The Annual Conference is one of the things I value most as an AAPL member. It is one of my can-not-miss events of the year since it gives me an opportunity to network with all of the big players in the Private Lending Industry. The content at the event also provides great insight into where the industry stands but also what to expect in the coming year. I also enjoy AAPL’s webinars as they cover such a wide variety of topics with some of the topic experts in our space which you just don’t tend to see anywhere else.

I became a member of AAPL because I wanted to be more involved in the Private Lending industry as I started my career in this space. It was important to me to have access to industry resources and educational content and also be connected with other credible individuals in Private Lending. Becoming an AAPL member really helped me when I was starting out and continues to be a resource I use regularly.

My favorite AAPL memory has to from AAPL Annual with Nema from Geraci and his chain. That is a story that deserves more than a quick highlight here though.

Marketing and advertising have always been a passion of mine because I have always enjoyed learning about the psychology of what motivates people to make certain choices/purchases. Marketing is so much more than “making things pretty” which my job is often reduced to by people that don’t understand how much goes into being a successful marketer. As for being in Private Lending, despite studying marketing and advertising in college, I never really expected to land in the world of private lending for my career, I truly fell into it after meeting RCN’s CEO at a networking event in, where else, Las Vegas. While I knew very little about Private Lending when I started my career, it is a fascinating and ever-changing space which I think is why I continue to enjoy it. No day is ever the same and I like being kept on my toes.

Winning AAPL’s Member of the Year award back in 2017 is still one of my top accomplishments to date because I considered myself still so new to the Private Lending Industry. To get that recognition so early on in my career was truly something I am so proud of. I would also say I’m extremely proud of the Elite Women Award recognizing Female Leaders in Mortgage that I won this year. Women still struggle to get the recognition they deserve in our space so this was a very special moment for me.

I am a huge fan of Jon Ronson and would have to say it is a tie between his books The Psychopath Test and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Both of these works explore such unique topics (the concept of psychopathy and the emergence of online public shaming) in a format where he really delves into the psychology of each concept while interviewing a wide variety of people and personalities.