Ep 138: Jacob Washburn on Adventure, Burnout & Beauty

In this episode of the Building Bigger Lives podcast, Michael Regan and Kathryn Pedersen welcome guest Jacob Washburn to discuss his experiences in the mortgage industry, leadership, and personal growth. Jacob shares his journey into mortgage lending, his long tenure at Cornerstone, and the importance of focusing on process over outcome to avoid burnout. He explains how his faith and personal values help him maintain perspective and resilience, especially during challenging times. Jacob also recounts his family's five-month trip around the world, highlighting the lessons learned, the impact on his family and team, and the value of pursuing beauty in both personal and professional life. The conversation touches on recognizing burnout in others, the importance of open communication, and how Jacob's leadership style has evolved through these experiences. The episode concludes with reflections on the beauty of life experiences and the potential for future discussions with Jacob's wife, Jules. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

Kathryn Pedersen and Michael Regan discuss aphantasia, a condition affecting 2-4% of the population, where individuals cannot conjure visual images in their minds. Kathryn shares her recent discovery of having aphantasia and explains how it impacts business applications, particularly in coaching and real estate settings where visualization exercises might not be effective for people with this condition. They explore how different communication styles might be needed to engage both those with strong visualization abilities (hyperphantasia) and those without any visualization capacity. The discussion includes practical business applications, such as using vision boards, renderings, and visual tools like Mortgage Coach's total cost analysis to help clients understand financial concepts. Michael notes how this knowledge could help coaches and leaders better adapt their communication styles to reach different types of audiences effectively. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

In this episode of the Building Bigger Lives Podcast, Kathryn Pedersen and Michael Regan interview Joey Hansen about her recent experience being recruited and changing companies after 12 years. Joey shares insights from her journey, categorizing the different recruiting styles she encountered into seven types: over-talkers, pitchers, greatness sellers, over-promisers, expansionists, givers, and investigators. She explains how each style affected her decision-making process and emphasizes the importance of being understood and finding a fit that matched her values and career goals. The conversation highlights the need for recruiters to practice emotional intelligence, adapt their approach to the candidate, and focus on building trust rather than just presenting numbers or pitches. Joey also reflects on how knowing herself and being open to different possibilities helped her find the right opportunity, and she encourages recruiters to self-assess their own styles to better connect with potential hires. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

In this episode of the Building Bigger Lives podcast, Michael and Kathryn discuss the importance of authenticity on social media, especially for business professionals. They explore how different platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn have evolved and how users engage with content, emphasizing the value of genuine, relatable posts over overly promotional or manufactured content. Kathryn shares her personal experience with social media, highlighting what draws her attention and the impact of self-awareness in managing content consumption to avoid comparison and maintain mental health. They warn against the risks of over-promotion and inauthenticity, which can lead to disengagement from the audience and damage trust. The conversation stresses the need for balance between personal and professional content, and the importance of being true to oneself online to build lasting relationships with clients and followers. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

This episode of the Building Bigger Lives podcast features Michael Regan and Kathryn Pedersen interviewing their friend Kevin Gramp, who shared insights about his personal and professional journey. Kevin discusses growing up without a father figure but with a strong single mother who instilled grit and work ethic in him, including teaching him to earn money by raking lawns. He credits Kathryn Pedersen and John Gaetano for mentoring him early in his career, and explains how he transitioned from production to coaching, emphasizing the importance of focusing on individuals' overall well-being rather than just numbers. Kevin shares his impressive streak of working out for 6 years straight (2,180 days and counting), which he describes as becoming part of his identity and providing capacity to handle challenges. He discusses his community-driven business approach, including events like "Turkeys for Teachers" and "HAMS for Heroes" that helped build his brand while creating meaningful connections. Kevin also shares how he raised his daughter Mackenzie to understand the importance of service, including teaching her to donate a portion of her allowance to charity. The conversation concludes with Kevin's advice for new loan officers to "chase purpose, not numbers" and to focus on creating homeowner conversations rather than just pursuing the next purchase deal. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

In this episode of The Building Bigger Lives Podcast, Kathryn and Michael discuss the four foundational elements of business building: vision, plan, playbook, and scorecard. They explain why vision comes first as it sets the compass for the future direction and helps attract people to invest time and energy in the business. Michael describes how planning involves SMART goals and the distinction between disciplines (repeated activities) and projects (specific improvements with due dates). They clarified the difference between a playbook, which documents standards and best practices that consistently work over time, and a plan, which is more tactical and subject to change. The discussion includes how scorecards track both financial outcomes and leading indicators to measure consistency and quality of effort. Kathryn adds a fifth element, review, to complete the cycle and ensure continuous improvement. Michael suggests that business leaders review their documented vision to determine if it describes the past, present, or future, and use that assessment to guide updates to their plan, playbook, and scorecard. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

In this episode of the Building Bigger Lives Podcast, hosts Kathryn Pedersen and Michael Regan interview Kelly Marsh, SVP and Regional Manager at Cornerstone, about her career journey, leadership style, and communication habits. Kelly shares her background, including her competitive upbringing and entry into the mortgage industry, and discusses how her focus on emotional intelligence and coaching has shaped her approach to leadership and communication. She highlights key communication habits, such as the importance of clear communication, the dangers of unspoken expectations, and the principle that if you permit something, you promote it. The conversation also covers how to develop self-awareness, adapt communication styles to different personalities, and the impact of effective communication on both professional and personal relationships. Kelly shares insights from her recent keynote presentation and personal stories illustrating the power of these communication principles in building stronger teams and relationships. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

In this episode of The Building Bigger Lives Podcast, Michael and Kathryn discuss the housing industry and the summer buying season of 2026. They explore why there is strong purchase activity despite no major external factors driving it, with Kathryn explaining that it's likely due to normal life events like families growing, job changes, and buyers becoming accustomed to current mortgage rates around 6%. The conversation covered how real estate agents are adapting to technology changes, with some thriving in the new digital environment while others struggle to keep up. Kathryn  advises that lenders and professionals should embrace the pressure of the busy season as an opportunity to test and improve their systems, while maintaining realistic expectations about market conditions. She emphasizes focusing on current business rather than projecting future trends, and encourages professionals to trust the process as real estate historically tends to appreciate over time. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

This episode of the Building Bigger Lives podcast features Mike Rafii sharing his personal journey from a childhood marked by significant adversity to becoming a top producer in the mortgage industry. Born in New York to Iranian parents, Mike experienced displacement multiple times during his early years, including living in Iran during the revolution, Britain, Germany, and eventually settling in San Diego after his mother's tragic suicide when he was in high school. Through these challenging experiences, Mike developed resilience and a strong work ethic, eventually transitioning from computer science to finance and real estate after seeing loan officers driving luxury cars. Mike credits his wife Robin for helping him embrace his Persian heritage and become more authentic after years of trying to assimilate and disown his cultural background. The hosts highlight how Mike's background shaped his leadership style, emphasizing his hunger, humility, and emotional intelligence, while noting his successful partnership with Robin both personally and professionally over their 32-year marriage. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage

In this episode of The Building Bigger Lives Podcast, Michael and Kathryn discuss the "K economy" phenomenon in the housing industry, where business results have split into two categories: those experiencing significant success and those struggling to keep pace. Kathryn explains that the separation began about a year ago when people made different choices about maintaining business disciplines during challenging times, with some maintaining consistent efforts while others became discouraged by lack of output. Michael emphasizes that the key difference between successful and struggling businesses often comes down to mindset, specifically whether individuals adopt a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset that focuses on winning and losing. The discussion includes practical advice for those experiencing the "slide" side of the K economy, including recognizing personal contributions to current challenges, making conscious changes in attitudes and surroundings, refocusing on the original reasons for entering the business, and potentially taking a hard reset by attending different events or surrounding themselves with more positive influences. Michael stresses that the first steps involve acknowledging personal responsibility and deciding to make changes, while successful businesses should stay focused on their proven strategies rather than chasing new distractions. Building Bigger Lives Podcast https://www.instagram.com/buildingbiggerlives Contact Coach Michael Regan- www.facebook.com/CoachMichaelRegan www.instagram.com/coachmichaelregan/ www.linkedin.com/in/mregan/ Contact Kathryn Pedersen- http://www.instagram.com/steamboatmortgage