The Mindset That Builds Leaders: John Donnelly’s Formula for Consistent Wins Part 2

In this episode of the No Broke Months Podcast, Dan Rochon sits down with John Donnelly, Executive Director of Sales at Service First Mortgage. John shares his journey from tech retail to leading over 100 mortgage professionals—and the mindset shift that helped him thrive during the toughest markets. Discover how a 12-hour walk led to deep personal insight, how servant leadership builds elite teams, and why now is the greatest opportunity in a down market. If you're feeling stuck in today’s real estate cycle, this conversation will reignite your mission and momentum.

What you’ll learn on this episode

• Leadership begins with leading yourself—then casting a vision others want to follow.
• The mortgage market volume has hit 1990 levels—but the survivors today are the leaders tomorrow.
• Success isn’t about silver bullets. It’s about doing the hard things that most avoid—again and again.
• A 12-hour solo walk helped John gain clarity, create a personal board of directors, and redefine “class act” leadership.
• If you’re still standing in this market, you’ve already passed the first test. Now it’s time to level up.
• The real estate downturn since 2022 has been a “slow burn.”
• Clarity of personal values leads to confidence in leadership.
• What you do now attracts who follows you later.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• 12 Hour Walk by Colin O’Brady : A book that inspired John’s breakthrough challenge to walk 30 miles in a day.
• The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter : The book that got him thinking about annual hard challenges.
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill : The original inspiration for John’s mental board of directors.
• LinkedIn: – Connect with John
• JohnDonnelly.com: Learn more about his leadership journey.

To find out more about Dan Rochon and the CPI Community, you can check these links:

• Website: No Broke Months
• Podcast: No Broke Months for Salespeople Podcast
• Instagram: @donrochonx
• Facebook: Dan Rochon
• LinkedIn: Dan Rochon
• Teach to Sell Preorder: Teach to Sell: Why Top Performers Never Sell – And What They Do Instead