A title insurance executive formed a group this year to help her fellow female leaders navigate professional and personal challenges.
WFG National Title Insurance Co. Vice President Jaime Johnson, director of WFG Agent 3.0, said she founded the group Women at the (Closing) Table powered by WFG after attending two events hosted by October Research and then deciding to host her own program.
The seeds for the group’s formation were planted when Johnson attended the Women in Leadership breakfast event at October Research’s annual National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in 2022.
“I thought it was really, really impressive,” Johnson said. “I thought it was really well done, the quality of the speakers, the topics that they talked about.”
Johnson then attended October Research’s Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS), also in 2022, and noted she enjoyed sitting in on the sessions that offered guidance to female business leaders.
“I was really impressed,” Johnson said. “There were so many of the topics … that really resonated with me, really helped me identify goals to create for myself. (For example) some of those time-blocking type of opportunities to work on my own goals and successes.”
She added WLS was different from the numerous conferences she’s attended during her career that began in the late 1990s.
“(WLS) wasn’t just (about) our careers,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t just what was going on in our states or (about) changing laws and statutes and things like that, but it was really creating that quality person inside of yourself (such as) what do you need to achieve your own goals? What is it that will make you a more well-rounded individual? … It was a great perspective to hear.”
WFG hosts female executive summit in spring
Those October Research events inspired Johnson to have WFG organize and host a similar program this past spring in Hollywood Beach, Fla. In May, about 100 women attended a female executive leadership summit the day before the WFG Executive Summit. While noting it’s tough to foresee how an event will unfold, Johnson said she was pleased with the results.
“Personally, it was so much more than I ever even could have anticipated,” she said.
The distinguishing feature of that gathering was that it addressed the unique challenges faced by women in executive leadership roles in the title insurance industry.
“As a leader, you have to be strong,” Johnson said. “You have to be the force there to support your team members, and you can’t always be vulnerable. You can't always say, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going through this,’ or ask someone, ‘How do you deal with this type of situation,’ because you have to be that strong, secure one for everyone else.”
Johnson explained she felt WFG’s summit offered female executives “a safe space” to collaborate with one another, as well as share stories with, and learn from one another.
The keynote presentation was delivered by JJ DiGeronimo, a former tech industry leader who is now an author and speaker. She also founded a group called Tech Savvy Women and spoke at the 2024 WLS.
“She had come really highly recommended and just was a great introduction as to what the event was going to be like,” Johnson said.
October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster closed out the day with a presentation talking about her journey in the title insurance industry.
The summit included a panel discussion where title agents and WFG staff members answered questions on both professional and personal issues. Conference participants offered tips on actions they took to improve their confidence.
“(One participant) said, ‘I always wear lipstick when I leave the house,’ because it’s like her shield, that thing that gives her that courage,” Johnson said.
The leadership summit included networking breaks where attendees mingled and got to know one another more. In the impromptu conversations, the female executives discovered they shared similar feelings about their work experiences.
“Things like feeling that imposter syndrome, feeling like, ‘Do I really deserve to be here in this position among these women who I’ve looked up to for so many years?’’” Johnson shared.
She said many attendees told her it was impactful to learn that other female executives they admired had experienced similar feelings and emotions.
“It’s really empowering to people,” Johnson said.
Johnson knew the event was making an impression when speakers relayed that some attendees told them they were “so glad” they shared their experience with the audience.
Johnson noted some of the attendees discussed ideas such as “Do I deserve to be here? A lot of people are challenged based on their life experiences, where they’ve come from, what they’ve gone through, personally, even some of those education discrepancies, feeling like I’m not as educated as someone else that is in a similar position, being hesitant to share that information with people and women were very open, and it was very interesting.”
Balancing work life and personal commitments is another challenge that female leaders are tackling.
“Many people are raising their children and also caretaking parents,” Johnson said. “A lot of times, it seems like a lot of the caretaking traditionally has fallen to women. I think that the world is getting a little better as far as those types of things are concerned, but it definitely gives you a challenge when you’re trying to be a full-time professional and take care of your family.”
She was quick to point out that women who are not caring for family members sometimes face questions about how committed they are to their work.
“(They’re told) ‘Well, you don’t have a family, you should be present,’” Johnson said. “‘Why aren’t you at work 50-plus hours a week?’”
Johnson noted she believed female executives can learn a lot from one another, particularly encouraging each other to practice self-care.
“(It’s important) to allow yourself that same grace to take care of yourself the way that you need, and not always expending that energy on everyone else around you,” Johnson said.
New group founded
Following up on the success of the event in May, Johnson said she and others “wanted a way to keep that group going.”
So Johnson founded the Women at the (Closing) Table powered by WFG group for female executives in title insurance to support one another. A Facebook page has been set up and Johnson said she is posting the same content on LinkedIn.
Group members are invited to share a book they’ve read, a podcast they’ve listened to, or a quote they’ve seen that they feel would benefit their colleagues. Participants are encouraged to share success stories or seek guidance from one another on a challenge they’re facing. If members are reluctant to share ideas or ask questions, Johnson said they can make anonymous posts.
Johnson also does a weekly interview with a member via Zoom in a segment she calls “Women Who Inspire.”
The five-to-15 minute discussion typically begins with Johnson inviting her guest to talk about how she got started in the title insurance business.
“I love those origin stories, especially because so many of us just kind of fell into the industry,” Johnson observed.
She then may ask the interviewee to offer advice they have for future leaders in the title business or share something in either their professional or personal life that brings them joy. Sometimes Johnson’s guests have talked about a song that motivates them.
“It’s just a great way to get to know the women,” Johnson said. “I personally have gotten such joy out of talking to all of these people because you never know where the conversation is going to go, but I've learned something great from every one that I’ve done.”
Looking ahead
Johnson said WFG is planning another Women’s Executive Leadership Summit for the second quarter of 2026. Quarterly meetings and an upcoming involvement with a charitable organization are also eyed. She added she is hoping to create programs and resources that group members can take back to their offices and share with their staffs.
“There’s lots of good lessons to be learned, lots of things that can be shared,” Johnson said. “I think the more that we’re doing to nurture (the) next generation of our title people is just so important.”
For more from Johnson about Women at the (Closing) Table, watch her conversation with October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster on the Keys to Real Estate podcast.