At PRMI, “Red Shoes Living” is about standing out for the positive in every moment with every person. It’s a philosophy rooted in putting yourself out there for others, leading with awareness, practicing gratitude, showing respect and kindness, and remembering that everyone has a story we may know nothing about.
What I’ve come to realize over the years is that Red Shoes Living didn’t start the day it was given a name. It was already woven into the culture through the way people treated each other every single day.
I experienced that firsthand long before I ever understood how much it would shape both my career and my life.
Seventeen years ago, I wasn’t thinking about company culture or long-term career growth. I was a first-time mom, sitting in a hospital room, trying to make sense of the fact that my son, just hours old, needed surgery within the next few hours.
That moment changes you. Not just emotionally, but financially, mentally, everything.
What I didn’t know then was that the hardest part wouldn’t just be that first surgery. It would be the years that followed… and the quiet weight of trying to hold everything together.
Like many people, I had insurance. I did what I was “supposed” to do. But medical debt doesn’t always care about what you’re supposed to do. That first surgery left me overwhelmed. I worked hard, showed up every day, and did everything I could to keep up. But eventually, it caught up with me. My paycheck started getting garnished. Rent became uncertain. There were days I didn’t have gas money to get to work.
It’s hard to describe that level of stress unless you’ve lived it. It’s not just financial, it’s survival.
I reached a point where I was completely out of options. And in a moment that still feels surreal when I think back on it, I found myself sitting in our CFO’s office. To this day, I couldn’t tell you exactly what I asked for. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t planned. I think I just needed someone to hear me.
What I got was something I didn’t expect. He listened. Really listened. There was no judgment, just empathy. He treated me with respect and kindness in a moment when I felt like I had no dignity left. And then he did something I will never forget, he helped organize a company-wide fundraiser to help support my family in my time of need.
I walked out of that office different than I walked in. Because in that moment, I realized something that has stayed with me ever since: I wasn’t just an employee. I was family.
At the time, we didn’t call it “Red Shoes Living.” But that’s exactly what it was. It was people showing up for each other. It was leadership choosing compassion. It was a company proving that culture isn’t something you say, it’s something you do.
And that moment didn’t just help me survive a hard season. It rooted me here.
When I first started at PRMI, I was in the mailroom. It was my first job, and I wasn’t thinking about building a career, I was just grateful for the opportunity. But over time, something interesting happened. Doors started opening.
I moved from the mailroom into roles in Closing and Funding. From there, I became a Junior Underwriter at a local branch before moving into Compliance as a Specialist, then into Branch Relations as a Manager, and eventually into my current role as Director of Implementation and Onboarding.
None of that happened overnight. And none of it happened alone. At every step, there were people willing to teach me, trust me, and give me a chance to grow, even when I didn’t fully see that potential in myself yet. The same company that showed up for me in my hardest moment also continued to invest in me as I built my life.
That’s what makes this place different.
In an industry that can move fast and focus heavily on numbers, it’s easy to forget that behind every file, every loan, every transaction, there are real people. People with stories, challenges, and moments they’re carrying that you may never see.
I’ve lived that reality on both sides.
As an employee, it meant everything to be seen and supported when I needed it most. As someone who has grown through multiple roles, it’s shaped how I show up for others, whether that’s a teammate, a branch partner, or a customer. Because when you work somewhere that treats people like family, you carry that forward.
Looking back, my story isn’t just about a difficult season. It’s about what happened in the middle of it. It’s about a company that chose to care, long before we ever put a name to that philosophy.
“Red Shoes Living” didn’t start as a slogan for me, it started as an experience. And it’s the reason I didn’t just stay. It’s the reason I built a career here, believed in what we stand for, and continue to show up every day with that same mindset.
You never really know what someone else is going through. But you always have a choice in how you show up for people around you. Sometimes the smallest act of compassion, support, or understanding can change the direction of someone’s life more than you’ll ever know.
I know it changed mine.
So my question to all of us is this: If someone remembered one thing about how you showed up for them during a difficult time, what would you hope it would be?
Because those moments matter and the impact lasts far longer than we realize.