if you enrich yourself with relevant information. 

“Everybody’s scared to ask ‘what do I not know?’ That’s why I flood them with education. That’s how I wanna leave them better than I found them.” - Joey Abdullah

Connect with Joey Abdullah:

Website: www.bellcohomeloans.com/jabdullah

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

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

About Tammi Knapp:

Tammi has owned several businesses ranging from a gym, a software development company and now a real estate firm.  She loves figuring things out and helping others blaze a trail.  In her current role, her passion is to take new real estate agents and turn them into highly trained and educated top producers. For her, watching that progress is pure joy - not easy, but satisfying.

In this episode Jason and Tammi discuss:

• Taking on new people
• How to be a successful leader 
• The importance of clear communication 
• Being respectful of others 

Key Takeaways: 

• If you’re taking on new people, make sure to have written detailed job descriptions and that you already have systems in place. 
• A truly successful leader is one who builds their team and gives them what they need for them to find success.
• Clear communication is important. It has to be clear exactly what you’re offering and what your seller is accepting.
• Be respectful of everyone that you come across, whether they are your competition or team member. You may never know when you’re going to be in swapped positions. 

“Clear is kind, unclear is unkind. Don’t shy away from tough conversation… instead of not speaking to them about the issue because you don’t wanna hurt their feelings.” - Tammi Knapp

Connect with Tammi Knapp:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TLCRealtyGroup/

Website:  https://www.searchcaryhouses.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbDdMmvFQOWf__SvM6TIVw

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In this episode Steve and Jason discuss:

●       How humans respond to change

●       Utilizing our ability to respond

●       Asking growth-oriented questions

●       Three practical ways to reduce stress

Key Takeaways:

●       We tend to evade and resist change when we can. It’s an instinct that we, as humans, all have.

●       We all have the ability to respond to our current circumstances with stress and anxiety, the other side of that coin is that realizing that means we also have the ability to choose another response.

●       When asking the question “why am I stressed?”, ask it with curiosity and a desire to learn from the feeling.

●       Develop better sleep hygiene, maintain an exercise habit, and practice meditation.

 “

I know it doesn’t feel good but how empowering it is to realize that - if you realize that you’re choosing stress as a response - the day you realize that is the day you can learn to choose something else.” - Steve Scanlon

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: [email protected]

About Blair Humphreys

Blair Humphreys is Chief Executive Officer of Humphreys Capital, and, in this role, oversees Investments, Accounting, and Operations and serves on the Investment Committee. He brings 16 years of experience in real estate investing and development.

Blair is the developer of the Wheeler District, an infill urban neighborhood on the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City. He is also the founder and past chair of the Oklahoma District Council of the Urban Land Institute.

Prior to initiating the Wheeler District development, Blair served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Quality Communities at The University of Oklahoma.

Blair earned a Master of City Planning and Urban Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009 and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from The University of Oklahoma in 2005.

He and his wife, Maggie, have four children and live in Oklahoma City.

In this episode, Steve and Blair discuss:

• Being grateful for the simple things
• The gift of community
• A good leader and a follower
• Purpose matters most 

Key Takeaways

• Remember the simple things that make life good. Don’t wait for someone’s death to remind you how precious life really is. Give your loved ones the gift of spending time with each other.
• Most of our frustrations in life are with other people but accomplishing something great with other people is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.
• A good leader must not only be good at leading but also at following and being led too. Practice being a good follower and submit yourself to coaching and mentorship - all of these will contribute to your success as an individual.
• It doesn’t really matter what you find yourself doing in life; what matters is if you find meaning or purpose in what you’re doing and how you’re living.

“I don’t think that there’s anything more enjoyable than getting to see a team that thrives together accomplish something - the whole is bigger than the sum of the parts, that you’re able to produce something… it’s better because we were together.” - Blair Humphreys

Connect with Blair Humphreys

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humphreyscapital

Website: www.humphreyscapital.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humphreyscapital

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZHmiaN27Kj1-v4ZQXTdn9w/videos

Tel: +1 405-228-1000

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Steve and Jason

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: [email protected]

Currently, Emma is one of the researchers at the NeuroLeadership Institute (NLI), focusing on translating cognitive/social neuroscience into actionable solutions for organizations and communicating relevant research in an accessible manner for the public. Before this, she was a  professor at Dominican College and New York University and a researcher at the Nathan Kline Institute. She received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her PhD in neuroscience from New York University, and her research focused on the development of sensory processing, the plasticity of the brain and behavior, and the impact of early life trauma.

NLI’s focus is primarily around leadership and how growing and developing your team supports the bottom line and growth of your company. Emma’s work with the NLI supports the idea that there is a huge benefit from recognizing and working within your brain's capacity and challenging it in the ways that will lead to improvements (growth, innovation, creativity). On the team or leadership level, there are ways to best engage with others to encourage collaboration, trust, goal-reaching, and better team performance – all while working better within our brain's social needs and dampening our very sensitive threat detection.

In this episode Steve, and Emma discuss:

• Recognizing closed doors 
• Accepting that you’re not there yet 
• Tips for fostering a growth mindset 
• Practicing compassion for yourself

Key Takeaways: 

• Opportunities are like closed doors that are just waiting to be opened. The unknown and the uncertainty of how things will turn out is part of the challenge of recognizing and opening those doors. 
• Accept first that you’re not there yet; when you make a mistake you learn from it as opposed to letting it mean that you aren’t good at that thing. 
• Respect your cognitive capacity. Don’t overwork yourself. Also, exploit the power of the word “yet” - it completely changes the perspective if you add it in negative sentences. 
• Reflect on how you can learn from mistakes. Practice self-compassion. Recognize that just like everyone else, it’s all right for you to make mistakes. 

“Growth mindset is the first step - just by accepting that you can change and accepting that you can improve is completely different than accepting that you have a certain skill and that whatever you put out is the best that you can do.” - Emma Sarro 

Connect with Emma Sarro:

Website: https://neuroleadership.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-sarro-phd-in-neuroscience-4766784/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]