What does it really take to go from a broke 23-year-old cold-calling strangers…
to building a billion-dollar mortgage organization — without losing your family, your health, or your joy?

In this powerful episode of The Way with Dino Katsiametis, Dino sits down with Shayla Gifford — mortgage industry icon, Rainmaker strategist, and creator of the Rainmaker Archetype system.

Shayla’s journey is raw, real, and deeply tactical:

• Dropping out of college
• Starting in door-to-door sales
• Closing 20 loans in her third month
• Scaling from a one-woman operation to a 150-employee, billion-dollar team
• And ultimately rebuilding her business around systems, balance, and sustainable performance

This isn’t just motivation.
This is a playbook for originators who want to scale intelligently in today’s market.

Thanks for listening to "The Way With Dino Katsiametis"
For full show notes, links, and extra episode resources, visit dinokatsiametis.com.
Follow Dino for weekly clips and mortgage leadership insights on
instagram.com/dinokatsiametis | linkedin.com/in/dinokatsiametis
Learn more about Ethos Lending at ethoslending.com.

Markets rise. Markets crash.
The professionals who survive — and win — are the ones who build before the storm.

In this episode of The Way, Dino sits down with Ken Perry, founder of Knowledge Coop, longtime mortgage educator, speaker, and industry truth-teller, for a deep conversation about identity, confidence, systems, and leadership in volatile markets.

Ken shares hard-earned lessons from decades in lending — including why misplaced confidence destroys careers, how lack of knowledge erodes trust, and why most loan officers struggle not because of the market, but because of poor preparation and broken systems.

This episode goes far beyond tactics. It’s about becoming the kind of professional clients trust, teams follow, and markets can’t shake.

If you want to build a mortgage career that lasts through every cycle, this is a must-listen.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why confidence is earned through knowledge — not hype
• How misplaced attribution creates dangerous highs and devastating lows
• The difference between coaching and therapy (and why leaders need both)
• Why systems matter more than talent when scaling production
• How ADHD, strengths, and self-awareness can become unfair advantages
• Why “being busy” is not the same as being effective
• How to prepare your business before the next market shift
• Why education builds trust faster than marketing
• How loan officers lose deals to Google — and now AI
• What it really means to act like the CEO of your own mortgage business

Thanks for listening to "The Way With Dino Katsiametis"
For full show notes, links, and extra episode resources, visit dinokatsiametis.com.
Follow Dino for weekly clips and mortgage leadership insights on
instagram.com/dinokatsiametis | linkedin.com/in/dinokatsiametis
Learn more about Ethos Lending at ethoslending.com.

AI isn’t coming for your job — but your clients are changing faster than most professionals realize.

In this episode of The Way, Dino sits down with Eric Post, founder of Zi AI and a 20+ year real estate and mortgage industry veteran, for a deep, honest conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping consumer behavior, trust, and relevance in knowledge-based service industries.

Eric explains why the biggest threat isn’t AI-powered competitors — it’s the AI-powered consumer having private conversations before they ever call a loan officer or agent.

This episode goes far beyond tools and tactics. It’s about mindset, positioning, personalization at scale, and why the future belongs to professionals who shift from being information providers to trusted guides.

If you want to stay indispensable in a world where knowledge is cheap and automation is everywhere, this conversation will change how you think about your business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why the AI-powered consumer is the real disruption in mortgage & real estate
• How knowledge has become table stakes — and what actually differentiates you now
• The difference between automation and augmentation (and why it matters)
• Why optimizing relationships can actually destroy them
• How to use AI behind the scenes without losing the human touch
• Why “efficiency” alone is a zero-sum game
• How top producers will win by becoming wisdom workers, not technicians
• The role of EQ, communication, and taste in an AI-driven world
• How to reclaim time without sacrificing client experience
• What loan officers should not automate if they want more referrals

Thanks for listening to "The Way With Dino Katsiametis"
For full show notes, links, and extra episode resources, visit dinokatsiametis.com.
Follow Dino for weekly clips and mortgage leadership insights on
instagram.com/dinokatsiametis | linkedin.com/in/dinokatsiametis
Learn more about Ethos Lending at ethoslending.com.