Mara Dorne, self-made millionaire and top leader at a Fortune 500 subsidiary, joins The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast this week to share her insights and wisdom in all things business. Mara has built a remarkable career in a male-dominated industry. She made history when she exceeded $1 billion in sales before turning 40, so she knows a thing or two about the formula for success.
In Part One of their discussion, Mara opens up to Dwayne about her resilience, rebuilding from scratch, and how finding her WHY changed everything. They unpack everything from the changing sales landscape in a post-COVID world, to the non-negotiables of leadership, recruiting, and mindset.
If you agree that business, and life, should be about pursuing purpose and passion, not paycheques, this episode is for you!
Highlights:
00:00 – Mara opens with her mantra: “A.B.C. – Always Be Closing.”
02:10 – From broke to a billion: Mara’s journey to leading 1,500 agents.
05:45 – Why remote work kills culture — and why energy drives sales.
10:15 – Insights from Tony Robbins and Patrick Bet-David on adapting to change.
12:10 – “Work-life balance is a theory — it doesn’t exist for go-getters.”
16:30 – Always be recruiting: how to build growth through referrals and social media.
21:15 – Bob Proctor’s influence and the role of personal development in leadership.
33:00 – “Scared money don’t make money” — how to invest wisely during downturns.
42:45 – The moment everything changed: from broke to $92K in six months.
56:30 – “When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you do good.”
Key Takeaways
- Recruit Your Way Out of a Slump - Growth solves almost every sales problem. When in doubt, fill your pipeline with new energy and new people.
- Structure Equals Success - Freedom without accountability is failure. Even independent agents need rules, rhythm, and standards.
- Invest in Your Business—Smartly “Scared money don’t make money,” but blind spending isn’t strategy. Inspect every process before you invest.
- Confidence Is Built, Not Born Confidence grows through preparation, discipline, and mastering your craft—especially when no one’s watching.
- Culture Is the Competitive Edge In-office synergy, shared goals, and consistent communication drive long-term retention and results.
- Own Your Mistakes, Lead from the Front The fastest way to rebuild momentum is to get back in the trenches and show your team what leadership looks like.
Mara is a self-made millionaire, best-selling author, public speaker, and award winning BILF ('Boss I'd Like to Follow') who built a remarkable career in a male-dominated industry. As a top leader at a Fortune 500 subsidiary, she made history by exceeding $1 billion in sales before turning 40. Beyond her corporate achievements, Mara is passionate about mentoring and has guided over 1,500 health insurance agents nationwide, with a particular focus on empowering female entrepreneurs.
Links:
Website: https://maradorne.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDorneRegion
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mara.dorne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maradorne/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maradorne/
BILF Podcast:
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.