The Mortgage Game

304: Most Mortgage Brokers Are Slowing Down. She's Heading to $70M+. Why?

WATCH
▶️ ⁠Watch this episode on YouTube⁠
***
 
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, I'm joined by Jennine Yool.
 
Jennine is a mortgage agent on Team Wiley from Burlington, Ontario, who's helped over 2,000 clients over her near 2 decades in the industry, totalling $800M+ in funded volume.
 
In a market where most broker's business is declining, and maintain past volume is a win, Jennine is growing. She's funded 53 deals in the first four months of this year, putting her on track for a total of $70-$80 million in 2026. What exactly is she doing to be trending up when most others are trending down?
 
Strategically, a lot of it comes down to building a boring mortgage while avoiding the traps of shiny objects. Jennine does the basics, like preserving her pipeline with proactive, fully underwritten rate holds, developing her skills on underserved clients like stated income files, and putting time and money into expanding her social media presence and building a brand. While she does outsource her social media to professionals, everything else runs with only one full time assistant, allowing her to focus on the high-value activities like creating long-term client relationships and complex deal structuring.
 
Even though Jennine has been very successful, the mortgage industry can be extremely difficult. There have been times she considered quitting entirely, but found her ultimate motivator in not wanting to let down her 4 kids. Jennine still battles imposter syndrome, but her 2026 mantra of "choose your heart" and getting to help her clients inspires her every day to just keep going.
 
Jennine is here to discuss:
 
→ How her team is structured, what they do in the business, and where speed is slipping with clients as they've gotten busy.
 
→ The breakdown of where all of her files come from, why she asks every client where they've came from, and if she will eventually go into a niche.
 
→ If she is losing more deals and renewals this year compared to years past, and how she uses rate holds for pipeline preservation.
 
→ Tips for dealing with stated income files and why you should be collecting as much data as possible from your clients.
 
→ The right and wrong ways to manage client expectations and stress which can only be learned through experience.
 
→ Why she decided to focus on growing her social media at the end of 2025, why she hired an agency to help her, and the benefits she has been seeing in the first 8 months with this framework.
 
→ Overcoming daily mindset challenges by using her 2026 motto, "choose your heart", finding her ultimate motivator, and the constant battle with imposter syndrome.
***
 
🌲 Jennine Yool's Linktree: @mortgagesbyjennine
📸 Jennine Yool's Instagram: @mortgagesbyjennine
🔗 Jennine Yool's LinkedIn: @JennineYool
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

303: Building a Lead Machine, One Channel at a Time

EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, I share the best way for a mortgage broker to build a lead machine, breaking down how you can create an omnipresence across multiple channels with a framework that highlights actionable, repeatable steps.
 
Most brokers are focused on the wrong things. They obsess over product knowledge while ignoring the skill that actually generates their income, marketing. Marketing effectiveness matters far more than technical mortgage knowledge, and 75% of your time should go toward sales and storytelling across multiple channels to create omnipresence, so you have actual leads flowing to your business and files to fund.
 
Now, I understand how all of this can seem overwhelming, as most don't know where to start, or have the skills to make this happen. This simple framework breaks it all down into manageable steps that any broker can do, all they need is consistency.
 
Rather than tackling every channel at once - social media, email, referrals, direct outreach - concentrate on building one lead generation channel per month, dedicating the time to learn each channel properly. Mastering any new skill takes approximately 20 hours of concentrated effort, yet most people quit after 3 to 4, and this is why they fail. Once you've built your first channel, stack another channel next month, repeating the same process. Eventually, you'll be visible everywhere your clients look, and this omnipresence will drive your business as leads flow from multiple sources naturally.
 
The trap in all of this is generic AI content. The industry is overrun by it because it's easy, and people are lazy, but shortcuts never lead to long-term success. Instead, stand out by embracing authenticity, even if it's not shiny and perfect. Write your own emails in your own voice. Record yourself with shitty lighting and a grainy camera. Share real stories about your failures and your wins. Being yourself outperforms the AI slop in every channel, every time.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

302: From Firefighter to $346k Mortgage Broker: The Exact Strategy!

WATCH
▶️ ⁠Watch this episode on YouTube⁠
***
 
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, I'm joined by Scott Sarai.
 
Scott is a Mortgage Broker at SGS Mortgages from Maple Ridge, BC, who's a part of Team Wiley at Tango while also still being a full-time firefighter.
 
After spending time as a broker, Scott started a fulfillment business working for other brokers, which ended up eroding his passion for mortgages. With plans to exit the industry entirely, a game-changing conversation with Ryan led to giving his business 6 more months of life. Now with a renewed mindset, mentorship, and an innovative approach, Scott's revenue jumped from $25,000 in 2024, to over $350,000 in 2025, while also revitalizing his passion for brokering and positioning himself for success in the future.
 
What makes Scott's story genuinely compelling is how deeply human it feels. He battled imposter syndrome, rebuilt his Instagram from scratch after Meta restricted his original account, and learned to delegate so he could focus exclusively on high-value work instead of low-level tasks. He tracked over 86,000 outreach interactions and logged 48,714 checkmarks in a daily Google Sheet, because consistent tracked activity directly correlates to revenue.
 
Done is better than perfect runs through everything Scott shares here, from launching email campaigns quickly to batch-recording fifteen to thirty-five reels in under two hours monthly. His story is a reminder that sustainable success is built, not stumbled into.
 
Scott is here to discuss:
 
→ How he 13x his revenue from $25,000 in 2024, to over $346,000 in 2025, by having over 85,000 touch points with clients.
 
→ The 4 things that make him a successful broker - speed, execution, who not how, and being a student of the game.
 
→ What a broker should do in the next 30 days to be successful.
 
→ His daily social media outreach strategy, why he started a YouTube channel, and why he created a new Instagram account.
 
→ Investing in coaching, outsourcing early, and how action beats perfection.
 
→ Overcoming jealousy in the industry and if he finally feels like he belongs.
 
→ Why it's ok to be bored in your business and his vision for the next 2 years.
***
 
Scott's 1st Appearance on The Mortgage Game in Episode 271: https://www.iamryanwiley.com/271-how-he-10xd-his-business-the-27m-to-40m-broker/
***
 
📸 Scott Sarai's Instagram: @mortgagefreewithme
📺 Scott Sarai's YouTube: @sgsmortgages
🎧 Listen to the First Responder to Riches REMO Podcast here.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

301: The First 18 Months: The Hard Truths of Building Team Wiley

EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, I share my journey from mortgage broker to coach to building a transparent, hands-on mortgage team that industry insiders said could never scale, never mind ever work at all. I cover industry challenges, innovative strategies, and my vision for creating a supportive, long-term community for mortgage professionals.
 
If my brokers win, then I win. In an industry obsessed with growth at any cost, my philosophy is different, investing in people over profit, and sustainable volume and culture fit over aggressive growth. I've turned down over a hundred agents and some top producers, because they didn't align with team values.
 
But it hasn't been easy, and I've ruffled feathers along the way. By rejecting hidden compensation structures, restrictive contracts, and the traditional models that benefit broker-owners at the expense of agents, I've unintentionally shone a light on those that do. They want me to stop being honest, but I won't. 
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

300: Mortgage Brokers Are Too Stressed to Notice They're Stressed

WATCH
▶️ ⁠Watch this episode on YouTube⁠
***
 
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
In this episode, I'm joined by D'Arcy Henneberry.
 
D'Arcy, a former mortgage broker and the current President of MortgagePal, made a major career shift in 2022 by becoming a Certified NeuroChangeSolutions (NCS) Consultant trained by famed neuroscientist Dr. Joe Dispenza. Why? The industry is facing a full-blown mental health crisis, and most people don't even realize it.
 
Stress has become so normalized that brokers no longer even say they're stressed. They just say they're burnt out, overwhelmed, or depressed instead. The stress is simply the baseline now, and that baseline is making people sick.
 
What can actually be done about it? D'Arcy introduces practical tools based on neuroscience to teach mortgage brokers to rewire their stress responses. These techniques allow brokers to better manage stress, rewire their brains, and in turn, positively change all areas of their life, including their business.
 
D'Arcy is here to discuss:
 
→ How he became fascinated by human potential and change during Covid, which led to giving up his mortgage dream, to pursue this passion and becoming an NCS Consultant learning from Dr. Joe Dispenza.
 
→ Calling for industry-wide change as stress has become the industry baseline, leading to brokers becoming not only overwhelmed and burnt out, but also making us physically sick, impacting every facet of our lives.
 
→ The science behind the stress response and how to interrupt it, what a refractory period is, and how it can last from minutes to even years.
 
→ The 3 steps to combat a stressful situation in 90 seconds - awareness, stop, breathe.
 
→ Understanding your biological state and how you think, act, and feel defines who you are.
 
→ The power of meditation and more practical advice that mortgage brokers can implement every day.
***
 
🌎 D'Arcy Henneberry's Website: www.darcyhenneberry.com
📸 D'Arcy Henneberry's Instagram: @darcy_henneberry
🔗 D'Arcy Henneberry's LinkedIn: @DarcyHenneberry
🧠 Download D'Arcy Henneberry's Meditation here.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

299: Why 10x is Easier Than 2x

In this episode, I share why 10x-ing your income is actually easier than 2x-ing, and how exponential growth through smarter focus is much easier than incremental improvements. With that mindset shift, you should be working smarter, not harder, and leveraging the 80/20 rule to focus on the high-impact activities that bring in the most money.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

298: The Mortgage Team Trap - Chasing Passive Income

In this episode, I discuss the realities from my own experience of building and managing mortgage teams, and how passive income from teams is a myth. I break down the math behind building a team and the real cost of mentorship and coaching, how mentoring is driven most by ego, and why 95% of you should be focusing on your own book of business instead of team expansion.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

297: AI in Mortgages. Tool or Trap?

In this episode, I share my personal insights on AI in the mortgage industry and how most aren't using it properly to actually help their business. I highlight the practical ways I have been using AI to build tools for the success of my team, but at the end of the day if you have a bad business, AI won't help you. Nothing can replace having solid business fundamentals and doing your non-negotiables.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

296: The 3 Decisions That Changed Everything in My Business

In this episode, I share the three key decisions that transformed my mortgage business from a floundering 9-5 to a sustainable, money making machine that avoided burnout made me feel fulfilled.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***

295: Why Most Brokers Fail on Instagram (And the Simple Fix)

In this episode, I discuss how most of you are not leveraging social media, specifically Instagram, properly as a money making tool, and share a simple, repeatable plan of strategic content creation that has been proven to grow mortgage businesses.
***
 
Visit www.iamryanwiley.com to stay up to date on all things Mortgage Game, learn more about Team Wiley, PLUS sign up for coaching, events, our newsletter, & more!
***
 
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Ryan Wiley's Instagram: @iamryanwiley
🎵 Ryan Wiley's TikTok: @iamryanwiley
🔗 Ryan Wiley's LinkedIn: @RyanWiley
👤 Ryan Wiley's Facebook: @RyanWiley
***