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Paul Lucas  00:00:02
Hello everyone. Welcome to the latest edition of Insurance Business TV as we celebrate one of this year's Elite Women, every year, Insurance Business runs a survey asking for nominations of the most groundbreaking and influential female leaders. The woman joining me today certainly stands out from the pack. She is Sylvie Forget-Swim, CEO and partner at Palladium Insurance Brokers. Sylvie, welcome to IBTV.

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:00:28
Thank you so much for having me today. Paul,

Paul Lucas  00:00:31
So you've had a 20 plus year career in the insurance industry. Tell us how you got started, and a little bit of your background too. 

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:00:39
Oh yes. So I guess my my path into insurance was not immediate, so my mom was actually a teacher, and my father was an insurance broker and owned a brokerage when I was growing up, and I had my license in high school to help my dad, and I swore off insurance. So I loved working alongside my dad, but I would help in the summer. You know, I was used to working with his employees and so forth, but I decided to go to Teachers College and move into teaching. So it's kind of funny, you know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. My mom a teacher, my dad an insurance broker. And so I went into teaching, and I taught grades 345, and six. And once I did that for few years, obviously, I had two kids, and once I had my children, I decided that I wanted to stay home until they were both in school full time. And while I was home, you know, I babysat some of my kids friends, I tutored, and I started to dabble into different businesses, and came to the realization that maybe the business world is something that I would truly appreciate, and I could bring my teaching into it. So I approached my dad and said, I think I'd actually like to go into insurance. My dad did not make it easy. He set very clear expectations with timelines, so nothing was given to me. I had to go back to school at night, and, you know, over a two year period, he wanted to make sure that I got accreditations, and really, you know, developed my knowledge so that I could do well in the industry. And then from there, in 2005 I became a partner and joined my dad and started buying out the partners one by one, until my dad retired in 2011 and then brokerage, I guess, was mine, and I merged with with Tim Snelling, who owned his brokerage from his father. Years passed, and we merged, and we became Palladian insurance.

Paul Lucas  00:02:47
There you go. You eventually followed in your father's footsteps, and I was going to say that teachings loss was insurances gain, but you sort of kept your fingers in the teaching side of things as well. You've taught the RIBO licensing course at CAI courses as well, and you continue to help brokers prepare for their RIBO exams at all levels. So did what you learn from outside the industry actually carry forth into this role?

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:03:10
Oh, absolutely, it would have. I mean, plain as day, I went to teachers college, so I studied, obviously, how to teach individuals. But I think what I bring with me more than anything, is the fact that I taught young kids. And you know, we know that as we grow up, we develop more filters, and you know, you internalize and become way more self conscious about maybe your weaknesses or or you become more afraid to speak up in groups. But with the kids, that's not the way it is at all. So as I was developing, I guess my teaching style, they're the first ones to tell you, this was not good. This, you know, this was good, this was fun. And you could see in their faces when, when you had planned and prepared a lesson properly, that they were all learning and they were engaged. And so for me, it was bringing that into the adult world, so making sure that I could engage individuals that sometimes have, you know, they've lived a life as adult learners. You know, you, you've got the you're you're always worried about your past, so called failures, or, you know, maybe you didn't do well in school, and all of a sudden now you've got to pass exams in order to actually have a career in insurance. And that, in itself, is is daunting for a lot of adult learners, learners. So that's what I brought right a bit of fun conversations, trying to change it up, to make sure that all of my students and my team are successful in the knowledge they have to have to be a good insurance broker and to have the confidence of being that good insurance broker.

Paul Lucas  00:04:48
So you brought the fund to them. But what are you looking for in them? What are you looking for from those young professionals that you guide?

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:04:57
You know that was a good question. It's a good question. And so I split it into two, because, you know, there's so much that you look for, but for my first impressions when I first meet a young individual who's looking to enter the insurance world, or even just a young professional that's coming to me for for advice, I look to see if they're aware of themselves, so self aware, you know, a bit of confidence, but that they have aspirations, not the answers to life's big questions, but just looking at possibilities. So they don't necessarily know exactly where they want to go, but they're looking at all the opportunities that that surround them as, you know, as they take on a different decisions within their career, and I look for a positive mindset. Again, back to, you know, let's focus on the possibilities and not focus on the negative that's around us. And that's the first thing. And then as I move into the insurance world, and if I'm looking to add to my team or or mentor other young individuals coming into our industry, then I look for things like resilience. So they're not scared of hard work. They're they're willing to adapt, so always trying new things, willingness to learn. You know, they they're not scared to either make a mistake or learn from you know, what we perceive as failures, that they're reliable and they're solution oriented. So when there's something that's bugging them, you know, just don't tell me the negative. Come to me with a solution so that we can talk it out and work on it together. And oftentimes those solutions are more in tune with the way they are as an individual, so it's a comfortable way to move forward and to continue progressing in their career. 

Paul Lucas  00:06:43
Well, that's them, but let's get back to you. Tell us about Palladium, and indeed, what it's like to lead your own firm.

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:06:49
So that's a roller coaster. And lucky for me, I love roller coasters. You know, I'm a bit of a thrill seeker, but, you know, I guess seeing palladium grow and and truly having a hand in its growth and making, you know, very difficult decisions through, through my journey of the past 20 years to ensure that, you know, I could grow my team, grow my Business, and become, you know, a reputable, well respected brokerage and a respected member of my community. I take every day with, I guess, a grain of salt, but with, you know, I enter every day with a lot of gratitude, and I know that all of my days are filled with opportunities, and I get to learn something new. So whatever challenge comes at me, I like the variety in my day. Not one day is the same. Sometimes I'm dealing with clients. Sometimes I'm dealing with claims. I'm always trying to help my team, and I spend a lot of time in my community, just, you know, trying to make sure that my community is getting better as well.

Paul Lucas  00:08:01
Sure that effort to help your own team is part of the reason, of course, why you scooped this award. But in your own words, what do you think makes you a good leader? 

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:08:09
I would say I'm still learning that every day. You know, some things go really well and some things don't, don't go so well, but I know that again. You know, I think it's in my mindset. But every morning I wake up and I have a choice. So when I wake up, you know, my choice is to be present on that day, no matter what happened the day before, I have to reset, not only for myself, but for my team, right? So I have to be present. I have to stay positive, and I always take a moment to breathe. It's just, you know, it calms my mind. And then little by little, you know, the my team, especially, is used to this, nugget by nugget, I hope that I can influence somewhat, their thoughts, their emotions, I don't know, their actions, so that we're all working towards the greater good. So, you know, working on themselves, making sure that they're a better person, and you know, they're developing the ways they want to be developed as an individual, but that they're helping our clients, they're helping each other, and then by de facto helping our community, or where we live.

Paul Lucas  00:09:18
Well, you touched on that community involvement, not for the first time, indeed, in this interview, and you are, of course, a champion in that space, as well as health and wellness. So tell us how that takes shape for you.

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:09:28
It took shape thanks to the insurance industry, actually. So I've always had an active lifestyle. I was always an athlete growing up or playing sports. I was very fortunate that way. But when I entered the insurance industry, I was a young mom, and I had started running on the side. Don't ask me why. I think it's because it was free, and we were a group of friends that got together and saw, Oh, we might as well just, you know, take up running to see if, if we can, you know, get back in shape after having kids. And for. From that, what was once called ing, you know, a lot of insurance companies sponsor races or running events in different communities across the country. And at that time, an insurance company sponsored Ottawa race weekend, and so in that sponsorship, they paid for us to enter a race. And so I entered a half marathon, and from there, you know, I I had enjoyed it, but I thought, there it is. It ends. And when I finished the race, they offered to send me to the New York City Marathon, just because they also sponsored the New York City Marathon, and they were looking for brokers, you know, to participate. And so when I did that, I had to make the commitment to train. I had no clue what I was getting into, but it truly changed my life. For me, you know, running became not only an outlet for me, just to release tension or to just think about, you know, what, what was next for me, it made me just get stronger, feel healthier. It totally boosted my self confidence in being able to do hard things. And, you know, I was, I was entering insurance where it is, it was and potentially still is, but it was very much predominantly a male oriented industry. It was, for sure, I was brand new. And so, you know, commercial insurance and women did not really go hand in hand. There were very few women owners in the industry at the time, and I think running was what I needed to make me feel strong, to be able to walk into a room and say, Hold on a second. I can do this too, and not feeling as though I had to prove myself, but just being myself and being confident in the fact that I had the knowledge or I could learn it if I didn't know it now and move forward. And so with that, I bring that into my team. And any young girl that I, that I work with, is all about starting from within. You know, finding something. For me, it's running, but it could be anything where there's some form of movement or exercise, and when you start to feel stronger within, then you're better able to help others around you. And that's my mindset every day. Is what I'm trying to create, I guess, in my little world.

Paul Lucas  00:12:18
Well, I'm sure there are a lot of people watching who are very inspired by your journey, and indeed, if you could give one piece of advice or a tip for up and coming young women in the industry, what would that be? 

Sylvie Forget-Swim  00:12:28
Well, you can tell by the way, I am it's gonna follow what all the other questions did. But for me, you know, as a mom, as a woman, you know you always feel guilty about not having enough time for all of the hats that you wear in a day, even as a business person and so forth, but for me, and a tip for anyone, would be to prioritize your own self care. You know, there's a motto that I took on over the past few years where my own self care is not selfish. I don't have to feel guilty about it, but it's sacred. Some days, it can be longer than other days, right? Just because of what's going on. But no matter what, every day I pause, I take a moment, you know, I try and make it at least half an hour, if not longer. But some days only got five minutes. But I don't feel guilty about it, about prioritizing myself and always looking for possibilities and creating those opportunities, and not thinking about the negative that surrounds me or the challenges that surround me, just looking at the possibilities.

Paul Lucas  00:13:30
Well, let me take a moment to thank you for your time. Sylvie, some great advice the show you've inspired many people, and congratulations again on being named among this year's elite women. And remember, if you want to hear more than the insurance industry's elite Well, keep it right here and Insurance Business TV.