The Burn Podcast by Ben Newman
Join Ben Newman, highly regarded Performance Coach, International Keynote Speaker and 2x WSJ Best-Seller, as he takes you into the minds of some of the highest performers in sports and business to tell their full story. The "Burn" is something we all have, but rarely do people uncover and connect to it. Ben helps people from all walks of life reach their true maximum potential.
Ben has worked with coaches and players from the last 6 Super Bowl Champion teams and currently serves as the Performance Coach for the Big 12 Champion Kansas State football team in his 9th season (3 National Championships at North Dakota State) with Head Coach Chris Klieman. Ben served 5 years as the Mental Conditioning Coach for the 18x National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Lastly, Ben also has served at his alma mater as a Performance Coach for Michigan State University’s football and basketball programs.
For the last two decades, Ben has been serving as the Peak Performance Coach for the top 1% of financial advisors globally and for Fortune 500 business executives.
Ben’s clients have included: Microsoft, United States Army, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Quicken Loans, MARS Snackfoods, AstraZeneca, Northwestern Mutual, AFA Singapore, Mass Financial Group, Frontier Companies, Wells Fargo Advisors, Great West Life Canada, Boston Medical Center, Boys & Girls Club of America, New York Life as well as thousands of executives, entrepreneurs, athletes and sales teams from around the globe.
Millions of people and some of the top performers in the world have been empowered by Ben through his books, educational content, coaching programs, podcast, and live events.
The Burn Podcast by Ben Newman
Brian Covey, How to lead by example and fight against unfavorable odds
On this episode of The Burn Podcast, I sit down with Brian Covey. Brian is an incredible leader in the mortgage industry and someone who deeply understands the value of resilience and adaptability. We're diving into the mental toughness it takes to succeed in such a volatile field, the importance of finding your fire and burn, and how to show up even on days when you don't feel like it.
I believe that purpose alone isn't enough. We each need that underlying burn that ignites our why and keeps us going, especially during tough times and after we win. Brian's journey—from his athletic past to his phenomenal success in the mortgage business—offers so many insights into what it takes to lead and succeed consistently.
Get ready for actionable tips and deep reflections as Brian and I explore what fuels a sustained, relentless drive for excellence. I can't wait for YOU to hear this one!
Connect with Brian
Check out Brian's Show
Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction to Brian Covey 1:40 - Brian’s Choices: Sidelines vs. Field 3:21 - Understanding the Mortgage Industry Landscape 5:12 - Brian's Burn and Fire 7:00 - Overcoming Adversity in Sports and Business 8:44 - The Role of Coaches and Mentors 10:16 - The Importance of Having a Team 12:14 - Leading by Example in Every Area of Life 15:02 - Break and Overview of B and C Publishing 17:07 - The Continuous Pursuit of Improvement 18:22 - Fighting Against Comparison 20:02 - Making the Choice: Sidelines or Field 22:24 - Closing Remarks and Staying Connected with Brian Covey
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You have two choices. Choice number one is you can sit on the bench. You can sit over there, you can look at everybody else, you can wish, you can hope, you can get all the excuses you want and say why you're not on the field. You can sit on that sideline. There's going to be a lot of people telling you it's okay, don't worry about it, oh, they just have this advantage. Or you can make a choice, like I know you've done. Done, ben, I want to be on the field, I want to be competing and I want to find out what I'm capable of welcome back to another episode of the burn.
Speaker 2:I am Newman and you know how we do this. Every single week we're going to bring you a story of an athlete, an entertainer, a celebrity, somebody from the business world who has recognized that why and purpose is not enough. It's this underlying fire and burn that ignites why and purpose, that causes you to show up on the days you don't feel like it, and especially after you win. I couldn't be any more excited to highlight today a dear friend of mine on the burn, an individual that if you had heard all the conversations that we'd had, you would have thought both of us would have quit some of the things that we were doing. You would have thought both of us would have quit some of the things that we were doing, but he's an individual who believes what I believe that when times get tough, you lean in, and he's part of the mortgage industry, one of the most significant, fastest growing leaders for decades in the mortgage industry, respected in the industry.
Speaker 2:I hear great things about Brian Covey from people at other companies, the industry. I hear great things about Brian Covey from people at other companies. That's the ultimate respect when you have individuals from other companies that are willing to root for another leader to win, who represents another company. That's when you know somebody special. Brian Covey is an action taker and that's one of the things I love about our relationship is I know if we're going to invest time together to have a conversation, action will be taken. You've maybe seen him on our Mental Toughness Forum. You've maybe seen posts of us doing events together or us being at events together. All those things happen, so I welcome my friend, brian Covey to the burn. Brian, great to be with you.
Speaker 1:It's an honor, ben, and I'm excited to do this one, and you know the impact you've made in my life and I can't wait to share some of that with everybody listening in.
Speaker 2:Well, let's start with everybody listening and I'd like to dive right into just getting real with the mortgage industry. If you look at the last 24 months, most people in the numbers are there and I'll turn it over to you to share some of it. So many people have left the industry. I believe the numbers like 75% of the people who are in the mortgage and real estate industry have left. They just couldn't stomach it. You have been able to grow and transition and continue to lead. Help us understand, during and as long as you've been in the industry. You've been through other ups and downs, whereas people who are newer to the industry they left because they didn't realize.
Speaker 2:this happens every handful of years, but you had experience going through it. But what is the burn for you? Because this is a devastating period of time. This is a knees and ankle breaker. I'm leaving the business. I can't handle to the tune of 75 percent. Where do you turn to? What's that burn and fire for you during this type of financial climate that the mortgage industry's been going through?
Speaker 1:And I love this question and we've talked about some of this and I'll share it because it started off. My original fuel and burn for me was my parents both sacrificing and working multiple jobs to get me an opportunity to play soccer as a kid. And you know some of my story getting a breakout and to get a scholarship because we couldn't really afford to go to college and then playing with the national team and all is it was birthed out of that. It was actually birthed out of Ben getting cut before the final CONCACAF team and then making the Olympic team later on and being cut before the final team. There's always been this part of me. It's like I knew I was destined for more and how hard my parents fought to get me to practices and get me to extra things to make sure I even had a shot at it. And coming out of Memphis, that was not even a path. It was never done before out of our city.
Speaker 1:As I've transitioned now with three kids and my wife Nicole. Now I know there's a legacy play that both my parents are still here, that I need to leave that legacy play, that both my parents are still here, that I need to leave that legacy. Not only that they have created and planted me, but how do I take the Covey name and what I've been given of three kids and my, my bride, to carry that forward and take what they did? How do we improve and make that better going forward? And so it has shifted as I've become a parent. But it was birth as an athlete on that soccer field, pouring blood, sweat and tears literally into that field for hours that most people would never have seen or be willing to have put in. And it was failure mixed in there.
Speaker 2:A lot. So it's interesting, if I'm hearing you correctly, different, different perspectives, different challenges, but everybody knows my story of enduring my mother's fight and having to watch her battle, amyloidosis and pass away 11 days before my eighth birthday. You just sharing your adversity, so I asked you the question about the current times in the mortgage industry and you did what I normally do is you went back to the perspective of something that you've been through. That's far worse. Right, the continued pain, challenge, there's no money, it's a fight. Where am I going to find my fight? So you actually took me back to the perspective. So is that what you tend to do? Do you shift your perspective when times get tough? So rates are here, okay, it's not as bad as what I once went through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think your perspective does matter and what I've learned whether it was sports or now business and everything is our first. Two kids were born in 07 and 08. Presley and Davis were born in the worst crisis we've seen Arguably the worst we may ever see, as I'm in the industry of things going out of business. I remember the mortgage implodometer, ben. Every day you would show up and people would look to see if their company was still in business. Hundreds of companies you talked about the last 24 months. There is over 50, maybe 60% real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders have gotten out of the business. That's not even accounting for the people that are barely even doing three, four loans a year. You can't survive on that. So I look at what is my perspective on that and I survived those and what were the lessons I learned? We were gifted in 2015,.
Speaker 1:Another little bump in the road 2018, we thought we were going to have another crisis. Covid hit and what I've realized through all of it is we continued to move forward. That meant I had to change companies. That meant I had to adapt and change who I was as a leader where the business was. But you shared the last 24 months being the hardest.
Speaker 1:I love that because what I know is my competition and some of my I will say peers my, they don't look at that as an opportunity. In the last 24 months we've grown 100% because I believe that's when great leaders rise and people are looking for more than just rate, more than just a program, and that's where I've built. Every time I've looked back at my patterns of success, it's been through the hardest seasons, when I got cut from the team and I had to come back and get better. It's been when 07, 08, we lost everything and had to start over. When I had to change companies unexpectedly a couple of years ago, with all the changes, those to me it's just a weird reframe that I've said it's just an opportunity and who's going to rise up to it and I recognize not everybody's willing to compete for that prize- everybody's willing to compete for that prize.
Speaker 2:I want to take you to something that was really meaningful for me, and I heard this through another podcast you were on and it meant the world to me and so I'm very intentional in waiting to share this feedback with you live, but I don't want you to answer for anything that has to do with me. I'm going to frame this question differently, so everybody stay with me on this. When you made the shift and went to Revolution Mortgage where I mean just the growth that you just alluded to the positive nature, the belief system, the action, the disciplines that you've brought to that organization to drive that growth I was one of three people that you called and I shared earlier. You know it's one of the things I love about our relationship. I know if we invest time with each other, like you are going to take action. It drives me nuts.
Speaker 2:Somebody calls for advice. They really don't want to take any action. They just really want to rest in their sorrows. You always take action. It meant the world to me when I heard as another podcast, that I was one of three people that you trusted to have that conversation. You are wildly successful in this business before we ever met. So this is not a question about me. Why has a team? Why have coaches? Why has you know, really checking your ego been so important to help you make the right decisions in your life?
Speaker 1:you know I go back to then. My dad was one of my first coaches when I was playing for our church league and soccer and we had some amazing coaches through there and I'll never forget one of my most influential coaches, richard boot, was from poland, was on the national team goalkeeper and investing into me. There were coaches along the way Kenny Heckman's a guy here. I could go on and on and talk about these coaches. I think about where I would have been, not just soccer set aside the soccer stuff but in life, in the things that I was able to avoid that my friends got into. That one coach, those two coaches, those three coaches.
Speaker 1:My dad changed my entire trajectory and so I always look at it being like when I reached out to you, fast forward to that is I just believe God has more for us and I always ask like, where can I be of service? Like you've had me go through these things in my life and you've had me experience things and it's been ups and downs through it all. I believe God has more for us and we are often our own greatest limiter. So when I reached out to you, I share all that is. I saw something in you and I go okay, there's a prompt I don't know what it is and I've done this a couple of times in my career. I'm going to reach out. I don't know where this is going to go, and I've done this a couple of times in my career. I'm going to reach out. I don't know where this is going to go, and we just had a conversation and I remember being real, it wasn't cheap.
Speaker 1:I'm like, ok, this is what, this is the investment. I'm like, and I believe that's God's way of testing us. How bad do you've done that? And I've bet on me and I've aligned myself with guys like you, ben, and it's why you were one of the three people I called is. I respect your counsel, I respect what you share with me and I. I don't believe we get where we are alone. No one and coaches in my life have always been the greatest catalyst. That it may just be reaffirming something, I know, but it's always helped me move forward. And so why would I go through life without a coach, without a Ben Newman in my corner, when I know when I get on the battlefield and you're not there, do I want to compete, not having you in my corner or having you in my corner is a simple yes, I'm putting you in my corner and that's hearing.
Speaker 2:That means so much to me and it goes back to you being an action taker and you looking. You know, one of the greatest lessons I ever learned was from coach klyman, who you know is a hall of fame head coach. He will literally go into the hall of fame as one of the greatest college football coaches ever and he always shares find your edge in the details and for me, when I look at you, you're always trying to find your edge in the details. You want to be an example for your three beautiful children in your home. You want to be an example for the people that you lead, and that's really meaningful. I was not a collegiate athlete, so I want everybody to really hear this example and the credit I want to give to Brian. I think this is very important. I was a good high school basketball player, could have sat the bench division three. I was never a guy who had a chance of making the US Olympic team.
Speaker 2:I was never a guy who got to play professional soccer or any professional sport the way that you did. And there's a lot of individuals who get to a point in their life leadership, growth, experience and they talk about what they once were, and you know what I'm talking about. They're those coaches who are like oh, let me tell you about my discipline when I was going out for the Olympic team. Brother, you still look like you could go play soccer for the Olympic team. You look like you could still go play Olympic soccer.
Speaker 2:That, to me, is what's extraordinary about you is you've been one of those individuals who said if I'm going to lead, I'm going to lead in every area of life. I love your commitment to your family, the amount of travel, the amount of time away from work. I mean it seems like every time I talk to you or text with you, you're in another traveling soccer tournament. Right, I mean just the level of commitment to do all the little things. But let me specifically talk about taking care of your body, because I'm a big believer that we can only lead somebody to the level of discipline in which we live. And so if I'm at Revolution Mortgage and you're recruiting me or you're developing me or we're working together.
Speaker 2:You could literally unpack anything about my business when it comes to discipline and accountability, and I'm going to listen because of the way you look, but you've been in good shape since I met you. I'm going to put a twist on this question. But you decided even the shape that you were in was not good enough. You could still be better. So you didn't even have to bring up the story of what I once looked like and you were already looking good. But you have literally said I'm going to go even deeper into the details. Why do you keep attacking every area of life Business, family, everything? Why is that important to you to be an example, the way that you are?
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Speaker 1:I'll tell you what Ben. You know, as I've looked through my life, there's always been a next level and there has been a point in which I made a decision that there was better out there and having three kids, and now, especially my 15 year old I'll just tell you like he's in that phase now, as you know, with Isaac, like he's into, like his looks and his physical fitness and as his dad, one of the greatest things I can transfer to him is partly within there. And if he sees his dad working out and in shape, that is sending him things I can not ever say to him. And I look at my youngest wanting to come out and work out with me, our oldest, our daughter who's playing soccer and her journey and all these things there, my wife to say, hey, I love you enough to take care of myself. And you ask why do I push through? There's probably a screw loose in my competition side. I'll just say I was a goalkeeper in soccer. I've done some crazy things. I still do play over 40. I still do CrossFit style workouts.
Speaker 1:There is something in me that is curious about what my potential is and I don't want to look back and be the person that goes, man, remember when I did this, remember that I remember this year was that change, man, I came into it. You were one of those people and I've told you this, and a couple people close to me in their own journey, that they were pushing boundaries that I didn't know were possible at my age, at this stage, with travel, with the commitments, and I finally said, to hell with all that, I'm going to set a goal and I'm going to attack this thing and I'm going to see what I can do, and if I give it my all and I don't get there, I'm going to figure out how to rework it again. But this year and I don't share this to brag, I share this, to share with you like real talk is I've lost 5% body fat, which was beyond my goal, by the way, 3% was the goal. And I am still fascinated and curious at this moment, ben, where can I get now?
Speaker 1:Because I've figured out some things in my own that I know one it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be in some areas. Some areas it was really hard and I had an emotional attachment to food and some things that were underlying that I never thought I had, and that journey allowed me to uncover things that I now get to gift to other people to say, hey, I've experienced this, I've gone through it. Like you said, you can't help coach somebody to get somewhere you haven't been. I've gone through some stuff this year, learning a lot more than just how to lose body fat and get in shape. As you know, it's a lot up here.
Speaker 2:You are an extraordinary example. I appreciate how you show up. One final question, because I think this is important I can't have a leader as good as you. I can't have a leader as good as you. I can't have a coach as strong as you come on the show and not help. You encourage many people listening that go through what many people go through, and this is an extreme.
Speaker 2:Important issue in the world today is comparison. Important issue in the world today is comparison. And I think a lot of people look and they say, hey, like you know what that's interesting, like maybe I do need to get into better shape, and they become frustrated because they look at you and go, my God, it's going to take me five years to get into the shape that Brian's in, or it's going to take me 10, or I could never do that. How important. And what would you say to the person sitting on the sideline right now who's questioning do I get into this game of life the way that Brian is? Do I attack my work differently? Do I attack my physical differently? Do I attack my mental differently? I've just been waiting on the sidelines. Do I go into the game or not? Because the world is confusing right now. What do you say to that individual who? Not only are they sitting on the sidelines, they're doing it because they're constantly comparing themselves to others?
Speaker 1:It's a real struggle. In sports, obviously, coming from where I did and even now in business, we use stats and we use numbers and the comparison it's rampant. I'm going to go back to one of our favorite books in the Bible. And comparison is the thief of joy. And I believe that, and I believe that's God's word to share with you. If you're taking away your joy of what you've been gifted and you're here for a reason, and I believe if you been gifted and you're here for a reason, and I believe if you're listening, you are here for a reason, comparing yourself to someone else's journey and where they are and not knowing all the details and what they've done, the sacrifices they've made, how long they've been on it. Their journey is not your journey. And the way I frame this up for people all the time, and including my own self-talk, is you have two choices. And the way I frame this up for people all the time, and including my own self-talk, is you have two choices. Choice number one is you can sit on the bench, you can sit over there, you can look at everybody else, you can wish, you can hope, you can make excuses, you can say that they were picked favorites, you can say they had better genetics than you. You can say they had a better coaching. You can get all the excuses you want and say why you're not on the field. You can sit on that sideline. It's gonna be a lot of people telling you it's okay, don't worry about it, oh, they just have this advantage. Or you can make a choice, like I know you've done, ben, and I've done in my life is I want to be on the field, I want to be competing and I want to find out what I'm capable of. What is my personal best? Find out what I'm capable of, what is my personal best. And when I set goals even the one I shared with you guys earlier about my goal of losing a certain percent of body fat or my goal with our mortgage company I don't have those compared to someone else. Those are me against me numbers I set a standard and a goal that I said I'm going to get to and figure out.
Speaker 1:And for many of us we need to shift the whole conversation perspective of people in the world telling us what success looks like. We need to define success and get intentional in every area about your life and what success really looks like, and realize nobody got there overnight, nobody got there in a short term fix. And this game of consistency, as I look at my own health journey through even 10 years has had its ups and downs and battles, but it wasn't until I committed to that breakthrough and believed I was worthy of actually accomplishing that. And then I put the action behind it. Did it actually happen? And I'm not done because now I've unlocked the next level. Now I want to know what's next now I want to know what's next.
Speaker 2:And that's me against me. That's that never finished. Own it mentality and you live it and you breathe it, and it's why we get along so well. And I do have something I got to tell you. I got that screw loose too, and there ain't nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 1:I think it's right.
Speaker 2:So I, uh, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being an example in a world where people struggle to just fight to be their best, one day at a time. You're an example that we can do it, we should do it, and the great things that happen as a father, as a husband, as a business leader, as a giver, that happened in life when you show up as an example. So I love you, brother, I appreciate you and thank you so much for coming on the burn.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's an honor, my friend. I love you too, and thank you for all you're doing.
Speaker 2:We're going to make it super easy for everybody to stay connected with Brian to learn more about his podcast, to learn about books, to learn about ways to stay connected, to learn about all the amazing things that he's doing inside the mortgage industry and out. So make sure that you get inside the show notes, Make sure that you share this episode with somebody who's maybe waiting on that sideline, who you've had conversations and you didn't know the answer to give them as to why they need to stop comparing themselves and lean into just being their best. Brian just gave us the answer to the test. So please share this episode and always remember that why and purpose is not enough. It's that underlying burn that ignites why and purpose, that causes us to show up on the days we don't feel like it, and especially after we win. This has been the Burn and I look forward to seeing you next week.
