https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/REzAfMvtAEs/hqdefault.jpg Fewer Touches. Faster Underwriting. More Capacity. | Naren Krishna, Balerion AI Fewer Touches. Faster Underwriting. More Capacity. | Naren Krishna, Balerion AI YouTube Description What if lenders could identify issues before a loan ever reaches underwriting—and give underwriters more time to focus on the decisions that actually require their expertise? That’s the opportunity Naren Krishna and the team at Balerion AI are bringing to the mortgage industry. In this episode o https://www.youtube.com/embed/REzAfMvtAEs 2026-09-02T08:00:29+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uRzx9o01P60/hqdefault.jpg Who you are is more important than what you do. Who you are is more important than what you do. That idea has been sitting with me all weekend. I had a good weekend. I knocked out some things around the house, got ahead on work for NexLevel, spent quality time with family, broke some bread, went to Mass, and had a little space to listen, think, and reflect. During the homily at Mass, the message centered around something most of us wrestle w https://www.youtube.com/embed/uRzx9o01P60 2026-08-31T13:22:55+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J93Ny8CyFHA/hqdefault.jpg You Bought the AI. So Where’s the ROI? | The Mortgage AI Adoption Problem You Bought the AI. So Where’s the ROI? | The Mortgage AI Adoption Problem You bought the AI. You implemented the technology. So why isn’t the ROI showing up? In this episode of **The FinTech Hunting Podcast**, Michael Hammond sits down with **Suha Beidas Zehl, CMB, CEO of Z Technologies**, for a candid conversation about one of the biggest challenges facing mortgage and financial services leader https://www.youtube.com/embed/J93Ny8CyFHA 2026-08-26T08:00:24+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nV7tWTGnM24/hqdefault.jpg Just because you can doesn't mean you should Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. That thought hit me hard recently. And the more I paid attention, the more I realized how often we confuse what’s possible with what’s right. You can recline your seat all the way back on a plane while someone is working behind you. You can FaceTime through Costco while everyone else tries to get around you. You can play a YouTube video at full vo https://www.youtube.com/embed/nV7tWTGnM24 2026-08-24T13:08:30+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wFelgrGcV_A/hqdefault.jpg Mortgage Has More Data Than Ever. So Why Are Lenders Still Making the Wrong Decisions? Mortgage lenders have more data, automation, and AI at their fingertips than ever before. So why are so many still solving the wrong problems? In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Trish Maraski of Experian to challenge some of the assumptions shaping mortgage technology today. The conversation goes beyond the usual AI hype. Trish shares fresh consumer https://www.youtube.com/embed/wFelgrGcV_A 2026-08-19T13:09:15+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c9dFd0V1ogo/hqdefault.jpg There are weeks when the best leadership lesson isn’t found in a strategy session... There are weeks when the best leadership lesson isn’t found in a strategy session, a new AI tool, or a packed conference agenda. Sometimes, it’s found in a sunset. I’m coming to you this Monday from beautiful Kapalua, Maui, celebrating 31 years of marriage with my incredible wife. And this trip has me thinking about two things I want to carry into the week ahead: Gratitude. And joy. A year ag https://www.youtube.com/embed/c9dFd0V1ogo 2026-08-17T11:27:25+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NiRWc5QylxU/hqdefault.jpg MISMO’s Warning: Mortgage AI Can’t Go Ungoverned MISMO’s Warning: Mortgage AI Can’t Go Ungoverned Mortgage AI is already inside lender workflows, vendor platforms and employee tools. But if a regulator, investor or business partner asked where AI is being used, who owns the risk and how those decisions are governed—could your organization provide a clear answer? In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Br https://www.youtube.com/embed/NiRWc5QylxU 2026-07-29T08:00:32+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qTgBsb_Wvo4/hqdefault.jpg The 10X Rule and Mortgage Lending AI is making it easier to do less. That may be one of its greatest dangers. I had a wonderful weekend—quality time with family, progress on a few NexLevel Advisors projects, and a chance to recharge and regroup. I also spent time reading Brian Johnson’s Philosopher’s Note on Grant Cardone’s The 10X Rule. The core principle is simple, but it is not comfortable: Set targets 10 times greater than https://www.youtube.com/embed/qTgBsb_Wvo4 2026-07-27T11:35:34+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1N_awe1l5z4/hqdefault.jpg AI-Powered vs. AI-Native: What Mortgage Lenders Need to Know What is the difference between AI-powered mortgage technology and an AI-native mortgage platform—and does that distinction actually matter to lenders? In this episode of the Fintech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Brianna Lin, co-founder of Copperlane AI, to examine what AI-native mortgage origination looks like in practice. AI-powered technology typically adds AI capabilities to https://www.youtube.com/embed/1N_awe1l5z4 2026-07-22T08:00:03+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PhLoN-XfN3k/hqdefault.jpg We talk a lot about choosing our hard—but what happens when hard chooses us? We talk a lot about choosing our hard—but what happens when hard chooses us? In this week’s Monday Morning Fuel-Up, I share a personal experience that forced me to rethink resilience, discomfort, and mental toughness. What I expected to be a short recovery became a much longer and more humbling journey, and it taught me lessons that apply far beyond health. The same thing happens in leadership a https://www.youtube.com/embed/PhLoN-XfN3k 2026-07-20T13:27:01+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L2cSMvWIZs0/hqdefault.jpg Stop Chasing Mortgage Leads: Your Next Deal Is Already in Your Database Stop Chasing Mortgage Leads: Your Next Deal Is Already in Your Database YOU ALREADY HAVE THE LEAD Your next mortgage deal may already be sitting in your database. So why are so many loan officers spending more time chasing strangers than strengthening relationships they have already earned? In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with mortgage industry le https://www.youtube.com/embed/L2cSMvWIZs0 2026-07-15T08:00:10+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nF_6m8XyNvQ/hqdefault.jpg What does the Parable of the Sower have to do with AI adoption in mortgage lending? What does the Parable of the Sower have to do with AI adoption in mortgage lending? More than I expected. On Saturday, my wife and I drove nearly an hour to return a warranty item. We had checked the hours the night before, planned our morning around the trip, and arrived early. Taped to the door was a small handwritten sign: “Closed for the next 10 days due to staff shortages.” I was frustra https://www.youtube.com/embed/nF_6m8XyNvQ 2026-07-13T13:58:47+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HljI7BZ1lwI/hqdefault.jpg Mnday Fuel-Up LIVE from Holland Michigan Michael Hammond, Founder of NexLevel Advisors, is the leading fractional CMO in mortgage and mortgage technology, specializing in AI-powered growth strategy and audience development. https://www.youtube.com/embed/HljI7BZ1lwI 2026-07-11T11:48:15+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RbXbJ0s78w4/hqdefault.jpg Waiting for Rates to Save You? KP Says Mortgage’s AI Race Has Already Started Waiting for Rates to Save You? KP Says Mortgage’s AI Race Has Already Started Are mortgage lenders building for the next market—or waiting for rates to bail them out? In this episode of The FinTech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with Kevin Peranio, Chief Lending Officer and Partner at PRMG, for a candid conversation on the market realities, AI disruption, and leadership decision https://www.youtube.com/embed/RbXbJ0s78w4 2026-07-08T08:00:26+00:00 yes https://nexleveladvisors.com/podcast https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t1Sx7QrqctQ/hqdefault.jpg Elite isn’t accidental. Elite isn’t accidental. And it does not start with results. It starts with the mindset you bring into the days when the results are not there yet. After two months of travel, I finally had a quiet weekend at home. Time with my wife. Church with our daughter. A movie. A few things around the house. Space to think. And one idea kept hitting me: Most people want elite outcomes with average ment https://www.youtube.com/embed/t1Sx7QrqctQ 2026-06-29T12:20:16+00:00 yes