I find that not only shaking my brush out but actually wrapping my fingers around it and actually squeezing as much water out of it as I can allows the brush to load up with soap much quicker and much better.

+1 on all the above comments on proportion likely being the issue. Keep in mind that, in addition to easing off on the addition of water, you can also regulate this by ensuring you have enough soap loaded into the brush before yous start to whip up your lather.

You'll know you have enough soap in the brush when:
1. you feel a good bit of drag when you glide the brush along the puck, and it leaves thick, gooey little trails of soap behind it
2. the ends of the bristles look like they've been dipped in soft butter (only it's white instead of yellow)

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If you experience bubbles and suds staring to form on your puck as you load the brush then your brush is too wet and won't load fully or produce a thick lather when you move to a bowl. (The only way to save too wet of a brush load is to finish lathering on the puck where more soap can work up and get mixed in... or start over with less water in the brush.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.