Industry veteran reveals why she compares brokers who seek out training to a gym membership
When home budgets get tight, one of the first things often cut to help people save money is a gym membership. It is viewed as something nice to have, but not essential.
One veteran of the mortgage industry said that many brokers view education and mentorship similarly, and she hopes to change people’s perception of what she considers essential to success.
Christine Beckwith (pictured top) is a mortgage industry veteran and founder and president of 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching & Consulting. She will be speaking at the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) Fuse event next week in Nashville.
Her main topic will be encouraging brokers to embrace education as a way to take their careers to the next level.
“By and large, most people who are self-employed in the mortgage industry are always seeking education,” Beckwith told Mortgage Professional America. “I think that they get that education from attending conferences like Fuse, where they sit in the audience and listen to people who are successful. I think they do hire trainers and coaches.”
Coaching is a priority
She said that while brokers will hire trainers and coaches, they sometimes seem expendable when business conditions cause budgets to tighten.
“I think that our industry has gone through a downfall for a few years, with the rates being high,” Beckwith said. “And I think money plays a part in people's ability to seek education. I think that coaching can often be looked at like a gym membership, like a luxury or maybe a country club membership. When the pocketbook gets thin, sometimes that's the thing that's let go of.”
Beckwith said that if getting that training truly becomes a priority, just like people who value their health, they will find a way to set aside money for it, whether it's for a gym membership or a personal trainer.
“But what I found is that over the last few years, people who believe coaching is a priority, like the gym, it doesn't matter what you have to do to pinch pennies together, you're going to keep that in place, because you consider that a vital part of the health of your business,” she said. “I think there's a resurgence starting, and I think as the mortgage industry begins to heal from where it's been, we're going to see coaching and training adapted at an even higher level.”
She said one of the most important tips she can pass along is to understand that what they did to reach this point might not be sufficient given the current market conditions.
“I think the palate is high in our industry for people to seek out answers,” Beckwith said. “I think there's a big difference between doing what you've always done to be successful and what it's going to take in this market. You can keep throwing the darts at the board, but you're never going to hit the mark if you don't understand where the GPS is and the ROI is in this market. I'm out there helping fine-tune that GPS for mortgage professionals.”
Healing in 2026
Another challenge facing mortgage brokers in 2025 has been a growing divide in the country. Political rhetoric has been turned up to a high level. Beckwith hopes that the coming year will be a time when the country can start coming back together.
“We are a country that's trying to find our way and trying to heal,” she said. “I think that you're going to see two strong things, and it's true for the mortgage industry too, and that is an emergence of leadership that hopefully is louder than the divisive narrative. In the mortgage industry, the consumer is in pain with high debt and a low cash reserve. I think the mortgage industry can help, no matter what the rate climate is, by helping these homeowners cure their financial pain.”
Homefront Lending LLC’s Ross Sykes says fear often holds first-time buyers back, but transparency and connection can change that. He stresses guiding clients through every step and offering a clear path from “not yet” to “ready.”https://t.co/vEqmmXGzAv
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) October 9, 2025
Beckwith said it’s time for brokers, who are leaders in their community, to continue lending their voices to support those who have been struggling through 2025.
“Now is the time to raise our leadership voices to be part of the solution in our communities,” she said. “I think it's a time for philanthropy. It's always good for our psyche and personal self-worth to do things like that, but even more so for our businesses. I think that 2026 is the year of healing. I think it's the year the industry will heal. I think it's the year consumers will heal, and I hope it's the year that our country will heal.
“We need to raise our leadership voices and do our very best to unite the country and our industry in healing. I think there's a responsibility. We all have to make a difference right now, and so I'm raising my leadership voice as well.”
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