Success is a winding path: Women in leadership at Symetra describe their journeys

From finding mentors to being authentic to advocating for yourself, growing your career and achieving your goals isn’t always easy, but everyday wins can lead to long-term success.

In Symetra’s Benefits division, six women currently serve in vice president and above leadership roles:

• Christine Carlson, Vice President, Stop Loss Claims
• Shelley Cascio, Vice President, Account Management and Implementation
• Adrienne Edwards, Vice President, Division Marketing
• Kayla Halpin, Vice President, Disability and Absence Strategy
• Lindsey Lajoie, Vice President, Workforce Benefits Claims
• Lisa Marecki, Senior Vice President, Life, Disability and Voluntary Products

We recently asked some of these leaders to reflect on their experiences, inspirations and lessons they’ve learned as they rose to their positions at Symetra. Here’s what they told us.

The path to leadership at Symetra

Careers seldom follow a straight line—they can be winding roads. Our leaders explained how they got where they are and where they found inspiration.

“I started in this industry as a life claims manager 33 years ago,” said Shelley Cascio. “I was intrigued by underwriting and the critical role underwriters play, and I was fortunate enough that the VP of underwriting took a chance on me. Thanks to the relationships I built, I transitioned into a client-facing role as an account manager and ultimately regional vice president of sales and account management. Each of these roles has played a crucial part in shaping who I am today.”

“Before joining Symetra 23 years ago, I was a copywriter/copy manager at various advertising agencies in New York,” said Adrienne Edwards. “I wanted to move back home, and was planning to work at an agency in Seattle. A friend suggested I check out a marketing analyst position at Symetra, and I guess I liked it enough to stay for a while, working my way up through various roles to now leading the team that I first started on.”

“I’ve been in the industry for 19 years and had some great mentors who helped me try new things along the way,” said Lindsey Lajoie. “I started as a claims adjudicator and eventually led a team of my peers. From there, I grew to love people leadership and have continued to broaden the claims teams I work with.”

Finding inspiration in leadership

Leadership can be a goal, but also a source of inspiration.

“Leading people is my favorite part of my job,” said Lindsey. “I love getting to know everyone and learning how to help motivate them and find their developmental path. I had some great leaders in my career, and I find so much joy in thinking I could help folks in our department the way my leaders helped me.”

“One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership for me is helping others grow in their careers and reach their full potential,” added Shelley. “I take great satisfaction in seeing people succeed and knowing I’ve played a role in that.”

The importance of women in leadership

Our leaders shared their thoughts on why women in leadership roles add significant value to their companies and the industry.

“I’ve read a lot about how many people tend to think of ‘executive presence’ as traits that are expressed in a traditionally masculine way, such as assertiveness, competitiveness and hierarchical decision-making,” said Kayla Halpin. “But in reality, many of the skills that make effective leaders may be associated more frequently with women—emotional intelligence, empathy and collaboration. Having more women in leadership contributes to a greater diversity of what leadership can look like.”

Lindsey added, “The more representation we have in our business, the better we can represent our diverse customer populations. Close to half of our claimants at any given time are women. Having women in our leadership group helps us gain perspectives to meet their needs.”

Lessons learned

When asked about valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way, our leaders emphasized the importance of asking questions, being yourself and setting boundaries.

“You don’t have to have all the answers,” said Adrienne. “It's OK to be curious, to ask questions, and know that at the end there may not be one 'right' or 'perfect' answer. Often the best lessons learned are from trial and error, not trial and success.”

“Be authentic, and don’t worry about what you think people want you to be,” said Lindsey. “As you progress in your career, you don’t really want roles you’d get by being anything other than yourself. Women aren’t supposed to be one thing or another, we’re all just supposed to be ourselves.”

Kayla reminds women to set and maintain healthy boundaries. “I went through a period of significant burnout because I allowed work to consume my time and energy in ways that weren’t healthy,” she said. “After switching to full-time remote work and then becoming a parent, it’s become even more important to set boundaries and communicate my needs to my team, colleagues and manager without feeling guilty or worrying how I may inconvenience others.”

Kayla also noted the importance of advocating for yourself. “Know your worth,” she said. “Apply for the job that you think may be a bit of a stretch and that you aren’t perfectly qualified for. When you receive a job offer or a promotion, negotiate the pay if you feel you’re worth more. Men tend to do these things without a second thought, but women often second-guess themselves and talk themselves out of it.”

Feeling inspired?

Symetra has a long history of hiring and promoting women at all levels of the company—from entry-level employees to our senior leadership team and CEO, Margaret Meister—and we’re proud to be recognized on Fortune’s 2024 Best Workplaces For Women™ list. If you’re interested in joining the Symetra team, visit www.symetra.com/careers.

Thank you to our VPs for sharing their insights on leadership, mentorship and more. If you’ve been inspired by women in leadership—or if you’re a leader yourself—please share your experiences on our social channels!

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