If work feels like a grind, you’re making the wrong choice. It’s time to trade the corporate "supposed-to" for the "Ta-Da" mindset and fuel success with fun, inspiration, and confidence.

The Breakdown

Joel Zeff uses the fast-paced world of improv to show leaders how to handle constant disruption. By giving team members total ownership and "positive support," you move them from being "Creative Zombies" to passionate contributors. It's about shifting the focus from being the star of the show to helping others overcome their obstacles and elevate their success.

Talking Shift Episode Insights

• Fun is Fuel: It isn't just about pizza parties; it's the energy that comes from solving problems, mentoring others, and hitting goals.
• The Opportunity/Support Equation: When you give people ownership and back them with positive support, passion becomes the natural byproduct.
• Avoid the Creative Zombie: If your team says, "That’s how we’ve always done it," they are infected; innovation requires the openness to try and fail.
• The "Ta-Da" Philosophy: We celebrate every small move a toddler makes, yet we ignore adult wins. Start celebrating the small stuff to build confidence.
• Lead for Success: The most powerful question a leader can ask is: "How do I help the people around me be successful?"
• The Magnet to the Compass: Leaders aren't the compass. They are the magnet that pulls others forward. Hope is a strategy and it’s a leader’s job to provide it; but it is not a tactic.

Today's Guest

Joel Zeff, Guest: A world-renowned keynote speaker, humorist, and author of Make the Right Choice. With over 2,500 stages under his belt, Joel uses his background in improv to help organizations break through barriers and find the "chemistry of meaning."

👉JoelZeff.com

👉Joel's LinkedIn

👉Joel's YouTube

👉

Craig Davis, Host: A leader’s leader, executive coach, and speaker with 20 years in the mortgage business, Craig is a Stage 3 cancer survivor with a mission to help busy leaders get unstuck, reduce stress, and Make Shift Happen in life and business.

👉Coach Craig Davis

👉Craig’s LinkedIn

👉Craig’s Instagram

Check out Talking Shift on all your favorite platforms.

🎙️ The Talking Shift Podcast
👉 Apple | Spotify | YouTube

If you enjoy this podcast, please support it by liking, subscribing, and sharing with someone who needs to hear it.

Learn how Brady Thomas grew his Volume by 45% without Cold Calling.

Stop being a "transaction taker" and start building Referral Gravity. Learn the exact framework Brady Thomas used to grow his business by 45% year over year and fund $180M in 2025 while the rest of the Mortgage industry was stuck with high interest rate fatigue.

Brady Thomas breaks down how he went from transaction taker to value creator while also moving from California to Boston in a down market and growing his business substantially.

This episode reveals his three pillars of Referral Gravity so you can stop chasing business and start attracting referrals: Transactional Clarity, Authority, and Operational Leverage.

If you want to rise above the grind and be the CEO of your business, this episode is your masterclass.

Talking Shift episode Insights:

Referral Partners don't refer people, they refer problems:
Position yourself as the specific solution to their biggest headaches.

• Create your Niche in a commoditized Mortgage Industry:
  How to be seen by your Realtors so you are the exact person they refer.
• Stop being impressive, start being relatable:
  People connect with your "messy" human moments, not polished posts.
• Be the CEO of your Business:
  Stop being a product and start being the strategy that helps your clients and referral partners.

00:00 Introduction to Brady Thomas and His Success

02:56 Falling Back in Love with the Business

06:08 The Shift from Transactional to Value-Based

08:57 Finding Your Voice in Content Creation

11:50 Building Trust Through Authenticity

15:06 The Long Game of Marketing and Connection

17:38 Leveraging AI and Insights for Growth

20:59 The Importance of Curiosity and Continuous Learning

29:48 The Importance of Personal Branding

33:38 Building Referral Gravity in Business

34:07 Understanding the Mortgage Landscape

38:34 Creating Clarity in Referrals

41:55 Establishing Authority and Thought Leadership

47:19 Operational Leverage for Sustainable Growth

50:18 Finding Purpose in Business

Today's Guest:

Brady Thomas, Guest: An elite producer and owner at LaSalle Mortgage who grew his business by 45% year-over-year in a down market. He is a master of digital branding and systems-driven growth, moving $180M in volume through building referral gravity, not cold calls.

👉Brady’s Instagram

👉LaSalle Mortgage

Craig Davis, Host: A leader’s leader, executive coach, and speaker with 20 years in the mortgage business, Craig is a Stage 3 cancer survivor with a mission to help busy leaders get unstuck, reduce stress, and Make Shift Happen in life and business.

👉Coach Craig Davis

👉Craig’s LinkedIn

👉Craig’s Instagram

Check out Talking Shift on all your favorite platforms.

🎙️ The Talking Shift Podcast
👉 Apple | Spotify | YouTube

If you enjoy this podcast, please support it by liking, subscribing, and sharing with someone who needs to hear it.

"Common sense is the one thing that trumps everything else.".

Dino grew up in the restaurant business, learning at an early age that success isn't about complex algorithms, it's about being a good human, discipline, and crisscrossing cheese in the kitchen to save time when cooking in the restaurant. Today, as the CEO of Ethos Lending, he’s disrupting a multi-billion dollar Mortgage industry and building something Mortgage Advisors want to retire at.

In this episode of Talking Shift, Craig and Dino dive deep into why the traditional mortgage model is outdated, how AI is driving impact, and why as an entrepreneur you have to “burn the boats” to build a legacy.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The "Restaurant Rule" for Business: Why giving away a "free drink" was more powerful than anything else.
• The M.U.M. Framework: How to turn your book of business into a “Mortgages Under Management” asset that is helping Loan Officers retire when ready.
• AI as a CEO Tool: Why Dino wakes up at 4AM building an AI powerhouse to serve his business and increase the asset value of his Loan Officer’s Mortgages Under Management.
• The Shift in Perspective: Why your perspective is the only thing standing between you and a million-dollar year.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Who is Dino? The CEO with a different "ethos".
• 06:47 – Lessons from the Greek restaurant: Counting change and crossing cheese.
• 09:20 – The "Distraction" Technique: Managing client anxiety.
• 17:01 – Why Dino stopped "hunting" for loans to build a legacy.
• 22:52 – Explaining M.U.M. (Mortgages Under Management) .
• 38:49 – Waking up at 4:00 AM for the AI revolution.
• 49:43 – The one word every leader needs: Perspective.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dino Katsiametis is the CEO and Founder of Ethos Lending. With 28 years in the industry, Dino is a visionary leader focused on transforming loan officers into advisors. He is the pioneer of the MUM model and host of
The Way
podcast.

🌐 Ethos Lending
🌐 The Way Podcast
🌐 Dino's LinkedIn

ABOUT THE HOST

Craig Davis is an Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, and host of
Talking Shift
. A valued leader in the mortgage industry and cancer survivor, Craig helps high-performers get out of the grind, reduce stress, and succeed on purpose.

🌐Ascend Xperience
🌐Craig’s LinkedIn

Check out Talking

Craig Davis, Host: A leader’s leader, executive coach, and speaker with 20 years in the mortgage business, Craig is a Stage 3 cancer survivor with a mission to help busy leaders get unstuck, reduce stress, and Make Shift Happen in life and business.

👉Coach Craig Davis

👉Craig’s LinkedIn

👉Craig’s Instagram

Check out Talking Shift on all your favorite platforms.

🎙️ The Talking Shift Podcast
👉 Apple | Spotify | YouTube

If you enjoy this podcast, please support it by liking, subscribing, and sharing with someone who needs to hear it.

What is happening in the Credit Reporting market with the changing models, pricing, and how can this become an opportunity for lenders? Jump into this episode and find out!

Welcome to another episode of Talking Shift with Craig. In this conversation, Craig Davis sits down with Shelley Leonard, CEO of Xactus, and Greg Holmes, Chief Revenue Officer of Xactus. They take us inside the shifts in the mortgage and credit space, especially with the new FICO direct model hitting the market fast.

This episode brings much needed clarity for originators and leaders throughout the mortgage and housing industry given the industry shifts, FICO direct model, Vantage score, and much more. Shelley and Greg give a clear breakdown of the new credit reporting landscape and what FICO direct really means, why costs are changing, and how Xactus is delivering strategies to increase flexibility and the borrower experience, giving their clients a competitive edge.

Summary
Shelley and Greg talk about why lenders need more choices and how that ultimately will benefit the consumer. They explain how the direct model increases flexibility and competition, and with data insights, there is opportunity to increase the borrower experience.

Key Takeaways
• We feel responsible for giving lenders every option they need.
• One size does not fit all.
• Competition and flexibility keep the market healthy.
• Lenders can compete more effectively with more choices.
• Diversity in needs requires diversity in solutions.
• Competition pushes innovation.
• Flexibility drives satisfaction and stronger performance.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Xactus and Industry Challenges
02:13 Understanding the Current Credit Landscape
05:46 The Credit Reporting Ecosystem Explained
11:09 FICO Direct Model. What It Means
13:20 Cost Implications of the New FICO Model
17:35 Navigating Competition and Market Changes
21:13 Xactus and the Future of Flexibility
24:00 Leading Through Change
29:57 Strategic Insights for Lenders
35:27 Turning Change Into Opportunity
42:06 The Future of Credit and Technology

Talking Shift is on all your favorite platforms:
🎙️ talkingshiftwithcraig.com
👉 @Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-shift/id1835827708
👉 @Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3FrnO79RfhkMc2iSQN14KM?si=ec1af3e7c1884863
👉 @YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@T

Craig Davis, Host: A leader’s leader, executive coach, and speaker with 20 years in the mortgage business, Craig is a Stage 3 cancer survivor with a mission to help busy leaders get unstuck, reduce stress, and Make Shift Happen in life and business.

👉Coach Craig Davis

👉Craig’s LinkedIn

👉Craig’s Instagram

Check out Talking Shift on all your favorite platforms.

🎙️ The Talking Shift Podcast
👉 Apple | Spotify | YouTube

If you enjoy this podcast, please support it by liking, subscribing, and sharing with someone who needs to hear it.