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Empowering others is about empowering oneself first, looking in the mirror and seeing what truly lies beneath the reflection — good and bad — then connecting the resulting discovery to successes and failures and ultimately passing the lessons forward.
That’s the reflective piece in the GROW Program Tina Asher created to prepare women in the mortgage industry to become mentors to women looking to deepen and expand their careers. GROW is the first part of the Mortgage Women Leadership Council’s (MWLC) Women Who L.E.A.D. Mentorship Program. L.E.A.D — Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Development — is bringing mortgage professionals from all over the country together to learn from one another.
Asher, founder and president of Build-U-Up Consulting, worked with Melissa Pianin, Executive Director of the MWLC to devise the program. She said the reflection piece of GROW is about helping women figure out what drives them and makes them better leaders.
“It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick,” she said. “What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?”
Asher believes that when successful women understand what their motivations and hurdles are, they can create a ripple effect.
GROW, which also includes foundational work, or ‘Ground,’ ‘Opportunities,’ and ‘Wins,’ is a three-month course with monthly check-ins for six months thereafter.
In Wins, the last piece, there are lessons in time management, how to build boundaries, delegating, and how to have efficient and effective one-on-one meetings.
It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick. What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?
“Think of a flower. We burst through the dirt first,” Asher said. “We have to get through the dirty part first, before we become a beautiful flower.”
Mentors came out of the course with tangible results, Asher said. One woman stood up for herself in a meeting, something she would not have felt the confidence to do previously. Another began to see herself in a different light.
“Each of them had their own different wins,” she said. “Our whole goal was to empower these people.”
From there, the women went on to mentor in the first round of L.E.A.D., which wrapped up in June. The program brought a short list of mortgage professionals together with mentors. Some of the women took on both roles, serving as a mentor and mentee.
Hollyanna Vopat-Steiner, mortgage loan officer at Peninsula Credit Union in Shelton, Washington, was paired with Regan Kelly, Senior Customer Success, Polly in San Francisco, California.
While L.E.A.D may have been designed to give the mentees a boost in the industry, both Vopat-Steiner and Kelly said they gained from the experience.
Vopat-Steiner, who was the mentee, said the program boosted her confidence and made her recognize that while she has been in her position for only four years, she has made more headway than she realized.
Her ah-ha moment came when Kelly told her she could learn a lot from her.
“She shared with me that she feels she could mentee from me, which took me back,” she said.
Vopat-Steiner is considering taking on a mentorship role in the next round of L.E.A.D.
Kelly said the program helped her improve her leadership skills. She also honed different ways to communicate, collaborate and understand colleagues and create a positive mentor/mentee relationship with Vopat-Steiner.
Becoming aware of when she is stressed and unearthing her own negative tendencies has helped her avoid projecting that onto others and aided her in crafting positive and productive conversations with Vopat-Steiner.
“Hollyanna is very collaborative — I’ve been working to understand what are her motivations,” she said.
Kelly said the program was so beneficial she is recommending it to colleagues.
“I’m just really appreciative that Melissa and her team started this. I think I needed something like this and didn’t know where to go,” she said. “I think it’s something that a lot of people will benefit from.”
Mortgage Women Magazine sent out a survey to some of the mentors and mentees. Here are some responses:
• • •
Mortgage Loan Officer,
Peninsula Credit Union, Shelton, Washington
Through the mentorship program, I’ve discovered that I am more committed to my professional growth and career path than I initially realized. The experience helped me reflect on how much I’ve already accomplished and how driven I am to continue progressing. One of the most surprising and affirming moments was when my mentor shared that she felt she could learn from me as well and that I had the potential to mentor her. That feedback gave me a new level of confidence in my skills and professional value. It made me realize that I’m not only developing as a professional, but I’m also reaching a point where I can support and inspire others, too.
While I didn’t feel the need to completely retrain any specific skill, the program helped confirm that I’m on the right track professionally. That said, it did highlight the value of being more intentional with self-reflection and strategic planning. Sometimes, when things are going well, it’s easy to go on autopilot. This experience reminded me to regularly step back, reassess my goals, and make sure I’m aligning my actions with long-term success. So, if anything, I’m retraining myself to pause, reflect, and be more deliberate in how I continue growing.
Leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action.
The program helped solidify the direction I’m already moving in and gave me the confidence to set more intentional, growth-focused goals. Through the conversations with my mentor and the feedback I received, I was able to recognize the progress I’ve already made and identify where I want to go next. It wasn’t about a major change, but more about leveling up and being more strategic, setting clearer milestones, and making sure my goals align with the impact I want to have in my field. That sense of clarity and validation has been a powerful motivator to keep pushing forward and growing professionally.
The program taught me that I already possess strong leadership qualities, even more than I had given myself credit for. Hearing from my mentor that she felt she could learn from me was a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action. This realization has encouraged me to step into leadership roles more boldly and intentionally. Going forward, I plan to seek out opportunities where I can mentor others, contribute to team growth,
and use my voice more actively in decision-making spaces. I now see leadership as something I already practice and something I’m ready to own more fully.
• • •
Senior Customer Success,
Polly, San Francisco, California
The mentorship program reinforced the importance of clear and effective communication. I’ve learned how to express my thoughts more confidently, ask better questions and actively listen — all of which have helped me become a better team member. This experience has shown the value of seeking feedback and being open to different perspectives.
A key skill I realized I needed to retrain myself in during the program was understanding my own communication style and how it differs from others. I learned that effective communication isn’t just about what I say, but how it is received by different people. This insight pushed me to be more mindful, adaptable and intentional in the way I communicate with diverse personalities and working styles.
Being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting [your] communication style and encouraging feedback.
The program has shown me how important it is to foster an environment for open feedback. I’ve learned growth comes from honest conversations and by welcoming feedback. I can improve and align my goals with both personal development and professional success.
This program has taught me that effective leadership starts with self-awareness, especially in how I communicate and connect with others. I’ve learned that being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting my communication style and encouraging feedback. To actualize these qualities, I plan to keep practicing active listening, seek out mentorship opportunities and intentionally foster environments where collaboration and growth are prioritized.
• • •
Executive Vice President,
Class Valuation, Castle Rock, Colorado
I truly love helping other women progress in their careers. It is important for women to understand their value.
The primary thing was organizing my days in order to participate in Tina’s wonderful program to prepare for mentor sessions. Our days are busy so creating a way to prioritize this program was important.
This program is giving me more excitement and confidence in continuing to mentor and lead.
This program has reinforced for me that I have value to bring others in leadership experience.
• • •
Producing Branch Manager,
Supreme Lending, Rhode Island
This experience has helped clarify my goals, reaffirmed my commitment to continuous learning, and made me more intentional about how I show up at work. One of the biggest takeaways has been recognizing the value of collaboration and feedback in my development. Having a mentor offer perspective allowed me to better understand how I approach challenges, communicate, and adapt — especially in situations that call for strategic thinking or leadership.
A key skill I needed to retrain was confidence in decision-making. During the mentorship program, I realized I often second-guessed myself or over analyzed out of fear of making mistakes. With my mentor’s guidance, I learned to trust my judgment, make clearer decisions, and embrace the fact that growth often comes from taking informed risks.
Leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment.
My mentor, Jay, encouraged me to ask specific questions that helped me create clearer, more actionable goals aligned with my professional growth. Through our conversations, I was able to identify both short-term steps and long-term aspirations. With her support, I found a lending team that truly aligns with my vision and purpose. She also guided me in setting long-term goals, which led me to develop daily habits that support those goals. As a result, I feel more focused, motivated, and confident in my professional journey.
My mentor, Jay, helped me see that I don’t need to wait for a title to lead — I can lead through influence, initiative, and consistency. The program showed me that leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment and appreciating where I am in my journey. Moving forward, I plan to continue growing as a leader by seeking feedback, mentoring others, and stepping into roles that challenge me and help build my presence.
Empowering others is about empowering oneself first, looking in the mirror and seeing what truly lies beneath the reflection — good and bad — then connecting the resulting discovery to successes and failures and ultimately passing the lessons forward.
That’s the reflective piece in the GROW Program Tina Asher created to prepare women in the mortgage industry to become mentors to women looking to deepen and expand their careers. GROW is the first part of the Mortgage Women Leadership Council’s (MWLC) Women Who L.E.A.D. Mentorship Program. L.E.A.D — Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Development — is bringing mortgage professionals from all over the country together to learn from one another.
Asher, founder and president of Build-U-Up Consulting, worked with Melissa Pianin, Executive Director of the MWLC to devise the program. She said the reflection piece of GROW is about helping women figure out what drives them and makes them better leaders.
“It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick,” she said. “What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?”
Asher believes that when successful women understand what their motivations and hurdles are, they can create a ripple effect.
GROW, which also includes foundational work, or ‘Ground,’ ‘Opportunities,’ and ‘Wins,’ is a three-month course with monthly check-ins for six months thereafter.
In Wins, the last piece, there are lessons in time management, how to build boundaries, delegating, and how to have efficient and effective one-on-one meetings.
It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick. What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?
“Think of a flower. We burst through the dirt first,” Asher said. “We have to get through the dirty part first, before we become a beautiful flower.”
Mentors came out of the course with tangible results, Asher said. One woman stood up for herself in a meeting, something she would not have felt the confidence to do previously. Another began to see herself in a different light.
“Each of them had their own different wins,” she said. “Our whole goal was to empower these people.”
From there, the women went on to mentor in the first round of L.E.A.D., which wrapped up in June. The program brought a short list of mortgage professionals together with mentors. Some of the women took on both roles, serving as a mentor and mentee.
Hollyanna Vopat-Steiner, mortgage loan officer at Peninsula Credit Union in Shelton, Washington, was paired with Regan Kelly, Senior Customer Success, Polly in San Francisco, California.
While L.E.A.D may have been designed to give the mentees a boost in the industry, both Vopat-Steiner and Kelly said they gained from the experience.
Vopat-Steiner, who was the mentee, said the program boosted her confidence and made her recognize that while she has been in her position for only four years, she has made more headway than she realized.
Her ah-ha moment came when Kelly told her she could learn a lot from her.
“She shared with me that she feels she could mentee from me, which took me back,” she said.
Vopat-Steiner is considering taking on a mentorship role in the next round of L.E.A.D.
Kelly said the program helped her improve her leadership skills. She also honed different ways to communicate, collaborate and understand colleagues and create a positive mentor/mentee relationship with Vopat-Steiner.
Becoming aware of when she is stressed and unearthing her own negative tendencies has helped her avoid projecting that onto others and aided her in crafting positive and productive conversations with Vopat-Steiner.
“Hollyanna is very collaborative — I’ve been working to understand what are her motivations,” she said.
Kelly said the program was so beneficial she is recommending it to colleagues.
“I’m just really appreciative that Melissa and her team started this. I think I needed something like this and didn’t know where to go,” she said. “I think it’s something that a lot of people will benefit from.”
Mortgage Women Magazine sent out a survey to some of the mentors and mentees. Here are some responses:
• • •
Mortgage Loan Officer,
Peninsula Credit Union, Shelton, Washington
Through the mentorship program, I’ve discovered that I am more committed to my professional growth and career path than I initially realized. The experience helped me reflect on how much I’ve already accomplished and how driven I am to continue progressing. One of the most surprising and affirming moments was when my mentor shared that she felt she could learn from me as well and that I had the potential to mentor her. That feedback gave me a new level of confidence in my skills and professional value. It made me realize that I’m not only developing as a professional, but I’m also reaching a point where I can support and inspire others, too.
While I didn’t feel the need to completely retrain any specific skill, the program helped confirm that I’m on the right track professionally. That said, it did highlight the value of being more intentional with self-reflection and strategic planning. Sometimes, when things are going well, it’s easy to go on autopilot. This experience reminded me to regularly step back, reassess my goals, and make sure I’m aligning my actions with long-term success. So, if anything, I’m retraining myself to pause, reflect, and be more deliberate in how I continue growing.
Leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action.
The program helped solidify the direction I’m already moving in and gave me the confidence to set more intentional, growth-focused goals. Through the conversations with my mentor and the feedback I received, I was able to recognize the progress I’ve already made and identify where I want to go next. It wasn’t about a major change, but more about leveling up and being more strategic, setting clearer milestones, and making sure my goals align with the impact I want to have in my field. That sense of clarity and validation has been a powerful motivator to keep pushing forward and growing professionally.
The program taught me that I already possess strong leadership qualities, even more than I had given myself credit for. Hearing from my mentor that she felt she could learn from me was a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action. This realization has encouraged me to step into leadership roles more boldly and intentionally. Going forward, I plan to seek out opportunities where I can mentor others, contribute to team growth,
and use my voice more actively in decision-making spaces. I now see leadership as something I already practice and something I’m ready to own more fully.
• • •
Senior Customer Success,
Polly, San Francisco, California
The mentorship program reinforced the importance of clear and effective communication. I’ve learned how to express my thoughts more confidently, ask better questions and actively listen — all of which have helped me become a better team member. This experience has shown the value of seeking feedback and being open to different perspectives.
A key skill I realized I needed to retrain myself in during the program was understanding my own communication style and how it differs from others. I learned that effective communication isn’t just about what I say, but how it is received by different people. This insight pushed me to be more mindful, adaptable and intentional in the way I communicate with diverse personalities and working styles.
Being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting [your] communication style and encouraging feedback.
The program has shown me how important it is to foster an environment for open feedback. I’ve learned growth comes from honest conversations and by welcoming feedback. I can improve and align my goals with both personal development and professional success.
This program has taught me that effective leadership starts with self-awareness, especially in how I communicate and connect with others. I’ve learned that being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting my communication style and encouraging feedback. To actualize these qualities, I plan to keep practicing active listening, seek out mentorship opportunities and intentionally foster environments where collaboration and growth are prioritized.
• • •
Executive Vice President,
Class Valuation, Castle Rock, Colorado
I truly love helping other women progress in their careers. It is important for women to understand their value.
The primary thing was organizing my days in order to participate in Tina’s wonderful program to prepare for mentor sessions. Our days are busy so creating a way to prioritize this program was important.
This program is giving me more excitement and confidence in continuing to mentor and lead.
This program has reinforced for me that I have value to bring others in leadership experience.
• • •
Producing Branch Manager,
Supreme Lending, Rhode Island
This experience has helped clarify my goals, reaffirmed my commitment to continuous learning, and made me more intentional about how I show up at work. One of the biggest takeaways has been recognizing the value of collaboration and feedback in my development. Having a mentor offer perspective allowed me to better understand how I approach challenges, communicate, and adapt — especially in situations that call for strategic thinking or leadership.
A key skill I needed to retrain was confidence in decision-making. During the mentorship program, I realized I often second-guessed myself or over analyzed out of fear of making mistakes. With my mentor’s guidance, I learned to trust my judgment, make clearer decisions, and embrace the fact that growth often comes from taking informed risks.
Leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment.
My mentor, Jay, encouraged me to ask specific questions that helped me create clearer, more actionable goals aligned with my professional growth. Through our conversations, I was able to identify both short-term steps and long-term aspirations. With her support, I found a lending team that truly aligns with my vision and purpose. She also guided me in setting long-term goals, which led me to develop daily habits that support those goals. As a result, I feel more focused, motivated, and confident in my professional journey.
My mentor, Jay, helped me see that I don’t need to wait for a title to lead — I can lead through influence, initiative, and consistency. The program showed me that leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment and appreciating where I am in my journey. Moving forward, I plan to continue growing as a leader by seeking feedback, mentoring others, and stepping into roles that challenge me and help build my presence.
Empowering others is about empowering oneself first, looking in the mirror and seeing what truly lies beneath the reflection — good and bad — then connecting the resulting discovery to successes and failures and ultimately passing the lessons forward.
That’s the reflective piece in the GROW Program Tina Asher created to prepare women in the mortgage industry to become mentors to women looking to deepen and expand their careers. GROW is the first part of the Mortgage Women Leadership Council’s (MWLC) Women Who L.E.A.D. Mentorship Program. L.E.A.D — Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Development — is bringing mortgage professionals from all over the country together to learn from one another.
Asher, founder and president of Build-U-Up Consulting, worked with Melissa Pianin, Executive Director of the MWLC to devise the program. She said the reflection piece of GROW is about helping women figure out what drives them and makes them better leaders.
“It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick,” she said. “What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?”
Asher believes that when successful women understand what their motivations and hurdles are, they can create a ripple effect.
GROW, which also includes foundational work, or ‘Ground,’ ‘Opportunities,’ and ‘Wins,’ is a three-month course with monthly check-ins for six months thereafter.
In Wins, the last piece, there are lessons in time management, how to build boundaries, delegating, and how to have efficient and effective one-on-one meetings.
It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick. What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?
“Think of a flower. We burst through the dirt first,” Asher said. “We have to get through the dirty part first, before we become a beautiful flower.”
Mentors came out of the course with tangible results, Asher said. One woman stood up for herself in a meeting, something she would not have felt the confidence to do previously. Another began to see herself in a different light.
“Each of them had their own different wins,” she said. “Our whole goal was to empower these people.”
From there, the women went on to mentor in the first round of L.E.A.D., which wrapped up in June. The program brought a short list of mortgage professionals together with mentors. Some of the women took on both roles, serving as a mentor and mentee.
Hollyanna Vopat-Steiner, mortgage loan officer at Peninsula Credit Union in Shelton, Washington, was paired with Regan Kelly, Senior Customer Success, Polly in San Francisco, California.
While L.E.A.D may have been designed to give the mentees a boost in the industry, both Vopat-Steiner and Kelly said they gained from the experience.
Vopat-Steiner, who was the mentee, said the program boosted her confidence and made her recognize that while she has been in her position for only four years, she has made more headway than she realized.
Her ah-ha moment came when Kelly told her she could learn a lot from her.
“She shared with me that she feels she could mentee from me, which took me back,” she said.
Vopat-Steiner is considering taking on a mentorship role in the next round of L.E.A.D.
Kelly said the program helped her improve her leadership skills. She also honed different ways to communicate, collaborate and understand colleagues and create a positive mentor/mentee relationship with Vopat-Steiner.
Becoming aware of when she is stressed and unearthing her own negative tendencies has helped her avoid projecting that onto others and aided her in crafting positive and productive conversations with Vopat-Steiner.
“Hollyanna is very collaborative — I’ve been working to understand what are her motivations,” she said.
Kelly said the program was so beneficial she is recommending it to colleagues.
“I’m just really appreciative that Melissa and her team started this. I think I needed something like this and didn’t know where to go,” she said. “I think it’s something that a lot of people will benefit from.”
Mortgage Women Magazine sent out a survey to some of the mentors and mentees. Here are some responses:
• • •
Mortgage Loan Officer,
Peninsula Credit Union, Shelton, Washington
Through the mentorship program, I’ve discovered that I am more committed to my professional growth and career path than I initially realized. The experience helped me reflect on how much I’ve already accomplished and how driven I am to continue progressing. One of the most surprising and affirming moments was when my mentor shared that she felt she could learn from me as well and that I had the potential to mentor her. That feedback gave me a new level of confidence in my skills and professional value. It made me realize that I’m not only developing as a professional, but I’m also reaching a point where I can support and inspire others, too.
While I didn’t feel the need to completely retrain any specific skill, the program helped confirm that I’m on the right track professionally. That said, it did highlight the value of being more intentional with self-reflection and strategic planning. Sometimes, when things are going well, it’s easy to go on autopilot. This experience reminded me to regularly step back, reassess my goals, and make sure I’m aligning my actions with long-term success. So, if anything, I’m retraining myself to pause, reflect, and be more deliberate in how I continue growing.
Leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action.
The program helped solidify the direction I’m already moving in and gave me the confidence to set more intentional, growth-focused goals. Through the conversations with my mentor and the feedback I received, I was able to recognize the progress I’ve already made and identify where I want to go next. It wasn’t about a major change, but more about leveling up and being more strategic, setting clearer milestones, and making sure my goals align with the impact I want to have in my field. That sense of clarity and validation has been a powerful motivator to keep pushing forward and growing professionally.
The program taught me that I already possess strong leadership qualities, even more than I had given myself credit for. Hearing from my mentor that she felt she could learn from me was a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action. This realization has encouraged me to step into leadership roles more boldly and intentionally. Going forward, I plan to seek out opportunities where I can mentor others, contribute to team growth,
and use my voice more actively in decision-making spaces. I now see leadership as something I already practice and something I’m ready to own more fully.
• • •
Senior Customer Success,
Polly, San Francisco, California
The mentorship program reinforced the importance of clear and effective communication. I’ve learned how to express my thoughts more confidently, ask better questions and actively listen — all of which have helped me become a better team member. This experience has shown the value of seeking feedback and being open to different perspectives.
A key skill I realized I needed to retrain myself in during the program was understanding my own communication style and how it differs from others. I learned that effective communication isn’t just about what I say, but how it is received by different people. This insight pushed me to be more mindful, adaptable and intentional in the way I communicate with diverse personalities and working styles.
Being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting [your] communication style and encouraging feedback.
The program has shown me how important it is to foster an environment for open feedback. I’ve learned growth comes from honest conversations and by welcoming feedback. I can improve and align my goals with both personal development and professional success.
This program has taught me that effective leadership starts with self-awareness, especially in how I communicate and connect with others. I’ve learned that being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting my communication style and encouraging feedback. To actualize these qualities, I plan to keep practicing active listening, seek out mentorship opportunities and intentionally foster environments where collaboration and growth are prioritized.
• • •
Executive Vice President,
Class Valuation, Castle Rock, Colorado
I truly love helping other women progress in their careers. It is important for women to understand their value.
The primary thing was organizing my days in order to participate in Tina’s wonderful program to prepare for mentor sessions. Our days are busy so creating a way to prioritize this program was important.
This program is giving me more excitement and confidence in continuing to mentor and lead.
This program has reinforced for me that I have value to bring others in leadership experience.
• • •
Producing Branch Manager,
Supreme Lending, Rhode Island
This experience has helped clarify my goals, reaffirmed my commitment to continuous learning, and made me more intentional about how I show up at work. One of the biggest takeaways has been recognizing the value of collaboration and feedback in my development. Having a mentor offer perspective allowed me to better understand how I approach challenges, communicate, and adapt — especially in situations that call for strategic thinking or leadership.
A key skill I needed to retrain was confidence in decision-making. During the mentorship program, I realized I often second-guessed myself or over analyzed out of fear of making mistakes. With my mentor’s guidance, I learned to trust my judgment, make clearer decisions, and embrace the fact that growth often comes from taking informed risks.
Leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment.
My mentor, Jay, encouraged me to ask specific questions that helped me create clearer, more actionable goals aligned with my professional growth. Through our conversations, I was able to identify both short-term steps and long-term aspirations. With her support, I found a lending team that truly aligns with my vision and purpose. She also guided me in setting long-term goals, which led me to develop daily habits that support those goals. As a result, I feel more focused, motivated, and confident in my professional journey.
My mentor, Jay, helped me see that I don’t need to wait for a title to lead — I can lead through influence, initiative, and consistency. The program showed me that leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment and appreciating where I am in my journey. Moving forward, I plan to continue growing as a leader by seeking feedback, mentoring others, and stepping into roles that challenge me and help build my presence.
Empowering others is about empowering oneself first, looking in the mirror and seeing what truly lies beneath the reflection — good and bad — then connecting the resulting discovery to successes and failures and ultimately passing the lessons forward.
That’s the reflective piece in the GROW Program Tina Asher created to prepare women in the mortgage industry to become mentors to women looking to deepen and expand their careers. GROW is the first part of the Mortgage Women Leadership Council’s (MWLC) Women Who L.E.A.D. Mentorship Program. L.E.A.D — Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Development — is bringing mortgage professionals from all over the country together to learn from one another.
Asher, founder and president of Build-U-Up Consulting, worked with Melissa Pianin, Executive Director of the MWLC to devise the program. She said the reflection piece of GROW is about helping women figure out what drives them and makes them better leaders.
“It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick,” she said. “What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?”
Asher believes that when successful women understand what their motivations and hurdles are, they can create a ripple effect.
GROW, which also includes foundational work, or ‘Ground,’ ‘Opportunities,’ and ‘Wins,’ is a three-month course with monthly check-ins for six months thereafter.
In Wins, the last piece, there are lessons in time management, how to build boundaries, delegating, and how to have efficient and effective one-on-one meetings.
It’s important for us to understand what makes us tick. What kind of fuel do we need to put in our own gas tank that gets us out of bed?
“Think of a flower. We burst through the dirt first,” Asher said. “We have to get through the dirty part first, before we become a beautiful flower.”
Mentors came out of the course with tangible results, Asher said. One woman stood up for herself in a meeting, something she would not have felt the confidence to do previously. Another began to see herself in a different light.
“Each of them had their own different wins,” she said. “Our whole goal was to empower these people.”
From there, the women went on to mentor in the first round of L.E.A.D., which wrapped up in June. The program brought a short list of mortgage professionals together with mentors. Some of the women took on both roles, serving as a mentor and mentee.
Hollyanna Vopat-Steiner, mortgage loan officer at Peninsula Credit Union in Shelton, Washington, was paired with Regan Kelly, Senior Customer Success, Polly in San Francisco, California.
While L.E.A.D may have been designed to give the mentees a boost in the industry, both Vopat-Steiner and Kelly said they gained from the experience.
Vopat-Steiner, who was the mentee, said the program boosted her confidence and made her recognize that while she has been in her position for only four years, she has made more headway than she realized.
Her ah-ha moment came when Kelly told her she could learn a lot from her.
“She shared with me that she feels she could mentee from me, which took me back,” she said.
Vopat-Steiner is considering taking on a mentorship role in the next round of L.E.A.D.
Kelly said the program helped her improve her leadership skills. She also honed different ways to communicate, collaborate and understand colleagues and create a positive mentor/mentee relationship with Vopat-Steiner.
Becoming aware of when she is stressed and unearthing her own negative tendencies has helped her avoid projecting that onto others and aided her in crafting positive and productive conversations with Vopat-Steiner.
“Hollyanna is very collaborative — I’ve been working to understand what are her motivations,” she said.
Kelly said the program was so beneficial she is recommending it to colleagues.
“I’m just really appreciative that Melissa and her team started this. I think I needed something like this and didn’t know where to go,” she said. “I think it’s something that a lot of people will benefit from.”
Mortgage Women Magazine sent out a survey to some of the mentors and mentees. Here are some responses:
• • •
Mortgage Loan Officer,
Peninsula Credit Union, Shelton, Washington
Through the mentorship program, I’ve discovered that I am more committed to my professional growth and career path than I initially realized. The experience helped me reflect on how much I’ve already accomplished and how driven I am to continue progressing. One of the most surprising and affirming moments was when my mentor shared that she felt she could learn from me as well and that I had the potential to mentor her. That feedback gave me a new level of confidence in my skills and professional value. It made me realize that I’m not only developing as a professional, but I’m also reaching a point where I can support and inspire others, too.
While I didn’t feel the need to completely retrain any specific skill, the program helped confirm that I’m on the right track professionally. That said, it did highlight the value of being more intentional with self-reflection and strategic planning. Sometimes, when things are going well, it’s easy to go on autopilot. This experience reminded me to regularly step back, reassess my goals, and make sure I’m aligning my actions with long-term success. So, if anything, I’m retraining myself to pause, reflect, and be more deliberate in how I continue growing.
Leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action.
The program helped solidify the direction I’m already moving in and gave me the confidence to set more intentional, growth-focused goals. Through the conversations with my mentor and the feedback I received, I was able to recognize the progress I’ve already made and identify where I want to go next. It wasn’t about a major change, but more about leveling up and being more strategic, setting clearer milestones, and making sure my goals align with the impact I want to have in my field. That sense of clarity and validation has been a powerful motivator to keep pushing forward and growing professionally.
The program taught me that I already possess strong leadership qualities, even more than I had given myself credit for. Hearing from my mentor that she felt she could learn from me was a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t just about title. It’s about confidence, consistency, and the ability to inspire others through action. This realization has encouraged me to step into leadership roles more boldly and intentionally. Going forward, I plan to seek out opportunities where I can mentor others, contribute to team growth,
and use my voice more actively in decision-making spaces. I now see leadership as something I already practice and something I’m ready to own more fully.
• • •
Senior Customer Success,
Polly, San Francisco, California
The mentorship program reinforced the importance of clear and effective communication. I’ve learned how to express my thoughts more confidently, ask better questions and actively listen — all of which have helped me become a better team member. This experience has shown the value of seeking feedback and being open to different perspectives.
A key skill I realized I needed to retrain myself in during the program was understanding my own communication style and how it differs from others. I learned that effective communication isn’t just about what I say, but how it is received by different people. This insight pushed me to be more mindful, adaptable and intentional in the way I communicate with diverse personalities and working styles.
Being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting [your] communication style and encouraging feedback.
The program has shown me how important it is to foster an environment for open feedback. I’ve learned growth comes from honest conversations and by welcoming feedback. I can improve and align my goals with both personal development and professional success.
This program has taught me that effective leadership starts with self-awareness, especially in how I communicate and connect with others. I’ve learned that being a strong leader means creating space for open dialogue, adapting my communication style and encouraging feedback. To actualize these qualities, I plan to keep practicing active listening, seek out mentorship opportunities and intentionally foster environments where collaboration and growth are prioritized.
• • •
Executive Vice President,
Class Valuation, Castle Rock, Colorado
I truly love helping other women progress in their careers. It is important for women to understand their value.
The primary thing was organizing my days in order to participate in Tina’s wonderful program to prepare for mentor sessions. Our days are busy so creating a way to prioritize this program was important.
This program is giving me more excitement and confidence in continuing to mentor and lead.
This program has reinforced for me that I have value to bring others in leadership experience.
• • •
Producing Branch Manager,
Supreme Lending, Rhode Island
This experience has helped clarify my goals, reaffirmed my commitment to continuous learning, and made me more intentional about how I show up at work. One of the biggest takeaways has been recognizing the value of collaboration and feedback in my development. Having a mentor offer perspective allowed me to better understand how I approach challenges, communicate, and adapt — especially in situations that call for strategic thinking or leadership.
A key skill I needed to retrain was confidence in decision-making. During the mentorship program, I realized I often second-guessed myself or over analyzed out of fear of making mistakes. With my mentor’s guidance, I learned to trust my judgment, make clearer decisions, and embrace the fact that growth often comes from taking informed risks.
Leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment.
My mentor, Jay, encouraged me to ask specific questions that helped me create clearer, more actionable goals aligned with my professional growth. Through our conversations, I was able to identify both short-term steps and long-term aspirations. With her support, I found a lending team that truly aligns with my vision and purpose. She also guided me in setting long-term goals, which led me to develop daily habits that support those goals. As a result, I feel more focused, motivated, and confident in my professional journey.
My mentor, Jay, helped me see that I don’t need to wait for a title to lead — I can lead through influence, initiative, and consistency. The program showed me that leadership isn’t just about having the right answers — it’s also about being present in the moment and appreciating where I am in my journey. Moving forward, I plan to continue growing as a leader by seeking feedback, mentoring others, and stepping into roles that challenge me and help build my presence.
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education when you use our code WOMENWIN.
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education. Become a member for our unique code.
A letter from the editor
From Charmed to the mortgage industry
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education when you use our code WOMENWIN.
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education. Become a member for our unique code.
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