If you knew you could reach out, touch a door handle, grasp it firmly, turn it, open the door, and walk into fresh, renewed, and dramatically improved relationships (even with difficult people), both at work and at home, would you take the risk to go where you have never gone before?

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Written by: CaZ

Two amazing women grace the cover of this issue of the Women With Vision Magazine. They happen to be colleagues, C-suite executives at EPM, whose leadership and concepts of teamwork embody the growing power of women’s voices in boardrooms across the mortgage field. Their work is being recognized. Their words are being heard. Their networks are growing, and their voices truly are on fire. It Takes a Village is a commonly used catchphrase defined as many people’s involvement to achieve a goal. While the idiom’s source is credited to the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”, in our day many are reminded first of a book written by Hillary Clinton. Suha Zehl and Kerry Cole personify this concept and bring their unique twists to the villages under their purview. In these pages we are pleased to present a brief profile of each. – Editor

Suha Zehl

When it comes down to talking about the reality of who Suha Zehl is, the concept of both thinking and living outside the box comes to mind. There are few, if any, stereotypes one could pigeonhole Suha into. Suha is the very picture of an all-together person, living life on her terms, flourishing in a fulfilling career, and finding happiness and success despite overcoming dangers most of us have never faced.

Suha was born in Lebanon and spent most of her formative years there. She is fortunate to be dual citizenship and traveled often between the countries while growing up. Today she values her heritage and visits Lebanon when she can. At the age of 15, a time when the worst strife of her life should have been how to get the cute boy in civics class to smile, Suha fled a civil war in Lebanon and was sent to take shelter in the US leaving behind her parents, most of her family, and her friends.

“Being on my own to start college at such a young age would be difficult in any world,” Suha shares. “To enter a male-dominated field doubled the challenge. Back then, computer science was not woman-friendly. But that’s not what I took away from the experience. I learned to rely on myself and, most importantly, that failure is just a step in the right direction.”

After graduating Cum Laude and entering the work world, she found herself living abroad for about 10 years before returning to the US not long after the 9/11 attacks. Returning home was important to her, and yet she found during the troubling post-9/11 years, her heritage created surprising challenges, professionally.

“I never considered myself a minority until after I returned to the US. If you look at the census of Lebanon, my heritage is considered white. I don’t feel discrimination as strongly now as it was right after 9/11. There was a huge backlash then. I believe my difference gives me perspective. I’m able to bridge multiple cultures. I’m able to bridge multiple viewpoints and present them in a way others may not be able to present or even to see.”

As is true with many in the mortgage world, Suha backed into a career in mortgage. Unable to find work in her field, she registered with a temp agency and was sent on assignment to work at a startup mortgage company doing data entry.

“Analytics is my passion. I remember looking at their data and putting together reports. Next thing I knew, they hired me full time and eventually, I became their CIO and moved on from there.

The numbers and facts don’t lie. We can tell ourselves any story we like, but when we dig into the numbers and analyze them, the story they tell is the truth based on fact. I love that. Understanding this and getting the simple truth from the numbers can be the lifeblood of a company and differentiates you from others who do not understand the facts.”

Exceeding expectations, exceeding her own expectations, is a characteristic of Suha’s work ethic. She believes in setting the right expectation and then delivering more than promised. In fact, she credits this mindset as a secret to success.

“I’m not afraid of rolling up my sleeves. I never say it’s not my job when something needs to be done. I am one of the first to step up and do it. This is how companies succeed. Teamwork.”

As the Chief Analytics Officer for EPM, Suha is responsible for business intelligence and analytics and creates a dashboard of reports critical to the senior leadership. Her team provides the backup information needed to support the road map and strategy EPM has developed and makes it possible for leadership to gain key insights for decision making and to create plans for growth going out five and ten years into the future.

Collaboration and teamwork are important to Suha. While her analytical skills are valued in any kind of business, the opportunity to help people achieve homeownership is what keeps her involved in the mortgage business saying, “From the sales side all the way to the end, it doesn’t happen by one person’s effort. You can be from any background and succeed in the mortgage business; it doesn’t have to be just sales. I love our industry. It works because of collaboration. We are finally accepting disruption and wanting to do things differently, rejecting the status quo. It used to be more about the need to make a loan and everybody was in a rush to close to make money. Now it’s shifting. It’s about how we can make it better for the customer. How can we make it better and help them achieve their dream?”

Suha is a natural leader, someone who others look to for guidance. She believes in paving the way and helping the next generation of mortgage leaders by mentoring and appreciating them and their successes. She could never have imagined when she graduated college she would find such satisfaction in a career strongly based on helping people. Although when one hears her speak of her parents and the values they taught, a career finding value in service is not as far afield as she might think.

“My parents both worked. My mom was a pioneer in her field. She was one of the first females of her generation in Lebanon to earn a master’s degree and was one of the principals in a successful educational consulting company. She instilled in me from a young age the importance of hard work, living up to your word, and being authentic and true. My dad was just as much of a pioneer. Women did not really work in Lebanon in those days. If they did, it was mostly as teachers. My dad was a CFO (or its equivalent in those days) and was supportive of the family in every way he could. But more than that, he was proud of my mother’s accomplishments and supported her passion to be an entrepreneur.  He was considered Avant Garde in his thinking and not in any way typical of a Lebanese man of his day. I am proud of how my parents brought me up and in the strength of their relationship.”

The teaching of both parents was effective. Suha embraces her heritage and her femininity and considers both to be strengths and the source of her uniqueness. As a leader, Suha brings to every interaction a strong sense of empathy, a willing ear and open mind, and the desire to help and find solutions. These qualities, coupled with the passion she imbues in her work, are the leadership traits she delivers. This woman who loves numbers also loves people and puts the human factor into every equation. And the response of the people she works with validates how well she leads them.

“Being a woman in leadership has two sides to the coin. Yes, I am a leader. Yes, I am a female. And as a leader, I have a gentler way of seeing things. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not about being able to make the hard decisions. I can be as determined as any male leader. But I choose to be less abrupt and in your face about it. I believe I am welcomed as a woman leader. But I have also had to overcome it because there are still people who think a woman doesn’t know what she’s talking about, especially when it comes to numbers and tech. I still have to prove myself. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. I think we all have to constantly give more to be able to grow professionally and personally.”

Family is also an important part of Suha’s life. She introduced her husband, Steve, to Lebanon 10 years ago. They are both passionate about traveling and have taken many trips to places all around the world. As avid scuba divers, they also enjoy trips to dive in places like Thailand, Hawaii, Australia, and the Caribbean. They have two sons, Philip who is in hospitality management and Nick who is graduating and will be entering the technology field in game design.

Suha and Steve visit Paris, their dream city, as often as they are able. When asked what draws her to Paris, she cites the juxtaposition of old and new. Art and Culture, museums, and architecture. Young and vibrant and at the same time old and solid. Since she speaks French, the language is not a barrier and she finds the people welcoming.

A surprising fact about Suha is the depth of her love for cooking. She admits to being a foodie and actually served as a guest chef at a hotel when she lived overseas. There was a time in her life when she might have chosen a career as a chef. Today, she admits to a different interest:

“Ten years ago, if you asked me what I would do if I wasn’t doing what I’m doing now, I would have said become a chef. Now, though, I see how hard hospitality is and I’m not sure it would provide the fulfillment I hope for. I would write and coach and mentor if I was not doing what I’m doing now. And since I do some of all that with EPM, I have the best of both worlds right now.”

Suha’s Tips for Success

1. Embrace failure because failure gets a bad rap, but it’s not bad. It’s a growth strategy. Learn from failure to become better and evolve.
2. Ask for help when you need it. It’s OK to say you don’t know something and to ask for help.
3. Live in the Moment. Work will always be there. It’s important to be focused on work and do it well and to be passionate about it. But there’s more to living than working. Don’t make the mistake of saying you wish you had spent more time with family; make the opportunity and take the time to live in the moment.

“Being an immigrant and coming to the US was one of my biggest challenges. And it’s one of my biggest wins, too. The contrast of how something can be a challenge and a win has turned out to be one of my greatest strengths. What I experienced personally, the challenges I’ve faced and overcome, make up my core strength. Did I understand this at the time I was going through hard times? No. But I know it now. Hindsight, as they say, is 2020. Embrace the path you are on because there’s a reason for it. What you do now sets you up for success.”

Editor’s note: This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that Suha’s name has appeared in the pages of a 20/20 Vision magazine. In the February issue of The Vision, Suha penned an outstanding profile of her company, EPM, under the Meet the Pros feature. If you missed it, please take a look. Also, check out what our publisher has to say, in this issue, about the power of Suha’s voice, and indeed any voice raised appropriately at the right time. Find Christine Beckwith’s comments in the Letter from the Publisher in this issue.

Written by: CaZ

Here is our snapshot of Kerry Cole, also a C-suite executive at EPM, whose entirely different personality, skill set, and experience place her in an entirely different managerial role. Her passion and unique point of view are eminently worthy of reporting and emulating.

Kerry Cole

Kerry Cole, like many in the industry, backed into a career in the mortgage industry. After college where she graduated with a communications major having every intention to become a journalist, her life took a left turn when she attended a job fair and was hired on the spot by Champion Mortgage, a subprime lender at the time.

Today, as the Chief Wholesale Officer for EPM, Kerry intimately understands how many individuals in the village it takes to make people’s dreams of homeownership come true. Her charge includes the third-party origination division, meaning all correspondent non-delegated wholesale channels, both on the sales and operations side, report through her. Kerry loves juggling the moving parts and the quick-change nature of the work. She quotes a study where it was reported mortgage people share the same characteristics as those who work in emergency rooms: they like the urgency, have the gumption to finish the job, and feel rewarded by knowing they’ve helped people.

“It’s not like there’s a four-year degree in mortgage. We all kind of fall into it. I didn’t have finance or business administration in my background. I think the woman who hired me saw I was young, excited, a strong communicator, and eager to find my place, and I have. Once you’re in this world, you are hooked. There’s something rewarding on every level in this business. Today, when I receive a clear to close, I’m just as excited about it as I was back then. There’s an adrenaline rush when everything comes together especially since there are so many people along the way who have to collaborate. It’s fulfilling when a loan makes it to the finish line.”

For Kerry, it’s the stories behind the sale keeping her coming back for more. She grew up in a family of seven children. Her parents were not able to afford a lot of extras, but they had a home. Even though they were bursting at the seams, it was their home. There were eight in the three-bedroom house. The kids shared the three bedrooms. Her parents slept on a pull-out couch in the living room, and during this time, her mother was pregnant with child number seven.

Kerry remembers well the excitement and the feeling of safety they gained by having their own home. Many of her family’s friends rented and were continually stressed by having to move. These early memories help her to appreciate and value the service she is able to provide a family when her team saves a family $500 or $600 a month on their mortgage and, in essence, provides them the ability to continue to feed their family.

“When I hear stories from families having to leave their house and who are living in a hotel with two dogs and the kids, I get it. I remember what that looks like. I just like helping people.”

In many ways, being raised in a large family had, naturally enough, a significant impact on Kerry. Early on, she learned the power even for a number three child, to be found in determination. Her grandmother told a story of a time she had taken Kerry, all six of her siblings, plus her five cousins to a playground. The cousins wanted to ride the merry-go-round but it was occupied. It was Kerry who stood up to the other kids, telling them to get off so she and her cousins could ride. She counts this as one of the first memories she has of showing determination and taking the lead.

“I think women in leadership bring strengths. We can be more intuitive and empathetic than many of our counterparts. It’s both a skill and a gift to truly listen and to hear the need. It doesn’t matter if it’s the client or your employee talking.”

Kerry believes now is a great time to be a woman in the C-suite in the mortgage industry. Her path from entry-level sales leading to executive-level management has often been a lonely journey. There was little in the way of support, few female role models, and no woman’s network to turn to for a hand up or to simply lend an ear at a difficult intersection. Early on, she felt the need to compete, especially as she moved through the sales roles, so even women who were colleagues did not serve as a supportive network.

Where she saw her most success came when she changed her mindset from competing with her colleagues to competing with herself. This allowed her to stop looking over her shoulder, figuratively speaking, to see who was doing what. She found her strength and success in competing against her own achievements by doing better each month, doing better than the previous year.

“Every opportunity I’ve been given has involved a door being opened for me by a man. Because that’s who was in leadership. There were few women to offer a hand. I’ve taken advantage of every one of those open doors, even if only a nudge to open wider than a crack, to grab on, and to work my butt off and not let the opportunity slip away. For women coming up now, there are amazing leaders with hands open reaching back to raise up others. I did not have a Laura Brandao or a Christine Beckwith in my path. If we had connected earlier, I’m sure we would have supported each other, and I am delighted now there are groups like Women With Vision and that there are woman role models in the C-suite who want to help. It’s up to us to spread the awareness, to find women who, like I used to do, are sitting at their desk with their head down working hard and wondering what their next step could be.

And it’s not just about mortgage. I have a son, Tyler, and a daughter, Kassidy. I want both of them to grow up to be confident individuals. In particular, I want to be sure Kassidy has confidence. Doubt can creep in at an early age and hold her back as it did with me. She dances competitively. I don’t know where that comes from. She’s able to get up on stage and own it. Me? Back in March, I was having doubts about being on a Zoom call which is bizarre, right? I was a top performer funding over $100 million a month in production. Now, of course, I feel totally confident on Zoom, but it shows how easily doubt can take hold.”

When she talks about her family, Kerry’s face lights up. It’s clear how important being a parent is to her. Finding a balance between career and family is a challenge many women face. To Kerry, it’s not about balance as much as it is about harmony and give and take. There are times in a family dynamic where more time is needed. When her children were very young, she spent more time with them and less time focused on her career. Now, with her children older and her husband able to take a larger role in raising them, she is able to focus more time on her career. This she counts as a blessing since her husband, Jason, stepping into a more focused parenting role meant they were able to find harmony between what her family needed and what her career needed during the past year.

“Finding harmony is my vision for success. Jason and I have come to an awareness: we’re in a phase of life right now. It may change again. That’s OK. At some point, I may retire and he may go back to work. Who knows? What we do know is it’s important to be happy with the phase we are in and recognize it will change and morph and know we will be OK with that, too.”

Kerry grew up as a city girl, living for much of her childhood in sight of skyscrapers and surrounded by pavement. When she is not working, what she loves most is to walk in the woods. Spending time with nature nourishes her, allows her to clear her mind, and find peace. She relates a story of her first experience as a child with nature when the family went camping.

“It was amazing and I was amazed by the world around me, by nature. I had not experienced this living all my life 15 miles outside of New York City. When I finally had a taste of truly being in nature, I fell in love with it all. From camping and campfires to gardening and walks in the woods, I turned into a country girl.”

Kerry lives in upstate New York now, in a community with large stretches of woods and fields to walk in, lakes and waterfalls to appreciate, and state parks many people don’t even know exist. At the end of a busy work day, she reaches for harmony by walking in the woods to clear her mind and refresh for the next day’s rush.

Kerry’s Tips for Success:

1. Know your mindset. Approach life and work with optimism.
2. Appreciate living with a sense of urgency.
3. Be enthusiastic.
4. Be determined.
5. And the secret to the formula? Have confidence.

“I would love one day for our industry to reach a point where we don’t talk about women leadership. I look forward to the day when we are leaders because there are more of us at the table and it does not take as long to get there. Did you know Susan B. Anthony wasn’t present when the first convention met to demand the right to vote for women? She did not join the movement until two years later. It’s pretty amazing when you think about those women and what they did. I think there will be a day where we don’t talk about women in leadership because it’s just there.”

The Brand velocity isthe ability to engage your audience and share information they are genuinely interested in knowing, right now and ongoing into the future. Being a consistent and trusted brand to your targeted audiences is the name of the game when it comes to marketing and branding success, so be the business you want to follow, and think like your consumers. Brand velocity. Write it down. It’s a must!

There are people who doubt building a personal brand for themselves is beneficial for the growth of their business, as they fear they won’t see any results. This misconception arises when social media activity is coming from third-party cookie-cutter social post companies, or from marketing agencies hired, perhaps for way too much or too little money, hired perhaps for their name rather than proven ability to produce results. These kinds of branding efforts create bland, generic, non-emotional, or authentically limited social posts for your business, and they present a brand that is poorly characterized and managed.

Building relationships and growing your brand on social media and digital platforms is really no different than doing it in person, but is actually more beneficial if you think about it. We have a huge advantage today; rather than building one relationship at a time as we would in person, we can cast out our social and business nets to thousands (or even millions) of people instantly by simply showcasing who we are and what we care about, and with just one click of a mouse.

Here are three principles to keep in mind to sustain brand velocity:

1. Create Content or Messages for Fragmented Audiences

We’ve all heard the saying, “When speaking to everybody, you are speaking to nobody.” This also applies when identifying your target audiences and micro-niching your brand, which is extremely important to the success of growing your brand online and organically growing your business. Think about it, when searching online or looking for interesting subjects for you personally, unless the image, video, or content is speaking directly to your needs and wants, you quickly lose interest and move to the next post. As the person behind the post, the only way to be authentic is to be real about who the audiences are and what they care about. This is how you organically connect with them and catch their attention.

If you have more than one audience, it’s a good idea to identify the similarities between your audiences and create content they can both identify with.

Generic, salesy content is everywhere, avoid being an annoying account wanting to sell people with cheesy graphics. Be authentic in your content and messages. Put in the work to allow others to know you and to truly identify with you and your brand.

People care about connection and trust. And you should too. It’s what keeps a business loved, trusted, and soaring. People love brands that know them and care about them.

2. Respond and Adapt to Topics Trending Today and Gone Tomorrow

Creating and sharing relevant content to your audience is crucial to maintain their interest and create engagement. What interests are common between you and your audience? Focus on sharing information obviously relevant to what you do and be sure to also share interesting and engaging content to your targeted audiences which speaks directly to them authentically.

To accomplish this, it’s especially important to identify how your target audience thinks, and what type of relevant information they want and which you could provide. Through solid, consistent, high-quality and targeted content combined with brand strategizing, your audiences will quickly get to know you and relate to you, which eventually leads to their trust in your brand and success for your business.

3. Stay On Brand Across All Social Media Channels

Most of us have heard the saying, a confused mind cannot make a decision. The same goes for when we are not consistent with all branding, content, and digital storytelling across the board. The confusing frustration it leaves behind for your audiences can turn into missed opportunities and business as well as loss of brand trust. Always stay on brand and be consistent. A full-scope brand strategy from beginning to end, catered to meet your needs and your audience’s needs is a must for branding success and organic growth for your business.

There are many factors involved in creating, building, and maintaining a solid brand. These three principles when combined with a solid strategy and implementation lead to a brand velocity that can be unstoppable.

Coaching is about building a foundation for results and knowing how to step into action based on that foundation. Turning vision into reality requires trust that the bedrock beneath the vision is sound. Coaching with 20/20 Vision begins by building and strengthening your foundation and ensures you remain focused on the vision for success.

Vonk Digital, an industry leader in website and marketing tools for mortgage originators across America, is a proud sponsor and hosting partner of Women With Vision Magazine.

To learn how Vonk Digital can help you leverage the “New Way” to build your brand, authority & credibility with our website platform and tools visit us at www.vonkdigital.com