Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph “Joey” Dionne.
Joseph “Joey” , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I feel like my starting point was more of a excruciatingly long pause…….
On the surface, I seemingly had it all; I had an amazing wife, three beautiful children, and a career that seemed to be hitting new heights constantly. From the outside looking in – you would of thought I had it all.
But I was wreck. Outside the house – the game face went on, but the moment I could take down the appearances – I was an empty shell. Physically – I was struggling with ever increasing back pain from prior accidents compounding day after day. I was struggling to exercise and move leading to the pounds just staking on. I was struggling to enjoy spending time with my little ones who were just wanting their daddy to run around with them, play with them and just be goofy. I tried, I did what I felt was my best… But at times; I was empty – I just wanted to be nowhere doing nothing… Tarisha (my wife) – she is a God send! I don’t know how she did, during these years, she was more than she ever should of had to be… We were suppose to be a team, and I was just sitting on the sideline….
Professionally though, that was a different story; it was wild! The madness came to a fury during the craziness of the Covid 19 pandemic. What brought fear and struggle for many, brought exciting chaos to the Mortgage world. Statistically, it was the craziest, wildest, biggest years ever, and for someone who felt empty at home, the Dopamine kick I got at the office was the drug I needed…. I had worked for this moment, I had built my successes and worked my way up year after year to being a senior leader within our organization. I lead a large team, and watched my responsibilities grow daily… Team members cracked under the pressure but I didn’t. I’d get in the office before 8 and leave after 8… But this was mortgages, and we were in the mist of a boom, so I’d sneak in another 4-6 hours once home…. It was go time and I wasn’t going to let anyone down… But as the year went on – the dopamine hits got smaller and smaller, and before I knew it; I realized that I had spent the whole year helping those around me make a crazy amount of money…. but I couldn’t join in that celebration as my income was somehow declining. Just like that — there was no more excitement, the joy wasn’t their, the mask to the pain was gone, and I was left feeling empty, depleted, defeated and the struggles set in… I was left only with the reality of what was really happening… That things weren’t right.
So I tried to fix it the only way I knew how, the only way I was good at – I demanded a raise…. and guess what – I was laughed at, and told I’d never get that type of money… So I did what any rational person with a large salary, a wife and 3 kids at home would do… I stepped down, that very moment, and right back into the position I had started with that same organization many years earlier as just a run of the mill Loan Originator, no salary, just commissions… The CEO granted my wish and made it official with a simple docusign sent from HR moments later…
As I drove home that Tuesday evening, the panic set in. How do I tell my wife that I stepped down, that I have no paycheck anymore… that the income we relied on was *poof* gone.
Do I tell her that night… nope.
I wait, till the next morning. I wait till the whole family is packed in our Traverse. I wait till we’re about an hour into a long long drive to North Carolina… To spend Thanksgiving in the woods, with my my parents… and hers… Could I have planned this reveal for any worse of a time….
But like I said, the year was on pause— I hadn’t been living, I’d just gone through the motions… but it was my wifes words next that finally hit play…. A few simple words, said quickly and with little more conversation after… she said “we just need to pray”….
What may have been done in haste, proved to be exactly what was needed. Because what I didn’t realize is that, all the pain I had been masking, was getting worse and worse. The doctors appoints I had been putting off – well I had all the time in the world to go to them now; and the very next one would rock my socks off…. I wasn’t told things were getting worse, I was told we need to act now because a few of my vertebrae decided that they didn’t want to be friends anymore and decide to head in different directions… 4+ years of going to the same doctor; and just like that we went from it is what it is – to if we don’t act now, your life is about to get a lot more difficult.
A few short weeks later I was waking up from what I thought was a great nap.. and the healing could begin. Physically, my back had a little less bone and a little more metal in it, but the road to recovery could begin… and oh did it ever, because I wasn’t just going to heal up physically; I was going to find healing in every area I’d let God put his hands… Mentally, emotionally, spiritually; I was finding better and better grounding and rebuilding a stronger foundation. I enrolled in Bible College at East Coast Believers Church to strengthen my faith. I paused and focused on my family – spending time with them, sharing in moments; strengthening fractured relationships with those I loved most. I began reading personal development books like they were going out of style. I was eating heathier and spending who knows how many hours in physical therapy sessions to ensure that my physical body was improving.
While all this is going on comes the idea and the clarity to act on it. A simple conversation with a great friend turned into something much bigger… My close friend and coworker, Nick Vargas, and I always thrown around a joke that we’d open our own company some day – well, in 2021 that idea became reality when we agreed that maybe it was time to act on it…
In September of 2021, we both stepped down from our respective roles, and opened appli Home Loans for business; well kind of, we had to get the licenses approved first from the state… We didn’t’ just want to open a company, we were determined to make a splash.. Before we could even open our doors for business, we had signed leases, thrown countless thousands at supplies, software, equipment, merchandize, and hired multiple employees… We were determined to make this a success…
Here we were, the week of Thanksgiving 2021, a full year after I had stepped down from my senior leadership role… My life wildly different, excited and joyous about what lies ahead… when boom, the email we had been waiting weeks for (from the state) finally hits our inbox… Appli – was officially open for business!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We finally open for business in November of 2021… and come December… rates started what was the beginning of a long climb up… Being a new company is always challenging, but the initial few months were very challenging… We were determined to make it work, but it wasn’t easy by any means.
We stepped away from our jobs during a mortgage boom… and when we finally opened a few short months later, the boom was over. Poof – it was done with. Our new company, the one we expected was going to fly into wild success, was now facing what was the start of massively down trend.
Nick and I were focused on success though; we stayed nimble, and we slowly started to grow. Smart decisions were followed with strategic hires, and a focus on never leveraging the business (or ourselves for that matter). Avoiding debt at all cost, we poured back into the business financially everything we could personally and with each passing day – we saw the business grow steadily. We watched the entire mortgage world compress all around us; seeing business our size or smaller fizzle out, and watching companies much much bigger crash and burn there way out of the industry… but here we were, growing!
But as I said before, I wasn’t just focused on professional growth anymore – I had other fish to fry… and one simple talk with my daughter lit another fire in me…You see, she was very shy, and she had started running a little in her 5th grade year and had heard that when she goes to 6th grade – they had a cross country team… and she wanted it. But she was afraid, she doubted herself; fear crept in and she didn’t think she could do it. Just like any dad would – I quickly tried to lift her up and encouraged her with my words. “You got this, You can do it! I believe in you! What ever you set your mind to you can achieve!” I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a quick little hug, and just like that she smiled a little, ran off and began playing with her brothers again… Now Sitting there alone, this conversation quickly tore right through me. Here I am, telling her everything any parent would tell their child in that moment but the example I’ve been showing her… was of a defeated dad, who made every excuse about why I couldn’t do anything of that nature… I blamed the accidents, the back, the surgery, the recovery, the weight, the fatigue, work, stress; I blamed anything and everything… I was showing them that in any other area their Daddy would rise above; except physically – in that area, I was a defeated. Just like that, in that very moment, I grabbed my shoes, laced them up and walked out the door… That day I ran, for what felt like an eternity; but was really just one mile… because I thought, if my daughter is going to believe she cant, it’s because I’ve shown her I cant – and I will change that on step at time… It was probably equal parts for me and for her, and for each of my kids… But I was determined to put myself forward and lead as best I can. Those first steps turned into miles, those miles turned into more… I called friends and told them about the journey I was on and they challenged me even further… Because a few of them happened to remember conversations I had when I was fresh out of surgery (and maybe not thinking to straight). I may have said I was going to be an Ironman; and just like any good friend – they weren’t going to let me off easy now. So Here I was, challenge in front of me, friends and family supporting me, determined to prove I could push through and that everything behind me would no longer defeat me, and maybe just maybe show my children that no matter that challenge or obstacle – that if you focus and are determined – you can push through any and all barriers and win in every area of life! So 1 mile became 2; and 2 became 4… and then came the biking, and the weight lifting, and the swimming…. and when I couldn’t go any further alone – I hired a coach to to guide me further (Doug Guthrie, thank you)… And while my journey was pushing forward, so was my daughters – it was beautiful to watch her push her own boundaries and challenge herself, gaining in her confidence… and cross finish line after finish line. In April of ’24, I finally got to cross off what was on my board… as I ran down the red carpet at Ironman Texas…
The journey hasn’t stopped there though… Since then I’ve tackled and finished numerous marathons, ultra marathons, Forgotten FL 100 mile ultramarathon (Feb ’25). and another full Ironman (Chattanooga ’25)… there’s no chance I’m stopping anytime soon.
And the business, well – the same focus and drive goes into it! Day after Day, month after month… Nick, myself, and the awesome team we have continues to build appli Home Loans into something amazing! We’ve gone from 5 people to 30+ in a few short years. From helping 1 family our first month in business with their homeownership dreams, To now; having the privilege and honor of being playing a part in the homeownership journey of 75+ families each and every month!
As you know, we’re big fans of appli Home Loans. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I don’t think you could begin to understand what makes appli Home Loans what it is without knowing some of my story – and I hope what I’ve shared with reflects positively on the grit, the drive, the determination I have personally and for appli.
The individuals that make up appli Home Loans are just as focused and determined, if not more, as I am. They each have wildly amazing stories that dive into their character and the caliber of human they are!
As a brand, we focus on building a service and product that allows for the story of each and every one of our clients home purchase (or refinance) to not be about the paperwork – but about the exciting moments outside of the mortgage. We provide a vessel to facilitate this journey; and our goal, is that we’ve simplified the process and removed the stress allowing each of our clients to focus on the exciting moments, the joyous ones, the real ones.
….and that when you share stories of your home financing journey, the words you share about us are nothing short of epicness!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
That life is not a series of perfect roads. Barriers are inevitable, but they are never final. They merely signal that your current map is incomplete, forcing you to step back, adjust your perspective, and forge a new, better path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.applihl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephrdionne
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRDionne
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrdionne/
Image Credits
Nick Morgan (Running Over Bridge)
