Val's Vibe Episode 8 - Inspire Feature: "Lead Boldly: Empowering Women to Break Barriers and Build Legacies"

In Episode 8 of Val’s Vibe, we’re diving into the heart of leadership with Valerie Saunders, Chief Executive Strategist and trailblazer in the mortgage industry. Joined by Laura Brandao and Linda McCoy of the Inspire Women’s Mentoring Group, Valerie shares her transformative journey through the challenges of leading in a traditionally male-dominated field. Drawing from her chapter in the book Leadership Matters, Valerie unveils her "10 Power Moves for Driving Leadership Success" and offers actionable insights to empower women to rise, lead, and inspire the next generation.

Tune in for an inspiring discussion filled with resilience, mentorship, and bold leadership strategies that will leave you ready to conquer your own professional challenges! Don't miss this opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with a vibrant community of leaders. 

Transcript

  📍 Good morning, everyone, and I'm Linda McCoy, one of the founders of this Inspire, a women's mentoring group. And with me today, I have Laura Brandao and Valerie Saunders. No, Valerie Saunders, and she's going to be a speaker today, but she is also one. for us every day. And Laura is always there to say a few words and it is a happy new year, 2025.

And we're all so excited that we still have inspire after all of these years. And it is a mentoring group to help women to get to the top of their profession. And today, if you're on our call, then that means you've taken the first step. or maybe even a few steps before this. But anyway, we're going to try to help you get to where you want to be.

We all have aspirations, dreams, and want to get to, you know, the top. And hey, one step at a time. Laura, would you like to say a few words? 

Well, just happy new year. As you said, Linda, this is, I guess, our fourth, we're going into our fourth year of, of the mentoring group and just want to welcome everyone and you are in for a special treat as Valerie is going to be going over her chapter of the amazing Leadership Matters book.

And that is wonderful. And she is our guest speaker and we only have 30 minutes. So we always try to, you know, be aware of your time so that you can get on to whatever your next event is going to be for the day and Valerie. I met Valerie probably in maybe 2008, 9, 10. I can't even remember, but it was on. I was on a committee with her and I knew you.

Right away. She was a leader. I could tell and I was so I wanted to meet her. And hey, we've, we've, our travels have, have been kind of on, on schedule all these years. And now we're at having inspired together and it's so exciting and Laura always helped get us on, on, on track. I've worked with Valerie, like I said, for years, but Valerie has had many hats that she's worn.

She is, owns a mortgage company, a title company, and she's been the president of our NAMBB National Committee. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers. And now she is, her new title is Chief Executive Strategist. And I'm going to turn this over to Valerie, because like I said, you'll know why, you know, you'll know she is a real leader.

Valerie. Thank you very much, Linda. I really appreciate it. 

I'm going to share my screen. screen here. Give me a second. Full screen. Okay. Alrighty. Thank you very much Linda and Laura for giving me the opportunity to be part of NAMB Inspire. I've been there since it was born. So happy to see it's going from a toddler moving on to To elementary school.

It's almost five years old. But my chapter in Leadership Matters is called Lead Boldly, 10 Power Moves for Driving Leadership Success. I'm gonna give a plug for the book. If you were not at NAMB National when we launched the book leadershipmatters. us. is the website where you can order if you would like we have all of these different authors.

So I am just one little small part including Laura Brandeo is an author as well. Barry Habib did our forward. I just saw Barry last week. He's doing amazing. He he is definitely. Looking like his old self. So, which is always great. But you know, the, I always being a woman I always am going to talk about my journey to leadership from a woman's perspective.

Definitely everybody's journey is different. But for women, it's often met with unique challenges you know, that test our resilience, our determination, and always our creativity. It can definitely be a complex path. For women leaders, we are going to probably encounter some obstacles that are different from other folks.

But at the end of the day, the rewards that come from overcoming them and affirming our abilities definitely set the stage for future generations to follow. So my personal leadership journey has really been created or shaped largely through my involvement in trade associations. So the two associations I have the majority of my involvement in is the Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.

I joined. FAMP I think it was 1997 and you know, FAMP at that time, and presumably, they may still be, I don't know was the largest Association in the country. We've all Florida has always had a large number of licensees. I believe we're number two in licensees behind California because California has that dual licensure with realtors as well.

And so having so many licensees. You are responsible for advocating for and going through some various challenges from from a leadership perspective, just kind of opens your eyes and makes you more. Mindful and respectful of the people that are around you. And then same with NAMB, of course.

Now, you know, we're representing every state licensed and federally registered loan originator across the country, as well as all of the support staff and anybody else in the mortgage industry, because we're all following the same rules and regulations. As it is. So I was lucky enough to become president elect of FAMP in 2008.

If anybody was around at that time in 2008 it was definitely a unique experience. I will call it the mortgage industry's depression. Just because I'm sure in 1929 one, the day before. Nobody had any idea the stock market was about to crash. Well, very similar to the mortgage industry in you know, early 2007 to about mid 2007.

I don't think we had any idea of what was about to happen. You know, you started to see these things kind of creeping in mid 2007. And then we started getting the imploda meter and, you know, it was. Just basically all hell broke loose. But, you know, as usual, my timing couldn't have been better or more challenging.

But looking back in hindsight, I think I was probably in the right place at the right time. Because I really took it on head on as a challenge to represent you know, everybody that was within my state. So mortgage industry was at a free for all. Of course, Florida was at the heart of the crisis. We had many cities that were experiencing some of the sharpest home price declines in the country.

With property values in some areas plummeting by 50 percent from their peak foreclosures were skyrocketing, we had certain parts of our state that we're seeing one in every 33 homes and foreclosure. Major banks are collapsing. There are thousands of jobs lost. Mortgage brokerages, construction firms, real estate agencies.

Nobody was really immune to what was happening. I recall at one point, I think this was in the like Melbourne area, which is kind of by where all the cruise ships go. Somebody was selling condos, buy one, get one free because. They needed to get rid of them. You know, I mean, you can't have this massive amount of inventory with no possibility of selling it.

So it, I guess it was. better for them and probably better for whoever they had their mortgage spreading agreement with and everything else to get rid of them as fast as they possibly could. So on top of that the Miami Herald put out an article about the mortgage brokerage industry in Florida.

And so what they did is they investigated all licensed mortgage brokers, which was then the individuals. And I would say at its peak in 2007, we had about 80, 000 licensed mortgage brokers just in Florida. It was a lot of people. And, you know, obviously not all 80, 000 necessarily were prepared to adequately originate a loan with a consumer.

But back in the day. The only time you ever got your background check pulled. was when you got initially licensed. And so there were people 20, 30 years or potentially longer that had not had background checks done since the day they've got their mortgage broker license. Well, a lot of things can happen in 20 or 30 years.

And so what the Miami Herald did was They took it upon themselves to run the background checks of every licensee in Florida, and they found over 10, 000 individuals with criminal records had been allowed to work. in the mortgage industry during that housing boom from 2000 to 2007. They had some that had serious crimes like bank robbery, racketeering, extortion.

I recall when this article came out, there was one gentleman who was running his mortgage broker business from jail. So, hey, I guess as long as you can make that call and figure out what's happening at your office. He somehow managed to run a mortgage broker business from jail. So, you know, besides having, you know, the mortgage collapse, now we have this you know, microscope really honing in on every single person that was licensed within the state.

Then at a federal level we got. the start of sweeping legislative legislation to reform the mortgage industry, where we had the creation of the SAFE Act and Dodd Frank, which still to this day has fundamentally really altered every aspect of the industry from licensing Lending requirements, disclosures, regulations.

For those of you that don't know, the CFPB got birthed out of Dodd Frank. NMLS got birthed out of the SAFE Act. So you know, prior to that each individual state handled their own licensing requirements. There were some states, for example, the state of Colorado didn't require licensing at all.

So You know, this created a industry standard and really was focused on making the mortgage brokerage industry a profession. So that there were some consistencies completely across the country and that if somebody was convicted of fraud in Florida and they were moving to Wyoming, the state of Wyoming would be able to go into a database and see, Hey, this person just got convicted of mortgage fraud in Florida.

We probably don't want to license them in our state. So it created this centralized database and it really, you know, I, you know, looking back. Now, 17 years later, hard to believe it's been 17 years since 2008. And all of these things were starting. It, it really, those things I think have really benefited the industry in that it has made it safer for consumers to be able to.

See who they're doing business with, have a level of comfort and have a place to go if they are unfairly treated. So I think in, from those aspects, I, I think these changes were for the better for the industry. But so we had all these things going on. And then, as an association, we're tasked with guiding all of our members through these turbulent times.

I remember taking phone calls from people who were living in multi million dollar homes to who are now living in their cars. And there was a lot of fear because when you all of a sudden are told, Hey, I know you took a test to get an in Florida, we were required to take a test to get a license. I know you took a test.

It may have been 20 years ago, but guess what? You get to take. a state test, you get to take a federal test, you're going to have your background check pulled, you have to have minimum credit standards and it's going to be more expensive to get your license. It really kind of created a situation of a lot of fear within the loan originators within our state, and I'm sure every other state wanting to know, hey, you This is the only profession I've had in my adult life.

Am I still going to be able to do what I've always been able to do and provide for myself and my family? So it was really a time of uncertainty. What's going to happen? And really, quite honestly, for a while there, we didn't have any answers because the SAFE Act said, okay, You have to implement the minimum standards of safe into your state lending law and but didn't tell you how to do it.

It just said you have to do it. So we had to sort of figure out a way of Taking these guidelines and implementing them into our lending law, but still making them palatable for the industry to be able to follow. So four months after I became president elect the sitting president of Florida he got elected to the Florida house of representatives.

Great on him, but they said, Hey, you can't be a Florida representative and also be the president of a trade association. So he had to step down. And so I became president. So I had Basically, all the responsibilities of leading the association through this crisis but also representing my industry through this crisis.

So in January, and for those that don't remember or were not around, basically in 2008 was the time when federal legislation was passed. And they gave you until 2010 to implement the minimum standards of safe into your lending laws. Well, Florida is probably no different than many other states.

They only meet 60 days out of a year. So they can only really pass legislation within this very small window of time. And if you don't get it done, then you have to wait a whole nother year before you get it. You can work on it again. So in January of 2009, our state regulator, the Office of Financial Regulation presented us with over 100 pages of proposed changes to our state lending law to not just align with the minimum standards of safe, but of course they also threw some other things in there.

You know, it's like a big pile of spaghetti. Let's throw it against the wall and see if the industry likes it or not. So basically, it was time for me to really roll up my sleeves and and Accept the fact that I accepted this role and willingly and openly. And it's time for me to create my leadership journey and make sure that I'm only not only making sure my association has a seat at the table and not doing it just for my association and our members, but also advocating for the industry and of course Florida's consumers.

So you know, looking back at that I was the only there were two women at the table. There was myself representing mortgage brokers, and there was another lady who was part of the Florida bar. And other than that, it was all men. And so you know, never backed down from a challenge. And I made myself an expert in every single aspect of Florida lending federal rules and regulations.

I spoke to whoever I thought I needed to speak to. And I took that opportunity to become the best leader that I could possibly be not just professionally, but also personally. And so. You know, leading in a traditionally male dominated industry, it, this, that situation afforded me the opportunity to really break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and hopefully inspire others, but it also created a lot of really valuable lessons on how to influence others.

Developing skills, being resilient when you're told no and feeling good about what you've done when you come out on the other side. So you know, personal impact of leadership. Obviously increased visibility and influence breaking barriers, you know, people are people. I, I don't look at somebody as whether you're male or female or gender fluid or whatever the case may be, people are people so I'm, I treat, you know, you have to treat everybody the same and I hope they do the, do the same back to me and I hope that through you.

Bye. those examples that I'm contributing in a small part to help build connections with key decision makers. And taking those opportunities also to expand my professional network and open new doors. opportunity, not just for myself, but for my associations, for my industry, for the people around me, you know you know, always put a hand back and grab whoever's behind you because we all need support.

Nobody wants to be there by themselves. Another thing is communication and negotiation, you know, leading a trade association. It forced me to, hone my public speaking. I used to hate speaking in public, but when you don't have a choice, you're just going to figure it out. So I, the way that I do it is I try, I definitely try to have presentations.

I try to make sure that I can effectively communicate and talk. I'm speaking on accurately and factually and, you know, then try to use all of that to really hopefully represent people. In whatever forum it is in the best way that I can. Another one is strategic thinking, taking all of these industry challenges, developing long term strategies and then really making critical decisions under pressure.

I'm, I don't sit around and think a lot about stuff. Should I do this? Should I not do this? No, I just do it because sometimes you can talk yourself out of the best decisions. And I'm a firm believer of probably whatever your first answer was, it's probably the right one, or at least the one that you can defend the best.

So I just, I'm definitely a, more of a quick decision maker than a calculated one. And, you know, I don't always make the right decision, but I'm willing to accept if it's not. But I still will deal with whatever the circumstances are of the choices that I've made. And then conflict resolution. You know, when you have a diverse group of people there's always going to be competing interests.

So, you know, sometimes you have to be diplomatic and figure out a way to resolve conflict. So at the end of the day, we're all walking away feeling like we. We at least have some sort of a win. It may not be as big of a win as you want, but at least have something. Even if your win is that you tried your hardest and you did your best.

That's all you can ask for. Another one is resilience. In facing those political and industry challenges, it definitely taught me how to adapt and persevere. I was, I wasn't just talking to other trade associations. I had to Speak before House and Senate committees. I spoke with the CFPB.

I spoke with NMLS. I spoke with CSBS and AARMR and whoever else would listen. And just You know, had to go in there with the confidence that the words that were coming out of my mouth were at least hopefully empowering the people that I was representing who weren't there to speak on their own.

Also advocating for women's issues. Being one of the few women presidents in both FAMP and NAMB, Linda and I are one of five women presidents in NAMB. NAMB has been around since 1973, so that's where it's 5 to 46, not, not too close there. But you know that's why you have to take your moment.

Use your platform to promote whatever, whatever it is that you want to promote. Diversity, equity, inclusion, influencing policies, representing underrepresented groups. Some people are not afforded the opportunity. To be able to speak for themselves or others. And I definitely never lose sight of that.

If, if you feel the confidence in me to speak on your behalf, I'm going to do the best I can possibly do. And then, of course, mentorship you know, allowing me to mentor and hopefully inspire other women in the industry are really other people in the industry and helping them navigate their own challenges and build a supportive community.

The way I kind of looked at it back in 2008, 2009, 2010 these were kind of all my chicks. And I'm spreading my wings and my chicks are going to say, and I'm going to do the best for all my chicks to come along with me because I want everyone to succeed and to have that same level of comfort that Yes, we may be doing things a little bit different, but it's still going to be okay.

So as a board member and later the president of NAM B I did have a front row seat to you know, the transformation of the mortgage industry. As I said, from working with government officials, congressional leaders to managing the aftershocks of the mortgage meltdown I really You know, these trade associations afforded me the opportunity to gather experience and put that into actionable leadership strategies.

And so to wrap this up, these are my 10 power moves for leadership. So number one vision, define a clear and compelling vision for your organization. Whether your organization is a trade association or your business. Or your family or yourself empowerment, make sure that you empower your team by delegating responsibility.

I am the first to admit I am a card carrying member of Delegators Anonymous. I'm terrible at it, but I, that's one of the things I really have to work on to make sure that I am sharing the responsibility and sharing the wealth and Admit, although reluctantly that I cannot do everything all the time adaptability, always learning to change and sort of roll with the punches of whatever is happening main integrity, maintaining a foundation of trust.

I always want people to look at me. If you ask me a question, I'm going to. To tell you, give you an answer. And if I give you an answer, I hope that, you know, that I have enough integrity that I'm not going to not be perfectly honest with you and not tell you the truth communication always trying to you know, make sure that we're verbally and whether, or.

Through our writings on social media or email or whatever the case may be that we're effectively spreading our message collaboration, fostering a culture of teamwork. We all need people. It's hard to be the only person at the top of the mountain. Where are you going to go after that? You got to have some people around you.

Resilience lead the way and show no fear continuous learning, always encourage and foster growth. There's always something new to learn, especially these days. Every time we turn around, we hear about some, some new product or service or AI or whatever the case may be. Always something new to learn.

Make it easy for your team to be accountable for their actions, but also just make it easy for yourself to be accountable for your actions. Nobody's perfect. Everybody's going to make mistakes. It's what you do after the mistakes are made that really show your leadership and then recognition, celebrate achievements.

I always want to give people their flowers and I hope they give their flowers back to me. If you're doing good things, that's great. And I hope you share those good things with others and that's it. So this once again leadership matters. us. That's the book. That was sort of a recap of my chapter.

And Linda and Laura, thank you for giving me the opportunity. 

Oh, that was great, Val. I really appreciate that. And we do have a a mentoring group 101 led by Chelsea Blalock. And if you want to, you can go to www. inspirewomensmentoringgroup. com and you can actually Put your name in there and then one of us to contact you if you want to have, you know, a personal mentoring.

But anyway, it's a great group and you can go to namb.Org and I think there's probably go to inspire and maybe we need to add some Something where somebody can go on there also Val. See if we can't do that. But anyway, thank you so much. And we do have our February meeting, which will be, we always meet the second Tuesday at 1pm Eastern T ime. And our next, Speaker is going to be, 

Paige Hernandez. She is a broker. She actually was just on a panel at NAMB Focus last week, and she runs a women's group called Notorious. So I don't have her exact topic title yet, but she will be joining us in February. 

So don't miss it and come see us again in February.

Okay. All right. See you then. Thank you. Take care. Bye bye.