Cindy Ertman, Christine Beckwith, and Michelle Berman-Mikel are shaping the future for brokers
The following article was produced in partnership with AIME
Cindy Ertman (pictured left), Christine Beckwith (pictured center), and Michelle Berman-Mikel (pictured right) are beacons of success in the mortgage industry. And while their stories are examples of female leadership in what is still a male-dominated space, these powerhouse business owners represent something more: a new standard of excellence for brokers ready to embrace opportunity, lean into strategy, and build thriving businesses in today’s challenging landscape.
Three philosophies, one vision: Empowering brokers to thrive in today’s market
As industry veterans, influencers, and coaches, the women give brokers an edge in different ways. Cindy Ertman, head of The Defining Difference, built her business on a 35-year career that saw her wear “all hats mortgage” and rank consistently as a top-producing LO. As she put it, “I didn’t just want to be good — I wanted to be one of the best.” But it was being named one of the 100 Most Influential Mortgage Executives in America that lit her entrepreneurial fire.
“It was my catalyst because it felt different than a producer award,” she recalled. “I was raising three kids and working in a male-dominated field, but I found ways to maneuver.”
Today, Ertman is laser-focused on helping brokers identify their unique value proposition and shine a brighter light on it. It’s about combining relationship-based selling with repeatable frameworks, she explains, pointing to her popular “Connection to Conversion” strategy that helps brokers build referral pipelines with clear processes.
For Ertman, the recent Rocket merger stands out as a critical moment — and her advice on how to reignite client engagement is more relevant than ever. Brokers should seize the opportunity to improve how they nurture relationships with both past clients and referral partners, because their database is now a true goldmine.
“If you’re not calling your past clients, retail is. You need a system — scripts, follow-ups, tools to get to a yes more quickly — so you stay top of mind,” she advised, adding that she coached brokers to refocus on strategic, consistent outreach to rebuild trust and reengage their pipeline, especially as opportunities increase in 2025.
“We’re starting to see the turnaround. It’s slow but I’ve been doing this a long time, and I believe wholeheartedly that if you want success in mortgage right now, it’s there for the taking. But you’ve got to do things differently — it’s not the same business it was even ten years ago.”
Beckwith, who stands at the helm of 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching, is close to Ertman’s tenure. She sits at 32 years of experience in senior mortgage leadership roles, including as a National SVP of Sales managing thousands of LOs across hundreds of branches. Six years ago, she launched her company with the mindset that she wanted to build something different. Stating that she’s here to create more formidable leaders, Beckwith’s firm also runs the largest women’s coaching division in America, Women with Vision. There’s a focus on everything from negotiating pay at the highest level to dealing with the tough stuff, such as harassment or discrimination.
“I’ve always believed in coaching, but I knew I could build something better than what I saw out there,” Beckwith said. “My approach is to show it can be done. When I’m talking to leaders, it’s easy for me to understand their pain points and allow them to get vulnerable. I’m outside the trenches now but visit for the sake of helping those still in them.”
Serving all lending channels, what makes her programs different is the deep focus on economic literacy — “I’m a bit of an economic geek,” she confessed — and Beckwith sees today’s opportunity in helping brokers understand how to have meaningful financial conversations with clients, not just pitch products.
With consumers facing record debt and low cash reserves, Beckwith said the next wave of production will go to those who can teach clients to think long-term and refinance strategically. And for Beckwith, the merger is a clear sign that data-driven, consultative discussions are the new recipe for success.
“You can’t just sell a rate or a payment anymore. The real value is in economic guidance—understanding the client’s full financial picture and giving smart advice,” she noted.
The rookie of the threesome, Berman-Mikel is a social media prospecting coach whose superpower is teaching brokers to see their content as the foundation for how they prospect. Founder of Berman Media PD, she focuses on creating four pillars of content that helps clients earn the right to talk about mortgages in what they do, versus having mortgage be all they talk about — an approach that only fosters indifference.
“What I want for my clients is for them to create content that elicits emotion, because emotion creates action,” Berman-Mikel explained. “So many professionals are stuck in the cycle of trying to go viral, posting for likes, chasing visibility. But here’s the truth: likes don’t pay the bills — clients do.”
Her advice in the wake of the recent news? “Story tell your way through it.”
“You need to be such a human to your audience that even if retail reaches out, the borrower won’t flinch — because they already trust you,” she said. “
AIME: Partnering with purpose
All three women are also proudly partnered with the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME). Beckwith was one of the earliest coaches — helping build their foundational coaching platform in 2018 and crediting the organization as “the number one launching pad” for her business — and sits on AIME’s Women’s Mortgage Network Committee continuing to share insights and advice at their conventions and events.
“AIME gave my coaching national visibility and I’ve grown in lockstep with this pioneering and vital organization,” she said. “I’m proud to witness them bring in more coaches because there’s enough for everybody. I’ve always had an abundant mindset.”
One of the newcomers is Berman-Mikel, who joined last year after connecting with current CEO Jonathan Haddad. A visionary laser-focused on rolling out a more curated approach to vendor relationships, Haddad told her he was impressed by her program and welcomed the opportunity to promote it via AIME. She’s since led webinars for the community and is looking forward to doing more with the association.
A high-integrity platform built for real connections, Berman-Mikel appreciates the authenticity, energy, and integrity of the current AIME leadership, particularly their efforts to feature real expertise. She sees her collaboration with AIME as a way to reach brokers looking for a better way to grow.
“The new leadership is committed to a culture change,” she said. “It’s not just pay-to-play — it’s about elevating the industry.”
Ertman, the newest to the AIME family, was drawn to the energy, inspiration, and opportunity the organization provides. And with her longevity in the space, she’s known and respected many of AIME’s leaders for years, making it feel like home from the start.
AIME is positioned to help brokers tap into new opportunities after a tough few years, and she sees a wider variety of strategic coaching tools and systems as especially valuable as the market rebounds.
“Everyone at AIME is super inspirational and passionate about empowering brokers; I want to be a part of that,” she said. “This community is all-in on helping brokers succeed and I’m excited to contribute to it.”
Beckwith agreed, adding that “with a diverse leadership board that’s unafraid to do things differently, they’re moving in a positive direction at a critical time.”
“AIME in my mind is positioned today to truly do incredible things,” she summed up.
Bolstered in no small part by the unique coaching philosophies its welcomed into the community, the future looks bright for AIME and the brokers it serves. While Beckwith, Ertman, and Berman-Mikel run their businesses their own way, their shared values — relationship-first coaching, results-driven strategies, and fierce advocacy for women in the industry — unite them. Not only is there space for female-led voices in mortgage, but their guidance is also exactly what brokers need to gain ground in a rapidly evolving market.
