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The Way with Dino Katsiametis

Mortgage strategy and mindset for advisors building something that lasts.

The Way with Dino Katsiametis goes inside the businesses of the mortgage industry’s top producers and operators — how they originate, how they retain clients, how they lead teams, and how they build companies worth owning. Guests have included Heather Lovier, COO of Rocket Companies; Dave Savage, founder of Mortgage Coach; Josh Mettle of NEO Home Loans; Wade Betz of Mpire Financial; and Anthony Casa.

Every episode is a working session, not a highlight reel. Real systems, named tools, and the specific plays behind them — the gifting system that produces repeat closings, the referral partnerships that actually hold, the retention habits most advisors skip.

Hosted by Dino Katsiametis, Founder & CEO of Ethos Lending.

New episodes weekly. Free playbooks at DinoKatsiametis.com.

#WhoCanWeServeToday

Latest Episodes:

The Anatomy of a Viral Reel — Amir Syed Oct 19, 2026

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Amir Syed says it plain: “If my own wife is swiping, everybody’s swiping.”

Amir is the co-founder and CEO of GO! Coaching. He grew his Instagram from 45,000 to 80,000 followers in 35 days. In this talk, Dino and Amir go deep on one big idea. How to build a reel that people watch to the end.

Amir shares the parts of a reel. The hook. The re-hook. The early call to action. And the ending. He tells why you should give people crayons, not calculus. And he says why your visibility has to match your ability.

You will also hear The Round, with his ethos, his morning, what he would do over, his favorite books, and his Million Dollar Drop plan.

Comment ANATOMY on any clip and we will send you the playbook.

Books mentioned: Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss https://amzn.to/4kefQVz

Amir was also on Season 1. His first talk with Dino is here: https://www.dinokatsiametis.com/podcast/amir-syed-coached-to-a-billion/

Views expressed are the individual’s own and do not represent their employer.

The Way with Dino Katsiametis https://DinoKatsiametis.com/podcast/s2e12-amir-syed/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Welcome

02:23 Today's masterclass: the anatomy of a viral reel

03:26 Can anyone really go viral?

06:44 Nobody is watching as closely as you think

11:10 Agency, resourcefulness and perseverance

14:51 Climb the mountain one base camp at a time

17:09 Never break the chain

18:10 The 30-year interest-only loan officer

20:35 Why your spouse has to be on board

23:25 Why Instagram, and why now?

25:43 Fame is the greatest arbitrage

28:28 Let's get into the sauce

29:47 The day my wife swiped my reel

31:04 The three hooks

34:07 Tension, surprise, pain, curiosity

34:46 The re-hook

38:43 Hook, re-hook, early CTA

40:21 Crayons, not calculus

40:44 CTA versus CTC

42:46 Social media is business media

45:10 Why long form lives on YouTube

46:02 Two ways to write a call to action

47:22 Your bio is your business card

50:04 Own your audience

52:03 Fame in action

58:06 Your visibility must match your ability

59:44 Why this is not optional

1:02:38 The Round begins

1:04:08 Amir's morning routine

1:07:07 Ideas in the shower

1:09:32 What Amir would do over

1:10:28 What advisors do that does not work

1:12:05 Don't just say AI

1:13:20 Players and playbooks

1:15:00 The first-time buyer question

1:17:00 Why Zoom beats the phone

1:18:52 When a borrower says they can get a better rate

1:19:51 Favorite book

1:22:36 The Million Dollar Drop

1:33:49 The free playbook

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.

Mortgage Advisors: Send the Right Signals — Steve Saxton Oct 12, 2026

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Steve Saxton says it plain: “It means that you’re niching down so that the person looking for you can find you.”

Steve is the founder of Christian Roberts Mortgage in Utah. He does jumbo loans for self-employed borrowers. In this talk, Dino and Steve go deep on one big idea. Send the right signals, so Google and AI know who you are.

Steve shares how he turns one closed loan into a blog post. He tells how a voice memo gets a Google review. And he says why every borrower needs one point of contact.

You will also hear what he says no to now, his favorite book, and his Million Dollar Drop plan.

Comment SIGNALS on any clip and we will send you the playbook.

Books mentioned: Can’t Hurt Me — David Goggins https://link.amazon/B02kHj9R5

Views expressed are the individual’s own and do not represent their employer.

The Way with Dino Katsiametis https://DinoKatsiametis.com/podcast/s2e11-steve-saxton/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Welcome

01:58 What is your ethos?

06:02 The loan he wrote for free

17:27 Never downgrade your lifestyle

18:38 Who is Steve Saxton?

20:40 What would Steve teach in a masterclass?

22:34 From the Yellow Pages to AI

25:58 Get painfully specific

29:42 Niching down does not mean losing loans

30:44 Turn one closing into a blog post

32:03 AI does not know who you are

34:16 The voice memo that gets Google reviews

36:28 From loan officer to mortgage advisor

38:14 One point of contact

47:54 One story, many platforms

57:33 Why Steve posts on social media

1:00:18 They can smell your commission breath

1:04:38 Start with the end

1:05:29 The Round begins

1:11:31 What Steve says no to now

1:14:20 The best question to ask a borrower

1:16:40 Favorite book

1:17:04 The Million Dollar Drop

1:22:05 The free playbook

Loan Officers: Diagnose Before You Prescribe — Kayla Kallander Oct 05, 2026

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Kayla Kallander says it plain: "Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice."

Kayla is a mortgage loan officer at First International Bank & Trust in Fargo, North Dakota. In this talk, Dino and Kayla go deep on one big idea. Ask better questions before you give any answer.

Kayla shares how she slows down to speed up. She tells why buyers open up when you ask what scares them. And she shows why one rate on a page is never the whole story.

You will also hear her favorite book, her Million Dollar Drop plan, and a few words about her four rescue dogs.

Comment DIAGNOSE on any clip and we will send you the playbook.

Books mentioned: Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara

Views expressed are the individual's own and do not represent their employer.

The Way with Dino Katsiametis https://DinoKatsiametis.com/podcast/s2e10-kayla-kallander/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Welcome

02:22 What is your ethos?

11:48 Unreasonable Hospitality and feeling understood

13:57 Slow down to speed up

17:37 How Kayla stays 99% self-sourced

21:40 The 15-minute discovery call

23:31 "Wait, there is more than one rate?"

1:04:21 The Round begins

1:11:11 The best question to ask a borrower

1:12:42 Favorite book

1:18:06 The Million Dollar Drop

1:24:55 The free playbook

Referral Gravity: How Loan Officers Get Chosen Without Chasing with Brady Thomas Sep 28, 2026

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Brady Thomas moved 3,000 miles away from his business, and it grew. His personal production went from $124 million to $179 million, up 45% in a year, while he worked out of a basement in Boston and his clients and agents were in Oakland.

He calls the system referral gravity: the right agents send you the right loans without you asking. In this episode he walks Dino through all three pillars. Transactional clarity, which is naming the one problem you want to be known for. Authority, which is being trusted before you are needed: a point of view, two email lists on two clocks, and a thousand five-star reviews earned by asking at every closing. And operational excellence, which is delivering every time as volume grows.

Along the way: why a niche is a sign and not a fence, the $250 charity donation that replaced every closing gift, the Times Square test for your inbox, and the second conversation he added after rates jumped.

Then in The Round: the one question he asks every borrower, the AI tool he cannot live without, and what he says to the client who has talked to seven lenders.

He also answers the Million Dollar Drop: new state, no clients, no agents. He would run the same playbook.

Brady Thomas is a producing Branch Manager at LaSalle Mortgage in Oakland, California, and has ranked among the top 100 originators in the country over a 16-year career.

Comment GRAVITY on any clip and we will send you the playbook.

Books mentioned: Key Person of Influence — Daniel Priestley

The Way with Dino Katsiametis https://DinoKatsiametis.com/podcast/s2e09-brady-thomas/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Meet Brady Thomas

02:34 Sixteen years in Oakland, and a move to Boston

06:08 What is referral gravity?

10:49 Pillar one: clarity and the Two Home Tango

14:37 A sign, not a fence

17:14 Pillar two: authority and a point of view

19:13 Two newsletters on two clocks

22:25 How he got 1,000 five-star reviews

23:50 $250 to charity at every closing

26:01 Where the business comes from

30:27 Inside a team of eight

33:04 Your office is in Times Square

34:20 Pillar three: operational excellence

41:43 Staying with the client after closing

47:03 "I couldn't cold call either"

48:54 The Round: lightning questions

54:22 The AI tool that changed how he works

59:13 "I can get a better rate somewhere else"

1:05:03 Favorite book, his ethos, and the Million Dollar Drop

1:12:12 Consistency: 700 posts later

The Consultation That Makes Loan Officers Unshoppable with Sosi Avila Sep 21, 2026

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Most loan officers try to win a client in the first three minutes. Sosi Avila runs a 30-minute first meeting, and he says it is the reason he closes almost everyone he talks to.

In this episode Sosi opens his consultation slide by slide and walks Dino through what he says, in what order, and why. He explains the one question he asks before anything else, why the phrase "walking into equity" is a myth, how a VIP pre-approval makes a financed offer read like cash and closes in 15 to 17 days, and the doorbell camera trick that gets an offer in the seller's inbox before the buyer gets home.

Then in The Round: why he gives every consultation on video, why he says relationship is last place, and what the right answer is when a client asks for a better rate.

He also answers the Million Dollar Drop: no database, no network, one unfamiliar city. His plan has three targets and one of them is a CPA.

Sosi Avila is a $100 million producer and the President of Mamba Capital Lending. This is his second time on The Way.

Comment CONSULT on any clip and we will send you the playbook.

Books mentioned: $100M Offers — Alex Hormozi

The Way with Dino Katsiametis https://DinoKatsiametis.com/podcast/s2e08-sosi-avila/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Cold open

01:37 Welcome back, Sosi Avila

03:50 The one thing he does differently

05:33 Eight planning meetings, one consultation

09:38 Three parts: engage, options, decide

12:48 Setting the objective of the call

15:23 What's your learning style?

16:56 Handing the client the scoreboard

18:44 The market as a story with dates

28:32 Building one scenario live

30:43 The walking into equity myth

33:50 Temporary buydowns

37:20 Regular pre-approval or VIP

39:50 The Ferrari and the doorbell camera

46:19 Slow down so you can speed up

48:36 The Round

01:05:32 Favorite book

01:07:10 The Million Dollar Drop

01:13:36 People sleep on stories

01:17:00 Close

The 5 Rituals That Keep Loan Officers From Burning Out with Michael Decker Sep 14, 2026

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Michael Decker thinks burnout in this business is misdiagnosed. Not a talent problem. Not a volume problem. A rhythm problem.

Michael is EVP & Director of Sales at Great Plains Bank Home Lending and hosts the podcast Winning Publicly, Losing Privately. In this episode he lays out the five rituals he runs every week — morning, pre-work, pre-leave, nightly, and Sunday night. None of them cost anything.

His phrase for it: fancy fails, simple scales.

Also in this episode: why Sunday night decides the week, the referral move that beats any follow-up text, and The Round — fifteen questions, no prep, the first time we have run it.

Free playbook: https://DinoKatsiametis.com/five-rituals/

Michael: linkedin.com/in/michaeldeckerstw

Views expressed are the individual's own and do not represent their employer.

Loan Officers: Why Best Known Beats Best with Arjun Dhingra Sep 07, 2026

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Grey Goose is not the best vodka. It is not even close. But it is the one people name, and it is the one that wins.

That is Arjun Dhingra's whole argument, and he has been making it for eight years: best known beats best, ten out of ten times.

In this episode Arjun breaks down why loan officers who are genuinely good at the job keep losing business to people who are simply easier to remember. Opportunity is visibility multiplied by value, and a zero on either side zeroes the whole thing. He covers what to post and how often, why marketing to everyone connects with no one, the hundred-dollar camera setup that looks like five thousand, and why he thinks the phrase "loan officer" is costing the industry its respect.

He also answers the Million Dollar Drop: no database, no network, no name recognition, one unfamiliar city. What he does on day one is not what most people would guess.

Arjun is the founder of LFG Society and LFG Energy, and hosts the LFG Energy Podcast, which debuted at number 12 on Apple's Careers list. He is also a two-time TaeKwon-Do world champion.

Get the free playbook, Best Known Beats Best: https://dinokatsiametis.com/best-known-beats-best/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Visibility times value — the whole idea in one line

00:12 Dino's intro, recorded after the conversation

05:02 A family business, San Francisco, and a jumbo market

11:00 Selling to agents who do not like you yet

15:33 "I forgot you're in loans" — the worst thing a friend can say

19:40 Three a week, and violently consistent

24:11 You will suck. It will be cringe.

28:20 Market to everyone, connect with no one — pick a tribe

32:30 Where the audience actually is

34:41 The $100 setup that looks like $5,000

38:40 Best known beats best — the Grey Goose story

41:00 You control 100% of your visibility

47:22 Stop calling yourself a loan officer — the three proficiencies

52:23 Split my Zillow leads — what the asks reveal

57:02 Be the person your clients call first

1:04:41 Favorite book: The Alchemist

1:05:43 The Million Dollar Drop

1:07:22 The digital mayor of Columbus

1:10:21 Take your jacket off — twenty comments a day

1:19:00 Where to find Arjun

Six Channels Loan Officers Need When AI Answers First — Alec Hanson Aug 31, 2026

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Alec Hanson has a colleague who just got his first client referral from ChatGPT — a stranger in another state, sent by a machine.

That's the shift this episode is about. When consumers stop calling their loan officer to ask what rates are doing and start asking AI instead, the relationship doesn't disappear. It just has to already exist before the question gets asked.

Alec, SVP of Production for the West Division at loanDepot and the author of Bypassed, walks Dino through his complete playbook for staying relevant: quarterly calls, quarterly texts, a monthly email you actually wrote yourself, physical mail, a community event every ninety days, and showing up online every single day.

The surprise is how little of it is new. As Alec puts it, the game we're playing hasn't changed — the places we're playing it have.

Also in this episode: why drip campaigns are actively hurting you, the loan officer who was terrified of public speaking and hosts a "think and drink" instead, the piece of mail that produced Alec's biggest month ever, and why your referral partner has no idea you were working all weekend.

Get the free playbook, Known Before Needed: https://dinokatsiametis.com/known-before-needed/

#WhoCanWeServeToday

00:00 Relevancy in a world about to be run by AI

04:03 Empower, Equip, Educate — and the way lending should be done

08:01 Why a mortgage is still the most emotional transaction there is

13:29 AI is becoming a referral source — and that is disruptive

20:22 What the machine already knows about you

24:01 Record everything — transcripts on every conversation

29:22 Lunch and learn, think and drink, or a charity event

31:58 Client events twice a year, and why cost is not the objection

36:02 Posting little Timmy's soccer goal — showing up in their life

40:06 The digital strategy: care about others, then show up every day

44:29 Put yourself out there and you attract your tribe

51:40 Thank-you cards and broker previews

56:06 Be yourself — everybody chameleons and everybody can tell

1:02:39 The big dogs in their forties who could not adapt

1:04:16 The Million Dollar Drop

1:07:59 Content, content, content — then hit the streets Saturday and Sunday

The Open House You Never Attend — Sean Herrero Aug 24, 2026

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Sean Herrero is the first returning guest in the history of The Way — and he earned it. Episode 13 in Season 1, back for Season 2, Episode 4 with a 30-unit month at more than $30 million behind him and a team of exactly two people.

This one is a masterclass in intentionality. Sean breaks down the open house engagement kit — the system that captures buyer relationships at open houses he never attends. Why the standard flyer offers nothing and therefore earns nothing. Why contact information is a transaction, and what you have to trade for it. And the reframe that runs underneath his whole business: it's not what the house costs, it's what the house costs you.

We also get into why "the market is bad" is an excuse wearing a costume, the difference between reasons and excuses, what a Navy SEAL taught him about decisive action, applying deliberate pressure with non-refundable deposits, why he caps his training events at eight people, and how "I wonder if" became his entire AI strategy.

Sean answers the Million Dollar Drop — and he's the first guest who could answer it from memory, because he already lived it in 2017.

Sean Herrero is a Regional Vice President at CrossCountry Mortgage. Find him on Instagram at @adventurelender.

Get the free playbook with Sean's complete open house system at dinokatsiametis.com/open-house-you-never-attend

The Way with Dino Katsiametis — Empower. Equip. Educate. The way lending should be done. #WhoCanWeServeToday

How AI, Branding & Relentless Execution Built One of Mortgage's Fastest-Growing Teams with Abdel "The Gorilla" Khawatmi Aug 17, 2026

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What does it take to stand out in today's mortgage industry?

In this episode of The Way with Dino Katsiametis, Dino welcomes back mortgage leader and Abdel "The Gorilla" Khawatmi for an in-depth conversation on branding, artificial intelligence, client experience, leadership, and building systems that consistently outperform the competition.

Abdel explains why today's mortgage professionals must stop thinking like loan officers and start acting like trusted advisors. From mastering KPIs and tracking every stage of the sales process to creating an unforgettable personal brand and using AI as a productivity multiplier, this conversation is packed with practical strategies that can immediately improve your business.

Whether you're a mortgage advisor, real estate professional, sales leader, or entrepreneur, you'll walk away with actionable ideas on creating systems, serving clients at a higher level, and building a business that thrives in any market.

In This Episode

Why branding is your biggest competitive advantage
How "The Gorilla" became one of the mortgage industry's most recognizable personal brands
The Six C's framework for measuring business growth
Why KPIs should drive every business decision
How to become a trusted mortgage advisor instead of simply processing loans
Building systems that create speed, consistency, and better client experiences
AI tools every mortgage professional should be using today
Using ChatGPT, Claude, NotebookLM, Zapier, and meeting assistants to save hours every week
Why tracking conversations is just as important as tracking closings
Creating content that attracts your ideal clients and referral partners
Building a personal brand around your ideal customer avatar
Why execution beats information every single time
Community leadership, financial literacy, and building a business with purpose

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