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October 7, 2025 38 mins

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After months of build-up, calendar mishaps, and playful trash talk, Luke Shankula finally joins Frazier and Michael on The MLO Project. This episode delivers on all fronts: insights, shade, real talk on AI, marketing, lead gen, and why most loan officers are misusing the tools that should be helping them win.

The trio dives into why AI isn’t a magic wand, how bad sales habits get amplified by tech, and how Luke’s transition from “Loans on Demand” to marketing fundamentals is reshaping how LOs show up online. You’ll also get behind-the-scenes stories from Luke’s AI Summits, a brutally honest take on what’s actually working in lead gen, and why YouTube and SEO are still kings in a short-form-obsessed world.

Topics Covered:

  • Why AI won’t save bad loan officers
  • The myth of "replacing yourself" with tech
  • Luke’s shift from DFY to teaching real marketing strategy
  • Behind the scenes of hosting an AI Summit
  • Why most short-form content flops—and how to fix it
  • The power of YouTube, SEO, and long-form content
  • How to audit and improve your lead flow
  • “Done-for-you” vs. “Done-with-you” marketing
  • The problem with skipping fundamentals
  • Fuse, Mortgage Con, and the next face-off showdown

Key Takeaways:

  • AI without strategy is just faster failure.
  • Long-form content builds brand and authority over time.
  • You don’t need new tools—you need to master the old ones.
  • Shortcuts are killing your conversions.

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Want to Be on the Show?

If you're in the mortgage industry, doing big things (and you don’t suck), hit us up. The guest bar is low, so we let Luke in. 

Email us at themloproject@empowerlo.com

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