The Level Up Podcast with Paul Alex

Episode Title: The Hidden Side of Health Insurance Sales — And How Mara Dorne Became the Industry’s Outlier
Release Date: December 6, 2025
Host: Paul Alex Espinoza
Guest: Mara Dorn

Episode Overview

This episode features Mara Dorn, a self-made regional sales leader in the health insurance industry, podcast host (“BILF”—Boss I Like to Follow), and single parent who rebuilt her life and career from losing it all at 25 to leading billion-dollar sales teams. Paul and Mara’s conversation centers around resilience in the face of adversity, breaking through in male-dominated industries, sales mindset, entrepreneurship, and balancing motherhood with building an empire. The episode delivers candid wisdom for would-be entrepreneurs, especially those hesitant about sales, and offers practical, real-world advice on leveling up one’s mindset and circumstances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mara’s Origin Story: From Loss to Rebuilding (03:02–08:05)

• Background: Mara shares her backstory—raised in South Florida, she was set to be a lawyer after earning her master’s in criminal justice.
  • “I thought I was going to be like Erin Brockovich.” — Mara Dorn [02:45]
• Crisis Point: In 2008, Mara and her husband lost everything—six businesses, their home, vehicles, savings. She was 25 with a newborn and no career path.
  • “We lost six businesses, six months. The house, the car, the Rolexes. I mean, you name it, quick like that.” — Mara Dorn [03:05]
• How She Found Insurance: While searching online to cut bills, she stumbled into a possibly “MLM-looking” insurance interview and, despite every doubt, took a leap into a field where she had zero sales experience.

2. Resistance to Sales, Breakthroughs, and the Power of Residual Income (03:30–05:08)

• First Impression: Mara was hesitant, skeptical about both insurance sales and the room full of older men.
  • “There’s no way I’m doing sales. No.” — Mara Dorn [04:04]
  • Introduced to the concept of residual income—work hard upfront, benefit later. The insurance license cost far less than her degree, so she took the risk.
• Early Setbacks: Faced with a male-dominated, often discouraging environment.
  • “This girl's never going to make it. Never.” — Mara Dorn [04:24]
• Persistence Through Failure: Six months with no paycheck; first six months marked by lack of buy-in and half-hearted effort.
  • “I went six months without making a paycheck.” — Mara Dorn [05:01]

3. Mindset Shifts: Hitting Bottom, Extreme Ownership, and Turning the Corner (08:05–13:28)

• Survival Motivation: Childhood loss and her mother’s example (“put your face on and move forward”) ingrained resilience.
  • “My mom put on the face...No matter what happens, you have to get back up.” — Mara Dorn [09:27]
• Own Your Outcome: Realized she was getting in her own way by not being all-in.
  • “I was kind of one foot in and one foot out... I still have other options when in reality, I had no options.” — Mara Dorn [08:37]
• Critical Moment: After a failed sales trip, her mentor helped her see the errors in her process—not prequalifying leads, failing to adapt, not using all possible products.
  • “You have this clarity—it’s not everybody else, it’s you.” — Mara Dorn [13:16]
• Breakthrough: After adjusting her approach, Mara earned $92,000 in just six months—a pivotal financial and confidence turning point.
  • “I went from making no money to making my first year, I made $92,000 in the next six months.” — Mara Dorn [13:22]

4. Building Teams and a Billion-Dollar Book of Business (13:41–14:06)

• Growth: Advanced from door-to-door sales to building national teams and crossing $1B in production—making her an industry trailblazer.
  • “I was the second person to eclipse a billion dollars in team production in my company.” — Mara Dorn [14:00]

5. Tactical Wisdom for Aspiring Entrepreneurs (14:17–15:28)

• Top 3 Needle Movers for New Entrepreneurs:
  1. Embrace Failure: “You’re gonna fall...endlessly. But as long as you use those lessons to build, you’ve won. It’s never a fail.”
  2. Work for Yourself Like You Work for Others: “People are willing to work 60 hours for someone else, but won’t put the same 60 hours for themselves. Makes no sense to me.”
  3. Don’t Fear Commission: “Salary means cap. Commission is endless possibility.”
• Extreme Ownership: Take full responsibility for outcomes—essential for success.

6. Culture and Leadership: Creating Winning Sales Teams (15:31–16:25)

• Servant Leadership: True team culture puts people first—leaders must genuinely care and “serve your people.”
  • “When I want to show somebody I really want to take care of them, what do I do? I bring them to my house and I cater to them.” — Mara Dorn [16:12]
• Purpose Beyond Self: Build teams around a shared mission and trust. Model: HOPE—Helping Other People Every Day.

7. Motherhood & Entrepreneurship: Myths of “Balance” (17:38–20:42)

• On “Balance”: Rejects the idea that balance exists—accepts constant tradeoffs but finds ways to blend work and parenting.
  • “Forget the word balance. I have no idea what that even means. All I know is I’m trying to have both go in tandem, and it never does.” — Mara Dorn [18:00]
• Shutting Out Shaming: Faced and disregarded mom-shaming by focusing on her mission, embracing being a late daycare picker-upper to secure her family’s future.
• Grace Over Perfection: Vulnerably admits to imperfection and calls on others to give themselves grace.
  • “Am I the perfect mom all the time? I would like to think, but that’s not true. I’m not. But it’s ownership; I want to be better. No such thing as perfect. Give yourself grace.” — Mara Dorn [20:28]

8. Advocacy for Women in a Male-Dominated Industry & Next Steps (20:56–22:31)

• Women in Insurance: Aims to empower more women to join and lead in the industry.
  • “When I see there’s not that many women working in the space, it really hurts my little heart...continue to empower women—that they can do anything they want.” — Mara Dorn [21:10]
• Personal Branding: Through her podcast, BILF, and other platforms, Mara seeks to display authenticity, real talk, and tangible proof of what's possible for women.

9. About the BILF Podcast (21:38–22:19)

• Meaning: “Boss I Like to Follow” — a space for real, unfiltered conversations with entrepreneurs of all backgrounds.
  • “We talk about everything...it’s pretty authentic. We talk about things we probably shouldn’t talk about...it’s real, it’s raw.” — Mara Dorn [21:45]

10. On Consulting/Coaching and Differentiation (22:19–24:03)

• Why Not Coaching Yet?: Mara’s ambition is to disrupt the crowded coaching space by offering genuine value—but will only enter when she can differentiate and feel authentic.
  • “If I’m going to do something, I want to differentiate myself and I want to give true value.” — Mara Dorn [22:22]
• Paul’s Encouragement: Emphasizes her unique, hard-won credibility compared to many “coaches” and the wide opportunity available.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Resilience Mindset:
  • “No matter what happens, you have to get back up.” — Mara Dorn [09:30]
• On Taking Ownership:
  • “You have this clarity that it’s not everybody else, it’s you.” — Mara Dorn [13:16]
• Why Sales Isn’t a Dirty Word:
  • “Salary means cap. Commission is endless possibility.” — Mara Dorn [15:19]
• Entrepreneurship with Kids:
  • “Forget the word balance...Just stop listening to the noise and the naysayers.” — Mara Dorn [18:00]
• On Giving Yourself Grace:
  • “No such thing as perfect. Give yourself grace. And people don’t want to give themselves grace.” — Mara Dorn [20:40]
• Just Start:
  • “Just do it. Nike said it best. Nothing is stopping you but you.” — Mara Dorn [24:29]

Key Timestamps

• 03:02 — Mara’s background and 2008 crisis
• 04:05 — Entering insurance, skepticism about sales
• 08:05–08:46 — Survival mindset, influence of mother
• 12:44–13:21 — The “I’m done” moment; mentor call
• 13:22–14:00 — First breakthrough, $92K in 6 months
• 14:43–15:28 — Mara’s top 3 success principles
• 15:57–16:25 — Building culture: servitude and HOPE model
• 18:00–20:42 — Blending motherhood and entrepreneurship, giving grace
• 21:10 — Empowering women in insurance
• 21:45 — BILF Podcast’s purpose
• 22:19–24:03 — On coaching, authentic value, and standing out
• 24:29 — Parting motivation: “Just do it.”

Where to Find Mara Dorn

• Website: maradorn.com
• Podcast: BILF on YouTube, Spotify, Apple
• Social: Search “Mara Dorn” on all major platforms

Final Takeaway

This episode is a masterclass in grit, reinvention, and unapologetic ownership. Mara Dorn’s journey, told with vulnerability and wit, is a powerful blueprint for anyone—especially women—looking to break into sales, rebuild from rock bottom, or lead teams with integrity and heart. Her lessons: embrace falling forward, trade security for upside, put people first, and silence the critics, especially the one inside your own mind.

“Nothing is stopping you but you.” – Mara Dorn [24:29]