Books Before Boxing: Mentorship and Leadership With Brian Vieaux

A 17 year old in Detroit was about to graduate high school. He could not read. One mentor traded boxing lessons for reading lessons. That story is the throughline of this entire episode.I sat down with Brian Vieaux, President of MISMO, the mortgage industry's standards organization, to talk about mentorship, leadership communication, and the moments that shape who we become. Brian's career arc is leadership in motion. Thirty years in mortgage banking, a pivot into fintech as President and COO of FinLocker, and now leading the industry standards organization that makes the entire ecosystem more efficient and trusted.In this episode you will learn:• The Khali Sweeney Downtown Boxing Gym story, the 100 percent graduation rate model that has 1500 Detroit kids on the waiting list• Why personal branding is communicating, the line every leader needs to internalize for sales, hiring, and visibility• How a 30 year career in mortgage banking pivots cleanly into fintech leadership and industry standardsPlus the books before boxing reframe and why the hook matters more than the lesson, the financial education gap nobody is solving, why podcasting is a sales weapon for anyone in a relationship driven industry, and the moment David got into mortgage banking by accident and stayed by design.A note on timing: this conversation was recorded earlier this year while Brian was at FinLocker. Brian has since taken over as President of MISMO. Catch his current work at MISMO and listen to his ongoing podcast FinTech Fridays.Support the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit at dbgdetroit.org. They serve 160 to 180 kids a year, with 1500 on the waiting list. The conversation that counts the most this week is the one you have with your wallet.Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbookCONNECT WITH CTC:Website: https://ctcpodcast.mediaApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1890348796Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkRLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaftLinktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaftFOLLOW BRIAN VIEAUX:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvieaux/MISMO: https://www.mismo.orgFinTech Fridays Podcast: search "FinTech Fridays Podcast" on YouTube and LinkedInFollow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. (00:00) - Hook (00:35) - Welcome and intro (01:35) - The Khali Sweeney story, the boxing gym that teaches kids to read (04:15) - Books behind the neighborhood, the moment everything changed (07:32) - Downtown Boxing Gym, the model that gets 100 percent graduation (09:50) - From mortgage banking to fintech, the pivot (10:43) - FinLocker, building financial literacy into the home buying journey (12:46) - The financial education gap nobody is solving (13:33) - Helping people keep the home, not just buy it (14:31) - FinTech Fridays, the podcast that opens doors (16:19) - Personal branding is part of communicating (17:45) - Brian flips the question, how David got into mortgage banking (19:51) - Toson Knight and the through line to mentorship (20:41) - Where to find Brian and the Downtown Boxing Gym (21:17) - Close