The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast
by Shayla Gifford
What if the mortgage business could be more simple and fun? What if you could double and triple and quadruple your results with less complexity and less stress – and without the sales roller coaster? I'm Shayla Gifford and this is The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast. If you're a loan officer looking to sharpen your skills, grow your pipeline, and get fired up – you're in the right place. We bring you interviews with top performing loan officers, my personal insights, and success stories from within my Catalyst Coaching community.I've spent my entire career as a loan officer and helping loan officers. So I know you, I've been you. And now – I want to help you master your craft, dominate the mortgage game, and build a life and business that thrives. So...are you ready to be a Rainmaker? Let's do this!
Episodes
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93 | 5 Things You Need to Build Unshakable Conviction in Your Career
The most dangerous thing in your mortgage business might not be the market. It might be your own doubt. Hey there, Rainmakers! Let's talk about conviction. Not confidence that comes and goes with the market, your paycheck, or someone else's success. I'm talking about that deep, grounded certainty...
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92 | The $55M Comeback: How to Rebuild Your Swagger, Reinvent Your Business, and Make It Rain Again
What happens when life knocks you down, your mortgage business loses momentum, and you have to rebuild... everything? Hey there, Rainmakers! My dear friend Carson Vaughn knows what it feels like to lose your footing. After building a $130M mortgage business in back-to-back years, leading a…
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91 | From Part-Time to $35M: Kyle Parmenter's Relationship-First Playbook
Stop trying to become a better salesperson. Start becoming someone people genuinely trust, believe in, and want to do business with. Hey there, Rainmakers! This week, I'm sitting down with Kyle Parmenter, a 33-year-old Kansas City loan officer who built his mortgage business part-time while…
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90 | Leads Down 65%? Here's Our Game Plan to Fight Back!
When your leads drop 65%, do you panic and pull back? Or do you double down and fight back? Hey there, Rainmakers! I'm taking you behind the scenes of the Gifford Team for an honest conversation with Evan Hulbert about what happens when your pipeline slows down and it's time to fight back. Evan...
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Stop Selling, Start Helping. Jon Arnold’s Approach to Building a $100M Business
You don’t have to lose your fire to become a better leader. Hey there, Rainmakers! Jon Arnold and I connected because I could feel his intensity immediately. He built his career the way a lot of us do: through survival, relentless work, and a refusal to fail. But over time, that drive evolved…
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88 | The Hot Seat with Zenon Issel: Stop Selling Products. Start Selling Yourself!
The bar is lower than you think. Show up, sell yourself, and do the damn work. Hey there, Rainmakers! In this episode, I’m coaching Zenon, a Catalyst member who’s just over a year into the mortgage business and hungry to build. We break down how to earn more opportunities with real estate agents...
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87 | AI Prompts Every Loan Officer Should Be Using with Ryan Erekson
Ryan Erekson wants to build a $24 million mortgage business working five hours a week. And AI is how he plans to do it. Hey there, Rainmakers! Ryan is my AI coach, and in this episode, we’re breaking down how to use AI to create more money, more time, and higher-quality work—without replacing the...
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86 | How I Doubled My Lead Conversion with Alex Dykes
Alex Dykes went from taking out personal loans to pay his bills to becoming a Chairman’s Club producer on pace for 202 loans this year. Hey there, Rainmakers! Alex Dykes is proof of what can happen when you get humble, get coached, and stop trying to figure everything out alone. After watching…
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85 | The Hot Seat with Art Shalomov & Tanya Brown
What if you could sit in on a real coaching call and hear exactly what’s keeping another Rainmaker stuck? Hey there, Rainmakers! Today, I’m pulling back the curtain and letting you inside two real one-on-one coaching conversations with Art Shalomov and Tanya Brown, two students in my Catalyst...
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84 | From Recovery to Rainmaker: How Anne Solano Rebuilt Her Life and Mortgage Business
What happens when you stop trying to look like a loan officer—and start showing up fully as yourself? Hey there, Rainmakers! Anne Solano went from losing everything and rebuilding her life in recovery to becoming one of the most exciting new loan officers I’ve watched enter this business. In her...
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Using This Simple System Tripled My Mortgage Business with Brendan Williams
Hey there, Rainmakers! Brendan Williams is proof that you don’t have to become someone you’re not to build an incredible mortgage business. He’s not living on social media, chasing endless coffee meetings, or reinventing his strategy every six months. He created a simple system around...
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82 | From Scared to Unstoppable: The Shift That Took Me From 2 Loans to $22M with Amy Roe
What if the breakthrough you’re waiting for is on the other side of your fear? Hey there, Rainmakers! Amy Roe closed just two loans in her first eight months as a loan officer. She questioned herself, froze at networking events, and wondered if she’d made a huge mistake. But she kept showing up....
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81 | The FREE 5-Week Sales Challenge Every Loan Officer and Realtor Needs
What if the business you're praying for is already sitting inside the relationships you have today? Hey there, Rainmakers! If you've ever said, "I'm just not a salesperson," this episode is for you. I hear it every single week from incredible loan officers and real estate agents. You're amazing…
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80 | Building a Mortgage Business That Doesn’t Own You with Tasha Hastings
What’s the point of building a successful mortgage business if you don’t have a life left to enjoy it? Hey there, Rainmakers! My good friend Tasha Hastings has spent 13 years building something so many loan officers want: a thriving mortgage business that doesn’t own her. She’s a top producer, a...
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79 | Mastering The Ask: How This New LO Closed $4M with Jannette Gomez
What happens when a brand-new loan officer stops overthinking and starts running the plays? Hey there, Rainmakers! Jannette Gomez left a 13-year career as a dental hygienist because she knew she was capable of more. Just 14 months into the mortgage business, she closed a $4 million month by…
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78 | Going All In: How I Got to $33M In 3 Years with Mike Bertarelli
Hey there, Rainmakers! Mike Bertarelli walked away from consumer direct after closing $125 million in production and stepped into retail with zero referral relationships and no magic bucket of leads. Three years later, he closed 111 loans for $33 million in production and built a team of seven…
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77 | How to Create Opportunity in a "Slow" Market
What do the best loan officers do when business gets harder? They don't wait for opportunity. They learn how to create it. Hey there, Rainmakers! Every loan officer goes through seasons where business feels harder than it should. Markets shift. Buyers hesitate. Referral partners get quieter. This...
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76 | How Loan Officers Can Build a Brand That Converts with Laura Kane
What if the reason your marketing isn't working has nothing to do with how or what you post... and everything to do with the feeling you're creating? Hey there, Rainmakers! When most loan officers think about marketing, they jump straight to social media, videos, newsletters, or the next shiny...
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75 | How Katie Stockert Went From 25 Deals to a $40M Pace in Four Years
What happens when you combine passion, conviction, and a willingness to do the hard things everyone else avoids? Hey there, Rainmakers! This week, I’m sitting down with one of my own — Katie Stockert, loan officer on Team Shayla at Guild Mortgage in Fargo, North Dakota. In just four years, Katie...
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74 | The Rainmaker Way: My Path to Freedom, Wealth, and a Life You Love
Hey there, Rainmakers! Over the last 22 years, I've gone from being broke, scared, and trying to survive to building a business that has given me freedom, purpose, impact, and experiences I once couldn't even imagine. But none of it happened because I was special. It happened because I kept…
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73 | My System to Get More Realtors, Referrals, and Closings with Dino Rosetti
Hey there, Rainmakers! For years, I thought I was building a business when I was really just chasing transactions. Every time my pipeline got light, I would scramble. Every time it filled up, I'd stop prospecting and focus on closing loans. It felt exhausting, unpredictable, and completely...
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72 | The Young Rainmaker Playbook with Kei Kullberg
What if the life you're chasing isn't built by working harder—but by getting crystal clear on what you're building and why? Hey there, Rainmakers! This week, I sit down with Kei Kullberg, a young mortgage leader who's already built an incredible foundation—personally, professionally, and...
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71 | Sales and Leadership Habits That Make Winning Inevitable with Chris Vinson
What does effective leadership actually look like in a high-pressure, relationship-driven industry? Hey there, Rainmakers! In this episode of The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast, I sit down with mortgage industry veteran, coach, speaker, and entrepreneur Chris Vinson for a practical conversation on...
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70 | Why Relationship-Driven Loan Officers Are Winning Right Now with Katie Skaggs
Hey there, Rainmakers! In this episode of The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast, I sit down with Katie Skaggs — a relationship-driven loan officer who’s on track to nearly double her business this year while raising three kids and building almost everything through authentic connection. Katie shares how...
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69 | The Mortgage Referral Playbook Nobody Teaches with James Allen
What if you don’t need more agents… just deeper relationships? Hey there, Rainmakers! This episode is a straight-up masterclass in realtor referrals, relationship building, and becoming the loan officer agents never want to leave. I sat down with James Allen, the #1 purchase loan officer in...
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68 | The Two Skills Every New LO Needs to Succeed Fast with Cameron Scully
Hey there, Rainmakers! Let me give it to you straight—your success in year one has nothing to do with how much you know. It has everything to do with how fast you take action and where you focus your energy. I sat down with Cameron Scully, a 27-year-old former Navy mechanic who stepped into this...
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67 | How to Convert Realtor Meetings Into $3M Months with Corey Luckow
Hey there, Rainmakers! This episode is a masterclass in resilience, sales, and learning how to truly become a Rainmaker. I sat down with Corey Luckow, a two-time cancer survivor, wife, mom of two, and loan officer from Tucson, Arizona, who found herself standing at one of the hardest crossroads…
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66 | How I Stopped Being the Best Kept Secret and Became a Rainmaker with Joel Olson
Hey there, Rainmakers! This episode is for the loan officer who is incredible at the work—but trapped by it. In this episode of The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast, I sit down with Joel Olson to talk about the trap so many high-performing loan officers fall into: being incredible at the work, but…
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65 | Loan Officers! How You Win More Realtor Referrals AND…How You Lose Them! with Jayce Coziar
What actually makes an agent trust you enough to send you business over and over again? For the first time ever, I brought a real estate agent onto the show—and not just any agent. Jayce Coziar is someone I’ve watched, respected, and finally sat down with to understand how she’s built a 95%...
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64 | She Hit $20M by 30… By Doing the Opposite of Most Loan Officers | Rachel Denson
What if moving faster…is the very thing that’s slowing you down? Hey there, Rainmakers! On this episode of The Mortgage Rainmaker podcast I talk with Rachel Denson. She’s 30 years old, producing $20M a year, and building her business in a small town where reputation is everything. But what makes...
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63 | How I Cut the Chaos and Built a successful Mortgage Career with Ginny Francum
What would happen if you stopped hoping for business… and finally started asking for it? Hey there, Rainmakers! This conversation lit something up in me—and I know it’s going to do the same for you. Because this isn’t just about production. It’s about identity. It’s about what happens when you...
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62 | Build the Room: How to Create Opportunities in Any Market with Bill Gaylord
What if the business you’re waiting for… is one you could create this week? Hey there, Rainmakers! I knew this conversation was going to bring the heat—because Bill Gaylord always does. He’s the kind of person who walks into a room and raises the energy instantly. And what I love most? That…
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61 | Real Talk for Rainmakers: Your Questions, Shayla's Unfiltered Answers!
What if the reason you feel overwhelmed… is because you’ve been saying yes to the wrong things? Hey there, Rainmakers! I went straight to my Catalyst community and asked, “What do you actually need right now?” And what came back was everything—from mindset and money to discipline, leadership, and...
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60 | Real World Sales Strategies Loan Officers Can Use Today with Karl Svendsen
If you’re a loan officer looking for practical ways to grow your referral business, this episode delivers. Karl and I talk through what’s working right now in the mortgage industry—from building stronger referral relationships to the simple habits that keep your name top of mind with partners. We...
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59 | How I Turned Social Media Into $45M in Mortgage Volume with Kayla Tarabay
What if the only thing standing between you and your next level… is the courage to show up differently? Hey there, Rainmakers! This conversation lit me up. I sat down with Kayla Tarabay, and her story is proof that grit, perspective, and bold action will always outperform fear. At 18 years old…
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58 | You’re 90 Days Away from a Bigger Mortgage Business | Eddie Gomez
What if your production problem… is actually a purpose problem? Hey there, Rainmakers! Eddie Gomez stepped away from mortgage origination for three years. When he came back in September, he didn’t come back chasing volume. He came back with mission. Within 90 days, he closed $8 million by…
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57 | How to Grow Your Mortgage Business to $240M...Without Cold Calling | Oleg Tkach
Want to grow your mortgage business without cold calling real estate agents? Hey there, Rainmakers! In part two with Oleg Tkach, we break down a powerful mortgage lead generation strategy that helped him scale from $150M to $240M — with nearly a third of his production coming from outside his…
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56 | The Real Reason I Surged from $60M to $112M in Mortgage Production with Kristin Dail
You don’t need a better strategy. You don’t need to ‘crack the code’. You just need one thing. Hey there, Rainmakers! Kristin Dail didn’t discover some revolutionary mortgage strategy to jump from $60M to $112M in production. She didn’t unlock a hidden lead source. She didn’t reinvent herself. In...
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55 | Unstoppable: How Stephanie Johnston Survived Her Worst Year, Then Crushed It in the Mortgage Builder Space
Hard seasons don’t stop you — they reveal who you’re becoming. Stephanie Johnston’s story is one of leadership under pressure. A 20-year loan officer, former collegiate athlete, and mom of three, she faced a brutal market shift, a major production drop, and a second breast cancer diagnosis while...
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54 | Mortgage Abundance: Building a Business That Beats Rates, Markets, and Burnout
What if abundance in mortgage wasn’t about working longer or harder? In this episode, I sit down with Frank Ruzicka, a 39-year producing loan officer who has built a business that doesn’t panic when markets shift or rates spike. Frank isn’t chasing trends. He’s built something durable — rooted in...
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53 | Rainmaker Secrets: The 3 Skills Every Loan Officer MUST Master
You don’t need more tools or tactics. You need to master these 3 skills — and execute. Hey there, Rainmakers! I love salespeople. I love entrepreneurs. I love people willing to bet on themselves for a limitless future. And I also know this truth — when we get stuck, drift, or stall, it’s almost...
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52 | Why Realtors Don’t Call You Back—and How to Fix It with Top Producer James Carmody
What if the reason realtors don’t call you back has nothing to do with the market—and everything to do with your focus and conviction? Hey there, Rainmakers! In this episode of The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast. I sat down with James Carmody, a top-producing loan officer in Southern California who...
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51 | My System for Mortgage Growth – Without the Stress! with Allison Larson
Hey there, Rainmakers! This episode is a real behind-the-scenes look at the system I teach for sustainable mortgage growth — and why it actually works in real life. I brought Allison Larson back because she’s living proof that you don’t have to choose between massive production, leadership,...
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50 | From Zero to Five Loans a Month: How Coaching Helped Me Rebuild My Mortgage Business with John Major
What if the reason your business feels heavy… is because you’re out of alignment? Hey there, Rainmakers! In this episode I’m sitting down with one of my Catalyst members, John Major, to unpack what it really looks like to step back into production after years in leadership—and why experience…
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49 | How to Win the Mortgage Game in 2026
Goals matter. But if you want to win in 2026, you have to win every week — and the days inside it. Let’s talk about how to turn big goals into simple, consistent action. Hey there, Rainmakers! This episode is a one-on-one. I’m stepping in as your coach to help you take a strong goal and break it...
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48 | The Secret Ingredient For High-Performing Loan Officers with Casey Oiness
What if joy wasn’t just a feeling — but a strategy for building a billion-dollar branch? Hey there, Rainmakers! Today I’m sitting down with one of my favorite humans in this entire business — the wildly fun, deeply driven, culture-obsessed rainmaker himself, Casey Oiness. This is a man who closes...
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47 | Are You Hiding? This Simple Strategy Transformed My Mortgage Career
You can’t win this game if you’re hiding behind your keyboard. Hey there, Rainmakers! For years I believed that being “the best loan officer” meant doing everything myself — answering every email instantly, solving every problem personally, and outworking everyone in sight. But even with all that...
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46 | From Family Sacrifice to Mortgage Success: A Rainmaker’s Journey with William J. Gomez
What if the hardest moments of your childhood became the fire that fuels your greatness? Hey there, Rainmakers! Today, you’re going to meet a man whose story grabbed my heart from the moment he started speaking. I’m talking with William J. Gomez, a rising star out of Tulsa, a father of two little...
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45 | 3 Secrets to Scaling Your Mortgage Business: How Oleg Tkach Built a $250M Machine
Winning at the highest level isn’t magic — it’s mechanics, discipline, and the courage to scale beyond your comfort zone. Hey there, Rainmakers! Today I’m sitting down with a good friend, a fierce competitor, and one of the most consistent producers in the entire mortgage industry — Oleg Tkach....
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44 | Building Unshakeable Confidence
Confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build one bold action at a time. Hey there, Rainmakers! In this solo episode, I’m diving deep into what it really takes to build unshakeable confidence. Not the fake-it-till-you-make-it kind—but the kind that comes from trusting...
About this show
What if the mortgage business could be more simple and fun? What if you could double and triple and quadruple your results with less complexity and less stress – and without the sales roller coaster? I'm Shayla Gifford and this is The Mortgage Rainmaker Podcast. If you're a loan officer looking to sharpen your skills, grow your pipeline, and get fired up – you're in the right place. We bring you interviews with top performing loan officers, my personal insights, and success stories from within my Catalyst Coaching community.I've spent my entire career as a loan officer and helping loan officers. So I know you, I've been you. And now – I want to help you master your craft, dominate the mortgage game, and build a life and business that thrives. So...are you ready to be a Rainmaker? Let's do this!
Hosted by
Shayla Gifford